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Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9 premiered on July 9, 2025, continuing the emotional rollercoaster of the series with the episode titled, First Cut Is the Deepest. This episode focuses on Edna Cranebear's sudden health crisis. Maggie, the town doctor, is asked to make important choices about Edna's surgery, which adds to the emotional weight of the episode.
Edna has a brain tumor. Vision loss is one of the serious health problems that the tumor has already started to cause. Maggie, who cares about Edna emotionally, has to make hard choices about the surgery to save her life as the diagnosis comes in.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9. Reader’s discretion is required.
The beginning of the crisis: Edna’s shocking diagnosis in
Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9
In this episode, Doctor Rabney tells Edna Cranebear what's wrong with her. People tell Edna that she has a brain tumor, which puts her life in danger right away.
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Doctor Rabney tells her that the tumor is big enough to put a lot of pressure on her brain, which is causing problems like losing her sight. Edna could go blind for good if nothing is done right away, and she might not live even with surgery.
Everyone in the Crossing who knows and loves Edna is shocked by the news. The character's sudden and serious health crisis has caused a lot of chaos.
Maggie faces a life-or-death decision
Maggie needs to perform the surgery because she is the town's doctor. As a result, she feels torn between her job duties and the close emotional connection she has with Edna.
The neuro-surgeon takes the news especially hard because Edna is also a close friend, a mentor, and an important part of the community. Maggie feels overwhelmed by the weight of her duty and isn't sure if she can save Edna's life.
When Edna learns that the surgery will be hard because the tumor is close to her carotid artery, she realizes how serious the situation is. The surgery is even more difficult because of the size of the tumor and the chance that it will block important blood vessels in her brain.
Maggie has to choose under a lot of stress because she knows that if she goes ahead with her plan, she could lose Edna in the operating room.
In this episode, Maggie asks her closest friends and family for advice. Cal in particular. He tells her she can do it, but Maggie still has doubts.
Maggie is more deeply affected by the emotional stress of managing Edna's crisis, which shows how personal this medical emergency is. When she thinks about how big the job is, her confidence as a doctor starts to waver.
Surgery begins and Edna’s condition is serious
Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9 sees Maggie perform the surgery. At first, the procedure seems to go as planned. Maggie works diligently to remove the tumor, carefully navigating the complex blood vessels and tissues surrounding the growth.
Things quickly change, however, as she gets closer to freeing the carotid artery. It looks like Edna's blood pressure is dropping very quickly, which could mean a serious problem.
Maggie is taken by surprise as the surgery goes from routine to life-threatening. The drop in blood pressure is a warning sign that something has gone terribly wrong. Her professional calm starts to break as she tries to keep Edna stable and knows that time is running out.
There is fear and uncertainty because of the drop in blood pressure and the problems that came up during the surgery. Maggie used to have faith in her skills, but now she is scared that she might lose Edna on the operating table.
The cliffhanger: Will Edna survive the surgery?
Just as the situation reaches its most critical point, the screen cuts to black. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, leaving viewers in suspense. Edna’s fate remains unknown.
This cliffhanger in Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9 is the culmination of the episode’s emotional and medical tension. Throughout the episode, viewers are given glimpses of Maggie’s internal struggle, the fear of failure, and the bonds between the characters, all of which set up the intense climax.
Sullivan's Crossing season 3 episode 9 is available to stream on The CW.
