Warning: This story contains spoilers for Virgin River Season 6

In the sixth season Virgin River It was shaping up to be a moment fans have been waiting for since the series began in 2019: Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally tied the knot in the tenth episode. Their picture-perfect wedding was without much drama, aside from Mel’s father Everett (John Allen Nelson) missing the ceremony because he was in the hospital. (He actually made it to the reception to sing her a special song.)

But this is Virgin River, a town known for its beautiful views, happy residents, and some of the hottest gossip you’ll ever see on TV. After the happy couple made it official, the bombs began to fall and the season ended on a juicy cliffhanger with a character’s fate hanging in the balance. Virgin Riverwhich was just renewed for another season, making it Netflix’s longest-running English-language drama series, is known for these twists. TIME spoke to Virgin River Showrunner, producer and writer Patrick Sean Smith discusses the final moments of the season and what to expect from the beloved characters of this idyllic but haunted California enclave.

Medical license from the doctor

Earlier in the season, Tim Matheson’s Doc was feted by his family and friends at the clinic, where they honored his 30 years as a doctor in Virgin River. But after a house call brings a patient to the hospital, Doc’s expertise is questioned by another doctor. This leads to an investigation into his medical license and jeopardizes everything he has ever worked towards. In the finale, his wife Hope (Annette O’Toole), who is also the town’s mayor, reveals that she received a call that a larger hospital network wants to expand to Virgin River, threatening the future of Doc’s clinic. “It turns everything professionally upside down for Doc in season seven,” says Smith. “Additionally, Hope is a mayor who wants to protect what is most valuable to her: Doc and the integrity of the city.”

Lark drains Brady’s bank account

For most of the season, Lark (Elise Gatien) tried to get her boyfriend Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) to give her all his money. She secretly worked with her child’s father, Jimmy (Ian Tracey), whose work for local drug lord Calvin landed him in prison. Luckily, Brady’s ex-girlfriend and Jack’s sister Brie (Zibby Allen) happened to be visiting a client in prison when she saw Jimmy and Lark talking, which prompted her to tell Brady what she saw. After learning that his girlfriend was playing him, Brady decided not to give Lark any money that she believed was intended for her ailing mother.

But after Brady realizes that he can’t have Brie (more on that later) and Lark realizes that Brady is actually a good guy, the two decide to really commit to each other. “It was real, but complicated,” Smith says. “If Brady lived in a world where Brie didn’t exist, then Lark would be viable. But that’s not the case, and that’s what makes it chaotic.” The chaos only continues when Brady speaks to Brie at Mel and Jack’s wedding and they reveal their feelings for each other. Brady is unaware that Lark is within earshot and overhears their conversation. At the wedding, Brady gives Lark’s daughter his cell phone to play a game. When the night is over, Brady doesn’t notice that Lark and her daughter have run away. When he looks at his bank account, he realizes that all his money is gone. What happens next? Smith says Brady will start looking for answers – and figuring out how he treated Lark in the past, and what reality might actually exist for him and Brie in the future.

Brie tells Mike that she cheated on him

Speaking of Brie, Jack’s sister is really going through the motions. She is torn between two men: Brady and Mike (Marco Grazzini). “With Brady there is passion and sex, and with Mike there is security, stability and comfort,” says Smith. “Both are important qualities in a relationship, but Brie finds herself in an unenviable situation where she gets one from one man and one from another and she can’t decide which way is best.” This leads to that she makes some difficult decisions. In Season 6, she is perfectly happy with Mike, but ends up sleeping with Brady.

In the finale, after Mel and Jack get married, Mike proposes to Brie and she tells him that she cheated on him. He responds by telling her he knows. Smith reveals that they shot this scene in two ways: a version where Mike says he knows and one where he doesn’t know. “I’ve seen it with some of the writers on the show who didn’t realize we added a line because it wasn’t in the script,” he says. “There were just audible gasps, so we decided to go for it.”

Mel and Jack’s adoption journey

Throughout the series, Mel has been very open about her struggles with having a child, and this season she and Jack were excited about adoption, even though they were still early in the process. The day after her wedding, Mel is approached by one of her patients, Marley (Rachel Drance), who is pregnant. She announces that the couple who were supposed to adopt her baby are getting cold feet and want Mel to adopt the child instead.

For Smith, this was a complex situation that was exciting to play with. Before the wedding, Mel found it difficult to accept the good things that had happened to her because of all the tragedies she had suffered in her life. “It was interesting to see how her character would react when, the next day after her fairytale wedding, she was given exactly what she wanted from the entire series,” Smith says. Although she desperately wants a baby, Marley’s offer brings with it many complicated factors. On an ethical level, Marley is Mel’s patient. And even though Mel knows Marley, Jack doesn’t know at all.

Charmaine is MIA

This season, new mother Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) balances her twin babies and an impending and dangerous situation. The babies’ father, Calvin, is out of prison – and he’s trying to make Charmaine’s life as miserable as possible, even endangering her safety. Then, on Mel and Jack’s wedding day, she doesn’t show up. She’s supposed to do Mel’s hair and is nowhere to be seen.

The next day, Jack decides to go to Charmaine’s house to make sure everything is okay. When he gets there, he opens the door to a room, his eyes widen, and the episode fades to black, ending with this cliffhanger.

Smith won’t reveal what happened to Charmaine, but he knew he wanted to end the season that way because he has a bigger plan in season seven. He’s also thrilled that people are interested in Charmaine, who was once Mel’s greatest adversary and a thorn in Jack’s side. “Historically, she was a polarizing figure,” he says. “I love people who care!”