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Mel Monroe got the gift of a lifetime in the Virgin River Christmas episodes. After learning that the man she thought was her dad was not her biological father at the end of Virgin River Season 5 Part 1, she set out to find the person with whom her mom had an affair decades earlier. Her search led her in a surprising – and initially heartbreaking – direction. So, who’s the man in question? Keep reading to find out. 

[Warning: The article contains major spoilers for Virgin River Season 5 Episodes 11-12.]  

‘Virgin River’ reveals the identity of Mel’s dad, but their first meeting doesn’t go as she hoped 

Doc touching Mel's arm in the 'Virgin River' Christmas episodes
(L to R) Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins and Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in ‘Virgin River’ Season 5 Episode 12 | Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Virgin River delivered one of its trademarked twists in season 5 episode 10, when Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) discovered that she may have been the result of a relationship between her late mother and a man in Virgin River. In the show’s first-ever holiday episodes, which dropped on Netflix on Nov. 20, Mel and her fiancé Jack (Martin Henderson) set out to discover who the mystery man was. 

Mel had some postcards the man had sent her mother, so her and Jack’s search took them to the former Virgin River postmaster. He gave them a tip that the guy went by the nickname “Champ” because he’d won a lumberjack competition in the mid-1970s. Digging into the newspaper archive pointed Mel to a guy named Everett Reed (John Allen Nelson). But when Mel tracked Everett down at his house, their first meeting didn’t go as she hoped. Everett claimed he didn’t send the love letters and wasn’t Mel’s dad. 

Everett reaches out to Mel – and introduces another ‘Virgin River’ cliffhanger

Smiling Mel standing outside of her cabin with Christmas lights in 'Virgin River'
Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in ‘Virgin River’ Season 5 Episode 12 | Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
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Mel knows that Everett is her biological father, and she’s understandably disappointed that he won’t acknowledge her. But she takes things in stride, focusing on the friends and family she already has in Virgin River. That includes Doc (Tim Matheson), whom she asks to walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding to Jack. 

As episode 12 draws to a close, Mel and Jack are enjoying a cozy Christmas together. He’s just given her an adorable puppy named Pony as a present (“better than jewelry,” he quips). Then, Everett pulls up in his truck. 

“You look so much like your mom,” he says. “Seeing you just broke my heart all over again.” 

He goes on to explain that he lied to Mel at first because he was no longer the same man who wrote those letters to her mother. But he’s realized that he wants to know his daughter. 

“I’m your father. And I’m here now,” he says just before he hands her a package of letters her mother sent him. But that’s not all. 

“Also, I’ve got something important I need to tell you,” he says to a teary-eyed Mel. 

And just like that Virgin River resolves one mystery and introduces a fresh one. What could Everett have to tell Mel? There didn’t seem to be anyone at his house when Mel showed up to introduce herself, but that doesn’t mean Everett is (or has always been) single. Perhaps she’s about to learn she has some half-siblings she didn’t know about. Or, it could be another more surprising secret. Whatever the truth, it sounds like Everett will likely be back for Virgin River Season 6. 

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