Sweet Magnolias Season 4, Episode 1 “The Other Side of the Veil” brings us back to a Serenity that looks very much like the one we left in the Season 3 finale, but in some ways, it’s an even better one. Maddie and Cal have been engaged for months, Erik and Helen have both moved on—separately and Dana Sue and Ronnie are stronger than ever, while Sullivan’s is doing well, with Dana Sue now the silent partner, as she tackles a new challenge, the foundation.
It’s a new beginning for the Magnolias in many ways, and yet none of it feels like any of them are really going too far from where we expected them to go. They still feel like them and this show still feels like the Sweet Magnolias we’ve come to love. And, in this episode, we get the added bonus of a great ending… and a long-awaited resolution to the Ty and Annie of it all. And sure, some of the stuff we missed (an engagement for Cal and Maddie, really?) we would have loved to have seen on-screen, but we won’t complain if that means moving the story along.
MORE: What happened in the last episode of Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias? Here’s our review if you need a reminder!
HISTORIC OCCASION
Kyle might be joking about Ty and Annie, but in so many ways, it does feel like a historic occasion to see the two of them finally come together. They’re still teenagers, so we can’t say it’s been 84 years, but in TV time, it sure feels like it has. It feels particularly important that they get here after an episode that saw Ty trying to convince himself that he and Annie were just “true friends” and Annie telling her friends that she and Ty missed their moments. Or, you know, moments.
Because the truth is, they’re both still single and relatively young, so no… the moment has not been missed. And Ty seizes that possibility with both hands near the end of Sweet Magnolias Season 4, Episode 1 “The Other Side of the Veil,” finally putting his heart on the line and not just kissing Annie, oh no. Ty’s got words too. A lot of words. Good words.
It’s a sign of how much he’s grown since Sweet Magnolias Season 1, and a sign of how much he truly cares about Annie that he doesn’t want her to confuse what this is, what it means to him. And Annie, she’s ready. She’s been there with him for a while. She’s even got jokes to throw at him as she kisses him back. Because she’s been waiting for a long time for him to not just get here, but to dare to take the final step.
And sure, this is a risk. But so is everything in life. And isn’t it better to take risks hand in hand with someone you love?
MORE: What did we want to see in Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias?
IS THIS… A WEDDING?
In that same vein, Helen and Dana Sue have been asking Maddie to let them plan a wedding. It’s been six months since her engagement to Cal. But Maddie claims she doesn’t want that, not yet. She’s busy with the book tour—yes, the book tour!—and that’s enough. But with Cal’s mom visiting for Halloween, it seems like that might have been a lie as the episode ends with Maddie walking down the stairs in a wedding gown. Could this possibly be… a wedding? Did Cal and Maddie just pull it off without anyone’s help other than the kids?
Look, if so, kudos to them. I tip my hat, truly. I also really, really respect it. Wedding planning can be the most stressful part of a wedding. I’ve been there. So, to be able to bring everyone you love together, and still get the thing you wanted, which is to marry the love of your life? Well, that seems like the perfect outcome. We still would have loved to see some of how we got here, but in a way, we agree with the show’s desire to move on from the same storylines and just try new things. And hey, if we got to see married Maddie and Cal, we’ll take it and smile.
And that would be our second Magnolia settled, which would only leave Helen’s very complicated love life for us to worry about this season. Well, that and the new generation. But there’s surely plenty there to keep us entertained.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Sweet Magnolias Season 4, Episode 1 “The Other Side of the Veil”? Share with us in the comments below!
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
