Sweet Magnolias 2×06 “Find It In Your Heart” is about people, what we expect of them, and what they can become. It’s also an episode about second chances, about not giving up — on yourself, on love. Dana Sue gives the love that once broke her a chance, as Maddie tries to, if not forgive Noreen, at least accept her, while Helen finally lets the man who has always been there for her, Erik, in.
But this episode isn’t just about the Sweet Magnolias proving that kindness can sometimes change things, this episode is also about reaching your hand out to help even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. It’s about taking the time to understand why someone wants Dino nuggets, about accepting Jackson isn’t the person he always seemed to be and even about letting Noreen get out an apology that feels both necessary and a little too late.
So let’s go into the message of change, and the second chances taken as we discuss Sweet Magnolias 2×06 “Find It In Your Heart”:
THE GOOD IN PEOPLE
Serenity feels like a character on episodes like this one, when we see people reach out a hand to others, in small ways. From Pastor June and the VBS in general, to Dana Sue and Ronnie looking deeper into why a kid would only want Dino nuggets, to Helen reaching out to Peggy, it’s hard not to get a little emotional about a world where people are just …good, and try to help all the time. Well, at least most people. There’s still Trent and Mary.
But they’re a subject for another day, as this episode reminds us most of Serenity isn’t like that. Instead, this is the town that has taken Isaac in as one of their own, and given him not just a job, but a family. It’s the town that has helped Erik heal and find love again, the one that doesn’t judge Jackson for who his parents are, and perhaps, even the one who can give Ronnie …and Noreen, a second chance.
That feels both hard and, honestly unfair. Ronnie cheated. Noreen knew Bill was married, and didn’t care. But they have both apologized, sincerely, and are trying to do better. And if this episode sends a message it’s that, forgiveness, or at least acceptance, isn’t just about the people who wronged you. It’s about yourself, and how you can move on with your life. Sure, it might benefit them too, but if it benefits you …isn’t that the most important thing?
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCEED
Sweet Magnolias 2×06 “Find It In Your Heart” is also about second chances, not just for those people who screwed up once and need it, but for those who just didn’t find something that worked for them the first time, like Helen. And yes, Helen has been scared. She’s got a right to be. She just got burned, badly, and she’s spent her entire life fending for herself. Not needing anyone — other than her friends. It’s hard to break out of that.
But what Helen realized in this episode is that she wanted to. She didn’t just want to be the cautious woman Ryan Wingate had made her into. She didn’t want to play it safe just because he’d made her feel scared. Instead, Helen wanted to …try and see where things with Erik might go. Try and see who they could be together.
Of course, this leads into that cliffhanger, and Erik’s backstory and Noreen is going to give birth and all the lessons in this episode are surely going to be put to the test by both those things, but that’s what makes the lessons even more important. You don’t learn things to just apply them to life when it’s easy, right?
We shall see where Helen goes from here, what Dana Sue decides about Ronnie (pretty words aside, I’m still not anywhere near old on that regard), and where Ty and Annie’s relationship, which seems to be the only one not following this theme yet, goes, but this episode paves the way — storytelling wise, and also when it comes to emotions. And with four more episodes to go, Sweet Magnolias Season 2 just turned much more interesting.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Sweet Magnolias 2×06 “Find It In Your Heart”? Share with us in the comments below!
Sweet Magnolias Season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.
