The town called Viking River is not without drama, misunderstandings, and even disagreements.
Virgin River season 6 gave us a pretty big surprise, as we immediately realized that Mel’s biological father didn’t get along well with Doc, who had become her father figure since she moved there.
The tension between Doc and Everett is so intense that it could be cut open with a scalpel, but it takes a minute to figure out what the real source of that tension is.
The Doctor and Everett had a feud before Mel arrived
Initially, Mel himself seemed to be the source of tension between them.
Mel believes there was some form of friction, and perhaps jealousy, behind both men’s actions.
Doc has been Mel’s main father figure since she stepped into Virgin River after a rocky start. Over the years, their relationship has grown into something meaningful and special.
Over the years, Doc had no idea he had a child of his own, so he and Mel developed a well-deserved kinship that led him to view her as a daughter.
When she agreed to marry Jack, she even asked him to walk her down the aisle, the highest honor she could give him.
Meanwhile, Mel discovers that her father has been in Virgin River and didn’t meet Everett until the Virgin River vacation.
She spent a lot of time in Virgin River season 6 getting to know him and trying to make up for lost time. Mel is also overly enthusiastic about it, which would give anyone the impression that these two are overwhelmed by the intensity of her feelings for them.
But Mel soon learned, through comments and reactions from the sewing community and others, that tensions between the men existed long before her arrival.
Mel asks Everett to walk her down the aisle and disinvites the doctor
Adding to the rivalry and some drama between the two men, in an effort to get to know her biological father better, she made another momentous move by asking him to walk her down the aisle and sing a song he wrote for her mother song.
Unfortunately for Doc, this marginalized him and she severely hurt his feelings by switching him from walking her down the aisle to reading at her wedding.
Doc wanted Mel to be happy, so he couldn’t resist, but it obviously hurt his feelings and made him miserable.
This also did nothing but exacerbate his resentment and other problems with Everett, especially since he kept insisting that Everett would only hurt Mel.
Everett stubbornly refused any treatment opportunities from doctors
Everett has seemed to have some health issues throughout the season. His cough immediately caught Mel’s attention and she went to see him in his cabin for the first time.
But he actively refused to go to a clinic to seek examination or basic medical care from a doctor.
When Everett fell ill, Mel was adamant and had to take a reluctant Everett to the doctor for a check-up.
Once there, Doc was still professional, but getting people in the same room was still difficult.
Doctor at accident scene refuses to use Everett’s assistance
In a lovely move, Everett took Mel to the Virgin River, a place her mother used to love to visit, where her mother planted a bouquet of wildflowers.
It was a great bonding adventure for father and daughter as they got to know each other.
However, they encounter an accident when a rockslide threatens the lives of multiple people in the car, including the couple and pregnant woman Mel is caring for at the birthing center.
Mel asked Everett to take action with her, helping her apply a tourniquet and comforting a woman trapped in a car. He even bonded with the lovely woman over her love of chocolate and other such things.
But when Doc shows up on the scene, he’s furious that Everett is there and insists that he’s nothing more than a distraction, another danger that gets in the way of him and the firefighters doing their job to help everyone.
It’s another tense interaction between the two that leaves everyone wondering what’s causing their problems.
Doctors blame Everett for Jordan’s death
We finally found out the source of the tension between these two in Vikings Season 6 Episode 8.
Doc goes to visit the grave of a young patient of his who tragically died in 1999.
In many ways, Doug blames himself for not helping Jordan or potentially saving him in his final moments, even though he probably wasn’t able to do that.
The doctor wasn’t at Jordan’s bedside, however, because he had to deal with another emergency: Everett had crashed his car.
For years, Doc believed that Everett got drunk one night, went for a joyride and crashed his car into a tree, endangering not only the lives of everyone around him, but himself as well.
When doctors saved him, Everett told them to let him die. When the doctor is away, a little boy really wants to die, but Everett wants to die, which makes the doctor even more angry.
Everett’s ‘joy ride’ was a tragic suicide attempt
Everett handles Doug’s accusations and pain well as they stand at Jordan’s gravesite. He astutely points out, Doctor, that it is not him who needs to be forgiven, but himself.
But Everett also shared the truth about what happened that night.
He wasn’t taking a reckless “joyride” like Doc thought. Instead, that’s when Mel’s mother and the love of his life, Sarah, died.
He also contacted Mel’s father in hopes of starting a relationship with his daughter, but Mel’s other father refused on the grounds that it would be too confusing and stressful for her after losing her mother.
Everett’s last hope was dashed when he drank on purpose and drove himself into a tree because he felt like he had nothing left in his life.
His car accident was a cry for help and a moment of clear crisis. Essentially, young Jordan lost his life, but the Doctor did save another person, but it’s unknown exactly how.
The two have since gotten along harmoniously, with Everett in particular thanking the doctors for saving his life so he could see and spend time with his daughter.
He’s also grateful for the care he’s taken for Mel since she came to Virgin River, and they have a quiet rapport as two father-like figures who love Mel to the core.
They effectively settled the feud.
Sound off below, Virgin River fanatics!
