Sweet Magnolias season 3 recap guide: All 10 episodes explained

Sweet Magnolias season 3 episode 2 recap

Picking up right where episode 1 left off, Erik takes the proposal news about as well as was to be expected and makes it clear to Helen that her non-answer was, in fact, an answer. As he tells her, there must be a part of her that wants Ryan if she didn’t immediately turn down his proposal.

While he makes it clear to Helen that he still loves her, he won’t wrestle with the ghost of Ryan. As Helen says she doesn’t want to lose their friendship, Erik says she already did as he leaves a heartbroken Helen behind.

After how things go with Erik, Helen closes herself off from Ryan at first and gets a welcomed distraction from Annie who drops by with lunch and seeks out advice which Helen happily provides as she reassures Annie not to be worried about the money left to her parents changing them. As Helen assures Annie, money changes people who put it at the center of their lives but that’s not her parents.

During margarita night, Helen tells Maddie and Dana Sue about her conversation with Erik and it’s clear she’s struggling with the wedge the proposal drove between them. This seems to weigh heavily on her which leads her to tell Ryan she can’t accept the ring and proposal yet. As Helen tells Ryan at the episode’s end, she needs him to commit to putting down roots in Serenity. Ryan agrees and it looks like he might finally be ready to settle down after years on the road. Will that stick? We’ll see as the season goes on!

Moving along to Maddie. Seeing Cal’s actions put her back in the center of the town’s gossip, Ty confronts Cal about the effects his actions have had on Maddie. Realizing they might need a soft reset, Cal and Maddie decide to hit rewind on their relationship in a sense by trying to just be friends for two weeks as they work on their communication skills.

Maddie later finds out about Ty tells confronting Cal and the two have a sweet exchange. While Ty is frustrated and feels that Cal’s apology to him earlier in the episode was empty, Maddie reminds him that a true apology is admitting fault and working to do better next time and that everyone can do better.

Finally, we have Dana Sue. After his talk with Kathy in the premiere, Ronnie warns Annie about his sister and tells her not to engage should Kathy approach her. This is when the pair, along with Dana Sue, realize Kathy was the mystery woman Annie encountered at Miss Frances’ celebration of life. The conversation quickly pivots, as Dana Sue and Ronnie tell Annie about their plans to throw her a big birthday celebration using a bit of the money from Miss Frances — which Annie is initially hesitant about.

It’s a quieter episode for Dana Sue otherwise, with the other notable event from the episode being how she and the team at Sullivan’s rally behind Noreen who has been struggling to adjust to life as a single mom to a newborn. The entire Sullivan’s team helps step in to look after Rebecca, giving her the support system she desperately needs.

Odds and Ends From the Episode

• Following his breakup with Helen, Erik tells Isaac that things with Helen are over,  but then pushes Isaac away when he just tries to be his friend.
• When Ryan drops a box off to Paula, she asks Ryan about Helen and wishes them the best but implores him to make sure they’re dreaming the same dream so that he doesn’t hurt her again.
• Annie and Jackson continue to see one another behind their parents’ backs.
• Maddie and Pastor June begin to develop a deeper friendship in this episode, with Maddie even joining her for bingo — which is where Pastor June meets a charming man maned David.
• Bill is on an apology tour and is attempting to continue to make strides to do better for his kids. His latest effort comes when he shows up to take Ty to physical therapy. After taking Ty to the appointment, Bill thanks Maddie for all she’s done for the kids and for being their constant.
• Isaac meets with his mom and says Bill has been trying to reach him. She says he doesn’t have to talk to anyone he’s not ready to and that he has her support. She then asks Isaac to be part of her fresh start and to be her friend, to which he says she already is.
• Kyle goes to see Nellie’s mom in hopes of proving to her that he’s changed. He asks what he needs to do to be worthy of Nellie, but she then shuts him down and says to get away from her.