Sex Scene EP, Intimacy Coordinator, Cliffhangers

WARNING: This post contains spoilers from Season 6 of “Virgin River,” now streaming on Netflix.

It’s officially wedding season in Virgin River. While the ten new episodes, which began streaming on December 19, focused on the planning of Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson)’s wedding, it also stayed true to the world of “Virgin River.” That means love triangles gone square, shocking proposals, and a surprise baby.

Below, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith breaks down all the twists and cliffhangers and teases what’s to come in season 7.

Before we get into the many cliffhangers, this season was overall a little steamier than previous seasons. Was there a discussion beforehand? about that?

I think it was. It felt organic in all the love that leads to a wedding. It’s my second season on the show and I was still learning every aspect of it. There are so many plates to spin, from character relationships, romance, crime, medical, now fire, to the multi-generational [themes]. So there was a lot going on, and we delved a little more into the sexual relationship of some of our couples. I’m proud of them all. The thing that’s probably most surprising was that the sewing circle had a discussion about their sex life, which I’m so incredibly proud of. It just felt real. It felt organic. It felt true to the characters.

Absolute. There were a lot of love scenes this season, including one on the pool table between Brady and Brie. Do you use an intimacy coordinator?

We always offer. In that case, Ben and Zibby declined, but a lot of thought went into it. We work with RAIN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), and I personally met with them to educate myself because we knew we wanted it to be physical, somewhat sensual, and aggressive in some ways. That was the part that made me nervous, as far as that goes. I was reminded that sexual assault and battery are never so much about aggression as they are about domination of power. I think we were very respectful. I think Zibby and Ben who were both researching it really brought a level of consciousness to it, that they kind of coordinated it themselves.

While we’re talking about Brady and Brie, let’s dive into the love square. While Brady and Mike (Marco Grazzini) made their feelings clear, is Brie with Mike because he is a good person or because she believes he is her person?

I think it’s probably more the former. I think she’s trying to make something work that should work on every level. I think what confuses her is why not? Given her experience and the fact that she survived sexual assault by a partner, I think deep down it created some doubt about trusting herself to make the right choices. I think she makes the obvious choice in Mike and tries to force it, and that’s where the struggle is.

Lark (Elise Gatien) finally showed her true colors, but for a while it seemed like she was actually falling for Brady. Was that all a ruse?

We’ll unpack it all in season 7, but in my mind she did fall for him. I think she heard loud and clear that she would always come second to Brie, which is a bit contradictory. And Brady wasn’t at his best because he lied to her when she confronted him about it. He withheld that truth, so I wanted to make sure she felt just as justified, because there’s one thing about conning someone in cold blood, and there’s someone conning someone just for emotional revenge, which is a bit felt more interesting.

I read that Zibby said there were originally two alt endings for Brie. We saw Mike propose, where she revealed she had slept with Brady, and he said, “I know.” What was the other ending?

So when we shot it, we started toying with the idea of ​​having him then say, “I know.” I thought it was interesting and it felt like something I hadn’t seen before. I was afraid it would feel like a hat on top of a hat. When we shot it, we watched it with the writers. They didn’t know we added that line that day. So when we got to that scene and he said that line, everyone screamed. I was like, “I think we’re going down that line.”

I definitely gasped! Okay, we see the cliffhanger of Mel waking up after her wedding and possibly having a baby. Can you talk a little bit about how Mel feels about that as we move forward into Season 7?

Yeah, what I found interesting was waking up the next morning, after getting something you’ve wanted for so long, and then having this other thing at your feet. Do you immediately embrace that? The circumstances are complicated because Marley (Rachel Drance) is her patient. She’s not sure where she’s operating. So there is a lot to unpack.

Will there be a time jump in season 7?

We pick up pretty much where we left off: it’s about an hour later.

Understood! One of the other big cliffhangers is what happened to Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley). She wasn’t around much this season, which I think was due to time commitments and her expanded role in “Sullivan’s Crossing.” Will she return next season?

That’s the plan. Part of a creative shift was trying to pull back from the crime stories that were in the series before they started to overshadow [other things]and I think some viewers started to get darker. So in season 6 it was our opportunity to make the crime element more personal, with Charmaine and Calvin’s relationship. So it was a bit of an effect of that. But I love Lauren so much. She is so incredibly talented. I know people are divided on Charmaine, but I feel like she’s been a major villain. Our intention was to redeem her a little bit in season 5, to understand why she did some of the things she did. I feel like we still have a character that, even if she’s not in every episode, she still resonates with the audience.

Cameron (Mark Ghanimé) returned briefly and was really there for Muriel (Teryl Rothery), but then went back to San Diego. Will we see him next season?

Unfortunately, Cameron won’t be back as a series regular next season. I love Mark, and I loved Cameron. I think he will always be part of our “Virgin River” world and family. So if the story plays out, I’d love to see him back.

I know you introduced the prequel cast earlier this season, but do you have a vision for how long the flagship “Virgin River” could last? Seven seasons is quite an achievement.

As long as the fans keep coming and there’s still an appetite for it. I think it’s a show that’s about human experiences, and it’s multi-generational. It would be a dream to continue living and growing old with these characters. The show feels like the kind of show that can do it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.