Virgin River season 5 episode 11 recap: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Virgin River season 5 episode 11, "The More the Merrier".

The Virgin River community has been through a lot in season 5 but with two episodes remaining to wrap things up, it is time for the show to bring in some Holiday cheer into the fold. As Jack and Mel prepare to host a big family Christmas, the question of the identity of Mel's biological father looms larger and larger. Meanwhile, Lizzie worries about telling her mother that she is pregnant. Will everyone confront the truth this Christmas?

Let's recap this new episode of Virgin River season 5, part 2.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Last time we saw Mel and Jack, the former was finding out that her sister had gotten her hands on a stack of love letters written from someone in Virgin River to their mother, and that she believed the mysterious sender to be Mel's father. Now we pick things up on a frosty morning as Mel and Jack wander through the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree for their first holiday season together. Talking about all the family they have coming into town for the occasion, the subject of the letters come up and Jack asks if Mel has given thoughts to whether she wants to find out who her biological father is or not.

The fact is that Mel is curious about it, so when her sister Joey shows up a little later and brings the letters with her, the questions about when their mother started to have an affair and with whom start piling up until Mel has to admit she wants to know the truth about what went down back then. She enlists the help of Jack, who believes helping her find her real father is the best Christmas present he could get her, although she insists jewelry would be nice too.

But is it really Christmas without some family drama? Because as much as Jack and Mel want to gather all their family around for the holiday, people keep bailing out. One of Jack's sisters can’t make it because she is snowed in in Boston, and when Jack's recently divorced parents arrive in town, all hell breaks loose. Amelia has brought her new boyfriend Javier with her, and Sam, her ex, is less than happy with this unexpected guest. When he shows up at Brie's door, interrupting a lovely time she is having with Mike, Brie realizes Christmas with her parents is not going to be relaxing.

Tinsel all the way

Meanwhile, at Doc’s and Hope’s, the upcoming Virgin River Christmas tree decorating competition is being taken very seriously. Hope is tired of losing to reigning champs Nick and Jo Ellen, and she has decided this year the victory will be hers (and Vernon's, but mostly hers).

In between cups of (virgin) eggnog, Lizzie mentions that she still hasn’t told her mother that she is pregnant. She is happy that Hope and Doc are cool with the fact that they will soon be great-grandparents, although it appears it took Hope a moment to get on board, but she is pretty sure her mother will throw a fit about it. Hope reminds her she cannot avoid it forever and Lizzie agrees to break the news to her mother that very same day.

Over at Jack’s bar, Preacher talks on the phone with Paige about her dead husband’s body that was found in the woods and that they hope will not bring them a load of troubles… But there is no time to really dwell on that just yet because Preach has a toy drive to run! Plus he and Kaia are still seeing each other, talking about doing a polar plunge on Christmas eve and nurturing their blossoming relationship.

• Virgin River filming locations

The hunt for Father Christmas

Now that Mel wants to find her father, she and Jack must do a little bit of investigating to find the mystery man. All they have are the love letters written to Mel’s mother, but they feature a PO box which Jack figures they can trace back with the help of Virgin River’s old postmaster. Their first stop is then to ask Hope who that was in the late 1980s. They find her at the Christmas market, where Brady is busy ice-skating with his new girlfriend Lark, Brie is keeping her father calm with the help of mulled wine and Charmaine jokes that she feels like she has been pregnant for years (it's season 5 of the show and she announced her pregnancy in season 1, so she isn’t wrong…).

Hope she gives Mel and Jack a new clue: Chip Cooper was the postmaster and Lydie might be able to tell them where to find him, because they used to date and may still be in touch. Oh you bet they are, because when Mel and Jack ask Lydie about Chip, she admits they are still quite friendly (but don’t tell the ladies of the sewing circle). She adds that Chip is currently playing Santa over in Clear River, so off Mel and Jack go to continue their scavenger hunt.

Before the couple can talk to Santa Chip, they have to get in line, which gives us time to catch up with Doc and Denny, who are having another one of their trademark heart-to-heart. Vernon confesses he is worried about the clinical trial he is on and whether or not it will save his sight, while Denny talks about being a soon-to-be father and not wanting to test the baby in utero to find out if he or she might also have Huntington’s disease.

Back to Mel and Jack, they meet with Chip who remembers very well the chap who would come to the post office with love letters… But he did not know his name, nor where he lived. He does recall, however, that “Champ”, as he called him, was the winner for the 1976 Lumberjack Games, which gives Mel and Jack a new clue! With the help of Google, they find out the winner’s name was Everett Reid, and Jack reaches out to Preacher for help with finding him as, of course, Preach “knows a guy.”

We all need a little Christmas

It’s time for the Christmas musical that Cameron and Muriel have put a lot of work on. Before the show starts, Hope catches up with Lizzie and they discuss the whole "you need to tell your mother you are pregnant" thing. The truth is Lizzie just doesn’t want to hear her mother tell her she can’t be one, but Hope reminds her that the key to parenthood is to love one’s child unconditionally. If she can do that, she’ll be fine with her baby. But oops, Deirdre was right behind them when the word "baby" was uttered… so now she knows!

When Muriel and Cameron perform "We need a little Christmas" for their audience, everyone seems to be in the Christmas spirit. Even Amelia and Sam are paying more attention to the show than to each other! But there is always drama right around the corner in Virgin River. After the show, Cameron runs into Michelle, his ex, who is apparently now six months sober and wants to talk. Meanwhile, Brie and Brady have a little catch-up, and Jack finds his father on the way out…of town! He heard from Amelia that she and Javier are moving in together and he doesn’t want to stick around to watch her move on. And there goes Jack’s plan for a big family Christmas!

However as one dad is out, another comes in! Preacher has news for Mel: he knows where her biological father is, and in fact it is right here in Virgin River.

Are Brie and Jack’s plans to spend Christmas with both their parents ruined? Will Mel meet her father? And who the heck is going to win the Christmas tree decorating competition? Find out the answers to all your burning questions in the next episode of Virgin River season 5, part 2, now available on Netflix.