Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 4 calls for bold moves.
Get the latest news for Sweet Magnolias with SERENITY SCOOP Volume S3E4 ‘Be Bold’.
Breaking News
There are bold moves being made in Serenity.
Journals from Ms. Frances unearth her reason for bequeathing the large check to Dana Sue.
Maddie and Cal are nearing the end of their 2-week experiment as “just friends”. Ronnie makes a very public declaration of his love for Dana Sue. Helen makes a big decision without consulting Ryan.
Persistent reporter Peggy tries to uncover the whereabouts of now former mayor, Trent Lewis, who has gone missing. Peggy also continues her investigation into the possibility of Trent being guilty of fraudulent behavior while serving as mayor.
Erik requests time away from Sullivan’s when he accidentally burns himself after a difficult encounter with Helen.
Annie grows worried because she has not heard from Jackson. Meanwhile, Bill finds himself frustrated when Kathy does not respond to his text about going out again. Kyle is down about not being able to date Nellie and Ty is hesitant to consider colleges.
Read on for more scoop on Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 4.
Margarita Chatter
Dana Sue tells her friends about the journals Ryan delivered to Paula. Ms. Frances entrusted Paula with them so she could share them with Dana Sue at the right time. Ms. Frances always loved Dana Sue’s father, Patrick, but never declared her feelings. She did not want to interfere with Patrick’s love for Dana Sue’s mother.
Even still, Ms. Frances thought of Dana Sue as the daughter she could have shared with Patrick had things gone differently. Ms. Frances left the money for Dana Sue to carry on her legacy of love and care for Serenity. She advised Dana Sue to “be bold” in her choices.
Later, the conversation shifts to Helen and Ryan’s plans for an upscale dinner date. Helen invites Dana Sue, Maddie and their partners to join them. Maddie cannot attend because she is taking a drawing class with her “friend” June as she has come to know her as more than her pastor. Maddie talks about her plan for trying new experiences.
Small Town Life
Helen opens one of the boxes from Ms. Frances. It holds the candy bowl Ms. Frances used for taffy. Helen fondly remembers the Sweet Magnolias enjoying the taffy and the candy getting stuck in their teeth. Then Ms. Frances would tickle them until their giggles loosened their jaws.
Another one of the boxes is labeled “Sherryl”. Avid readers of the Sweet Magnolias source material will recognize that spelling as an homage to author Sherryl Woods. What does Ryan say the box contains? Well, books of course. What a sweet nod to Ms. Woods!
Everyone knows everyone in a small town, right? Noreen gets recognized as she looks at membership options at the Corner Spa. She initially fears that Dr. Ahmed remembers her as Bill’s nurse and mistress. But she actually remembers Noreen as being on the winning team at Forager Fest. She compliments Noreen and says she wants to be on her team next year.
Skeeter shows goodwill to Cal when he comes to his workshop to rent some tools. The veteran builder invites Cal to remain on site and use the workshop tools while he and Ronnie work.
Kyle meets up with Sophie and Willow to continue work on their gaming project. The girls try to console Kyle as he bemoans the fact that he cannot date Nellie.
Counseling Corner
There is much advice being shared across Serenity as friends and family care for each other.
Cal shares advice on more than one occasion in this episode. First, he supports Maddie as she takes on a new challenge, a figure drawing class. Maddie worries that she will not do well and perhaps even embarrass her mother who is a professional artist. Cal reminds Maddie that you do not have to be the best at something to enjoy a new experience. Focus on the joy.
Cal also shares encouragement with Harlan when he passes the torch as head coach. He gives Harlan a very special bat, one he used in a pivotal hit while playing for the Braves. Of course, Cal agrees to be available to Harlan for any questions or problems he may encounter in his new role.
Maddie asks Ty about the stack of college brochures on the coffee table that he seems to be ignoring. Ty shares that he has no idea what he wants to do, so he has been avoiding the whole college search. Maddie advises him to focus on eliminating some that he knows he is not interested in. That will be a start.
After Erik burns himself by grabbing a flaming hot skillet with his bare hand, he has a talk with Dana Sue. He asks her for some time away from the restaurant. It is too difficult there right now with everyone always worrying over him and fearing that he might encounter Helen at the restaurant. Dana Sue agrees to him taking some time.
Maddie confides in her mom when she shows Paula her work from drawing class. Paula commends her work and asks her what the story behind the drawing is. Maddie reflects and shares how she has been so busy trying to help other and make things better. But she is recognizing her fatigue and her own need to take time to heal and try new things.
It’s all “relative”
Family comes in many shapes and sizes.
