You can always count on Terry Silver to strike hard and fast with no mercy.

Virgin River. Ben Hollingsworth as Dan Brady in episode 603 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

Virgin River season 6, episode 5, “Love Story,” is one of the most controversial episodes of the new season. What’s now known as the “Brie and Brady episode” was actually written by Cobra Kai star Thomas Ian Griffith, who stars as Terry Silver in The Karate Kid movies as well as Netflix’s Cobra Kai, and Mary Page Keller.

Who knew the man who plays the most ruthless villain in Cobra Kai also has the finesse and talent necessary to write one of the biggest episodes of Virgin River season 6? Not us!

For those who don’t recall, “Love Story” is the midpoint of Virgin River season 6. The episode marks a major turning point in the relationship of lovers, Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and Brie (Zibby Allen). After Brie leaves a suspicious message on Brady’s voicemail during the Bachelorette/Bachelor parties, she learns that Lark (Elise Gatien) is actually in a relationship with Jimmy (Ian Tracey) and breaks the news to Brady at Jack’s Bar. Then, they hook up! It’s definitely one of the steamiest scenes of Virgin River so far. And, it’s clear that Brie is done with Mike (Marco Grazzini) at that point, but really, it’s always been about Brady.

Still, the episode is pretty polarizing among fans. Obviously, those who ship Brady and Brie are quite happy, while others don’t agree with how they got together without ending their previous relationships. Plus, the episode features Doc (Tim Matheson) heroically using a drill to alleviate pressure in a patient’s head during an emergency and almost losing his medical license because of it.

Thomas Ian Griffith has written two episodes of Virgin River so far

Cobra Kai. (L to R) Martin Kove as John Kreese, Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver in Cobra Kai. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2021 | Netflix Cobra Kai. (L to R) Martin Kove as John Kreese, Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver in Cobra Kai. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2021 | Netflix

This isn’t even Griffith and Keller’s first episode of Virgin River! The writing team, who are also a married couple, also wrote “Heroes Rise,” the sixth episode of Virgin River season 5, which is the fire episode. When Virgin River wants to drop a bomb on viewers, they bring in Griffith and Keller, apparently!

Keller is also a well-known actress, who starred on Ryan’s Hope, Another World, and some sitcoms. Lately, Griffith and Keller have been contributing to Virgin River about once per season for season 5 and season 6. In the past, they wrote an episode of Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings.

Griffith is also credited for writing or story editing 15 episodes of the hit supernatural series, Grimm, which ran for six seasons on NBC through 2017, in addition to his work on the series as a producer.

Unfortunately, Griffith didn’t get a chance to get in the writers’ room or behind the camera for Cobra Kai, which he has starred in since season 4. Cobra Kai comes to an end with the release of season 6 part 3 on Feb. 13. There are still a few episodes of the series left, so you still have plenty of time to catch up.

Based on how frequently Griffith and Keller have contributed to Virgin River, I won’t be surprised if the pair writes another episode in Virgin River season 7. The series has already been renewed for season 7 on Netflix.