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OMG! What is happening?!
It seems they pulled out all the stops for the season finale, and in many ways, Virgin River left us asking some of the same questions we had after Virgin River Season 3 Episode 10.
We’re going to need season four ASAP!
Oh baby, before we get into babypaloozagate and the explosion of kid/teen-related drama, let’s talk about this hopeless Hope situation.
It has been a grim, bleak season with tragedy after tragedy. No one was spared from hardship, sadness, and heaviness. And now, we can add the latest development with Hope to the list of dark storylines.
With COVID restrictions and a series that films in Canada, it seems O’Toole couldn’t give us as much Hope this season as you’d expect. In some ways, Hope was missed, and in others, it opened the door for other characters to shine.
Doc has had more of a presence this season than ever before, and it seemed fitting that he was featured so prominently in the finale, too.
All season, he has harbored this secret about his prognosis. However, he’s also stepped up more as the one who gives sage advice, checks in on others, and made genuine efforts to keep the town afloat in Hope’s absence.
He’s also been more in tune with emotions and displaying them in a way we haven’t witnessed before. And Doc, sitting in the hospital, teary-eyed and distraught with worry over Hope, was him at his most emotional.
Mel: Are you OK?
Doc: I’m just worried. I’ve made so many mistakes when it comes to Hope, I just pray to God this isn’t another one.
We know Doc loves Hope with everything that he has, and the distance has broken his heart.
But with his failing vision, losing Lilly, and now this — what came to mind was the quote he uttered earlier in the season, “there’s only so much a man can take before he breaks.”
He was talking about Jack then, but it applies to him now.
Doc is a man who usually has command over his emotions and keeps them in check. Rarely do you seem him rattled or vulnerable, but that’s what he was for the entirety of the hour.
Every time they showed the man, he was on the verge of tears, and it’s no wonder everyone was concerned about him. He and Hope have had their issues in the past, but he can’t imagine his life without her.
He also can’t take having to decide what to do about her current state after the accident. She has bleeding on the brain, and it does sound like an induced coma was the best solution for her, but that always comes with the scary risk of her not regaining consciousness again.
Hope’s last words to him were out of hurt and anger over her friend’s funeral. In addition to the fear of making the wrong choice for her car, Doc’s riddled with guilt.
It’s natural to play the “what if” game, and in his mind, if he had told Hope about Lilly sooner, she would’ve come home and never been in that accident.
But who’s to say that’s true? It’s something he shouldn’t beat himself up about, but anyone in his shoes would probably do the same.
Mel and Jack lending all of their support was touching, but the most unexpectedly stirring encounter Doc had at the hospital was with Lizzie.
So often, Lizzie comes across as self-absorbed, but Virgin River crept up on her. It’s her home, and the people there are her family. The Lizzie who arrived at Virgin River isn’t the same young woman who made Doc a playlist with beautiful songs that she knew he’d enjoy.
It was such a Lizzie gesture but a thoughtful one, and as the two of them sat together, listening to “Drift Away” was enough to bring tears to your eyes.
It was such a simple gesture. Lizzie and Doc didn’t have to talk, and she made him laugh and has an approach that none of the other adults would’ve been able to offer. She was a lovely distraction and source of companionship at that moment.
It’s that side of Lizzie that suggests she probably won’t be taking Parker back. Sure, she’s upset with Ricky, and her comments about how she would’ve supported him because she loved him were valid, but it seems like Lizzie will do her own thing.
Parker’s offer of traveling the country sounds enticing enough, and maybe Lizzie will consider it, but something tells me, home is always Virgin River for her now.
Lizzie provided some light when Doc needed it most, and of course, Muriel was the best person to be there for him when he learned about Hope’s infection.
The strong friendship between Muriel and Doc has been a highlight of the season. Hell, Muriel has been a highlight of the season.
Muriel: Hey, everything’s going to be okay.
Doc: I no longer believe that’s true.
If anyone can encourage Doc to keep the faith, it’s her. Muriel deserves all the gosh damn good things out of life. She’s such a sweetheart.
Something tells me that she’ll be right there to support Doc when he learns about his grandson.
It’s a hell of a shocker! Somewhere out there, Doc has a child, with who? What are they like? What’s the story there?!
Was it when he was still with Hope or was it when they separated? Who is this handsome teen, and why has he tracked Doc down now?
