Virgin River just pulled off an unexpected Heartland crossover

Virgin River. Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in episode 608 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Virgin River. Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in episode 608 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024 | Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

A new season of Virgin River has arrived on Netflix just in time for a Christmas holiday binge, and the show’s sixth season has a lot of amazing moments for fans to enjoy. It’s a season that truly celebrates the love of Mel and Jack, with the season spent following the pair as they gear up for their wedding day which arrives as the season closes. 

In the time leading up to their big day, Mel and Jack have to navigate a few unexpected obstacles including one mishap that paved the way for a fun and unexpected Heartland crossover of sorts halfway through the season! 

Warning: Virgin River season 6 spoilers ahead. 

The better part of the season finds Mel and Jack planning for their wedding, which quickly spirals into a grand affair with everyone in Virgin River pitching in to help pull off the wedding of the century. While Mel and Jack leave most of the heavy lifting to Hope and the gang, there are a few odds and ends they must take care of directly including securing their marriage license.

It should be an easy task; however, when Mel and Jack go in to get their license, it turns out there has been a major oversight on Jack’s part when it comes to the paperwork required. While Mel has all of her paperwork in order, Jack has failed to bring dissolution papers to prove his marriage to his ex-wife has indeed ended and he has to head out to Sacramento to see his ex-wife, who he hasn’t spoken to in 30 years, to get the necessary paperwork for their wedding license. 

Heartland star Michelle Morgan plays Jack’s ex-wife in Virgin River

When Jack arrives at the home of his ex-wife, Netflix pulled off an unexpected surprise by casting Heartland favorite Michelle Morgan as Jack’s ex-wife, Mandy, and the pair share a really touching scene. 

We find that Mandy found love and started a family of her own with her oldest now about to attend Berkley, which was where she and Jack intended on attending together before he enlisted in the military and their marriage fell apart. The pair talk through their past together and what led to them parting ways, giving us a bit more clarity on their backstory and they end on a really sweet note. 

“I guess we both ended up right where we were supposed to be,” Mandy reflects as they part ways following a really sweet conversation. 

The scene might have only lasted a few short minutes, but it was one of our favorite scenes from the season and it was made even more impactful by Morgan’s amazing performance! Casting the Heartland star in the role of Jack’s ex-wife was honestly one of Netflix’s greatest decisions as it was so much fun getting to see Morgan make a brief cameo in the season as Jack’s ex-wife. 

Our only qualm is that in playing Jack’s ex-wife, we aren’t likely to see her make another appearance in the show down the line as there’s really no point in bringing Mandy back into the mix. As she said to Jack, they’ve each ended up right where they were supposed to be and that scene gave both Jack and the audience the closure they needed for that storyline. 

Virgin River season 6 is streaming now on Netflix.