Sweet Magnolias Season 4, Episode 4 ‘How Great Thou Art’ continues the theme of grief, but thankfully it puts an end to the grace and starts leaning more heavily on the boundaries. Because if you thought Mama Townsend was out of line last episode, wait until you see her this hour. She left the line a while back. She can’t even see the line anymore. The line is a figment of her imagination.
But there’s more going on than grief for Bill in this episode, as both Helen and Erik take the necessary steps towards finding their way to each other. And those steps could never be about each other, they always had to be about recognizing that the relationships they were in were not the ones they needed, not at the moment. For Helen, she’s looking for her forever love and she will not settle for less. For Erik, he’s looking for his legacy, to matter, and Genevieve just isn’t the woman that’s going to hold his hand and help him as he figures out what his next step is.
However, for both Erik and Helen and for Ty, Kyle, and Katie… in fact, for everyone in this show, there is a legacy. Even for Bill Townsend, ironically. The legacy is each other. And that’s actually a really, really good thing.
MORE: Need a refresher on the previous episode? Read our review of Sweet Magnolias season 4 episode 3 “Abundant Grace.”
BOUNDARIES
Setting boundaries is hard. And Maddie finds herself having to do it again and again in this episode. First, she kicks Mama Townsend out of her house. Not Bill’s house; her house. Later, she basically kicks her out of Bill’s funeral after calling her cruel to her face, words she has at that point, well and truly earned.
Earlier, Maddie had talked about how she could have shown her more grace. Cal had countered with “She could have taken more care,” and Cal was absolutely right. It isn’t on Maddie to always turn the other cheek, to always take the high road. These situations are not always on one person, and Mama Townsend kept expecting Maddie to be the person she wanted her to be, to act like she wanted her to act, and every time Maddie didn’t do so to a “T,” she got upset.
And Maddie put up with it, way more than she should have when it was only about her. But if there’s one thing Maddie was never, ever going to put up with, it was Bonnie Townsend trying to pull that same trick on her children. So I’m proud of Maddie for finally standing her ground, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.
MORE: What did we want to see in Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias?
I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO THINK OF ME AS BILL TOWNSEND’S SON
Ironically, when Ty says these words they are a declaration, but they’re also at this point a reality. No one thinks of Ty as Bill Townsend’s son anymore. Because Ty is kind and thoughtful, he’s the kid who, after finding out about Isaac, took a moment to process his feelings. Then he asked his mom how she was doing. He’s also the kid who went out on a double date with his brother because he thought it was his job to comfort Kyle. And he’s the big brother who let Katie snuggle up with him at night because that’s what she needed after their dad died, even if he was having conflicting feelings about the man he was supposed to be mourning.
And he’s the one who finally found the words to tell Annie how he felt. Sure, it might have taken a while, but Ty has gotten there. He’s become the antithesis of Bill Townsend in many ways. That’s why, when his grandmother was going at him, everyone from Cal to his grandfather, to his brother, and then his mother was ready to defend him. Because Ty is not Bill Townsend’s son. He really, really isn’t.
He’s Maddie Townsend’s son. No, Maddie Maddox’s son. That sounds a whole lot better.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Sweet Magnolias Season 4, Episode 4 ‘How Great Thou Art’? Share with us in the comments below!
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
