The sixth season of Virgin River continues where the previous season left off, providing more of the quaint western town, chemistry, and conflict that has made the show so popular, even if it gets there slowly. The first few episodes of the season are rather slow and spend a good amount of time establishing the shows characters and foreshadowing future plot developments. However, the second half of the season delivers, bringing resolution to some of the season’s biggest conflicts, emotional moments, unexpected turns and plot twists, and suspenseful cliff-hangers that make viewers want for the next season.
This season, Mel’s storyline becomes more about her individual life and she finds her biological father, Everett Reid, a new character who helps her to understand more about her past and her self. Flash back scenes between Everett and Mel’s mother give better insights as to why Mel is strong and weak at the same time which is one of the best storyline of the season. The anger between Doc and Everett finally came to light at the end of the season which took a toll on Mel through the episodes.
On the other hand, Doc goes through one of the toughest tests in this season. After a high-risk procedure in a rather remote area with no backup at all, he is now at risk of having his medical license seized. At the same time, the hospital announces its intention to expand its activities to Virgin River, and the future of his small clinic is in danger. Hope’s persistence in trying to mobilize the people for Doc gives a sense of hope and depicts the spirit of togetherness that is portrayed in the series.
One of the storylines of the season is Champaigne’s long awaited labour of her twin babies. She has been building up her character for a few seasons and finally we get to see her becoming a mother, but it is not as happy ending as it seems. Things go from bad to worse for her as she is confronted by Calvin, the father of the twins and a drug lord, after she seeks a restraining order against him. It comes to a climax in the finale where Charmaine goes missing and Jack finds a horrific scene at her house. The actions of Jack in the last few seconds of the show are somewhat ominous, and paves the way for something bad to happen in S7.
There is one shocking moment which affects Muriel when she tells everyone that she has breast cancer. In this scene, Muriel is very fragile, and her character makes her decide to fight for her illness, and this plotline adds a lot of emotion to the plotline. Muriel’s story becomes a story about strength, friendship and how it is not always bad to rely on people in the most difficult situations in life.
Love triangles are plots which are well portrayed in this season especially with Brie. Brady’s admission of love creates a problem between Brie and Mike; this leads to a proposal which leaves Brie and everyone else in a dilemma. Brady’s storyline continues with Lark, who is actually revealed to have a rather shady past. It turns out that the baby daddy of Lark is none other than Jimmy, a villain from previous seasons and Brie witnesses her going to meet him in prison. Though Brie feels the chemistry with Brady is real, when she learns that he still loves Brie, Lark goes back to her scammers’ mode and swindles all of Brady’s money before vanishing. This is a crushing blow for Brady who is left broken and this provides a basis of how he will change and get better in the next season.
For the couple we all our cheering for, Jack and Mel, this season brings both happy and sad parts of life. They are still grieving from the loss of their baby and their personal demons of the past. They have the chance to become parents when Mel’s patient Marley comes to her to adopt her baby. This twist will bring new challenges to their relationship, and a sense of new beginnings after their marriage next season. The circumstances that The finale connects these narratives in a way that is characteristic of Virgin River, that is, while including many happy moments, it also features cliff-hangers that make audiences excited for the next season. Charmaine’s possible dissaperance, Jack’s dreadful find, Muriel’s cancer, Lark’s betrayal and the uncertainty of whether Mel and Jack would be adopting Marley’s baby create an exciting plot for the seventh season.
Although some episodes in the beginning seem to drag on a bit, the back half of the season is strong enough that viewers are left with a lasting impact, thus proving that this is indeed a tale of a charming town full of twists and turns.
