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A Zambian scientist is on a quest to prevent brain drain from Africa so he's established a state-of-the-art drug discovery lab in South Africa.

Spoilers for Virgin River season 7 ahead.

Every time a new season of Virgin River is in the offing, my mum and I have a collective, excited freakout until we can binge-watch all 10 episodes. Virgin River season 7 has been right on schedule — but this time, I'm left feeling slightly empty.

If I had to rank the hit Netflix show's existing six seasons, the latest (season 6) would be right at the top. It marked longtime lovers Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally getting married, and boy, did their friends and family bring the best drama along as wedding gifts.

We saw Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) declare his undying love for Brie (Zibby Allen) like the worst kept secret that it is, Brady's girlfriend Lark (Elise Gatien) steal thousands of dollars from under his nose, Brie fending off a marriage proposal from police chief Mike (Marco Grazzini), and Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) going missing and, potentially, being killed off.

For the final 20 minutes of that epic season finale, I didn't know whether I was coming or going, and it might go down as one of my favorite TV moments of all time. Of course, Virgin River can't sustain that level of drama all the time (no show can), but the newly skewed stakes leave a somewhat sour taste.

The best way to describe it is eating an undercooked steak when you ordered it well done. You know that the potential to have exactly what you want is right there, but it's not fully materialized. While that's less than satisfying for season 7, I think it's a tactical decision — meaning that Virgin River season 8 is going to be explosive.

Don't get me wrong — Virgin River season 7 delivers what it needs to

Sure, there might not be the same level of fireworks in Virgin River season 7, but there are resolutions. This is easily the best year of Mel and Jack's relationship yet, settling into married life like a duck to water.

Between these two and the on-off again situationship between Brie and Brady, things certainly feel steamier than ever. Usually, Virgin River intimacy feels shrouded in wholesomeness, rose-tinted to the point that it hardly feels sexy at all. But in season 7, some seriously primal passion starts to take over, and I'm here for it.

While Mel and Jack are steadying the ship, Brie and Brady are daring to dream. If you've been a fan of theirs since season 1, you'll likely feel inclined to do a victory lap of your house soon enough, without giving too much away. They're both wearing their hearts on their sleeves and communicating well, and it finally feels like the entire town has nailed how to truly connect to one another.

As for the remaining season 6 cliffhangers, you'll get answers to all of them. There will be new problems that take their place, even if they currently feel lukewarm in comparison.

It's worth streaming Virgin River season 7 for Mel and Jack's honeymoon alone. It takes them almost 8 episodes to even decide where they're going to go, but the final decision is perfect (and likely one you can guess based on earlier filming location leaks).

The set change also proves that you can never truly run away from your problems... but you can get a tan and kiss a cute guy on a golden beach while being stressed. Frankly, it's the level of life I dream of.

The finale is season 7's biggest letdown, but I'm choosing to see the positives

They've also introduced a rodeo this season. (Image credit: Netflix)

Virgin River has me believing that fairytale-style love is possible, but that doesn't always mean that I'm falling for the show itself. I think the biggest issue lies with the season 7 finale, which falls impossibly short compared with what we were treated to last time around.

No spoilers here, but there are still two big twists to be unveiled at this stage. However, I'm pretty sure both are non-starters, with bad outcomes so unlikely to unfold in a fictional world where fatal scenarios are avoided like the plague.

Still, there's every chance season 8 could prove me wrong, but you see what I mean about these 10 episodes acting as a setup for something more exciting down the line. It's all verging on soap opera silliness, but it's what we've signed up for.

Then there are a few uninspired hitches in the current storyline itself. New character Clay (Cody Kearsley) feels like a rinse and repeat of Jack Schumacher's Yancy Grey in Ransom Canyon. In fact, they both have the same introductory narrative — a hot, closed-off outsider who clearly has family troubles and a gambling debt they need to pay off by entering a rodeo competition.

It's not an amazing sign that Netflix is borrowing ideas from itself, but it's also not the end of the world. It's textbook craft like this that feeds the people what they want, and who am I to deny what works?

Virgin River season 7 is the steamiest in hit Netflix show’s history — but frustratingly, it’s not a patch on the whirlwind wedding wildness of season 6.

The season 6 finale left us with five huge cliffhangers — but the ending of Virgin River season 7 is almost a completely different story.

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