Virgin River‘s Alexandra Breckenridge Admits She Campaigned for Those Pregnancy Reveals in Season 4 Finale
Friendly warning: We’re about to spoil Virgin River‘s fourth season finale. Haven’t watched? Get to streaming!
It was the question on every fan’s mind entering Virgin River‘s fourth season: Is Jack or Mark the father of Mel’s baby?
And while we’re grateful to the Netflix drama for finally solving that mystery, it sure took its sweet time doing so. As if the yearlong wait between Seasons 3 and 4 wasn’t bad enough, the big reveal doesn’t come until the final hour.
There is a bright side, of course, which is that the father turns out to be… Jack! Seriously, given how complicated their lives have become, the last thing Mel needed was a constant reminder of her painful history with Mark.
“Mel wants to have a child with Jack,” Alexandra Breckenridge tells TVLine. “She doesn’t want to live in the past. As much as having a part of Mark is significant in a lot of ways to her, she wants to move forward and have a family with Jack. She really doesn’t want to have Mark’s baby. She’s moving forward and needs to leave that part of her life behind her.” Breckenridge also shares in the fandom’s collective relief. “I was gunning for that storyline,” she says. “I was adamant that it shouldn’t be Mark’s baby.”
But that wasn’t the only paternity twist Breckenridge was pleased to discover upon receiving the finale script. “I was also like, ‘I think Charmaine having [Jack’s] kids is absolutely bananas as well,'” she says. “I got my wishes at the end of the season, because that wasn’t really the plan for a minute. I think they were planning to have them go the other direction. I was like, ‘You’re all insane!'”
That’s right, folks, the season’s final twist comes courtesy of Charmaine, who blurts out that Jack is not the father of her twins. “I don’t know if I made that happen, but I was definitely the squeaky wheel about it,” Breckenridge says. “Every chance I got, I was like, ‘Are you sure we want to do this? I don’t know if it’s the right direction.'”
Jack being the father of Mel’s baby and not Charmaine’s twins may feel like a win-win at first, but Breckenridge acknowledges that Jack is bound to have some complicated feelings about the latter. “Being betrayed on such a massive scale has to come with anger and hurt,” she says. “He invested himself emotionally and mentally and financially in having these babies. He was really committed. It’s going to be hard, I think, for Jack to let that go.”
Tell us: Did you predict that the outcome of Mel’s paternity test? And how hard did your jaw hit the floor when Charmaine revealed her own mother of a secret? Grade the finale and season below, then drop a comment with you thoughts on those twists.
The two decisions were definitely the right ones. The Charmaine expecting twins story was a real drag on the show – nobody wanted her to be with Jack or have his children.
I’m so happy those are not Jack babies,I had a feeling she was lying from the begin.she did it because she was in love with Jack.it sad but I’m glad Mel baby is for him,because she have a big ♥️ heart and her and Jack done been through so much,I hope in season 5 he get through this and not go back to drinking.Because Mel going to need him I hope the other one move out of town
I totally agree well said
I agree with you
Charmaine’s twins being Jack’s is messier, but I do think it makes for a better story line long term. Though it would be season 10 by the time any of the babies are 3 years old the way the series deals with the passage of time between seasons lol.
I was so happy that Jack is the father of Mel’s baby and not the father of Charmaine’s twins. Kudos to the writers for following the books. Now in the next season we need to find out about Mark’s embryos and what his mother will do. It will make for good drama and I hope the writers step up!!
But she already used the two embryos that didn’t take so his mom has nothing left to fight for.
Since Mark’s embryos were implanted, and the baby is Jack’s, the issue is done. The embryos are gone.
So true I’m so happy
Me too
Can you tell me the titles of the book of series 4 please would love to read them.
I could have told you that even before reading it
I was hoping that Charmaine’s twins weren’t Jack’s from the beginning. It also goes along with the books. Now I’m hoping they can start figuring things out with Brie, Brady and Mike. It’s so ridiculous to always have women want to “fix” or “save” bad boys. Brie and Mike and up together in the books and would be a much healthier relationship.
