Sullivan’s Crossing Season 4 Episode 5, titled “Abandoning,” finally let fans in on what really happened between Maggie and Liam.
While Maggie was convinced that Liam simply ghosted her after going on an assignment, leaving her feeling not good enough for her husband and forcing her to annul the marriage a year later, never seeing him again, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
There have been a few hints that Liam didn’t just leave Maggie out of his own free will, including the scars, but now we’re finally getting the full picture and it’s a heartbreaking realization.
Liam, a war correspondent, reveals to Maggie that he was on his way back home from his assignment—back to her—when he was ambushed and taken hostage, where he was kept and tortured for three years, which explains why he didn’t reach out and why she didn’t hear from him for so long.
Admittedly, I’d imagine that the government would’ve let his wife know of the situation, but honestly, maybe it’s better that they didn’t because Maggie didn’t have to carry the weight of wondering whether he’d make it out alive.
While she’s been holding his absence against him, the confession makes Maggie realize that she’s gotten it all wrong.
“I abandoned you,” she admits through tears.
It’s an extremely heartbreaking moment, which also complicates the future because now Maggie knows that Liam never intended to leave her; he always loved her.
She’s with Cal now, a man she loves, and has a life that’s made her pretty happy, but Liam was always the one who got away. Would a second chance be in the cards?
Liam initially said that he was back in town to get the divorce papers so he could move to Europe, but it seems as though he was hoping to finally make amends with Maggie, maybe even hoping that they could find their way back to each other.
It’s unclear what this means for them moving forward, but Maggie has a lot to figure out now.
And everyone kind of owes Liam an apology for blaming him for abandoning her.
The episode also followed up on Tracy’s deteriorating health condition, as she landed in the ER with a high fever.
Maggie and Quincy disagreed on the diagnosis, as she thought there was way more going on than just some asthma or an illness, and when Quincy was unreachable, she made the executive decision to order a chest X-ray to rule out any potential damage.
Quincy didn’t like that, scolding Maggie for being dismissive of his diagnosis and not consulting with him first.
Quincy has never rubbed me the right way, and while I understand that he has a different approach to the job, and that Maggie might come off as overly cautious, you can’t deny that she cares and shouldn’t be treated like someone who doesn’t have experience as a doctor.
There are differences between being a neurosurgeon and a general practitioner, but she’s not green, and Quincy is undermining her ability to treat patients and make decisions.
Thankfully, he eventually comes around, when it matters most, as she takes her meeting with the board of physicians, getting a glowing review from Quincy, who acknowledges that while Maggie has much to learn about being a GP, he can also learn a few things from her.
Maggie was able to find a cure for Tracy quicker than anyone else, following her gut after Cal informed her that her home was infested by rats.
As for Ben and Tracy’s home life, Cal immediately picks up on the details that they are covering for their mother, who isn’t just on a trip with her boyfriend—she’s absent.
Cal knows the signs, as he was also forced to raise his siblings in place of his absentee parents.
Ben eventually comes clean about their living arrangements, noting that his mother gets depressive episodes during which she skips town, forcing them to fend for themselves, but she always comes back.
And their decision to keep it on the low also makes sense, considering that if anyone found out, they would be put into foster care and potentially split up.
It’s that very fear that drives Ben to steal Cal’s car and run off with Tracy, which, admittedly, likely won’t end well for them.
It’s hard to trust anyone when your life as you know it could come crashing down, and Ben feels a responsibility to protect Tracy, but if there’s anyone who gets what he’s going through and wants to remain in his corner, it’s Cal.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to find a solution so that Ben doesn’t have to carry the weight of his mother’s decision on his shoulders.
And finally, Amir and Sydney seem to be finding their footing despite their initial disagreements. Their best bet is to meet in the middle, as Amir likely has some good ideas to elevate the restaurant that Sid could embrace, though he needs to respect her if he wants to keep the place running through the major rush hours.
It’s obvious that the series is setting these up to turn their hate into love, likely taking them both by surprise.
What did you think of the episode? Will Maggie forgive Liam? Will she consider giving him a second chance? Will they find Ben and Tracy? Will Amir and Sydney find common ground?