Virgin River season 5 recap: Wildfire brings new love and shocking revelations to the town
The Netflix show that’s equal parts heart-racing nature shots and big-hearted small-town drama is back, and in season 5, which dropped on Sept. 7, a massive wildfire threatens the town of Virgin River.
By the time the smoke clears, hearts will be broken, relationships forged and destroyed, and mud baths ruined. Let’s recap!
Episode 1: “A Second Chance”
Here’s hoping you remember last season’s cliffhangers, because Virgin River drops us right into the thickness of them.
Jack’s (Martin Henderson) still reeling from the news that Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), aka the worst person on earth, lied about him fathering her twins.
When Brie (Zibby Allen) hears the news, she declares, “I never liked her.” Same, sis. And despite his assurances to Mel (Alexandra Breckinridge), Jack’s not handling the news well.
Mel’s dealing with her own stress and decides to step away from her job at the clinic because of her high-risk pregnancy. Cameron (Mark Ghanimé) offers to leave — remember, he awkwardly hit on her last season — but she insists that she’s the one to go.
This leaves Doc (Tim Matheson) alone with his failing eyesight and his concerns about how well Cameron fits into the practice.
At least his grandson Denny’s (Kai Bradbury) fits better into Doc’s home life after opening up about his terminal Huntington’s Disease diagnosis. Denny also apologizes to Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) for being secretive about it for so long, and the two get back together.
Lizzie’s working as Hope’s (Annette O’Toole) post-TBI home health aid and takes all of Hope’s prickly Hope-ness in stride, even when Hope learns that her implied friend Muriel (Teryl Rothery) is helping prepare a no-confidence vote against her mayorship. It’s the closest betrayals you never see coming.
Speaking of keeping the people you love in the dark, Brie’s still seeing Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth), and Brady’s still working for Melissa Montgomery (Barbara Pollard), who’s forcing him to help run fentanyl through the lumber yard after Calvin, her former CFO of drug smuggling, died in a boat explosion.
Episode 2: “Songbird”
To no one’s surprise, Charmaine survives her talk with Jack, although he refuses to accept her apology for humiliating him and breaking his heart. (Funny, that’s how she felt as she watched him fall in love with Mel.)
She says the real father was a one-time thing and Jack was her best option to give the twins a good life. Ma’am. Setting all emotional and ethical considerations aside, it costs approximately $400,000 to raise a child to the age of 18 in California, and we’re talking about two of them here. And you’re all la la la forgive me??
Jack cools off by hiking to Angel’s Peak with Brie, who finally tells him that she’s a rape survivor. He offers to be in court when she tests, but she doesn’t want that big brother protectiveness. Besides, Brady’s coming with her.
Jack doesn’t love it but agrees to give Brady another chance at dinner that night. When he blames Charmaine for keeping him too busy to realize what was happening with Brie, Mel gently suggests that he might actually owe Charmaine an apology for leading her on for years.
Episode 3: “Calculated Risk”
Did any of us think Mel could stay away from the clinic for long?
One of her farther-flung patients was evacuating the wildfire danger zone and went into labor on the road. A firefighter named Kaia (Kandyse McClure), in town to fight the blaze, calls the clinic for help, so Mel and Cameron talk her through the difficult delivery over Facetime, including a terrifying round of CPR to jumpstart the baby’s tiny lungs.
Afterward, Cameron rambles to Mel about how great Muriel’s been. Are… are you all seeing this? You’re all seeing what I’m seeing, right??
Muriel sent Doc home for the day because his calendar was light and his vision was bothering him, so he helps Hope, Lizzie, and Denny do some “spiteful philanthropy” by bringing lunch to the firefighters to show up Mayor Pro-Tem Nick.
Preacher helps them prepare, and Connie (Nicola Cavendish) contributes goodies from the bakery truck. The distribution goes so well that the local media show up, and Hope gives Lizzie all the credit for having the initial idea.
