‘Virgin River’ Season 5: What Happens to Mel? Do She and Jack Have Their Baby?
The drama never stops on Virgin River. The Netflix series is juicier than ever in the just-released season 5, with surprising character exits, big breakups, and shocking pregnancy reveals. Everyone – from Preacher to Brie to Muriel to Doc – has a lot going on in these 10 episodes. But it’s our girl Mel Monroe that we’re most concerned with.
When we last saw her in season 4, Virgin River’s resident nurse and midwife was pregnant and looking forward to having a baby with Jack. It was a happy turn of events for Mel, who’d previously experienced a devastating stillbirth. So, how did her pregnancy journey play out in Virgin River Season 5?
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Virgin River Season 5 Part 1.]
Mel has a miscarriage in ‘Virgin River’ Season 5
Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) desire to become a mother has been a central storyline going back to Virgin River’s first season. She – and the show’s viewers – were overjoyed when she discovered she was pregnant in season 3. And Mel, who’d undergone IVF using her and her late husband’s embryos, was even more thrilled when she learned that Jack (Martin Henderson) was actually the baby’s father.
In season 5, Mel and Jack are eagerly anticipating become parents. And she’s doing all she can to stay healthy, since she knows she had a high-risk pregnancy. But sadly, Mel still experiences a miscarriage.
The tragic moment occurs mid-way through season 5. Mel – who’s stepped back from her work at the clinic to focus on the pregnancy – has volunteered to care for patients as a wildfire threatens Virgin River. In the middle of this already stressful situation, Mel goes to the bathroom and discovers she’s bleeding. She quickly performs an ultrasound on herself and realizes her baby has no heartbeat.
Mel’s devastation is palpable, but she somehow manages to pull it together to take care of those around her. Only after the threat of the fire has passed does she break down in front of Jack, letting him know she’s lost the baby.
Mel tells Jack she doesn’t want to try to have another baby
Mel has already experienced a stillbirth and multiple miscarriages, and this latest loss is too much for her to bear. In an emotional scene, she tells Jack she doesn’t want to try to get pregnant again.
“Not everybody gets their miracle baby,” she says. “I’ve been trying for years, and all I have to show for it is just a mountain of grief … I can’t put my body through that again. I can’t put my heart through that again.”
Meanwhile, Jack must cope with his own feelings of grief while also supporting Mel. He was already dealing with a sense of loss after learning he wasn’t the father of his ex Charmaine’s twins. Mel’s miscarriage is another blow.
‘Virgin River’ Season 5 Part 1 ends with Mel in a good place
While Mel is adamant that trying to get pregnant again isn’t the right path forward for her, she and Jack soon start thinking about what the future will look like.
“We can still have our dream, Mel,” he tells her. “It might not look the way that we thought it would. It might not happen in the same time frame as we expected. But it can happen.”
By the end of season 5 part 1, Mel and Jack are starting to consider other ways of having a family, such as adoption. They’ve also decided to buy Lily’s farm.
“We could build our home right here on this plot of land,” Mel tells Jack. “Fill it with kids. Our kids. However they come, whenever they come.”
Virgin River Season 5 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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