Aahana Swrup
‘Virgin River’ Season 6 charts an exciting new chapter in the lives of the titular town’s residents. After learning the real identity of her father, Everett Reid, Mel finds herself in a unique position to discover a whole new side of her mother, Sarah, by building a connection with her newly discovered biological father. However, while Everett is a new addition to Mel’s life, he had previously been a part of the Virgin River community long enough to burn a few bridges. As it turns out, Veron “Doc” Mullins, Mel’s mentor-turned-father-figure, has some grievances with Everett. Throughout the season, the feud between the duo affects their respective relationships with the nurse—often to perilous degrees. Thus, the source behind this rivalry becomes a source of natural curiosity. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Doc Blames Everett for the Death of a Patient
The discord between Doc Mullins and Everett is established early in the latter’s introduction as a central character. With every passing day, Mel has been getting to know Everett better. Yet, she still has no idea why he chooses to live a hermit-like lifestyle away from the town’s center—or why Doc seems to have an eternal gripe with him. On his part, Everett is cagey with his past—something that doesn’t change until the father-daughter duo begins discussing Sarah, their one point of connection. On the other hand, while Doc makes his hatred for the other man clear, he refuses to give a reason for his feelings.
Consequently, Mel remains stuck between two of the most important people in her life. Ever since she arrived in town, Doc has been like a father to her. Inversely, Everett is her actual father, whom she never got to know. Furthermore, she’s able to access a whole new understanding of her mother through him. These emotions—paired with her upcoming wedding—spell out a recipe for disaster. This becomes evident when she makes the tough decision of asking Everett to walk her down the aisle on her big day rather than Doc, who was initially picked out for the role.
Nevertheless, the decades-long rivalry between the two men actually has nothing to do with Mel. In reality, Doc and Everett used to be on good terms in their youth. However, an incident caused a massive cleave between them that changed their dynamic for the worse. Jordan—a young boy was the center of the event—who ultimately died as an indirect result of it. Thus, Doc blames himself and Everett for Jordan’s death and detests the other man for fleeing into the woods to live a life of solitude in his cabin. For the same reason, he remains unsupportive of Mel’s decision to have Everett become a part of her life.
The Tragic Night of Jordan’s Death
Even though Jordan’s death remains at the center of Doc’s dislike for Everett, he doesn’t actually know the entire truth behind the incident. That night, Doc received an emergency call after Everett got into a car accident. He had been drinking and had driven his car into a tree trunk. While Doc was saving his life, Jordan’s health took a turn for the worse. Since Doc wasn’t around, Jordan—his usual patient—had to be taken to some other medical professional for treatment. Even so, Jordan ended up losing his life.
As such, Doc blames himself for Jordan’s death. The young boy was a long-time patient of Doc’s. For the same reason, he knew his medical history and would have been able to treat him more efficiently and quickly. Instead, he had been in the woods, saving Everett’s life. Worse yet, the latter was infinitely ungrateful for Doc’s help, wishing that he would have let him die. Everett was actually trying to commit suicide that night by drinking and driving rashly. Earlier that day, he had received news of Sarah’s untimely death. Despite their separation, Everett never stopped loving Sarah.
Therefore, losing her and receiving confirmation that he would cut out of Mel’s life forever hit Everett all at once. Yet, Doc doesn’t know the details behind his accident. He assumes that the other man was simply drinking and driving as a silly mistake, which ultimately cost them precious time that could have been used to save a boy’s life. As a result, Doc took to holding a grudge against Everett, who allowed him to keep his misconceptions. It isn’t until Everett becomes a vital part of Mel’s life that the two find the opportunity or the inclination to really talk to one another and mend their previously broken bridge.
Read More: Virgin River: Is Grace Valley Hospital a Real Place?
