The hour was full of surprises and some twists!
Go figure that Preacher has been moving on with his life and finding some happiness and love with Julia, but by the end of Virgin River Season 4 Episode 10, Paige returned to shake things up.
We’re also one step closer to learning who is the father of Mel’s baby.
It was a blast from the past for more than a few characters, but Brie hearing from Don was so unexpected. You could tell her blood ran cold when she answered that phone and heard his voice. Allen knocked it out of that park with her performance and remains one of the best additions of the series.
After that phone call, Brie couldn’t even enjoy the baby shower, which sent her back to her room, burying herself in bed.
When you don’t deal with things, they sneak up on you, and sadly, that’s what happened to Brie. My heart broke for her.
Don is disgusting. His reputation is getting around at the firm, and the allegations about him affect his job. But he was arrogant enough to believe that he could convince Brie to speak on his behalf as if he didn’t sexually assault her.
Brie: I can’t say it out loud.
Brady: I understand, when I first got back from Iraq, there were some nights where I was in my head and it was bad. I couldn’t talk about it so I started writing stuff down.
Brie: Did it work?
Brady: Yeah. You can have someone read it, you can throw it away. Whatever you decide. And you still get the poison out.
Brie: Will you stay with me tonight?
Brady: I’m not going anywhere.
It’s something that only Mel knows about, and she hasn’t shared with Brady, but that day may soon come for her.
Brady handled her so beautifully that it was moving. It’s the most that he’s ever brought up his service and how bad things were for him after he returned from Iraq. Through Brie, he opens up so much more, and we get this more significant insight into his character.
He understood that she couldn’t voice out loud what was bothering her and what happened, and he didn’t push her on that, only gave her some tools to use if it suited her and offered to support her however she deemed fit.
If she could write things down, it probably could clear her head and get the poison out, as he said.
The two of them are these beautifully broken individuals who find some healing with each other, and it’s endearing to watch. However, it’s also concerning that they’re keeping things from one another.
Brie hasn’t shared with Brady how closely she’s been working with Mike and the nature of their investigation. He would lose his mind if he heard that she was there the night Calvin got blown to bits.
And Brady isn’t telling Brie that in his effort to keep her safe, he’s deeper in the muck than ever with Melissa, forced into more illicit activities against his will.
If they find out whatever his part is in any of this, he could still go away even if the D.A. does drop the charges against him for shooting Jack. Although, for some reason, the D.A. isn’t keen on doing that, even with Jack’s statement and the bloody knife with Vince’s DNA on it.
The other Sheridan sibling is also dealing with his past haunting him. Overall, Jack was having a great day for most of the hour.
Therapy is working for him; you can see the difference in how he carried himself. He seemed much lighter, happier, and freer for most of the hour.
It was a bit annoying when Mel assumed he’d avoid going to therapy because of the shower, but he made it there later that night, no problem.
But when Barry asked him about his brother, it pulled him up short. Jack could barely speak, which knocked the wind out of him as he shared that his older brother had died. His pain was palpable.
Jack: I’m going to love our baby no matter what.
Mel: Are you sure?
Jack: Yeah, it’s going to be half you no matter what. how could I not?
Henderson has been remarkable with this heavy arc, and of all the storylines this season, the exploration of PTSD for veterans and how well they’ve handled exploring the facets and nuances of trauma have been the strongest and the season at its best.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this has been Henderson’s season. He totally owned it, bar none.
Barry mentioned that unpacking trauma and getting better was about taking things apart piece by piece until you find the source, and losing his brother must be Jack’s source.
Now we know why that photo triggered Jack so much and sent him spiraling.
He mentioned that he’s grateful his boys will be able to protect each other, and it felt loaded like there’s a deeper story there. Something tells me we’re going to need tissues while the series unpacks it.
Jack and Charmaine were a surprising highlight of the hour. They got along so well that it’s hard to believe they were at each other’s throats.
The baby shower was extravagant, but it seemed lovely. Charmaine was glowing and mellowed out so much that she was likable for a change.