Who knew that all this time Ms. Frances had been thinking of Dana Sue as a daughter? Dana Sue shares the news about Ms. Frances’ journals with her own daughter, Annie. Mother and daughter talk about the edict to “be bold”. Dana Sue asks Annie to be bold and tell her something she wants. Annie says she wants a sister, but not a literal one. She is referring to the Sweet Magnolias sisterhood among Dana Sue, Helen and Maddie. Dana Sue encourages Annie to be open and ready to receive this type of friend.
There is a cute moment where Kyle looks after baby Bex at the spa. He speaks so sweetly to her while having no idea that she is his half-sister. Another mom comes in and hands Kyle cash to watch her baby, too. Kyle gladly accepts the money but points out that he cannot continue providing childcare at the spa. He returns to school soon. Maddie and Trotter both want childcare at the spa, but they need to find someone. In walks Noreen to pick up Bex. Could Noreen be the person they are looking for?
Helen agrees to step in as a parent figure for CeCe when the teen arrives at Helen’s house seeking information on emancipation. CeCe’s family is moving for financial reasons, but CeCe only has one year left before graduating. She wants to stay in Serenity. After meeting with CeCe’s parents, Helen has a plan to establish a special power of attorney agreement that will allow her to care for CeCe at her home. Helen assures CeCe’s parents that CeCe will never be left alone overnight, and that Helen will not have overnight guests at her home.
Romance Review
Ryan is doing a job search in Serenity. He has already been authorized to be teach as a substitute at Serenity High while looking for something permanent. He has interviews in the works and plans to speak with both Peggy and Jeremy about their places of business.
Ronnie and Dana Sue join Ryan and Helen for dinner at a fancy restaurant. Ronnie brings up the check from Ms. Frances. Ryan is happy they have the money to continue his aunt’s legacy. He remembers her so fondly, especially for advocating for him when his parents did not understand his need to travel. Ms. Frances told his parents that Ryan was “only happy on the move.” Helen chimes in pointing out that Ryan is now ready to settle down, however. She makes the statement but the look on her face reveals some worry.
Erik is tired of avoiding Helen and watching her avoid him at Sullivan’s. He spies her lunch delivery in the kitchen refrigerator and elects to take it outside himself. He shares a cold, business like exchange with Helen and returns to the kitchen. Distracted by the uncomfortable moment, he then makes the mistake of grabbing the skillet without protection.
Bill messages Kathy about another outing, but she has not responded. He finally goes to talk to her at Z’s where she apologizes for not replying. She explains that she has been busy with plans for the restaurant and suggests they go out after her shift. At that moment, Erik walks in to accept her proposal for working together. Bill is surprised to see Erik, who says he is there to do “consulting”.
Ryan is not pleased that Helen did not consult him before offering her home to CeCe. Helen replies that she is used to making decisions on her own. While he seems frustrated, Ryan continues to insist that he is staying in Serenity and that Helen can trust him.
Worried after not hearing from Jackson for a while, Annie leaves a message for him. Later, Annie texts Ty and asks if he is busy. We then seem them lying on a picnic table head-to-head talking about what the future will hold. But don’t get too comfortable with the idea of them being together. We quickly see Jackson run toward Annie. Annie needed Ty to give her a ride. We learn that Mary Vaughn had taken Jackson’s phone from him. Jackson has some other news, however. His family is moving to Castlewood.
Cal makes a beautiful swing using baseball bats as the back supports. Do not miss the exceptional dual meaning here. You swing a bat. He used bats to make a swing. Perfection. Also perfect is him surprising Maddie with the swing on the evening that their 2-week experiment expires. Maddie joins Cal on the swing by climbing in his lap.
Ronnie makes the boldest move of all when he publicly declares his love for Dana Sue in the middle of the busy lunch hour at Sullivan’s. He gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him again. Granted, they are still legally married, but clearly he wants to celebrate their reunion officially. Dana Sue embraces him with a big kiss.
Town Council Notes
Peggy approaches Dana Sue at Sullivan’s and tells her about suspicions of Trent misusing council funds. She also tells Dana Sue that Trent has gone missing and that Mary Vaughn is not returning her calls. Dana Sue agrees to contact Peggy if she hears anything.
Peggy also visits Helen after Mary Vaughn’s house goes on the market. She asks Helen if she has heard anything about misappropriation of funds or other wrongdoing. Helen scoffs at the idea of her not reporting knowledge of such behavior. Meanwhile, she tells Peggy that she would make a great candidate for mayor.
Mystery Musings
We are left wondering why the Lewis family is moving to Castlewood. And has Trent participated in some fraudulent activity? What is the whole story?
Ronnie and Dana Sue have not yet decided how they plan to use the inheritance money to carry on the legacy that Ms. Frances left behind. We will have to wait and see.
The biggest mystery of all may be whether Ryan can truly settle down in Serenity. I feel like we are seeing some red flags.
As always, so many mysteries to uncover in Sweet Magnolias!
Watch for our next edition of ‘Serenity Scoop’ for S3E5.
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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