After an emotional episode last week with Frank’s rescue, Sully’s financial woes coming to light and Cal pushing back from Maggie just when things were heating up, viewers were taken on an even more intense emotional rollercoaster ride tonight, when Maggie’s Boston life entered Sullivan’s Crossing in more ways than one, and shook up everyone in its path.
Everyone was relieved when Frank returned home from the hospital, including viewers. As his friends and family rallied around him to make sure he was well taken care of, he was definitely back to his old self as he made sure to milk his experience for all it was worth. Frank thanked Maggie for saving his life and as he shared details of his near-death experience, he imparted some wonderful words of wisdom to her, “if you spend your time trying to control everything, you wont get a chance to see where life wants to take you.” Coming home has been really good for Maggie, especially being enveloped in the love of the people who never stopped loving her and having her best interests at heart, even after she was taken away by her mother (more on that later). Hopefully Frank’s words will resonate with Maggie and allow her to free herself from the expectations that were placed upon her, and open herself up to feel true happiness and joy.
As Maggie prepared for her deposition in her medical negligence trial, her anxiety began to take its toll. Cal and Maggie were drawn closer together after their rescue mission, and it looked like their relationship might be reaching a new level when Cal asked Maggie over for dinner last week. Maggie ditching her virtual dinner date with Andrew and choosing to have dinner with Cal instead, is a clear sign that her feelings for Cal are strong and it is obvious that he feels the same way. Unfortunately, a familiar song on the radio visibly shook Cal during their dinner date and he pulled back, abruptly ending the evening. Things have clearly been awkward between them since that evening, but after Cal assured her that his behaviour had nothing to do with her, he tried to repair things by offering to help Maggie practice for her deposition. During their practice run, Cal certainly demonstrated that he is a talented defense attorney, shaking Maggie up in an attempt to prepare her for what to expect at the trial. After he walked her through a beautiful Mindful grounding exercise, he revealed that he learned the exercise from his wife, Lynn. Maggie was stunned to learn that he is married and he provided no explanation, quickly using an excuse to leave. During a heartwarming visit with Roy, Cal shared that his wife passed away, which explains what brought him to Sullivan’s Crossing. He needed to figure out what to do with his life now that he was on his own, and he found a much needed reprieve at the Crossing. Roy tells Cal that he needs to open his heart to a second chance at love, and Cal heads to Sully’s place with a bottle of tequila.
Meanwhile, Maggie wasn’t given a chance to process the news of Cal’s marriage, because her step-father, Walter, showed up at the Crossing claiming that he wanted to be there to support Maggie in preparing for the trial. At first glance, Walter appeared like a loving step-father who took Maggie in when he fell in love with her mother, and provided her with the love and nurturing she needed after her father abandoned her. However, through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Phoebe left and took Maggie away due to Sully’s drinking and Phoebe told Sully that if he truly loved Maggie, he would let her go. It is also revealed that Walter and Phoebe had painted Sully in a negative light to Maggie and had intentionally kept her away from him. Suddenly, Sully’s irritable behaviour all makes sense. He has been dealing with years of torment after having his daughter essentially taken away from him. After years of drinking, he got sober so that he could have his daughter in his life and Phoebe and Walter made it so that could never happen. Pair all of this with his financial struggles, and it is almost too much for a person to handle.
Sully is shaken when Jackson shows him a news article referring to Sullivan’s Crossing as “Sinister Crossing,” questioning the safety of the tourist spot in the wake of the shooting. Jackson also revealed that there have been several cancellations since the incident, which is deeply unsettling for Sully, considering his already dire financial situation. To make matters worse, Sully is angered by Walter’s visit. When another financial institution won’t grant him a line of credit, Sully heads to a bar in town looking to drown his sorrows. As he stares into the whiskey glass, he reflects back on Phoebe telling him to let Maggie go. Sully was strong enough in the moment not to take a drink, but he needed to let his anger out somehow. Unfortunately, this led him to make the poor decision to visit Walter at his cabin. When Walter demeaned Sully and insinuated that Maggie was better off without him, Sully let his anger get the best of him and punched Walter in the nose. Unfortunately, his actions only served to feed into Walter and Phoebe’s narrative that Sully is a screw-up. Maggie was too angry to listen to Sully’s apology, and she made the decision to head back to Boston with Walter. As Sully pleaded with her not to go, a flashback of Phoebe yanking a young Maggie away as she begged for her daddy, sent him into a tailspin. After watching his daughter drive away, he went back into the house and took a drink.
Prior to the incident between Sully and Walter, Maggie and Cal shared a beautiful moment where he confided in her that his wife had died from ALS and he came to Sullivan’s Crossing to get some time away and think. He thanked her for listening to him and she thanked him for confiding in her. Their moment was interrupted by Walter running in, holding a rag to his broken nose. As Maggie heads back to Boston, she will certainly find herself at a crossroads. Will she decide to remain in Boston and give in to the life that Phoebe and Walter created for her, including settling with Andrew? Or will she realize that Sullivan’s Crossing is where she belongs and that her heart lies with Cal?
Elsewhere in the episode, Sydney returned from Finn’s baseball tournament and confided in Maggie that Finn was thrown out of the tournament for instigating a physical altercation with a player from another team. Maggie inadvertently tells Rob, not realizing that Sydney hadn’t told him yet. Tensions rise as Rob gets angry at Sydney for not telling him what happened, and Sydney gets upset with Maggie for telling Rob before she could. Finn is having a difficult time with his parents' separation, and it is clear that he needs more support than Rob can provide. Hopefully he will realize that Sydney was just trying to look out for him and Finn and allow her to be involved in getting Finn the support he needs.
Everything about this series has been top notch, most notably the thoughtful writing and impactful performances by the incredibly talented cast.
This series continues to get better with each episode, hooking viewers in further and leaving them wanting more. Hopefully talks of a second season have already begun. It is definitely worthy of it and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow in popularity as it expands into international markets. Your turn, Sullivan’s Crossing fans. What did you think of this emotional episode? Has Sully fallen victim to Alcoholism again? Or will he be able to pull himself together and fight for his daughter? Will Maggie choose to remain in Boston? Or will she realize that Sullivan’s Crossing is where she belongs? Share your thoughts below and follow me on Twitter @MiddleofCanada.
