The first season finale of Sullivan’s Crossing promised to be an emotional one, as Maggie headed to Boston to face her wrongful death trial and Sully was confronted with losing Sullivan’s Crossing. The episode certainly delivered, ending with multiple unexpected cliffhangers.
The storytelling throughout the series has
been beautifully done, and the finale was no exception. Roma Roth, show runner, and her crew should be proud of what they have accomplished with Sullivan’s Crossing. They have created a heartwarming, family drama that is so rare on television these days. Every episode took viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, and the final episode took us on that ride multiple times in the span of an hour. So many new revelations were made and a ton of questions were left unanswered, that it will be excruciatingly painful for viewers to wait for season 2 to premiere. Luckily, they have already begun filming for the Canadian Television Network in Nova Scotia.
The episode began with Maggie preparing to head back to Boston for her trial. Maggie visited Jackson before she left and thankfully, he was on the road to healing. She told him and his parents that she was heading back to Boston, and Cal overheard. He was obviously sad about Maggie's departure, but he understands the position she is in and her need to figure out her path in life. Cal and Maggie have one last walk together and he tells her that she is special, which is something she hasn’t heard in a while. Cal and Sully say goodbye to Maggie and promise her that they will be waiting for her, rooting for things to go her way. After everything that has happened during her time at Sullivan’s Crossing and the baby steps that Maggie has made towards repairing things with Sully, it is a much more emotional goodbye this time around.
In Boston, Maggie is shocked to see Andrew at her trial, but he insists that he only came to show his support. Things go from bad to worse at the trial, as Maggie’s case is picked apart by the defence. When the mother on the other side of the lawsuit took the stand, Maggie was stunned as she watched her lawyer attack the woman’s character. Maggie apologized to her and told her lawyer to ask the judge to rule in favour of the defence. Thankfully, the defence had already asked the judge to dismiss the case with prejudice, leading to all charges being dropped. After the trial, Andrew apologized for his actions at Sullivan’s Crossing and told Maggie that he is in therapy and will wait for her, no matter how long it takes but she does not respond. She was also offered her job back at Boston Commonwealth hospital, which she said she had to think about, much to her mother’s disappointment. Maggie has left a huge part of her heart at Sullivan’s Crossing, perhaps she is finally realizing that Boston isn’t where she belongs after all.
As Maggie walked out of the trial, she was accosted by Rob, who told her that she had to listen to him, as he was given immunity if he helps the police take down a bigger organization. Maggie wants no part of it, until Rob tells her that it involves Walter. Unfortunately, Walter interrupted and scared Rob away before he could reveal anything. Clearly Walter has a hand in whatever led her boss at Boston Commonwealth Hospital to get arrested. Despite not finding out what Rob had to say, Maggie is already starting to see Walter’s true colours. He told her that she has to develop a thicker skin and not feel guilt if she is to be successful in her profession, which is directly opposed to who she is as a physician and as a person. The walls are starting to close around Walter, hopefully all will be revealed to Maggie soon so that she can be free of his controlling nature and be made to better understand how his meddling affected her relationship with her father.
Kaleb visited Jackson in the hospital and found out that Jackson finally had the courage to tell his dad that he doesn’t want to go into law enforcement. Kaleb had to leave Sullivan’s Crossing, but before he departed, the two shared their feelings for one another and finally shared a long-awaited kiss. Jackson has gone through a lot, not only with his parents divorce, but being open with his sexuality and not living according to the expectations that his father has for him. It is nice to see him happy and hopefully if there is a season two, we will see a lot more of Jackson and Kaleb together, experiencing much needed joy.
