Maggie and Sully’s relationship hit a critical point on Sullivan’s Crossing Season 1 Episode 5, and the fallout from it will either push them further away or bring them closer together.
Of course, in the final moments of the episode, as Maggie packs up her bags and gets into a taxi to leave with her stepdad Walter, it doesn’t look like a reconciliation with her father is even on the horizon.
And it makes sense why Maggie reacted the way she did the moment Walter stormed into the house calling Sully barbaric for breaking his nose as she’s been raised to view Sully as the enemy. As we saw in the last few seconds of the episode via a throwback, Sully’s watched Maggie drive away from her childhood home once before, but back then, she was ripped from his hands and forced into the car while screaming in protest.
Her mother essentially drove the divide between Maggie and Sully, never allowing him to see his daughter and likely making it seem like he abandoned them and had no interest. We also saw through Sully’s tense confrontation with Walter, who arrived at the campground to “support” Maggie but had no issue with riling up Sully, the stepdad essentially admitted to playing an active role in Sully’s estrangement from his ex-wife and Maggie.
Thus, Maggie has lived much of her whole life likely blocking the traumatic memories of being pried away from her father, replacing them with the idea that he didn’t care or make an effort to be in her life.
We know that isn’t the case, as we saw that he demanded to see Maggie and fought to be included in flashbacks, however, Phoebe already made up her mind that he didn’t deserve it.
And the whole situation, past and present, culminated with Sully falling off the bandwagon and having a drink. What an extremely heartbreaking moment, but one that was inevitably coming as Sully’s problems, both personal and financial, continued to pile on. Losing Maggie, again, and squandering the second chance, was the final nail. I hope he doesn’t continue spiraling after that sip and gets back on track with his sobriety sooner rather than later if he has any chance of fixing things.
However, I do think that this is Maggie’s chance to get some insight into the situation and possibly accept that Sully isn’t entirely to blame. She’s not a little girl anymore, so she can seek out her own information and make her own decisions. I know she was mad about Sully’s actions, and in her mind, it’s on brand for him to do something like that, but I wish she’d taken a moment to hear him out and attempt to understand what Walter could’ve said to set Sully off in such a way.
I never condone violence, but Walter was asking for it—especially when he reduced him to a drunk loser, throwing all of Sully’s demons, insecurities, and heartbreak right in his face.
Walter may really love Maggie like his own daughter, but he had no right to try to split up a family or convince Phoebe to cut Maggie’s father out of the picture and try to replace him.
Sully could’ve used a lesson with Cal about keeping his cool and not letting things get to him because much like the lawyer in Maggie’s deposition, Walter was trying to get a reaction out of Sully, and unfortunately, Sully took the bait. Now, he has to pay the steep consequences, which I hope aren’t permanent.
May this be a lesson to Maggie about how to not behave in court, though as someone who was so easily triggered by her past being thrown in her face, she should be slightly more understanding when it comes to her father.
There were themes of control present in the episode, with Frank telling Maggie to relinquish control so that she can see where life wants to take her, while Walter told Maggie that staying in control was the key to success.
The right answer likely lands somewhere right in the middle, with Maggie finding a way to control her emotions during the deposition, but not controlling the outcome of where she ends up. She might think that going back to Boston and her old life is what she wants, but when she gets there, I think she’ll find that isn’t the case.
There’s a clarity in Sullivan’s Crossing, not to mention a need for her not only for the people (there’s a need for a doctor on site) but also for her father, who will need a hand digging Sullivan’s Crossing out of a financial hole while also needing moral support and a chance to right many of his wrongs.
Plus, there’s no way she’s going to just forget about the connection she forged with Cal—the most like-minded individual she’s met thus far. Andrew might be the “Prince Charming” in her mind, but Cal’s the one she needs in real life. Once she reunites with Andrew, I have a feeling she’ll start to notice that things aren’t as peachy as she thought they were; her heart will be somewhere else.
Throughout the episode, we also got to know a little more about Cal the mystery man, including what brought him to Sullivan’s Crossing, and it turns out that his backstory is a bit more somber than we imagined.
After an emotional heart-to-heart with Roy (and I’d love to see them expand on this sweet relationship because elderly people can teach us so much about life), who told Cal he hoped his head was clear when he stumbled upon his second chance, Cal apologized to Maggie about cutting their dinner short before revealing that he used to be married. His wife, Lynne, died following a battle with ALS a few years ago, which is when he took a sabbatical from his practice and ended up working with his hands in the beautiful outdoors of SC.
Maggie is supportive and understanding as they toast to Lynne—and hopefully, the genuine and tender moment between them helps to realize that they’ve unknowingly stumbled upon their second chance… and it’s up to them to make something of it rather than squander it (which is much easier!).
Sullivan’s Crossing is their second chance at love and happiness; it provides a fresh start if they are willing to take it and leave the rest behind.
Maggie simply has to be brave enough to face the mess instead of running from it because as we’ve learned, life is always going to be messy until you find the beauty in the mess.
Now that she’s “officially” left Sullivan’s Crossing, what do you think will convince her to come back? Will Cal, Frank or Edna call her about Sully’s troubles? Will Sully find his way back or will his problems continue caving in on him?
What did you think about the episode?