Sullivan's Crossing Season 1 introduced Lola Gunderson (Amalia Williamson), who later became the series' most controversial character. At the center of the story of the hit Canadian family drama series is renowned Boston neurosurgeon Dr. Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), who decided to have a fresh start in her hometown in rural Nova Scotia after her reputation was tarnished due to a billing fraud by her medical business partner. It wasn't exactly a true homecoming for Maggie, though, because it was clear that her sudden abandonment of the town and her close ties for a better career left a bitter pill to swallow for some residents (including her father, Sully).
One of the new faces Maggie encountered when she returned was Lola, but she wasn't truly aware of how her bond with Sully would affect her later. Episode 1 established some animosity between Maggie and Lola, which was further explored throughout the rest of Seasons 1 and 2.
Sullivan's Crossing Seasons 1 and 2 were recently added to Netflix U.S. on July 8, 2025 (the show currently sits at the #2 spot among TV shows). The series stars Morgan Kohan, Chad Michael Murray, Tom Jackson, Scott Patterson, and Andrea Menard.
Who Is Lola In Sullivan's Crossing? Her Shady Actions Explained
Sullivan Crossing Season 1, Episode 3 pulled back the curtain on who Lola Gunderson really is, and it was revealed that she is Sully's stepdaughter. This would explain why Maggie hates Lola because she felt jealous that her father, Sully (played by Scott Patterson, who had an exit scare in Sullivan's Crossing Season 2), appeared to treat Lola more as a daughter than her.
During Maggie's absence, Lola helped Sully run the campground, serving as his longtime assistant. What irked Maggie even more was that Sully was even more compassionate toward Lola, and she even lent her money in Season 1, Episode 4 to help her ailing grandfather with handrails (even though Sully was short on cash).
Throughout Sullivan's Crossing's debut season, Maggie tried her best to fix her relationship with her father. For those unaware, Sully was heartbroken after Maggie chose to move to Boston to pursue her career and be with her mother, leaving him alone in the small town. It didn't help that Lola was seemingly there to take her place in the father-daughter dynamic.
But how did Lola end up in Sully's care in the first place? Sullivan's Crossing revealed that Sully felt guilty after he accidentally hit Lola while she was riding a bike. Sully hit her because he was chasing a young Maggie after she decided to pack her bags and leave.
Season 1 saw Lola involved in some shady actions against Maggie, believing that Sully's biological daughter was present to take her place for good. Some of her questionable actions include hiding the letter Cal wrote for Maggie in the Season 1 finale (he left town to honor his promise to his late wife) because she liked Cal in the first place and didn't want Maggie to be with him, and exaggerating weird jabs toward Maggie whenever they talked to each other.
Hiding Cal's letter was the tipping point of Lola's reckless actions because it was anchored by her deep desire to snatch Cal away from Maggie as a form of revenge against her.
While Lola is not a full-blown villain, some pointed out that her antagonistic actions against Maggie made her a controversial character, but she was just a misunderstood person longing for love and care from those closest to her.
Read more about why Maggie was arrested in Sullivan's Crossing Season 1.
How Sullivan's Crossing Season 3 Redeemed Lola
Sullivan's Crossing Season 2 finale showed Sully coming clean to Lola about the accident, confessing that he was responsible for hitting her when she was a child, and it was due to drunk driving.
Lola was furious at Sully for lying to her all these years, and she even claimed that she didn't want to see him again. However, after she returned to the accident site, Lola realized that it wasn't Sully's car that hit her, which led to their reconciliation in Season 3.
Lola and Sully's reconciliation sparked her path to redemption, and she finally found common ground with Maggie, which essentially ended their budding rivalry.
Seeing Lola's growth (after her shady actions) served as a crucial turn for the character since it gave her a newfound perspective on life, thus abandoning her antagonistic ways.