The Shandon siblings were left in a tough spot after last episode, leading to Sydney confronting Rob about hiring an Assistant Manager without her input. He told her that he wants her to live her life and chase her dreams, and he doesn’t want the diner to prevent her from doing that. Sydney is clearly still fragile from whatever happened in New York, and it led her to take Rob’s rationale as a negative reflection upon her. Sydney told Rob she quit, upsetting Finn, who overheard their conversation. Rob was trying so hard to do the right thing for himself and his sister, the last thing he wanted to do was drive a wedge between them. Rob confided in Cal and told him that he missed his wife, who would have been able to help him through this. Cal shared that he lost his wife as well and asks Rob if he thinks it is possible to ever find a similar love again. Meanwhile, Sydney moved out of Rob’s place and in with Rafe, until she is able to find a place of her own. She makes it clear to Rafe, however, that this does not mean that they are a couple, much to Rafe’s obvious disappointment.
Sully is stunned when Maggie returns to Sullivan’s Crossing. He tells her that Cal is a good man and she should admit her feelings to him. Regret is a hard thing to live with and Sully has lived with that feeling for most of his life, he doesn’t want his daughter doing the same. Cal has gone on the trip that he had mentioned a few episodes back. It wasn’t made clear then what the trip was about, but it was an incredibly important journey for Cal, one that provided him with much needed closure. He went to the ocean to scatter his wife's ashes, as per her wishes that were shown to viewers in a flashback. Maggie took Sully’s advice and headed to speak to Cal, but she was devastated when she found Lola there. Lola told her that Cal had checked out and her conniving nature took hold as she hid a letter that Cal had written for Maggie, choosing to keep it from Maggie, even after pondering if she should one last time. Clearly Lola’s resent towards Maggie runs deeper than anyone thought. She is literally standing in the way of Maggie and Cal finding happiness with one another.
Maggie headed back to Sully’s, distraught over Cal’s apparent abandonment of her. She stated in the last episode that everyone in her life has let her down, and she automatically assumed that Cal was just another person who turned their back on her when she needed them the most. In a shocking turn of events, Maggie was sitting in the bathroom, staring at a positive pregnancy test. With everything up in the air and her emotions running high, this will only serve to further complicate things. Maggie’s instincts are always to run when things get difficult, and this moment was no different. She packed up her car to head back to Boston, but not before she confronted Sully about why he didn’t chase after her all those years ago. Sully tried to explain but was once again unable to, which angered Maggie even more, forcing her to leave without resolving things.
While looking at mementos of Maggie’s childhood, Sully flashed back to the day Maggie left, and suddenly the reason why he hasn’t been able to explain what happened to Maggie was finally made clear. Sully was the hit and run driver who hit Lola and sent her to the hospital. He had gotten into his truck to chase Phoebe down to prevent her from taking Maggie, and his rage led to him driving recklessly, causing him to hit Lola while she was riding her bike. Instead of helping her, he left her laying on the side of the road. It is crystal clear now why Sully has been struggling, and why he has tried so hard to be there for Lola. He has been harbouring this secret for years, a secret that could ruin his life permanently. This has the potential to change so much, it is difficult to imagine the impact it will have on everyone’s lives if and when it is revealed. Adding to the revelation, was Sully collapsing on the ground immediately after experiencing the flashback. He has been suffering from headaches, so there is a real chance that something could be seriously wrong. With Maggie being a neurosurgeon, perhaps she will be the one that can save Sully’s life if it comes to that.
The episode ended with no closure for any of the characters, and so many unanswered questions. The performances tonight were outstanding, thanks to an incredibly talented ensemble cast that brought their all to every single scene. Morgan Kohan and Scott Patterson were notably brilliant, going through a cycle of strong emotions throughout the entire episode, emotions that were raw and heart wrenching and likely left viewers in tears. With exceptional writing and an impeccable cast, Sullivan’s Crossing has the potential to be a strong presence on the CTV and CW line-up for years to come, it has certainly proven its worth this season. Who’s with me, Sullivan’s Crossing fans? What did you think of the finale? Follow me @MiddleofCanada on Twitter to get the latest news on the filming of season two and to hear when it is slated to premiere.
