Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 3 brings all the excitement of the annual Forager Festival.
Get the latest news for Sweet Magnolias with SERENITY SCOOP Volume S3E3 ‘The Searchers’.
Breaking News
Serenity is all abuzz with excitement over the upcoming Forager Festival. Establishments are closing early and teams of 3 gathering for the popular (and very competitive!) event.
Helen moves forward with Ryan who has agreed to settle permanently in Serenity. Cal and Maddie find themselves appreciating their time together without the distraction of physical touch (for at least a little while longer anyway). But Maddie clearly sees the need for both when Cal shares a poignant story about his father.
Dana Sue and Ronnie practice their counseling homework, an exploration of the 5 love languages from Gary Chapman’s popular book of the same name. They experiment with words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, acts of service and quality time.
Noreen allows herself an evening out with friends. Bill invites Kathy to dinner. And Erik considers a proposal that would take him away from Sullivan’s. Finally, Mayor Lewis makes a shocking announcement.
Read on for more scoop on Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 3.
Margarita Chatter
Margarita Night becomes Margarita Day (late afternoon?) when the Sweet Magnolias “pour it out” ahead of the Forager Festival. The chat evolves into a smack talk fest about which friend will be victorious in the popular scavenger hunt.
Helen was not even planning to attend but cannot help herself when Maddie announces that she and Cal will be going up against the Sullivan’s. We get a trip down memory lane learning that Maddie aka “Red” pulled a stunt years ago. While she will not expressly admit it, she was the one who hid a skeleton so the other foragers could not capture that item on their list.
Dana Sue shows off her plastic tiara from Ronnie, a gift representing one of the love languages. When she talks about reciprocating with a really big gift of her own, Maddie mistakes her comment for something a little more provocative. Dana Sue, however, is referring to the coveted Forager Festival trophy.
Small Town Life
The Forager Festival brings so much fun to the episode. It is wonderful to see the whole town come out and collectively enjoy the event whether scavenging or just enjoying the music and good company.
The festival also leads to some new groupings among characters that generate fresh conversation and fun moments. The teams from our main characters end up being:
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- Noreen/Isaac/Annie
- Dana Sue/Ronnie/Kyle
- Maddie/Cal/Paula
- Helen/Ryan/Ty
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The festival also highlights Serenity’s history, something that Helen seems anxious to share with Ryan.
Counseling Corner
Isaac successfully convinces Noreen to leave Bex with a sitter and join the festival fun. She struggles for a while worrying about her decision. But in the end, Noreen thanks her teammates for making it such fun night. The festivities remind her of joys from her childhood. This then prompts Annie to figure out her birthday theme! She wants to celebrate her childhood memories that have led to her turning 16.
Sometimes counseling is just listening. Maddie listens attentively as Cal shares a story about getting the truck he had wanted since childhood. After joining the Braves, he shows the truck to his dad. His dad responds negatively remarking that he hopes it can be returned when Cal fails in the big leagues. Even worse, Cal’s dad passes away from a heart attack not long after and the two never reconciled. Maddie thanks Cal for sharing his vulnerability.
It’s all “relative”
Ahead of the festival, Paula stops by Maddie’s house and sees that the desk has been delivered. It is a beautiful desk built by her late husband. Ty is on the porch marveling at his grandfather’s talent. He had no idea that his grandfather had this hobby. Paula reminds Ty that people can have multiple talents and are not defined by only one thing.
The Townsend family spreads out among three different scavenger teams. The result is still very familial as Ty and Kyle already refer to Helen and Dana Sue as their aunts.
There is a particularly sweet but subtle family moment when Ty is goofing around with Kyle. He grabs at him and misses. But Isaac jumps in and wrangles Kyle around the neck. Ty commends Isaac and we cannot help but remember that the three guys are actually siblings all having Bill as a biological father. Of course, Ty and Kyle are not aware of that, but we notice a natural bond among them.
Romance Review
Maddie and Cal are ready for those hugs and kisses again, but they appreciate the foundation they are building as friends in the meantime. Ronnie and Dana celebrate their progress with their reconciliation.
Helen seems excited about moving forward with Ryan. She seems anxious to share all things Serenity with him. But I wonder if she also feels the need to convince him to make Serenity his home. We also hear Ryan commending Ty on his ability to calm the scavengers when everyone points fingers about “North” the missing blue fox. Ryan talks about that skill being important in the NGO work he does in developing countries and places of crisis. Then again, this is a job that Ryan has agreed to give up. Can he really do it?
Ty asks Annie why Jackson is not at the festival. She explains that Jackson is on a trip with his mom and sister. Does Ty really want to know where Jackson is or is he perhaps hoping to find out they are no longer a couple? That may be wishful thinking on my part, but, hey, it’s worth wondering, right?
Erik looks devastated on his run when he catches a glimpse of Helen with Ryan at the festival. He turns in the other direction and ends up reaching out to Kathy about her proposal.
Erik’s message to Kathy is what interrupts her dinner and dancing with Bill. Bill looks disappointed when Kathy leaves abruptly. Can we assume this was a date between Bill and Kathy? They do speak of having dinner again, after all.
Town Council Notes
During the course of the scavenger hunt, Maddie and Cal discover several more issues throughout the community grounds that have been ignored by Mayor Lewis, such as the lack of recycling at the park. The couple accumulates a list of projects and repairs needed. Cal agrees to work alongside Maddie to make sure the work gets done.
Peggy confronts Trent at the festival about the recall election. He puts off the conversation and says he needs to greet the crowd. As the festival closes, Trent announces the winning team. It is Noreen, Isaac and Annie for the win! Everyone cheers. Then the mayor shares an announcement. He is stepping down from office. He is resigning as mayor. A hush falls among the crowd.
Mystery Musings
At least one mystery is solved. It turns out that Paula is the sly fox who hid “North”, the ceramic blue fox that “lives” under the stairs of the chapel/old schoolhouse. She gives it to Cal to place it in Maddie’s kitchen as a prank sometime in the coming weeks!
Kathy asks Erik to join her at Z’s restaurant. She wants him to lead the kitchen at the restaurant where she now serves as assistant manager. She shares memories of working at the restaurant that would one day become Sullivan’s. It was called Courthouse Grill at the time. When the owner sold it, they did not select Kathy. We, of course, know that the restaurant went to Dana Sue instead. Now, Kathy claims that she wants Erik’s help to make Z’s a tourist attraction. Erik listens to her proposal, but will he accept? Is this really Kathy’s dream, an act of revenge or some of each?
What information does Peggy have on Trent. Is there something she knows that makes him resign to avoid exposure? Also, when will Jackson return with Nellie and Mary Vaughn?
As always, so many mysteries to uncover in Sweet Magnolias!
Watch for our next edition of ‘Serenity Scoop’ for S3E4.
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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