Plus, the time he decided that Doc and Hope were having secret sex
Doc Mullins sure has a lot on his plate.
The local M.D. played by Tim Matheson on Virgin River ended season 3
facing the prospect of his worsening eyesight and the very real possibility that the love of his life, Hope (Annette O’Toole), might not survive injuries sustained in a car accident.
But there’s another big surprise in store for Doc: Unbeknown to him, a kid claiming to be his long-lost grandchild has checked into the Virgin River B&B. If the show gets picked up for season 4, what will that mean for Doc?
“That’s one of those giant surprises,” Matheson tells EW. “My feeling is, first, he would absolutely deny it and reject it. That’s impossible, the whole improbability of that situation. Because of what he knew happened in his previous life when he was going to medical school and his relationship with women in his life, at that point there were no grandchildren.”
He continues: “First, [he’ll think] it’s got to be a scam; second, it’s got to be wrong. If it proves to be that it actually could have happened or did happen, then it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It’s just such drama, such conflict, such interesting stuff to get into. Especially for a couple that never had children. He really wasn’t ever a father, so now to have a grandchild—that’s pretty radical.”
Matheson has brought the curmudgeonly Dr. Vernon Mullins to life for three seasons on the hit series, and last season brought him no shortage of drama to sink his teeth into. We caught up with him to discuss Doc’s health, what Hope’s accident could mean for their relationship, and the time he decided Doc and Hope were having secret sex.
TIM MATHESON: In his case, he is faced with a challenge that would affect his career as a doctor. That’s the biggest thing in his life, other than Hope. But Hope will come first over any personal issues. Believe me. He would focus on her.
This season we saw him retreat to some of his more brusque or crabby treatment of Mel [Alexandra Breckenridge] after they’ve come so far. For you, how did you justify that?
For me, it was just that we’re coming from such different places. In his mind, she’s a know-it-all and she doesn’t listen. I just justify it out of self-interest and self-protection. Part of it was underneath at all, it’s his defensiveness that he’s got weaknesses and his human fallibility, and so he’s pushing back against those things. It’s more about that than it is about her, and he’s just taking it out on her.
