It only took six seasons, but we finally saw some proper payoff in Jack and Preacher’s friendship and brotherhood.
In Virgin River Season 6, during the first half of the season, Preacher’s arc comes to a head, and we’re blessedly able to put the past with Preacher covering for Paige after she killed her abusive ex behind him.
Unfortunately, the arc meant that between Virgin River’s Holiday Event and the start of the new season, the police arrested Preacher for murdering Wes.
One of the frustrations of waiting between seasons is that we miss out on those little details that might interest us. By the time we jump into this arc, we learn that Preacher is standing trial and having a hard time with it.
Brie is his defense attorney during a major trial mostly limited to the people of interest: Preacher, Kaia, Brie, Jack, and, by extension, Mel.
We get the sense that the entire town is behind Preacher, and we even learn that Connie is more than willing to perjure herself on the stand if it means helping her friend because she knows better than anyone what transpired and was all-in on assisting Paige, too.
But when it comes to standing there in firm support of Preacher during what may be his darkest moment, we have Kaia, which is lovely in further advancing this relationship and establishing it as one that will last and be meaningful.
This arc puts a bookend on the frustrating hold that a character whose impact on the series lasted longer than she actually did have on Preacher.
For nearly the entire series run, Preacher’s storylines revolved around Paige and everything he did for her because he was a genuinely good guy who cared.
However, Preacher’s arc has also always connected to Jack. He often plays second fiddle to him and serves as his most coveted confidant, friend, and therapist.
He’s always been there to give Jack sage advice, especially as Jack continuously wrestled with the mental and emotional war wounds he carried with him for so long.
Preacher has faced his fair share of issues throughout Virgin River, but when it came down to whether or not they extended to his best friend, they didn’t, more often than not.
While not intentional, Jack came across as more self-absorbed regarding their dynamic, mostly because he always seemed to be facing something that required Preacher’s motivation, tough love, or judgment.
As a result, their bond always seemed frustratingly imbalanced, not necessarily aligning with what the characters told us they were.
Regarding the brotherhood between Jack and Preacher, it felt as if they told us more than they showed us.
That’s not to say that they didn’t have some meaningful moments. It was endearing when Preacher was the first person Jack told about having children, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted Preacher to be the godfather to his children.
We also had special moments, like Jack asking Preacher to be his Best Man. Those certainly are strong ways to support their friendship and their closeness.
However, even amid them, some moments focused more exclusively on Jack than Preacher, which has been a predominant problem on Virgin River when it comes to their relationship.
Most of the time, when Preacher faced trials or tribulations or struggled with what he wanted out of life, the next stage in it, Jack was none the wiser or came to learn things too late into the game.
It never felt like Jack fostered a space for Preacher to be as vulnerable and open with him as Jack always is, nor did he ever make time for it.
To put it bluntly, Preacher and Jack’s friendship and brotherhood always lacked reciprocity.
But this situation finally reveals everything they’ve told us over the years about the deep brotherhood between Jack and Preacher and how that holds up for both of them.
So often, it feels like Jack is so caught up in his own problems, his own life, or the lives of others at Virgin River that he never takes a moment to devote to his best friend.
But with Preacher in need, potentially facing down 25 to life for Wes’ death, it compelled Jack to give Preacher his undivided attention and really prioritize him as a friend and brother.
We get the sense that Jack spent much time with Preacher between his arrest and trial, and the two spent a great deal of time and energy working on Jack and Mel’s future home together because it was a nice distraction and a way to work out anxiety over the unknown.
Jack was right there for the process every step of the way as Preacher adapted to his possible fate and struggled with what the future could hold for him if a jury of his peers deemed him guilty.
Jack’s genuine concern for his friend was palpable, which was a refreshing change of pace for the two.
It also puts into perspective just how important Preacher is to Jack because we’ve been so accustomed to him taking Preacher for granted.
We could visibly see how stressed Jack was over the prospect of losing his best friend to an unjust prison sentence, and it was apparent how challenging it would be for Jack if that ever came to fruition.
He couldn’t even concentrate on an impending wedding if it meant his brother wouldn’t be there. And it was one of the few times we saw Jack bend over backward to extend every ounce of support Preacher needed in as many ways as possible.
Jack kept him active and distracted, spent all his spare time with him, and consistently let Preacher know that he was there to be a shoulder to cry on and an ear to lend.
Jack in a supporting role to Preacher for a change was a long overdue thing we needed.
It also served Jack’s character well, excelling at prominently showcasing how much Jack has evolved as a character and how emotionally and mentally stable he is now.
It’s certainly something that season got right.
Over to you, Virgin River Fanatics.
What did you make of how the season approached Jack and Preacher’s brotherhood? Did you enjoy seeing Jack support Preacher for a change?
Hit the comments below!
