Virgin River
Virgin River Review – The Aftermath of the Fire (3×02)
Virgin River Season 3 Episode 2 picks up following the aftermath of the destructive fire at Jack’s house.
Everyone is pretty shaken up by the incident, especially as this is just another one in a series for Jack. It’s no secret that he hasn’t had a lot of good luck lately and that’s bound to take a toll on anyone.
Thankfully, he has Mel who is standing there with open arms offering him comfort, clothes, and a place to stay… if he’ll take it.
Jack is hesitant at first and explains that he’ll get a room at the local B&B. Doc explains that Jack is very self-reliant, so it doesn’t make sense for Mel to pressure him into accepting her help. However, Jack eventually comes around and takes her up on the offer.
The first stages of their relationship have already withstood plenty of obstacles. They can listen to the advice of others about what they “should” do, but at the end of the day, Mel and Jack are unlike any other couple. They know each other best and they know what works for them. Mel gave him the space to make a decision about his living arrangement on his own just as Jack realized that Mel was a straight shooter and meant it when she said she didn’t want to do anything special for her birthday in the premiere episode.
The fire investigators revealed that the fire wasn’t set intentionally as I assumed in my premiere review, but why am I still hesitant to believe that the cause was faulty wiring in the attic?
Mel isn’t just taking care of Jack as she’s also looking out for Doc in Hope’s absence.
I’m not sure if the series just couldn’t get Annette O’Toole for the first few episodes/the season, but the whole hurricane storyline is such a weak excuse.
These two are newly engaged, so I thought we’d get to see a wedding this season or, at the very least, some wedding planning.
Doc is worried about Hope as she’s in the thick of the storm in South Carolina and he cannot reach her as all the landlines are down.
He puts on a brave face, but he becomes vulnerable in a heart-to-heart with Mel about the possibility of losing Hope. I hope — no pun intended — that isn’t the case because it would crush Doc, who is already dealing with his diagnosis on his own.
Muriel continues to be a source of companionship for Doc, but at this point, I think she is just trying to be friendly and lend a hand while Hope is out of town. And oddly, I enjoy the scenes between the two of them. Muriel gets a bad rap, but she is a sweet and warm person.
She also seemed to suspect that something was off and seemed to get confirmation when she stopped by the clinic. It’s not clear what she saw in those files, but it’s either info about potentially hiring a new physician to take Doc’s place or the paperwork about his illness.
Either way, I think he’s going to have to confide in someone pretty soon, and that someone might just be Muriel.
Doc isn’t ready to talk about what he’s going through, but I hope he doesn’t blindside Mel by hiring someone new without telling her. They’ve built up such a great friendship — he’s almost like a father figure to her — so she deserves to be in the know.
However, it doesn’t seem like Doc will have an easy time finding someone.
He balked at bringing on Mel when Hope first brought her to town, so he clearly isn’t good with change. Doc is stubborn. Pair that with his struggle to let go, and it’s going to be very difficult for him to find the perfect person to run the show.
Though, it makes sense that he would want someone specific to take care of this tight-knit community. A doctor who will be commuting from a big city simply doesn’t and isn’t equipped to understand the dynamics of a small town like Virgin River.
Charmaine came around to apologize for her actions in previous seasons, which was nice, but she still doesn’t seem to understand how her actions impact others.
She informed Jack that she would be moving into Todd’s place with the twins and mentioned that he could come swing by and see the kids any day. In Charmaine’s mind, she was doing Jack a favor, but in reality, she was making choices for their twins without any input from him. She didn’t even run it by him — she ran it by Todd.
Charmaine is creating the life she wanted to have with Jack with Todd, which is fine, but it becomes problematic when his kids are involved and she’s trying to edge him out of their lives. His children… not Todd’s.
Jack doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who wants a formal custody arrangement, but he might have to escalate the matter because it doesn’t seem like Charmaine will be receptive to his concerns.
Mel bonded with Jack’s sister, Brie, who is definitely running away from someone and harboring a huge secret. We don’t know much about her yet, and she’s been kind of thrown into the mix randomly, but from what Jack has revealed, she’s not the type to ditch her job and stick around a small town.
