Virgin River Season 5 Review

Virgin River Season 5 Review

** Spoiler warning** This review contains spoilers for all ten episodes of Virgin River Season 5

Virgin River Season 5 had everything that we’ve been expecting since the finale of Season 4 and more! If you’re anything like me, you may have forgotten some of the things that happened during the fourth season. Here’s a quick recap:

• Mel and Jack are expecting a baby and we have confirmation that Jack is the father, not
• Mel’s deceased husband.
• Mel is leaving the clinic because things got very awkward with the new doctor, Cameron,
• after he suggested that Mel would be better off without Jack in her life. She also wanted
• to focus on having a healthy pregnancy.
• Paige shows up on Preacher’s doorstep in a panic because Vince (her ex-husband’s twin
• brother) kidnapped Christopher. Preacher, of course, comes to the rescue.
• Hope and Doc are dealing with health issues. Hope has a brain injury from a car accident
• and Doc has a degenerative eye condition.
• Doc has a grandson, Denny!
• Brie is pressing charges against a guy who she used to date who sexually assaulted her.

One of my favorite things about this show is how it highlights small-town America. We see neighbors helping each other and looking after each other all the time in Virgin River. This has always been how the residents of Virgin River are, but we really see them come together during the wildfire this season.

The wildfire was something different, but also something that was relatable and realistic given all the wildfires we’ve seen on the west coast recently. Plus it brought in some new characters, like Preacher’s new girl!

Speaking of Preacher, I am SO mad at Paige! I cannot believe that she comes back to town and then decides to take Christopher and leave. Preacher has done everything in his power to look after Paige and Christopher and it felt like a slap in his face that she didn’t seem to consider his feelings in her decision to leave.

While I don’t think I’ll ever forgive Paige, I can’t be too mad at her because her leaving brought the new firefighter, Kaia, into Preacher’s life. I hope we get so much more of the two of them next season. I know there is going to be way more drama with Kaia’s ex-husband, but I really like her with Preacher. He deserves a good woman in his life.

Hope is hands down my least favorite character. I cannot stand how whiny she is and she low key stirs up drama. She’s been driving me nuts since the first episode of the series and there are very few moments where I think she’s an okay person. One of those moments is in this season when she gives Lizzie the credit for organizing the food drive.

Lizzie was the one who did most of the planning, plus it meant more to her to prove to her mom that she is making a difference in Virgin River. Lizzie’s growth since the first season is amazing. I really like her with Denny and I’m very interested to see what Denny will do now that Lizzie thinks she’s pregnant. Hope is also in denial about how serious her injury is.

When they removed Hope as the mayor. I was very worried I was going to have to spend the rest of the season listening to her cry about how unfair it is. Thankfully, she eventually comes to terms with how serious her injury is and she proves to be very invaluable during the wildfire crisis. She might annoy the hell out of me, but she cares about Virgin River and the people there. You can’t ask more of a mayor.

Doc is one of my favorite characters, and it really makes me sad that he’s losing his eyesight. After he and Mel figured out their differences, he really turned into a great mentor for her and they worked so well together. He’s exactly how I imagine a small-town doctor would be. Doc might be stubborn and not ready to let go of his career, but he’s a realist.

He knew he needed to bring someone into the clinic to keep it going once his eyesight was gone. Despite Cameron sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, I like him. I like that he cares about his patients and I even like that he and Muriel are becoming a thing. I am curious what the age difference is between the two of them, but Muriel has come a long way since the first season. I think she also deserves to be happy.

Brie is another character who deserves some happiness. I’m so happy she testified against her abuser. I’m not so happy about her and Brady breaking up. I think Brady is a good guy who just keeps making dumb decisions. I was hoping that Brady being with Brie would mean he was on the right path, but he ends up getting caught up with drugs again and this time he’s unintentionally pulled Jack into it.

I understand why Brie broke up with him, but to turn around and start something up with Mike was just cruel. Especially because Brady was trying his best to do what she asked him to do.

Jack finding out he’s not the father of the twins and that Charmaine had been lying to him was shocking. I love that Jack calls her out on her manipulative behavior. Her lying so she could give the twins a future is so incredibly wrong. My jaw was on the floor during her conversation with Jack. I was even more shocked to find out that the actual father of the twins is Calvin! I truly did not see that coming, especially because he was supposed to be dead!

Mel losing the baby made me cry for the rest of the season. I really hate the writers for doing that to her and to us as viewers. I know this show is all about infertility issues, but I think that Mel has been through enough loss to last however long this show continues for.

The conversation she has with Jack while they’re hiking in the woods really twisted the knife in deeper. Mel would be such an amazing mother and it kills me to hear her say she’s done trying. I really think if they take another child from her, I’m done watching the show. There are other ways to highlight the struggles that women with fertility issues go through, we don’t need to keep crushing Mel.

Overall, this season was phenomenal! I’m so happy we have confirmation that there will be a season 6. We’ve got a lot of loose ends to tie up. Doc is supposed to start the clinical trial for his eyes, Lizzie and Denny might be expecting a baby, the firefighters found the body that Preacher buried, Doc, Mel, and Cameron have some big expansion plans for the clinic, and Mel’s mom had an affair with someone in Virgin River who might be Mel’s dad! I can’t wait!