Finally! I’ve been saying since the beginning that Jack isn’t the father of Charmaine’s twins, and that he should get a paternity test done. It was so obvious that she was just trying to get him to be with her. I’m glad the writers decided to change their original plan, because I would have been so mad if he was actually the twins father.
Maybe that’s why showed late, lied to Jack to keep him, then ran off & got pregnant. Remember before, it was hinted they were Brady’s, let’s see where this story line goes
Having read a few of the books, I know that the storylines are a little less messy than the show has been these last 2 seasons. That been said, you need to amp things up for TV to make it more enthralling for the viewer. Personally, I liked the first 2 seasons of the show but hated season 3 and 4 I think they spent a lot of time unravelling the mistakes of season 3 with “whose baby is Mels?” and the father of Charmaines twins. Seriously, we’re not asking for medically accuracy but getting IVF over a weekend and magically she’s pregnant….please. My other bug take away from this season was Mel constantly saying that she was sorry. It became really annoying for things that she had no part to play. Hope complaining didn’t bug me before but I had to jump past her scenes as they were too much.
For Season 5, I hope the show can hit the reset button and become a little more grounded in reality. It’s now closer to the books – well it will be when Brady is out of the way and Mike and Brie get together. It’s a pleasant show to watch but it’s lost it’s must see value for me. Then again, maybe discovering it during the worst of the pandemic made it must-see for me and now that things have improved it might have lost some of it’s sheen.
Exactly! Consider how slow time passes on the show, there’s no way realistically to defrost the embryo, then test viability and happens to match her hormone level that ready for implant, is just not something can be done in a week.
I think Brie belongs with Brady. I don’t think Mike is the good guy everyone thinks he is. Also that Todd storyline doesn’t make sense. Some really rich guy would want to marry a woman he just met who pregnant with twins.
You said perfectly. Those who have read the books, know. How crazy the writing has gotten.
I totally agree but that new nasty lady is the sister of the guy investing money in Jack new business and we know where that money is coming from ! They need to give Jack a break and get that cloud away that hangs over his head. If they come after his business because it is money laundering money he gets screwed again !
Agree, regarding Mel, her unrelenting grimness got to me for a while. She was annoying – not the acting, the storyline. It’s too violent a contrast, or one made too heavy. I thought, how does anyone put up with that? Overall though, loved it 95% of the time and can’t wait for season 5.
Ended to soon! It was just getting good and then it ended. “Dang”
I agree! nothing really happened until that final episode.
So glad that Mel’s baby is Jack’s and the twins are NOT. But what a conniving witch Charmaine is. What really drives me nuts though, is that these four seasons have taken place in approximately the space of 5-6 months. Cause Jack told 911 his “friend” was having trouble breathing and was about 4 months pregnant.
I bet Charmaine ends up with the Doctor ( I forget his name ha!)that has a thing for Mel.
That’s what I’m thinking. It sure would stir up some major since Jack doesn’t like him. Having just found out he’s not the babies daddy, he’s full of emotions! I think Cameron is more than ready to be a dad and a husband. Not hard on the eyes either! 🤭 We need him to stay so Doc can take care of Hope and Denny.
I think Cameron’s is leaving
The musical score for season 4 is absolutely phenomenal. Overall, all seasons musical scores are great
I also really loved the music in this season.
Really top notch
Loved where the story line went, so happy. It didn’t make sense to me , all this drama with Charmaine and her ulterior motives finally need to surface. Mel is moving forward and letting the past go, and the two embryos gone we think, ( not sure), makes it easy for her to not be controlled by her past any longer! Can’t wait for a season 5, I really love this show!!!!!!
Quite honestly I was expecting more upbeat action. Hope’s dilemma got boring after about episode 5. There was so much less energy than the first 3 seasons. Happy for a baby girl for
Jack and Mel. Very happy for twins not being Jack’s. The whole series 4 way too many secrets. New characters are blah….
