Aftershock – As the eighth episode of Sullivan’s Crossing begins, Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) wakes up and gets a call from Phoebe who heard about what happened with Andrew. Maggie insists she just needs some time to think about things. At the store, Harry ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Scott Patterson) speaks to Frank (Tom Jackson) about what happened at the bar. Sully reveals Maggie isn’t speaking to him because he painted over her mural. Frank tells Sully that he could really use a ride to the meeting. Sydney catches up with Maggie with drinks and donuts. Maggie reminds Sydney that she came back in the summer when she was 15.

They talk about Andrew who has trust issues since his ex-wife cheated on him. When Sydney asks if she loves him, Maggie admits she doesn’t know how she feels about anything right now. Sydney tells her that Cal (Chad Michael Murray) was pretty sore, but they got him some ice so he’ll be fine. Maggie is thinking about heading over there later. Frank tells Edna (Andrea Menard) that Sully is going to drive him to the meeting this afternoon. Edna wants Frank to break the news to Sully, but Frank questions whether now is the right time for them to be leaving. Edna has already booked the plane tickets and she thinks they need it. She also thinks it might give Sully and Maggie a chance to sort things out.

Maggie visits Cal to check on him. Cal thinks Andrew just had too much to drink although Maggie says that isn’t an excuse. She tells Cal about Andrew leaving and admits it might be for the best. Maggie tends to push people away when they get too close. Her mother has said she has been doing it since she was a kid. She is going to stay around until the trial. When Cal tries to comfort her, Maggie realizes he is different because most of the men in her life aren’t big on listening. Cal warns her that repressing her emotions will only make it worse. He thinks he knows something that might help. As Frank prepares to leave, Edna reminds him to tell Sully about their trip.

Rafe Vadas (Dakota Taylor) visits the café and tells Rob (Reid Price) that he has the day off. Rob tells Sydney that she should take the day off and spend it with Rafe. He eventually convinces her to do it. Sydney speaks to Rafe who agrees to pick her up in a couple of hours. Cal wants to show Maggie something that helped him cope when his wife got sick. It is a technique called the primal scream. He tells her to remember something from her past to help her. Maggie remembers the day she was taken from her dad before screaming. Cal insists that reaction is perfectly normal when Maggie says it is embarrassing. Jackson (T. Thomason) meets with Kaleb (Calem MacDonald) for their climbing session.

Kaleb says his major is undeclared right now because he wants to have a little fun first. Jackson tells him about his dad being on the force. He wanted to be an architect, but school is too expensive. His parents are also going through a separation. Kaleb suggests counseling might help since it worked for his parents. Jackson doubts it because they can’t even be in the same room together. His mom doesn’t want him to join the force while his dad thinks she is overreacting. When Kaleb asks what he wants, Jackson says he just wishes they’d stop fighting. Kaleb thinks they should hang out after the lesson and do something fun to take his mind off of it. Frank tells Sully that he wanted to talk to him about something.

Frank says he didn’t speak at the meeting. Sully admits it threw him for a loop when Frank was in the hospital although he claims he is good now. Cal tells Maggie that he thought about the day his wife died when he screamed. He was watching her suffer knowing there was nothing he could do. Even after she was diagnosed, he still believed they would grow old together. It was only after she died that he realized they’d never be together again. Cal says false hope can really do a number on you. Maggie reveals she screamed while thinking about the moment her mother first took her away from there. She always thought she had done something wrong and waited for Sully to come get her but he never did.

Rafe picks up Sydney on a motorcycle and takes her for a ride. Once they stop, Rafe says they’re going on a date and they’re going to get to know one another better. Jackson tries to comfort Kaleb as they prepare to start climbing. Kaleb gets sick and starts feeling dizzy. When he vomits, Jackson runs for help. Sydney and Rafe walk around and try to get to know more about one another. Rafe tells her how Connie moved in with them in early high school after she had a falling out with her parents. He asks her about her decision to come back to a small town after living in New York. Sydney admits it wasn’t as hard as he might think. She doesn’t want to talk about her modeling career. Sydney gets upset and walks away from Rafe.

Cal tells Maggie that he isn’t sure he will go back. He has realized how short life is so he doesn’t want to spend another minute doing something that doesn’t make him happy. Jackson interrupts to get help for Kaleb. Rafe tries to smooth things over with Sydney who says she gets anxious talking about New York. They agree to go get lunch. Maggie works quickly to find out what is going on with Kaleb. She believes he has vertigo or an inner ear problem. Maggie takes care of it and agrees to show Kaleb how to do it too. When Frank and Sully make it back, Edna mentions they’re going away. Sully isn’t happy to hear that they’re going on vacation because he needs help at the campground. Cal thinks Maggie should let someone do something special for her.

He wants to take her to his favorite spot. Sully tells Frank that it is fine since the bookings are down anyways. Maggie admits Cal’s favorite spot was her favorite spot too. She tells Cal about Maggie and Phoebe’s relationship. Kaleb is too tired to hang out, but he thinks they should go for a real climb tomorrow. Jackson agrees. Kaleb urges him to tell his dad the truth about wanting to be an architect. Cal tells Maggie how his parents traveled across the country and they didn’t care too much about a formal education. He moved in with his grandparents for a few years in high school. Being at Sullivan’s Crossing is the first time in a long time that he has really felt peace. Eventually, Cal dares her to jump into the water below.

When Sydney makes it back, she learns that Rob didn’t have time to hang out with Finn. Cal and Maggie jump into the water together. Maggie ends up kissing Cal, but she apologizes when she stops. They agree to head back. Later that night, Sully asks Maggie where she was. He thought it’d be a good time to talk although Maggie doesn’t think there is anything to talk about. Sully didn’t think she was coming back. He wonders if it turned out so bad. Maggie says she spent many years thinking he had replaced her since he let Lola stay with him. Sully says her mother was sick so he let her stay there until she got through chemo. He wonders if Walter put that thought in her head.

He says it broke his heart when Phoebe ran off and married a man like that. Maggie argues he doesn’t get to talk about Walter like that because he is the only man who has been there for her. Sully decides to go to bed since he has a headache. Maggie looks through the letters and sees that Sully has received a few final notices.

 

Sullivan’s Crossing Review

The story is rapidly developing as Maggie gets closer to Cal and more strain is added to her relationship with her father. The show also has several side stories that are mostly interesting such as Sydney and Rafe as well as Jackson and Kaleb. You can really see how much the show was influenced by the books and it seems to have got the format down perfectly.

I appreciate the fact that Sullivan’s Crossing is trying to be deep and it’s serious instead of throwing in humor to appease those who don’t appreciate bleak subject matter. Despite having its own share of issues, the series remains watchable so it is always easy to look forward to the next episode. Morgan Kohan, Scott Patterson, and Chad Michael Murray are good matches for one another making for some dynamic relationships.

The series can be soppy at times and it may try too hard, but viewers willing to overlook a few hiccups will enjoy the story at the core. This episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Sullivan’s Crossing are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site by following this link. Learn more about advertising with us here.