Sweet Magnolias 2×10 “If Thou Wilt, Remember” is a mostly frustrating end to a really solid season. The last few seconds of the episode see Cal losing his head with very little provocation in a scene that ends up being about 1000 times dramatic than it needed to be, and Ryan Wingate propose to Helen, absolutely out of nowhere, as if we — or her — needed him at this point. And we, of course, get no answers for that, for Mary Vaugh, or for the forgotten Ty and Annie setup from Season 1, because …eh …it’s not time yet?
All in all, I will say I truly enjoyed Season 2. There were high points, like Helen and Erik, and there were low points, like whatever it was that the Ty and Annie storyline ended up being, but ironically, the finale was the only episode that left me feeling huh?
This is especially unfortunate as we don’t have a Season 3 confirmation yet. And honestly, I hope we get it. We need it. These characters need it. But, perhaps naively, I wanted us to end Season 2 wanting a third season because we wanted more of the characters, not because we couldn’t bear to see it end this way.
So let’s talk about the way this season wraps up some plots, the way it leaves some hanging, and the way it didn’t really go into others as we discuss Sweet Magnolias 2×10 “If Thou Wilt, Remember”:
DANA SUE GETS THE ONLY REAL ENDING
Dana Sue had the worst season, so it makes sense that she gets the only ending that feels like an ending and a beginning all at once. At least her storyline came full circle. Helen, who had the best season, has to now deal with Ryan bringing drama once again and Maddie, who was the solid one, has to deal with the big Bill reveal (will we ever be done with Bill drama?) and Cal losing his job + losing his head in a way that’s way too dramatic.
I get ending on a cliffhanger, I do. And the Ryan one I could live with, even if there’s little explanation behind his reasoning. But the Cal one? Make it make sense, please. We’ve been dealing this same issue all season, and we’ve processed it about five different times, so why are we still here? And why is everyone acting like he killed the guy? It was one punch.
Good cliffhangers are about picking up on the setup from the season — like Annie and Jackson, Kyle and Nellie. The problem, of course, is that we care very little about either of those couples. But Sweet Magnolias also felt the need to rehash stuff that we thought we were already over, and do so in such an abrupt way that we found ourselves wondering how we even got to that ending.
If there’s a Season 3 it’ll be easy to wash down the disappointment with more content. Let’s hope that’s the case. Because if not, this might just be the worst possible ending.
WAS THAT TY AND ANNIE SETUP FOR NOTHING?
We always understood this couple was a long game kinda thing. Obviously Ty and Annie weren’t gonna get together and stay together so soon. Particularly since it seems the show has no interest in actually adapting their book, which Praise the Lord. But we spent a season with them not really talking, then awkwardly making up without discussing their issues and then, to add insult to injury, Annie pulls out the B word in the finale.
Brothers? You don’t kiss your brother, Annie.
If fans are invested in Ty and Annie it´s because the show lead us there, and it’s disingenuous to now pretend that wasn’t where it was going. And to be fair, I don’t actually think that’s what the show is doing, but I also don’t think they handled this season — which could have, at worst, been good setup for their future — the best way.
We cannot live off crumbs alone, Sweet Magnolias. Particularly when we still don’t know if we’re even getting a Season 3.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Sweet Magnolias 2×10 “If Thou Wilt, Remember”? Share with us in the comments below!
Sweet Magnolias Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix.