Fans of Virgin River are up in arms over characters Lizzie (played by Sarah Dugdale) and Denny (Kai Bradbury) due to their controversial approach regarding their unborn child’s health.
As the sixth season of ’s heartwarming romantic drama unfolded, a pregnant Lizzie was shown brimming with excitement about her little one on the way.
Yet, parenthood brings extra burdens for this young couple, faced with a harrowing choice after Denny’s Huntington’s disease diagnosis.
This genetic affliction means there’s a nail-biting 50% risk their baby could inherit the same fate – a degenerative disorder wreaking havoc on the neurological system.
Despite having medical knowledge within the family – Vernon ‘Doc’ Mullins (Tim Matheson) is Denny’s grandfather, and they have Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner, as a close friend – the pair shockingly opts not to have their child tested.
Virgin River fans say same thing about Lizzie’s pregnancy after ‘weird’ choice (Image: NETFLIX)
Their decision left some viewers incredulous, prompting a user to vent their frustration: “Not opting for prenatal testing for HD is for me the weirdest (and most selfish) turn of events with Doc as the grandfather of the baby, and Mel guiding Liz through the pregnancy and all,” they lamented.
“It’s a 50% chance of passing it on! The burden of care for caregivers is very high.
“I have a health science background and I am used to series being unrealistic and I am okay with that (like applying a tourniquet but the person it’s being applied on is not screaming bloody murder…), but this HD baby stuff is next level. Anyone else who feels this way?”
This led to a flurry of agreement among viewers, with one saying: “Honestly, it’s irresponsible to casually have children when there is a 50% chance they will have a horrifying genetic disease and early death.”
Lizzie and Denny had a difficult decision to make (Image: NETFLIX)
An additional critique came from another fan upset by the plot: “Yes, it’s a preposterous storyline. I don’t even want to watch any more.”
But some Virgin River fans are convinced there’s another reason why Lizzie has decided not to test the baby.
One surmised: “OK, the whole reason she won’t genetic test for Huntington’s is because the baby is likely not Denny’s correct it’s supposedly Ricky’s (Grayson Gurnsey).
“I missed this part and just found out a few weeks ago on this subreddit.”
Could Ricky actually be the father? (Image: NETFLIX)
Yet another ventured: “The storyline is pretty boring and extra. In my opinion it doesn’t really add much and most likely, the baby isn’t even Denny’s.”
Some speculate whether the child might belong to Parker (Markian Tarasiuk), Lizzie’s former flame, who made an appearance in season three.
However, fans are left pondering over the timeline, curious if it aligns with her pregnancy – a mystery set to be unravelled in season seven of Virgin River.
Virgin River is available to stream on .