For a few years now, fans have felt the central couple of Sullivan’s Crossing hasn’t been the most interesting, and the best couple on the show has been so clear all along. The romantic pairings on Sullivan’s Crossing don’t exactly scream stable – if they did, there would be no show. Main Sullivan’s Crossing couple Cal and Maggie took two years to figure out their issues and finally get together, largely because of Maggie’s dithering between Andrew and Cal and her inability to open up. It was only at the end of last season that Maggie finally stopped running from her problems in Sullivan’s Crossing.
Likewise, Sydney and Rafe danced around each other for almost two seasons in another will-they/won’t-they situation. Walter lied to Phoebe and hid his fraud. Andrew and Maggie were clearly always wrong for each other from the start. Any other potential romantic pairing has barely been shown on screen, such as Rob and his one-night stand with Jane, or Jackson and his brief summer fling with Kaleb in season 1.
Edna & Frank Have Always Been Sullivan’s Crossing’s Strongest Couple
They’re Stable In A Sea Of Drama
That leaves Frank and Edna Cranebear, who are the strongest couple in Sullivan’s Crossing. Maggie may be the protagonist, but the Cranebears are the heart of it all, both the show and the fictional camp itself. Part of that is because, while constant drama swirls around them, whether a shady real estate developer making a move to buy the land, or matters of the heart, Edna and Frank are always steady. They’re a stable foundation and relationship in a show that features very few, and their steadiness as a couple provides an anchor that the series desperately needs to balance out the melodrama.
The Cranebears’ Romance Is More Interesting & Has More Chemistry Than The Others
It’s Not Volatile New Love, But Deep, Old Love
If I’m being honest with myself – and I usually am – then I’d have to admit that, well, I just don’t find Maggie and Cal to have that much chemistry. Maggie is largely a cipher, having put up so many emotional walls and spending so much energy on the wrong things for the first two seasons that she hasn’t offered the audience much to root for. She simply doesn’t have a lot of personality. Sydney and Rafe are similar – we haven’t really gotten to see much of them as a couple before this season, and now they’re already on shaky ground. There just aren’t any romantic relationships to truly feel invested in.
But Edna and Frank are another story. Their relationship is by far the most interesting and dynamic, not because it’s a volatile new love, but because it’s old, deep love. They’ve quietly had entire relationship arcs of their own, and challenges to overcome, namely Frank putting Sully before Edna, Frank needing to let go of the past and make amends with his family, and, this season, Edna coming to terms with the fact she’s entering menopause and facing her own mortality.
Their relationship is by far the most interesting and dynamic, not because it’s a volatile new love, but because it’s old, deep love.
Their relationship challenges are real and relatable, not ones manufactured solely for the sake of dragging out drama or caused by young, emotionally stunted people who don’t know who they are or what they want. It’s those downs that make their ups so much stronger; from the first second they were on screen, the love Edna and Frank have for each other resonates. They’re so open with their affection in a way other characters aren’t, and it’s warm and genuine. Andrea Menard and Tom Jackson get all the credit for bringing those two to life so wonderfully.
The Perfect Sullivan’s Crossing Spinoff Would Be An Edna & Frank Cranebear Prequel
Their Backstory Makes The Perfect Main Story
In fact, if Sullivan’s Crossing were ever to have a spinoff, I already have the perfect idea: a spinoff of young Edna and Frank Cranebear. Throughout Sullivan’s Crossing, the couple has hinted at their past and that both of them had tried for a long time to find a home and a place to belong. Both have talked about how their individual Indigenous heritage and cultures shaped them, sometimes in painful ways. Frank’s falling out with his extended family we know about, but we have gotten hints that Edna’s past was just as painful.
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Sullivan’s Crossing and Virgin River might be successful already, but the next Robyn Carr series could be the author’s biggest TV adaptation to date.
A prequel series featuring the Cranebears would have a lot of fertile ground to explore, even if Sullivan’s Crossing season 4 doesn’t happen. Two lost and wandering souls finally finding each other is an incredible premise for a romantic drama, especially if it thoughtfully incorporates Indigenous storylines and themes in with their personal experience and love story. Broken people healing themselves and each other through their mutual love and support is always a great framework for a good love story. I, for one, would love to see more of the Sullivan’s Crossing couple, no matter how it comes.
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- Release Date
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October 4, 2023
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Morgan Kohan
Maggie Sullivan
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Chad Michael Murray
Cal Jones
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