Virgin River season 4 was excellent! I love the storyline and all the cast!
I thought the whole Season 4 was a disappointment. I read the Virgin River books. The show is MILES away from the story line, and then big gaps in certain things. Such as, when was Brie following amy money trail that ended up with Mike telling Brady he was in the clear? 4 seasons and Charmaine is STILL only 5 months pregnant?
Of course Mel’s baby had to be Jack’s. No decent fertility doctor would just implant embryos at the drop of a hat, without weeks of hormone treatments to prepare the uterus for success. That whole thing was ridiculous.
Can you tell me the titles of the books that Season 4 was written, I have watched to TV Drama and cant remember seeing the part that Jack is not the father of Charmaine’s twins. So would like to read the books to get a better feel of the characters before Season 5.
Pretty sure the books are in the pre-teen section.
Ja jsem se serialem spokojena, krasny pribeh, tesim se na pokracovani.. bude?
The season 4 is absolutely brilliant!
I feel if you are basing a show on a book series. You should at least follow the book until its exhausted. I get you have change things up, which is fine. Certain things are fine. But the book’s pregnancy for Mel was definitely Jack as the father. The show trying to find drama in it, is wrong. And if it’s true they might have gone a different way for the paternity. That is wrong. Follow the book if it’s based on a book. And they write in the pregnancy storyline, which was in the book.
What are the titles of the books in series 4 would love to read them.
I thought Charmaine lied in the beginning just to trap Jack.
Blessings to whomever this is read by…
First off…. I do not have a TV, but I watched my daughters family dog from 7/20/22 to 7/22/22. Weds to Friday. My daughter suggested to me to watch Virgin River. She said she heard it was good. Well, besides watching the dog and doing some other things to help; most of my hours were spent watching Virgin River. I was hooked, but during the last part the TV went out. I tried everything to get it back on, but between the unseen wires that control internet service and all the contraptions used to control this or that I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. My attempts to recoup my final watching of Virgin River failed, BUT in desperation I got online to check out the things I missed! My thought from the start with the twins was: Why wasn’t a paternity test done to prove if Jack was the father? Why was Charmaine so believable? I’d anticipate she wouldn’t be loyal to Jack, since he didn’t want a committed relationship-Honesty, was being executed on Jacks part, but that told Charmaine something too- so she was going to go after what she wanted via lies. Documentation of proof, in such a claim against someone should have been made. It’s not a given, but Jack no matter how smart he was; including all his disturbing set aside issues, he believed Charmaine. Now, of course it was to be that way in the storyline, so that one of the best anticipated hopes in the entangle web would be that Charmaine got what she deserved by manipulating others. Anyway, I did not believe those babies were Jacks from the start, as my discernment into what I heard and saw didn’t set well within me. I had a feeling that Mels baby would and should be Jacks with everything else causing friction…(they also were sleeping together sometime before she had the embryo implants) you want to let the past not continue to cause conflict with the future if you can help it. It’s nice to have more happiness in a story than conflicts- it gets old, but happiness doesn’t. If we have opportunity on screen or off to prove that: the good, the bad, and the ugly can work to our good, then we need to show it, because it’s so true. One of Gods many promises is to work all things for our good.
Now……. I’d please like to be the first person to sign up to rent one of Jacks Airstream campers. I love camping, and could use a change of scenery. Lol….but serious too. I still think Jack needs to go with his idea with rentals and tours, in order to bring in xtra income, since Mel is resigning. She can give the tours and still be a full time mommy. My college profession is medical. I’m not a
Nurse Practitioner, but I do know that no matter what title a medical professional has the medical doesn’t ever leave their side. It’s instilled in our bones to help at any given time, so that part of Mel won’t ever be gone from her. I have liked the story line so far with Virgin River. I must say the Docs grandson script was good too, as I thought, as maybe most did Denny was a gold digger. I also thought… where’s the proof Denny was even Docs grandson less more Doc truly having a son. Sorry, too much experience and being curious with questions does leave room for my mind to wander in different directions. I do love to write, and my character is to see things from the front door and the back door….and trust of there are side doors I’ll find them. My second grade teacher wrote on my report card: Susan needs to learn to stay in her seat; she’s too inquisitive. Well, she called that spade right when I was 8 to my present age of 64. Every kind of emotion that you could think of is in this series. The actors are all very talented/gifted. I believe what motivates the greatest, ongoing passions for the people in this series is: LOVE.
