The Buccaneers Season 1 Episode 5 reunited Nan, Theo and Guy, a friendship that took on a very weird vibe following Guy’s very candid telegram in which he poured his heart out for his best friend’s fiancé. A telegram that Nan, unfortunately, never received and that ended up in the hands of Theo instead. 

Now, before you start feeling sorry for Theo, he showed a different side of himself during the episode, a side that Nan has never seen before, and I’d argue one that revealed his true colors. He later informed her that he wasn’t being himself during the Bonfire night at Guy’s (celebrating Guy Fawke’s failed Gunpowder Plot, no less, which allowed them to deliver some very on-the-nose lines about Theo “burning Guy to the ground” without anyone batting an eyelash), however, is that really the way anyone treats their best friend… a best friend that he knows is going through another kind of hell in the aftermath of his mother’s death? 

Theo basically throws it in Guy’s face that he’s poor now and can’t afford the servants and staff, which is just ugly and telling. Of course, his attempt at belittling Guy comes from a place of insecurity as he knows how Guy feels about Nan, and he’s desperately afraid of losing her. If he hadn’t revealed that Guy’s whole plan was to find an American girl with money to save the family fortune, Nan likely would’ve remained very conflicted about her feelings for both men, but once she realized what Guy was playing at—which we know was his initial motivation before he actually fell for her—she shot him down as both a friend and a romantic interest. It was brutal and heartbreaking, especially when you consider that it’s not that far off from what Lord Seadown’s parents were doing by marrying him off to Jinny. Why was it a problem when Guy wanted someone wealthy but not when the others did? 

The unfortunate truth is that Guy’s feelings were, in fact, authentic, and the passion displayed between them when they shared a kiss was proof that Nan should’ve followed her heart to the man who would be her equal. Theo can apologize all he wants, but his actions speak far louder, and he went out of his way to invite Jean, on Guy’s behalf, to get him away from Nan. And when Guy expressed zero interest in Jean, he suggested that she’s a “very nice girl”–ahem, someone with money–whom he should give another chance. 

Also, it would have been great if Nan pieced together that Theo’s actions were a result of seeing the telegram as it was fairly obvious what was going on. 

We already have one St. George sister in a toxic and controlling marriage, and not that I think Theo is anywhere as bad as Seadown, but there are definitely red flags. 

Speaking of Jinny and Seadown, the poor girl is walking on eggshells around him and apologizing for being such a disappointment. The more we see this relationship, the more we see him breaking down her spirit, a glimmer we see return when she and Lizzy ditch the maze and go off for a fun day together. Lizzy is determined to make Seadown pay for the shame he caused her, particularly after the heartwarming and inspiring conversation she shares with Guy, who informs her that it’s not her shame to carry. 

She antagonizes Seadown at every turn—and I can’t blame her, it’s too easy. It was just heartbreaking to see Jinny sit outside of the bedroom when he locked her out as punishment. 

There’s also Mabel and Honoria, who had a moment of bliss together playing pretend before Mabel broke her heart by informing her that she’s so tired of playing pretend when all of her friends are praised and celebrated for their romantic endeavors–many of which are far worse than an LGBTQ relationship, but you know, the times. 

And then there’s Conchita and Dick, who are madly in love with each other but not on the same page when it comes to their life together. From their brief interaction, it’s revealed that she made the decision to move out with her baby, which Dick supports, though he knows it’s not going to sit well with his parents. However, it seems like he begins to doubt his decision when he sees how happy Conchie is and remembers how much he loves her—maybe trading in his power for freedom would be the wise choice in this situation.

Of course, there’s so much we still don’t know about Dick, including his prior relationship with Mrs. Testvalley, so it’s hard to determine where his heart lies or whether he’ll be brave enough to risk it all for his family. 

By the end of the episode, it’s clear that none of these newfound relationships are actually rooted in happiness, though everyone is going above and beyond to pretend that they are. Nan has chosen to stick by Theo’s side and go through with the wedding, though I anticipate many bumps in the road as she’s unable to shake her feelings for Guy. She may be heartbroken and disappointed by the revelation that he was using her, but that doesn’t mean getting over him or forgetting about him will be any easier, especially as he’s always going to be around as her fiancè’s bestie. 

Will Lizzy hold her ground or will Seadown scare her off? Will Jinny eventually confide in her girls that she’s married to the devil? How will Mabel and Honoria move on with their relationship? And will Conchita and Dick find a way to be together? 

