Sullivan’s Crossingwaited nearly two years to address one of the strangest elements of the show, but even when the strange loophole came up, the show’s explanation was less-than-comprehensive. Throughout Sullivan’s Crossing’s run, the show has been upfront about the fact that though Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) is back in Nova Scotia with her father Harry “Sully” Sullivan, she studied medicine in Boston.
After her mother left her father as a child,Maggie coming back toSullivan’s Crossingwas an emotional choicethat she made in a time of distress. When she met California “Cal” Jones (Chad Michael Murray) and fell back in with the rest of Timberlake’s familiar faces,Maggie seemed to trade her high-profile lifein Boston for the comfort of home.
While Maggie likely has dual citizenship in the US and Canada, the show has been adamant about her medical license not translating over to Canadian institutions.What the show’s been far less open about is Cal’s immigration status. After introducing Cal as a native New Yorker,Sullivan’s Crossinghas rarely touched onhow he’s stayed in the country throughout the show’s run.
Cal, A New Yorker, Explains His “Residency” Status During Season 2
Sullivan’s Crossing Briefly Touched On His Roots Prior
While Cal, who’s a native New Yorker according to the first season ofSullivan’s Crossing, hasbeen in Nova Scotia for an undetermined amount of time by the time his immigration status is touched on. DuringSullivan’s Crossingseason 2, when Cal decided to join the Timberlake Search & Rescue team as part of the local fire department, he mentions his “residency” came through recently.
Though it’s possible thatCal would be able to gain permanent residency in Canada over the course of a few years, he’s unlikely to so quickly have established PR in the country after the show’s start. Instead, it’s more likely that Cal was able to obtain some sort of work permit, but not expounding on how he’s legally in Canada makes it seem like a loophole.
By establishing Cal’s “residency” so nonchalantly,the show chooses to shrug off one of the biggest issues it could face with his character. Instead of making Cal’s journey to stay in Canada a part of his storyline,Sullivan’s Crossingchose to ignore italmost entirely. While this may not have been a narrative priority for the show, the explanation was a misstep.
Sullivan’s Crossing Doesn’t Often Mention Their Confusing Immigration Policies
Cal Shouldn’t Be Able To Live & Work In Canada So Easily
Despite knowing thatCal and Maggie could both face immigration issues in the years ahead,Sullivan’s Crossinghas washed its hands of a lot of the drama that could come from those problems. This could be for a few reasons, but in ignoring the realities behind coming to Canada from the US or vice versa, the show shut down an interesting plot.
While Maggie’s immigration is a bit more straightforward and seems to be something she’ll delve into duringSullivan’s Crossingseason 4, when she’s likely to get licensed to practice medicine in Canada,Cal’s has been ignored for the most part. In not pushing Cal to struggle to stay in Nova Scotia,Sullivan’s Crossingis losing out on the potential for more drama.
