Sweet Magnolias kicks off season 3 with big reveals for our first edition of ‘Serenity Scoop’.
Get the latest news for Sweet Magnolias with SERENITY SCOOP Volume S3E1 ‘Meaning to Tell You’.
Breaking News
We pick up after Cal punches Stu at Sullivan’s. Cal, Maddie, Erik, and Dana Sue gather at Helen’s house to decompress after leaving the police station. Cal is regretful and concerned about Stu. Erik reports that Stu is fine with no big injury.
Cal feels at fault but insists he was just trying to protect Maddie. The recently fired coach is ready to step down from all of his roles, including his partnership at Sullivan’s. Dana tells him not to even think about that. Erik offers to take Cal home and Maddie gets a ride with Dana Sue. Helen has told no one about the proposal. She and Erik decide to catch up the next day.
We learn the identity of the mystery woman that slashed Dana Sue’s tires. She is Kathy, Ronnie’s little sister. Kathy claims to be in town to honor Ms. Frances. Ronnie is skeptical and asks what she wants. When Ronnie brings up slashing the tire, Kathy says she wanted to “remind her how I feel about her,” claiming that Dana Sue stole Sullivan’s from her. When Kathy mentions seeing Annie, Ronnie tells Kathy to keep away.
We soon find out from Helen that the county prosecutor is dropping the case against Cal. We learn that Stu does not want to testify and is sorry for what he did. Bill comes to the Corner Spa and offers to talk to Mary Vaughn about rehiring Cal. He also unknowingly drops the bomb about Ty giving up baseball. Maddie is blindsided. Before the episode closes, Helen does reveal to Erik that Ryan proposed.
Read on for more scoop on Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 1.
Margarita Chatter
At Margarita Night, Helen shows her fellow Sweet Magnolias the ring. Maddie assumes Ryan proposed and Dana Sue guesses it is Ryan. They discuss the two men in Helen’s life. Helen is torn and has not made a decision yet. She has not spoken to Erik yet (at this point in the episode). Maddie speaks positively about Helen’s relationship with Erik and expresses some doubts about Ryan.
Dana Sue shares that she told Ronnie about the check from Ms. Frances. Helen understands how Ronnie was a little hurt that Dana Sue did not tell him right away. When asked about how they plan to use the check, Dana Sue reports that paying for Annie’s college is the only thing they have settled on so far.
Dana Sue tells her friends that Ronnie visited Kathy to try to find out why she’s in town. She doesn’t even care about repairing the tire. She just wants Kathy to leave. Maddie is worried about being in another problematic relationship. Dana Sue points out that Cal is very different from Bill.
Small Town Life
Serenity has a long history of helping those in need.
Noreen benifits from this kindness when baby Rebecca (Bex) is going through a restless spell. Noreen arrives exhausted to Sullivan’s. Isaac inadvertently grabbed the wrong keys when he left for work. Noreen delivers the keys and Dana Sue notices how Noreen is struggling to comfort Bex.
Noreen reports that nothing seems to be calming the fussy baby. Dana Sue volunteers the kitchen staff to take turns pushing Bex in the stroller while a very grateful Noreen goes home for a nap.
Counseling Corner
The residents of Serenity are good helpers and good listeners, too.
Trotter sees how distracted and worn-out Maddie is after the altercation at Sullivan’s. He insists that she take the day off of work and nudges her out the door. Outside the spa, Maddie runs into Pastor June who is taking her new rescue dog Sampson for a walk. The two friends confide in one another about needing rest and refreshment.
Cal is on the receiving end of some counseling words from Erik. Erik meets Cal at the park and tells him about Vernon’s PTSD group he attends at the VFW. Cal shares that he has attended groups before (under duress) but that he didn’t put in the effort. Instead, he tried to shut out his problems.
Erik advises Cal to expose the “demons” locked away, to let them out and tame them. Cal says that he hurt people, and he thinks Maddie doesn’t’ love him now. Erik dismisses that notion and encourages Cal to take time to really examine and learn more about himself.
