Summary
“Hazards Ahead” sees a war brewing as characters’ intentions become clear, which gives the story a good leg up for the finale.
This recap of Netflix’s Virgin River season 2, episode 9, “Hazards Ahead” contains significant spoilers.
We recapped every episode — check out the archive.
The opening
“Hazards Ahead” opens with Jack driving through the woods at night. He rings Preacher and asks him to take care of the bar with the staff. As he drives, he finds an injured man named Adrian in the middle of the road so takes him to the clinic. Mel believes his right arm is broken and that he’s severely dehydrated. Jack is vague as to why he was driving around late at night in Pine Ridge but then reveals he was looking for Spencer. Mel tells Jack to call the sheriff and stop the war. But you can tell that Jack too stubborn, especially when he cares for people.
Find a new messenger
Hope asks Doc how she can stand by while Charmaine plans to move away. She’s worried about Jack, but Doc doesn’t want her to get involved and tells her to find someone else to relay the information. Doc then gets in his truck to get a flight to a medical conference in Seattle, which catches Hope by surprise. Hope finds out that Muriel is also off to Seattle which raises suspicions on Doc.
The mortgage
Jack decides to go for the house and asks the estate agent to send the paperwork. He has no idea that Charmaine is planning on moving at this point, so it’s going to be an expensive purchase if it goes through.
Ricky is lovestruck
Ricky decides to skip an hour at work to see Lizzie, who is pretending to be scared of something, so he comes over. When Ricky heads over, it’s clear she wants him to stay because she doesn’t like being home alone. While hooking up, Lizzie asks for a condom and tells him she’s on the pill — the pair lose their virginity.
While raiding the fridge, Connie catches Ricky downstairs. He’s going to be in so much trouble in the finale.
The new messenger
Mel is worried that Jack hasn’t shown up for lunch as planned. Preacher doesn’t know where he is. Hope tells Mel that it might be something to do with Charmaine; she tells Mel about Charmaine moving to Oregon and wants her to relay the information to Jack, so she isn’t involved. Hope now has it off her desk and you can sense the relief immediately. Virgin River season 2, episode 9 is a bit of a rollercoaster for Hope.
Finding Jack
Mel heads to Charmaine’s place and asks if Jack is there. She believes something is wrong after the food tampering at the bar. Mel is planning on heading to the pot farm to try and find Jack. Charmaine warns her about going out there alone and offers to go with her. The two women will now have to work together for a common interest even though, deep down, they despise each other. At least the audience can enjoy the tension.
Jack is captured
Meanwhile, Jack is searching for Spencer in the woods and knocks on his caravan. When he heads inside, he senses that Spencer has left it for a few days. Brady drives by Spencer’s caravan and speaks to Jack. One of Calvin’s men knocks Jack out, and they place him in the truck.
Investigating Doc
Hope snoops around Doc’s office to find out what his secret is. She brings Lilly with her to be a witness. Hope decides to listen to Doc’s voicemail and feels that he’s in the clear. Meanwhile, Muriel joins Doc for a fancy dinner next to the harbor — it’s all very confusing what Doc is up to, and “Hazards Ahead” conveniently leaves it unanswered until the finale.
Charmaine wants security
Charmaine tells Mel about the Portland opportunity with her aunt and uncle. Mel tells her that it will break Jack’s heart. Charmaine is trying to offer herself security in case Jack bails, but Mel tells her that Jack wouldn’t do that. The women ask someone for help whose brother works for Calvin so they can find Jack. They need directions to the camp.
Implications that Spencer is dead
Jack asks Calvin where Spencer is — he wonders if he’s dead. Calvin looks at Brady and implies he has killed him. Jack tells Calvin that he has no idea what he has started. Calvin tells him to stay out of his business from now on. Well, Mel told Jack to stop the war. This has escalated and will either play a huge part in the finale or be integral to Season 3.
Charmaine has a change of heart
Mel has directions, and Charmaine wishes her luck. Charmaine tells Mel that it might be better if she and Jack shouldn’t be together because it’s clear he doesn’t love her. Mel tells her she deserves to be happy and asks Charmaine to talk to Jack about Oregon. I think this is the moment that fans will want; a clear path for Jack and Mel, with Charmaine surrendering.
What it really says on the voicemail
When Hope heads downstairs at her home after her nap, there are candles everywhere, and Doc has planned something romantic. He tells Hope that he’s loved her from the first day he met her and that he wants to be hers until the day he dies. He proposes to her and asks if she will be his wife again. Hope plays the voicemail of Muriel asking to meet him at the restaurant and walks off, upset.
The ending
Mel confronts Jack about blowing her off after finding him practicing baseball. Jack tells her that Spencer is dead after he went to the pot camp and that Brady is involved. Mel tells Jack it isn’t his fault and then admits that when she couldn’t find him, she couldn’t breathe. Jack tells Mel he felt the same way when she met Virgin River and walks off moodily.
Mel chases after him and tells him, “I love you”. She then describes the reasons why she loves him and apologizes to Jack for pushing him away. Get the tissues folks; you are going to need them. Jack and Mel then kiss, and sparks are flying. This could be the start of Jack and Mel being official.
Virgin River season 2, episode 9 sees a war brewing as characters’ intentions become clear, which gives the story a good leg up for the finale.
