If there’s one thing we can count on in this ever-changing world, it’s that each season of Virgin River will take viewers on an emotional roller coaster.
Season 6 of Netflix’s hit small-town drama, based on Robyn Carr’s beloved book series, featured several returning characters, serious medical emergencies, 70s flashbacks, an elaborate con, an intense murder trial, bachelor and bachelorette parties, a long-awaited love confession, a runaway bride and groom, and more — and that was just in the first nine episodes!
Virgin River‘s Season 6 finale picked up right where the penultimate episode left off. Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) had just ridden away from their wedding ceremony on horseback after Mel explained she couldn’t walk down the aisle with ghosts of her past floating around in her head.
So do Mel and Jack get married in Virgin River‘s Season 6 finale? Does Mel’s dad Everett (John Allen Nelson) recover from his heart attack? Do Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and Lark (Elise Gatien) stay together? Does Brie (Zibby Allen) tell Mike (Marco Grazzini) about the lingering love she has for her ex? Will the investigation into Vernon (Tim Matheson) ruin his career? And what inevitable cliffhangers with Virgin River leave us to ponder until Season 7? (Yes, it’s already been renewed!) We’ve got answers.
Decider’s Virgin River Season 6 ending explained article breaks down the biggest moments from the finale. Just be warned, Virgin River spoilers lie ahead.
Virgin River Season 6 Ending Explained: Virgin River Season 6, Episode 10 Recap
As noted, Virgin River‘s Season 6 finale, “The Big Day,” picked up right where the penultimate episode ended. Our runaway — or should we say ride away — bride-and-groom-to-be arrived at a special spot in Virgin River and hopped off their horse to chat. Mel asked Jack why he brought her there, and the show flashed back to them skipping rocks, sitting, and falling for each other in that very location shortly after they first met. Awww!
Meanwhile, back at Wedding HQ, Hope, Preacher (Colin Lawrence), Joey (Jenny Cooper) and the rest of the town wondered where Virgin River‘s most highly-anticipated married couple were. They’re processing the last 12 hours, people! And really, the last few (extremely chaotic) years! These two have been through a lot. They deserve to take a moment.
Mel apologized to Jack for hesitating on their big day, and Jack reminded her that earlier that morning they were rushing her father into surgery unaware if he’d survive or not. Mel got emotional over the thought of losing Everett, and it brought back all the pain and fear from losing her mom, her husband, and her daughter. “I don’t want to bring all this with me. I don’t want to walk down the aisle with ghosts,” she said. “I feel like I’m ruining what’s supposed to be the happiest day of our lives.”
Do Mel And Jack Get Married On Virgin River?
Supportive, reassuring, and romantic as always, Jack assured Mel, “I accept your past — broken places and all — just like when you accepted mine, holding the good and the bad at the same time. I want all of it.” The two easily could have postponed their wedding and the entire town would have understood, but seeing how Jack stepped up and got vulnerable alongside her reminded Mel that she didn’t want to wait another day without marrying her man.
The decision came just in time, because Hope was struggling to stall, and attendees were growing restless — including Lark, who asked Brady what took him so long to get lemonade earlier. Unaware that Lark heard his entire conversation with Brie (in which he assured Brie he’ll always love her and still thinks she’s the one for him) Brady said he just got talking to people, which made Lark visibly upset. Also having an awkward conversation? Preacher, who attempted to assure Kaia (Kandyse McClure) that he didn’t mean anything about her or her marriage in his speech earlier. Kaia told him that maybe marriage just wasn’t for her, but before the two could dive deeper, Jack and Mel arrived and everyone took their places.
Before he stepped up to marry the love of his life, Jack slipped away for another surprise and returned wearing his Marines uniform, which delighted Mel. With her father in the hospital, Vernon walked Mel down the aisle, she repeated Jack’s perfect vows back to him, and finally the two were pronounced husband and wife.
After seeing the wonderful wedding Hope planned and remembering that she always shows up and goes “to extremes” for her loved one, Vernon understood that she accidentally made the investigation into his medical license worse and apologized. During cocktail hour, Brady and Kaia caught up about their love lives over Mel-tinis and Jack and Gingers, with Brady encouraging Kaia not to let her past get in the way of her relationship with Preach, and Kaia reminding him he should choose between Brie and Lark once and for all.
