Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Sweet Magnolias’ follows the story of three women who handle their personal struggles and professional challenges with the help of each other. The show focuses on the importance of friendships by chalking a story around the common problems faced by ordinary people. Over the season, the show builds more complicated character arcs, which lead the story to a shocking end. If you haven’t seen the show yet, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot Summary
The end of Maddie’s marriage marks a new beginning in her life. While she tries to grapple with her husband’s betrayal, she becomes involved in a new business venture with her best friends. While she tries to handle the anger and insecurities of her children after their father breaks their family, she also finds new hope for romance in a high-school baseball coach, Cal. In these tough times, she receives support from her best friends, Helen and Dana Sue. Helene is a lawyer; Dana Sue is a restaurant owner. Both of them are headstrong and dedicated women, dealing with their own challenges and heart-breaks.
The Ending
In the final episode of the series, tensions run high between the people of Serenity, and a lot of them suffer a strain on their relationships. After Kyle’s sudden disappearance, Bill realizes that he has been taking his family for granted. His son feels neglected from all ends, and he decides to change that. He is also motivated by Noreen’s departure, which Kyle equates to his position within his family. They had both been neglected, which was probably why they had become such great friends.
After seeing the change in Bill, Maddie becomes hopeful about the children’s relationships with him. Tyler, especially, had been angry with his father ever since the affair. This had also affected his performance in baseball, which could have ruined his chances of getting a scholarship. Little Katie, too, felt neglected by her father. But now that Bill is ready to correct his mistakes, Maddie starts seeing him in a new light.
While the leaving of Noreen makes Helen and Dana Sue happy, they also feel a little concerned about Maddie’s changing perception of Bill. This also shows in her relationship with Cal. On the day that Kyle had disappeared, Bill had made a sudden return in Maddie’s life. Hearing about Noreen breaking up with Bill made Cal all the more concerned. However, before he could talk about it to Maddie, a different problem surfaced between them.
Cal mentions a friend of his to Maddie. He wants her to meet him, but he doesn’t tell her that Johnny is a scout. At school, Johnny approaches Tyler about his game and how bright his future could be. This gives Tyler the hope of skipping college and focusing entirely on his career in baseball. Maddie doesn’t want it to be that way, and she is angered when she discovers that Cal had something to do with it. This leads to an argument between them.
Meanwhile, Dana Sue connects with a man after a long while, but a professional problem leads her to reconnect with her husband, Ronnie, who does not want to divorce her. Helen is pained after Ryan leaves her, knowing that there will be no patching up between them after this. But Eric’s return opens the door to a new possibility.
Who was in the car with Kyle?
Things take a drastic turn on prom night when a car accident happens. After Annie ditches Kyle on prom night, he spends it with Nellie, Jonathan’s sister. However, they are interrupted when Jonathan, his friends, Tyler, CeCe, and Annie, come back to the house for an after-party. A fight erupts, and Kyle storms out of the house.
The scene cuts to Maddie and Bill, where he pleads her to take him back. Dana Sue talks with Issac about the possibility of his parentage, and Helen spends some quality time with Eric. They get a phone call about a car accident. They are worried about Tyler, believing that he had been driving the car. However, on arriving at the scene, they find that it was Kyle. The cops mention another person, but their identity is not clarified. Who could it have been?
The most obvious answer is Nellie. After being rebuffed from every end, Kyle had developed a connection with her. They had been happily spending time in each other’s company when their siblings and their friends interrupted them. When Kyle runs out of the house, everyone else runs after him, but Nellie is the first one. She is also the only one with whom he had no grievance. So, it makes sense that he allowed her to ride with him in the car. As for what actually happened after we saw everyone come out of Jonathan’s house, only the second season will tell.
Read More: What is Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias Based On?
