Part 1 ofVirgin Rivers fifth season came to a close with eventful last two episodes.
Brie keeps vigil at his bedside and the two hang out when he finally wakes up.
(They are two of my favorite characters and favorite people and favorite actors.
(L to R) Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in episode 509.Netflix
I can watch those two all day long.)
(For a deep dive into the wildfire-themed Episodes 505 and 506,read our interview.)
DEADLINE:What were the biggest challenges filming Jack and Mels hike to Angels Peak?
(L to R) Teryl Rothery as Muriel St. Claire, Mark Ghanime as Dr. Cameron Hayek in episode 510.Netflix
There were some production challenges getting the crew and the equipment and everything up to that spot.
At one point, again from a technical standpoint, a rain storm hits when they get lost.
DEADLINE:I assume the rain scene was shot in one take?
MIKITA: Thats right.
And then the rain starts.
DEADLINE: So the laugh was not scripted?
MIKITA: It wasnt no, no, it was just her take on it.
So she was anticipating it but its never what you expected.
DEADLINE: Akiss in the rain is a hallmark of a romantic movie.
How did that juxtaposition come about?
So we ended up having to get some of our key crew members in on it.
DEADLINE:So some of those players on the field are actually crew members?
MIKITA: Yeah, theres a few of them.
Our production manager, Neil [Williams], was in there, I threw him into the game.
But thank goodness for the crew members that stepped up and helped out with that sequence.
Thats so indicative of everybody onVirgin River.
Its such a great family, the crew and the cast, everybody really enjoys coming to work.
The weather was great.
It feels like almost a different show within the show.
MIKITA: Yeah, I agree with you completely on that.
I feel the same way.
We had some careful fight choreography that we had done ahead of time.
DEADLINE:Well, its another hallmark of the show.
Weve had Renaissance Fair, Lumberjack Games, Moonlight Mingle.
Every season, there is a big community event.
MIKITA: A big community set piece, yeah.
But it was really difficult to do.
Same thing again, back to the crew coming to the rescue.
DEADLINE:So all the carnival scenes were filmed in rain conditions?
MIKITA: Yeah, it didnt track and it didnt really make sense.
And thats what we did.
DEADLINE:There were a few revelations during the carnival, including Charmaines encounter with her twins father.
MIKITA: I did not.
I think I was just as surprised as anybody when that was revealed.
Did you happen to direct that episode that was used for the flashbacks?
MIKITA: Yes, I did direct that.
We didnt go to exactly the same spot, we recreated the aftermath at a different location.
But, for many production reasons, it didnt make sense.
MIKITA: I wondered at first if it made sense for us to use the flashbacks.
I didnt know whether that was necessary from a story perspective at the time when I read it.
I dont think they would have recognized or remembered the tree swing.
DEADLINE:I didnt.
And speaking of flashbacks, one was used when Preacher hears that a body has been found.
What was the most surprising couple development for you?
It is way more common when the gap is in the other direction, with an older man.
But at the same time it makes sense and its perfectly acceptable.
For Cameron, he has to be so cautious and a little bit more self aware and self-conscious.
At the same time, he says okay, were going to the carnival.
Its so much fun to see how everybody else reacts.
So that was the fun one for me and perhaps the Brie and Mike development.
I didnt really see that one coming so much.
So I think that we saw coming.
But Mike I thought that was an interesting one, too.
How was it filming Dennys (Kai Bradbury)s reaction of utter shock?
MIKITA: That was all Kai.
Hes a terrific actor, I think he is underrated.
Ive worked with him on another show and saw the depth of his abilities as a performer.
There were a lot of distractions for him during that scene we had the weather distraction of the rain.
DEADLINE:And now onto the flash-forward at the end of the finale that teases the two holiday episodes.
What was your reaction when you read that scene and the final line about Mels real father?
MIKITA: I was a bit floored by that.
I was literally going through my database of okay, who could it possibly be?
I didnt see it coming.
None of us did.
