Virgin River season 1, episode 2 recap: Lost

Mel and Doc butt heads over a procedure as Mel cares for an abandoned baby and Doc searches for the mother on Virgin River.

Carrying on immediately from where the first episode of Virgin River left off, Mel and Jack bring the abandoned baby inside the clinic. There’s a note saying that whoever left her is doing it because they love her. The baby seems okay – warm, hydrated, healthy, and a girl – but Doc is out on call and Mel needs to call Child Protective Services.

Doc comes back and says he doesn’t want any agencies called on his watch. He’ll take care of it unofficially. He starts making calls around town to try to find the mother. But CPS is going to have to be called eventually and Mel knows it.

Connie, the owner of the general store and general busybody, arrives at the clinic with diapers and formula. She sets the Virgin River phone tree into effect to see if she can help find the mother too. But something is going to happen soon because the baby isn’t eating and she might need a feeding specialist if she won’t latch.

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Meanwhile, Doc and Hope argue about how he’s treating Mel. She can apparently be trusted to look after the baby, but she needs to work her way up from secretary to nurse. Hope and Jack conspire to stall Mel from leaving Virgin River while they try to convince her to stay and Doc to accept her.

Mel names the baby Chloe in remembrance of her sister who died before Mel was born. Another neighbor named Lilly comes over and brings all kinds of baby items from her four now-grown children. Connie the busybody also comes back and scolds Mel for wanting to call CPS. You big-city types are all the same, she says. Connie says the town takes care of its own, but the State of California is very clear about the legal procedure.

A local guy named Charlie comes to the clinic to see Doc and doesn’t much like the idea of seeing a lady for his treatment. But he very kindly tells Mel that he himself grew up in care and had wonderful foster parents that turned into real parents. Despite the fact many children in care are not so fortunate, Charlie believes that Mel is just trying to do the right thing.

By the end of the day, Chloe’s mother still hasn’t been found, so Mel calls CPS. While she argues with Doc about it, Lilly watches over Chloe. When Mel returns, though, she discovers Lilly breast-feeding Chloe. Lilly is Chloe’s mother!

Jack is maybe more complicated than the simple country guy he seems like. He spent 20 years in the Marines and it looks like he still has some PTSD and maybe a secret drinking problem. Jack is trying to convince his young helper Ricky to reconsider joining the Marines himself.

Jack is also having some drama at the bar. An old troubled army buddy named Brady has dropped in to visit and Jack is trying to give him a chance at a new start. But Brady is unreliable and lazy, prone to theft and schemes. Preacher doesn’t trust him and thinks that Jack should cut his losses. Brady has already blown too many chances.

And then there’s Jack’s girlfriend Charmaine. With all the time he’s been spending with Mel, it’s a surprising complication. When he meets Charmaine at the end of the day, he seems reluctant to be romantic with her – perhaps because he’s thinking of Mel – but she’s very convincing.

What do you think of Virgin River so far? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!