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I knew I was going to fall more and more in love with this series and its leading ladies. I didn’t know I would fall this far. What started as a “guilty pleasure” show I was going to watch while my husband played PlayStation, turned into a show that really tapped into so many core feelings I have about myself, my friendships, and my insecurities. At times, I felt like the 4th Magnolia, which I’m guessing was intentional by the writers to really pull you into Helen, Maddie, and Dana Sue’s world. I cried with them, laughed with them, and when the season one finale wrapped up, I stood in horror with them wondering what was going to happen to Kyle and who else was in that car. So let’s breakdown it down by Magnolia and by surrounding cast.
The Kids
Normally I don’t pay much attention to the storylines revolving around the children of main characters. Usually because they are your typical story tropes revolving around either a bitchy kid, a misunderstood kid, an entitled kid, an after school special kid, or the kid is so young they just don’t get what’s going on around them. Luckily, we have writers and actors portraying Maddie and Dana Sue’s children so sublimely that you forget that usually that’s the time you refill your wine glass before the main characters come back on screen. I genuinely care what happens to Tyler, Kyle, and Annie. Yes I know we have adorable Katie but she does fall into the “too young to know what’s going on” category for now.
It’s already hard enough being a teenager. Whether you’re in the popular crowd or the geek crowd or the “I’m not sure where I fit in but I’m going to pretend like I don’t care” crowd , high school is hard. And while the show centers around the friendships between the Magnolias, we can’t forget about the friendship between Tyler, Kyle, and Annie that is also an extremely strong bond, both helping and hurting them as they navigate through this time in their lives. It would be so easy for them to tolerate each other for their mothers’ sake. But they have formed their own unique connections that people like CeCe and Jackson don’t understand from the outside looking in. It’s why Tyler drops everything to help Annie after she gets drunk at the party. It’s why Annie helps out Kyle when he can’t be found during mock trial. It’s why Kyle jumps in to help out his brother on prom night. Do I think there could be something more coming for Tyler and Annie down the road? Absolutely. Part of me hopes not, because I like when a series showcases male/female relationships being something other than romantic. I think no matter which way the relationships do go, they will certainly be altered after the results of the car crash. And I worry about Kyle the most. We have seen Tyler and Annie’s pain on full view this season. Both for different reasons but in plain view all the same. Kyle for most of the season has been the happy-go-lucky kid with a talent for musical theater and Shakespeare and a tiny little crush on Annie. But in the last few episodes, we’ve seen another side, a darker side that has me worried. When Kyle says things like “I didn’t think anyone would notice” (that he was missing) or “Stop ignoring me” or “you’ve never taken any interest in me” (to his dad), there’s a deeper sadness lurking that can manifest itself in devastating ways. I hope we don’t go down this road with Kyle because he’s the one I’m rooting the hardest for to come out of this stronger and more secure in his awesomeness.
The Men
I raise my hand for more Cal, Erik, Farmer Jeremy, Trotter, and Issac. I’m ready to say good-bye to Bill, Ronnie, and Ryan. And thankfully Ryan is already gone! One down, two to go. It’s not really fair for me to put Ronnie in that category as I only just met him. But since I am a 4th Magnolia, you cheat on one of my girls, you’re dead to me. It’s how I roll. Plus, Dana Sue is getting some nice “sexual healing” vibes from Farmer Jeremy so I am all in on them taking their Buick Skylark for a long drive, popping on some Marvin Gaye, and doing your thing! So Ronnie, there’s the door. Don’t let it hit you on the way out.
And then there’s Bill. I’ve known a lot of Bills. All they care about or think about is themselves. Then when things don’t go their way, they try to sweet talk their way into a situation or a person they screwed over. Bill is no different. He wants what he can’t have. As Maddie said, he just takes and takes. What’s worse, he has no self awareness to realize just how narcissistic he is with Maddie, Noreen, and his children. I’m sure the show will try to show a softer side to Bill. We get to see the asshole side in all its glory and just when we want to light him on fire and push him off a bridge, he will do something, say something, to show he’s really not that bad and he’s trying to be better. Well, I won’t be buying it. I’d rather see Bill used as a way to show Maddie how much stronger she is without him and that she deserves someone in her life (if she so chooses) that will treat her with respect and honor.