Is his parent sick or something, and he’s looking for extended family? Is it all a misunderstanding? What gives?
Jo Ellen’s mouth dropped when the teen said his grandfather was Vernon, and honestly, same here. The timing of this bombshell couldn’t be crazier.
If Doc thought he was at his breaking point before, then he better hold on tight.
How worried should we be for Preacher, Connie, and Christopher?
Jo Ellen: What brings you in town?
Teen: I’m looking for my grandfather.
Jo Ellen: Oh, I know almost everyone in town. What’s his name?
Teen: Dr. Vernon Mullins.
Preacher is such a kind, loving, helpful, positive man. It’s upsetting that he started the day agreeing to the partnership and the possibility of being Jack’s Best Man, and he ended it passed out in the woods.
Preacher is too trusting of a man. Sally wasn’t giving him enough information to work with, but when she claimed she needed to take him to a different location, it was suspicious enough.
However, the moment she handed Preacher that drink, all the alarms went off. Preacher works at a bar. He, better than anyone, should know how dangerous it is to accept a drink from a stranger!
Paige has always been Preacher’s weakness and who clouds his judgment, and that hasn’t changed. Boy does Preacher deserve a more substantial storyline that isn’t quite this repetitive and leaves him naive.
If he knew Vince was in town, he should’ve considered that it was suspicious that Paige’s friend reached out to him around the same time and not her.
Vince probably paid her off, cut her a deal, or he’s involved with her somehow, and it was her job to remove Preacher from Christopher and obtain information about him.
One can only hope that Preacher woke up and is on his way back. It was nightfall by the time Connie and Christopher came back, so Preacher can’t still be out like a light, right?
Vince waiting in the shadows in the next room was a sinister shot, but I also don’t underestimate Connie and what she’s capable of here. She knows the situation, has some experience in this area, and she’ll do anything to protect Christopher.
It has to be a way Connie and Chris can get out of this.
Hell, there has to be a way Brady can get out of this latest predicament. Weren’t we supposed to learn who shot Jack? It feels like we’re asking the same question now that we did after the shocking shooting.
Brady isn’t a definitive answer here since it’s not believable that he did it at all. Brady has told everyone who would listen that he’s not guilty of this, including Calvin when it would’ve benefited him to cop to it to appease the man.
No way in hell, Brady did this. After hours of searching his home, they only conveniently found the gun in his truck. But anyone could have access to that.
After Calvin’s stunt with damn near running into Brady at the site, somebody could’ve done it there.
They dropped all the charges against Calvin, he’s free to go about wreaking havoc with his illicit activities, and he was aware that Brady was a suspect and was bound to get arrested. He also would’ve wanted to get back at Brady for denying his offer to get him out of the hole with more laundering and such.
Calvin has too much access to information, so someone on the inside is tipping him off and giving it to him. Again, all signs are pointing to Mike, who was ecstatic to haul Brady into custody.
No one would’ve expected Brady to become this sympathetic of a character, but here we are.
Brady: What about us?
Brie: Us?
Brady: Brie. I meant what I said, I’m falling in love with you. You’re all I think about.
Brie: This doesn’t make sense, you know that right? My brother thinks you shot him.
Brady: But I didn’t. The truth is I can’t get enough of you, All I know is when we’re together there’s this heat that I never felt before. You know what I mean?
Brie: Yeah I do.
Brady: then stay a little while longer, just give this a chance.
Brie: If I say yes I feel like I’m going to regret it.
Brady: You won’t. Promise.
It’s unfortunate as he and Brie were reconnecting again. He asked her to stay in town after hearing she wanted to leave, and she seemed to be considering it.
He loves her, and more than anything, he wanted her to believe in him when he said he was innocent.
But after everything Brie has gone through, one can understand why she would have reservations.
Brie told Mel the truth about why she left, and as expected, it was a gut-wrenching and horrific ordeal. The guy she was dating — he sexually assaulted her. Not only did she get raped by a colleague, but she got pregnant and miscarried.
Brie does need some therapy to work through all of that. It’s a lot for one person to bear at once. But Mel was right to tell her that she can’t outrun her pain. It’ll be right behind her wherever she goes.
Brie: So, God, this is harder than I thought.
Mel: Just take your time.
