Virgin River Season 7, Episode 9 “La Luna de Miel” takes Mel and Jack to one of the most obvious places for a honeymoon, and one that’s way easier to film than their previous options: Mexico. Tulum, especially. And having been to Tulum before, I can attest that it’s a very nice place, not that they’re doing much sightseeing. I wouldn’t either on my honeymoon.
But the episode isn’t about the place, or the people, even. It’s about the lessons they learn, lessons about perseverance and believing in what the future has in store for them. Because the thing is, Mel and Jack’s journey is just beginning. It’s only been like a year since Virgin River started. Yes, I’m sure. That’s how long it’s been since the Season 1 premiere. They’re already married. And yes, they’ve already suffered loss, too, but they have so much time ahead of them. They’ll get the family they dream of.
Of course, patience is a really hard thing. But perhaps, for a moment, in this beautiful place, with kind and warm people, the two can let themselves believe that what’s coming next is good. We believe for them.
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YOU’RE HOLDING THE REINS WAY TOO TIGHT
This is mostly Brie’s episode to realize that she is, indeed, trying to control too much. She’s felt lost since what happened to her, and she’s tried to compensate by striving for control. This is understandable. But the hard truth of life is that you can’t control everything that happens to you. Bad things will happen. Good things will happen. You can only trust that you can face either or both. And you can also choose the right partner to be there with you, no matter what.
Brie has already done that, and in this hour, she trusts her gut and lets Brady in again. Because, in truth, there was never any other choice for Brie. It was always going to be Brady. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs with these two, and for a moment there, I even believed they could both move on. But not-so-deep down, what they felt for each other was always simmering. Mike never really had a chance. Lark never really had a chance. We were always going to end up right here.
Of course, now comes the hard part. They already tried a relationship before, and failed. Loving someone, wanting them, that’s only the first step. You still gotta put in the work. You still gotta communicate. You still gotta choose each other every day. And, sometimes, when you’ve already failed at something, it’s easy to see what you have to do to fix it the second time around. Hopefully, that’s the case with them.
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ALWAYS SECOND IN COMMAND
Preacher’s decision in this episode hurts a little, because like Jack, we’re not very good with change. But in so many ways, it makes sense for Preacher to want to strike out on his own. He wants something different than what Jack wants, and wanting both things is okay. No, it’s great. Sometimes you walk a path with a friend, and at some point, you go your own way because your paths diverge. That doesn’t make you love that person any less.
That’s part of what the two have to figure out right now. They don’t have to be business partners to be friends. They don’t have to be business partners to be in each other’s lives. And Preacher isn’t saying no to Jack’s friendship, he’s saying it’s time for him to go chase his own dream. He’ll always have Jack’s back, and now he’s asking Jack to have his and let him do what he wants to do.
Or at least what he thinks he wants to do. It doesn’t even matter if it turns out to be wrong. All that matters is that Preacher deserves to step out of Jack’s shadow, and Jack would be a bad friend if he said no to that.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of this episode? You can share with us and leave your own rating in our Virgin River hub! And you can also let us know what you thought about Virgin River Season 7, Episode 9 ‘La Luna de Miel’ in the comments below.
Virgin River Season 7 is now available to stream on Netflix.
