A Second Chance – As the fifth season of Virgin River begins, John ‘Preacher’ Middleton (Colin Lawrence) checks on Paige Lassiter (Lexa Doig) and takes her gun. He tells her that Mike with the LAPD will be there shortly. Paige doesn’t think they can trust the cops so she asks Preacher to take her to Connie’s and she can get Christopher. Mike Valenzuela (Marco Grazzini) arrives and confirms they got Logan who is arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder. Vince accuses Paige of killing his brother and Preacher of helping hide the body.

Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) steps outside to check on Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) who just wanted to get an early start. He insists he isn’t upset and it isn’t about Charmaine Roberts (Lauren Hammersley). Melinda wants to talk about last night. Jack says he is not the father of the twins. Otherwise, there isn’t much else to talk about. Melinda admits she is upset. Jack apologizes for dragging Charmaine into their relationship, but he wants to focus on getting this place up and running for the family. Jack goes on to say they can do whatever they want now. Melinda believes Jack should talk to Charmaine so she suggests picking her up from the hospital.

At the crime scene, Preacher speaks to Mike about what Vince said. Mike makes it clear he knows what type of guys Vince and Wes are. The Sheriff’s Department has no reason to think Wes is dead. Unless that changes, no one will listen to Vince. Mike confirms that the charges against Paige have been dropped. Preacher tells Paige she doesn’t have to run anymore. Bert (Trevor Lerner) stops next to the road to help a man with car problems. Once Bert sees the spare under the truck, Gene tells him to air up the flat and he’ll get it fixed in town. Joey Barnes (Jenny Cooper) speaks to Melinda on the phone about her decision to leave the clinic.

Melinda has a wedding to plan and a baby to prepare for. She tells Joey she was thinking about making handmade baby clothes like their mother did. First, she has to go by the clinic to say goodbye to Doc. Dan Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) is glad to learn Brie Sheridan (Zibby Allen) is going to press charges against Don. She is also looking at a rental because she doesn’t want to rush their relationship. Dan receives a text from Melinda asking him to call. Denny Cutler (Kai Bradbury) is busy making pancakes. Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) interrupts and asks Vernon Mullins (Tim Matheson) to help instead. Denny insists Huntington’s isn’t going to stop him from making pancakes.

Vernon thinks he should go to a center, but Denny says they helped him accept that he’ll eventually experience a decline like his mom. Denny believes he overwhelmed Lizzie with the conversation last night. Vernon admits he doesn’t know if Cameron is staying on. Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) comes over because Hope still needs an aide. Brie speaks to a woman on the phone about Donald Shepherd before telling Jack that she’ll be done in a minute. Ivy tells Brie that they have multiple sexual assault charges against Don and they’re going to trial in a few weeks. Ivy wants Brie to testify. After the call, Brie joins Jack in the bar and pretends she was speaking to a real estate agent.

Preacher enters and tells them what happened with Vince. Then, Jack tells them about Charmaine saying he is not the father of the twins. When Charmaine texts him, Jack and Brie agree they have nothing to talk about. Hope tells Lizzie that she doesn’t want to do some of the things Doc wants her to. She is trying to set an agenda for the town council meeting tomorrow. When Lizzie sits down, she begins learning more about Huntington’s. Once Melinda arrives, Cameron Hayek (Mark Ghanime) tells her she can’t leave. Vernon asks to speak to her in private so Cameron steps out. Melinda tells Vernon that he needs Cameron in case anything happens to his eyes.

He tries to convince her to stay. Melinda reminds him she isn’t leaving town so they can still see each other. Bert is rushed in moments later. Brady tells Melissa Montgomery (Barbara Pollard) he didn’t know he was supposed to be on call since this is his first fentanyl delivery. She knows all about his past and believes she can give him a better life now that she is expanding her business. Dan watches as the tire is cut open and the fentanyl is removed. Paige thanks Connie for keeping the truck going. She agrees to let Christopher (Chase Petriw) get a cookie. Preacher believes this could be a new start for Paige and Christopher.

He tells her about Julia who he just started seeing. Paige believes she should go since she has a life to start. He stops her and says they can start over too. Nick and Melissa visit Jack to check on him. When Jack tells Nick (Keith MacKechnie) about his idea to expand, Melissa suggests dreaming bigger because she has capital of her own. Although Jack isn’t up for it, they try to convince him otherwise. They even bring gifts for the twins. Hope complains to Melinda about quitting at the clinic. Bert tells Dr. Vernon Mullins that he started feeling woozy. In private, Cameron argues Bert is having a drug reaction even though Vernon says he isn’t a user. Vernon agrees to get a urine sample from him anyway.

Preacher visits Julia (Lucia Walter) and tells her about Paige. She suspects he still has feelings for her even though he said she didn’t have to worry about that. Preacher just wanted to be honest. Melinda goes to Jack’s Bar where she speaks to Jo Ellen, Tara, and others. She is introduced to Eva. Melinda says she was hoping they’d teach her how to sew since she is going to have more free time now. Mel soon learns that Jo Ellen (Gwynyth Walsh) has already revealed her secret. Later, Melinda goes home and tells Jack that she has joined the sewing circle. She doesn’t think she should be embarrassed since the whole town is going to know soon.

Jack says he won’t be considering she is the one who should be. Preacher joins Paige who has cooked dinner. Paige says her entire life was consumed by Wes before she left him. That is how he wanted it. Virgin River was special because she didn’t have to see him again. It feels like the last thing he took from her. Paige thinks she has to go. Preacher wishes he could go with them. Preacher tells Paige she deserves a home that she loves. Lizzie makes Hope something to eat. When she tries to help Hope with the agenda, she finds several hateful statements on the computer. Hope claims she had everything written out, but it deleted it or something.

Vernon tells Bert he tested positive for fentanyl even though Bert says he didn’t take it. They discuss the possibility of fentanyl exposure. Bert tells Vernon about helping the guy with the truck. Denny apologizes to Lizzie for keeping his diagnosis from her. He insists he would never want to hurt her. She tells him to stop before kissing him. Lizzie admits that she likes him too. Preacher says goodbye to Paige and Christopher. In a flashback, Melinda remembers being at the hospital and being taught how to use a blood pressure cuff. Jeb (Sandy Robson) is introduced to Dan Brady and told he’d like to join the team.

Jeb knows about the night shift and he is adamant that he needs this. Dan isn’t happy about it. Mike tries to cheer up Preacher and Jack at the pub. They agree to watch the game together later. Hope and Lizzie go to the meeting so Hope can go over the agenda with the others. Hope learns that they’ve been talking about replacing her as the mayor. Ava joins Melinda for a drink. They talk about Virgin River and how Melinda helped her mom before Ava ends up getting sick. A throw is thrown through Brie’s window that night. It appears Jack visits Charmaine before the episode ends.

 

Virgin River Review

The fifth episode of Virgin River started with a competent episode that followed the finale pretty well. It maintained some of the previous storylines while building new ones as well. The performances are mostly good with Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson leading the way. The season has the potential to get very gritty as the storylines progress and lead to potential issues for everyone involved.

The episode was a bit overloaded, but it fleshed out enough characters and stories to remain interesting throughout. Fans of the previous seasons will likely feel right at home here. With so many bad things happening, the story doesn’t always feel realistic. Regardless, those who like the previous episodes will enjoy this one as well.

It scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Virgin River can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here.