As Mel and Jack cut down a Christmas tree and interrogate a post office worker-turned-Santa, other Virgin River season 5, part 1 ending plot points come to a head. For starters, Cameron (Mark Ghanime) and Muriel (Teryl Rothery) reassess their relationship and what family really means to them, while Jack’s parents learn to see eye-to-eye for the sake of their own still-growing family. Big moments unfold for Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) as well as Hope (Annette O’Toole) and Doc (Tim Matheson). Needless to say, Virgin River delivers a juicy two-part installment set against a cheerful holiday backdrop that suits the fictional Northern California town well.

Mel Finds Her Biological Father

She Spends Season 5 Searching For Him

In “The More the Merrier,” Netflix’s Virgin River season 5, episode 11, Mel learns more about her mother’s affair. After looking over some of the letters from the mystery man, known only as Champ, she determines that her mom might’ve started the affair after losing a child — something that pushed a wedge between the parents Mel grew up with.

However, Santa is able to deliver on his gift-giving promise when he unearths a crucial memory: Champ got his nickname because he won a lumberjack contest in the ’70s. With more information to go on, Mel and Jack discover the mystery man’s real name: Everett Reid.

When Mel works up the courage to visit Everett, she doesn’t get a very warm welcome. In fact, he pretends not to know Mel’s mom or what she’s talking about; the 1976 Lumberjack Games trophy behind him gives away the lie, but Mel doesn’t linger. Disappointed by her biological father’s actions, she finds comfort in her chosen family — until episode 12’s finale.

Charmaine Finally Gives Birth To Her Twins

Charmaine Had Been Pregnant Since Season 1

Preacher & Kaia Take Their Relationship To The Next Level

Preacher Is In For Another Surprise

For the most part, Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Kaia (Kandyse McClure) are off on their own during the show’s Christmas episodes. While the two are enjoying the holiday atmosphere and taking a chilly plunge in the water, Preacher lets slip that he loves Kaia. Although he tries to take it back, she assures him it’s not something she can just forget.

Lizzie’s Mother Finds Out About Her Daughter’s Life

At the start of the two-part special, everyone in Virgin River who’s heard the news of Lizzie’s pregnancy seems excited for the mother-to-be and Denny (Kai Bradbury). However, Lizzie frets about telling her mom, who’s visiting from out of town for the holidays. When Lizzie skirts around the topic, Hope takes matters into her own hands and asks Lizzie about her hesitancy. It’s clear Lizzie fears her mother’s judgment — and that she won’t be the supportive, maternal figure Lizzie needs. In typical melodrama fashion, Lizzie’s mom hears the two chatting, learning about the pregnancy second hand.

Despite the drama, it all works out just fine. Hope has a chat with Lizzie’s mom, assuring her that Lizzie wants her mother in the picture. After all, there are things Hope won’t know how to help with. It’s a warm, holiday-appropriate moment that leads to Lizzie and her mom talking it all out. Lizzie’s mom worries that her daughter is shouldering too much: caring for a newborn and Denny, who has Huntington’s disease, might be a tall order.

Eventually, Lizzie’s mom sees how much her daughter loves the family she’s made in Virgin River and seems excited about the baby girl to come.

Doc Proposes To Hope

The Two Have Journeyed Back To One Another

After twenty years of pre-show separation, Hope and Doc’s relationship comes to a head in season 1 of Virgin River, culminating in Hope asking for a divorce. The mayor of Virgin River isn’t known for pulling punches, but, despite everything they’ve weathered together and apart, Hope and Doc have found their way back to each other.

This becomes exceedingly apparent in episode 12: while the two are enjoying Virgin River’s holiday lights display, Doc asks Hope to marry him — again. Every good Christmastime drama needs a proposal plot line, and Hope and Doc deliver after the twists and turns of their relationship timeline in Virgin River.

Mel’s Biological Father Ends Virgin River Season 5, Part 2 On A Cliffhanger

The Cliffhanger Sets The Stage For Season 6

Before the credits roll, Everett explains that he has something else important to say, ending the show on a massive cliffhanger ahead of Virgin River season 6.

How The Virgin River Season 5 Ending Sets Up Season 6

Virgin River Season 5 Teases More Information About The Past In Season 6

Though season 6 is set to look forward as a time jump has been teased for the series, it’s also set to explore the past, long before Mel ever came to Virgin River. The final episodes of season 5 tease just that from Mel finding her birth father to him revealing he has something more to tell her.

With her biological father living in Virgin River, the theory has persisted among fans that Mel’s journey in season 6 needs to be about other biological connections in town, like siblings she did not previously know about. That, combined with her wedding, allows two very different avenues of love and connection to be explored in season 6.

How The Virgin River Season 5 Ending Was Received

Season 5’s Ending Was Enjoyed More Than The Entire Season

Fans of Virgin River tune in for cozy romance drama in a small town. For that reason, fans and critics alike believed that season 5 might have been getting a little too bogged down by other even more dramatic storylines, like the crime element. The final episode of the season acted as both a season finale and holiday special, bringing the show back around to its more rom-com elements and storylines involving love and family.

It’s almost as though the series feels like if it doesn’t throw in new development left and right, it’d lose all its charm. But the appeal isn’t in the drama—it’s in the characters and their everyday lives….

Virgin River Season 5 tries too hard when it needs to step back and just be—exist in a place where things can be calm and normal. The dynamics work, the relationships feel entirely earned, and the characterizations are fantastic, but the drama continues to be Virgin River’s downfall.

Though there are sure to be more dramatic storylines that have to finish playing out in season 6, Virgin River proves itself as a cozy small town romance series again and again.