Mel and Jack’s wedding left us with five bombshell cliffhangers – but its weirdest one might fall down before Virgin River Season 7 even airs.
Let’s go through what we’ve been left with. Lark has run off with all Brady’s money despite promising she wouldn’t, Mike’s asked Brie to marry him even though he knows she cheated with Brady, and Mel might need to adopt a surrogate’s baby.
Charmaine is absolutely nowhere to be seen after threats from ex Calvin meant she never showed for the big day, and Doc might lose the clinic he’s invested 30 years of his life in.
It’s this final one that’s a surprise sticking point, with its real-life inconsistencies meaning it might fall apart before the binge-worthy TV show starts filming.
Doc’s medical license drama doesn’t stack up for Virgin River Season 7
If you remember, Grace Valley Hospital has launched an investigation against Doc after he performed emergency brain surgery on a dying man in Virgin River Season 6. This led to the news that Grace Valley was trying to buy his clinic out in the finale’s closing moments.
The argument was that Doc didn’t have the capacity or licensing to perform the surgery, even though it was the only way of keeping Henry alive in such a remote part of the town. Since he so clearly “violated” this before being able to get Henry to Grace Valley, the higher-ups were onto him.
But is this all actually plausible? Virgin River has previously come under fire for medical continuity (remember the oxygen mask that was put on upside down?) and some fans think Doc’s drama wouldn’t hold up in real life.
“Is this storyline plausible?” one fan posted on Reddit. “Doc’s medical license is under investigation initiated by Dr. Hayes at Grace Valley Hospital. Doc did call the hospital for a video consult but lost connection so he performed the burr procedure in a life-or-death situation.
“The patient was not admitted to Grace Valley yet, how does Grace Valley assume liability for what Doc does on his own?”
A second agreed, “I’m also confused about this as well. I know a lot of doctors (especially PCPs with private practices) tend to be affiliated with hospitals. But, that just means they have access to hospital services and can refer patients for inpatient care. I’m not sure how the hospital can take away Doc’s license???”
“Totally agree. I doubt Doc has privileges at Grace Valley so I don’t see how it’s relevant,” a third weighed in.
There’s an easy answer to all of this – Grace Valley is merely using the investigation as a means of getting the clinic. Even if they have no real grounds, they have an official reason to take over.
As Hope tells Doc in the final moments, Grace Valley has called her to let her know their plans, not realizing she’s married to Doc. They agree to fight it, but how much this actually affects Doc remains to be seen.
Virgin River Season 6 is on Netflix now. Check out our series recap and ending explained, what Ricky’s return means for Lizzie’s pregnancy, and what Everett had to tell Mel.
