Virgin River season 3 recap: Everything you need to know ahead of season 4

Meanwhile, there are some new additions to the Virgin River cast in the new season, with Mark Ghanimé playing new doctor in town Dr Cameron Hayek, while Jack gets a surprise visit from his dad Nick (Keith MacKechnie) as he's coming to terms with becoming a father himself.

If you're in need with a bit of a refresher as Hope returns to Virgin River, then we've got you covered – here's a full recap of everything that happened in Virgin River season 3.

Virgin River season 3 recap

When we checked back in with Virgin River at the start of season 3, Jack – who we last saw lying on the floor of his bar suffering with a shotgun wound – was throwing a graduation party for Ricky, however Hope wasn't in attendance, with the town's mayor visiting an elderly relative in another state and unable to return due to cancelled flights. Meanwhile, Muriel doesn't waste any time in filling in for her, telling her friends that she'll be looking after Doc, who received some big medical news in the season 2 finale, while Hope is away.

Ricky and Lizzie are still dating in secret, with Ricky worried about what Connie will do if she finds out, and they're not the only new romance in town. Jack's sister Brie comes to visit him and meets Brady, who begins flirting with her whilst completely unaware of her relation to Jack, while Charmaine drops by to introduce her new boyfriend Todd, revealing that they're now engaged despite being together for less than a month.

Preacher is still looking after Paige's son Christopher while she's on the run and takes him to summer camp but worries about leaving him there by himself. Later in the series, Christopher gets upset when Preacher won't let him go to a sleepover at a friend's. At the medical practice, Doc is talking to a headhunter, hoping to find his replacement after learning of his health problems.

Unfortunately for Jack, his problems don't end with the shooting as after spending the day with Mel for her birthday, his house goes up in flame. While both Jack and Mel escape unscathed, his home is destroyed and he has to live in Mel's cabin while it's repaired.

As for Lilly, she's looking after her newborn baby but her older daughter Tara notices that she doesn't look too well. Lilly then confides in Mel that she's suffering with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and wants to list her as an emergency contact. She later tells Doc but asks him to promise not to tell Hope before she does.

Meanwhile, Muriel is still trying to spend time with Doc, who is worried about struggling to get in touch with Hope, and decides to book a flight to Atlanta so he can go to Port Royal and look for her himself – however, Hope gets in touch to tell him that she's staying in South Carolina to continue helping her aunt.

As for Brie, she's still in Virgin River and ends up staying the night with Brady, who is now working at Emerald Lumber, after they drink together at a bar. The two start to become close after spending the next day together and Brie goes to visit Jack to tell him that she quit her job, becoming upset when he asks her why. Unfortunately, Brady soon learns that Emerald Lumber won't survive as a legitimate business

There's soon trouble in paradise for Lizzie and Ricky when her ex-boyfriend Parker turns up in Virgin River looking for her, while Ricky visits a Marine Corps recruitment centre and contemplates applying. At the practice, Mel confronts Doc after hearing a voicemail that reveals he's searching for his replacement, questioning him why he's not involving her in the interview process. He eventually tells Mel that he's looking for a new doctor as he suffering from macular degeneration and will soon struggle to work.

After butting heads with Charmaine's fiancé Todd over the choices he's convinced her to make about their twins, Charmaine arranges for Todd and Jack to have dinner together. However, during the meal, Todd tells him that he wants to legally adopt the children and pay Jack to stay out of the picture, upsetting Jack.

Mel is then dealt another bombshell when Brie tells her that Jack has been married before. She passes out, with Jack and Mel discovering that she's been taking Xanax – an anti-anxiety medication. She tells Mel that six months prior, she began dating a lawyer who later raped her, leading to a pregnancy and a miscarriage.

Meanwhile, police officer Mike is still investigating Jack's shooting and while he has Jimmy – Calvin's right-hand man – in custody at one point, he tells Jack that Brady doesn't have an alibi and has become the main suspect. He is called in for questioning and fails to return Brie's calls. When Jack later sees Brie with Brady, he remembers that he was at the bar on the night he was shot and tells Brady to leave his property.

Lizzie and Ricky's relationship becomes strained when Lizzie moves in with him and his grandmother but they struggle to adjust to living with one another. She then becomes upset when he says that he doesn't want to live with her, secretly planning to sign up to the Marines.

Jack meets up with his lawyer and learns that he's going to have to fight for custody of his twins with Charmaine. Realising that he won't be able to father a child with Mel, who is desperate to be a parent, he breaks up with her.

Struggling with the heartbreak, Mel visits her sister in LA and decides to use the remaining embryos she'd stored from her IVF journey with her late husband Mark. Meanwhile, Jack decides that he wants to be with Mel although he'll be in for a shock when he learns that Todd wants to move with Charmaine and the twins to Eureka in a bid to push Jack out of their lives. Charmaine later tells him that Todd decided this without consulting her and Jack tells her to be honest with him.

Sadly, Lilly passes away in her sleep whilst Doc drops by for dinner. The town descends on her funeral, during which Jack and Mel talk about their relationship. They decide to get back together while Hope tells Doc that she wants to be alone after failing to arrive in Virgin River in time for Lilly's funeral. Later on, he learns that she was involved in a car accident and has been seriously injured.

Meanwhile, Lizzie gets upset when Ricky tells her he won't be able to attend a wedding with her in a few weeks and learns that he plans to enlist in the Marines without telling her. She tells him that while she loves him, they should go their separate ways.

Later on, Mel learns that she is pregnant. With the IVF procedure worked, she debates over how to tell Jack, who learns that Charmaine recently married Todd in Eureka and that the latter doesn't want Jack involved with the twins.

Brie reveals that she's planning on leaving Virgin River and starting again, however Brady tries to persuade her to stay. However, a sheriff arrives with a search warrant and finds a gun in Brady's car. He then arrests Brady for Jack's attempted murder.

The season ends on a sad note for Preacher, who is duped by Sally – a woman claiming to be Paige's friend who wanted to organise for her to safely reunite with Christopher – when it turns out she's drugged Preacher and left him in the woods, allowing Vince to take Christopher.

Meanwhile, Doc is still waiting to hear news about Hope when a young man shows up, claiming that he is Doc's long-lost grandson.

As for Mel and Jack, they meet once more and Mel finally tells Jack that she's pregnant but she's not sure who the father is.

Virgin River season 4 arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 20th July, while seasons 1-3 are available to stream already.

Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix – or see what else is on with our TV Guide. Visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.

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