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He may be new to Virgin River but he's carrying several secrets.
This article contains spoilers from season 4 of Virgin River.
Virgin River fans are aware it's common for new characters to come and shake things up for the idyllic California town. Season 4 proved to be no exception, as viewers were quickly introduced to a handsome young man named Denny Cutler (Kai Bradbury).
His purpose for coming to Virgin River: he's in search of the resident physician, Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson). Though he initially appears innocent, viewers quickly learn Denny carries a surprising revelation that's sure to change Doc's life forever. As folks make their way through the Netflix series' fourth installment, it becomes apparent that he's desperate to see the town's physician. So, who exactly is Denny?
When we first meet Denny, he's anxiously looking for anyone who can direct him to Doc. After the two eventually cross paths, Denny reveals he's not just a random stranger — he's actually Doc's grandson. This news is particularly surprising, as Doc and Hope (Annette O'Toole) never had children together, which means no grandkids should be in the picture.
As Denny quickly explains, he's the grandson of Rose, Doc's college girlfriend who dumped him just before he went to medical school. It turns out she was already pregnant with Denny's dad, and the rest is (unknown) history. And in yet another twist, Doc learns that Rose is still alive, but his alleged son only died a month earlier.
While folks were busy reeling from the shock, Doc certainly wasn't. He quickly introduces Denny to the other Virgin River residents, including new love interest Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale). But not everyone is thrilled about the big news, because Muriel warns Doc to think long and hard about his grandson's true intentions.
Despite the happy family reunion, fans quickly notice Denny has some unusual behaviors throughout the season. In episode 5, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) caught the young man going through the clinic's medicine cabinet, and Lizzie also finds a Clonazepam bottle that's definitely not Denny's.
Fans eventually see him going through the clinic's financial records after being invited to live with his grandfather. To make matters worse, Denny then goes to the bank to deposit a big chunk of money for someone.
That said, Virgin River didn't have us waiting too long for answers. As for the medicine, Denny reveals he suffers from Huntington's disease and he was using his father's medication because he went through the same thing. Now, all Denny wants to do is something good in the world before he eventually dies. His form of performing a good deed was paying off Doc's mortgage for the clinic with his father's insurance money. It not only left fans surprised, but it pleasantly shocked Doc as well.
So, when looking closer at the facts, Denny was being sneaky after all. While we don't know what his role will be in season 5 (which is already in production!), it's nice to see a new side of Doc in the form of a grandson.