Virgin River Season 5 Episode 4: This Jack And Brie Plot Twist Makes No Sense

Contains spoilers for "Virgin River" Season 5, Episode 4 — "Never Gonna Be the Same"

"Virgin River" siblings Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) and his sister Brie (Zibby Allen) have been through thick and thin together. Jack has constantly supported his sister as she prepares to go through the ordeal of her rape trial against Don (James Kot), a lawyer who has not and will not hesitate to do what he needs to do to bury Brie's accusations against him for good.

This is what makes it odd for Brie to tell Jack it's just fine for him and his girlfriend, Mel Munroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), to go off on a camping vacation the day before she's set to go on the stand and testify against Don. But that's exactly what happens in "Never Gonna Be the Same." To be fair to both Mel and Jack, both protest that they'd happily turn around and go to Sacramento to support her, especially when they find out her boyfriend Dan Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) won't be going with her. But Brie tells them to "follow her lead" and that what will make her feel better is to know they're having a good time.

This doesn't feel like a natural outgrowth of Brie's strength or her need to be independent — or even of her growing dependence on detective Mike Valenzuela (Marco Grazzini), which has thrown a monkey wrench into her romance with Brady. It feels more like an artificial construct of the plot, which needed someone to be in the woods to spot the start of the wildfire. It's definitely not reflective of the bond between the siblings — or even what happens to Brie's character in the book series.

There are a whole bunch of differences between Robyn Carr's "Virgin River" series of books and the Netflix show based on them, and some of those differences stem from Brie's storyline. In the book series, Brie and Mike become romantically entangled immediately and eventually marry. Not only is she coping with the aftereffects of sexual assault, but she has been recently physically assaulted, and she lost a big case before coming to Virgin River. Also in the books, Mike is a hard-bitten ladies' man who has been around the block many times but yearns to find true love. The show doesn't, however, deviate from the books when it comes to the closeness between Brie and Jack.

In the "Virgin River" book series, Brady becomes involved in the life of former alcoholic Cheryl Creighton, and their connection soon turns to romance. Ironically, Brady's book is split between his romance with Cheryl and a grown-up Lizzie and Ricky's trip down the aisle.

How far afield from the book series will Brie's story go? That remains to be seen. But hopefully, Jack won't take a leave of absence during the best parts.

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).