Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
4.3
If you haven’t binged the current season, avoid the spoilers ahead!
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 was largely Maddie and Cal’s season, but it featured enough other core couples where all fan bases should be happy.
After multiple seasons of drama, needless love triangles, and antagonists, it was refreshing to return to the heart of the series: deep friendships, family, romance, and a sense of community.
This season tempered much of the drama and focused more on rebuilding relationships and Serenity after a literal and financial storm hit.
We discuss the entire season, highlighting the key points, so be cautious if you avoid spoilers.
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 Finally Gave Maddie & Cal the Attention They Deserve
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 answered our prayers and gave Maddie and Cal the attention they deserved.
For a while, it felt like the characters got lost in the massive cast ensemble, and they haven’t explored their character histories this much since Season 1.
While Sweet Magnolias Season 3 attempted to rebuild their relationship, this season showed why we fell in love with the couple.
The time jump helped, too, so that Cal and Maddie were already engaged when Season 4 began.
Joanna Garcia Swisher and Justin Bruening have an incredible connection, and this season highlighted it.
Their Halloween-themed wedding was one of the best moments. Who knew Cal had those kinds of moves?
That surprise wedding threw me, but the fact that Cal’s mom, Iris (Jodi Benson), visited for Halloween should have been a clue, and Maddie didn’t let her best friends plan the event.
While Maddie hated hurting the Magnolias, they needed to plan the wedding with only the children.
While some may have preferred more fanfare, kicking off the season with a wedding instead of ending with one was a nice change.
The Season Progressed and Blended Their Family Honestly
While Maddie and Cal had dated for years, they still had to adjust to living together and raising the children, especially since Maddie had been a single parent for years.
Between family life and helping Erik run the restaurant, Cal noticed he didn’t get much alone time anymore, which overwhelmed him.
He was used to caring for others and not letting people care for him, so he needed to learn to let Maddie help him.
On the other hand, since Cal had never parented a child, he wasn’t used to the children valuing his opinion, which sometimes got him into trouble.
That confused me. Ty has looked up to him for years and related better to him than to Bill. Recently, Kyle started confiding in Cal, too, and Kyle took one of his speeches to heart about using new fame for the better good.
While Maddie was proud that Cal encouraged Kyle, she cautioned him to be careful since the kids looked up to him.
The cutest moments were with Katie. She had Cal wrapped around her finger and could get him to do anything, but everyone melted when she referred to him as “Dad.” He was one of them, further cemented by a Christmas stocking.
While Ty and Annie Admitted Their Feelings Towards Each Other, That Was the Easy Part of Their Relationship
The fourth season also answered our prayers regarding the longing between best friends Annie Sullivan and Ty Townsend. Their slow-burn romance has been simmering since Season 1, and almost everyone knew they had been denying their feelings.
It was hilarious that Ty and Annie admitted their feelings due to the magical cider that represented love and allowed Ty to speak his truth. Annie’s reaction, laughing and telling him, “It’s about time,” was so honest.
At the beginning, it was fun. Their moms and friends were thrilled. Kyle and Lily even wanted to double date.
Becoming a guitarist’s girlfriend was the easy part. Life became more challenging because they were growing up. They each had goals and dreams that didn’t always mesh together.
Ty was often torn since he committed to go on tour, yet he didn’t want to leave his girlfriend or his family, especially when his dad died.
That put a thorn in their relationship, and Annie thought of Ty first and encouraged him to go. While he was gone, she matured even more, learning more about her dreams and career paths.
This is such a challenging time for young couples. They love each other but have so much more to learn about themselves. It’s also not different from Ty and Annie’s book story.
Ty went to college while she was still in high school. They broke up after a while but reunited years later. I don’t think their story is over.
As Erik and Helen did, they need time to mature, find themselves, and reunite later.
A Wicked Storm Helped to Reunite Helen and Erik
There was nothing sexier than a man rescuing the woman he loved, and Erik (Dion Johnstone) looked hot, running through that cold rain to rescue Helen (Heather Headley) from the storm.
The storm scene was intricately done. The log fell on Helen’s car, and Erik ran to rescue her. Helen looked so scared since she couldn’t call for help, and then her knight in shining armor arrived.
No words were needed as these two embraced in the cold, pouring rain. Shippers will swoon over this scene. It was the sexiest scene of the season.
Helen and Erik seemed so much stronger this time. While we hated seeing them with Ryan and Genevieve, they needed to date other people to ensure they weren’t right for them and pine for each other.
Even before they reunited, they shared so many longing looks, quick kisses, and hand squeezes that a reunion was apparent.
Helen and Erik have always oozed the most chemistry of the couples. This season took full advantage of that, making out behind Sullivans or grabbing passionate kisses in Helen’s kitchen.
While the passion was on fire, they had to work harder to sustain their relationship because they both had busy lives. Erik often worried that he was falling faster than Helen since she was so invested in saving the town.
They were both overly cautious because of how things ended last time.
Helen freaked out when she broke a vase that Erik made and got a local to repair it with gold squiggles, which symbolizes that things could be even better after they’re broken.
Erik was the same way. He wanted to wait to tell Helen he loved her at the perfect time. He later learned there wasn’t an ideal time as they confirmed their feelings outdoors in nature.
I loved that the fourth season showcased Erik and his point of view this season. I hope we get to see them plan the wedding.
Dana Sue & Ronnie Find New Dreams That Show Their Growth
After they become married, many couples sit on the back burner. I was relieved that Dana Sue and Ronnie tried to find new dreams and purpose and were still in love with each other.
Even though it differed from the books, I enjoyed Dana Sue’s new role since it still involved cooking and mentoring.
Initially, she had difficulty letting Erik, Cal, and the others take charge of Sullivan’s without her. Still, Erik firmly put her in her place while encouraging her to teach the teenagers.