Brie: Six months ago I started dating that attorney I told you about. We met at a fundraiser and he was smart and handsome and the chemistry was insane. And one night we were together and I was tired from working all day, and I told him no, but he didn’t stop. And when he was done, I started crying and you know what he did? He got dressed and walked out without saying anything.
Mel: Oh, sweetheart.
Brie: My miscarriage is from that night.
Mel: Brie, I am so sorry.
Brie has questioned her judgment ever since, and she keeps ending up in this situations where she has doubts. Maybe before this, she would’ve been able to believe Brady with ease, but after all of that, it’s reasonable that she doesn’t.
But that means that Brady is all alone in this. And this may be the final straw that sends Brie running again. Hopefully, that won’t be the case, though.
It would be nice if she stayed and worked through everything with the support of Mel and her brother.
And it’s not like she can’t be there to support Jack, too. He’s going to need it, especially with everything happening with Charmaine and Todd.
Is Charmaine smoking crack? Sorry, that was a lot, but honestly, what is it with this woman?
Every time you find reasons to sympathize with this character, she further solidifies herself as one of the most unlikable characters of the series.
With Todd, there are so many red flags you lose track, and she knows it, but she still went and married that asshat anyway.
Is Charmaine okay? Can she blink twice if she’s in distress? Or is she just this weak-willed, desperate, and lonely?
Charmaine’s need to be taken care of and fear of being alone is disturbing, and frankly, pathetic. It makes it difficult to respect her.
What would the series be like if she had an individual journey focusing on her coming into her own as a confident woman who knows her worth without her entire existence hinging on a man’s love?
Imagine if she had a sisterhood of real friends who talked sense into her and told her to get her shit together? Imagine if anyone told it to her straight and held her accountable instead of allowing her to do and say the most unchecked?
Sure, she makes for great drama and conflict, but it would be nice if she had any growth instead of remaining one-dimensional.
Instead of getting into how vile it is that Todd is controlling her, she gave him the most transparent and easiest ultimatum. Anyone who spends seconds with Charmaine can sense her longing for love. It didn’t cost Todd anything to marry her to get his way when he planned on doing that anyway.
Jack:I don’t want to fight. I just want equal custody of the twins.
Charmaine: Honestly, I don’t see that happening.
Jack: Why not?
Charmaine: Because Todd doesn’t want you involved with our family.
Jack: Oh I’m sorry you mean involved with our kids.
Charmaine: Jack, I’m not going to risk my marriage to defend you.
And he’s still moving forward, doing whatever he pleases and controlling everything. Charmaine got a ring out of it, but at what costs?
Charmaine’s audacity is astounding. She came into the bar upset that Jack hired a family attorney. Literally, the only reason she found out about it was because SHE and Todd were hiring one. WHAT?
How do you get angry at someone for not allowing you to steamroll over them? Make it make sense, folks.
And if Charmaine doesn’t want to risk her marriage now to defend Jack, then what was her excuse before Todd married her?
Denying Jack equal custody and access to his future children and erasing him from their lives is ugly and foul.
But the disconnect between Jack fighting for rights with twins that aren’t even here yet with his relationship with Mel gets stranger by the day.
We know Jack cares about his future children; otherwise, he wouldn’t be fighting this hard or putting up this much money to do it.
But then it’s odd that he speaks about marriage and a family with Mel when she barely seems present or a factor in this custody thing.
A woman who donates enough money to help Lilly take care of Chloe and the farm could be more financially and emotionally active in Jack’s troubles too, yes? The lack of overlap is bizarre.
You would almost expect at least one scene where Mel confronts Charmaine about her actions out of concern for Jack. But for the most part, Mel has been blase about Jack’s upcoming babies and the battle he may face in favor of them starting a family of their own.
And to that point, it’s easy to read that Mel and her child are the replacement family or the coveted prize here. They’re the real family, which undermines what Jack is dealing with regarding Charmaine and the twins.
He didn’t even tell Mel the latest bullcrap with Charmaine. Instead, Jack focused on finding the perfect time to propose and assure Mel that he’s all-in, baby and all with her.
Preacher: Thanks for following through.
Jack: No, thank you. Come on, we’re practically family.
Preacher: Yeah, that’s for sure. And you know if you ever need anything…
Jack: I might need a Best Man.
Preacher: Yeah, that’s great. You two, you’re great together.
Jack: Thanks.
