While the first two episodes were pretty dramatic, Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Episode 3 seemed like filler.
Most of the residents participated in the Forager Festival’s scavenger hunt. While watching the Magnolias compete against each other and seeing unlikely teams form was entertaining, we didn’t need an entire episode devoted to it.
The only drama featured the schemes Kathy had with Bill and Erik.
The Magnolias almost always have each other’s backs, so seeing so much trash talk among them was amusing. Initially, Dana Sue was the fiercest about winning the scavenger hunt, and Ronnie made it his mission to help her win it and prove his love to her.
I want to find the best way to say how much I love you.
Ronnie
They had been trying to figure out their love languages, so he bought her a tiara symbolizing she was the queen of the hunt.
Ronnie‘s been courting Dana Sue with romantic gestures since Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Episode 5 when he showed up with flowers and romantic music.
It’s his love language. But this was the first time that the gifts and gestures impressed her.
The other Magnolias couldn’t let Dana Sue have her happy moment. Kyle had convinced Maddie and Cal to join a team after deciding they needed a group date.
Helen wouldn’t let them have fun without her, and they still blamed Maddie for their loss when they were teenagers. A new revenge plan had been forged.
Cal and Maddie are fooling themselves if they think they can wait for weeks without touching each other. They’re constantly tempted as they’re cleaning or repairing things around Serenity.
They felt they couldn’t be trusted at the festival, so Maddie’s mom, Paula, volunteered to be their chaperone.
She’s so funny because she is Cal’s biggest fan, and she wanted them to win, so she stole the item they needed- a North figurine.
History repeated it. Maddie cheated, but she had no idea she did it.
Helen and Dana Sue wouldn’t let Maddie win easily, and they bribed and fought over her boys joining their teams.
That was the most entertaining part of the episode as Dana Sue called Kyle a kindred spirit, and Helen enticed Ty with a win.
They are not your family. Ryan and I, we’re your family now. They are the enemy.
Helen
Helen was the fiercest competitor, and Ryan looked out of place. This was the first time he had seen her friends in ages, and suddenly, he had to remember Serenity’s history, make friends with her nephew, and ensure they won.
They all got along surprisingly well. Ty has always been with his Aunt Helen, but trouble broke out when Dana Sue and Helen accused his mom of stealing the North figurine.
You would have thought everyone was back in high school with the way they were hurling insults at each other.
Ty had to mediate and calm the women down. Ryan made Ty feel more confident by mentioning how well he did in crisis management.
I appreciated how well Ryan related to Ty, but he didn’t read Helen’s cues very well.
She longed for a long-term romance like some of the Serenity historians had, and he only twirled her around for a second. Helen was made for dancing.
While the Townsend boys have known Dana Sue and Ronnie all their lives, they haven’t had many one-on-one scenes with them, so it was entertaining to see how similar Kyle was to Dana Sue.
He could trash talk like the best of them and was determined to help Ronnie get blackmail on Annie.
He looked like he had more fun in that scavenger hunt than he did in days.
Truthfully, I was rooting for them just because the three of them had so much fun, and Dana Sue and Ronnie wanted it so badly.
While Noreen and Isaac are friends, Annie is not close to them, so it doesn’t make sense why she would desert her parents and help them.
They seemed like the unlikeliest trio of teammates, though Noreen needed some friends in Serenity.
Isaac and Annie have often traded stories about how to handle Dana Sue, so watching her give him advice about outsmarting her mother and getting what he wanted — an herb garden was entertaining.
Watching the three outsmart the adults and take the trophy home was even funnier.
While I’m unsure if Kathy knew who Bill was, she knew who Erik was when she tried stealing him from Sullivan’s. She’s been gone long enough that neither man recognized her.
I’m unsure what Kathy’s game plan was by flirting with Bill, other than he’s Maddie’s ex, and that would upset the Magnolias.
Getting Erik to leave Sullivan’s and work for the enemy will hurt Dana Sue the most. Erik’s self-esteem was low, so hearing endless compliments had to feel good.
For now, he’s not buying her endless flattery. But how long will that last when Helen goes to Sullivan’s constantly? Erik probably felt isolated seeing everyone laughing at the festival. Sharing so many mutual friends is difficult, so he’s vulnerable to making bad decisions now.
“The Searchers” felt like a filler episode where most of Serenity was happy, and no one knew the bombs Kathy was getting ready to drop. Hopefully, the drama will ramp up again soon.
The series still hasn’t revealed why Ms. Frances left Dana Sue the money or what they will do with it beyond using some for Annie’s college fund.
Over to you, Sweet Magnolia Fanatics. Are you enjoy Sweet Magnolia Season 3 so far? What did you think of the unlikely teams? What would you like to see more of in the remaining episodes?
Chime in below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.