Virgin River season 5 recap guide: All 12 episodes explained

Season 5 episode 4 recap: Never Gonna Be the Same

As Jack and Mel are getting ready to embark on their camping trip, Brie is preparing to testify against Don. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have Brady by her side after she finds out he has been lying to her. Though he tries to text her, she doesn’t want to talk yet.

Preacher and Kai spend the night together and though Preacher offers to make her breakfast the next morning, Kaia gets out of there pretty fast. When he gets to the bar he opens up to a waitress and tells her he’s not used to being the one in control, though he’s happy about getting together with Kaia.

After getting all set up at their campsite, Jack and Mel’s alone time gets interrupted by a group of kids with water balloons. Their dads show up and apologize before realizing they’ve all met before in town. Though their dads take them back to their campsite, the kids return soon enough and ask Jack and Mel to play with them. Jack and Mel are happy to, and they play a ball game before their dads come and find them again. After the two men reveal they haven’t had alone time in years, Mel offers to watch the kids so they can go on a hike and enjoy some private time.

Connie comes over to Hope’s and invites her and Lizzie to a day at the spa. Though Hope doesn’t want to go if Jo Ellen is there, she agrees and becomes angry when she sees her. Evidently, this is Connie’s plan to bring the two ladies together and make amends, but it’s not going to be easy.

Brie and Mike run into each other and catch up, and though Brie doesn’t tell him about the court case, she confides in him about feeling like a mess. He gives her some advice, which seems to do the trick. At home, Brady shows up at Brie’s door and gives her his dog tags from his time in the Marines, telling her that they’ll remind her that she’s strong. Though she appreciates the gesture, it’s not enough to fix things.

Jack and Mel play games with the kids at the campsite, but they butt heads when discussing their parenting styles. Mel believes there should be structure and rules, while Jack wants childhood to be all fun. One of the kids gets hurt, but fortunately, Mel is able to help him. Jack later explains that he never felt like he was free to be himself as a kid because his father was so strict, so that’s why he wants to be a fun dad. Mel assures him that he’ll be a great dad.

Doc invites Denny to go fishing with him and they bond. Denny talks about Lizzie, and Doc tells him how proud of him he is for how he’s dealing with his diagnosis. He also tells Denny about his macular degeneration and how worried he is that he’ll have to retire soon. He’s concerned he won’t have an identity if he’s no longer a doctor, pointing out that his nickname is literally “Doc,” so what will people call him when he’s not one? Denny has the perfect answer, telling him he’ll be “grandpa.”

During their spa day, the ladies talk about youth and growing older, which makes Lizzie appreciate being young. But Lydie makes an important point that puts everything into perspective for the ladies, basically saying that not everyone is lucky enough to grow old. They then take mud baths and continue bonding, up until Hope and Jo Ellen get into an argument.

Hope calls Jo Ellen a “traitor” for telling Nick about the car accident and throws mud on her, which turns into a mud fight between the ladies. This results in them getting kicked out of the spa, and Jo Ellen and Hope have to get real about their problem. Jo Ellen says she’s worried the next time Hope gets behind the wheel she might hurt herself or someone else, and she doesn’t want to lose another friend. This resonates with Hope, who finally comes around and admits she’s angry with the situation, not Jo Ellen specifically.

Hope explains that she fears she’ll never be the same again after her injury, and Connie responds with a joke that gets everyone laughing. Hope and Jo Ellen share a hug, which turns into a group hug between the ladies. Jo Ellen tells Hope that she’ll get through it and will be better than ever before.

Brady meets up with Mike and is ready to come clean in order to reconcile with Brie. He explains that although Calvin is dead, his business is not because of Melissa at the head. He says he’ll tell Mike anything he wants if he makes him a confidential informant, but Mike is hesitant. He doesn’t trust Brady. Eventually, Brady is able to convince him to give it a shot and he starts to give Mike more information about the operation.

As the episode starts to wrap up, Hope and Doc tell each other about their days while Lizzie and Denny get intimate. Kaia shows up at Jack’s bar again to hang out with Preacher. And in a surprising moment, Mel and Jack wake up at their campsite the next morning and smell something burning. When they get out of their tent, they see that there’s a ton of smoke right in Virgin River’s direction.

Written by Natalie Zamora