‘Virgin River’ Season 5: [Spoiler]’s Return Has Us Thinking About One Hated Character in a New Way
Excuse us while we pick our jaws up off the floor. Netflix’s Virgin River never fails to deliver when it comes to shocking, season-ending twists, whether it’s Mel finding Jack on the floor of his bar bleeding out from a bullet wound or Charmaine confessing that she lied when she said Jack was the father of her unborn babies. So, we were expecting something of a cliffhanger heading into Virgin River Season 5 Part 1 finale, “Labor Day.” But we still weren’t prepared for what happened in the episode’s final moments, and how it changed things for one key character.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Virgin River Season 5.]
In ‘Virgin River’ Season 5, Charmaine explains why she lied to Jack
Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) has been a thorn in Jack (Martin Henderson) and Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) sides since season 1. Jack ended things with his on-again, off-again girlfriend shortly after Mel moved to Virgin River. Then, Charmaine revealed that she was pregnant and that Jack was the father.
Jack did the right thing and stepped up to take responsibility. However, he made it clear there was no romantic future for him and Charmaine, much to her disappointment. After failing to win Jack back, she married a man named Todd following a whirlwind romance, and she and Jack finally came to an agreement to amicably co-parent
Then came Charmaine’s bombshell in the season 4 finale. Jack wasn’t the father of her babies after all. She’d been lying the entire time. Charmaine’s stunning confession left Jack reeling (and fans seething). In Virgin River Season 5, he had to let go of the idea of being a dad to twin boys, which was difficult. He also confronted his ex about her lies.
Charmaine didn’t say who had fathered her babies, only that it was a “one-time thing.” He was irresponsible and not cut out to be a dad, unlike Jack.
“I lied to give the twins a future,” she told him. “Someone to provide for us.”
The father of Charmaine’s babies is finally revealed
Jack tells Charmaine he can’t forgive her, and that’s the last we see of her for most of season 5. Could she be out of Jack’s life and gone from Virgin River forever? Nope. A heavily pregnant Charmaine turns up at the Labor Day carnival in episode 10. She tells Doc (Tim Matheson) she standing on her own two feet for once, and she seems to be looking forward to becoming a mom, no matter who the father of the babies is. Then, someone confronts her in the parking lot as she’s walking to her car.
“Calvin!” she says, stunned. “I thought you were dead.” (So did we, Charmaine.)
Calvin (David Cubitt), in case you forgot, was running a drug-dealing operation near Virgin River in the show’s first few seasons. He supposedly died in a boat explosion in season 4, and it’s implied that Melissa Montgomery (Barbara Pollard) was responsible. In season 5, Melissa takes over the drug business in Virgin River, but by episode 10, she’s behind bars thanks to Brady’s (Ben Hollingsworth) decision to turn informant.
With Melissa sidelined, Calvin has decided it’s time to come out of hiding.
“What do you want?” Charmaine asks him.
“You know what I want,” he replies. “I want to be a father to my boys.”
Calvin’s return changes things for Charmaine
Ever since Charmaine revealed that Jack wasn’t the father of the twins, we’ve been wondering who the dad really is. Possible contenders included Brady, police officer Mike (Marco Grazzini), or even her husband Todd (Patrick Sabongi). But Calvin wasn’t even on our radar as a possibility.
Assuming that Calvin is telling the truth when he says he’s the father (and based on the nervous look on Charmaine’s face, we suspect he’s not lying), that puts some of Charmaine’s recent decisions in a new light. Lying to Jack about being the father is still hard to justify. But it makes more sense if she was trying to keep her babies safe and avoid getting more entangled with a known criminal. After all, Calvin wasn’t just some low-key weed dealer. He was running a large-scale cannabis farm. And he’d proved he was ruthless when it came to dealing with his enemies, especially when he ordered Brady to kill Spencer, who he’d learned is a police informant. Who can blame Charmaine for looking for a better father for her children?
Whether Charmaine was justified in lying to Jack, it’s clear that Calvin’s return is bad news for her. He seems intent on being part of the twins’ lives no matter what she wants. How will Charmaine deal with that? Hopefully, we’ll find out when the final two episodes of Virgin River Season 5 drop on Netflix on Nov. 30.
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