Virgin River Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Out of the Past
Berea Orange
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Teenage romance, breakups, nesting, mourning, and apologies.
There is so much to unpack in Virgin River Season 2 Episode 6.
Ricky is still on Jack's you-know-what list after stealing alcohol from the bar for a party.
You would think Ricky would have learned his lesson after this, given he was so upset about Jack being mad at him for the first time.
Ricky: Jack’s never been mad at me before.
Preacher: Well, I think he’s just more, you know, disappointed than mad.
Ricky: Great, now I really feel like garbage.
But, no. Puppy love makes people do stupid things.
Lizzie has Ricky positively wrapped around her little finger, and there is nothing he can do to stop it at this point. He just keeps getting himself in deeper and deeper.
It's hard to tell whether or not Lizzie feels the same for him as he does her. Most of the time, it seems she's only using him for what he can do for her (free alcohol, a car ride out of town for a shopping trip). If Lizzie is just using Ricky, it will break his little heart.
Doc is out breaking hearts, too.
Muriel: Truthfully, I still have no idea how you and Hope ever got together. The two of you are polar opposites.
Doc: Well, sometimes being different is what brings people together.
Fed up with this charade Hope has him putting on, Doc ends things with Muriel before they get too far. He even managed to make Hope feel bad, too.
There has been no love lost between Hope and Muriel. The two had always seemed to be unspoken rivals, even before Muriel started pursuing Doc.
And yet, Hope found herself feeling guilty enough for involving Muriel in her scheme that she baked her a pie. You would think Hope would laugh and rejoice at Muriel's humiliation, but Doc's good heart rubbed off on her.
Muriel is not going out without a fight, though.
Bravo. Your performance as Doc’s supportive ex-wife was flawless, but unfortunately for you, the show’s not over. Because when you screw things up with Doc again -- and we both know you will -- I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.
Muriel
Sure, she gracefully bowed out, but not without making it clear she would be waiting in the wings for Hope to mess things up with Doc again (but can we really say "again," considering Doc was the cheater?).
Considering Hope's antics so far this season, it would not be too surprising if she did end up sabotaging their relationship before they got too far into this second try.
So far, though, Doc and Hope appear to be a strong unit.
The two stood by Mel as she memorialized Mark the day before the first anniversary of his death.
Mel: It feels wrong even calling it an anniversary. You know, I mean, our anniversaries were always about celebrating and tomorrow’s…
Hope: It’s about your loss.
Mel had been on edge all day trying to figure out what she could do. Obviously, she wanted Jack's help and support, but he was mentally away every time she tried talking to him, dealing with his own struggles.
After some inspiration from Joey and a lot of self-reflection, Mel was able to find a fitting way to honor Mark's memory.
In a way, it felt kind of wrong not to have Jack there. Jack has been a major part of Mel's support system since she came to town. For him to be absent in this moment felt strange, but also fitting in a way.
This was a time for Mel to say goodbye (again) to her husband. It actually made even more sense for Doc and Hope to be there.
The irony is not lost on viewers that Doc and Hope were the two biggest irritants for Mel when she first got to Virgin River. Hope lured her there under false pretenses, and Doc fought her every chance he got.
It was very satisfying for viewers to see how far they've come. Doc and Hope are Mel's family now, her home away from home. Whether or not things work out with Jack, she still has ties to the town.
Preacher spoke about his ties to the town, too, but it looks like he might be considering leaving.
Jamie's presence in Virgin River has seemed suspicious ever since she showed up on Virgin River Season 2 Episode 4.
Now we know the show's purpose in bringing her to town: to steal Preacher away.
We simply cannot imagine Jack's Bar without Preacher in the kitchen. The whole town will starve. Whether or not he will take her up on the offer is still up in the air, but we just cannot fathom it.
Not only does the town need Preacher to keep them fed, but Jack needs Preacher to keep an eye on him.
Ever since their Marine buddies came to town, Jack has been on edge, drinking a lot, and taking unnecessary risks.
While Charmaine was super excited about all of the baby gear that filled her home, Jack lost it, simply overwhelmed by it all.
As predicted, Jack has felt like he can't protect his children the way he couldn't protect Lonerghan in Afghanistan.
Mel, if I can’t keep a grown man safe, then how am I supposed to protect a helpless infant? No, I’m sorry, make that two helpless infants.
Jack
Luckily, Mel talked him down. People die in war; it is simply an unpleasant truth. Jack cannot take all of that responsibility on himself.
Moments like these are why we love Jack and Mel. They always seem to be there for one another when it matters, saying just the right things to each other.
One of these days, these two will be together, and we will all sleep better.
But whose body did they come across?
The first possibility that comes to mind is Wes. Preacher never mentioned what he did with Wes, and it was not shown on screen.
It could also be Leo, the drug-seeking intruder who attacked Mel at Doc's. We saw Calvin tell Jimmy to take care of him. There's no telling what "take care of" exactly meant.
Over to you, Fanatics!
Who do you think is the dead body in the woods? Do you think Lizzie and Ricky make it out of the crash unharmed?
Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
Berea Orange was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in November, 2020..
