Virgin River season 4 recap: 5 things to remember before season 5

It’s been more than a year since Virgin River season 4 premiered on Netflix in the summer of 2022. With Virgin River season 5 now on Netflix, as of Sept. 7, 2023, we know fans will be trying to remember what happened in the previous season since it’s been such a long break between seasons.

We shared what happened in Virgin River season 4, how the season ended, and five things fans need to remember about the story before watching season 5.

What happened in Virgin River season 4?

Virgin River season 4 is the wildest season of the series so far. It truly took this story to a new level.

Throughout the season, Mel struggles with her new pregnancy and everything that comes with her past. She also doesn’t know who the father of the baby is yet, which is a big sticking point over the course of the season. Thankfully, it all gets resolved by the end of the season.

In season 4, we also see Jack struggling with his drinking, which he’s used to cope with the various traumas he’s endured throughout his life. It nearly breaks up Mel and Jack, especially when the new doctor, Cameron, has eyes for Mel. He even questions if Jack is the right person for Mel, which is a good question, in my opinion. Despite his points, Mel chooses Jack by the end of the season, and they get engaged.

Cam resigns from Doc’s practice, but Mel decides to leave so Cam can stay and help Doc take the clinic into the future.

We also see Hope struggling with her brain injury after suffering the car crash and missing almost all of season 3. Hope comes to the unfortunate conclusion that she can’t take care of herself as much as she needs to be able to, and they plan to hire Lizzie to help out. Unfortunately, Lizzie and Denny, who is Doc’s long-lost grandson who arrived in Virgin River in season 4, break up, and Lizzie feels uncomfortable being around their family so much after that. Denny, then, opens up to Lizzie, and he reveals he has a terminal illness, which is the reason he’s not willing to commit to her in the way that she needs. They reconcile, and it looks like Hope and Lizzie might be a force to be reckoned with in Virgin River season 5.

At the end of season 3, Brady was charged with shooting Jack at the bar, but we know Brady is innocent early in season 4. He’s been set up for the crime, and he’s nearly killed while in jail by those loyal to Calvin.

Throughout the season, Brady tries to walk the fine line between working with Calvin and also trying to win Brie back. In the end, he’s able to do that, but he still having a hard time getting out of Calvin’s business.

And, speaking of Calvin, he is “killed” in the second half of the season just as Mike and the authorities are closing in to make an arrest, revealing that he’s not the big bad of Virgin River after all.

At the end of the season, Charmaine reveals that Jack is not the father of her twins. She has lied the whole time!

Oh, and Preacher saves the day! He saves Paige and Christopher from Vince, but we don’t know how that situation is going to resolve.

Virgin River season 4 ending

The Virgin River season 4 is one of the most action-packed episodes of the series so far. There are so many storylines that get wrapped up in this episode, but there are so many questions we still have after the season finale, which is titled “The Long Goodbye.”

We shared the five most important things fans need to remember heading into Virgin River season 5 from the end of Virgin River season 4.

1. Jack is the father of Mel’s baby, but he’s NOT the father of Charmaine’s twins

One of the big issues for Jack over the course of the series has been coming to terms with being a father. For a time, it looked like Jack was going to be the father of three babies very similar in age, but in the Virgin River season 4 finale, it was revealed that Jack is the father of Mel’s baby girl. They also get engaged! Just when Jack seems to have everything going for him, Charmaine drops some big news that Jack is NOT the father of Charmaine’s twins. She has been lying for four seasons. I’m shocked! This is shocking news!

2. Cam is taking a bigger role at Doc’s practice 

In season 4, Doc battled macular degeneration, while Cam made a move on Mel. It ended with Mel choosing Jack, which makes things really awkward for the trio at the clinic. Mel and Cam want to move on from the clinic, but Mel resigns so she can spend more time prepping for her new baby. She also understands that she has to take maternity leave in the future, and she doesn’t want the awkward work relationship with Cam after he tried to get with her in season 4.

3. Preacher might have killed Vince, the man who shot Jack, to save Paige and Christopher 

Finally, Preacher saves Paige and Christopher, the thing he’s been trying to do for so many seasons of the series. Preacher finds Paige and Christopher in a cabin in the woods held captive by Vince. We learn that Vince showed up at Jack’s Bar looking for Preacher, but Jack was there instead. They got into a scuffle, and Vince shot Jack and then planted the evidence on Brady, who is since been released and is off the hook for the crime.

Preacher and Vince get into it, and Vince knocks out Preacher. Thankfully, it’s only a bad head wound, and Preacher hops up and its Vince in the back of the head. That’s where their story ends.

We have so many questions about what’s going to happen next. Did they kill him? Will they call the police? Does this open the door for Paige and Christopher to stay in Virgin River? Is Preacher going to jail for killing Wes? Everything is on the table!

4. Brady and Brie reconcile, and Brady is cleared of all charges 

Brady and Brie are back on after a lot of drama in season 4. At the beginning of the season, Brady was arrested for shooting Jack and then stabbed in prison by Calvin’s henchmen. After that and more, Brady and Brie reconnect in the season finale, and things are looking good for the Virgin River’s hottest, young couple heading into season 5. On top of that, Brady got the good news from Mike that he was not responsible for shooting Jack and the charges were dropped.

Are Brie and Brady endgame? It’s certainly looking that way.

5. Melissa Montgomery, sister of the mayor and drug kingpin, is introduced to Jack and Mel 

The big reveal that Melissa is the big bad of Virgin River is a shocker in season 4, and now, she’s having dinner with Jack and Mel and talking business? This doesn’t look good for Jack and his new airstream business in season 5, but we’ll just have to see how the cookie crumbles. It never crumbles true in Virgin River; that’s for sure. There’s always a big twist.

There are a few other big storylines to watch heading into season 5 based on where things ended in the season 4 finale.

Denny finally reveals why he’s been acting so weird. He has Huntington’s Disease, and he confesses that it’s terminal to Lizzie at the end of the season. Will she take the job as Hope’s aide?  We’ll have to wait and see.

We also have Hope and Doc to mention. Hope is finally coming to terms with the fact that she isn’t herself, and she will likely never be the same again following her accident. Doc is also battling macular degeneration and learning how to cope with his life changes. Their story will definitely be a big part of season 5.