Virgin River has been getting better and better with each passing season.
At this point, we’re pretty much locals, alongside Mel, in the picturesque small town, so we’re fully invested in all the drama that comes with the territory.
The season focused mainly on Mel’s pregnancy journey with Charmaine popping up as a secondary character to remind everyone that she’s also pregnant with two twin boys.
Jack started dealing with his trauma, finally, though it was a bit of a bumpy ride, Brie was a complete baddie and went to town to help ensure that Brady walked away a free man, Hope grappled with the aftermath of her accident and brain injury, Doc tried to reason with Hope during her recovery while also getting to know his surprise grandson Denny (who also had his fair share of secrets), and finally, Preacher opened up to a new love interest while staying vigilant in an attempt to bring Christopher and Paige home (it’s what I call a bit of a messy love triangle)!
But let’s dig in on the biggest moments and cliffhangers from Virgin River Season 4!
Not the Baby Daddy
Charmaine, say what? After the hell she put Jack through, Charmaine called him and Mel when she was having what seemingly turned out to be a panic attack over the fact that Todd, who we all knew wasn’t worth a damn thing (why did it take her this long to figure it out?), was leaving her. It’s unclear what transpired in their relationship, but Todd wasn’t present for the baby shower because of a reported work trip, Charmaine admitted that she didn’t think he cared about the babies as much as he let on, and she eventually told Jack that she thought Todd was cheating on her. All of that basically boils down to Charmaine making really poor choices about the men she allows into her life.
And after bubbling up to the top, it caused a lot of stress and a little breakdown, which is totally understandable. What wasn’t understandable is what came next! When Jack and Mel arrived at the house to render help, Charmaine broke down and insisted that this must be karma for lying to Jack about being the boys’ father.
Listen, I want Charmaine to find happiness, I want her to move on and get a good man, but Charmaine needs to stop playing with Jack’s emotions. She led this man to believe he was going to have twins. She let him fight for those children. She let him host the baby shower. And then she dropped that ball on him five months into the pregnancy? What a rug to pull out from someone who has been preparing for the arrival of these precious dudes. One minute Jack believes he’s about to be the father of three and the next minute, he’s no longer the father of two of those children.
If there’s one thing that I know for sure, it’s that Jack cares about Charmaine, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she stuck around and provided for those kids regardless of the bombshell reveal.
But also, who is the father?! Someone call Maury before he retires
Virgin River. (L to R) Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in episode 412 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022
More Paternity News
On a lighter note, Jack IS the father of Mel’s baby and they are having a baby girl. The news was one of the happier developments this season. The duo may have had their ups and downs, but they are a resilient couple. And this step forward into the future is so good for both of them. As long as Jack continues with his therapy to work through his PTSD and grief, I have no worries about their relationship at all. Mel is finally getting the family she always wanted, with a man who loves and respects her. The feeling is mutual as she stood by his side through the good times and bad.
The fact that the child is biological Jack’s and not Mark’s child eliminates the whole fiasco of Mark’s mother taking Mel to court and attempting to get custody. This baby has nothing to do with her. However, I can see Mel possibly fighting for custody of the embryos even if she doesn’t use them. They were hers. And it’s not right that a woman, even if she is Mark’s mom, should have the legal right to hire a surrogate to raise Mel’s child with her dead son. The lady, as Mel informed her, needs to accept the loss and move on.
Denny’s Health Issue
Denny’s collapse was a lot more than dehydration — he has Huntington’s Disease, a fact he hesitated to reveal to Lizzie because of the lifelong implications. Denny’s presence this season was uncertain till the very end. He was lying about a lot of things and keeping secrets, so without the full picture, he constantly looked shady and suspicious. When he took photos of all of Doc’s tax statements and bank accounts, I was certain he was trying to rob his grandfather blind. But the end result was that Denny was a stand-up kid who was trying to do some good and using his late father’s money to pay off the loan on Doc’s clinic.
