Denny’s health becomes a major concern throughout Virgin River Season 6 – but there might be bigger consequences later down the line.
Sweet, sweet Denny. First introduced in Season 3 of the binge-worthy TV show, he’s charmed the pants off of fans (and Lizzie, given the fact she’s now pregnant).
As Doc’s grandson, he’s also slotted into life at the clinic incredibly well, studying to become a doctor himself. However, his own health has been a much bigger issue after being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease.
If you’re not familiar with the incurable neurodegenerative disease, it’ll basically cause his death much earlier than it should. But has Denny died in Virgin River Season 6, and why will the future of the show change regardless? Warning: spoilers ahead!
Does Denny die in Virgin River?
No. Thankfully, Denny is still alive as of Virgin River Season 6, but he’s seriously concerned about his long-term health.
After treating a patient with Parkinson’s while shadowing Doc, Denny deep dives down a rabbit hole of research for long-term care. As well as being able to find affordable support for his patient, Denny begins to stress about a long-term plan for himself – as in, he doesn’t have one.
Now he’s in a relationship with Lizzie and has a baby on the way, Denny doesn’t want to be a burden to either of them when his health does deteriorate. His thinking is that by planning for health changes before the baby comes, as much stress as possible is taken off the table.
However, Lizzie doesn’t see it that way. At eight months pregnant, she’s more concerned with which baby monitor they need to send back and getting plans ready for their impending arrival. When they don’t see eye to eye, they clash – multiple times in the season.
While they manage to make up, we still don’t really have answers for how Denny’s health is going to affect him. At the moment, he’s trying the grin-and-bear-it approach, which basically means pushing his worries to the back of his mind and focusing on the baby.
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Doc, Lizzie, and Denny agree it will be “years” before changes need to be made to his care, but it’s all vague advice nonetheless.
Season 7 could change his future with Lizzie
Common sense tells us Lizzie and Denny’s baby is likely to arrive in Virgin River Season 7, and that could throw another spanner into the health works.
Virgin River loves a dramatic twist, and seeing Denny suddenly take a turn for the worse would more than fulfill that. However, we’re much more likely to see whether the couple will actually test their child for Huntington’s disease.
If the test is positive, it will almost certainly have knock-on effects for both the baby and Denny. Where the pair have just worked through their shared health drama, a positive result would bring them back down to earth with a jolt. Denny’s fears will undoubtedly be reignited, holding the potential to destroy his relationship with Lizzie for good (it’s the reason he won’t marry her, after all).
But there’s another juicy morsel of scandal that could be tied in here. If the test is negative, it could lead us to find out Ricky is actually the father of Lizzie’s baby after all. The two were intimate in Season 5 before Ricky left for the Marines, meaning there’s a definite chance of crossover in the relationship timeline.
It’s mere speculation at this point, but it holds up. More to the point – we won’t be shying away from the reality of Denny’s Huntington’s diagnosis any time soon.
Virgin River Season 6 is on Netflix now. Before you watch, catch up with the 15 things you need to know before watching new episodes, what we know about the time jump, and more similar shows to watch afterward.