Virgin River Season 5 Episode 7 dealt with the aftermath of the wildfires that destroyed plenty of homes, but one thing that has remained intact is the town’s spirit. Nothing gets them down as they all rallied to make the best of a terrible situation, hence the episode title suggesting that they “rose from the ashes.”
Disclaimer — this review includes spoilers from the episode — proceed with caution.
One of the biggest losses was Lilly’s farm, which completely burned down, taking everyone’s last piece of their dear friend along with it. Tara decides to take Chloe and move to San Francisco, which will undoubtedly provide her with more opportunities and a better life, but Ava couldn’t bring herself to just sell such an important piece of the town’s history to a commercial developer. Hope persuaded her into sticking around and finding the right buyer who will preserve the integrity of the original structure, and though it’s unclear who that person will be, I love that everyone is in agreement that Virgin River can’t just be bought.
Arguably the biggest moment in the episode is the final few seconds where Brie breaks up with Brady after he confronts her and Mike. There’s so much happening here, but essentially, Brady momentarily reverted to old habits because of the pain and jealousy he was feeling at the moment. He felt betrayed by Mike (rightfully so), but also completely hurt that Brie was with someone else, and given the mental load he’s been carrying, I don’t blame his outburst one bit.
Sadly, Brie doesn’t even understand the extent of his anger as she has no knowledge of Brady and Mike’s arrangement to bring down Melissa and her drug ring.
As it stands, Brady looks like the bad guy—the one who can’t be trusted (simply because he’s following Mike’s lead and keeping Brie out of the loop as he works as a CI) and the one who can’t control his emotions. He’s desperately trying to right the situation, but he just can’t win.
And Mike is shooting his shot and using this opportunity to wedge himself in there. He may not think that’s what he’s doing, but it is, in fact, what’s happening. He knows that Brie and Brady aren’t in a good place, so he’s casually offering himself up as a trusted “friend.” Clearly, these two can’t be friends when there was almost a kiss that happened between them—there are feelings there.
I want to believe Mike’s intentions are in the right place, but it doesn’t seem like it as the only outcome of this friendship is that it will progress into something more until they can’t deny their feelings for each other.
The worst part is that Mike is also lying to Brie, but she doesn’t know it yet, and because of the case, he can’t tell her about it. She thinks he’s this dependable and safe guy but his career will always mean that he’s keeping things from her.
The blowout in front of the whole town wasn’t great, but Brady is hurting right now, and he can’t help but feel like he’s just drowning despite his best efforts to stay afloat.
Jack’s also involved in this, though he doesn’t know either, and Mike told Brady that he can’t loop him in either. In order to bring down Melissa, they need irrefutable proof that she’s clearing drug money through the glamping business; they need the charges to stick, which means they can’t be rash or jump the gun.
Jack and Mel dealt with the miscarriage, both working through their feelings of anger, sadness, and disappointment.
Mel has been down this path before, so she didn’t want to go to the dark place she did back then, and she needed to process everything on her own before she was ready to tell the town. Meanwhile, Jack did what he does best and tried to push it down and remain strong for her before talking it through with Preacher, which I guess is a good start since he’s not completely closing himself off.
I love how supportive Jack was for Mel throughout this whole process, giving her the space to grieve as she needed. She also had to brace herself for another D&C to make sure there was no infection, making the reality of the loss that much more real.
One thing they are going to have to get on the same page on—when they are both ready—is what happens next. Jack makes a passive comment at the end of the episode suggesting that the town is so supportive, which is promising for when they try again, but the look on Mel’s face indicates that she’s not really interested in that. And who can blame her? She’s been through a lot—and it’s taxing. Not only are you in a constant loop of trying and wondering if you succeeded but then you have to sustain it and deal with the aftermath of the fallout when it isn’t not successful. It takes such a toll on a woman that I’m in full support of her looking for other options to start a family. Hopefully, she feels safe enough to share her stance with Jack and he’s supportive of the fact that it’s not about how they get there but that they do.
Preacher and Kaia found common ground as she informed him that she filed for divorce while he apologized for overreacting over the news of her marriage. Preacher was blindsided, so his gut reaction may not have been the best, but it was honest, showing just how deeply he felt about her. As for Kaia, thankfully, we were right in that she was on the path of separation and not looking to get emotionally invested again until she met Preacher and everything changed.
They may have gotten off to a rocky start, but clearly, that hasn’t damaged their spark and chemistry in the slightest. However, Jay may be a problem as he confronted his “wife’s new boyfriend” and made it clear that he plans to stand in their way with his thinly veiled threat of “I know her, she’ll always choose her job over you, and I am part of her job.” Jay, just accept that it’s over and move on because we don’t need this pettiness in Virgin River, and you better believe Preacher doesn’t need to navigate a scorned ex just as he finally found the one.
Denny and Lizzie continue to be the cutest, making future plans together as she officially tells her mother she won’t be going to college. Her place is very clearly in Virgin River, with Hope offering her a job as Chief of Staff to the Mayor. Hope has proven that she’s still the best thing to happen o this town—truly bouncing back from that TBI—but if anyone is to take over in the future, it’s definitely going to be Lizzie, a natural leader in the community service space. And I love how much Hope believes in her and supports her. Lizzie and Hope are the unexpected besties of the season.
As for Denny, I hope he can find a decent job that makes him feel fulfilled, though I don’t know how much longer these two actually have together with his condition.
Doc and Cameron also hashed things out following Doc’s initial outburst when Cameron said he needed to “think” about whether or not he’d want to take over the clinic. It came from an emotional place as he’s dealing with the realization that he has to step away from the gig he’s dedicated his whole life to, and it’s very important for him to leave it in the right hands. He took offense to Cameron’s statement without realizing that this journey may not be for the doctor—small-town living isn’t made for everyone, and not everyone shares Dco’s affection for this town. However, there’s no denying that VR is a magical and special place that steals hearts, so after some time, and introspection, Cameron realized he didn’t miss city living and would have no problems sticking around and leading the charge.
Part of that, I think, has to do with Muriel, who he’s developed feelings for. They’ve been innocently flirting all season, and his offer to have her move into the guest house, while sweet and hospitable, was a lot more complex—he was definitely taking a temperature gauge. It’s not the most conventional relationship in Virgin River, but it somehow works; Muriel is mature enough to appreciate Cameron’s earnest, trustworthy, and friendly persona; she picks up what he’s putting down, and they complement each other well.
I’m rooting for them because next to Brady and Brie (who truly let me down this season), they’re my new favorite soon-to-be couple.
What did you think of the episode?