Virgin River season 6 gave viewers more joy – and drama — than ever before, and showrunner Patrick Sean Smith broke down all the crazy reveals, plot twists and cliffhangers with Us Weekly.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 6 of Virgin River.
Season 6 of the small town drama, which hit Netflix on Thursday, December 19, saw various characters’ lives being turned upside down in mere minutes. Just as Doc (Tim Matheson) reached a happy (and healthy) groove with Hope (Annette O’Toole), his medical practice was put into jeopardy; Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally got married but were thrown for a loop when a local teen girl asked Mel to adopt her baby; Charmaine (Laura Hammersley) seemingly disappeared after filing a restraining order on her druglord ex; Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Kaia (Kandyse McClure) found themselves at a major crossroads about their future and Muriel (Teryl Rothery) announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
No drama, however, compared to the ever-evolving messy love triangle between Brie (Zibby Allen), Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) and Mike (Marco Grazzini). Brie and Brady’s impulsive decision to sleep together despite breaking up in season 5 — and being in relationships with other people — caused major fallout, which was only exacerbated by two major finale bombs: Brady confessing he was still in love with Brie and Mike proposing after she confessed her infidelity.
According to Smith, those types of high stakes are what make the trio’s story line so enticing.
“A good love triangle is only as strong as the options you’re presenting, and also looking at the influence that [Brie’s] choice would have on her life,” the showrunner exclusively shared with Us. “So imagining what her future could look like with Brady compared to what it could look like with Mike. And I think that’s where it works really well.”
Brie was previously sexually assaulted by her former boyfriend, and Smith noted that her journey to “heal” from her past is a major contributor to her indecision.
“What Mike presents to her, I think, what she feels like she needs right now, which is safety and consistency and a good man,” he continued. “And Brady offers the opposite, which is also very appealing.”
While season 7 — which was greenlit earlier this year — will continue to unravel many of season 6’s plot points, Smith promised that Mel’s pre-wedding jitters won’t be one of them. (The bride almost bailed on the ceremony after her biological father, Everett, played by John Allen Nelson, had a medical emergency but she ultimately made it down the aisle.)
“For me, it was looking at [Mel] as a character, who has had so many hard times, [and the] anxiety of anticipating your wedding day being a day completely free of any of that. Then your worst case scenario happens when your newly emerged biological father suffers a health scare,” he explained. “It knocks her off balance a little bit, and being off balance is the last thing that I think her character wants to feel as she’s going through this experience with Jack. But I don’t see it coming back again. I see it more as sort of a final lap for her in trying to put the past behind her to start this new chapter in her life with Jack.”
Keep scrolling for more of Smith’s teasers for Virgin River season 7:
Will There Be More ‘Virgin River’ Flashbacks?
Virgin River introduced a new structure in season 6 by flashing back to Everett’s love story with Mel’s mom, Sarah, who died when she was 11 years old. The glimpse into the past, Smith said, was a trial for what a potential prequel spinoff might look like.
“[It would] expand Sarah and Everett’s story more while also expanding and learning more about the history of Virgin River,” Smith told Us. “One reference that was made in the pilot that had never really been explored before was Hope says that the McCrea Cabin is a place that people within 50 miles know all about, which implies there she has a sort of family legacy to this area that we haven’t really gotten to scratch the surface of.”
Smith said that the Sarah and Everett flashbacks are just the beginning of “expanding the Virgin River-verse,” and its history, but worked as a great jumping off point.
“When we committed to the idea of introducing Everett, it felt like a great opportunity as somebody who we know has resided in the area but has kind of removed and isolated himself from the community to have this history and have this relationship to this town and to this area,” Smith explained, adding that it “felt like an opportunity that we could introduce a new couple, which the show has done fairly consistently over the course of the seasons, and not inherit another couple that we have to keep servicing in the present.”
For Smith, Everett and Sarah’s love story resembled Robin Carr’s approach in the Virgin River novels where she introduced a new couple in each book. “And it felt like looking at Mel’s biological parents as having the depth of this epic romance that would be book-worthy,” he continued. “[Something] that could span time, that could be star crossed and could have a pregnancy and a child and a father that wants to be a part of that. And everything just felt like a unique way to explore a couple in this through the lens of this show in a way that we haven’t seen before.”
What’s Up With Hope and Her Ex-Husband?
Season 6 introduced a new character in Hope’s ex-husband, Roland. While a shroud of mystery still surrounds the curmudgeonly horse trainer, the pair clearly have a tumultuous and rich history.
Smith confirmed that Roland will return for season 7 and that past will be delved into further, explore “more of where their relationship didn’t work, but also start to maybe dip a toe into how their relationship did work.”
Smith also said that Hope’s history will continue to expand in various other ways, which will come into play for the potential prequel.
Will Cameron Make Any More Surprise Appearances?
