Who Is Mel’s Dad On ‘Virgin River’? Season 5, Part 1’s Cliffhanger, Explained

From an unexpected pregnancy announcement to a long-awaited baby daddy reveal, Virgin River Season 5, Part 1 delivered some crucial information, while ultimately leaving fans with one burning question: Who is Mel’s biological father?

In the final scene of Season 5, Episode 10, Virgin River flashes forward to the holiday season, where Mel takes a break from decorating with Jack for a very important phone call. Her sister explains that she found a stack of old love letters addressed to their mom, and the letters suggest she was having an affair with someone in — wait for it — Virgin River! The mystery man, Mel’s sister explains, is likely Mel’s biological dad. So obviously, Season 5, Part 2 shows Virgin River’s beloved nurse practitioner searching for her long-lost father.

Who is Mel’s dad on Virgin River? Is the man still alive? Has he moved? Is he someone fans already know? Or is he a new face in town? Here’s everything you need to know about Mel’s search for answers, including quotes from Decider’s interview with showrunner Patrick Sean Smith. Just be warned, Virgin River Season 5, Part 2 spoilers lie ahead.

Who Is Mel’s Dad On Virgin River?

When Mel’s sister comes to visit for the holidays, Mel decides she wants to search for her biological dad, and Jack (eager to give Mel the greatest Christmas present of all time) offers his full support. The two embark on a daddy scavenger hunt of sorts, but because they only know the mystery man by his pen name, Champ, they ask Hope who the postmaster was back when the letters were written in the early 80s.

Hope tells the couple a man named Chip Cooper was on mail duty back in the day, and she points them to Ricky’s grandma Lydie for more info. Why? Because Lydie and Chip are still, shall we say…in touch. (Get it, Lydie!) After Mel and Jack promise they won’t tell the sewing circle ladies about her relationship with Chip, Lydie reveals he’s working as a Santa at the Clear River Community Center, so they head to Santa’s workshop for more answers.

After showing Chip the letters from Champ, he says the town was all caught up in the romance between Mel’s mom and the mystery man. The two would exchange letters every week, but eventually they stopped coming, Champ stopped paying for his PO Box, and Chip never saw him again. Though he wasn’t sure where Champ lived, Chip remembered “he was as kind as they come,” charming, and funny — but not humble, because he wouldn’t stop bragging about winning the 1976 Lumberjack Games. (Apparently that’s how he got his nickname!)

Upon Googling the winner of the games, Mel learns her dad’s name is Everett Reid, but she can’t see his face in the photo, because it’s covered by a trophy. Ahead of the big reveal, some fans predicted that Doc would wind up being Mel’s biological dad, and while the series went in another direction, Virgin River‘s showrunner told Decider that the writers did consider having Doc be the dad at one point.

“In the beginning when we started to explore the storyline, we thought about the obvious one being Doc. But he was already such an important part of her life as a surrogate father, that the idea of attaching biology to it felt unnecessary,” Smith explained. “And then looking at the other characters, they all kind of already came with their own story or their own baggage. So bringing in somebody new, we anticipate for Season 6, would be able to create a new dynamic in the character relationships not just with Mel but with other people in the town.”

After realizing that Daddy Reid has no phonebook listing, Jack calls Preacher and gets the private investigator who found Christopher on the case. By the end of Episode 11, we have a location. It turns out Everett is still living in Virgin River!

Who Plays Mel’s Dad, Everett Reid? Meet John Allen Nelson

At the top of Virgin River‘s Season 5 finale, aptly titled “Father Christmas,” Mel and Jack show up at Everett’s house on Christmas Eve and Mel knocks on his door despite a “No Solicitors” sign. When a man opens the door and asks who’s looking for Everett Reid, Mel says, “His daughter. I found love letters addressed to my mother, Sarah Jenson.” He tells her he’s not the man she’s looking for and he doesn’t know where she can find him. But when he runs to the kitchen to turn off a timer, Mel sees the same trophy from the Lumberjack Games photo on his shelf and assumes he doesn’t want to meet her.

Curious who plays Everett Reid on Virgin River? The new (well, technically old) Virgin River resident is played by John Allen Nelson, a 64-year-old actor and screenwriter from San Antonio, Texas. If Nelson looks familiar, you may know him from more than 50 IMDb credits, which include roles in Baywatch, 24, Crisis, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. You may also know from his long-running stint as Warren Lockridge on Santa Barbara in the 80s. But you’re about to meet him as Mel’s father on Virgin River. That’s right! Everett Reid IS Mel’s father after all.

When Mel gets back to the car she tells Jack the man was her dad but he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. She’s upset, but ultimately happy she got clarity. And though Mel celebrates Christmas without her biological dad, he shows up at her cabin with seconds to spare in the season.

“You look so much like your mom. Seeing you just broke my heart all over again. I didn’t know what to say,” he explains. “I didn’t lie. I’m not the man who wrote those letters, not anymore — not since your mom died…I don’t know what you wanted to say to me or what you wanted me to say back. I don’t know if you wanted me in your life or just wanted to ask me for a kidney or something. By the way, I am your father. And I’m here now.” He gives Mel a stack of love letters from her mom in case she wants to hear her voice again, and the season ends with him saying, “I’ve got something important I need to tell you.”

Yep! We’ve got another Mel’s dad cliffhanger on our hands ahead of Season 6! And showrunner Patrick Sean Smith assures us the final line of Season 5 is “definitely a bit of a bombshell” for Mel and Everett’s relationship and “it’s “something that informs a lot of what’s happening in Season 6.”

Until new episodes arrive, Virgin River Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix for any and all rewatch needs.