Warning: This article contains mild spoilers from Episode 3 of Virgin River Season 6, now streaming on Netflix.

It’s about time! After putting Virgin River in his rearview mirror back in 2022, Ricky (no last name needed) finally returns in Season 6 — and it’s one heck of a homecoming.

“Since joining the show, I was excited to see Ricky come back in some capacity,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith tells TVLine. “I tried to do it in the holiday episodes, but they were just too jam-packed, so this felt like a great opportunity to find some space, especially given what’s going on with Lizzie and Denny.”

Speaking of Lizzie and Denny, Ricky is understandably surprised to learn that his former flame is now with child, though we can’t say we approve of how he handles the big news. What should be a mature, thoughtful reunion between Ricky and Lizzie quickly goes down in flames when he awkwardly suggests that her life is over now that she’s having a baby.

“What I wanted to do when we decided to go down the path of Lizzie’s pregnancy with Denny was to really age up those characters,” Smith says. “They’re dealing with more adult issues and moving out of the triangle stuff. That will be a trend that will continue on with Lizzie, Denny and Ricky — the complexities of adulting that come with age.”

We also don’t support Ricky finding comfort at the bottom of a flask, even if his apparent drinking problem leads to a touching moment between him and Jack, the latter of whom feels responsible — and perhaps a bit guilty — for Ricky deciding to enlist in the first place.

“In terms of what Ricky is going through, I wanted it to relate to Jack and their relationship a little bit,” Smith explains. “Jack is still reconciling and coming to terms with how he was self-medicating through alcohol for his PTSD. It was interesting for him to be the cautionary tale and keep Ricky from heading down a path it seems he’s already starting to head down.”

And if you were excited by Ricky’s brief return in Season 6, we’ve got good news — this may not be the last you see of him. “I would love to see Ricky return in the future again,” Smith says without hesitation.

Martin Henderson (aka Jack) echoes that sentiment, adding that Gurnsey was the show’s youngest original cast member, “and to see him mature as an actor was a real delight.” Henderson tells TVLine that he was “really impressed with the subtleties of [Gurnsey’s] performance and the depth he brought to it.”

Henderson appreciates that Jack is forced to contemplate what it means to say “you’ll be fine,” even though there’s a good chance Ricky won’t be fine. “And even if he survives, what will he have to deal with and see that could also be traumatic given the circumstances of war?” the actor wonders. “Jack is trying to reconcile his military past and all of the pain it’s caused him, while also trying to honor that it’s such a big part of who he is. It can be two things at the same time.”

What did you think of Ricky’s brief homecoming? Drop a comment with your thoughts on his return, as well as any other development in Virgin River Season 6, below.