Later in the episode, Trotter thanks Maddie for her glowing recommendation for Trotter and Ashley as adoptive parents. There is no match yet, but they are hopeful.
It’s all “relative”
Family is a big part of Serenity and thanks to Bill, there is plenty of family to go around. In a private moment, Maddie assures Isaac that she will not share the news of Bill being Isaac’s biological father with her kids. It is up to Isaac to decide when the time is right.
Speaking of Isaac’s siblings, he talks sweetly to baby Bex while he offers to watch the baby so Noreen can take a shower. Isaac tells Bex that they share a father. It’s sweet to see them together. Isaac has been missing his (adoptive) father. He calls his dad and tells him that he has uncovered the information he was seeking. He assures his dad of his love but confirms that he plans to stay in Serenity.
Brothers Ty and Kyle (also half-brothers to Isaac) wonder what the incident at Sullivan’s will mean for their mom and Cal. They speak fondly of how things were going with Maddie and Coach Cal. They also consider who may take over as coach in the wake of Cal’s firing.
Maddie asks Ty about his decision to leave baseball behind. While she understands why Ty had not had the right moment to tell her yet, she expresses the importance of him always being open and honest with her.
Romance Review
Ronnie and Dana Sue are working hard on trust in their renewed relationship. Things get a little bumpy when Ronnie is upset that Dana Sue did not tell him right away about the check from Ms. Frances. Likewise, Dana Sue is angry when she incorrectly assumes that Ronnie already knew about Kathy being in town. Their ability to talk things through eases the hurt feelings and shows progress in their commitment to one another.
Kyle tells Ty that Nellie reciprocated his interest in her but then things came to an abrupt halt when Mary Vaughn forbid them to date. Ty understands that Mary Vaughn can be intimidating but hopes things will work out for Kyle.
Jackson and Annie choose to meet secretly in the cemetery due to Mary Vaughn’s disapproval of her kids dating any offspring of the Sweet Magnolias.
Maddie receives flowers from Cal at the spa with an apology for the incident at Sullivan’s. Maddie is not sure what to make of all the new things she is learning about Cal’s struggles with anger. Later in the episode, Cal pays a visit to Maddie. The kids out for milkshakes at Wharton’s with Paula. Maddie confides that she still wants to be with Cal, but she has a lot of questions. She is worried that he was keeping something big a secret. They decide to work on getting to know themselves better individually in hopes of enriching their relationship.
Helen tells Ryan about the miscarriage and her fertility issues. She shares that she does not how that might affect his plans for wanting to marry her. They both cry at the loss of something they finally both wanted.
Later, Erik visits Helen and she tells him about Ryan’s proposal. She admits that she is considering it, Erik responds, “I see. That’s all I need to know” as the episode ends.
Town Council Notes
There is no town council news for this episode. We already know that a recall vote for the mayoral office was approved, but the vote has not taken place. We do know this is the main reason that Mary Vaughn forbids Nellie and Jackson to date Kyle and Annie.
Apparently, Maddie has been receiving lots of calls about the council. When Trotter calls her over to see the flowers from Cal, she fears it is a phone call about a town council request.
Mystery Musings
Serenity always seems to hold a bit of mystery among its residents.
No one knows the reason that Ms. Frances decided to bestow such a large portion of her estate upon Dana Sue. Furthermore, Dana Sue and Ronnie still don’t know how they should use the funds except for knowing they want to help Annie with college.
Ryan delivers boxes to Maddie and Helen with items Frances designated for them. What do these boxes hold?
Of course, we still don’t really know what agenda Kathy has in mind for her return to Serenity. Furthermore, she approaches Bill at Z’s restaurant. Is she flirting? Why does she give her last name as Boseman? Was she previously or is she currently married?
The mysteries of Serenity certainly keep us on our toes.
Up next: ‘Serenity Scoop’ for S3E2
All 10 episodes of Sweet Magnolias are available on Netflix. Follow our continuing coverage of the series at So Many Shows.
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