In “Twists and Turns,” Sullivan’s Crossing delivered an emotionally intense and narratively layered episode, effortlessly balancing high-stakes peril with tender private revelations. The hour opens in darkness, each actually and emotionally, as Lola and Jacob discover themselves trapped underground in an previous mine. The claustrophobic setting rapidly turns into a crucible for vulnerability. Lola blames herself for the accident, her panic mounting when she discovers her cellphone is shattered. Jacob, although clearly rising weak from dangerously low blood sugar, works to calm her, assuring her that assistance will come. His quiet optimism is a stark distinction to Lola’s concern, and it units the tone for a relationship that deepens with each passing second underground.
Jacob’s worsening situation turns into the episode’s ticking clock. His blood sugar drops quickly, and the 2 should scramble to search out his backpack, the place his Glucagon package is saved. In the meantime, above floor, life goes on, a minimum of till Maggie, Sully, and the others notice that neither Lola nor Jacob made it house. When Frank will get a name from Lola’s boss confirming she didn’t present up for work, the neighborhood mobilizes immediately. That is the place the present shines greatest: the tight-knit net of people that leap into motion not as a result of they’re heroes, however as a result of they care. The rescue effort is suspenseful and emotionally charged. Maggie and Cal are those who in the end find them. When Lola hears them approaching and begins screaming for assist, it’s a small second of triumph that feels monumental.
 |
| “Twists and Turns” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Scott Patterson as Sully and Amalia Williamson as Lola. Photograph: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved. |
Maggie’s calm beneath strain is matched by Lola’s bravery. With Jacob slipping towards unconsciousness, Maggie talks Lola by administering the Glucagon. It’s a quietly highly effective scene, two girls, one actually trapped and one figuratively getting into the function of a information, holding one another regular. When Jacob lastly wakes and jokes about being caught in a mine with probably the most stunning girl he’s ever seen, the aid is palpable. It’s a lovely payoff to a storyline that would’ve simply relied on cliché however as an alternative gave us actual emotional stakes.
Again within the gentle of day, the rescue doesn’t simply save lives, it alters trajectories. Lola, shaken and emotional, opens as much as Jacob, and later, when she visits him at Frank and Edna’s, she reveals that her guardedness comes from a lifetime of trauma and isolation. Their slow-burn chemistry peaks when Jacob confesses he feels deeply comfy along with her, regardless of how little time they’ve recognized one another. What follows is an intimate and sincere romantic scene, one which Sullivan’s Crossing does greatest. When Lola reveals she’s by no means been with anybody earlier than, the second is handled with dignity and tenderness. Jacob’s response, that there’s no rush, that they’ll wait, carries the form of light respect that feels each earned and obligatory. It’s uncommon for TV to let intimacy breathe like this, and the author’s of Sullivan’s Crossing deserves credit score for it.
Parallel to this, Maggie and Cal are solidifying their very own subsequent chapter. Maggie wakes up at Cal’s place, revelling within the the information that she’s shifting in with him. It’s romantic and candy, but additionally grounded of their mutual understanding of one another’s previous scars. Their dynamic, now extra emotionally mature, continues to be a spotlight of the present. Cal’s choice to return the sports activities automotive, admitting it was a logo of impulsiveness, feels symbolic of his progress. And Maggie, ever the caregiver, tends to him after he’s briefly caught in falling particles on the mine. Their bond deepens, not simply by grand gestures, however in small, quiet moments like her fussing over his bandages or teasing him about inviting mates over on their first night time dwelling collectively.
 |
| “Twists and Turns” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Chad Michael Murray as Cal, Steve Lund as Cooper, Reid Worth as Rob and Dakota Taylor as Rafe. Photograph: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved. |
However not all is easy crusing. Sully, who has quietly supported Maggie’s independence and transfer, finds himself alone once more. After lastly admitting to himself that he has emotions for Helen, and even planning to take a ballroom dancing class along with her, he discovers that she’s left city with out saying goodbye. Her departure was defined solely in a be aware and a gifted copy of her e book and it hit Sully exhausting. He tries to behave as if it doesn’t trouble him, however the emotion is seen. There’s a poignant loneliness in how he clutches his binoculars, a small nod to his want to attach with somebody once more, and now being compelled again into solitude.
A standout scene comes later, when Cal hosts an off-the-cuff poker night time with Rob, Rafe, and Cooper. It begins off gentle, only a few mates winding down, however rapidly transforms into one thing deeper. After Rafe jokes about rumours on the firehouse, Cooper shares the reality about why he transferred to Timberlake. He didn’t punch a man at work, because the hearsay urged. It occurred at house, after he discovered his spouse in mattress with one other man. It’s a uncooked, painful confession that momentarily silences the room. What follows is pure Sullivan’s Crossing, compassion with out pity, understanding with out overreach. Rob and Cal supply help, and Cooper opens up in regards to the pressure his job placed on his marriage. It’s a quiet second of emotional fact that ripples outward, particularly for Rafe, who begins to query his personal strained relationship with Sydney. The present doesn’t beat the viewer over the top with these themes, it lets them simmer, organically, in shared area between characters.
Elsewhere within the episode, Edna and Frank carry their normal heat and knowledge, particularly within the episode’s quieter scenes. Edna’s spontaneous kiss and reminder to not take one another without any consideration is a lovely distinction to Helen’s exit. It reinforces the theme threaded all through the episode: you by no means know what life will throw your approach, so maintain tight to the individuals who matter.
 |
| “Twists and Turns” – SULLIVAN’S CROSSING. Pictured: Sharleen Kalayll as Dr. Rabney and Morgan Kohan as Maggie. Photograph: Bell Media ©2025. All Rights Reserved. |
And simply when it appears the emotional depth has peaked, a easy scene quietly shifts the tone. After the poker night time winds down and the fellows go away, Cal unintentionally knocks over one in every of Maggie’s books. Tucked inside is a letter she as soon as wrote to an ex-boyfriend named Liam. In it, Maggie lays naked her inside battle, the strain between pursuing her profession and fearing that love would possibly derail her ambitions. She writes that she didn’t need to let Liam hold her from attaining her goals. The invention lands like a whisper of doubt in an in any other case harmonious night time. It doesn’t diminish the love Cal and Maggie share, but it surely introduces a refined query: does Maggie nonetheless carry that concern deep down? Is Cal standing in the way in which of her goals?
The episode ends with yet one more vital flip. Maggie receives a name to seek the advice of on a medical case, solely to find the affected person is Glenn, the person chargeable for placing by her household by a lot turmoil. The shock on her face is evident. In that second, the episode units the stage for a robust ethical dilemma: will Maggie assist the person that nearly took away her father’s livelihood, or stroll away to protect household loyalty?
“Twists and Turns” didn’t depend on dramatic aptitude for its impression. It earned each emotional beat by character progress, quiet resilience, and sincere dialogue. It’s an episode the place persons are pushed to their emotional limits, solely to search out one thing, or somebody, price holding onto. A compelling hour that displays every part this present does properly: human connection, emotional honesty, and the unwavering heartbeat of neighborhood.