O.M.G! They threw so many things at us at once that it’s hard to process!
They pulled out all the stops on Virgin River Season 4 Episode 11, making it a great penultimate installment for the season. Old faces returned, new ones popped in to stir up trouble, and we learned so much more about Jack.
We also got the Jack proposal that’s been four seasons in the making!
We’ll start things off with Christopher’s return! Preacher was beside himself when he saw that young man again, and Christopher flung himself at Preacher as if he was the boy’s lifeline.
In some ways, he has been for him. However, the second they showed Christopher bounding toward Preacher, and Paige wasn’t in tow — it was apparent what had transpired.
The only thing that could’ve brought Paige back was finding out that Vince had taken Christopher. It’s utterly insane that the best friend who helped orchestrate the whole thing is the one who told Paige what happened, and Paige seemed so dismissive of that fact.
She left Preacher hanging with little legal recourse to protect her son, which was a difficult situation for everyone.
I called Vince. Sally gave me a number where I could reach him.He has agreed to an exchange. He will give up Christopher if I go with him.
Paige
It was incredibly bold of her to contact Vince, and the moment she gave Preacher those coordinates, you knew she had something else up her sleeve.
I love Preacher to pieces, but him prancing through the forest trying to look incognito while he staked out the cabin was cheesy, and it was also annoying that he went out in the woods alone after what happened to him last time.
It was the perfect way to keep him busy while Paige turned herself into Vince in exchange for Christopher.
What’s to come of Paige now that she’s with Vince is a mystery, but hopefully, with him in town, the authorities can close in on him and start connecting the dots with his shooting Jack and whatever else he’s involved in.
Julia took Paige’s sudden reappearance in stride, and it’ll be interesting to see her reaction to Christopher staying with Preacher. Hopefully, it’s not something that will cause strain on their blossoming relationship.
Whatever was blossoming for Lizzie and Denny keeps coming to a grinding halt because of his secrecy. Lizzie genuinely seems to like him, but he doesn’t share much, and she struggles to be with someone who can’t be honest with her.
We still don’t know what’s going on with Denny. He was willing to break things off with Lizzie and no longer be friends with her, respecting her wishes, rather than share whatever painful, personal thing has this hold on him.
But things took a shocking and worrisome turn when he returned home and collapsed in Doc and Hope’s living room. What is happening with Denny? We’ve both spent too much time and not enough on this mystery.
Jack: I haven’t said his name in over 20 years.
Mel: Why didn’t your family ever talk about him?
Jack: My family were gutted, they just wanted to forget and Brie was too young to remember.
Hope and Doc were able to compromise on the home health aide, which is nice. It didn’t seem like Hope’s behavior was so erratic that she’d require that type of assistance. But if it’s to her benefit, I’m glad she relinquished some control and agreed.
In the absence of Lilly, Muriel has truly stepped up as a great friend to Hope, whether she’d admit it or not, and her reminding Hope of how lucky she is to have someone who is there and can worry and be attentive was effective.
Muriel deserves to find love and happiness. She’s a good woman, a great friend, and it hurt to hear her wonder if anyone would notice if something ever happened to her.
One of the biggest surprises of the hour was Don coming to Virgin River.
That man’s nerve, audacity, and gall are astounding!
A, I don’t give out people’s personal information, and B, I’m not into guys, so whatever this is, it’s not going to work on me.
Hannah
Hannah absolutely slayed my entire existence when she told him she wouldn’t give out Brie’s personal information, and his “charm” wouldn’t work on her since she’s not into men. We need more Hannah content because that woman is a gem!
Don is a creep, and he’s foul for tracking Brie down after what he did to her. He wants to impose his presence on her and get his way, and I’m afraid it could break her if she sees him.
I’m also afraid Brady will literally break him in two if he comes face to face with him, and Brady doesn’t need any more legal trouble.
It’s a reckoning coming for the Sheridan siblings as they’ve been forced to face their past and demons this season. It’s something both of them need, in some regard, to become healthier people in the end.
But goodness, did it have to be like this?
Once again, I hate that the series keeps skipping past these pivotal scenes and moments that would be compelling for the audience.
At some point, offscreen, Brie told Brady about what happened to her. It’s such a significant moment for Brie’s character arc as a survivor.
It’s a definite stepping stone in her relationship with Brady. It would’ve been a powerful thing to portray as a strong but vulnerable woman and survivor having the courage to open up about something like this with an intimate partner.
Brady: I love Brie, and she does not deserve this.
Mel: I know. Nobody does.
It’s something we deserved to see, a scene that would’ve been important to witness, powerful and provocative storytelling, particularly for sexual assault survivors.
To be frank, it felt like a cop-out that we bypassed it. I appreciate the scene of Brady going to consult with Mel about it and getting some advice on how to best support Brie.
Mel got to emphasize that not just Brie but no one should have to experience what she had, and it was a scene that touched on how hard it is for loved ones to navigate these things.
Brady and Brie’s moment outside of the movie theater was nice, not to mention beautifully shot. Virgin River’s D.O.P. is a masterclass, and they deserve their due. A girl can fixate on some of these shots for hours!
Brady doesn’t want to screw this up, and their level of commitment, devotion, respect, and love for one another has made them one of the best couples in the series.
And if we have Brady and Brie coming into their own as a couple, it makes sense that Mel and Jack would continue making strides as the primary couple of the series.
