Netflix is giving “Virgin River” fans an early Christmas gift: a brand new season of the series.
Before Season 6 drops on Dec. 19 (and a lot happens, as this recap shows), you may need a quick refresher on all the major highlights from Season 5.
From pregnancies and miscarriages to proposals and arrests, here’s everything you need to remember from “Virgin River” Season 5 and the 2023 holiday episodes before watching the new season.
What happens to Mel and Jack in Season 5?
Mel has a miscarriage
When Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) learned that she was pregnant with Jack’s (Martin Henderson) baby, she was thrilled but cautious since she’s experienced multiple miscarriages and a stillbirth in the past.
Tragedy strikes in Season 5 when Mel suffers a miscarriage as she’s taking care of patients during an emergency in town (a massive fire).
After grieving the loss of her child, Mel later accepts that she may be destined to become a mother in another way, perhaps through adoption.
Mel makes plans to create a Virgin River birthing center
When she returns to the clinic after a temporary hiatus, Mel dreams up a plan to create a Virgin River birthing center where she and her colleagues can offer a plethora of services to local women, including postpartum care, lactation counseling and more. Doc (Tim Matheson) is on board with the idea.
Jack encounters a big obstacle with his glamping business
When Jack first partnered with Melissa (Barbara Pollard) to start his glamping business, he wasn’t aware that she was into some illegal activity. When Melissa is arrested, the FBI swoops in and shuts down Jack’s business as part of the investigation.
Jack and Mel decide to build a new home
When the Virgin River fire destroys the farm Tara (Stacey Farber) owns, she decides to sell the property. Mel hears that the only item that survived the fire was a tire swing, and she feels nostalgic thinking about the tire swing she and her sister used to have.
Mel promptly asks Jack what he thinks about buying the property and building a house of their own. He eagerly agrees and suggests that the property would be a great place to get married.
Mel meets her biological father
After learning that she’s not actually related to the man who she thought was her dad, Mel embarks on a quest to find her biological father. In the Season 5 holiday episodes, she meets him.
At first, Everett (John Allen Nelson) tries to deny that they’re related, but later admits to it and tells Mel that he was simply overwhelmed when he saw her because she looks just like her late mother.
Everett then declares that he has something “important” to share with Mel.
What happens to other Virgin River residents in Season 5?
Charmaine gives birth to her twins
When Jack first learned he wasn’t in fact the father of Charmaine’s (Lauren Hammersley) twins, it was a tough pill to swallow. Throughout Season 5, he comes to terms with the fact that he won’t become a father anytime soon.
Mel agrees to be Charmaine’s midwife and comes to her rescue when she goes into labor right before Christmas. She’s understandably flabbergasted to see Calvin (David Cubitt) arrive at the clinic with the expectant mother and learns that he’s the father of her two sons.
Everyone in town thought Calvin was dead, but Charmaine tells Mel that he cut a deal with the FBI when he worked with them to take down Melissa. Afterwards, he entered the witness protection program.
Brie and Brady break up and start dating other people
Brie (Zibby Allen) and Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) have tried so hard to make their relationship work, but they break things off in Season 5. Fret not, neither of them wastes time finding a new love interest.
Brie cozies up to local police officer Mike (Marco Grazzini), who was working undercover with Brady. Meanwhile, Brady gets close to Lark (Elise Gatien), a Virgin River resident he first encountered after saving her daughter during a fire.
Unbeknownst to Brady, Lark is connected to Jimmy (Ian Tracey), a criminal from prior seasons who’s keen on Lark keeping tabs on Brady.
Lizzie and Denny are expecting a baby
Denny (Kai Bradbury) and Lizzie’s (Sarah Dugdale) relationship blossoms and the two learn that they’re expecting a baby. In the holiday episodes, Lizzie reveals that she’s having a baby girl.
The expectant mother is hesitant to tell her own mom about her pregnancy, and things turn awkward when the news slips out inadvertently. Soon enough, Lizzie’s mom is on board and excited to become a grandmother.
Doc joins a clinical trial and decides to renew his wedding vows with Hope
When a spot opens up in a clinical trial for macular degeneration, Doc takes a chance and decides to enroll even though it’s not guaranteed to work.
In other news, Doc also asks Hope (Annette O’Toole) to renew their wedding vows during a romantic surprise proposal. He’s also looking forward to walking Mel down the aisle at her wedding to Jack.
Preacher has a new love interest and a looming legal issue
When Vince (Steve Bacic) was arrested early on in the season, he told Mike that Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Paige (Lexa Doig) killed his twin brother Wes (also played by Bacic). Luckily, Mike reassured Preacher that there was no reason to investigate it.
Unfortunately, a fire in Virgin River leads police to identify Wes’ buried body and leaves Preacher to worry that he may be implicated in the investigation.
On a positive note, Preacher does have a new interest: a firefighter named Kaia (Kandyse McClure). Over the course of the season, Preacher’s feelings grow deeper for Kaia and he tells her he loves her. Since she’s still reeling from a breakup with her husband, Kaia prefers to take things slow, but she does end up taking a job as the local fire chief so she can explore her new romance with Preacher.
Cameron and Muriel’s romance blossoms
Cameron (Mark Ghanime) and Muriel (Teryl Rothery) take their relationship public in Season 5. In the holiday episodes, Cameron’s ex unexpectedly appears in Virgin River. She declares that she’s now sober and would like to give their relationship another try.