This ‘Virgin River’ Storyline is Losing Fans – Is the Love Triangle to Blame?

Based on Robyn Carr’s novel series of the same name, Netflix’s successful romantic drama series, Virgin River, dives into small town issues and Jack and Mel’s love story. Mel, who moved to Virgin River to work there as a midwife and escape the pain of the traumatic loss of her husband and unborn child, meets ex-Marine Jack, who carries his own trauma-filled package. Virgin River highlights their story, but also introduces various other characters and what they are dealing with.

One side character, who has been getting increasingly more screen time, is Jack’s sister and lawyer, Brie. While she was first linked to Jack’s friend, Brady, Season 6 of the successful series follows her as she navigates her new relationship with police investigator, Mike. Of course, their relationship doesn’t come without issues, because, despite breaking up with Brady, Brie is still caught up in a love triangle. Sometimes, this approach works, but Virgin River needs to stop its love triangle plot, ASAP.

‘Virgin River’s Annoying Love Triangle

The love triangle trope certainly manages to grab viewers’ attention, but while some of the best love triangles have added significant value to various movies and series, others didn’t achieve the same effect. Recently, there has finally been a slight shift in the definition of love triangles. Director Luca Guadagnino proves a point in his 2024 steamy sports drama, because Challengers redefines the love triangle trope by refraining from having a good and a bad person longing for the main characters’ love on each side. As for Virgin River, it is clear that the series is sticking to the more obsolete approach.

At the center of the triangle is Brie. She has had her fair share of traumatic experiences and even had to face her ex-partner and abuser in court. In the small town of Virgin River, she connects with ex-conman and Jack’s military buddy, Brady, who straight-up is projected as the bad guy. No matter how hard he tries to do the right thing, people in town can’t forget his past. While the love between Brie and Brady is undeniable, there was a negative touch to their relationship. Brie admits that being with Brady felt like riding a high, and considering her past with addiction, she ended things with Brady after he had to lie to her in order to protect her from a dangerous situation.

And then there is Mike. The beloved police investigator and perfect son-in-law swept Brie off her feet, and the two have been going strong for a while. If it weren’t for her feelings for Brady, the two would certainly make the perfect couple. Even though Brie and Mike have everything they could wish for and share a strong connection, Brie keeps running into Brady and there is something there. Even though some fans are missing the point of Virgin River, they are more than aware of the undeniable sparks between Brie and Brady. During a heated conversation late at night at Jack’s bar, one thing led to another, and Brie cheated on Mike.

The way she is trying to hide that mistake from Mike is painful to watch, as she isn’t only suffering from betraying a genuinely good guy like him, but also from not knowing what she should do. A conversation with Mel and Kaia led her to the conclusion that she should let go of both of them, but when she tried to have a conversation with Mike, he suddenly proposed to her, and (plot twist) he knew that Brie had hooked up with Brady. In general, the confusion after Virgin River‘s shocking ending is real.

The constant up and down between Brie and Mike, and Brie and Brady, the annoying scenes in which Brie and Brady gaze at each other longingly from a distance, fight about something, or have awkward conversations because they are trying to hide what happened between them, are truly becoming unnecessary. There is little to no progression in their storylines, and their love triangle adds no value to the Netflix series. These annoying relationships in Virgin River have been taking up so much time and space in Netflix’s longest-running drama series, but it is safe to say that the interest in who Brie ends up with is somewhat disappearing.

Are Brady and Brie Endgame in ‘Virgin River’?

There is no doubt about the desire to finally put an end to the Brie-Brady-Mike triangle, but there is still some uncertainty as to who Brie will end up with. Since the newest season of the romantic drama series ended with Mike waiting for Brie to decide whether she wants to marry him or not, Season 7 of Virgin River will definitely explore their future. It might be that Brie says yes, because she sees him forgiving her mistake as a second chance, or she feels put under pressure and realizes that she just can’t give up Brady. Well, there is also the truly annoying option of her getting engaged, but the love triangle continues.

Seeing how Brady has continued to be on Brie’s mind, and that even though she has a perfect relationship with Mike, it seems implausible that she finally is able to let Brady go. In fact, it would go against everything the series has built up to this point, especially since Brady’s recent love interest skipped town and conned him in the process. Whether Brie and Brady are endgame in Virgin River remains to be seen, but their heated conversation at Mel and Jack’s wedding and their confession of love definitely won’t be the last we see of them. Virgin River is available to stream on Netflix.