‘Virgin River’ Showrunner Says “There’s Always Hope” For Brie And Brady

Briedy stans, unite! Turns out it might not be the end for one of your favorite Virgin River couples after all…

Season 5 of the Netflix drama may have shown Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) and Brie (Zibby Allen) parting ways, Brie starting a new relationship with Mike (Marco Grazzini), and Brady hitting it off with single mom Lark (Elise Gatien). But new showrunner Patrick Sean Smith assured Decider that “there’s always hope” for the exes to reunite in the future. It’s a Christmas miracle!

After Season 5, Part 1 premiered in September and Mike ended the 10 episodes with Brie by his side, Decider published an impassioned defense of our guy Brady, Virgin River‘s romantic, misunderstood man who’s exhibited remarkable growth since Season 1 and literally risked his life to protect Brie, Jack, and Virgin River’s residents on multiple occasions.

Season 5, Part 2 showed Brie and Mike going strong, while things between Brady and Lark were becoming more serious. But Brie and Brady’s quick holiday run-ins proved they still have a serious spark and left me wanting them back together ASAP.

After the Virgin River musical, the exes reunited in the lobby and shared a moment so romantically charged it even left Brie’s mom flustered. (Same, Mrs. Sheridan. Same.) After catching up on their respective relationships and holiday celebrations, Brie told Brady he deserved happiness with Lark and he replied, “I’d say I’m happy for you and Mike [but I’m] not at all… I am happy you’re so happy.” Iconic.

Brie’s mom instantly clocked the chemistry and told her daughter, “Wow. Now I see why you don’t come visit more often. I was excited to have one man look at me the way Javi does, and clearly you have two.” Where is the lie, Brie? Where is the lie?!

Season 5’s finale gifted fans with yet another perfect Brie and Brady interaction when Brie bumped into him at the Virgin River Christmas tree lighting. “Twice in two days? You following me?” Brady said without skipping a beat. “I was actually just sitting at home, alone, thinking I need a little Christmas, right this very minute. I can’t get the song out of my head,” he laughed. The two caught up on the past day, and when Brie explained that her dad was having a tough time accepting her mom’s new boyfriend, Brady said, “I get it. It’s hard watching someone you love move on, no matter how happy you are for them.” Swoon!

Brie agreed, the two looked up, and wouldn’t you know it? They were standing right under a sprig of mistletoe. DID THEY KISS?! No, because Jack interrupted! But I won’t rest until the two get back together. And thanks to Virgin River showrunner Patrick Sean Smith, there’s hope!

“There’s always hope for Brie and Brady. Their bond is strong. Their chemistry is undeniable. So they’re definitely a couple that I think we want to continue to root for as long as we can,” Smith told Decider in a Zoom interview ahead of Season 5, Part 2’s premiere.

As we know, the season ends with the major reveal that Brady’s girlfriend Lark might not have the best intentions in their relationship. A finale cliffhanger showed her taking a call from what appears to be her daughter Hazel’s father in prison, aka Brady’s nemesis Jimmy! So is Brady in danger in Season 6? Will Brie be there to rescue him this time around? And, crucially, don’t you think this poor guy needs a break?!

“That’s what’s so tragic and wonderful about Brady. He’s a guy who’s broken and has come from a really rough life and is trying to do the best that he can and is running into the limitations of his experience,” Smith explained. “I was excited for Season 5 to feel a little bit like a redemption story for his character after so many seasons of him just making wrong choices and kind of letting people down. And now that there’s this threat, it’s a question of how Brady’s going to react. Is he still going to continue to be the guy that’s on the up and up or is he going to go back to Shady Brady?”

Will Brady stay strong in the face of more heartbreak and betrayal? Here’s hoping that whatever Lark and Jimmy have in store for Brady will lead him back to Brie so I can sleep peacefully again at night.

Virgin River Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.