It’s almost a good thing that we don’t yet know when Virgin River is returning for Season 6, because we’ll need all the time we can get to recover from those holiday bombshells.
As if the first part of Season 5 wasn’t dramatic enough, the Netflix drama followed that up with a pair of Christmas episodes that introduced several potentially game-changing developments, from the confirmation of Lizzie’s pregnancy to the reveal that Brady’s new lady isn’t the sweetheart she appears to be.
There’s also Mel and Jack, who technically welcomed two new members into their family: Pony the puppy, a cheeky nod to Mel’s unfulfilled childhood wish for a pony at Christmas, and Everett, the estranged biological father Mel only recently learned existed.
And that’s only scratching the surface of what went down in Season 5. As we continue to process everything that’s happened to our favorite characters, we’re also assembling our hopes for what Season 6 (and beyond) should have in store for them.
Mel and Jack Get Married
After the hellish season Mel and Jack just endured, including an absolutely devastating miscarriage, these two could really use a win. And what would bring more joy to the couple, the town and humanity at large than a big ol’ wedding?
Alexandra Breckenridge tells TVLine that she’s currently debating several key aspects of Mel and Jack’s big day (hair up vs. hair down, for example), but there are certain things we can probably assume, including that “they’re going to get married on their property … at the new house on the farm.”
Plus, now that Mel’s biological father has entered her life, she has someone to walk her down the aisle — though we’re pretty sure he’ll have to fight Doc for the opportunity.
Lizzie Has Her Baby Girl
We know that time moves differently (and sometimes not at all) in Virgin River, but we simply can’t handle another Charmaine situation, nor would we wish a fake pregnancy belly upon actress Sarah Dugdale for multiple seasons. The time jump before Part 2 of Season 5 proved extremely helpful in advancing several storylines, so our hope is that another will come along to ensure that Lizzie and Denny welcome their baby girl sooner rather than later.
Brie and Brady Get Back Together
A quick disclaimer before we dive into this one: We’re on #TeamMike. A ruggedly handsome, smooth-talking detective with a heart of gold? There’s literally nothing not to love, and for that reason, we’re glad that he appears to have found happiness with Brie.
Here’s the thing, though — we still haven’t given up hope that Brie and Brady will get back together, a feeling reinforced in Part 2 when [1] the exes almost kissed under the mistletoe, and [2] Brady’s new girlfriend revealed herself to be a spy for someone on the inside.
Our guess is that Lark’s duplicity will be exposed towards the end of Season 6, sending a newly single Brady running back to Brie. And our hope is that she will welcome him back with open arms.
Preacher Gets Away With It
Aside from Mel, no one has suffered more at the hands of the Virgin River writers than poor Preacher, whose every attempt at finding his happy ending — be it the job or woman of his dreams — has gone down in flames. Sometimes literally.
So of course Wes’ body would be discovered right as Preacher is settling into a stable relationship with Kaia. This man is always putting himself in jeopardy for other people, and it always comes back to bite him in the butt.
Our hope is that Season 6 marks the end of this dead twin nonsense. Let Paige come back and take full responsibility. Heck, Christopher can take responsibility for all we care. We just need this dark chapter to finally close so we can turn the page to a new (and more interesting) story.