Dana Sue needed to learn the importance of being herself and letting her students thrive without hovering.
That was part of the problem at home, too. Ronnie realized life was short and wanted more adventures and bought a motorcycle, which triggered terrible memories for Dana Sue and Annie.
I was relieved they didn’t sweep all of Ronnie and Dana Sue’s issues under the rug because couples need to keep communicating, but there was nothing wrong with Ronnie wanting to start a new tour business with E-bikes.
However, is it just me, or was it odd that Jeremy wanted in since he used to date Dana Sue, too?
Part of me wished they could have had something more substantial, but building new dreams and dealing with Annie starting college was realistic.
An Unexpected Death Brought Formidable Foes and Secrets to Light
The first few episodes of Sweet Magnolias Season 4 seemed to end on a cliffhanger. Early on, it was easy to tell why Maddie despised her mother-in-law, Bonnie, even though she tried to be kind since she arrived with news of Bill’s death.
Bonnie didn’t understand why the Townsend children could continue their lives and not be as sad as she was. She didn’t realize it was hard on Ty, but Kyle and Katie had made peace with their father before he left.
Bonnie berated Maddie’s parenting skills and made everyone uncomfortable. Those kids have always had more shades of their mother.
It definitely wasn’t Bonnie’s place to insist that Ty become the man of the house and behave like a Townsend man. Maddie went all mama bear after that since no one can attack her son.
Bonnie was Hurricane Bonnie. She came in, wreaked havoc by announcing that Bill was Issac’s biological father at the memorial dinner, and shocked nearly everyone.
While the Townsend children liked Issac, adjusting to the new normal took time, and Noreen felt betrayed that Issac kept such a massive secret from her.
I complained about Noreen before, but her presence was necessary for this storyline.
Only Erik treated Issac like nothing had changed, as Issac took time to process his grief over an absent father and get to know his new family.
After seeing how cruel and heartless Bonnie was, we greatly appreciate Paula.
Focusing on Mental Health, Goals, and Dreams Was a Refreshing Surprise
This was my favorite season of Sweet Magnolias, mainly because it focused on many relations and character arcs.
Sweet Magnolias Season 3 was the first season to expand on the men’s friendships, and this one showcased those, as well as their career goals and struggles.
Let’s start with Cal. It was a jump seeing him as the partner of Sullivan’s and Friends when he was a silent partner before.
Cal was a simple man who thrived on having enough alone time and close friends to help him function. After the storm, however, when the restaurant started serving more people, Cal fell apart.
It was refreshing to see the series show him having a panic attack and how he coped with it since that isn’t often addressed.
He didn’t feel he could confide in Erik anymore since they only talked about the restaurant business instead of personal issues. We missed their talks as much as Cal did. These two understand each other so well.
We also learned more about Erik this season, as he was promoted to head chef. While it was intriguing to see Erik and Dana Sue’s friendship in a different light, it was even better to learn more about his personal life.
Erik loved pottery, but he had stopped creating it for a while.
Art was his passion, even more than cooking. I loved that Erik encouraged Annie to follow her passion, photography, even if it was farther away, and everything else would work itself out.
This was one of the best arcs for Annie (Anneliese Judge). She’s often seen as Ty’s love interest or Dana Sue and Ronnie’s daughter; this season, she developed her own identity.
Annie’s interest in photography has evolved over the series, and this season, she’s more involved in developing websites for Kyle’s gaming website and Serenity’s town council.
She became more multifaceted as we saw her interact with different parts of her village and not only with her family.
Rebuilding Serenity Got the Entire Town Involved
While I didn’t like Sweet Magnolias’ political storyline, seeing how Serenity rallied together during the financial and physical storm was fantastic.
While Helen and Peggy made a fantastic team, watching them continuously encounter financial roadblocks initially seemed tedious. Peggy strived not to become like the Lewises, which meant hard choices and economic decisions.
She and Helen made several enemies, which Peggy’s mom taunted in the local paper. It wasn’t until the storm that Maddie, Kyle, and Annie showed the strength of Serenity.
Surprisingly, Maddie became the Serenity spokesperson, as this showed how the locals banded together to rebuild their town. I loved how Helen made Annie follow Maddie around, using both of their talents.
It was terrific that the Magnolias’ foundation was centerstage, as they helped provide funding, taught insurance classes, and bought Howie and Noreen a med-van to operate a mobile medical clinic.
Even the teens got involved from protesting outside the library until it reopened and cleaned up the parks.
This motivated Peggy to listen to more leaders about their ideas, and the library became one of the priorities to fix instead of the one to cut.
Thanks to Kyle, the town realized it was where dreams were made, and the community came together.
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 Showcased How Dreams Changed, Especially as Ty and Annie Matured, Leaving Way For a Potential Season 5
The fourth season wrapped many storylines and pushed us toward the next phase in Maddie and Cal’s relationship. It blended their family and established his role as a stepdad as the family adjusted to Bill’s death.
Bill’s death affected Ty as he juggled his responsibilities and music tour. While he was touring, Annie gained acceptance to the college of her dreams.
The young lovebirds soon realized their differing dreams might take them thousands of miles from each other if they followed their dreams.
That cliffhanger and Maddie’s announcement that she accepted a marketing job in New York set up some interesting changes and arcs for a potential fifth season.
While Sweet Magnolias hasn’t been renewed for a fifth season yet, many actors have hinted at another season, so we urge you to watch the season again and boost the ratings.
Over to you, Sweet Magnolias Fanatics.
Were you pleasantly surprised with how much romance was in this season? Do you think Annie and Ty’s relationship can survive long-distance?
How did you feel about Bill’s death and Issac’s paternity being revealed?
Let us know in the comments below.
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