Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Virgin River’ Season 5 on Netflix, Another Season Of Soap Opera Shenanigans In The Pacific Northwest

It’s always something on Virgin River. The Netflix series, now headed into its fifth season, is one of those soap operatic dramas where as soon as one character finds some peace, it never lasts long and someone always ends up getting shot or pregnant or diagnosed with something bad. Come for the scenic views of the river, stay for the criminal activity and life trauma!

VIRGIN RIVER (SEASON 5): STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Vince (Steve Bacic) lies on the floor. Is he dead? Paige (Lexa Doig) weeps uncontrollably at the sight of him, but less because she’s sad and more because it would be really traumatic if she killed her abusive ex-husband Wes and his evil twin brother, Vince.

The Gist: It turns out that Vince is not dead, he was just unconscious after having been knocked out by Preacher (Colin Lawrence) during the scuffle they had at the end of season 4. Preacher calls the police and his pal Mike shows up to arrest Vince. At least for now, Paige and Preacher can rest easier knowing that their secret, that she killed her ex-husband and Preacher buried the body, is safe now that Vince is locked up. (Of course, as much as Preacher assures Paige that their troubles are over, nobody’s troubles are ever over for long in Virgin River.) Preacher wrongly assumes that this means he and Paige are free to be together, but Paige realizes that Virgin River hasn’t brought her the comfort she needs, so she up and leaves with her son, and Preacher is left alone.

Meanwhile, now that Jack (Martin Henderson) knows he’s not the father of Charmaine’s (Lauren Hammersley) twins, he’s furious that he was duped, but also, this was a real bullet dodged, and now he’s free to focus on Mel (Alexandra Breckinridge) who is pregnant with his actual child. Now that she and Jack are engaged, Mel has decided to leave Doc and the medical practice to focus on her health and family and, oh yeah, join the local sewing circle.

Jack and his business partner Nick who are working on getting their glamping business off the ground are offered some seed money from Nick’s sister, Melissa (Barbara Pollard), but unbeknownst to Jack, Melissa’s playing with dirty money – she’s been trafficking fentanyl through Virgin River and wants to use her drug money to invest in his business.

And woven throughout the episode are dribs and drabs of other minor stories, too: Jack’s sister Brie, now moved in to town, is threatened by the man she accused of raping her, and in the final moments of the episode, a rock smashes her glass door to pieces. Doc’s (Tim Matheson) grandson Denny (Kai Bradbury) has been getting to know Hope’s (Annette O’Toole) health aide Lizzie, who is also dealing with the fact that Hope’s brain injury might be more severe than anyone thought, and she’s possibly being ousted as mayor.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Virgin River is not prestige TV, but the show’s not afraid to kill off or say goodbye to major characters, and have them go through serious trauma along the way. It’s like a mashup of Sweet Magnolias, Firefly Lane, and Big Sky.

Our Take: Like most soap operas, Virgin River juggles more story lines than there are rocks in the river. But after five seasons, I still don’t feel confident saying Virgin River is a great soap opera; it is certainly edited well, with every episode left on a solid cliffhanger, which is why we continue to come back to it, and the chemistry between the main characters like Mel and Jack is certainly there. It’s what I’d call a comforting high-stakes drama – think Grey’s Anatomy – where the audience can count on a cast that we’ve come to know and love as they regularly deal with an inordinate amount of traumatic situations.

This season, with changes to Mel and Hope’s careers possibly afoot, a possibly villainous, drug-trafficking business partner for Jack, and new romances budding for several cast members, the show is doing what it does best, creating new emotional turmoil for well-loved characters, and that’s exactly what we signed up for.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: Jack, having previously sworn off any contact with Charmaine, approaches her front door.

Sleeper Star: While there are plenty of intriguing side stories and supporting character with big issues, Barbara Pollard, who plays drug chief Melissa Montgomery, is intriguing, mainly because the casting choice to make this kindly-looking woman the season’s big bad is an interesting way to go.

Our Call: Virgin River is an easy, soothing watch, like a chat with an old friend. If you’re a fan of the previous seasons, STREAM IT for more of that easy, breezy TV that keeps the drama, romance, and rustic Pacific Northwest scenery coming.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.