Virgin River: We All Wish for Doc to Be Mel's Dad, But There's One Problem
Could the writers risk making Doc Mel's father?
Virgin River went into its first mid-season break with a bang. The first part of Season 5 answered many of the questions left over from Season 4 and set up some exciting new storylines. We finally found out who the father of Charmaine's babies is and saw several new couples find each other on screen.
However, all of these twists and turns have been eclipsed by one Season 5 cliffhanger that has taken fan discussions by storm. And that is the mystery of Mel's biological father.
The Mystery Correspondence
In the mid-season finale, the protagonists, preparing for their first on-screen Christmas celebration, learn some shocking news: Mel has far more ties to Virgin River than she originally thought.
While doing her annual pre-holiday cleaning, Mel's sister Joey finds their late mother's old box containing a series of letters from a mysterious man who lives in Virgin River. From the letters, Joey learns of a torrid affair between the two and the fact that Mel's is in fact a result of that affair.
The Wishful Thinking
While the new big twist does seem forced to many viewers (after all, we all saw that Mel chose Virgin River at random), absolutely everyone can't help but be intrigued. Fan discussions are filled with speculation about who Mel's father might be.
Of course, there is one prevailing theory (or rather hopeful thought) that the mystery man is none other than Vernon 'Doc' Mullins.
The relationship between Mel and Doc is one of the best on the show. They went from something of a feud and Doc's open resistance to hiring Mel as a nurse for his practice to a deep bond and mutual support.
At this point, these two are bursting with the father-daughter duo dynamic. And of course we all want them to become the real father and daughter. But there is one big but.
The Doc Issue
The problem is that Doc already has a surprise family. We all remember how Danny, who made his shocking appearance in the Season 3 finale, turned out to be Doc's grandson.
His father was the child of Doc's college girlfriend, who decided to raise the son on her own. But when all his family died and he was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, Danny came to Virgin River to meet and spend some time with his last living relative.
This storyline, which developed throughout Season 4, can't help but raise one big question: Could Doc have two secret children?
Let's face it: The odds of that are almost non-existent, and it looks like the creators will have to come up with another satisfying candidate to keep things from getting too repetitive.
Fortunately, we won't have to wait too long to find out if Doc is Mel's father. The holiday specials premiering on November 30th are set to provide the answer to this mystery.