Virgin River season 5 showrunner on Charmaine's baby drama and other burning questions

Warning: This article contains spoilers about season 4 of Virgin River.

Oh, mama.

The Virgin River season 4 finale ended with a major cliffhanger — the revelation that Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) has been lying to Jack (Martin Henderson): her twins are not actually his babies.

But exactly who is the baby daddy? Is he a familiar face in Virgin River? New season 5 showrunner Patrick Sean Smith (Greek) is reluctant to give any definitive answers to that question. "In season 5, it's such a great mystery," he teases. "That's what was so interesting when I watched it, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe it.'" Neither can we!

"And I was like, 'Well, what do I do with that? What's the best way to use that big twist?'" he adds. "But then also do what the show does so well, which is carry mysteries for multiple seasons and questions and keep the audience guessing. So, I can't say it will be in 5, and I can't say it won't. But it's definitely something that I would rather hold off on and not waste. Because it's that good."

While Smith couldn't (or wouldn't) answer that mother of all questions, he did give us some insight into season 5 of the Netflix romantic drama and what we can expect when it comes to the many complex threads of Virgin River and its myriad open questions.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Well, first I read that the show was planning to have Mel's (Alexandra Breckenridge) baby be Mark's baby, but then changed course by the end of the season. Can you walk me through those choices and how you arrived at that final decision?

PATRICK SEAN SMITH: That predates me. When Netflix approached me about the job, I was watching the cuts and reading the scripts and I was like, "Oh my gosh, what's happening?" And then the big twist at the end, so I can't speak to the process that got it to be where it was, but I was equally surprised.

Were there any notes left from previous seasons on answers to some of these questions, including Charmaine's baby daddy, or are you just starting fresh?

I didn't want to feel like I was starting fresh. There were so many cliffhangers at the end of season 4, that we pick up all of them. I didn't want anything to feel a reset or reboot or any of that because everything was so juicy and so interesting. It was more how I wanted to pick it up. And then more importantly, where I wanted to go with it and determine where I wanted to go with it first before I knew how to handle the beginning, so it just didn't feel like we were giving it service and then moving on to something else.

What about Dr. Cameron (Mark Ghanimé)? He's said he's leaving Virgin River, but is that decision final?

Well, for the people with Instagrams and who are on social media, his presence was known at our first table read, so I will say you can definitely expect to see him in the beginning. But as far as where that goes, you'll have to check out season 5.

You introduced Denny (Kai Bradbury) this season. He seemed very suspicious at first, but then we got explanations for all his behavior. Should we fully trust him at this point?

There was a lot of suspicion on Denny. I would say what he presented his story to be and the reason why he was withholding is a really emotional one. He does have Huntington's disease. The fact that he's living his life with that knowledge informs his story a lot more this season than season 4, which was creating this mysterious character to question his motives, but what we get in season 5 is a much clearer picture of who Denny is and what he's going through, and the relationships that he forms as people in the town and people close to him in his life start to become a support system for it and create stronger bonds between them all.

He's said his illness is terminal, so is he just a ticking time bomb of tragedy for Doc (Tim Matheson), Hope (Annette O'Toole), and Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale)?

That's not how I want to see it. I don't know what the original intent was. But I had the privilege of running a show called Chasing Life that was on ABC Family for a couple seasons about a young woman dealing with leukemia. And from that experience, I really embraced the responsibility of portraying something in a fair and positive way. It's easy for people on the outside to look at, specifically a life threatening disease, and pass judgment on how that person lives their life, but I don't think that that's fair. And it's not how I think a show which prides itself on being surprising, but also comforting would approach that with his character this season.

Will we see Hope continue to heal from her brain injury or is she healed as much as she's going to?

No. I mean that's another community — people who have been afflicted with traumatic brain injuries — that we also want to make sure that we're fairly and accurately representing that experience. Hope is on the mend. One thing that I noticed that was kind of unique to the show, was that in season 3, when it returned, Hope was not there that season. She was mostly via FaceTime, but it was a lot because of the fact that the show went back so early on. It was a really scary, trying time, and the circumstances were that Annette couldn't be there for season 3. So, we've felt a bit of a loss of Hope. That then fell into season 4 while she was going through her recovery and rehabilitation, which Annette played, her performance is just stunning. Starting in season 5, we still want to feel like she's getting healthier and that she's progressing and starting to reclaim the parts of her life that we haven't seen in two seasons. She still is on the road to recovery. But we're going to start to start to see the Hope that we know and love a lot more in season 5.

Was Preacher's (Colin Lawrence) blow to Vince (Steve Bacic) fatal?

I can't tell you that. I would say that will definitely have to be something you'll have to watch for in season 5. But it's it is something that we pick up immediately. We pick up right after that incident in season 5.

What lies ahead for Christopher (Chase Petriw), Paige (Lexa Doig), and Preacher? Might they finally get to catch their breath together?

They can go to a spa. No, I can't say anything about that. But I know, and just for myself as a fan of the show, I know how important that relationship is. Not just between Preacher and Paige, but also Preacher and Christopher, so it's definitely something that we will service and address in season 5.

Jack is now unwittingly in business with the same criminal organization as Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth). Is he going to start to cotton onto that, or how will Melissa complicate things in season 5?

She was introduced as a new big bad for this season. And it's been fun to dig in to it. We got so little of her character when she was introduced. So it's been fun to fill in the holes there and understand how she works differently than the men who have mostly been in charge of that part of the show. It does pose a threat to Jack, and it poses a threat to a lot of people in town. I've learned more about fentanyl than I ever thought I would in my life. Even how to spell it, which autocorrect helped me out with a lot in the beginning. But it definitely is something that we're still running through this season, as it was introduced in season 4 as a pretty big deal.

Might that bring him and Brady closer together finally being on the same side again?

I mean, wouldn't that be swell to see?

Is Jack going to continue seeking help for his PTSD, his guilt over his brother, and his drinking?

Yeah, I took what Jack went through in season 4 as a major wake-up call and an opportunity to really face his demons and address how he's coping with them. Speaking with Martin, we were both excited about portraying a male character who sees the importance of mental health and seeking out some sense of getting their life back and figuring out how they can live their life better, how they can live it healthier. That is still a part of season 5 that we're carrying on with from season 4.

Audiences love Brady and Brie (Zibby Allen) together despite the fact that on the page Brie ends up with Mike (Marco Grazzini). Is their relationship one with an expiration date?

I mean, I love love triangles. That was also set up pretty well, and there's been a bit of a slow burn as far as how that triangle is forming. But I would say as far as the specifics, you'll have to check out season 5.

How worried should we be about Brie's ex showing up in Virgin River and her promise to press charges against him?

That moment of empowerment, for Brie to stand up [for herself], set up a really great trajectory for her character that will carry throughout the season 5.

You introduced Hannah this season, Virgin River's first openly queer character. Will we get to see more of her in season 5? Maybe see get her own romantic interest?

That actress is amazing. I'm excited to explore that character more. Not only through her character, there will be a little more LGBTQ representation in the show than there's been in the past. I'm excited about bringing that in, but bringing it in a way that feels true and organic to Virgin River.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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