The back half of the season has done well with digging into Jack as his own character and not solely as Mel’s love interest.
On the professional front, he’s so excited about this airstream business and the revenue it could bring, and it’s good to see him this passionate about something.
But it feels like the other shoe will drop sooner rather than later. We’ve had too many minor scenes regarding Jo Ellen and Nick disagreeing about things or Nick’s sister holding power and money.
It feels like the rug will get pulled from beneath Jack’s feet at any moment if Nick has to pull out of his investment because of some family situation.
How much did you want to cry when Jack told Mel what happened to his brother and sobbed his eyes out in bed?
Have we ever seen Jack that vulnerable before?
Jack: Anybody else would’ve given up on me by now. But you didn’t. You pulled me back from somewhere really dark.
Mel: Yeah, well you did the same for me.
Jack: And I would do it again.
It was heartbreaking to hear him recall how Adam died, and it explains why Jack is this way. He witnessed something so profoundly tragic and traumatizing at a young age. But then, he never had the space to process it healthily because his family opted to pretend as if Adam’s death never happened.
It was the only way his parents could cope with their grief, but it came at Jack’s expense since Brie was too young to remember.
You can also understand how Jack would feel guilty because his brother fell when he was coming back for him. It may even be why he wanted to become a Marine, notably the bravest and most badass military unit, to prove himself.
If he thinks his own cowardice cost his brother his life, it explains so much about how he carries himself now.
The little boy in Jack has been hurting for a long time, and it’s beautiful that he’s learning how to heal.
Mel can appreciate all of these things because she knows Jack intimately and loves him. A stranger like Cameron can never understand any of this.
Cameron has nothing that resembles boundaries, and he oversteps so much that it’s appalling. It’s not even a matter of being defensive about or protective of Jack, either.
Cameron has barely ingratiated himself into Virgin River. He has hardly spent time with anyone there. It doesn’t even make sense that he’s made all of these snap judgments about a person he doesn’t know.
Cameron: There’s something that I need to tell you. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I feel like we’ve gotten quite close, and if I’m being completely honest, I care about you probably more than I should–
Mel: Oh, Cameron–
Cameron: This is not about us. It’s about Jack. I wouldn’t have said anything, but now that you’re pregnant, I’m concerned. When he didn’t show up… when your baby is born you’re going to need someone to count on. Someone to be there for you.
Cameron overdid it with all the groceries and other things he did for Mel to accommodate her pregnancy. He basically broadcasted that he knew she was based on everything he did.
He should’ve stayed in his lane with that too, but he got some leeway there. However, when he started implying that Jack would be unreliable and based his opinion of Jack on his experience with his ex, I wanted to dropkick him.
Cameron is fixated on Mel, but he doesn’t know her well enough, nor has he spent enough time with her to act as if they’re made to be, and he can swoop in and white knight his way into her life by denigrating Jack.
And his experience with his ex doesn’t have any bearing on what’s going on with Jack. They’re different people with different circumstances.
Cameron doesn’t know his place, and there’s no way he doesn’t rub you the wrong way because he’s been a background character with no development all season. They’ve poorly set up any of this, and it’s been a disservice to the character.
We can’t buy into his love for Mel, the friendship he feels they’ve established, or anything else because we haven’t seen enough of it to warrant this.
What’s frustrating is that Cameron could’ve gotten into Mel’s head anyway. Mere seconds after she sent her that apology text, she walked outside to Jack on his knee, proposing to her.
Jack has given her plenty of reasons to decline this season — loving him has been stressful, trying, and exhausting. And that text from Cameron may have reminded her of that. But Mel has to say yes, dammit!
However, her expression was more pensive than one would expect. I hate that it could be believable and even healthy if Mel declines for now.
The romantic night at the airstream was a lovely backdrop for the proposal. It was quintessential Jack.
And while Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” was a beautiful song choice for the moments leading up, I suppose “Have a Little Faith in Me” was a more suitable song choice for Jack.
He’s spent the season hearing about his issues and eventually got dragged kicking and screaming into facing them. He’s shown some of his worst, flawed sides along with his best.
Mel, from the moment I set eyes on you I knew you were special. When I walked you home from the bar that night to Hopes rickety old cabin, I didn’t want to say goodnight. I didn’t want to leave your side, and as I’ve fallen deeper and deeper in love with you, my feelings have only grown stronger, so if you let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you the happiest woman on earth, so what I’m asking you, Mel Monroe, is will you marry me?
Jack
He’s not a perfect person, still under repair and getting around to figuring things out and walking the best path, but he’s in the middle of that journey. He hasn’t nailed everything yet, and their future is still complicated.
Mel is taking a leap of faith with him, and he knows that, which is why it makes sense that he’s asking her to keep that faith in him.
They’ve had their ups and downs this season, and there’s still much more drama on the horizon. They’ve been through it all, and it’s not even all of it.
Is all that racing through Mel’s mind as she looks down at the man she loves? Will she have reservations?
Jack: Anybody else would’ve given up on me by now. But you didn’t. You pulled me back from somewhere really dark.
Mel: Yeah, well you did the same for me.
Jack: And I would do it again.
Every Virgin River Fanatic in the universe is probably screaming at her just to say yes!
How are we rating the proposal on the best of Mel/Jack’s romantic moments? I know my heart melted a bit.
Over to you, Virgin River Fanatics. What kind of trouble will Don stir up? Will Mel say yes? Sound off below.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.