Pamela Hazel

I never heard of the books, so my problems with the show are not based on its apparently significant divergence from the text. The scripts are sappy, though the scenery (it was filmed in British Columbia) is gorgeous. The female characters are mostly ridiculous and unbelievable, including the lead (Mel), a skilled nurse from LA who is fleeing some tragic events by moving to a remote area to assist the aging town doctor. Mel’s involvement with Jack, the local bar owner and Iraq vet with PTSD, is the show’s central theme. Other viewers say they’re wowed by the chemistry between the two; I couldn’t see it. Mel (Alexandra Breckinridge) is rigidly wooden. Amidst the boonies and flannel shirts, her eyebrows are painted on above obvious smoky eyeshadow. Her hands are perfectly manicured, the nails shining with clear polish that never chips. Her long hair looks artificially colored; its center part seems to be at least a quarter inch wide, as if it had been shaved, revealing roots of an indeterminate shade. While Jack (Martin Henderson) deals with the nonsense required by the script, he manages to be hot, hot, hot — seriously, the guy smolders — it’s really hard to believe all that heat is engendered by stiff, drippy Mel. Relationships between and among other characters simply defy logic, and so do their actions. I’ll probably keep watching, but were it not for Martin Henderson’s piercing blue eyes, I wouldn’t.