Stuti Gokhale
Netflix’s ‘Sweet Magnolias‘ primarily revolves around the titular trio of friends, namely Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen, who live in Serenity, a small town in South Carolina. The drama series is based on Sherryl Woods’ eponymous novels and delve into the lives of the “sweet magnolias” as they face the good and bad times together, finding strength in their friendship and affection for each other. Apart from the trio’s heartwarming bonds, the storyline also explores their equations with their children and the dashing men in their lives.
Fans of the romantic show have always been deeply invested in Maddie’s journey, including her challenges as a single mom after her divorce. Besides, they love her newfound romance with Cal, her son’s baseball coach, who helps her in her fresh beginning. Unfortunately, the couple sees several ups and downs from the get-go, including Cal’s past, which terribly haunts them. This has made viewers wonder if their favorite pair’s relatively new relationship survives all the turbulence. Let’s find out the answer to the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cal and Maddie: Together at Season’s End
Despite their rough phase at the beginning of season 3, Maddie and Cal end up together. After Cal gets into an altercation with Stu at Sullivan’s, he is arrested and taken away, but luckily, Helen steps in quickly and gets him released. However, he is visibly shaken following the incident and angry at himself for losing control. Even with Maddie comforting him, Cal feels he has let her down and begins withdrawing into his shell. Meanwhile, she is concerned about him but skeptical that he hides things from her.
Unable to think clearly, Cal asks Maddie for some time apart to think things over, making her feel shut out from him. Nevertheless, she, too, decides to utilize that time to reflect on herself and realizes that she lacks a sense of purpose in life. Luckily, Cal’s friends intervene and tell him to let go of his demons and open up to Maddie, as the foundation of any good relationship is based on honest communication. Consequently, he reaches out to her, and the two have a mature conversation about working on themselves before fully committing to each other.
In an exciting turn of events, Cal states they should try being friends before going further, as friendship would help strengthen their equation. Thus, Maddie agrees to act completely platonic for two weeks and help each other work on their individual problems. During that period, the two team up to work on her list of community projects and often find it hard to keep their hands off each other but exercise high self-control to honor their pact. As a result, Maddie even asks her mother to be their chaperone in the Forager Festival Hunt.
Despite them taking time to improve themselves, the duo continues supporting each other through each hurdle. In the meantime, Ty gets angry at all the negative rumors surrounding the incident at Sullivan’s and confronts Cal without informing his mother. Regardless, the latter does not get offended by the teenager’s accusations and understands that he is just protective of Maddie. The two experimental weeks pass pretty smoothly for Cal and her, and they build more transparent communication and transparency, which was previously missing between them.
Throughout the season, Cal supports Maddie whenever she needs him, especially when she fights with Dana Sue and Helen. Moreover, his bond with her children grows deeper; he even helps Ty communicate better with his mother. Gradually, the pair decides to pursue new passions in their lives, but their love for each other increases twofold. In fact, when Cal’s ex-girlfriend, Vicky, comes to visit them in Serenity, Maddie is unfazed by her viciousness and confidently defends him and their relationship in front of her. Hence, even after facing many obstacles, the couple is closer than ever as the third season concludes, and they look forward to a bright future together.
Read More: Who Does Tyler End Up With in Sweet Magnolias: Annie or CeCe?
