#Virgin River: Lynda Boyd Explains Tragic Season 3 Storyline

Virgin River Season 3 put all of the characters in difficult situations, but one of them did not survive the season.

Early into Virgin River Season 3, Lilly revealed her cancer diagnosis, and by the end, she had died.

Lynda Boyd, who played Lilly throughout the first three seasons, has opened up about her response to the storyline after losing two siblings to cancer.

“I had a call from the producers, a conference call, and they’re like, ‘We’re so excited for your storyline for season three – you’re going to get cancer and die,'” the star said to RadioTimes.com.

“And I was sitting there at my end and going, ‘Oh. Cancer. Cool.’ I lost two siblings to cancer and I just didn’t want to go back there and feel those feelings anymore, but it ended up being some really good writing for Lilly.”

The star went on to speak about filming the scenes that showed Lilly’s friends learning of the diagnosis.

“All those women are my friends in real life,” she said.

“I’ve known Teryl (Rothery), who plays Muriel, since I was 14 years old. [She] and I used to take tap dancing lessons together, so standing up before them and telling them what a wonderful life I’ve had and how much it meant to me – they were all bawling.”

“That was real. It was almost like rehearsing for that day when I had to tell people I was dying, you know what I mean? It was hard but I think it might help people in some way, for anyone else who’s going through that, losing a loved one,” the actress continued.

Virgin River Season 3 concluded with the characters saying one last goodbye to Lilly, but there were several cliffhangers involving the other characters.

Put simply, it looks like the show is preparing for a much different Virgin River Season 4.

What are your thoughts on the way Lilly’s storyline was handled?

Do you want a fourth season of Virgin River?

Stream the first three seasons on Netflix.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.