Virgin River Season 4's Biggest Unanswered Questions

Season 4 of "Virgin River" is packed with drama, excitement, and surprises. It picks up from Season 3's cliffhanger, which reveals that Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) is pregnant. The series keeps fans in suspense regarding the baby's paternity, until finally revealing Jack (Martin Henderson) to be the father. Elsewhere, Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) is arrested for shooting Jack, leaving his girlfriend Brie (Zibby Allen), who's also Jack's sister, absolutely devastated. However, it soon becomes clear that shutting down Calvin's (David Cubitt) fentanyl business was enough to get him framed for attempted murder.

While Brady is eventually cleared of all charges, Season 4 doesn't tie things up in a neat bow. After Calvin's shocking murder, "Virgin River" introduces a new drug boss in Melissa Montgomery (Barbara Pollard), and reveals that Jack isn't the father of Charmaine's (Lauren Hammersley) twins. This leaves viewers with some pretty major mysteries. Everything seems poised to come to a head in Season 5 — but how? These are the biggest questions "Virgin River" Season 4 leaves unanswered.

Actor Steve Bacic starts off playing Paige's (Lexa Doig) abusive husband Wes Logan in Season 2. He later takes on the role of Wes' vindictive twin brother, Vince. Initially, Wes tries to force Paige and their son Christopher (Chase Petriw) to go back home with him. But, in a moment of fight-or-flight bravery, Paige (accidentally) kills Wes. With Preacher's (Colin Lawrence) help, she covers the crime up, and spends the next few seasons on the run.

By Season 4, Vince, who's spent months searching for Paige and Christopher, finally gets his hands on his nephew. He's determined to make his former sister-in-law pay for his brother's death. This storyline comes to a head in the season finale, when Paige trades herself for her son. Thankfully, Preacher isn't far behind. A bloody fight between him and Vince ensues. Though it looks like Vince has the upper hand, leaving Preacher with a nasty head wound, the scene ends with Preacher saving Paige from Vince.

After the fight, Vince is left bloody and apparently lifeless on the floor. But is he actually dead? This isn't the first time a "Virgin River" season finale has left viewers stewing on such a question. If he is dead, Preacher has a big mess to clean up — especially since he called his cop friend Mike (Marco Grazzini) beforehand, to let him know where he was going.

Assuming Vince is dead and he and Paige avoid going to prison, Preacher has a choice to make: Does he want to be with Paige or Julia?

Throughout the first three seasons, Preacher remains loyal to Paige. Though they never make their relationship official, he supports her while she's on the run, tries to track down Vince, and even takes care of her son. However, when almost all hope seems lost in Season 4, an unexpected romance blossoms between Preacher and Julia (Lucia Walters). 

Now that Preacher's saved Paige and Christopher from Vince, he's at a crossroads. Sure, sticking with loyal and stable Julia is the safe choice, but there's plenty of unfinished business between him and Paige. Lest viewers forget, Preacher once asked Paige and Christopher to move in with him — this could be their chance to become a real family. Here's hoping Season 5 will shed some light on Preacher's romantic situation.

Doc's (Tim Matheson) new grandson Denny (Kai Bradbury) is one of Season 4's most confusing characters. His arrival immediately piques Lizzie's (Sarah Dugdale) interest, and he's clearly attracted to her in turn. But he holds her at arm's length. Denny also breaks into the clinic's locked medical cabinet, goes through Doc's financial records, and hides prescription medication with someone else's name on it. After a season of shadiness, Lizzie confronts him. He finally reveals to her, and the audience, that he has terminal Huntington's disease. Given his behavior — he gives away all his money and tells Lizzie he doesn't have a future — he might not have long to live. Will Denny die in Season 5?

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Matheson said Doc's relationship to Denny's condition will be at the forefront of Season 5. "The fact that Denny has a health issue complicates [their relationship]," the actor explained. "Most doctors feel like, 'I could fix this.' There's that conflict. But what's great is that Hope has invited Denny into their home ... Maybe even more than medical attention, being surrounded by that love is equally important as medical treatment for his illness." How much of an impact will this make? Season 5 will hopefully reveal the answer.

Doc's medical practice endures a couple of shake-ups in Season 4. First there's the introduction of new doctor Cameron Hayek (Mark Ghanime) — and then there's his resignation. Doc and Mel welcome Cameron to the clinic team in Episode 1. He soon attracts many single women's attention, but Cameron only has eyes for Mel. Though Mel only offers him friendship, Cameron keeps finding ways to insert himself into her relationship with Jack. After learning they're expecting a baby, he offers up some unsolicited advice. An uninterested Mel takes a few days off work and returns engaged, prompting Cameron's resignation.