What we do know is that she’s a lawyer and single. And she was overly jumpy while shopping with Mel, which leads me to believe that she’s escaping an abusive relationship.
It doesn’t help that she’s getting involved with Brady. Jack would never approve of their relationship. Brady knows that, yet he didn’t stop himself from hooking up with her.
The problem with Brady is that it’s hard to believe that he’s changed. We still don’t know the extent of his involvement with the shooting, plus, he’s on Calvin’s hit list, which automatically puts Brie in danger.
Jimmy is still on the run, and I think he was definitely responsible for setting the fire.
Ricky and Lizzie are struggling to get some alone time from Connie’s watchful eye and Lydia’s sweet yet overbearing presence. It’s not surprising that Lizzie’s fed up, especially since Ricky is such a grandma’s boy. Will he ever grow up?
Preacher got a note from Paige with a warning to “be careful,” which leads me to believe that Vince is getting closer. But for now… they need to take care of that lice issue!
And then there’s Lilly, who admitted to Mel that she has cancer. Considering she’s a new mom to baby Chloe, it’s obviously devastating news for her as she realizes there’s a huge chance she won’t be there to see her daughter grow up.
On the bright side, she lives in a town surrounded by supportive people who would all pitch in to be there for Chloe. And that includes her own daughter and Mel!
What did you think of the episode?
Let us know in the comments!
Fan-favorite small-town shows like Virgin River, The Way Home and One Tree Hill are joining forces for a first-ever experience.
As Virgin River fans patiently await season 8, there’s something else they can look forward to.
Ben Hollingsworth, who plays Dan Brady on the hit Netflix drama, took to Instagram for a first-ever announcement that delighted fans.
“Virgin River fans, I know you’re excited. You want to know: is Brady coming back for season 8? You want to know when season 8’s coming out? You want to know if there’s going to be a season 9. Well…” he begins, before a censored sticker covers his mouth and a bleep-out noise cuts off any sliver of news he was going to share.
“I’m just joking, I can’t tell you any of that,” he admits, before revealing something equally as exciting for the fandom.
“What I can tell you is that for the first time ever, me and a bunch of my Virgin River cast mates are going to be doing a convention.”
And it’s not just any convention, as he clarifies that it isn’t like “one of those mall ones,” adding that this one is “tailored just for shows like ours.”
By that, he meets small town shows, which have carved out a place for themselves in the TV landscape.
“It’s called Meet Cute con and the theme is small town television,” he added, noting, “that’s basically Virgin River.”
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The excitement continues as Hollingsworth reveals it’s taking place in Nashville at the Loveless Barn, with Virgin Hotels Nashville fittingly serving as a sponsor.
It will kick off with a rooftop party and run from Nov. 6th through 8th.
People reports it will include “celebrity panels, live music, interactive experiences, and Southern food for an intimate fan experience.”
But it’s not just Virgin River!
Other small town hows included in Meet Cute Con include One Tree Hill and The Way Home.
The confirmed guest list for Small-Town Swoon is as follows: One Tree Hill alum Jana Kramer, The Way Home‘s Evan Williams, and Virgin River stars Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Hollingsworth and Zibby Allen.
Additional celebrities from small town shows will be announced in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, if you want to be part of the first-ever meet up, you can grab tickets here.
Virgin River has established itself as one of Netflix’s best—and longest-running shows.
So it’s no surprise that fans are patiently waiting for the premiere date of the upcoming seventh season.
The comfort of a small town, even one that has its fair share of trouble and drama, is something we all yearn for and crave.
Thankfully, Benjamin Hollingsworth, who plays Brady on the hit series, recently gave fans some insight into when they can expect new episodes.
We’ve only been waiting since last December!
When Will Virgin River Return for Season 7?
Virgin River Season 7 will not be making a holiday appearance this year, but its return isn’t too far off, according to Hollingsworth.
While chatting with FOX5 in New York, he revealed the premiere month, stating that it would begin streaming on Netflix in March 2026.
