Sullivan’s Crossing – Season 1 Episode 4 “Rock & A Hard Place” Recap & Review

Rock & A Hard Place

Episode 4 of Sullivan’s Crossing begins right from the moment Episode 3 ends. Connie relays information about Chelsea’s phone’s location and that is how Maggie and Cal find him. Maggie does not panic and calmly bandages him up. The bullet grazed Frank’s lungs but he will be alright with some medical attention. Sully arrives at the scene as well and tries to tell Frank that he will make a recovery. Sully informs Edna, who is in shock. Maggie recalls the frat boys mentioning Route 17 when they were hitting on her.

So Cal and she take the car and check out the cabins on that route. Luckily, they spot a grey SUV and one of the boys, Cliff. It was Darryl who shot Frank. He has a prior and will go straight to jail if he is arrested, even as Cliff encourages him to surrender. Maggie takes matters into her own hands and draws out Cliff. A nervous Darryl aims his rifle at them and Maggie boldly walks toward him, trying to calm him down. Thankfully, she is successful and Tom and the cops arrive in time to arrest both of them.

Chelsea is taken back to the campground and her parents are overjoyed to see she is safe. Maggie learns from Rob that Tom and Connie are actually married. But they are currently going through a testing divorce, which is why he was being testy to her at the hospital. According to him, Maggie took an undue risk by approaching Darryl and endangering her life. Maggie talks to Jackson, their son, about it. Her own relationship with Sully also comes up, which perhaps indicates Maggie didn’t make too much of an effort to stay in touch with him.

Cal and Maggie repair the fridge at the office together as we discover that Jackson likes a new guest at the campground, Caleb. It is revealed through subsequent scenes that Sully has fallen behind on his loan payments. Blake, his banker, gives Sully a final warning. If he isn’t able to make good on his payments, Sully will lose the campground. Maggie keeps trying to contact Andrew, who has his hands full at the hospital. She wants to tell him all about her fantastical day but Andrew has got lives to save.

Meanwhile, her closeness with Cal keeps on growing as they spend more and more time together. They even have a barbecue-style dinner together. Lola comes to Sully, not asking directly for help, but wanting it. The hospital has now asked Lola to install handrails for him at home but she does not have the money for it. Without thinking twice, Sully cuts a cheque for her while having no regard for his own financial situation. After a long day, Maggie is informed by Scott, her lawyer, that her deposition is set for two weeks’ time.

It is not a great sign and the road ahead might be bumpy. During their dinner by the lake, Cal reveals to Maggie that he is actually a lawyer. He volunteers to help her with the deposition as it would increase the chances of winning the case. Andrew tries to get through to Maggie after his day’s work but she is busy with Cal. Sully, now out of options, leaves a message with another bank for a line of credit…something that will push him further in the quagmire. 

The Episode Review

After a strong start promising compelling drama galvanized by heady themes and subtext, Sullivan’s Crossing has reverted to the age-old formula of tacky love triangles and overemotional good samaritans. Episode 4 lost in me a lot of faith I had in the writers’ ability to stray away from predictable and absurd story and character lines. I mean, why would a man neck deep in debt cut out a cheque to anyone, let alone a woman he sees once a month?

And in the same breath, ask the bank how can they take the collateral property when he defaults. Sully’s naivety just destroys his character arc, as opposed to elevating it. These are not smart choices and the modern audience does not respect stupidity disguised as purity of heart. The acting on many occasions in episode 4 is also disappointing. 

With the exception of Chad Michael Murray and newcomer Morgan Kohan, none of the other actors seemed remotely close to good or comfortable emoting. The falsity of television is egregiously visible in pivotal moments like when the news of Frank’s shooting is broken to Edna.

I still cannot get past the overuse of songs in the background of this show. Is this common for Canadian shows? If it is, then forgive me for not keeping up with the norms.