So Much To Say
Episode 2 of Sweet Magnolias Season 2 begins with Helen back home setting up her office. She’s starting to come around to the idea of working from home, especially as her first port of call comes from Isaac. He wants her help in finding his birth parents. The only thing he has to go on is that she’s from Serenity. Isaac did a home DNA kit several years back but he’s had no matches thus far. He was born in Mississippi and with that info, Helen decides to have him fill out some forms to help them. Meanwhile, Kyle returns home but he’s not best pleased about staying downstairs. At school though, the coach encourages Ty to show up at state regardless of if he’s playing or not. Even though he won’t be able to play, it would be a big boost for the team as he can lead them from the sidelines. When Maddie finds out, she’s not exactly pleased but Ty reassures her, claiming it’s better off if he stays in Serenity. But is that really what he thinks? In the morning Dana apologizes for running off and the pair all have a group hug. In fact, they all share gifts which happen to be magnolias. Because of course, they’re known as the sweet magnolias. (Hey, that’s the name of the TV show!) Anyway, when Dana finds out Helen is pregnant, she’s shocked. Dana has issues of her own though, specifically in the form of her financial woes. She needs a business loan but that’s problematic in the wake of her divorce to Ronnie. So naturally, she needs his signature on a second mortgage for their home in order for her not to lose the restaurant. Although Ronnie agrees, deciding it would be best for him to move in too (for Annie? Yeah right.) his flirtatious attitude speaks volumes. Anyway, the pair do eventually shake hands. Presumably anyway, Dana is left hanging when the scene cuts. This situation is made all the more awkward when Cal shows up at the bar that night and offers to buy out her partner. This would help her financially. Although she agrees to this, Dana decides against telling him what’s really happening. Namely that involving Ronnie and his offer, instead claiming she needs to go. And where does Dana go? Straight back into Jeremy’s arms so they can continue kissing passionately again, this time in the back of a pick-up truck. The thing is, there’s a tsunami of emotion right now going on in Dana’s life and she admits that she’s not ready just yet to settle down. At school, Ty catches up with Coach Maddox and reveals he’s not going to State, He’s spoken to Maddie and there’s no way of changing his mind. However, tensions between him nd Jackson continue to simmer, especially when he notices him in the hallway. One thing that doesn’t simmer down though is Kyle’s mood. He’s been a livewire since returning from hospital and after lashing out against Maddie, she has trouble getting through to him. Meanwhile, Helen hears back from Mississippi but unfortunately the records are more difficult to find than she first thought. Isaac looks devastated. Sensing that, Helen probes further and asks just why this is so important to him. Well the thing is, Isaac was browsing Reddit and despite having a great childhood, just wants to know whose eyes are staring back at him every time he looks in the mirror. And, of course, so it gives his character something to do this season as well! Anyway, our sweet magnolias end up chatting again that night, with Dana and Helen happy about their newfound partnership. Maddie drinks it all in, eventually taking that same enthusiasm with her when she heads in to see Tyler that night. She’s decided to let Ty follow his own dreams and encourages him to go to States if that’s what he wants to do. And he 100% does want to go. As the episode closes out, Maddie makes a big choice for Kyle and decides he needs to see a therapist. And it’s non-negotiable too. When she leaves, Kyle rings… someone? It’s not actually clear who but it’s a big point to note nonetheless. At the same time, Helen receives a call from Ryan but she deliberates over whether to pick up or not.
The Episode Review
So the second episode of Sweet Magnolias slows the pace down as we see our characters just going about their day to day lives, much like the first season really. Helen’s pregnancy is the big talking point here, although there’s also the point of Dana and Cal being business partners. That’s almost certainly going to cause some drama down the line, while Maddie carting Kyle off to therapy is likely to bring up more contempt from him toward his mother. Sweet Magnolias rounds out with a relatively subdued chapter, with the subplots ticking along with a distinct lack of genuine drama to sink your teeth into. Still, it’s early days yet and I’m sure there’s plenty of drama to come in the chapters ahead, I’m sure!