Can we keep this Charmaine forever?
Charmaine: You’re going to be a great dad, you know that?
Jack: That’s nice of you to say.
Charmaine: Well, I can be nice.
She was welcoming and gracious with Jack, and he supported her through everything. It was genuinely nice to see them be friends and tease one another.
Charmaine will need to lean on those friendships and bonds when her marriage inevitably falls through.
She has a nice house and a wealthy husband, but she’s not happy. Todd is always away, far from attentive, and according to Charmaine, he doesn’t have any interest in the babies.
It seems his interest only went as far as screwing with Jack.
Regardless of how she’s been, Charmaine doesn’t deserve this. But at least she’s turned a page and doesn’t intend to stand in the way of Jack being part of his children’s lives.
It feels like the series is clearing Charmaine out of the way as a problem to make room for Cassandra.
They no longer have to worry about Charmaine and the twins, but now there’s Mark’s mother to contend with as she gears up to take legal action against Mel for partial custody of Mel’s baby.
Cassandra needs some serious help. She has another child she’s not even concerned about and is fixated on losing Mark and having access to his heir.
Mel: Just because you’re in pain it does not give you the right to try to take something that is not yours. Cassandra: Mark’s heir is my flesh and blood, I believe that child should be raised at least half the time by me.
She’s hurting and in pain, but she’s willing to cause Mel both in the process. Her level of entitlement here is very twisted.
If Mel’s baby is Mark’s as well, Cassandra should be able to spend time with the child, but this was not the way to go about things. Mel wouldn’t have kept her away.
All of this means they’ll have no choice but to do the NIPT if only to improve their chances of potentially getting Cassandra off their backs.
If the baby belongs to Jack, it’s one less thing to worry about, although Cassandra will still want the embryos. However, that’s more of a reason to fear that the baby belongs to Mark. Would they miss out on dragging on this drama?
Mel is right; how much more can they take?
And how long do you think it will be before the news of Mel’s pregnancy gets out? Cameron overhearing her speaking on the phone means more than his dreams about being with her getting dashed, right?
The Denny situation remains confounding and one of the most inconsistently written arcs of the season. Too many pertinent conversations happen offscreen, and we’re left in the dark and reading between the lines.
We missed seeing Doc and Denny get to know each other and build their relationship. Denny opened up to Lizzie about his anxiety, which was nice, and it gave us some insight and confirmed why he was taking the drugs, even though they weren’t prescribed to him.
However, whatever conversation he and Doc had about a treatment program, Denny opted not to go, which troubled Doc. I wish we had more clarification about what’s happening with Denny.
He and Lizzie are hitting it off, though, and Ricky feels like he has lost his love. It’s sad that days before he leaves for boot camp, he’s watching Lizzie connect with someone else, but he loves her enough to want her happy.
Ricky’s moment with his grandmother was sweet. He needed that reminder that he has this big family here in Virgin River and so many people who love him. Ricky has been such a steady force on the series that the idea of him leaving does pull at the heartstrings.
Hope forming this friendship with Muriel and opening up about her feelings has been a delight, too. Muriel has become one of the best characters.
Of course, her moments with Doc have been some of the best of the season, but the romance and sweetness were ruined when he learned about her joyriding, which got them sued.
And Preach’s romance with Julia is refreshing and delightful. They have great chemistry together, and it’s the first time he’s putting his heart out there.
I loved hearing him explain how she inspired him to pursue something and how much he wanted to find love and happiness. He’s had so many walls up that it’s nice to see them come down.
Of course, he was speaking about Paige, and there she appeared.
The moment he chose to go all-in with Julia and set the complicated feelings he had for Paige aside, Paige came knocking on his door.
She must have heard about Christopher and returned to get her son back. It’s still a shock, though!
What’s the plan? Will she turn herself in, or what? Will she trade herself in for Christopher?
Over to you, Virgin River Fanatics.
Do you like Charmaine now? What are your thoughts on Jack’s brother? Were you shocked to see Paige? Sound off below.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
