Virgin River Season 1 Episode 9 Recap – Everybody Has a Secret

Mel comes into the bar to get her morning caffeine fix and pick up Doc’s breakfast. Jack asks her out to dinner. She’s reluctant to go because she does not think she’s ready yet, but she agrees in the end.

Doc sends out a patient as Hope walks into the clinic, asking for the keys to his truck. Hope’s car died, and Doc tried to fix it to no avail. She says she needs to run some errands in Clear River in relation to Charmaine’s letter. Doc does not lend her the truck at first, but she is persistent; she says she’ll stay there until he gives her the keys or tidies his office. Just as Mel arrives, Doc finally agrees to give her the keys.

Mel talks to Doc about her future in Virgin River. She tells him that she should not be treated as his assistant and should respect her if he wants her to stay.

At Jack’s bar, Preacher is upset, and he takes it out on the grill. Jack sees this and asks him to talk to him. Preacher tells him about him finding Paige’s old ID with a different name. Jack tells him he should talk to Paige about it because there may be a legitimate reason for her changing names.

Jack asks Ricky to help set up tables and asks him about Brady. Ricky tells him he’s probably late again. Jack tells him he needs Brady to close the bar that night because he’s going somewhere with Mel. Jack tells him he’s thinking of bringing Mel to a place near the Pier in Eureka. Ricky says it’s called Arthur’s and that he knows the place. Jack finds this amusing, so he asks why Ricky knows the area. Ricky tells him that he Googled it because of a girl, Emily Walker, in his biology class. Jack pushes him to ask Emily out, saying she’ll be lucky to have him.

Hope goes to the salon where Charmaine works and confronts her about the letter. Charmaine’s not happy that Hope read it, but Hope tells her that she needs to talk to Jack regarding the contents of the letter. Charmaine tells her she doesn’t want to talk to Jack about it because she’s moving on. Hope tells her that this might hurt Jack, but Charmaine insists that Hope should give the letter to Jack.

Jeb, Pauline, and their daughter Annabelle rush to see Doc at the clinic. Annabelle has a touch of asthma, and Pauline brings her to the exam room with Doc. Jeb’s left with Mel, and Mel notices that he doesn’t look good either. Doc takes a look at Annabelle and talks to Mel in private. With both Annabelle’s and Jeb’s symptoms, they deduce that it is poisoning. They give Annabelle charcoal and start her on IV while asking Pauline about their food intake. Mel and Doc decide to bring them all to the hospital.

While Doc is driving, he asks Jeb about their water supply, and he’s told that they get it from a well. Doc figures out that pesticides from Calvin’s grow operations must have leached into the groundwater. They arrive at the hospital just in time to have Annabelle saved.

At Jack’s office, Hope hands him the letter from Charmaine. Jack asks Hope why Charmaine would write him a letter, and Hope tells him Charmaine’s afraid that if she talks to him, she’ll end up wanting him back. Hope tells him to remember that he’s not in love with her when he reads the letter. Brady comes in, and Jack asks him to close the bar that night. Ricky comes and tells him the order’s been messed up. Instead of reading the letter right away, Jack stows the letter in his drawer.

Doc tells Mel she was great with Annabelle and that the LA hospital must have hated to lose her. She tells him she needed a change in scenery, and Doc asks her if that means she’s staying. Mel tells him she’ll stay on the condition that there will not be a trial period anymore. Doc agrees, and the two shake hands.

While getting coffee, Doc sees another doctor talking to sobbing parents. He remembers a time when he was in that situation, and his patient’s father blamed him for telling them their son would survive when he didn’t. Mel interrupts his thoughts, saying she needs to get back to Virgin River.

Doc brings Mel to her cabin and sees that Jack’s waiting for her. She gets ready, and they head to Eureka.

Preacher calls out Brady for eating while on shift and refusing to clean the men’s restroom. Brady asks him what his problem was with him, and Preacher tells him he is unreliable and insubordinate and hasn’t changed at all. He tells Preacher he’s not settling for a job at the bar, even when Preacher thinks that’s good enough. Preacher confronts him and tells him he got a man killed and that he lost two ribs and a kidney because of him too. He also tells him that he’s the reason Lonergan is dead.

Meanwhile, Mel and Jack are having a really good time at Arthur’s, talking about serendipity, fate, and coincidence.

Paige is getting ready for sleep when someone knocks on her door. She gets nervous and retrieves a gun before looking through the glass to see who it is. When she sees that it’s Preacher, she opens the door. Preacher tells her he knows about Michelle and that he’ll help her if she trusts her. Paige tells him she’ll talk to him at the bar the next day.

Mel and Jack take a walk at the pier after eating, and they hear Taps playing. Jack seemed to remember something that made him sad. Seeing his face, Mel tells him that she’s there to listen if Jack wants to talk about it.

Jimmy spots Brady at a local bar and pays for his drink.

Jack brings Mel back to her cabin, and they kiss goodnight. Mel tells him she wants to take things slowly, so she does not invite him to go in but invites him to breakfast the next day.

While getting ready for bed, Mel had flashbacks of being told she could not have her own children while looking at her wedding ring.

Back at the bar, Jack pours himself a drink and decides to read Charmaine’s letter. He finds out that Charmaine is pregnant.

Our Thoughts

Well, just as we suspected, Charmaine’s pregnant! It will undoubtedly wreak havoc on Jack and Mel’s budding relationship, and we’re sad about it. Sure, this episode knows how to ruin a good time! At the very least, though, we know we’ll be getting some answers from Paige in the next episode. Also, now we are confused about why Jack seems to blame himself for Lonergan’s death when Preacher reveals that Brady’s the one at fault. Oh, and Doc seems to have some unresolved issues of his own – maybe it has something to do with Hope and him? I guess we’ll find out soon.