'Virgin River' Fans Want to Know: Is Lexa Doig Finished With Her Role as Paige on the Show? (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of Virgin River.

Season 2 of the hit Netflix series Virgin River saw the return of Paige Lassiter (played by Lexa Doig), a character that has received quite a bit of scrutiny ever since being introduced to the show. Her initial lack of any paper trail, her seemingly sketchy motives, and the overall air of distrust she projected toward locals certainly bolstered that notion.

Season 3 of the show premieres on July 9, 2021, in the U.S. and fans are clamoring for any and all possible information about aspects of Virgin River that were left with cliffhangers at the end of the last season. So, what happened to Paige in Virgin River, and is Lexa Doig done with the show for good? Here's what we know so far.

Paige first joined the show in Season 1, where she was introduced to fans as the local bakery truck owner and the mother of Christopher Lassiter (Chase Petriw). Paige's lack of a backstory made her a person of interest among the show's characters, and in one scene when she was mistaken for someone named Michelle at Jack's Bar, the townspeople's suspicions of her shady background were all but confirmed.

Beyond that, while conversing with Preacher (Colin Lawrence), she admits that she does not have a bank account and has only ever dealt in cash. This confidence in Preacher leads to his developing feelings for Paige despite being unsure of her true background or current motivations.

Eventually, he stumbles on her driver's license that confirms her name is Michelle, leading him to question her about what's going on and why she switched identities.

It takes some coercion and a whole lot of trust-building, but eventually, Paige explains to Preacher that she had previously been in an abusive relationship with a man named Wes (played by Steve Bacic) and in order to escape, protect herself, and start anew, she left with Christopher and changed her identity to Paige.

Wes didn't take this situation without a fight, however, as he files abduction charges against her for leaving with their son, and he even tracks her down to her current residence.

A fight ensues shortly after, and at one point Paige pushes Wes down the stairs, killing him instantly. Preacher, who is now inexplicably tied to Paige through emotion and trust, helps her dispose of Wes's body in the woods and go into hiding with Christopher again.

This was the last fans saw of Paige, until a few weeks later. Christopher shows up at Preacher's house asking for a place to stay. Preacher, recognizing that Paige likely went even further into hiding, agrees.

There have been quite literally no details given about Paige's whereabouts since that instance, and a lot is up in the air when you think about how Preacher is still harboring Christopher at the end of Season 2. Clearly, the tie between him and Paige still exists, leaving the show open for interactions between Preacher or Christopher with Paige in the future.

Considering the cliffhanger it left off on, it's clear why Virgin River fans were curious about what happened to Paige. One theory on Reddit suggests that we might not see her character for the time being. A user wrote, "I've read that there could have been some drama that caused Lexa Doig to drop out."

They added, "At what point do they just replace the actress and claim she had to get some work done to disguise herself?! Can't Netflix get Michaela Conlin from Bones on the phone for a quick audition? I swear they're doppelgangers anyway!"

Unfortunately, it seems that Paige has not made a return for the third season of the show. Her former lover, Preacher, is still a mainstay (and getting more screentime than ever) but Paige has seemingly fully disappeared.

So, does that mean Lexa is done with her part on Virgin River for good, or are fans going to be surprised in future seasons? Surely the story was left open enough so her return is plausible, but only time will tell.

Check out Virgin River on Netflix now.