Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s small-town drama romance show ‘Virgin River,’ created by Sue Tenney, follows the everyday lives of the residents within a close-knit community. The lead protagonist, Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner from Los Angeles, moves to the eponymous town in search of a new beginning. Along the way, she finds something infinitely more precious in the community surrounded by friends, like her boss, Vernon “Doc” Mullins, the town mayor, Hope McCrea, and several others. She also finds the love of her life, Jack Sheridan, the charming local bar owner.
Still, Mel’s grand romance with Jack doesn’t come without its own issues, and the couple chart a tumultuous path throughout their relationship and face various complications. Charmaine Roberts, Jack’s former lover, proposes one such complication to the former couple’s relationship with her upcoming unplanned pregnancy with Jack’s twins. However, at the end of season 4, Charmaine reveals that she lied about Jack being her unborn kids’ father. As such, the obvious question on everyone’s minds remains: Who is Charmaine’s kids’ actual father? Here is everything we learned about it in season five. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Calvin Revealed as Charmaine’s Kids’ Father
Charmaine first reveals her pregnancy near the end of season 1, and given the show’s densely packed timeline, she has been pregnant for multiple seasons. Throughout the show, the pregnancy has significantly impacted Charmaine’s character development, storylines, and relationship with other characters.
Charmaine used to be in a friends-with-benefits situation with Jack that ran for around two years until it came to an end following Mel’s arrival in town. Over the course of their sexual escapades, Jack remains transparent about his disinterest in a serious relationship with Charmaine. Although the latter seems agreeable with it, it’s easy to see that she assumes that somewhere along the line, Jack will change his views. As such, it obviously affects Charmaine when Jack distances himself from her to explore his growing chemistry with Mel.
Nevertheless, Jack is pulled back into Charmaine’s life after learning she is pregnant with his twin boys. Even though Jack never planned to have kids with Charmaine, he’s an honorable man who doesn’t run away from his responsibilities. Therefore, he decides to remain a part of the twins’ lives regardless of his turbulent relationship with Charmaine.
Due to the same, the sudden revelation that Charmaine lied about Jack’s paternity comes as an earth-shattering shock to the man. By deciding to be an active part of Charmaine’s kids’ lives, Jack had started to imagine a future with fatherhood in his cards. Despite the unfavorable circumstances around the pregnancy, it meant a lot to Jack.
Since the mystery behind Charmaine’s pregnancy came out at the previous season finale, it has sparked much conversation among fans. Numerous theories have been discussed, debating the possibility of characters like Mike or Cameron being the father. Consequently, it’s a long time coming when this season’s finale finally makes the big reveal at the episode climax.
Charmaine remains absent for most of season 5, with only a few appearances in the early episodes. During this time, Jack, Mel, and Charmaine clear the air between each other in whatever capacity possible until Charmaine decides to strike out on her own and takes action to shape her own future, starting with employment and housing. Her wreck of a relationship and marriage with Todd has likely left her with a new perspective and motivation to take charge of her own life.
Therefore, when the twins’ actual father, Calvin, the presumed dead drug lord, confronts Charmaine after she leaves the town’s Labor Day Carnival, it flips her life upside down. In a staggering twist of fate, Calvin, the antagonist of past seasons, turns out to be the father of Carmaine’s babies. The duo has never had a reason to interact much on-screen, and their storylines have remained uncrossed until now.
The pregnancy is a result of a random one-night stand between Charmaine and Calvin that could have happened at any time in the first season. The reveal shines a different light on Charmaine’s manipulative lie since one can argue she was partially driven by a need to keep herself and her kids safe. Calvin is known for his criminal ways, and associating her kids with him will only put Charmaine on a dangerous path.
While Charmaine’s motives were definitely colored by her desire to have Jack by her side instead of Mel’s, this revelation provides added nuance to her deception. In contrast to Calvin, Jack is more dependable, honest, and respected within their community. Since the timing of Charmaine’s affair with Jack and the brief entanglement with Calvin overlaps, she can easily protect herself and her kids by casting Jack as the father. It would also help her confirm a promising future for her kids with a good role model for a parent.
Nonetheless, that possibility flickers out after Charmaine comes out with the truth. Still, the knowledge of Calvin’s death ensures Charmaine that she will be in control of her unforeseeable future. However, Calvin, who faked his death to hide from Melissa Montgomery, likely learns about Charmaine’s lie through the grapevine and emerges from the shadows after realizing he’s the father. Ultimately, the reveal ensures a precarious future for Charmaine and her kids in the coming seasons.
Read More: Is Virgin River Based on a Book?
