Virgin River Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – …and Found

Lilly admits to being Chloe’s mother after Mel catches her breastfeeding the baby. Mel informs her that she made the call and that someone is coming to get the baby the following day. Lilly leaves, looking distraught as Doc comes in. Doc confronts Mel, and she informs him that Lilly is Chloe’s mother. Doc accuses Mel of jumping to conclusions, but Mel quickly corrects him saying that Lilly admitted to it.

After a steamy night with a still-unknown woman, Jack prepares to leave when he sees Mel calling him. He does not answer his phone, and the woman begs him to stay. Before he leaves, the woman tells him that they should celebrate next Friday because it’s their 2nd anniversary.

Back at the clinic, Hope confronts Doc for firing Mel, but he insists that he made the right choice. Mel arrives and confronts Doc as well. Before things get heated, Hope stops them and reminds them that nobody can know that Lilly is Chloe’s mother. She also insists they talk to Lilly before Social Services arrive. Doc tells them he tried, but he failed. Hope says that Lilly is not usually like that, and Mel suggests that she might be suffering from post-partum depression. Doc adds that he has talked to Social Services, and they told him that Chloe is going to be placed under temporary foster care, and this worries him because those foster parents will make it hard for them to get Chloe back to Lilly.

Hope thinks about kinship placement, where one of Lilly’s children can take Chloe instead, but Doc says that Lilly doesn’t want her family involved. Lilly’s husband died a few months ago, so that’s not an option. Mel volunteers to talk to Lilly, but Doc disagrees. Hope asks if it would be a good idea for her to foster Chloe, but Doc says that she needs to be vetted to do that, which would take weeks. He mentions that only licensed healthcare providers are authorized to step in as foster parents, which means it’s only a choice between him and Mel.

While working on the cabin, Ricky tells Jack how hot he finds Mel and that the city needs her because Doc is not getting any younger.

Jack heads back to the bar. Mel comes in, and he asks her about Chloe, saying that she might be exhausted because she has to work and take care of a baby at the same time. She reminds him that she has not gone to work because she was fired. He insists that Mel has to eat, but Mel refuses because she needs to get Chloe from Paige soon. He volunteers to make something to eat and invites her and Chloe to get some fresh air by the river.

While waiting for Jack to pick them up, Mel tries to feed Chloe. Memories of her delivering a baby alongside her husband flood her, but a phone call from Joey distracts her. She begs her again to come home, but Mel says she’s thinking of fostering Chloe. Joey tells her it might not be a good idea, they end up arguing, and Mel hangs up.

Back at the bar, Hope sees Jack preparing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Mel and insists on preparing the food instead. Preacher lectures Brady about systems in the bar. Preacher then goes to a table to meet Paige about invoices. Since the bar gets pastries from Paige, he informs her that the accountant wants a paper trail, so he needs to start paying her through checks. She says she prefers cash because she does not have a bank account. Preacher tells her that they’d work something out.

Hope hands a basket with food to Jack and tells him to make sure he does everything to persuade Mel to stay. Connie spots her and asks for an update on Chloe. Hope finds Doc’s table and tells him that he needs Mel’s help because she has experience in dealing with post-partum depression.

By the river, Chloe is sleeping while Jack tells Mel that he finds her impressive. He reveals that Hope prepared the food and that she told him about Lilly. Mel tells him that she shouldn’t have done so because that’s a breach of patient confidentiality and that she thinks the only way Chloe stays in town is if she agrees to be her foster parent.

Mel remembers how she struggled after losing her baby. She and Jack head back to the clinic, where Hope still tries to convince Doc to accept Mel’s help. Hope, Jack, and Mel agree to head to Lilly’s while Doc stays to talk with Social Services.

Mel convinces Lilly to spend a little time with Chloe before getting taken by Social Services. She reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, Preacher goes to Paige’s truck to say that he can keep paying her cash if it means a lot to her. Paige shows her appreciation by giving him some cookies while her son convinces Preacher to let him help in the kitchen.

Hope tells Jack and Mel to take a walk back to Lilly’s while she sits with Lilly and Chloe. They take a stroll in the park, and Mel tells Jack she gets why Lilly doesn’t want her family involved. She says asking for help might be seen as a burden, making one look weak. Jack disagrees and argues that it’s what family and friends are for. They head back to Lilly’s and learn that Hope failed to convince Lilly to ask for help from her daughters.

Mel tries to convince her one more time by sharing her own experience with postpartum depression, saying that she has lost a baby and even thought of taking her own life due to depression. Still, she was able to get over it through therapy and medication. She offers to take care of Chloe until Lilly’s back on her feet. Lilly hesitates to accept the help claiming that Mel shouldn’t be offering that because she barely knows her. Mel convinces her to think about it.

A representative from Social Services comes and talks to Lilly. After their private talk, Lilly asks Doc, Hope, Jack, and Mel to sit with her and the woman from Social Services. Lilly tells Mel that she can’t ask her to be Chloe’s guardian, but her willingness to do so inspired her to call one of her daughters, Tara. Social Services agreed to let Chloe stay with Tara until Lilly’s ready to reunite with Chloe. Doc assures Social Services that Lilly will be taken care of because they have Mel in town.

Lilly asked to talk to Mel privately, and she thanked her for everything. Mel tells her she needs to see Doc the following morning and that she needs to see a therapist, too, and she agrees. Lilly tells Mel that she’s going to keep calling the baby Chloe so that when she grows up, she can tell Chloe that her name came from a nurse who helped her when her mother could not.

Doc gives Hope a ride home. She tells Doc to hire Mel back because she’s qualified, kind-hearted, and willing to put up with him. Doc reluctantly agrees but emphasizes that the trial period is still in effect. He also thanks Hope for knowing him well enough and admits that he’s slowing down.

Hope gets out of the car and suddenly feels unwell. She finds it hard to keep standing, and Doc hurries to help her.

Jack and Mel head to the bar. Mel thanks Jack for all his help, and he tells her that if she wants to thank him, she should stay because he’s gotten used to having her around and that she will be missed if she goes. Jack takes the opportunity to ask Mel about her wedding ring, but Mel says she’s not ready to talk about it just yet.

Charmaine, the woman Jack slept with the previous night, comes in and kisses him. She introduced herself to Mel as Jack’s girlfriend.

Our Thoughts

We’re so happy that Doc finally sees Mel as someone competent. It looks like Mel won’t have to worry about Doc not treating her right moving forward. We’re disappointed that Jack seems to lead Mel on when he has a girlfriend. Really, what’s he up to? Speaking of what people are up to – we see that Preacher likes Paige, but there seems to be something she’s hiding. To be honest, not having a bank account is a big red flag. We also can’t help but notice that Hope and Doc seem to be close, like something is going on with them. Do they have a past? Oh, Virgin River is slowly proving to be more than just a small town with each episode, but at least this episode shows us that they take care of each other because they’re willing to go through lots of hoops to keep Chloe.