Upon learning of this resignation, Mel throws a spanner in the works and offers to leave the clinic herself. As she notes to Doc, her pregnancy is high risk, which means she might be confined to extensive bed rest. It's more practical, she argues, to keep Cameron on, because he'll be available. Doc is taken aback by her offer. Moreover, as Cameron has already resigned, will he even want to stay? Mel's plan might backfire and leave Doc — and his practice — completely in the lurch.

Jack is not the father of Charmaine's babies. So ... who is? Our money is on Mike. Back in Season 2, when Jack and Mike reunite their old army buddies, the pair step aside for a private chat. There, Jack reveals that Charmaine is pregnant. Mike's reaction doesn't fit his character: He almost looks sad, then steadfastly promises to be there for Jack. Moreover, Mike was in Virgin River for months investigating Emerald Lumber. That's only a hop, skip, and a jump to Clear River, which means he could have crossed paths with Charmaine previously.

Brady might also be the father. Given his bad attitude and previously fractured relationship with Jack, he might have wanted to get back at his old sergeant. But subsequent seasons of "Virgin River" have seen Brady transform into a respectful, thoughtful, and compassionate character, despite all his legal drama. Heading into Season 5, Brady is happily paired with Jack's sister, Brie. This is a relationship that fans do not want to see come crashing down. Of course, Brady's past coming back to bite him would be in keeping with the show's themes.

Among the drama of Season 4, "Virgin River" viewers are treated to some happy news: Mel and Jack are engaged. Although it might not seem like it, their relationship progresses at a very quick rate. In less than nine months (the best indicator of the confusing timeline at the heart of "Virgin River" is Charmaine's pregnancy), Mel and Jack move in together, get engaged, and become pregnant — and not in that order. With that kind of track record, could a wedding take place in Season 5?

Every season of "Virgin River" takes place over the course of a month (not including small time jumps between seasons). If Mel and Jack opt for a long engagement, their wedding could still be a few seasons away. However, everything about their relationship has been fast-paced, and Mel proves she can quickly put together a wedding when she throws a surprise ceremony and reception for her sister, Joey (Jenny Cooper). Plus, at their cores, Mel and Jack are traditional people: They'll probably want to be married before the baby arrives. At the very least, we should see them making wedding preparations in Season 5.

Up until Season 4, "Virgin River" viewers only know Mark's oblivious sister Stacie (Melinda Dahl), who manages to upset Mel every time she comes to visit. In what world is asking for another woman's wedding ring a good idea, Stacie? It seems like she might finally learn her lesson, since she's ready to apologize in Season 4. However, her arrival only serves as a way to introduce her even more villainous mom, Cassandra (Laura Soltis).

Cassandra has only one demand: She wants custody of Mel and Mark's last two embryos. But she doesn't know that Mel is pregnant, potentially with one of her and Mark's embryos. Of course, it's later revealed that the baby is Jack's, and Mel has the DNA test to prove it. But if she didn't, there's no doubt Cassandra would've launched an all-out custody battle. She claims she loved her son more than his wife ever could have.

From her brief appearance on screen and everything Mel says about her, it's clear Cassandra does not want her to have even an inch of happiness. So when news of her engagement to Jack reaches her, Cassandra will surely have something to say about it. What could she be planning next?

"Virgin River" loves a love triangle, and Season 4 sees one begin to form between Ricky (Grayson Gurnsey), Lizzie, and Denny. Lizzie and Ricky go steady until the end of Season 3, when he secretly enrolls in the Marines without telling her. At this point, they break up. Season 4 sets up the potential for romance between Lizzie and newcomer Denny, but because he's also hiding things from her, it never fully comes to fruition. Season 4 keeps the door open for Lizzie and Ricky to reunite. When he leaves to join the Marines, feelings linger between them — he even asks if he can write her letters while he's away.

Lizzie and Ricky make a bit more sense as a couple than Lizzie and Denny, and it's very possible that all their letter writing will reignite their romantic spark. However, since Gurnsey confirmed to Express.co.uk that he won't be returning for Season 5, their reunion would have to happen off-screen. This means it's very possible that they'll embark on a long-distance relationship ... or possibly remain split up.

