We are 100% here for all the characters on Virgin River growing, evolving, self-reflecting, and trying to be their best selves.
Sometimes, you don’t need too many external conflicts to tell a compelling story, and Virgin River Season 5 Episode 3, much like the previous installments, showcases that well.
There’s no shortage of conflict coming from outside sources, of course, as the wildfire is approaching and Melissa and her brother both are impacting many people in Virgin River, but the internal work and interpersonal dynamics among characters are most compelling.
The hour introduced us to Lizzie’s ambitious, career-driven, opinionated mother, Deidre, and Preacher’s scorching hot firefighter love interest.
We also got some endearing moments between Jack and Denny as he continues down his path of healing.
The opener was enough to leave you gasping as you feared that Jack had somehow backslid with his drinking and disrupted things with Mel.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and it was just a terrible nightmare that had Jack Sheridan thinking about his brother, Adam. And Barry was absolutely correct in his assessment about Jack not feeling like he’s in control of things.
Jack was so resistant to therapy for the longest time that it’s genuinely pleasing that he’s still keeping up with it, learning and applying all the tools and techniques that Barry gives him to his life.
And you know it’s a positive sign that Jack even thanked Preacher for leading him to Barry in the first place. The advice about taking calculated risks to put him in the mindset of getting familiar with not being in control was sound.
And I can’t think of a better person for Jack to spend time with and learn from than the eternally wise beyond his years, Denny. What’s nice about this new dynamic and the series opting to explore it this way is that while Denny is stepping into similar spaces as Ricky Sudder, he isn’t a flat-out replacement for him.
One could get wary of Jack spending time with Denny in a similar vein as Ricky, but the nature of their dynamic is different. While Jack was often like a father figure to Ricky, doled out advice, and was the example for him, there’s a fascinating equal footing with Denny.
What we got was Jack actually learning from Denny, a perfect reminder that age and maturity aren’t the same and that we can all be one another’s teacher in life because of our respective experiences.
Denny is a character who had to learn early on in his life, from the moment he got Huntington’s diagnosis, that he’s not in control of his life.
His illness is outside of his control. Jack is fortunate and privileged in a way that Denny Cutler isn’t; he needs that reminder.
Denny’s enlightenment and wisdom as the two men were one with nature was so quintessentially Virgin River and felt therapeutic in its own right.
Denny: I’ve mostly come to terms with it. It’s part of why I rock climb. Because when I’m out here on top of the world, it feels like my disease won’t find me. The rest of the time, I try to live in the moment.
Jack: You sure you’re only 19? That’s some pretty profound thinking.
Denny: I wasn’t always like this, but I realized that being depressed about what’s to come will only rob me of the good stuff I have now.
Jack: Amen to that.
It’s not often that Jack can simply heed what someone else is saying, and Denny’s quiet ability to do that was touching. I loved that he confided in Jack, too, and through sharing, they formed a special bond and reconciled with each other and where they are in life.
It’s also nice that someone as active as Jack, who was so resistant to traditional forms of therapy, could see that there is more than a singular way of healing and working through traumas.
Jack is on such a delightfully rewarding path for his character.
He’s also doing a better job at communicating as well. He was open with Mel about therapy, his assignment, how things went with Denny, and why he couldn’t tell her everything.
And he’s right. Mel always means well, but the truth is that no one person can be another’s everything. Jack needs the space and ability to confide in other people about problems and issues without necessarily turning to her for everything.
Maybe one day he’ll be able to talk to her more about Adam, his nightmares, and what he needs to work through all that, or maybe not. Still, it’s okay if he doesn’t share every little detail about all of that as long as he’s keeping her abreast of his process and she knows that he’s getting help and healthily working through things even if it’s not specifically with her.
He asked for trust, and he’s more than earned that. And Mel seemed good accepting that, too, which was great.
Plus, it’s not like she also doesn’t have her own issues to work through. More than anything, it’s lovely to see them growing as individuals as well, as they are a couple together. It’s essential to show that and how possible it is.
Jack and Mel Monroe aren’t that couple that has to be wholly consumed with each other; they can exist and have their own things outside their relationship.
In many ways, it feels like Jack has a better grasp of that than Mel, but for the most part, she took a bit of a backseat during the hour.
Things between her and Cameron were so painfully awkward. On the one hand, it’s annoying if someone tells you that they don’t need to know about your personal life and then inquire later.
But on the other hand, Cameron seemed to genuinely attempt to be polite and clear the air a bit, and Mel’s response was so chilly it made you feel bad for the guy.
Muriel is a great sounding board for Dr.Cameron because he can talk about almost anything with her, and she can help him see things more clearly.
She helped him realize how much he had overstepped with Mel before and that he could give her time and space.
Although, there are moments when they could perfectly set up a May-December romance for those two. They have similar characterizations and experiences in Virgin River. Can you imagine it? It would be an unpredictable but potentially intriguing turn of events.
Cameron isn’t a bad guy; he and Mel can work well together when personal stuff doesn’t get in the way.
