SULLIVAN’S CROSSING was an extremely slow burn of story content. Dialogue was brief and dramatic, and relationship development moved at a glacial pace. It was a tortoise race soap opera that centered around a small community in Nova Scotia, Canada. It took me a while to get used to the lack of action and into the gentle, everyday lives of this community. It was not as good as VIRGIN RIVER or SWEET MAGNOLIAS, but it does grow on you.
I believe the problem with the series is the lack of reactions on the actors’ faces as the shit hit the fan and the dead-pan dialogues that follow. It could have been so much more, but perhaps this is not the Canadian way of expressing angst, heartache, or grief. The story lines were intriguing, but they took at least ten episodes to get to the conclusion. I was intrigued to start watching this series because it had four seasons under its belt. It took me several weeks to get through the forty episodes. I can only say okay, I finished. I cannot shout out a wow.
The cinematography was stunning. The Canadian border is simply gorgeous. The lakes, waterways, and forests do not disappoint. They take on a character of their own since events are often centered around the mountainous landscape. This spoke to my soul since it was breathtaking.
The characters in SULLIVAN’S CROSSING needed a bit more pizazz as to how they were portrayed. I liked that they included First Nation people in the storytelling. This added a different perspective when situations went sideways. There were always positive affirmations shared by the wise leaders, but it was the leisurely pacing that made me sigh with impatience.
SULLIVAN’S CROSSING was an acquired taste. I think it would add to its popularity if audiences were all from Nova Scotia. It is streaming on Netflix and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a season five already in development.