Brie and Brady's relationship is one of Season 4's highlights. These episodes also dive deeper into their individual backstories, which means viewers finally learn why Brie left her life in Sacramento behind. Her ex-boyfriend assaulted her, which resulted in a pregnancy and miscarriage, which we see at the beginning of the season.

Brie struggles to move past these traumatic events, but eventually finds peace and security in Virgin River. She tells Brady about the assault, and he does his best to help her through it, even getting pamphlets from Mel. But just when she thinks she's turning a corner, Brie's ex, Don (James Kot), turns up and accosts her outside of the bar. Visibly terrified, Brie demands he leave. But when he asks her to sign a non-disclosure agreement about that night, she realizes he'll do it again. Brie tells him she's going to report what he did and that the next time she sees him, it'll be in court.

Season 4 leaves this plotline open-ended, but it seems like Brie's fight against Don has only just begun. Will Season 5 see her file charges against him and possibly even tell her brother Jack about the assault?

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Mel and Jack might be the lead couple of "Virgin River," but it's Brie and Brady's relationship that has viewers on the edge of their seats. In fact, Brie and Brady might just be challenging Mel and Jack for the title of fan-favorite couple of "Virgin River." Seasons 3 and 4 see Brady put his bad boy past behind him in order to start fresh with Brie. But now, Melissa Montgomery is threatening to hurt Brie if he doesn't restart Emerald Lumber's fentanyl business. We know Brady would do anything to protect the woman he loves, but as Season 4 proves, they've got much better odds when they work together. Of course, Brady might end up going it alone if Brie's attention is focused on her court case against Don.

If he can't turn to Brie, we're not sure who Brady can rely on to get himself out of this situation. Mike informs Brady that he's free, and that one of the deputies is helping Calvin launder money — aka, working for Melissa. But Mike might also be corrupt. What if he's working for Melissa too? Season 5 has a lot of questions to clear up, but for now, it certainly seems like Melissa has Brady right where she wants him.

Throughout Season 4, Brie and Mike work to track down the mysterious Melissa Montgomery. She's the one who posts Brady's bail and sets him up for attempted murder in the first place. As it turns out, she's Nick's (Keith MacKechnie) sister, a fact that gets revealed when Mel and Jack have dinner with Nick and Jo Ellen (Gwynyth Walsh). However, the bed and breakfast owners appear to have no idea what Melissa is up to, which leaves viewers with some pretty big unanswered questions.

Melissa first reveals herself to Brady in Season 4, Episode 9, though she doesn't share her last name. That scene introduces Melissa's plans to take control of Emerald Lumber and revive Calvin's fentanyl business. But what exactly is she planning after that? By killing Calvin — or at least paying someone to do it for her — she proves herself far more dangerous than he ever was, and she isn't working alone. While boasting to Brady, she lets slip that her operation is a family-run affair. Does that mean Nick is involved? Or is she working with other members of the Montgomery clan?

Viewers have been left in the dark about this character and her motives, but we do know that someone is secretly taking photos of her. Hopefully, this means someone out there is coming up with a plan to take her down.

It seems very telling that "Virgin River" reveals Melissa Montgomery's true identity in a scene with Mel and Jack. But what does she want from the couple? Does she have something to do with Nick and Jack's new business deal? Viewers are informed earlier in the season that Nick's sister Melissa makes all the financial decisions for her and Nick's family trust. So who exactly did Jack go into business with? Now that she knows Mel and Jack are pregnant, it's possible she's going to insert herself into their lives under the guise of friendship ... or she's going to use what she knows about the couple against them.

Speaking to TVLine, Alexandra Breckenridge teased, "Nick and Melissa getting involved in this glamping business may or may not become problematic for Jack." Though the actor noted that she doesn't have all the details about the upcoming storyline, she made it clear to the outlet that Melissa does not have good intentions.

Mel has been highly invested in Chloe since she found her on the doorstep of the clinic in Season 1. She offers her support to Chloe's mother Lilly (Lynda Boyd), and then to Lily's daughter Tara (Stacey Farber) in Season 4, after she takes up guardianship of her baby sister.

However, Season 4 proves that taking care of Chloe and grieving for their mother is a hard task. When Tara collapses in Episode 4, it reveals she's struggling more than she's letting on. This seems to be a way of setting up a storyline which might see Tara give up guardianship of Chloe. If this comes to pass, will the task fall to Mel, since she was ready to foster her once before? Of course, with a baby of her own on the way, this could prove very challenging for the nurse practitioner — although she does have a lot more free time, now that she's handed in her notice. Viewers will just have to wait for the arrival of Season 5 to see how things pan out.