The one I’m most excited to learn more about and peel back more onion layers is Erik. There is so much going on there. There is a goodness about him with an intense layer of sorrow. But that profound loss he experienced has brought him to a new place in his life and it forced him to see life through a new lens. It’s why I’m so fascinated in a potential pairing with Helen, who I believe is also a ridiculously layered, complex, beautiful individual. Speaking of Serenity’s Mother Hen, let’s start talking about…..
Helen
Helen breaks my heart and lifts my soul in every episode. I love her intelligence, her “mama bear”, her acceptive nature, and her willingness to “sometimes treat people as if they’re good, to challenge them to be good”. But as we talked about in my last recap, Helen pushes her pain deep down. She’s always worried about everyone else and solving everyone’s problems and being everyone’s rock, that she forgets to take care of herself and let herself feel. Well she finally allowed that to happen when Ryan confirmed once again that children were not in his future. We know this has been weighing on her, but now it’s front and center in her world. Rightfully so, she chooses her wishes and realizes how important having children is to her. She’s not waiting any more. Maddie and Dana Sue think this choice is sudden but to be fair to them, this is the result of Helen pushing her feelings down so far, no one can see them.
What I find so fascinating, is watching her break down in front of Erik. When he brought her his brownies and ice cream because he thought she needed a friend, she finally broke down and let all of those deep buried feelings over flow. You would think if there was anyone she would be that vulnerable with, it would be Maddie and Dana Sue. But when you’re so used to being the rock and the fixer, you may find it easier to be a bowl of mush with an acquaintance vs. your besties because that moment of “weakness” may worry them even more. It’s of course not true but it’s hard to see that sometimes. When you’re used to wearing a certain hat in the ring of friendship, it’s hard to get that sucker off your head. Even though you’re the one that secured that hat to your head with duct tape and Krazy Glue.
I think some of Helen’s most beautiful moments are with Annie and CeCe. I love the bond Helen and Annie have and the respect Annie shows Helen. But the way Helen is with CeCe is even more elegant. I know we’re not supposed to like CeCe but we’ve learned that CeCe doesn’t have the best support system at home and she has some self esteem issues. Helen has found a way to tap into CeCe’s inner confidence and my hope is with this new found confidence through mock trial, CeCe starts to turn a corner. Although if the Tyler/Annie thing does turn romantic, that inner growth CeCe is experiencing may be short lived. Either way, Helen’s mentoring of CeCe is another sign of Helen’s grace and astuteness that is such a joy to watch.
Dana Sue
“Are you my mom?” We all saw that coming right? I guess the question is, does the show go down that path? I don’t know how I feel about that. On one hand, it feels a bit soap opera-y in the sense that everyone on the show is either related to each other or dating each other. I’m not sure in order to make Issac relevant or interesting, we have to make him Dana Sue’s biological son. On the other hand, talk about how that would upend the family dynamic. Assuming he would be her son with Micah and not Ronnie, when did that happen? Sounds like Ronnie and Dana Sue have been together since high school or college. I think high school. Well if Dana Sue kicked him out for cheating, wouldn’t that be a bit hypocritical? I could have my timeline all wrong here but I think it would make for a more interesting storyline for Dana Sue to have cheated on Ronnie with Micah, especially if the writers are going to keep Ronnie around for a potential love triangle with Dana Sue and Farmer Jermey. Not to mention, Annie! Mother/teenage daughter relationships are already hard enough. How will adding a son into the mix affect their relationship and how will Annie be with Issac? Annie’s a great kid and eventually it would be fine but she’s already dealing with a lot right now and this could be a “push me over my limit” type of moment for the poor girl.
