Virgin River Season 5 really took the “shake things up this season” directive to heart, and nothing is as it was when the fifth season initially kicked off. 

Disclaimer — this review includes spoilers from the episode — proceed with caution.

The penultimate episode, Virgin River Season 5 Episode 9, doubled down on the drama, forcing the residents to navigate plenty of unknown territory, and even some unwelcome familiar situations. 

Things are really not looking too hot for Brady right now as Jack caught him red-handed, snooping around the airstream. It looks shady, I’ll admit, but we know Brady’s heart, and hopefully, everyone else won’t turn on him simply because of his past… again. Brady has been dealt a pretty measly hand, but through it all, he’s been trying to do the right thing for the people he loves. A brief mention of his upbringing with his sisters reveals that he’s become quite comfortable with lying to make sure he can protect the ones he loves, and I think that speaks volumes about his character. 

He’s gone above and beyond to not only protect Brie and Jack, but also the town of Virgin River, and he’s been dealing with this mostly on his own. Mike is the only other person looped in, but even then, he’s not doing much of the heavy lifting, nor is he putting himself in danger the way that Brady is. Brie and Jack have both given Brady plenty of reasons to just let the situation play itself out, but he’s interfered every step of the way to ensure a positive outcome.

My guess is that he’ll come clean to Jack about what’s going on now, giving him the full rundown of Melissa’s drug empire, but we’ll have to see if Jack will believe him and give him the benefit of the doubt.

I would imagine the auto manufacturing place where Melissa and her goons do their business would have cameras set up all around, so it’s possible that they saw him snooping and didn’t go through with planting the product in the furniture, which would make him look like a liar once confronted by Jack. 

In the process, Brady has lost the love of his life and his supposed friend is moving in on his girl. I can’t fault Mike for having feelings for Brie, but I can and do fault him for acting on them when he knows the full scope of the situation. Don’t try to get the girl when she’s on the outs with her boyfriend for things she’s not been made aware of—it’s gross. Mike could’ve managed the situation better knowing that Brie didn’t deserve to be pushed into a corner to make a romantic decision based on half-truths. 

Mike promised to stick around as a friend for Brie and then crossed every single line. They have chemistry, I can’t deny that, but he should let Brie and Brady have an honest conversation and see if she would still choose him after everything. Truthfully, I don’t think she would. Even after their kiss, it seemed like Brie regretted it and instantly felt guilty about it knowing how much it would hurt Brady. Brie has a strong love for him, so while Mike is a fun and promising distraction while she thinks she can’t trust her ex-boyfriend, once she realizes all he’s done for her, I feel like she’d be grateful and understanding. 

When Lark attempted to put the moves on Brady by expressing her interest in him, he shut it down immediately because while he knows that he’s in a lonely place right now, his ultimate goal, aside from taking down Melissa and her drug empire, is winning back Brie. In his mind, it’s not over until it’s over. 

Young love was really a huge theme throughout the episode as Doc revisited his relationship with Rose, hoping to gain some clarity as to why she lied and kept their son from him for 50 years. Rose claimed that she did it out of love as she knew that Doc didn’t want kids and only dreamt of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a great doctor, however, Doc noted that it wasn’t her decision to make–and he’s not wrong. She kept a father and a son apart when they could’ve had a relationship. 

It was clear that they were never going to find a middle ground, with Hope—yes, the one who was all about throwing shade and making snide comments at every turn—pointing out that they could just leave the past behind them for Denny’s sake. Doc didn’t want to squander his second shot with his nephew, and it was important for Denny that his last living relatives got along, so they all just agreed to disagree. It wasn’t ideal, but given the circumstances, it was the best possible outcome. 

Not to mention that there’s really no point in rehashing a past that you can’t change, and though some of those decisions may have been painful, they’re ultimately what led Doc to his one true love, Hope. Everything was as it was meant to be, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Virgin River’s charms didn’t work on Rose, unfortunately, which I think also says a lot about her character. She told Denny that she thought that staying in the small town because of his love for Lizzie and desire to get to know Doc was a huge mistake. But honestly, who is she to give out any advice? She hasn’t made the best decisions in life, so maybe she should let Denny figure out what it is that he really wants out of his limited time on Earth. 

