Helen meanwhile, sits down with Erik and tells him she trusts him…and his friendship. Oof, he’s in the friend zone. Poor Erik. The local church event goes ahead, with Ty immediately calling out Jackson for being a jerk because he checks notes grabs some food and hangs with Annie. There’s definitely some jealousy going on here and Cece notices it immediately, eventually calling him out for it. At the same time, Noreen approaches Maddie and gives an impassioned apology for what’s happened between them. It’s a nice moment, and one that comes off the back of her speaking to Kyle about their family woes. Meanwhile, thee gang decide to stage a coup against the Mayor. They’re thinking of something akin to a snap election to get him out of office. For now though, the real drama stems from one of the kids at the church desperate for Dino Nuggets. Although Dana is initially annoyed at his rude attitude, Ronnie actually talks her around and points out he could have issues with his family and this could be the only name brand food he gets. So naturally, a guilt-ridden Dana decides to package a whole bunch of food for him to take home, and even gives a gift certificate for her shop too so his family can come and eat. It’s a really nice moment, and the kid throws his arms around Dana and tells her he loves her. Cal serves as the father figure for Kyle this episode, talking to him plainly about how hard life is. He encourages Kyle not to take the easy road, and to work through the pain and come out stronger the other side. It works wonders too and Kyle doubles-down on his road to recovery. That night, Maddie catches up with Cal and lets him know what happened with Noreen. She and Bill ruined her life and she’s struggling to move past that. Cal encourages Maddie to confront her own feelings. He loves her goodness and urges her to project some of that out. That night, all the town gather to celebrate Howie’s birthday .There’s a whole bunch of karaoke songs, with some telling lyrics between Erik and Helen too. The others pick up on the vibes and speak to Helen in confidence about the heat brewing between them. For Helen though, she smiles politely and claims it’s just friendship. The next day, Helen has a change of heart. She’ decided to give a relationship with Erik a go after all. She’s also going to do IVF and try for another baby. Only, Erik too has something to tell her. We don’t find out what though, and as we skip across to Noreen, she’s just gone into labour.
The Episode Review
Things are starting to heat up a little in Sweet Magnolias but boy has this show taken its sweet ol’ time to reach that point. There’s been a lot of back and forth friendships and romances but it looks like we’re finally on track with the Helen and Erik romance, saving it from the throngs of the friendzone that loomed early on. Meanwhile, Dana learns no to judge a book by its cover while Cal serves as a father figure for both Kyle and Ty. There’s some nice drama in here but it also feels a little disparate, like a bunch of subplots stitched together rather than one cohesive plot line. Still, it’s not all bad news and the ending certainly hints that we’ve got more drama still to come!
