Stuti Gokhale
Based on the eponymous novels by Sherryl Woods, ‘Sweet Magnolias’ is an engaging romantic drama TV series on Netflix. It revolves around the titular trio of friends Helen, Maddie, and Dana Sue as they face the different ups and downs of life together with their loved ones in the town of Serenity. The show further delves into their complex romantic relationships as well as the lives of their children.
One sizzling romance loved by the viewers is that of Maddie and Coach Cal, whose chemistry seems straight out of a fairytale. In season 1, Maddie meets Cal while undergoing a bitter divorce with her husband Bill, who cheated on her. Cal is Tyler’s baseball coach, and he and Maddie find happiness in each other’s company. However, she hesitates to date him as she fears the reactions of her children and the townsfolk.
But when Dana Sue and Helen encourage her, she gives in to her desire and begins a healthy relationship with him. Their budding love story is unfortunately disrupted by the complications in Tyler’s life. Since then, everyone is curious to find out the fate of their favorite couple in ‘Sweet Magnolias’ season 2. Let’s find out if they make it through the rough phase or not. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Do Cal and Maddie End Up Together?
Yes, Cal and Maddie do end up together. After Maddie realizes that she overreacted to his intentions for Tyler, she apologizes to him, and they reconcile. Cal is fully supportive of all of Maddie’s endeavors and begins to bond better with Tyler, often giving him the necessary advice he needs. Furthermore, Cal acts as a pillar of support after the car accident and helps Maddie deal with Kyle’s troubled behavior. He volunteers to accompany Kyle and Tyler to physiotherapy and guides them on how to deal with the pain and trauma. In addition, he helps in generating Tyler’s interest in reading.
Maddie also gets better acquainted with Cal’s past when he shares how his former wife Victoria thrived off his fame and left him after his accident. They both attend an important baseball fundraiser together and Maddie finds out more about his history as a professional player from his former representative Jodie. Her respect for him increases upon realizing that he has made several changes in his life to adapt to her and her family, and she later professes that she loves him back. The couple goes on some sweet dates and their relationship strengthens, especially after Cal decides to partner with Dana Sue to save her restaurant.
Cal is usually a calm and composed person who assists Maddie with all her duties, including the kids, the spa, and the petition for Trent’s removal as mayor. However, she soon notices a different side to him when she sees him having a breakdown after the school baseball team loses the state championship. His confidence in his credibility begins to deteriorate and it worsens when the school board questions his talent. Mary Vaughn uses this opportunity to her benefit and votes for Cal to remain the baseball coach, in return for him giving special treatment to Jackson.
Later on, Mary Vaughn threatens Maddie about getting Cal fired when the Sweet Magnolias file the petition against Trent. When they refuse to take it back, she retaliates by voting him out of the school by raking up his past. Maddie gets to know that Cal was previously accused of assault and battery at a party by Drew, Victoria’s new lover. Though there were no charges, Cal’s reputation got damaged and he had to go to rehab for his anger management issues.
Maddie is mad that Cal hid all this from her, but accepts his apology and decides to support him through the turmoil. Despite trying to remain calm through all the allegations of the townsfolk after his termination from the school, Cal eventually loses his temper when a former fan named Stu arrives at the restaurant and aggressively incites him repeatedly. The police arrive and restrain Cal from hitting him, but this incident — as well as his spiral into anger — places a question mark on his future with Maddie. So while the pair is still together at the end of season 2, it remains to be seen how this event impacts the two’s futures.
Read More: Where Was Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Filmed?