After the potluck reception commenced, Jack heard special words from his father and Preacher gave a moving best man speech, featuring a joke about Jack’s ex-girlfriends which made Jack and Mel realize that Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) was mysteriously a no-show. Before they could read too much into her absence, however, it was time to cut the cake and have their first dance!
What Happened To Mel’s Dad, Everett?
When the music started to play, a confused Mel told Jack it wasn’t their first dance song, awhich led to another surprise Jack had been cooking up with Hope and Vernon, Mel’s dad, suited up after being sprung from the hospital, was there performing the song Mel initially requested he sing to honor her mom.
On one hand, I was sobbing. On the other hand, I was deeply stressed over this man performing mere HOURS after having a heart attack and emergency surgery to put a stent in! But this is Virgin River, a place where we don’t question borderline non-sensical miracles. We embrace them! And we cry tears of joy! So yeah, that totally tracked!
After a beautiful performance, Mel and her dad had a heart-to-heart, during which Everett admitted, ” Because of you, this heart of mine is finally starting to heal.” Turns out, he only got permission to briefly attend the ceremony with a medical escort: Dr. Cameron Hayek (Mark Ghanimé)! Before Cameron headed out with Everett, he checked in with Muriel (Teryl Rothery) and told her he wished he could be there to see her through her breast cancer treatment. She assured him she had plenty of people in her corner, and after a hug goodbye, Muriel returned to her dashing wedding date.
Brady & Brie & Lark & Mike: The Plot Thickens
All the romance and wedding vibes pushed several Virgin River couples closer and tore others apart. Denny (Kei Bradbury) and Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) vowed to savor their relationship and not rush to get married. Kaia and Preacher realized they had nothing but time to figure out their future. And Lark brought up Brie before pressing Brady about their deal to be honest with each other. He admitted that he talked to Brie, but only so she’d give Lark the benefit of the doubt. Lark — who knew he was lying — went to find Hazel, who was still playing Candy Crush on Brady’s phone. Before she and Brady two parted ways, Lark said, “Just remember, this is your fault.” Brady assumed she was talking about the phone game…but was she? Stay tuned…
Think Brady was the only one with relationship drama in the Season 6 finale? Guess again. Mel and Kaia found Brie in tears over her conflicting feelings for Brady and Mike. Brie came clean about sleeping with Brady, and Mel said that if she couldn’t choose between the two, the kindest thing to do was let them both go. Mere minutes after that chat, Mike asked Brie on a walk, and Brady went looking for Lark, only to learn she left with Hazel, quit her housekeeping job, and fully cleaned out his bank account. The conwoman got burned and decided to burn Brady back after all!
In case your heart rate wasn’t high enough, Mike spontaneously proposed to Brie, which prompted her to tell him she slept with Brady. His response? Brace yourselves. Truly brace yourselves. The man replied, “I know.” Perhaps Jack’s bachelor party shed some light on Brie and Brady’s current status…
What Happened To Charmaine?
After an extremely sexy wedding night, Mel and Jack awoke the next morning happy, in love, and starving. Jack headed out for breakfast on the condition that he check on Charmaine, who was still MIA. Mel worried that Char’s phone was going straight to voicemail and she was in the process of taking a restraining order on Calvin. Jack agreed, so long as Mel remained home, and it’s a good thing she did, because she got a visitor…
Vernon went straight back to work the day after the wedding, but his shift was cut short when he received a notice from the California State Medical Board informing him that his medical license was suspended pending an investigation. Hope got a call from a woman on the Grace Valley Hospital Board of Directors earlier that morning who explained that Grace Valley was looking at expanding their network into Virgin River, wants the clinic, and wants Vernon out of the picture. “Not without one hell of a fight,” he assured her.
So who was Mel’s visitor? Her pregnant patient Marley (Rachel Drance), there to inform her that the prospective parents for her baby were backing out of the adoption, so she wanted Mel and Jack to parent and raise her child in Virgin River!!! In true Virgin River fashion, we couldn’t solely end with good news…
In the final Season 6 scene, Jack arrived at Char’s house, let himself in through an open door, found the living room trashed, and followed the sound of music to the twins’ nursery. He slowly opened the door and his face fell at the sight of what was on the other side. What did he see?We’ll have to wait until Season 7 to find out.
No doubt, Calvin is involved in whatever mess is about to unfold, but the end credits rolled before we got any answers. Is Charmaine dead? Did Calvin takes the twins? Or did something even more expected happen? For now, all we can do is wonder and wait…
Virgin River Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.
