Warning: Spoilers ahead from the Virgin River season 6 premiere!
It's finally time to catch up with our favorite small town characters in the long-awaited Virgin River season 6. The new season arrived in full on Dec. 19, just in time for a nice cozy and comforting binge-watch during the holiday break.
When we last left Mel and Jack and the rest of the Virgin River crew in the season 5 finale, the ending kept us on the hook with a huge question. Everett visited Mel to confirm that he's in fact her birth father. He also brought her letters from her mother as well as a shocking piece of news. However, we don't learn that piece of news... until now!
In addition to Everett's cliffhanger, Virgin River season 6 returns with lots more questions to answer, including what's going on with that shocking Preacher reveal and will Brie and Brady act on those sparks that were definitely flying on Christmas? Let's get into a recap of season 6's first episode, which features a bit of a time jump right into the center of excitement.
Here's your last spoiler warning!
Doc doesn't like Everett
The first episode of season 6 opens with a fakeout of wedding, making us viewers think we missed Mel and Jack's wedding. (That bride and groom looked an awful lot like them!) But it's merely a wedding Mel and Jack are walking past in town while talking about their own nuptials in three weeks. Preparations for the big day are in full swing, including Mel's final dress fitting.
During the fitting, the girls ask Mel if her father, Everett, will be attending the wedding, which prompts a flashback to Christmas when he dropped that bomb on Mel. It's revealed that what Everett had to tell Mel wasn't anything serious. (You never know who could be dying on this show!) Instead, the "important" thing Everett told her was that some people won't like him being in her life. "Some people" means Doc.
There are things from his past that he isn't proud of and those things created some enemies, the main one seemingly being Doc. No one knows what happened between Doc and Everett, and neither of them will talk to Mel about the situation either. When Mel asks Doc about Everett's health after noticing respiratory issues during dinner, she gets nowhere.
Mel confronts Everett about her concerns about his health and his inability to talk about the past, and he has a cardiac event. He didn't have a heart attack, but he has atrial fibrillation. Doc and Everett butt heads in the midst of his medical procedure, furthering the question of what exactly happened between them.
Preacher's on trial for murder
Jack and Preacher are working on Mel and Jack's farmhouse, and it's revealed that Preacher will begin his trial in a few days. Clearly, in the span of the season 5 finale during Christmastime, which teased the reveal of the remains being found, and the present day, Preacher's involvement became clear. He's been charged with murder, which isn't just a casual charge.
Thankfully, Brie has taken on his case as his lawyer. She assures Kaia that there's a good chance that she can defend Preacher to a not guilty verdict since the defense's evidence is nothing more than circumstantial. Jack tries to nudge Preacher into bringing Paige into the trial, which would exponentially help his case, but he refuses.
On the first day of the trial, Jack and Kaia arrive at the courthouse to support Preacher. When they enter the lobby, they greet Preacher and Mike and see Brie talking with the DA. It looks like a tense discussion that's overwhelming Brie. She rejoins the group and informs them that she has been given the updated version of the prosector's witness list, and it includes none other than Jack.
Notes from the river:
- Doc's medical trial was successful and his resulting eyesight tests are "clean." Following this reveal early in the episode, it's not mentioned again.
- Mel opened the Virgin River Birthing Center across the way from the clinic.
- Brady get his insurance check and he wants to open a motorcycle shop. However, Lark is scheming with Jimmy to get the check for themselves.
- Hope houses Sugar, the injured horse, at Mel and Jack's barn under the condition that she finds him permanent housing before the wedding.
- Lizzie's getting into the later stages of her pregnancy and that includes lots of discomfort. She pushes Denny to pursue an internship at the clinic with Doc.
- Mel makes progress with Everett about talking about her mother. He shares that her mom took the old photo of him with the guitar and takes her to the spot near where they met.
Watch Virgin River only on Netflix.