What Virgin River's Episode Titles Can Tell Us About The Plot Of Season 5
While the Season 4 finale of "Virgin River" answered a few lingering questions for fans of the Netflix series, it also left us with more mysteries to solve. Who is the father of Charmaine's babies? Is she ever going to give birth? Will Denny be okay? Will Jack and Mel have a wedding now that they're engaged? Luckily, we only have a short time to wait. Production of Season 5 began in July 2022 and wrapped a few months later in November; it's slated to begin airing on Netflix in fall 2023.
There have already been some clues revealed about what the new season will cover. One of the show's executive producers and writers, Erin Cardillo, revealed to Netflix's Tudum, "What you can expect from Season 5 is a lot of answers to the questions you have been waiting for." And fellow executive producer and writer Richard Keith teased, "There's some new characters coming to 'Virgin River' this season that will mix things up a bit."
Your favorite returning characters have even been spilling a bit of tea. Martin Henderson, who plays Jack, confided to Glamour, "A lot of stuff gets wrapped up, and then there's a whole bunch of new beginnings, new storylines. I can't give too much away. I know someone might move away. Someone might leave." And now, we can piece together a few more details based on the titles of Season 5 episodes that have been revealed.
Season 5 episode titles hint at major plot points
Season 5 of "Virgin River" will have 12 episodes, the same as Season 4. You won't have any time jumps as you start Episode 1, as Alex Breckenridge confirmed with Glamour, "It starts the next morning. So it's like no time has passed." Although the order has yet to be confirmed, we do know the titles of all 12 episodes, and there are definitely some clues about how the season will pan out.
The episode titled "Labor Day" could point to someone giving birth — hopefully Charmaine. Although, if there's a big time jump, we might also see Mel in labor with her daughter. "A Second Chance" might be Brie and Brady — or Mike! — and perhaps Denny and Lizzie finding a way. Viewers have already had to endure the drama that went along with Jack's house fire in Season 3, but they may have to live through yet more flames if the episode titles "Trial By Fire" and "From the Ashes" are any indication.
Whether they're part of a fire or something else, an episode titled "Never Gonna Be the Same" and one titled "Heroes Rise" suggest something big and scary may be on the horizon, causing mixed results for some characters. But not all the episodes have a drama feel — "Father Christmas" lets us know we'll see some holiday merriment mixed in the season, too. And we can't forget about "The More the Merrier," which hints at an unexpected visitor, perhaps Jack's mysterious ex-wife Mandy.
Even more 'Virgin River' excitement ahead
To round out the episodes in Season 5 of "Virgin River," you'll also see "Songbird," "Calculated Risk," "Angel's Peak," and "Full Moon," which don't necessarily reveal any plot points for the show, but are nonetheless intriguing. It could be that some of these episodes involve the introduction of new characters to the series — rumor has it there will be as many as 16 new faces throughout the season.
We also know a few things about returning characters. At the end of Season 4, we found out Denny had Huntington's disease, but we know he made it through when his portrayer, Kai Bradbury, posted to Instagram at the end of production, "That's a Season 5 wrap on Denny!" Mark Ghanimé, who plays Cameron, teased, "Can't wait for you all to see what the town and the good doctor have coming for you!" He added emojis about doctoring and some flaming chili pepper action.
Patrick Sean Smith, "Virgin River's" Season 5 showrunner, also revealed a few details about Preacher. "How Paige and Christopher fit into his life will be addressed in Season 5," he told TVLine. "Then he also has Julia, who's kind of waiting in the wings. We're also going deeper into his non-romantic life." And if Season 5 isn't enough to satisfy your "Virgin River" cravings, you can relax — the show has already been renewed by Netflix for a Season 6.