There’s no specific premiere date, as of yet, but as soon as we find out, we’ll let you know!
What Changes Are Coming to ‘Virgin River’ Season 7?
The series has to keep things fresh, so fans can expect some new faces to make their way into town, including The Vampire Diaries alum Sara Canning, who will join as ex-cop Victoria, previously shot in the line of duty and now working for the state medical board as an investigator. What brings her to town, you ask? Well, she’s here looking into Doc’s practice, but she runs into a friend she doesn’t mind catching up with, with the synopsis teasing, “or maybe even pursuing something more.”
Virgin River has a way of convincing people who are just visiting to stay for a while…
The second new face will be Riverdale’s Cody Kearsley, starring as “tough” and “athletic” Clay, described as the type of guy to “immediately” get noticed when he enters a room. He has experience in the “rodeo circuit” and grew up in foster care with his younger sister, whom he hasn’t seen since they were teens and who he’s been looking for ever since.
Will There Be a Season 8 of Virgin River?
You betcha! People can’t get enough of Virgin River, with the series scoring an early renewal, with Deadline reporting that the eighth season was confirmed a few days after season 7 wrapped up production.
And that can only mean one thing—there’s still plenty more stories to tell when it concerns Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge), Jack (Martin Henderson), Vernon (Tim Matheson), Brady, Brie (Zibby Allen) and more.
Lark (Elise Gatien) made her debut on Virgin River Season 5, specifically, during the episodes that tackled the wildfires that ravaged parts of the picturesque town.
Warning – this post has spoilers from the Virgin River holiday episodes.
After Jack and Brady risked their lives to save Lark’s daughter, Hazel, who went missing from the campsite during the fire evacuation, the single mom began to bond with the latter, extending her gratitude to him for going out of his way to prioritize her daughter’s safety.
When Brady found out that Lark and Hazel were squatting, he offered them up a place in one of the lumber yard trailers, a selfless gesture that speaks to his big heart.
Lark definitely set her sights on Brady, especially on the heels of his generosity, and a connection sparked around the time that Brady’s relationship with Brie crumbled and he was looking for some companionship. Lark also helped Brady see the better parts of himself, as Brie held his lies (even though he couldn’t tell her anything about being an informant) against him and made him feel guilty.
One thing led to another and eventually, Lark and Brady began a relationship after his romance with Brie ended. It was also helpful that Hazel really took to Brady, and thus, he became a bit of a stepfather figure in her life.
Fast forward a few months to the timeline of the holiday episodes, Brady and Lark are going strong, fully embracing their romance and sweet little family together. Lark even invited Brady to meet her mother, though he claims that’s a little too fast-paced for him, which is understandable considering he still harbors strong feelings for Brie, who has currently moved on with Mike.
However, Brady seems to be in a good place in life, particularly as everything with Melissa Montgomery’s money laundering/drug smuggling at Emerald Lumber has finally settled down. He’s finally able to move past the nightmare that started when he was roped in by Calvin when he was young and reckless, or so fans thought. In retrospect, I guess we should’ve been more suspicious of Lark’s attempts at inserting herself into Brady’s life, though she definitely made it seem so natural.
In the final moments of Virgin River Season 6 Episode 12, Lark sneaks off to pick up a call from Hazel’s father, who turns out to be Jimmy, who is serving time in prison. Lark informs him that “Brady doesn’t suspect a thing,” which shows that this is Jimmy’s form of getting close enough to Brady to get revenge.
It’s an awful and disappointing twist considering all the progress Brady has made to turn over a new leaf and hit refresh. He can’t seem to shake this whole Emerald Lumber fiasco, no matter how hard he tries. Bad luck just seems to follow him based on one bad decision he made way back when—and it’s cost him so much, including his friendships and his romance with Brie.
I’m hoping that Lark realizes just how good of a guy Brady is and how much he’s sacrificed for her and Hazel and decides not to go through with whatever she and Jimmy have planned.
Lord knows that Brady deserves some sliver of good news and positivity in his life, along with a storyline far removed from the lumber yard.
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