Sullivan’s Crossing Season 1 Episode 8 has finally given the people what they wanted. 

Maggie and Andrew’s breakup was immediately followed by Maggie and Cal’s first (and very passionate) kiss. As far as first kisses go on television, this one was pretty solid. 

And it didn’t feel wrong either or like it was Maggie’s rebound—it felt right. And that’s likely because of the build-up to the moment, which happened not only through their friendship from the first episode when Maggie stepped foot into Sullivan’s Crossing but also throughout the episode as she checked in on him and confided in him.

Maggie and Cal seem to gravitate toward each other without much of an effort; it all comes so easily for them. Part of what Maggie finds attractive also includes Cal’s deep interest in her. He actually listens to what she has to say, which, as she notes, is rare for the men in her life. 

When Cal takes her on a picnic to his favorite spot, it turns out to be her favorite spot town as well, and it’s not lost on audiences that his excitement for this little date makes up for the lack of excitement Andrew displayed when she brought him to the same location. 

Maggie and Cal, who we find out is actually named California Jones in a full moment of trust (fitting since his parents were nomads but also, was that a little shoutout to A Cinderella Story fans? We see you nomad 609!), fit like a glove, and when things just make sense, it’s hard to fight them. When everything is so complicated, it’s hard to fight the thing that is easy. 

Of course, in a tense promo for the upcoming episode, both Maggie and Cal try to brush off what happened saying that it was an emotional day for both of them, but that’s clearly Cal’s attempt at minimizing it because he thinks it’s too soon for Maggie. However, as I mentioned above, Maggie may be confused about a lot of things, but she’s not confused about her feelings for Cal, which she’s been fighting since day one.

She wasn’t able to tell Andrew she loved him because deep down inside, she knew she didn’t and that he wasn’t the one. Everything happens for a reason, and it’s fair to need some time and space to get over a breakup, it’s not always necessary when that relationship was done in your mind for a very long time. 

Andrew picked up on all of this, and so, in a way, we should be thanking him for walking away and giving Maggie the space to figure it out and find the right man for her. Life’s too short to force a relationship with someone you aren’t excited about spending the rest of your life with. 

Cal knows all too well just how short life is having arrived in Sullivan’s Crossing to pick up the pieces following Lynne’s death. While it seems as though the loss is recent, he’s clearly done the work of moving on, acknowledging that while he’ll always love her, he promised her that he’d find someone else worthy of sharing his life with. I don’t think Cal took the kiss lightly at all, though he’s respectable and will give Maggie all the space she needs to figure everything out. 

Maggie is in a weird place as she’s not ready to make any big life decisions, something Andrew should’ve figured when he proposed and tried to buy them a house, while she’s anticipating this career-defining trial. Cal seems to understand that, allowing Maggie to move at her own pace and giving her tools to deal with the stress and anxiety rather than pressuring her to do anything she’s uncomfortable with. 

The trial will have a huge effect on her life, but she’s mostly worried about losing everything she’s worked for, whereas her conversation with Cal begs the question—is that the life she even wants? Cal also went to law school and after Lynne’s death, he realized there are so many better things to be doing than working a job you’re not passionate about. 

From where I’m standing, Maggie can make good use of her medical education by helping the town she grew up in—there’s no shortage of events and issues demanding her attention. We get to see a snippet of it when she assists Jackson, who fell during a climb. Maggie did mention she’s an adrenaline junkie, so working out in the field is not only to give her the needed dose, but she’ll feel rewarded helping the people she cares about. 

A career pivot is often necessary if it makes you happy and reframe your outlook on life. 

Maggie might also stay out of a necessity to help Sully salvage the campground now that she’s been made aware of his financial troubles. It’s so like Sully to shield her from the reality of the situation. 

I like Maggie, but man, she gives him such a hard time and never considers how losing her affected him. She needs to look at things big picture and stop painting Sully as the enemy when he was also a victim of her mother Phoebe’s actions. Maggie went through a ton of trauma and heartache losing her father, but it wasn’t easy on him either, and I hope she realizes that sooner rather than later—and hopefully before her cutting words lead him to pick up the bottle again. 

Sully informed Frank that he was doing alright despite his minor relapse, and let’s hope that’s the case. Frank was too scared to tell his friend about his upcoming trip with Edna because he felt personally responsible for Sully’s wellbeing, however, that’s too much of a burden to place on anyone. They’re positive influences, surely, but the decision to stay sober has to be internal. 

