Whenever an ex wants to have dinner, it sends up red flags.
Cal’s ex-girlfriend Vicky tried playing games with him and Maddie on Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Episode 9, but Maddie didn’t do it.
This was also the first episode during Season 3 where the young people had storyline arcs and showed their maturing.
Cal and Maddie have been so happy and flirtatious that Vicky had to try and ruin it. Why would anyone want to meet their ex’s new fiance?
Vicky was as conniving at game-playing as Kathy was, but Cal and Maddie weren’t dumb.
Vicky’s new fiance was Drew, whom Cal fought with years ago. Obviously, she wanted to cause drama, but Cal didn’t take the bait.
While Cal loved baseball, he enjoyed carpentry with Ronnie and Skeeter. However, Drew was all flash and wouldn’t dream of doing a normal job when he went into retirement.
Maddie has grown more confident in herself and in her relationship with Cal. She was never meek but never went toe-to-toe with a rival like that.
if there is one thing I’m completely b secure it is my love with Cal. The few times your name has come up, it has been discreet and respectful. If you came here to determine what power you still hold over him, I could have saved you the drive and the overpriced meal.
Maddie
Hopefully, she got her point across, and they never have to receive updates from that jealous woman again. She so wanted the life Maddie had with Cal and got stuck with Drew.
I knew there would be trouble when Helen and Maddie took over planning the vow renewal. The guest list grew out of control from the small, intimate wedding because neither of them knew how to say no.
They tried, but it was hard to refuse so many residents when they offered help. Everyone in Serenity loved Dana Sue and Ronnie.
Both of them had assisted many people, so now everyone wanted to celebrate them.
At first, Dana Sue hated that no one listened to her, but then she recognized that all 50-60 guests cared about her. Dana Sue probably thought she didn’t have that many people who actually cared if she and Ronnie renewed their vows.
While the ladies should be front and center, watching the teenagers get so much airtime in this episode was refreshing.
It was obvious that Lily was Kyle’s secret admirer. She’s the one who thought the Townsend brothers were following in their mom’s footsteps and called Kyle a leader.
While Ty has that All-American look about him, Kyle appeals to Lily because he was unique and doesn’t try to please everyone.
Kyle: The carnations were from you?
Lily: I wanted you to know someone thought b you were terrific.
That should be a note to theatre geeks that being yourself is appealing to girls.
Kyle has matured into a leader, taking control of the playground project. Working behind the scenes in theatre taught him how to film social media fundraising campaigns.
Ty: When you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear.
CeCe: I’ll jot that one down. I admit I have a lot to learn about work rightness.
Ty: Are you kidding? You’re the clearest communicator I know.
Working there allowed Ty and CeCe to work together, mend their differences and become friends again. During Sweet Magnolias Season 2, Ty and CeCe were constantly arguing.
They were from different walks of life. Being in a more stable environment with Helen has softened CeCe, and they are much better as friends.
Ty admitted to Helen that since he lost baseball, he saw himself differently but other people too.
Once I realized baseball wasn’t for life, all my other feelings and priorities shifted.
Ty
While I still wish Helen had her own kids, Helen has such a fantastic relationship with the teens in her life, especially Ty, Annie, and CeCe. Talks with Aunt Helen are legendary.
Helen understood better than anyone about making the wrong choices for fear of disappointing someone and challenged Ty not to be afraid to take risks. Learning that Ty wanted some time before college was surprising, but Maddie took it better than expected.
Ty: Change is scary.
Helen: You know what is scarier? To be the same man in 20 years that you are today.
What’s even scarier is realizing you’ve missed so much of children’s lives. Bill worked so hard that he couldn’t remember stories about the kids correctly.
He loved his children but knew he had no right to feel proud of them. When he returned to the playground, he became emotional at all the times he missed with the kids.
Annie had also finally matured since she spent most of the season acting immaturely.
She’s finally recognized that she wants a relationship like her parents since they worked hard to resolve their issues.
Being grounded after the accident taught her who showed up for her and who was a coward. Ty was there to support her time and time again.
Annie wanted her mom’s day to be perfect, so she kept pushing her to contact Erik, reminding her that Erik cared about her and they could work things out too.
I’ve mentioned before that I think the cast of Sweet Magnolias Season 3 is bloated, and I still do.
Why are characters like Noreen and Jeremy getting so much screen time?
To make matters worse, now they may start a relationship together. Jeremy is attractive and served a minor purpose recently by telling Isaac and Erik about Kathy. Beyond that, he’s Dana Sue’s handsome ex-boyfriend, a farmer.
As for Noreen, meeting with Helen didn’t even go anywhere since getting a formal agreement would worsen her situation. I’d really like to cut her, Jeremy, and possibly Bill if we get a Season 4. There are other characters I’d like to see more of.
“A Game of Telephone” left most of the characters in a good spot, leading into the finale.
What do you hope to see with only one episode left of Sweet Magnolias Season 3?
Do you want a romantic vow renewal or one mixed with chaos? Do you think either of the women called Erik, and will he return to Sullivan’s?
Chime in below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.