VIRGIN RIVER season 4 is on Netflix now and fans were thrilled to see Annette O’Toole return as Hope McCrea. The star spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about Hope’s brain injury.

Virgin River season five is in production for Netflix after season four reached global success. Hope (played by Annette O’Toole) returned to the uplifting escapist drama following her tragic car accident. Annette spoke to Express.co.uk about how Hope’s brain injury could impact her life as the series continues.

Hope did not feature in season three of Virgin River as actress Annette was unable to travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Her unfortunate absence meant Hope had to essentially be written out of the season, and she set off to look after a family member away from Virgin River.

On her way home, Hope was involved in a car accident which left her hospitalised, with a serious brain injury.

As Covid restrictions eased, Hope was eased back into season four and was recovering at home with Doc (Tim Matheson).

Annette told Express.co.uk that Hope’s health could be a prominent part of the story for a while.

She said: “I don’t know if she will ever be completely the same.

“She may seem so from the outside, but I think she will be dealing with certain aspects of the injury for the rest of her life.

“It will be interesting to see how and when the TBI manifests itself in the future.”

Despite her character’s tragic twist, she said she loved the challenge of portraying this new version of Hope.

She added: “It was constantly fascinating to me, and felt a bit like she was rebooting her inner computer.

“It takes as long as it takes and you’re never sure if you got the bugs figured out.

“As Hope says herself when asked how she is: depends on the day.”

Season four saw Hope meet Doc’s grandson Denny (Kai Bradbury), whom he knew nothing about.

Although it was poor timing for Hope, she was excited that Vernon had found a missing part of his life.

Annette added: “I think Denny is a good person to have around. He is the only one who never knew the old Hope.

“He accepts how she is now, and she is able to ask him for help without feeling too self-conscious.”

The star said it was “wonderful” to be back with her co-stars after such a long time away.

She explained: “It was the longest I’d gone without working for quite a while, and it felt good to exercise the acting muscles again.”

Annette is currently filming for the fifth season, which has been given the green light by Netflix.

Viewers will have to wait and see whether Hope remains defiant when it comes to receiving help.

She lied to Doc on a number of occasions as she did not want to be seen as vulnerable.

There is a chance she will continue to go behind Doc’s back in order to keep her independence.