Netflix's Virgin River season 1 finale recap: Unexpected Endings

Jack and Mel’s new romance is complicated by Charmaine’s revelation. Hope and Doc make amends, while Brady finds new employment and Preacher tries to protect Paige and Christopher on Virgin River.

Jack meets with Charmaine to talk about their future on Virgin River. Jack will support Charmaine and the baby, but when it comes to giving her an answer about how he feels about her, he still can’t do it. He needs to process, he says. And Charmaine still loves him, so if he felt the same way she would take him back.

Hope stops Jack on his way to Mel’s cabin. Jack tells Hope to stay out of his business and that reading that letter was crossing the line. Jack was supposed to have breakfast with Mel but he has to make an emergency supply run for the bar and doesn’t have time for breakfast or to tell her about the baby. He just stops by to tell her he wants to talk to her later.

When Mel gets to the clinic, Hope assumes that Jack has told her about Charmaine and accidentally drops the news. Now Mel feels like Jack has kept things from her because Hope didn’t give him to chance to tell her himself. Hope has really messed it up this time.

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Jack confides in Preacher about Charmaine and says that things would be a lot simpler if he loved Charmaine too. But when you think about it, knowing that he doesn’t love her makes things just as simple, doesn’t it? How is there any question about what he’s going to do when he knows how he feels?

Hope tracks down Jack and admits that she accidentally told Mel about the baby. He freaks out and says that if the only way he can get Hope to stop meddling in his life is to keep her out of it, then that’s what he’ll do. Mel turns up shortly after and they have a talk in his office. Mel is upset that he didn’t tell her but also feels like the baby changes everything. She says they can just go back to being friends, but Jack says he can’t do that. Mel storms out, saying that it’s not up to him.

Hope is devastated by the consequences of her meddling. She admits to Doc that she deliberately pushes people away to keep from getting hurt. He tries to comfort her. Thinking that it’s what she’s wanted more than anything, he gives her new divorce papers. Of course, it’s actually the last thing she wants. Hope begins sobbing.

She asked for the divorce because after the heart attack she felt weak and wanted to exert some control over her life, but she didn’t really want a divorce. She’s sorry that she refused to accept Doc’s apology for twenty years and Doc will always regret having broken their wedding vows. He never stopped loving her and Hope loves him too. They kiss and make up.

Preacher and Paige meet at the bar and she tells him her story. Her ex-husband was abusive toward her, but he went too far when he started to abuse Christopher. When she left him, he told the judge that Paige was unstable and was awarded full custody. He’s a police officer with connections, so she kidnapped Christopher and ran away. Now they’re in hiding.

Coincidentally, Paige’s ex-husband (Michael Shanks) comes into the bar later that day. He says his name is Paul. He’s clearly hunting down Paige and recognizes her by her distinctive pies being sold at the bar. Preacher is suspicious and takes a picture of his license plate as he drives away. The plates come back as being registered to Joshua Benson. That doesn’t mean anything to Preacher, but when he goes to check on Paige and Christopher later they’re gone and there are signs of a struggle.

Brady comes in late to work again and immediately begins fighting with Preacher. Brady says that he’s done and Jack says that if he walks out that door he can never come back. That’s gonna be rough later when Brady inevitably runs into trouble, but he walks out and joins Calvin’s gang.

Mel runs into Charmaine later while she’s running errands in Clear River. She congratulates Charmaine on the baby, saying that she and Jack are going to be wonderful parents. Charmaine didn’t think that she could get pregnant, so she’s really grateful, but Jack is never going to choose to be with Charmaine as long as Mel is there.

When Jack comes to see Mel later to try to talk things out, he tells her that he never knew he could feel the way he feels about her. He’s falling in love with her and thinks that they could have a future together. Mel tells him about her stillborn baby and how she can’t have children. Knowing that Charmaine gets to have with Jack what she can never have is too much for her.

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Jack knows he’s asking a lot from her, but he wants to be part of her future. Mel says she needs time to think about it, but once Jack is gone she starts packing and calls Joey to say she’s coming home.

That’s the end of season one! But Netflix has already renewed Virgin River for a second season, so we won’t be left hanging forever. Season two should premiere sometime in 2020 with answers to all our pressing questions.

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