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A Complete ‘Virgin River’ Season 4 Recap

You'll thank us later

virgin river season 4 recap
Courtesy of Netflix

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

With five seasons of Virgin River on Netflix, it’s hard to remember what happened in each installment. Did Mel and Jack get engaged in season three or four? And when did Preacher move on from Paige?

That’s why we put together this Virgin River season four recap with details about the cast and plot. That way, you’ll be totally up to speed when the season five holiday episodes premiere on November 30. 

Keep scrolling for our Virgin River season four recap.

virgin river season 4 recap preacher
Courtesy of Netflix

1. Virgin River Season 4 Recap

If you need a recap of Virgin River season four, here’s everything you need to know. Doc (Tim Matheson) is diagnosed with a disease that affects his vision. As a result, he hires a new doctor, Cameron Hayek (Mark Ghanimé), at the clinic to minimize his involvement. Doc also learns more about his long-lost grandson, Denny (Kai Bradbury), who randomly shows up on his doorstep. 

Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) is seemingly off the hook after the drug kingpin, Calvin (David Cubitt), is assumed dead when his boat suddenly explodes. However, it doesn’t take long for a new leader to emerge, Melissa (Barbara Pollard).

Paige (Lexa Doig) returns to reclaim her son, Christopher (Chase Petriw), and interrupts Preacher’s (Colin Lawrence) date in the process. During an altercation with Wes, Paige is forced to defend herself and ends up killing him. To cover it up, Preacher buries the body in the woods.

When Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) learns she's pregnant, she tells Jack (Martin Henderson) that he might not be the father. Luckily, the paternity test comes back as a match. Although Mel and Jack get engaged in the finale, their happily ever after is put on hold thanks to Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), who reveals that Jack is *not* the father of the twins.

virgin river season 4 recap jack brady
Courtesy of Netflix

2. Who Shot Jack?

Viewers are led to believe that Brady is responsible for Jack’s shooting. However, in the season four finale, we learn that Brady is innocent after all. The person who shot Jack is Wes’s twin brother, Vince (Steve Bacic). 

virgin river season 4 recap jack mel
Courtesy of Netflix

3. Is Jack the Father of Mel’s Baby?

Thankfully, yes. It all starts when Mel travels to L.A. to do a transfer with leftover embryos from her previous marriage to Mark (Daniel Gillies). It’s unclear whether the transfer is successful or not, so when she learns she’s pregnant, she realizes that the baby could be either Jack’s or Mark’s. After a paternity test, we learn that the baby is, in fact, Jack’s. 

According to Breckenridge, the outcome was supposed to be different, but the writers had a change of heart. “At the beginning of the season, Charmaine's babies were still Jack's. And Mel's baby was going to be Mark's,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “And then really close to the end, it completely changed.”

virgin river season 4 recap denny
Courtesy of Netflix

4. Who Is Denny?

Denny is Doc’s long-lost grandson who he didn’t know existed. Doc’s college girlfriend had a baby (Denny’s dad) and didn’t tell Doc about it. And now that Denny’s father has passed away, he wants to learn more about his family. 

Denny is quite mischievous at first—for example, he is caught stealing medicine from the clinic. However, we later learn the reason for his secretive behavior: He has Huntington’s Disease.

virgin river season 4 recap cameron
Courtesy of Netflix

5. Who’s the New Doctor?

In season four, Doc hires a new doctor at the clinic, Cameron Hayek. It seems like a good thing at first, especially since there are too many patients to go around. However, he doesn’t get off on the right foot with Mel. The drama begins when Cameron implies that Jack won’t be a good father. 

In an interview with TV Line, Breckenridge confirmed that season five will further explore their relationship between Cameron and Mel. “For the amount of time they’ve known each other, he really oversteps when he gives his opinion about Jack,” she said. “It clearly comes from a place where he’s developed a crush on Mel. She knows it, but she doesn’t really want to admit it. We’ll see where that takes them in season five.”

Seasons four and five of Virgin River are now streaming on Netflix.

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