Maggie’s presence, despite their fraught relationship, will be helpful during their absence, but I don’t know how Sully will recover from Jackson’s injury while climbing. 

Other moments in the episode included Sydney and Rafe going on their first date (though the other two blooming couples on the series, Maggie and Cal and Jackson and Kaleb somehow had way more chemistry than these two) to get to know each other a little better, though things took a bit of a downturn when Rafe mentioned her modeling in New York. Something clearly happened during her short-lived modeling career that causes distress whenever it’s mentioned. 

Jackson and Kaleb barely got to set out on their climb when the latter felt dizzy and nauseous and couldn’t get back up. Jackson sought Cal’s help, and thankfully, Maggie was there to assist, immediately recognizing the symptoms as vertigo. The epley maneuver is one to keep in your back pocket, folks, as it’s a lifesaver (when done right) if your crystals ever get displaced, which happens more than you’d imagine. 

What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy all the momentum surrounding Maggie and Cal’s romance? Will they hit the brakes as she tries to make sense of her life, or will she realize that her life is slowly beginning to make sense because of him?

Operation Save Easter is in full swing on The Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4. Easter was celebrated as the holiday became the North Pole’s problem after Sandra accidentally turned the Easter Bunny into an actual bunny.

While Scott isn’t used to hiding Easter eggs and delivering baskets, he is used to sneaking into homes unnoticed to drop off goodies, so all they really needed to adjust was the costume—a funny hat, an eggplant coat, and an invisibility cloak that could’ve been straight from Hogwarts. 

Naturally, Cal assisted as part of his “Santa training,” which hasn’t been going so well, and while he definitely proved he has a long way to go when he mistakenly hid the Stink Eggs from the Basket of Tricks versus the actual eggs, it helped him get his mind off of Riley. 

Everything was going pretty smoothly, in fact, aside from Cal and Scott needing to backtrack to a few houses until Scott decided to be a good dad and stop by Riley’s place so that his son could see her. We knew Cal’s love life was going to cause problems, but in a way, it’s also a good thing that it brought the whole Mad Santa situation into Scott’s orbit as the elves were never going to fess up. Plus, it helped him make sense of the visions he was having. 

The arrival at Riley’s set off the alarms for Mad Santa, who put a whole plan into motion by using North Pole magic to turn Santaland into a premiere winter destination that rivaled the North Pole. Little did he know, Santa was actually in town for a different reason—and the elves chose to keep the North Pole magic being used in America a secret from Santa, as they were determined to keep him from finding out the truth about Mad Santa.

Was it the best decision? Likely not. But Noel is doing his best and hoping that it’s enough. Plus, they all vowed to protect Santa at all costs by closely monitoring him. When they realized he was on a collision course with Mad Santa, the emergency protocol was enacted just as Scott and Cal got caught in a trap set up by Olga. 

Mrs. Clause was the true hero of the episode, however, taking her jetpack to save her husband and son once she found out the truth about the missing nutcracker coming to life in Chicago. She never panics or misses a beat, which was also evident when she enlisted Sandra’s help to scavenge the Easter Bunny’s house to save the holiday. 

She use the opportunity to reconnect with Sandra, who was struggling from her fallout with La Befana and swore never to use magic again, despite the fact that she’s a witch. 

While I don’t know if destroying the Easter Bunny’s house—and defending it by saying he’s so messy he won’t even notice it—was the right move, it was sweet that she helped Sandra find an outlet to channel all of that anger. As women, we often need to be reminded that it is okay to be angry, and there’s a healthy way of getting all those emotions out without repressing them and letting them fester and make us resentful.

Overall, there were a few key developments, but mostly, the episode felt more like a filler, especially all the scenes with the Sandman. Even though Scott learned of Magnus Antas’ existence and came face to face with him, we will have to wait until next week’s episode to see what comes of it. Will he be furious with the elves, especially poor Noel?

What happened to him when he got hit with the ball of fire? Will Cal and Sandra play a role in helping Santa Scott defeat Mad Santa?

And what’s Magnus’ plan now that Santa is aware of him? It feels like he’s run his course in Santaland. You’d think Kris would’ve realized by now that Mad Santa is actually a villain, but alas, he’s just happy that he can make his father proud with his Christmas-themed park now a roaring success. 

Also, where is our girl Betty? Why aren’t we seeing more of her adventures in the real world? 

What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying the season thus far?