Lizzie was skeptical throughout the season since Denny was giving her mixed signals. At times, he was into her, the next, he wasn’t in a place in his life for a serious girlfriend. Lizzie took it personally and sort of pressed Denny to come clean before he was ready, but it’s not entirely surprising that she was suspicious about the guy she was getting close to. However, with the prognosis out in the open, it makes sense why Denny was so reserved. Huntington’s is a fatal genetic disorder that causes a progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain so a person’s mental and physical abilities deteriorate.
Denny is dying, and he doesn’t want to drag Lizzie down with him. The only other person he trusted with the info was Doc, who seemed pretty collected afterward, though he is pushing for Denny to seek help from a specialist despite there being no cure. It’s honestly such a heartbreaking prognosis, especially as Denny just met Doc and Doc just found out he has this whole family out, including a son he never knew about or met and who passed away recently. Life has a way of reminding you that the happy times will always be balanced out with heartbreak.
Virgin River. (L to R) Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins, Kai Bradbury as Denny in episode 408 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022
Brie’s Big FU to Don
Okay, Brie is a badass this season. She’s out here fighting for Brady on the front lines, bringing down drug operations, and exposing rapists! When Don ambushed her at Jack’s bar while she was all alone, she didn’t run away in fear nor did she let what happened to her crumble her, but instead, she was fearless as she looked down at the man that hurt her and called out his behavior for what it was. She then promised to fight for all of the other victims by vowing to go to the police and file a report. Also, her relationship with Brady has turned into something so genuinely pure that it’s at times cuter than Mel and Jack (and that’s saying quite a lot!). Brady has owned up to the mistakes of his past, but he wants to be a better man for Brie. And Don should be glad he didn’t run into Brady while staking out Brie because, as much as I love Brady, he has anger issues and he wouldn’t hesitate to introduce Don to his fist.
Virgin River. (L to R) Benjamin Hollingsworth as Brady, Zibby Allen as Brie in episode 404 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022
Ricky Heads to Bootcamp
Ricky was focused on tying up loose ends and gearing up for bootcamp throughout much of the season. Up until the last minute, he wasn’t sure that he actually made the right decision about enlisting, and when he pulled up to the bus station, he felt like a coward, but he had the blessing of his grandmother. And Jack went to see him off and assured him that he was going to be just fine. It was heartbreaking to watch him leave this great life behind, especially as his feelings for Lizzie remain strong, but for once, Ricky was being brave and putting himself first.
The other half of his story arc this season was pining over Lizzie. He regretted hurting her and tried to get a second shot with her, but when he realized that Lizzie needed space, he proved to be the decent guy by covering her shifts so that she could go out with Denny.
The duo remained good friends as she organized a whole goodbye parade to send him off. And now, the door for their relationship to rekindle once he has served remains open.
Virgin River. (L to R) Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey as Ricky, Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in episode 412 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022
Brady’s Name Is Cleared
Brady has gone through hell and back, but after Jack regained his memories from the night he was shot, he remembered that it was Vince, Christopher’s kidnapper, who pulled the trigger and not Brady. While this wasn’t enough for Mike to drop the charges against Brady, it was a start. And when Preacher found a bloody knife at Jack’s bar, the DNA matched Vince’s thus confirming Jack’s story. Brady’s name is cleared and a cop was arrested for working for Emerald Lumbar and planting the evidence in his car. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s in the clear just yet because things with Emerald Lumbar are messier than ever after Calvin was “eliminated’ by the new leader.
Melissa Montgomery Is Nick’s Sister
And that new leader is Melissa Montgomery. I guess technically she’s always been in charge of this “family operation,” as she calls it, but she was working in the shadows with Calvin as her henchman. Once he was no longer working for her, she took matters into her own hands — see: his boat exploded — and made it very clear that Brady was going to start running the drugs for her. A middle-aged woman running a drug operation is kind of surprising, but what’s even more shocking is that she’s Nick’s sister. The same Nick who is a staple good samaritan in Virgin River. The same Nick who is investing in Jack’s Airstream business idea, which, if we’re being honest, is likely indirectly funded by Melissa. It’s safe to say Jack just unintentionally got into business with the enemy. And I wasn’t liking the way she looked at him during that “friendly” business dinner where she found out that Jack is expecting a baby with Mel. It almost felt like she just stumbled upon a secret she could use against him if he didn’t fall in line, kind of like she threatened Brie if Brady posed a problem.