Preacher and Kaia’s relationship continues to get tested by her bitter ex, Jay. Things were going so well for the duo, with their relationship heating up as Kaia indulged in Preacher’s new family-inspired menu at Jack’s (because the key to a woman’s heart is through her stomach!) until Jay interrupted to tell her that they were shipping out to Alaska to fight a new wave of wildfires. And, as Jay forwarned, Kaia immediately dropped everything to go pack for the gig. Jay seemed pretty pleased with himself, reminding Preacher that she’d always choose her job, which included him, but Preacher wasn’t deterred, suggesting it only mattered who she came home to. And he’s not entirely wrong. 

This clearly isn’t going to be an easy relationship as Jay will constantly prove to be an obstacle as long as she works with him. I don’t want to say she has to make a choice (as the ultimatum is what led to a breakup with Jay), and I love how supportive Preacher is of her career and ambitions, but I don’t think she can continue working side-by-side with Jay and have a thriving relationship with Preacher. Something has to give. 

And I truly hope that she doesn’t hurt Preacher by making the decision to give her romance with Jay another shot, but that’s been my fear since the beginning of this relationship. 

Speaking of love and obstacles, Cameron and Muriel found that it was very difficult to work together following their romantic kiss the night before. Being in such close quarters only intensified their desires, and while it was fun watching them squirm whenever they had to walk past each other, they eventually came to the conclusion that the connection they have is rare and unique, in addition to Cameron being very limited in who he can date in such a small town. They agreed that it wasn’t fair to cheat themselves out of a chance at true love (yes!), agreeing to find a way to make it work even if Doc objects. 

But the truth is, Doc never objected, nor do I think he would be against their relationship at all. If they keep things cordial at work, I don’t see why they can’t pursue a life together. This is a small town with small town rules—plus, Doc now knows the beauty of finding your soulmate. 

I think that the two of them made a bigger deal about their relationship than necessary, but now that they are on the same page about their feelings for each other, I hope that they can simply ask Doc for permission and explore their bond. They both haven’t been the luckiest in love, and they deserve happiness. 

Mel and Jack picked up where they left off following their conversation in which she explained she doesn’t have it in her to try again after 4 miscarriages and a stillbirth. And truly, who could blame her?

While she wanted to run from reality, Jack asked her to go on a hike with him instead where they could really talk through everything. It was important for Mel to be heard as she was the one going through an immense amount of loss every single time she felt a smidge of hope, but it was also important to acknowledge that Jack’s loss was also valid, in a different way than Mel’s. He might never understand her experience, but he was also denied the opportunity to be a father after imagining what it would be like. 

During their hike, the duo got lost, which was a fitting analogy for how they both feel about life right now, but after a rainstorm, they finally made it to their destination of Angel’s Peak—and they were closer than ever. Jack, who loves to repress his emotions, has clearly been learning a thing or two during therapy and opened up about his dark times and hardships, explaining that he knows all too well what it feels like to be broken, but together, they can find a solution to move forward even if it’s not exactly what Mel envisioned. He echoed what I’ve been saying about options, noting that there is surrogacy and adoption, so while the child might not have her mother’s eyes, it will still make them a family and give them the love that they’ve been searching for.

It was a beautiful adventure for the couple that’s been on quite a touching journey throughout several seasons, filled with ups and downs that they’ve navigated together. We can see their strenght in how they support each other, push each other, and heal each other. 

Mel’s dream—and now Jack’s—has been to start a family, and while she wasn’t ready for it immediately after yet another loss, she’s slowly finding the strength to pick herself up and look at her options… with the songbird a sign of better days to come. There’s always a rainbow after the rainstorm, and while it seemed like another bout of bad luck, the kiss in the rain is definitely going down as one of the cutest in TV history. 

What did you think of the episode? Which storyline are you most invested in going into the season finale?