He’s the man we’ve technically never met, but Virgin River has been hugely affected by Mark’s death – and now it could shape Mel’s future.
These days, it’s all about Mel and Jack’s wedding. But before she became a beloved resident of Virgin River, Mel had a complex life back in Los Angeles. A certified nurse practitioner and midwife, she upped sticks after some personal trauma, which led her to Jack’s door.
They’ve been dating since the first season, and their journey has not been without its hardships (who can forget the Charmaine saga?). Now, fans will finally get to watch them tie the knot.
But nothing on this show ever happens without looking back to the past, and Virgin River Season 6 will almost undoubtedly honor the death of Mel’s late husband Mark.
How did Mark die in Virgin River?
Mark died in hospital following a collision with a truck while Mel was in the car. Remember, this took place before the events of Virgin River began.
Mark appears in flashbacks throughout multiple seasons of the binge-worthy TV show, but we learn the most about his marriage to Mel in Season 1. He’s effectively why she relocated to the small town in the first place.
Much like Mel’s infertility issues later on in the show, the couple had a difficult time getting pregnant. They had a miscarriage with their daughter before beginning IVF – which Mark later tells Mel he no longer wants to pursue.
Mel finds this difficult to take on board, telling Mark in the car that she wants to take a break from their marriage now it feels like they want different things. This shocks Mark, who briefly takes his eye off the road… and you know what happens next. He died with Mel by his side in hospital.
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Mark will likely be honored in Mel and Jack’s wedding
Six seasons later and Mel is now getting remarried to Jack – and it goes without saying that memories of Mark will be brought up along the way.
Mark has already impacted a great deal of the pair’s troubled romance throughout previous episodes. Mel tells Jack on multiple occasions that she doesn’t think life will ever get better after what happened to Mark, wracked with the guilt of being partly complicit in his death.
Jack assures her that she will learn to live alongside loss – and he’s right. Heading into Virgin River Season 6, the couple has never been so loved-up or solid. They currently don’t have the pressure of having children on their shoulders (they had their own miscarriage in Season 5), so all energy is being fed straight back into their romance.
But with Melinda Monroe about to become Melinda Sheridan, Mark’s legacy will no doubt be playing on her mind. Logic tells us it’s going to be addressed head-on in some way – don’t forget Mel refused to give the engagement ring to Mark’s sister Stacie, which belonged to their grandmother.
This will likely be in the run-up to the big day rather than the actual wedding itself. Virgin River tends to tackle ghosts in the closet in great detail, playing on people’s minds before exploding into a mess that takes forever to clear up. If anything, Mel could be brooding over what has been for most of the series.
We won’t know for definite until Virgin River Season 6 drops on December 19, but it’s a confident wager.
In the meantime, find out what Everett has to say to Mel and the rundown on the 1972 flashbacks. You can also check out more TV shows streaming this month.