Love is the greatest of all. It’s more powerful over any fleshly weapon. Love can stand alone, but in Virgin River the power of LOVE doesn’t allow anyone to stand alone; in the good, the bad, or the ugly. Thank you!
In Truth an Love,
Susan
I felt same way, with Charmaine character was a wonder noone brought it up. I guess everyone thought loved Jack so much wouldn’t cheat on him. If a relationship is only really about sex, get a DNA. Especially since Mel kept saying wanting to do it, someone should of questioned Charmaine, she married too quick. At one point was suggested her & Brady or the cop had something, I forgot which. How come they never questioned her?
I was wondering why a paternity test wasn’t taken when Char said Jack was the father?
She probably told him, she didn’t want to hurt the baby in the early stage of the pregnancy and counting on him on knowing anything about testing, which he didn’t until Mel and him were inform about the test by Mel’s doctor
Virgin river is a great show but waiting a year between seasons sucks. I think if anything you will lose a lot of viewers that way as I watched all 12 episodes in 2 days
Me too. I am done now. Season 5 yeah
Agee, I hate that we had to wait so long. And yes, I think you will lose viewers.
I love Virgin River and the twisted ending was very surprising. Wish there was a season 5. Great cast
I’m so glad the show is going more by the book . Charmene shouldn’t be in the story line anyway she was mentioned a little in the book. Brie and Mike should be together. Go more the books.
I never read the books, Charmaine should have had her babies by now. I don’t know why everybody so against Brie &Brady. I think there’s something not right in Mikes past. Virgin River is filmed in the Vancouver Bower Island area, where I live. It definitely looks like the West Coast of Canada, not Northern California. There’s lots of Canadian actors in the show.
I get the feeling Mike is the dirty cop leaking information. He hates Brady because he knows his secrets from the war and is too eager to blame him. He has first hand information from all agencies and is the one Brie confides in. What happened to the knife that was found in the bar and why the secrecy?
At least they stuck to the book with jack being the father. They have changed so much from the books
I don’t know… we’ve spent 2 seasons thinking they were Jack’s babies, and now we discover they are Tod’s… I don’t understand why it did happen. Was Charmaine in love with Jack ? Was she not so sure about Tod ? Something seems quite wrong either way.
Mel baby had to be Jack’s ! They don’t need to up the sopa opera level too much!
Don’t know why season finales have to be so dramatic… it’s a light, summery series, why last episode has to be so overly dramatic and violent ? 11 episodes about friendships, creating a community, being close to the person you love, Virgin River being a town where everyone is so kind and generous and caring. Last episode is always very different. Maybe they think people are not coming back if they don’t push on the drama side… who knows !?
Where do you get the idea the twins are Todd’s?
I absolutely love Virgin Rivers!! I counted down for season 4 then binged watched it!!! Let’s get season 5
So glad she fought for this!! It is hard to believe they were actually thinking about having Mark be the father!! Having Mark be the father would’ve been a continuation of a very incoherent and very unbelievable storyline!! It was impossible (to begin with) to think that Mel would have impulsively rushed to a fertility clinic (to have Mark’s baby no. Less) knowing how much Jack loved her and would not have given him a second chance to realize his mistake – it was an implausible, absurd, and nutty story line!! It would have sorely disappointed the fans Who love the show and would have made the show almost unbearable to watch! Thank goodness Alex knew this!!! Loved the way it all turned out – congrats to the most wonderful cast on any TV series!