All the “Virgin River” Season 4 Theories and Predictions We Can’t Stop Thinking About
If you’ve been craving a return to the cozy, woodsy drama of Virgin River, you’re in luck. Season four returns to Netflix on Wednesday, July 20—and yes, it has several questions to answer. From the father of Mel’s baby to the identity of Jack’s shooter, there certainly is lots of drama packed into a tiny, slow-moving town. Fortunately, it won’t be all conflict. In addition to Mel becoming a mom, season four will also see the return of Hope, played by Annette O’Toole (who was off-screen—and out of town—for season three due to Covid-19 production challenges, according to Entertainment Weekly).
And if you were worried about Preacher, you can breathe a little easier. Though his situation with Paige and Christopher is sure to be complicated still, he’s “[forging] a new romantic connection” in season four, according to Netflix. (As he deserves!)
Fortunately, even if Virgin River season four does end in another cliffhanger—it’s a staple of the show, at this point—fans can at least take solace in the fact that a fifth season has, indeed, been confirmed. In the meantime, here are a few predictions about what the upcoming installment might have in store.
Jack is the father of Mel’s baby.
The season three cliffhanger—that Mel is pregnant but doesn’t know who the father is—was good for dramatic tension! But it may not the most compelling medical mystery ever? As many fans pointed out last summer, the process of transferring a frozen embryo isn’t quite as straightforward (or as fast) as Mel’s journey appeared on screen.
A brief refresher: After temporarily ending things with Jack, Mel visits her sister in Los Angeles, and books an appointment at the fertility clinic while she’s there, to see if she can get pregnant with her and Mark’s frozen embryos. It's a super short trip, though. In fact, based on Mel’s outfit, she actually heads back to Virgin River the day after visiting the doctor. She and Jack sleep together upon her return—so when she finds out she’s pregnant within the next two weeks, she seems to think both Mark and Jack are equally plausible parents.
But according to the University of Washington Medical Center, a frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle isn’t necessarily a one-day deal. Timing is key, and the entire process can involve multiple tests, hormones, and medication to ensure the best possible outcome. In other words, it seems a little more likely that if Mel were to get pregnant, it wouldn’t happen with a rushed FET.
But it doesn’t actually matter.
Though the curveball of Mel’s pregnancy may seem to threaten her relationship with Jack, it might turn out to be a non-issue. Martin Henderson, who plays Jack, acknowledged to Entertainment Weekly that there’d likely be “a few sleepless nights where he wrestles with that,” of course—but ultimately, he thinks Jack will be a doting dad and partner either way. “I know I would want to love my woman's child unconditionally,” he said. “In a way, I think not knowing would allow me to approach it with a wholeheartedness that wasn't tainted by having to get my head around the fact that it was someone else's child, particularly someone who is no longer here that was this great love of hers.”
So even though on a logical level it seems safe to say Jack is the dad, paternity might not be that big of an issue in the long run.
Jack’s shooter will be revealed.
Beyond babies, there’s a lot of other drama to address in Virgin River season four—like, say, the question of who shot Jack at the bar. Even though that happened a whole season ago now, it’s still the great mystery that lingers over the Virgin River denizens like forest fog. Fortunately, showrunner Sue Tenney told Us Weekly that the shooter’s identity will come to light soon and even dropped a major hint about who it could be. “If we get the actual reveal [in season four], it would detail more of how this all was intertwined,” she said. “The webbing of that story goes all the way back to the first season, so it’s a connective tissue that goes through four seasons.”
Tenney’s comments seem to rule out the possibility that Charmaine’s new husband, Todd, was behind the attack, since he arrived on the scene fairly recently (even though he’s definitely proven himself to be on Team Anti-Jack).
The idea of a “connective tissue” appears to allude to Jack’s history—and, well, he has plenty of that with fellow veterans Brady and Mike. Though Brady’s been blamed for the crime, Mike, a cop, seems to have a strong personal interest in the matter. Too strong, maybe. He broke off an entire relationship to stay in town and work on the case, and he seems to have a personal vendetta against his fellow Marine. He would also be in a great position to frame somebody. “Classic Brady. Nothing’s ever his fault,” he says at one point in season three. Grudge much?
And in season four, according to the official Netflix logline, “Brie, intent on proving the innocence of the man she loves, unexpectedly finds herself in a closer relationship with Mike and one step closer to Calvin’s violent criminal web.” Perhaps Mike has something to do with that whole operation, and indirectly had a hand in Jack’s attack?
Charmaine could be moving away.
Charmaine and her new husband, Todd, have caused plenty of drama for Jack, especially with the yet-to-be born twins’ custody in question. However, this may not be a major issue going forward. Lauren Hammersley, who plays Charmaine, recently shared on Instagram that she was in Nova Scotia—the coast way opposite Vancouver, where Virgin River largely films. She captioned the selfie “New series,” even though Virgin River season five is filming in early July, per Henderson’s IG.
It’s not clear how Charmaine will leave the River—maybe Jack was never the father at all, or maybe she leaves Todd and settles into a friendly co-parenting routine with Jack? Either way, season four could potentially see this major character off.
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