Virgin River season 4 ending: who's the father of Mel's baby and other intriguing details explained

The Virgin River season 4 ending tied up many intriguing loose ends and set up what promises to be a suspenseful season 5 with shocking revelations. 

Whether it’s the places where Virgin River is filmed or the storylines that keep you guessing and asking questions like does Brady die in Virgin River, the hit Netflix show consistently keeps fans coming back for more. Set in the beautiful fictional town of Virgin River in Northern California, the cast of regular characters has had their fair share of romances, betrayals and dangerous moments since the show started in 2019. Now Virgin River’s fourth installment has landed and anyone who’s raced through to the Virgin River season 4 ending already might well be a little surprised about some of the finale’s details. 

Here we reveal what happened in the Virgin River season 4 ending, who the father of Mel’s baby is and more as fans eagerly await season 5….

*Warning: spoilers ahead!*

What happened in the Virgin River season 4 ending?

Just like other dramas, from The Tourist ending to The Undeclared War ending, the Virgin River season 4 ending answered as well as posed plenty of questions. Perhaps the biggest twist of all emerged in the closing stages of the finale as Charmaine Roberts admitted during a medical emergency situation that 42-year-old bar owner Jack Sheridan isn’t the father of her unborn twins after all. In pain, Charmaine describes it as “karma” for her lying.

She and Jack had been together at the time she conceived the twins, but given her confession the matter of paternity looks set to make Virgin River season 5 seriously intriguing. And it’s not the only plot-thread that ended in dramatic style in season 4 ahead of the next series.

In the Virgin River season 4 ending the revelation of who actually shot Jack that came earlier in the series was still very much being felt. Vince, the brother of Paige’s abusive ex-husband Wes, was still taunting her, Preacher and Christopher. Believing that Preacher was involved in Wes’ death, Vince had arrived in Virgin River seeking revenge and information before shooting Jack after a fight started in his bar. 

In the final episode of the season, Vince tried to force Paige to tell him where Wes is buried and threatened her son Christopher if she didn’t. Preacher came to the rescue and knocked Vince out cold, but whether he is only unconscious or was accidentally killed remains to be seen. Although Preacher’s actions were in self-defense, his and Paige’s roles in covering up Wes’ death combined with another murder wouldn’t look good for them. 

Meanwhile, Nick’s sister Melissa Montgomery has arrived in Virgin River and is revealed to have taken over Calvin’s drug smuggling ring and coercing Brady to do what she wants. With Brie’s safety at risk if he doesn’t cooperate with Melissa, Brady has been sucked back into a criminal life, possibly placing his life and relationship at risk going forwards.

Who is the father of Mel’s baby in Virgin River? 

From who is Tom Faulkner in Silent Witness to who is Marcus Brooks in This Is Us, plenty of long-running shows have fans on the edge of their seats in anticipation of some huge questions finally being answered. And in Virgin River season 4 one of the biggest of all was who is the father of Mel’s baby? Introduced as a series regular in the very first episode Melinda ‘Mel’ Monroe has long been a fan favorite character and her romance with bar-owner Jack Sheridan faced a potential hurdle in season 4 with the paternity of her unborn baby then unknown. 

In the Virgin River season 4 ending the truth was finally revealed as after he proposed and showed his commitment to Mel regardless of the outcome, the couple found out that Jack is the father of Mel’s baby!  

Newly-engaged Jack and Mel were understandably more than a little excited by this news and their journey to build a family together now looks to be running a little more smoothly ahead of season 5. 

Ever since season 3, however, this happy outcome for Jack and Mel wasn’t always so clear. Before making the move to Virgin River in Northern California, Mel had tragically lost a daughter and following this had been undergoing IVF with her then-husband Mark in LA. After her desire to be a mother resurfaced in the quiet Californian town and Jack expressed hesitancy, Mel made the decision in Virgin River season 3 to travel to LA and undergo IVF with the remaining embryos from her previous treatment. 

This meant there was a chance Mark (who’d died the previous year) could be the father and not Jack, who’d been preparing to propose to Mel when she revealed the news. Now it’s been confirmed that Jack is actually the baby’s father, he and Mel can forge ahead with the future as a family of three with the truth out in the open for them and fans alike.  

Who is Denny and is he sick?

Anyone who’s dived into Virgin River season 4 fresh after a Virgin River season 3 recap will no doubt remember newcomer Kai Bradbury appearing in the finale as a mysterious stranger looking for his grandfather, Vernon ‘Doc’ Mullins. In the fourth installment he was revealed to really be Doc’s grandson Denny Cutler and he settles into life in Virgin River and is welcomed by Doc’s wife Hope after he told her the truth about his long-lost late son and his grandson. 

However, there was some uncertainty throughout the series building to the Virgin River season 4 ending as Denny’s behavior was at times unusual with him stealing medicine from Mel’s clinic and photographing his medical files. It made it seem as though he might not be Doc’s grandson after all and the locals’ (and viewers’) suspicions were raised. 

But this culminated in a revelation in the finale as Denny confessed to his love-interest Lizzie that he has Huntington’s Disease. He reveals to Lizzie that this is the reason he appeared to be pulling back from her as he was afraid to commit to a future with her when he believes he has none due to his illness. 

According to the NHS, there is currently no cure for Huntington’s Disease and it gradually gets worse over time, often proving fatal after a period of up to around 20 years. This is a devastating diagnosis for Denny who has fallen head over heels for Lizzie and it’s not known how their relationship might go on from his admission as Virgin River continues.

When will Virgin River season 5 be released? 

Unfortunately for fans eager to hear news of Virgin River season 5 there's isn't currently a release date for the next series. Both seasons 4 and 5 were confirmed last year, though, and it's believed that the fifth installment will also be 12 episodes long. Production has now begun on Virgin River season 5, however, suggesting that even if a new series might not be released in 2022 it won't be too long before the show is back entertaining fans.  

Virgin River season 4 is available to watch on Netflix now.