While the gossip queens of Virgin River, including Jo Ellyn, know that Melissa is terrible, my guess is that they don’t know the extent of it. And Nick likely has absolutely no idea what his sister does or how ruthless she is, but things are about to get ugly come next season. Thank god Netflix already renewed it for season 5 because we need to see the outcome of it.
Mel Resigns
Virgin River welcomed a new doctor at Doc’s practice, Cameron, but by the end of the season, he resigned after kind of, sort of, definitely putting his foot in his mouth with Mel. Once the damage was done, working together in that teeny tiny space was going to be way too awkward. Cameron had a crush — it was obvious, and how could blame him? Mel is a catch. But it was totally out of line to suggest that Jack might be unreliable because he has an alcohol problem, even if he was coming from a real place of concern as his ex was an alcoholic. It’s no secret that Jack boozes it up to numb the pain, but Cameron didn’t know Mel well enough to make that comment. And honestly, she had it under control.
Once Mel realized that Cameron made up his mind, she made the bold decision to resign instead. And while she needs the money to raise a child, her decision makes a lot of sense. Doc is getting older, she’s going on maternity leave, and they need someone reliable to run the clinic. And that person would be Cameron. Losing him just isn’t in the cards.
Of course, we know Doc is never going to allow it, so they’re just going to have to find some compromise. Maybe they can work rotating shifts so that they never have to be in the same place at the same time?
VIRGIN RIVER
Preacher Saves Paige
Preacher has been invested in Paige and Christopher’s story since day one, but this season, we kind of got to see the man open up without the added responsibility of protecting them. After Vince kidnapped Christopher, Preacher hired a PI to track him down. He couldn’t do much else, so he attended an aikido class to release some stress and accidentally fell in love with Julia, his instructor. The connection they had was pure and sweet, but Preacher’s past came back to haunt him rather quickly. Julia found it odd that he had a painting of a woman and a child in his picnic bag, and when she asked him about it, Preacher simply said that it wasn’t his story to tell. And that’s fine, but it’s also not something a woman who is falling for a man wants to hear. When he finally assured her that Paige was out of the picture, she appeared at his door while he was on a romantic date. Paige was understandably freaked out that Vince took her son, so she went behind Preacher’s back and made an exchange — she would go with Vince if he returned Christopher. It worked, but there was no way Preacher would allow anything to happen to her, so he followed them to the cabin hideout and leaped into action prematurely without waiting for Mike for backup. Thankfully, Paige diverted the attention to her and Preacher was able to deliver a blow that knocked Vince out. But what does this mean for their future? Paige and Preacher were romantically involved at one point, and he’s still very much emotionally connected with her son. I’m rooting for them to be a family, but I also really like Julia and don’t think she deserves to be hurt in the process.
Virgin River. (L to R) Colin Lawrence as Preacher, Lucia Walters as Julia in episode 410 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022
Hope’s New Reality
Hope struggled to make sense of the new world she was living in. She was forgetful, she was lying, she was having outbursts. I know she went through a traumatic experience that was hard to process, but she was unbearable the first half of the season. Eventually, she started finding herself and being a bit more tolerable. She accepted Lily’s death and tried to make peace with it. She befriended Muriel and their friendship is one of the more surprising outcomes of the season. And because of Muriel, she got a new perspective on life seeing how lucky she was that she had someone to share her life with, even if it wasn’t what she imagined. She even decided she needed to find a new way to spend time with Doc, so she asked Muriel for assistance. Hope is turning over a new leaf, and while it might take a while, it’s nice to see that she’s breaking through those stubborn barriers thanks to her friends. Maybe we’ll get a renewal ceremony episode after all?
It was quite an eventful season. Don’t be fooled by Virgin River’s calm waters — the town is anything but calm!
What was your favorite part of the season? How do you think things will unfold in season 5? It almost feels like Charmaine has been pregnant forever but that just means the timeline of the series is more day by day than timejump!
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!