Sullivan’s Crossing – Season 1 Episode 3 “Detours” Recap & Review

Detours

Episode 3 of Sullivan’s Crossing begins with the “morning after” Andrew showed up unannounced. Unfortunately, he has been called into action back at the hospital and must leave immediately. He tries to mend ways with Maggie before he leaves, determined to work on their relationship and not give up on “love.” Maggie is sceptical but understands his sincerity. She also knows how being dropped by Cal the other night might have been received by him.

Andrew also has a quick chat with Sully at the breakfast table that showcases how different their worlds are. They have absolutely nothing in common, and neither do they share any ideals about life. As he is boarding his taxi, Maggie forgives Andrew for suspecting her and the things he said about her career. In other news around the campground, we see Rob explaining to his son Finn about how he cannot make it to his baseball game – again. He has been trying hard to be a present father but Rob’s path isn’t easy.

Finn is thrown off by Rob’s suggestion. What prompted this? Lola is holding the annual land blessing ceremony – something that Sully used to do until now. And now her caterer has cancelled, meaning that Rob will have to take over the duties. Syd explains this to Maggie at the shop, which will remain closed on that account. When Maggie probes about her night with Rafe, Syd is coy but firmly tells her that the affair is only casual. She doesn’t want to commit to anything serious as she isn’t ready yet. Cal helps Sully out with the preparation for the ceremony as he explains how the property has been in his ancestry for centuries.

It keeps on passing down to newer generations, all of whom try to preserve its significance as a safe haven for outsiders where they can experience unmatchable serenity. Syd and Maggie take a canoe around the lake and meet with the duo. Maggie’s dislike for Lola once again surfaces when Sully is seen calming Lola down. The prep for the ceremony starts to go awry but he is at hand to manage everything. Maggie feels Lola is treated more as a daughter by Sully than she is, something that Edna recognizes. 

The ceremony takes place with an Elder of the tribe who has graciously allowed the campground site to exist on their lands for centuries. The afterparty kicks off inside. Syd tries to cheer Finn up and is also informed by Rob about the baseball game. Despite earlier suggesting to Maggie that she wants to keep things casual, Syd is forced to consider Rafe’s proposal for dating. It is not a great character move as Syd’s firmness could avoid things getting complicated further in the relationship. We also learn that the date Cal marked in the previous episode is when he is supposed to take a solo trip somewhere.

Maggie sees a young teenage girl, Chelsea, sitting by herself. She seems upset and Maggie tries to cheer her up. The talk is brief as Maggie assures Chelsea her feelings of angst and restlessness come with her age. Tom, the chief of the Timberlake Police Department, expresses his frustrations at having to attend to a domestic call in the city. His particular unhappiness stems from the person who has called for help, which he classifies as trivial and frequent. 

Frank volunteers to go in his place instead and Tom happily accepts it. One recurring theme in this episode is how others around Frank and Edna admire their romance even after so many years. The couple is deeply in love and does not care what others around them think. Cal and Maggie particularly discuss how unique this phenomenon is in today’s day and age. Chelsea’s mother raises an alarm about her going missing. 

Not only that, but Chelsea has also taken her backpack, indicating she is trying to run away. A search and rescue mission is put into motion with Cal and Maggie taking the lead. After some probing, they learn that Chelsea got into a grey SUV a while back on the highway. As all of this is happening, Edna expresses her concerns to Sully about Frank not having returned. He should have been back by now. Frank won’t answer his radio either, which raises tensions.

The episode ends with a frightening revelation. Frank stopped by an enclosed area on his way back, noticing some disturbances. The ruckus is created by the two young brats we saw in the previous episode at the bar. They are shooting casually in the woods, where the activity isn’t allowed. They also have Chelsea with them. Inadvertently, one of them shoots Frank in the stomach. They bail from the scene with Chelsea, who wants to help him. Frank is left to fend for himself in a precarious situation. 

The Episode Review

I am not that familiar with Canadian TV shows but Sullivan’s Crossing is not that great. Episode 3 exposes a lot of narrative frailties inherent in the story. It also highlights the limitations that the writers and creators have to work with when penning character lines. On many occasions in the episode, it is too obvious that there is a camera and the people are acting. The seamlessness and urgency that I expected are egregiously missing.

The writing is particularly disappointing. You could have told well in advance what the lines were coming next in any scene, be it Chelsea’s disappearance or when the brats abandon Frank and run away. Unprofessional is a strong characterization but perhaps fitting to describe the episode.

I also found the setup for the upcoming episodes quite confusing. While it is natural for characters in a story to stumble their way through to making the right decision, in Crossing’s case the next step has an inevitable air of finality, even with the impression that there will be a change in the status quo going forward. 

This is evident in both Sydney and Maggie’s cases, both of whom are being lined up to be butchered with bad decision-making.