Sullivan’s Crossing Season 3 Ending: Are Cal and Maggie Still Together?
And who’s Liam? Find out the answers to all your burning questions from the series’ third season.
In the latest season of Sullivan’s Crossing, the bucolic Nova Scotian community faces more drama than ever — couples break up and make up, environmental disasters sweep through the town, and long-buried family memories are unearthed. Created by Roma Roth and based on the book series by Robyn Carr, Sullivan’s Crossing is the duo’s second project together after adapting Virgin River. The Canadian show stars Chad Michael Murray as Cal Jones, Morgan Kohan as Maggie, and Scott Patterson as Sully. Keep reading to see how this close-knit community fares in the drama’s third season.
Who are the main characters in Sullivan’s Crossing Season 3?
To learn all about the cast and characters, check out this guide.
What happens in Sullivan’s Crossing Season 3?
After the second season’s cliff-hanger — a fire at Rob’s diner — the Season 3 premiere reveals that, thankfully, Sully (Scott Patterson) survived. For Maggie (Morgan Kohan), however, the stress of nearly losing her dad was too much to bear, causing her to have a miscarriage. Now a permanent resident of Timberlake, Maggie helps Sully and his new partners, Frank (Tom Jackson) and Edna (Andrea Menard), with modernizing the family business. The work at Sullivan’s Crossing keeps her busy, but grief continues to creep in when she least expects it, leaving her feeling lost and stagnant. Maggie’s also been banned from medically assisting in local rescues, because she isn’t licensed in Nova Scotia, per Cooper (Steve Lund), the new fire chief. Rather than risk another lawsuit, Maggie’s determined to use her medical expertise in other ways.
Meanwhile, Cal (Chad Michael Murray) is focused on volunteer firefighter training and his new relationship with Maggie. After two seasons of will they, won’t they, the pair seem to be finally getting everything right: Cal supports her through her grief, helps her care for her family and the Crossing, and even takes her home to meet his parents. But that family visit takes a turn when Cal’s already tense relationship with his father, Jed (John Ralston), who has schizophrenia, comes to a boiling point. Cal finally admits to his dad that the reason he and his siblings never visit is that they’re trying to get as far away from him as possible. But Jed reveals he’s finally taking his meds, now that he’s been prescribed ones without devastating side effects. He apologizes to Cal for not being the father he needed. The resolution comes not a moment too soon, because Jed also has other news for Cal: He’s just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. And, rather than spend the last few months of his life in a hospital, Jed and his wife are going on one last great adventure together, to the Grand Canyon.
When Cal and Maggie return home from the emotional visit, Cal impulsively asks her to move in with him. Maggie hesitates at first — she’s afraid of once again losing herself in someone else’s life. Cal is hurt, but eventually, she comes around to the idea and things seem perfect between them. That is, until Cal finds a mysterious letter addressed to Maggie’s old summer fling, Liam (Marcus Rosner). In it, Maggie tells Liam she’ll never give up her career for anyone, no matter what, leaving Cal to wonder if he and Maggie are on the right path after all.
Cal’s not the only one having trouble keeping up. It’s been difficult enough for Sully to manage Edna’s changes to the way they run Sullivan’s Crossing campground, and those troubles are compounded when their new online booking system crashes. This puts him in hot water with Helen (Kate Vernon), a bestselling romance author who he accidentally booked in an already-reserved cabin. Sully’s efforts to resolve the error kicks off a love-hate relationship that then falls firmly on the side of love. Before long, Sully and Helen are enjoying bird-watching dates, struggling through yoga class together, and making future plans.
But all that’s put on hold when Sully realizes Glenn (Dean Armstrong), the owner of Seaside Splendor Construction, bought the land next to the Crossing to build luxury condominiums, which threatens not just Sully’s livelihood but also public health and safety — especially when a mysterious illness starts sending residents to the hospital. The public health crisis spurs Maggie into action, giving her an opportunity to consult at the hospital. The complexity of the case is invigorating for Maggie, but also makes her question whether she made the right decision by giving up her career in Boston to move to Timberlake. Meanwhile, in order to compete with Glenn’s venture, Sully offers Rob a chance to build a restaurant in an unused social hall at the Crossing — a blessing in disguise for Rob, who was contemplating giving up on reopening his diner after his insurance claim was rejected.
How does Sullivan’s Crossing Season 3 end?
