Virgin River Season 5 Episode 8 harnessed the power of a full moon to accelerate the storyline—and finally speak their truths that have been buried deep down inside… the truths that most run from and avoid.
Disclaimer — this review includes spoilers from the episode — proceed with caution.
I’ve got to say, Mel, Brie and Ava’s little ritual to burn everything they want to leave behind was super cute and a true bonding moment—Ava brought a fresh energy to the series and Mel finally has friends outside of Jack—but most importantly, it allowed Mel to tap into all of those emotions associated with yet another loss, specifically coming to the realization that she doesn’t want—doesn’t have it in her—to try again.
She’s been brushing off Jack’s comments about trying because she hadn’t fully accepted that she was at the end of the road herself, but speaking it out loud to her friends made it real, and she knew that she had made up her mind.
The moment she told Jack was heartbreaking for two reasons—Mel’s explanation as to why she couldn’t go through it again and Jack’s realization that his dream had come to an end.
Mel explained that she’s “so tired” of “living on hope and getting her heart ripped out of me,” and that’s only a feeling someone who has gone through an immense amount of loss can understand. Emotionally, Jack may be hurting, but this takes a toll on Mel emotionally, physically, and spiritually; it’s such a heavy burden to carry only to find history repeating itself.
For Jack, it’s the latest loss of a child this year having been told he’s not the father of the twin boys Charmaine is expecting. It’s a lot to take in, but again, it opens up the possibility of the duo starting a family in a different way. I hope he understands Mel’s POV and doesn’t resent her for this.
Mel took some time to herself, grooving it out to Lizzo (which I didn’t expect but fully enjoyed because it gives us more of a glimpse of her personality), while also going fishing with Doc and explaining that her packed, noisy schedule was in order to keep her from getting too into her feels. It’s to be expected for someone dealing with such a harsh reality, however, on the bright side, she finally understood what she needed, and she informed Doc that she was ready to return to the clinic, and that’s a positive as Doc prepares to step away and Cameron takes over.
Speaking of Cameron, whooooo, things were heating all the way up between him and Muriel at their little steak and wine dinner. The duo locked lips before the good doctor pulled away because he didn’t want to complicate things at the clinic. And listen, I get it because Muriel is so good at her job but also, Cameron, life is short! Their spark was electric—and this has to be the most shocking thing to happen to the town that will make some juicy gossip for the sewing circle.
If there’s any place where you can get away with an in-office romance, it’s in Virgin River.
Muriel is someone worth fighting for, and I’d gladly take a spinoff focused on these two, just saying, Netflix.
Things at the glamping sight were getting sketchier by the minute as they broke ground and Melissa immediately ordered Brady to cook the books. His job to get evidence that she’s using drug money is proving tougher as he’s being kept on a need-to-know basis. There’s not much he can do with that, but he’s getting desperate, and that desperation will either force him to look closer into anything and everything, or it’ll get him caught. I hope that’s not the case.
And I know Mike and Brady wanted to keep Jack in the dark, but the guy is not dumb; he knows something is going on. He offered Brady and his men from Emerald Lumber a gig, but when he starts sniffing around, he’ll figure out something is awry. Hopefully, it won’t put him in too much danger because that’s the last thing anyone needs.
Mike and Brady also talked things over with the latter informing Brady that he never tried to woo his woman, which may be the case, but he didn’t try to push her away either. The whole “we’re just friends” spiel is hiding them from their true feelings, and now that Brie thinks Brady can’t be trusted, she’s going to set her sights on Mike—and I don’t think he has it in him to deny her. Since Brady can’t tell Brie anything, he can’t earn her trust or regain any credibility, so he doesn’t stand a chance next to Mike, who, I’m going to keep reminding everyone, is also lying to her and willingly putting her and her brother in the line of danger.
Jack also gave Lark a place to crash when Brady found her and her daughter squatting. Lark has definitely set her sights on Brady, and after all his generosity and how much he’s done for her, I can’t say I’m surprised. While Brady is very much set on winning back Brie, since she just declared that she’s moving on by throwing his name into the full moon fire, I don’t know how much longer he’s going to go out of his way before realizing he doesn’t have a shot at the moment.
Plus, Brady definitely likes that Lark appreciates everything he did for her—he’s her hero!— so I can see that there’s a chance Brady will be wooed.
As for getting wooed, Preacher and Kaia are heating up, and their adventurous first date gave us a little more insight into her personality and her past. Apparently, Jay can’t handle the kind of strong and independent woman that Kaia is, to the point that he sabotaged her from getting a promotion and then asked her to give up on her dreams so that she could be a stay-at-home mom for their family. Hello, Jay, we’re in the year 2023—try to keep up.
He may still be hung up on her, but it seems that after he asked for the divorce, Kaia was over him.
And let’s hope it stays that way because I cannot deal with any more drama surrounding Preacher; he doesn’t need to be pulled into an unnecessary love triangle.
Also, I love how Preacher said Kaia pushed him out of his comfort zone but I vividly remember an episode where they were all dirt biking together, so I’d say Kaia simply speaks to his interests.
Vernon might be coming face-to-face with his ex, Rose, who never told him about his child, and I expect that to get really intense. I love that Doc told Hope that he owes it not only to Rose but to himself to hear her out as to why she never allowed him to get to know his son (and faked her own death), especially since his grandson Denny is such a huge part of his life. It won’t be easy for these two to revisit the past, nor will it be easy for Hope to stand by in support, but it will hopefully provide everyone with a sense of closure.