Although Cameron (Mark Ghanime) and Muriel called it quits in season 5, the doctor came back after finding out about her breast cancer diagnosis to help prepare her for the tough road ahead. Fans of the pairing, however, will have to be satisfied with the exes’ season 6 interactions, as Smith told Us their romance is likely a closed chapter.
“I love that relationship, and, I think this season saw a little bit of a sendoff for Cameron,” he explained. “In terms of Mark, the actor who I adore, he unfortunately won’t be coming back for season 7, but that’s not to say that Cameron’s not a part of our world forever.”
As for potential appearances in the future, Smith said, “I would love to bring him back, and bring his character back when the story presents itself.”
Could Brie and Brady Find Their Way Back Together?
After breaking up in season 5, Brie and Brady realized they weren’t quite over each other and gave into their passions on one of Jack’s bar pool tables despite being in relationships with other people. Brady had been dating Lark — the woman who tried to steal all his money — while Brie had sparked a romance with good-guy cop Mike.
The pair struggled with how to handle their infidelity all season, with it culminating in a few major surprises during the finale. Brady confessed his love for Brie at Mel and Jack’s wedding, while Brie came clean to Mike about having sex with Brady.
The season ended in true cliffhanger form when Mike revealed he knew about the tryst but got down on one knee and proposed anyway.
When it comes to Brie and Brady’s future in season 7, Smith wouldn’t give too much away but admitted that the pair’s chemistry is undeniable.
“I’m a practical person. I see and love all the story potential in their chemistry, and in what Zibby and Ben bring every time they get in front of the camera,” he shared, noting that even the executives at Netflix were blown away by Brady’s love confession. “I remember at the table read, our network exec who I love, she texted me or emailed me after and she was like, ‘Oh my God, that scene!’ It was special.”
Smith pointed out, however, that the exes had legitimate issues that caused them to split — even if many of their passionate fans don’t agree. “When people were upset with the breakup in season 5, I was like, ‘He’s working for a fentanyl queen! He’s screwed her brother over repeatedly!’” Smith said with a laugh.
Despite their rocky past, Smith acknowledged that the duo are a very “special” part of the show, and have a dynamic that works “really well” on screen. “I want to be very mindful and careful of it,” he said of their story, “and continue to make it as fresh and exciting and sexy as possible.”
So, Was Mike Always Going to Propose?
Smith said that Brie’s confession and Mike’s subsequent proposal was the original plan, noting it was “part of the pressure cooker” he wanted to put Brie in “with the secret she was sitting on for multiple episodes,” leading her to “confess in order to atone.”
Things slightly changed, however, when Smith realized he wanted to film the proposal two different ways.
“On the day we decided to shoot it two ways and we added his, ‘I know [you slept with Brady].’ And I was like, ‘I just want to see what it looks like in the cut.’”
Smith then ran it by his writing team, and the response was undeniable. “We had a viewing with the writing staff when the episode was cut together. They didn’t know it was going happen,” he recalled. “And when we watched it together and he said that, there were, like, audible gasps and screams in the room, and I was like, ‘I think we’re going with that one!’”
As for how Brie will respond, Smith revealed — just kidding, you know he didn’t tell Us!
Will Mel and Jack Become Parents?
Mel — and the rest of Us — were shocked in the finale’s final moments when a pregnant Marley revealed that the couple who were going to adopt her baby changed their minds. Marley then asked Mel and Jack to take her baby, leaving Mel stunned.
Smith told Us that Marley’s predicament, along with other conversations about expanding their family, will continue to be a focal point for Mel and Jack moving forward.
“With Marley and that situation, we will continue to see Mel and Jack move down their path towards parenthood,” he explained. “We get to live in the newlywed bliss that they have and the challenges that come with that as a new married couple.”
Smith added that he’s trying to find a “distinction” from how Mel and Jack were while dating to who they are as a married couple. “I think that with the pace at which we’re moving comfortably gives us a lot of opportunity to just keep telling more and more stories for as many seasons to come as possible,” he said.
What Happened to Charmaine?
After giving birth to her twins in season 5, Charmaine only made a few brief appearances in season 6 as she continued to deal with her kids’ father, Calvin (David Cubitt) — a drug kingpin and gang leader — and worked with Brie to get a restraining order.
Charmaine was scheduled to style Mel’s hair for her wedding, but when she never showed up, Jack headed over to check on her the next day only to find her home empty and ransacked. The last scene of the finale saw Jack opening the babies’ room looking aghast, but the reveal was hidden from viewers.
Smith couldn’t dish on what lies on the other side of that room, but promised it would be a story line for season 7.
“Charmaine has found herself in the middle of a mess, which is a place where she tends to reside and it pulls our character into it,” he teased. “Not just Jack and Mel, but there are some other characters that find themselves pulled into it as well.”
