After the fiery devastation that closed out Season 2, Sullivan’s Crossing returns with its Season 3 premiere, “New Beginnings,” a slow-burning, emotionally rich episode that walks the delicate line between healing and heartbreak. Though the sun is shining, the wounds beneath the surface are fresh—and none more so than Maggie’s.
The episode wastes no time reminding us what’s at stake emotionally. It opens with Maggie seemingly well-adjusted. She’s back at the Crossing, helping out with guests, assisting Edna, and sharing warm moments with Cal. Their reunion is intimate and hopeful, capped with a kiss that would normally signal that all is right in their world. But something about Maggie feels… off. Her smile is just a little too tight. Her eyes linger on things with unspoken weight. She looks like someone holding her breath.
It isn’t until halfway through the episode that viewers get confirmation of what many may have suspected: Maggie suffered a miscarriage following the fire. The moment is revealed not through dialogue but through a haunting, quiet scene- Maggie unpacking alone in her room, finding the tiny Sullivan’s Crossing onesie her father had gifted for the baby. The shift in her face as she cradles it, the tears she holds back, the breath she doesn’t quite take- it’s devastating.
“New Beginnings” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Morgan Kohan as Maggie Sullivan and Chad Michael Murray as Cal Jones. Photo: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved.
Cal, ever the supportive partner, senses something is wrong long before Maggie voices it. He offers gifts, time, and tenderness, and while she appreciates it, she can’t fully receive it. When she finally confesses to him that she’s not fine, that she thought she could push through the grief and bury it with busywork, it’s raw and real. Morgan Kohan delivers one of her most subtle and affecting performances to date. Maggie’s pain isn’t loud; it’s aching and quiet, which makes it hit even harder.
The episode ends on a beautiful metaphorical note: Maggie and Cal plant a tree together, a symbol of both loss and renewal. It mirrors a memory Maggie shares of planting a tree with Sully as a child, something that always made her feel connected to the Crossing no matter how far she went. As a butterfly lands on the freshly planted tree, Maggie smiles—not because she’s healed, but because she finally stopped holding her breath. She let herself feel. That final moment, a quiet nod to transformation, was all the closure Maggie needed for now.
“New Beginnings” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Andrea Menard as Edna Cranebear and Scott Petterson as Sully. Photo: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved.Meanwhile, Sully, alive and feisty as ever, is grappling with his own discomfort around the changing tide at the Crossing. Edna’s digital upgrades and website launches feel like a hostile takeover to him, despite her best intentions. Scott Patterson’s portrayal of a man trying to stay useful in a world that’s slowly moving on from his methods is both relatable and a little heartbreaking. His accidental meet-cute with the new guest Helen who is sharp-tongued and clearly unimpressed, is a highlight. There’s instant spark and clash, and it promises a fun dynamic to watch as the season unfolds.
In other parts of the Crossing, the rest of the town is spinning their wheels in various states of transition. Rob’s diner dreams are stalled, thanks to an insurance denial that nearly breaks him. Sydney and Rafe are navigating a relationship that’s more strained than sexy, and their steamy encounter at the fire station felt out of step with their later emotional distance. One of the show’s strengths has always been grounding relationships in realism, and it seems Rafe and Sydney may be headed for a reckoning.
The standout emotional scene belongs to Maggie and Frank in the garden. His butterfly metaphor about change and healing was subtle and powerful, offering the exact kind of gentle nudge Maggie needed. When she later plants the tree with Cal and is visited by a real butterfly, a perfectly timed bit of symbolism, it felt earned, not cheesy. Sometimes healing isn’t loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it’s just planting roots and watching something grow.
“New Beginnings” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Morgan Kohan as Maggie Sullivan and Tom Jackson as Frank Cranebear. Photo: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved.
“New Beginnings” is a gentle, grounded premiere that doesn’t rely on melodrama to carry its emotional weight. Instead, it trusts in silence, in stillness, and in Maggie’s slow, painful crawl toward healing. There’s plenty brewing in the background (luxury resorts? Sully’s new nemesis?) but at its heart, this episode belongs to Maggie—and it’s one of the show’s most emotionally honest outings yet.
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