I watched this season over a couple of days, and aside from the wonky time line issues, I mostly enjoyed it. It's too bad Annette O'Toole couldn't be on the show in more than FaceTimes, but I thought the writers did a decent job of explaining Hope's absence. It went on a bit too long, but that's no one's fault. Hope's accident gave Tim Matheson some nice moments.
Muriel still seems too involved in Doc's life, but he's got to be the one to tell her that.
I knew Lilly was going to die as soon as she went upstairs for her nap. That whole story was handled pretty well. Mel must have a decent amount of cash lying around if she can set up a trust that has enough money to support Tara and Chloe for years. I know her living expenses in Virgin River are lower than in L.A., and she probably got a decent life insurance settlement from Mark's death, but still. Her salary at the clinic can't be too high. But money is always a plot point with these kinds of shows.
The Mel/Jack relationship is always one step forward, two steps back, and it's mostly kind of irritating to me. They talk things out without every really talking things out. I was annoyed that everyone was slagging Jack for not feeling equipped to deal with two families. "You'll change your mind" is a really insulting thing to say. He's allowed to panic, especially when Charmaine's extremely controlling fiancé/husband wants to go to the nuclear option of erasing Jack from his kids' lives.
The young kids whose names I'm not going to look up are boring. The girl makes some good points but in the snottiest possible way, and the boy needs to grow up and start talking to the girl. Yes, telling people what you want can be hard, but you do it or else you end up a doormat.
Preacher's story with Christopher is sweet and boring at the same time. It's dragged on too long. I'm glad he and Jack are finally going to be partners in the bar, though. That was long overdue.
Brody and Paige? Eh. That's another story I don't really care about. I also don't really care who shot Jack or why. I do hope Paige sticks around. I like her and the actress. She gives Mel a relatively outside perspective and is a contemporary Mel can talk to.
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