I’m very curious what people think about this Micah situation. Maybe it’s my inner Olivia Benson coming out, but something seems a bit fishy about Micah just showing up and asking to be bought out without much notice or warning. This is obviously putting Dana Sue in a really tough spot but since she wouldn’t have Sullivan’s without Micah, she will do anything to help him. I know he said it’s to help out his family and I have no reason not to take him at his word. I mean what monster would say, “buy me out so I can help my cancer-ridden brother” only for it to be a major lie. I think what has me overthinking this is the fact that Micah was most likely introduced simply for the Issac storyline and they had to find a reason to bring him in for that. I’m sure that’s all it is (and I hope it is).
Maddie
This woman cannot catch a break. She has a shit for an ex husband, she’s starting a new business, she has to see the home wrecker who destroyed her marriage every day in town, she DARES to find happiness with the super hot baseball coach and the whole town treats her like Hester Prynne, her son Kyle goes missing and says he didn’t think anyone would notice, her shit ex husband now wants her back after the home wrecker leaves him, Tyler is angry with her thinking she is ruining his chance at a professional baseball career, and then finally, Kyle is in a car accident and she’s not sure if her other son is also in the car with him in really bad shape. Yet this is the same person that when Helen asks “do the storms ever stop” replies “no, but neither do the rainbows”. Can someone send Maddie a damn rainbow??? You could argue she has a big, bright, happy rainbow in Coach Cal Maddox. And I would agree. But Maddie and Cal didn’t end the season on the best of terms with the misunderstanding surrounding the Braves scout visit that happened to talk to Tyler and also happens to be Cal’s buddy. I think she and Cal will be fine but for now, not so shinny and happy.
I give Maddie a ton of credit. She has such a sunny, bright, lovely disposition. If I were her, I’d look like I haven’t slept in 2 weeks, forgotten what a hairbrush looked like, and eaten about 12 boxes of Thin Mints. I would also be snapping at everyone and be that asshole that honks at someone at a traffic light after the light just turned green. I probably would have slashed Noreen’s tires and turned my kids against Bill. But Maddie, she powers through all this with empathy and compassion for everyone. Maybe not Bill but she’s starting to soften up to him. Even to Noreen she’s gracious. When the home wrecker showed up at The Corner Spa opening, Maddie could have ordered her out. Who would blame her? But instead, she very honestly tells her that she doesn’t hate her but they will never be friends. She then suggests a scrub for her feet to help with the swelling. But that’s who Maddie is. I just wish she’d stop being so hard on herself. I can only imagine what she must have been going through with Kyle missing. And the look on her face when he said he didn’t think anyone would notice. It crushed me as much as it crushed her. But she thinks she’s a bad mother because she didn’t see the depth of Kyle’s pain. It’s easy for me to say but that’s not fair. Kyle had shown nothing but the signs of a happy, well-adjusted kid. He, like Helen, hid his pain very well. But she’s seeing it now, because he’s letting her see it now. And I have no doubt that now she knows, as much as he’s let her, how he’s feeling, she will be there for him and help him through this any way she can.
What Happens Next?
Season Two has already been confirmed for Sweet Magnolias. Breakout the guacamole and margaritas!!!! So where do we go from here? To recap where we left everyone: Maddie and Cal are in a bad place; Dana Sue is dealing with Ronnie returning, Micah wanting to be bought out, and Issac asking her if she’s his mom; Helen wants to have a baby and is starting a closer bond with Erik, and of course, the car accident after the prom party at Jackson’s house leaves us wondering, who was in the car with Kyle?
Who do we think is in the car with Kyle? I don’t think it’s Tyler, CeCe, Jackson, or Annie’s date. I think it’s Annie or Nellie. From a story telling perspective, I think being Annie or Nellie would be more interesting due to the people it impacts most. If Annie’s in the car, how does that impact Maddie and Dana Sue’s relationship? If it’s Nellie, how does that further cause problems with Jackson and Tyler? How will this impact Kyle’s already fragile state? Do we think anyone dies from this?
So much to think about until Season Two premieres. I’m assuming it would be May/June 2021 before we get to revisit our Magnolias. Let me know your thoughts on the season as a whole and where you think it goes in Season Two.
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