The incident with the pregnant mom on the side of the road was harrowing, but they were rockstars guiding Kaia through all of that.
It was terrifying when it didn’t seem like the baby was breathing, but Kaia came through. And as much as Mel is embracing this break from practicing, I don’t think Virgin River will ever let her stop being a nurse. It’s impossible.
It has to be an avenue for Mel to find her way back to practicing at the clinic and work alongside Cameron, Doc, and Ms. Muriel in a new normal.
Of course, one wonders if the turning point will be Doc having to take more time off. His vision affecting him was disconcerting, and he and Hope always keep you on the edge of your seat with their health issues.
It’s a good thing Doc took the day off, but it’s getting concerning to know that he may be unable to keep up practicing if his vision continues declining. And they’ve certainly set things up for Cameron to take over as primary practitioner if that’s the case.
Hope is in her feelings about the mayoral election situation, and it stings extra that her friend, Jo Ellen, was defending her husband.
But Jo Ellen raised valid points about Hope’s health and some of her actions that would’ve led to this situation. Regardless, there are better people than Nick for the job.
And his connection to Melissa is what proves challenging, as his being mayor only benefits her in the long run. She’s getting her clutches into so many aspects of Virgin River without people realizing it.
Here I thought I fell for James Dean not for James Bond, not that I’m complaining.
Brie
Jack eased in that he was going to take Melissa on her offer. And one has to wonder if she’ll pull a similar stunt with Jack as she did with Brady.
Of course, maybe Brie Sheridan will confide in her brother about what happened with Brady, and things will change. Although, that’s doubtful.
Virgin River is too small of a town for Brady to think he’d get to downplay his relationship with Jeb and keep the Melissa thing a secret for too long.
His attempts to protect Brie are noble, but his dishonesty calls for more harm than good and only screws him in the long run. He’s the happiest he’s ever been with Brie, but now she needs space and is reconsidering their relationship because he lied to her about something again.
It’s only so many of these issues with Brady she can take while dealing with her own stuff, too. It’s unfair when she’s opening up to him about things, but he keeps her in the dark, so her frustrations are valid.
Also, it’s not good if more legal trouble is on the horizon and she gets blindsided because he didn’t warn her.
Brady can’t win for losing, which generally sucks because despite his best efforts, he always lands in the same situations, and it turns even his closest allies and those who love him most away when he needs them most.
It’s only a matter of time before the whispers about the fentanyl start adding up, and it becomes a more prominent storyline across the entire town. Jeb’s overdose and the situation with Bert are bound to get some conversations flowing, and because of Brady’s connection to Calvin, all eyes will likely be on him.
I don’t need your protection, I need transparency.
Brie
The Dan Brady redemption arc is one for the books these days.
Lizzie is a character who has had such a wonderful turnaround that you feel protective of her in the face of anyone judging her.
The appearance of Deidre was irksome in that she swooped into Virgin River like she knew everything, holding Lizzie’s past against her, not listening, and putting her demands and expectations on Lizzie.
It wasn’t fair.
Once again, it’s such an unflattering depiction of the professional woman that Deidre is so singularly focused on her career, education, image, and esteem.
She also seems like someone who turns her nose up at the simple life that Virgin River presents. She wants and expects Lizzie to be a professional woman in some capacity, implying that it would be a socially and economically sound choice.
It’s this strong notion of uber feminism that Deidre puts off, but the more toxic form that tends to imply that one isn’t truly feminist or honoring that concept unless they’re breaking down barriers in male-dominated professions or always on the grind.
She did come around to the idea that Lizzie had grown and matured since she last spent time with her daughter, and you can tell that Lizzie has resented having a mother who prioritizes her career ahead of her family.
Lizzie is the most capable young woman I have ever encountered. If more young people today could be like Lizzie, I have every faith in the world for the next generation.
Hope
Deidre seemed impressed that Lizzie took on organizing that event to feed the first responders.
But it’s almost as if Lizzie leaning into things like hospitality, whether it’s assisting Connie with the food truck, being a home care aid for Hope, or even undertaking an event that served the community, is an affront to what Deidre believes a modern day woman should be doing.
Her sudden appearance to discuss pulling strings to send Lizzie to college feels so far-fetched. And by now, Lizzie may not want to pursue college after the year she’s had off, which would be okay.
Deidre feels disappointingly one-dimensional, but she poses a new challenge for Lizzie that highlights her evolution, so there’s that.
And Kaia seems like a challenging, forthright woman to take John Preacher‘s mind off of Paige and Julia.
Their flirting was cute, and she was obviously interested in him. But boy, did her climbing over the bar and seducing him look like a fever dream!
Jack told Preacher to date around and get laid, and he even mentioned that the right woman might walk into the bar when he least expected it.
Who’d have thought that Kaia would check those boxes a few days later?
We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Over to you, VIrgin River Fanatics? What’s your impression of Deidre? Are you proud of the growth that Jack is displaying so far?
What do you think about Preacher and Kaia? Hit the comments below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on Twitter.