Preacher: So what you got thinking about marriage?
Jack: I don’t know seeing Doc so torn up about Hope, that’s how I feel about Mel. I don’t want to live my life without her.
Preacher: So don’t.
Jack: I don’t know man, I never thought I’d get married again, man. Just the fact that I’m thinking about it again is freakin me out.
Preacher: You were a kid the first time. Kids make mistakes. Now you know who you are and what makes you happy.
Jack’s level of compartmentalization here often makes these two different storylines of his bizarre and feel disjointed with one another.
Seeing Doc torn up over Hope was the last thing Jack needed to prompt him to propose, no matter how scary the prospect was to him.
Preacher, as usual, had good advice about that. But no matter how many times Jack tried, the timing wasn’t right.
Mel was too tired or distracted, and he had no idea why that was.
The moment Mel saw those test results, there was a sinking feeling that her hesitance to share the news with Jack went beyond doubting his sincerity when he agreed to a baby.
You could tell she kept postponing the discussion for some time. She couldn’t find the words to tell Jack the truth. Mel told him how much she loved and placated him, but her behavior was off, and she seemed distant.
Jack proposing at sunrise was beautiful, and it felt like a lovely way of paying homage to Lilly. But if Jack hadn’t have started the proposal, would Mel have told him about the baby then?
When did she plan on telling him? They’ve had an entire season of telling each other they need to communicate with each other and not hold back.
But then they’ve both spent all of this time miscommunicating and holding back.
Jack was over the moon with the news. He was genuinely happy about the two of them starting a family together, especially with this coming on the heels of his proposal.
Jack was elated. It wasn’t part of his plan, but it also felt like the pieces were falling into place for them.
Jack is committed and adamant that they can handle anything together, and he’s not backing out.
But then she told him that the baby may not be his, and good grief!
Mel’s abrupt decision to have a child, followed by her emotional reaction to Jack breaking things off, had her getting those embryos implanted .30479 seconds after her and Jack’s disagreement, and here we are.
Now, she doesn’t know if the baby she’s having is Jack’s or if it’s Mark’s.
Jack said they could overcome anything, but how will he feel about another potential layer of him living in Mark’s shadow?
He always had to make space for Mark, and he accepted, embraced, and respected that. But what happens if he’s left helping Mel raise Mark’s child?
Mel: No, no I have to tell you something. I have to tell you something. I’m, I’m pregnant.
Jack: You’re pregnant?
Mel: I wanted to tell you yesterday but with everything going on with Doc and everything it was just so much.
Jack: No, no, no, this is good.I told you I was all-in and I meant it. This isn’t exactly how I thought this would go, but.
Mel: Oh, honey.
Jack: Mel, we’re having a baby! I can’t believe this. This um this is amazing news.
Mel: No it’s not.
Jack: Hey come on. Hey whatever it is, we’ll get through it.
Mel: Jack, Jack, I don’t know if you’re the father.
How does he not feel displaced? It’s a lot for him to process, and Mel’s delivery of the news sucked. Right now, he’s confused and probably wondering when she could’ve slept with someone else.
And once he finds out about the embryos with Mark, what is he supposed to say? Is he even entitled to his feelings here without the pressure to protect Mel from them and leave space for her grief?
Mel is pregnant. It’s the exact outcome she wanted all season, but it’s not in the manner she desired.
Now Mel and Jack are both sitting there uncertain, for different reasons. While they’ve both committed to staying together through thick and thin, this nevertheless poses a new challenge.
Mel didn’t even say yes!
Mel: I love you, Jack.
Jack: You know I remember the day I realized I was falling in love with you. Actually, no, it wasn’t the day. It was the exact moment.
Mel: Really.
Jack: Yeah, we were on a picnic with Chloe. You were contemplating whether you wanted to be her guardian even though you didn’t want to stay in Virgin River.
Mel: Oh my gosh, you didn’t even know me.
Jack: Didn’t matter. It was a feeling. Like I had been missing something my whole life and suddenly I wasn’t. Mel: I had been so numb for so long I couldn’t even feel anything at that point.
Jack: I know, but you were brave enough to open to me. I am forever grateful
Over to you, Virgin River Fanatics. What was the most shocking moment of the finale, season? How do you think Jack will react?
Do you think Brady really shot Jack? Will Hope survive? Hit the comments below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.