Notice! This post contains SPOILERS for season 6 of Virgin River.
Virgin River season 6 was recently released on Netflix, and in a shocking twist, Mike revealed he knew Brie had cheated on him – but he proposed anyway. Virgin River is an incredibly popular Netflix show, which is pretty clear given Virgin River season 7 is already confirmed, although Virgin River Season 6 was only released on December 19th. Virgin River features a cast of characters living in a small town of the same name, although the main characters are unquestionably Mel and Jack.
However, many other characters became increasingly important throughout the series, among them Jack's sister Brie and two men who served alongside him in the Navy, Mike and Brady. Brady has been a particularly interesting character, as he frequently gets into trouble and has an almost younger brother-like role with Jack. Brie and Brady were once together, and although they had a rocky relationship, it remains one of the most popular Virgin River novels. Currently, however, Brie is dating Mike, who has just proposed marriage on Virgin River season 6 finale, despite knowing Brie was unfaithful.
Mike still loves Brie and knows she doesn't really love Brady
Even Brie's infidelity wasn't enough to shake Mike's faith in her
At the end of Virgin River Season 6, Mike proposed to Brie, who was carrying immense guilt because she had recently slept with Brady. As Brie herself told Mel and Kaia, this act of infidelity was extremely awkward for her, but she was conflicted about her feelings for Mike and Brady. Because of this guilt, when Mike proposes, Brie decides to do the right thing. Surprisingly, in response, Mike simply says: “I know.”
This was surprising not only because it means that somehow Mike silently discovered the truth, but also because it revealed a level of grace and forgiveness within Mike that is certainly not common. This raised the question: why was Mike so quick to forgive and why would he still want to propose? The easy answer is that Mike genuinely loves Brie and sees her sleeping with Brady as a mistake he's willing to forgive (presumably as long as she commits not to repeat that transgression).
Brie and Mike didn't have this conversation before their proposal, which is beyond weird. Certainly, before making such a commitment, Mike would want confirmation that Brie was truly sorry for what she had done and still had no feelings for Brady. Yes, Brie confessed on her own, which was probably a sign of validation for Mike, but that only happened after Mike had already popped the question.
Given this, it seems safe to assume that Mike believes Brie doesn't truly love Brady and instead had a momentary lapse in judgment and inhibition and made a mistake. He is also aware that he provides security and reliability, areas where Brady struggles. While Mike may be objectively better for Brie than Brady in this regard, that doesn't automatically mean that she and Brady don't have genuine feelings for each other. Just Virgin River Season 7 will reveal whether Mike's beliefs about Brie and Brady are correct.
Are Brie and Brady really over for good after Virgin River Season 6?
Brie and Brady's Wedding Talk Suggests Otherwise
The final scene between Mike and Brie in Virgin River Season 6 is the proposal, and no scene between Brie and Brady follows, meaning it's currently unclear what the future holds for Brie and Brady. Brie telling Mike the truth seems to suggest that she's ready to let go of the past with Brady, but shortly before that she had told Mel and Kaia that she wasn't really ready to let Brady go. Brie and Brady also said they loved each other in the final episodeleaving their romance on the table.
Before the Season 6 finale, Brady was also in his own relationship, with Lark. This was yet another obstacle to Brie and Brady ending up together, making it seem even less likely. However, in the final episode, Lark apparently stole all of Brady's money and fled. Assuming there isn't too complicated an explanation for this behavior, this undoubtedly means that Brady is now single.
Assuming there isn't too complicated an explanation for this behavior, this undoubtedly means that Brady is now single.
A Version of Virgin River Season 6 Finale Didn't Have Mike Tell Brie He Knows the Truth
This change would have concluded Season 6 on a very different note
Put Weekly entertainment, Virgin River Season 6 almost had a very different ending for Brie and Mike. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith explained that, in an alternate version of this proposal, Mike would not indicate that he knew the truth about what Brie and Brady had done. This would have created a very different ending between Brie and Mike.
In an alternative version of this proposal, Mike would not indicate that he knew the truth about what Brie and Brady had done.
Instead of ending with this shocking twist, in the alternate version, Brie would have had to decide what to do, knowing that Mike was ready to marry her when she had just cheated on her. This is a truly fascinating choice for the show, and Virgin River Season 7 will no doubt reveal how Brie reacts and why Mike was so willing to forgive her. Clearly, there is much more to come Virgin River Season 7, especially for the love triangle between Mike, Brie and Brady.