Maggie’s return to neurosurgery comes about unexpectedly when Edna is diagnosed with a brain tumor that’s pressing on her carotid artery and causing blindness. The surgery is so risky that, at first, Edna refuses to undergo it at all. But when Maggie tells Edna that the Crossing needs her, Edna agrees to the procedure — on one condition: Maggie has to be the one to operate. Though she’s filled with doubt about her skills after her time away from practicing medicine, Maggie walks into the operating room determined to save Edna. The surgery isn’tt flawless — a dangerous hole in the carotid artery nearly caused Edna to have a stroke — but it is successful. Maggie is able to fully remove the tumor, and Edna wakes up with her vision restored. Another potential future plotline for Maggie surfaces when a doctor assisting with the operation tells Maggie she has a friend looking for a head of neurosurgery in Chicago.
There are signs of change in her love life, too. After Edna’s surgery, Cal’s immensely proud of Maggie, and tells her he doesn’t want to be the one holding her back from pursuing her dreams. In fact, after Rob’s new restaurant opening at Sullivan’s Crossing, Cal’s decided he’s heading back to New York for a bit to give Maggie the space she needs to figure out her next steps.
At the opening, Sully tells Maggie that he’s going to Ireland with Helen, finally embarking on a new chapter now that he knows Sullivan’s Crossing will be well looked after — including by her. Maggie asks if he’s coming back, and his answer (which we’ll get to shortly) sends her running after Cal — suddenly she wants to make things work between them, especially now that she realizes she can pursue her love of medicine right here in Timberlake. Rather than interview for a fancy job in a big city, Maggie’s decided she’s going to put her skills to use in her own community by opening up a general practice. What seems like a picture-perfect compromise has one small fly in the ointment: Liam. When Maggie’s ex-fling shows up at the restaurant opening, she’s visibly shocked by his sudden appearance, and Liam responds, “Is that any way to greet your husband?” Husband?! Needless to say, Cal is not at all pleased.
Who’s Liam?
Liam, Maggie’s ex-husband, turns up in the season finale right after Maggie and Cal decide to stay in Timberlake. Maggie’d mentioned Liam in a previous season, but dismissed it as only a summer fling. The letter she wrote that caused Cal to wonder if he was holding Maggie back from her career earlier in Season 3 was addressed to Liam. Little is known about this new Maggie lore, except that Maggie left Liam behind to pursue her career — and never stopped to get divorced. Looks like there’s a complicated love triangle heading into Season 4.
Are Maggie and Cal still together?
Yes, Maggie and Cal decide to stay in Timberlake together, and Maggie plans to open a general practice to provide medical services to the community. But TBD what effect Liam will have on their plans.
Did Sully leave Sullivan’s Crossing for good?
For Sully, it’s bye for now, but not for good. In the finale, Sully jets off to Ireland with Helen, where she’s going to meet with the TV producers adapting her novel into a series. Sully tells Maggie he’ll always love Sullivan’s Crossing, and that going to Ireland will never change that. Not even the Cliffs of Moher could keep Sully from coming back.
Are Sydney and Rafe still together?
Yes, they’re still together — but not without complications. In Season 3, Sydney (Lindura) and Rafe (Dakota Taylor) upgrade their situationship with talk of marriage. But when Cooper, the new fire chief, catches them hooking up at the fire station, the relationship takes a hit. Convinced of Rafe’s irresponsibility on the job, Cooper assigns him way more hours. Now Rafe’s job is stealing his quality time with Sydney, and the two are butting heads about marriage: Sydney’s disinterested in having an official wedding ceremony, but Rafe has more traditional views. The couple decide to put a pause on the discussion, so it’s “to be continued” for this love affair — until next season.
Are Jacob and Lola still together?
Yes, Jacob (Joel Oulette) and Lola (Amalia Williamson) are still together. What started out as a summer fling became more serious after one of their first dates turned into a life-or-death situation when the old mine they visited caved in. They survived that, but after Jacob’s told he can’t finish his master’s program while living in Nova Scotia, he knows he must return to Alberta to pursue his academic dreams. Lola rationalizes that they’re just not in a place to give up their lives for each other, but eventually the pair feel a strong enough connection that they’re willing to make long-distance work. They end the season sharing a sweet dance at Rob’s restaurant.
Is Cal’s dad, Jed, still alive?
Yes. Jed last appears in Episode 9 via a phone call with Cal. During the check-in, Jed seems healthy and enjoying the Grand Canyon. In a surprisingly tender interaction, Cal asks his father for advice about Maggie and how he should handle his doubts about her career.
Is Edna still alive?
Yes, Edna is still alive thanks to Maggie, who removed her brain tumor in a dicey, but ultimately successful, surgery.
