Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Sweet Magnolias‘ returns with its fourth season, which focuses on new beginnings and righting past wrongs. Over the course of ten episodes, a lot happens in the town of Serenity, and the lives of its residents are changed considerably by the end of the season. The core three, Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen, also face some tough challenges and make some important decisions that change the course of their lives significantly.
The season begins one year following the events of Season 3, which had been a bittersweet end in itself. Due to the damage caused to Dana Sue’s Sullivan’s, it is decided that a new Sullivan’s should open, but with considerable changes. It is Sullivan’s and Friends now, and Dana Sue has given up her position there in favor of the Magnolias Foundation, through which she aims to help the town and its people. It is now in the hands of Cal, who serves as its manager, and Erik, who is the head chef.
A major development takes place on Halloween when Cal and Maddie have a surprise wedding. It irks Dana Sue and Helen that Maddie kept her wedding plans secret from them, but they are happy for her nonetheless. A major development also happens between Annie and Ty, who finally profess their love for each other and officially become a couple. Meanwhile, Helen is with Alexander, and Erik is with Genevieve, though it is clear that Helen and Erik’s hearts are still with one another.
Soon after the wedding, it comes to light that Maddie’s ex-husband, Bill, has passed away due to a heart attack. His funeral brings his mother, Bonnie, back into town, which opens the door for a lot of drama in Maddie’s family. At the same time, Bill’s sudden death makes a lot of people reconsider their life decisions. This sense of unease is heightened by a storm that turns into a hurricane and reminds the people of Serenity that things could easily go sideways. But in a classic ‘Sweet Magnolias’ fashion, all ends well by the time the season wraps up. SPOILERS AHEAD
Do Ty and Annie Break Up?
While romances blossom pretty quickly in ‘Sweet Magnolias,’ the romance between Ty and Annie had been on a slow burn for the past three seasons. With each season, it became clear that they were meant to be together, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the fourth season that they accepted the feelings that everyone already knew they had for each other. However, it is one thing to enter a relationship and entirely different to keep it alive, especially with the challenges that distance and time are sure to bring up. Something similar happens with Ty and Annie.
With both of them nearing their graduation, Annie and Ty think about their respective futures. Ty once had a chance to have a stellar career in sports, but an accident changed that. Still, he got back on his feet and found his love for music. He formed a band, and in the fourth season, we see his band flourish. When he gets together with Annie, he has some doubts about going away from her because the band has to go on tours. However, he is convinced by everyone around him that he must not miss the opportunity and go wherever the path takes him. Annie supports his endeavor wholeheartedly, which is why, when the time comes for her to share her success story with him, she hopes to have the same support from him.
Annie’s love for photography is known to everyone in town, but it is in this season that she seriously starts to consider the possibility of going to college for it. Her dream is to attend Monterey College in California, but she doesn’t think she is good enough to be accepted by them. She is encouraged on this path by everyone around her, and by the end, she is accepted and is over the moon about it. When Ty returns from his tour, she tells him about her acceptance in Monterey, and he is happy, but there is a problem. He tells her that his band has received the opportunity to open for a huge band, but that means he will have to go to Europe for the summer. He wants Annie to join him.
When she says that she will have to leave for Monterey, he straight up tells her to give up on the college and go with him to Europe because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. Clearly, he places the value of his own dreams high above Annie’s, which really hurts her. What’s worse is that he wants Annie to join him for the tour because he doesn’t think that their new relationship will be able to survive the distance. To this, Annie wonders how they will make it work in the future if they cannot make it work for just one summer. The argument ends with Annie walking away, and from an outsider’s perspective, it looks like the couple is going through some serious trouble. Still, this doesn’t mean that they have broken up for good.
A spat between lovers is not something unexpected. With the huge changes in their lives, conflicts were expected to crop up for Ty and Annie, like they do with any other couple. If anything, this is a test of their relationship, and it remains to be seen how they will handle it. Both of them, especially Ty, need to learn how to move forward while also keeping the spark of love alive, and luckily, they have some good role models to look up to. Their mothers have also been through significant ups and downs in their love lives, but they have found a way to forge a path forward, and their children are expected to do the same eventually.
Does Maddie Accept the Job in New York? Will She Leave Serenity?
While Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue might be the heart of the story, there is one other character in their friendship: the town of Serenity. All three of them have grown up in this town and, as adults, returned to it or chose to stay there because they loved it so much. Much of the story also works because the three main characters are in the same location. However, that is bound to change with a major development that happens in Maddie’s arc.
When the town is devastated in the wake of the hurricane, the Magnolias rise to the occasion and help get things back on track. When the media arrives to take stock of the situation, it is Maddie who faces the camera to present the love and support among the town residents and how it has helped them get back on their feet despite all the damage caused by the storm. The series of interviews featuring her catch the attention of a publishing house, and they offer a job to Maddie. She is excited about it, but the catch is that the job means she will have to relocate to New York.
It is a huge decision, but everyone she shares the news with tells her to take the job. This is a great opportunity and something she would love. There is no reason for her not to accept it. A hitch occurs when Maddie discovers that the company is offering to a salary that does not meet her expectations. However, Helen and Dana Sue encourage her to negotiate the terms, and in the end, she gets the number that she wants in the first place. With the question of the salary sorted out, Maddie now has one clear path in front of her. She knows she must take the job, as this opportunity is not bound to present itself again.
Whatever her doubts may have been about it, they are washed away completely by the end of the season. She still has some things to figure out, and a lot of details have to be dealt with before she actually makes the move. But all of that will be taken care of in due time, especially because she has her friends and family right by her side, supporting her all the way through. While it is an exciting new thing for Maddie, it does beg the question: will Serenity be the same without her? If she moves to New York, what will become of the Magnolias, and how will her friends cope with her absence? There are bound to be challenges, but one thing’s for sure. If there is one friend group that can brave the situation, it is the Sweet Magnolias.
Do Helen and Erik Get Married?
While Annie and Ty finally get a chance to explore their feelings, there is another couple that has been at a tug of war with their feelings for each other. For the past three seasons, we have seen Helen and Erik orbit each other, falling into and out of love with one another. Over the course of the story, several reasons have cropped up, forcing them apart, but at the end of the day, it is the love they have for each other that matters. And right from the beginning of Season 4, it is clear that that love has not gone away.
When this season begins, both Helen and Erik are in different relationships, but their relationships crumble soon enough. Following Bill’s death, Helen is forced to reconsider her priorities. While she likes Alexander, she asks herself if he is her one true love, and the answer is a resounding no. In the same vein, Erik, too, struggles with still having feelings for Helen when he is dating Genevieve. Following Bill’s funeral, he, too, asks himself what he really wants, and the answer is nothing but Helen. The storm finally brings them together when Helen meets an accident, and Erik gallantly rescues her. Still, this isn’t the first time Helen and Erik have run back into each other’s arms, which makes one question if they are finally together for good.
They had tried things out previously as well, but their plans fell through for one reason or another. But that was then, and this is now. So much has happened within a short span of time that both Helen and Erik are forced to take stock of their lives, and they both arrive at the same answer: they want to be with one another. This time, Erik takes matters into his own hands and proposes to Helen before it’s too late. She graciously accepts and thus begins a new chapter of their lives. While there are bound to be new challenges as they move forward, it is clear that they are ready to face anything as long as they are together. Their engagement bodes incredible things for their future, but most importantly, it means that the town of Serenity will soon have another wedding to look forward to. Because it has been a long time coming, Maddie and Dana Sue will leave no stone unturned in planning the best wedding for their bestie.
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