Home-made margaritas, love, broken hearts and homes, secrets, friendships, dreams deferred, new beginnings, second chances, baseball jocks, a little bit of drama, a whole lot of small-town charm and you’ve got Sweet Magnolias. I dare say, one of Netflix’s most binge-worthy series. The happenings in Serenity are dreamy, yet oh so relatable with lessons for the real world.
Forgiveness and Second Chances
Season 1 saw Norine being the most hated woman in Serenity, wearing an invisible scarlet letter and pregnant by Dr Bill Townsend, a married man with three children. Somehow, the shy nurse never quite struck me as a villain or a home wrecker. I figured she was simply mesmerised by the good doctor and got caught in a whirlwind of lust, mistakes, and heartbreak.
“I knew better than to sleep with a married man,” said a remorseful Norine as she enters season 2 apologising to Maddie Townsend who is resistant at first but finds her way to forgiveness with the help of her new hot boyfriend, Coach Cal. “True forgiveness only happens when the pain of past relationships isn’t the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning. I hope that you get that one day soon,” he said. It’s a most heart-warming scene when Maddie shows up at the hospital with the blanket she used to take home her three children and hands it over to Norine. Some of us can relate to that said journey to forgiveness, when we leave behind the days when we couldn’t stand the very thought of someone, yet they were the first thing on our minds when we opened our eyes.
Cheating Ronnie has never been quite the dream husband to Dana Sue, but he is fixing broken staircases and drains on his way to winning back the love of his estranged wife, who by the way was just getting cosy with that delicious farmer, Trotter. Dana Sue appears to be dragging her feet on the decision to let Ronnie back in, even as their daughter walks in on them. It is going to take a lot more than fixing things, sex, or chemistry for Ronnie to convince her that he has changed, and their marriage is worthy of a second chance. But Dana Sue also has some work to do on herself, as Ronnie points out, visibly running out of patience. The husband she has always wanted in Ronnie is finally showing up, but Dana Sue admits that she is afraid. Fear is crippling and sometimes it makes forgiveness difficult, even for those you love. And it is sometimes easier to find grace to forgive those you don’t love.
Faith and Courage
On the surface, Helen has it all. I was elated by the news that Helen was pregnant. The brilliant lawyer, businesswoman and community stalwart is determined to bear a child, albeit with her on again-off again partner, Ryan who has disappeared. We secretly wish the baby belonged to Chef Erik, if only the two would stop fooling themselves that they are just friends. It is Erik who takes Helen to the hospital when she miscarries and continues to play the role of dutiful friend as she mends her broken pieces. Amidst dealing with her loss, Helen finds strength to help Isaac find his birth mother. A courageous Helen is exploring invitro fertilisation straight away, but it seems a difficult road lies ahead, that she needs to tread with faith. Peggy finds the courage to stand up to her mother who forced her to give up Isaac in the first place and to tell his father about him. You won’t believe who that is!
The Value of Introspection
“When I was pointing at him to leave, all I could think of was my mama saying, you point at someone, three fingers point back at you,” said Dana Sue as she pondered what role she might have played in the breakdown of her marriage. She must forgive herself in order to forgive Ronnie. At the altar she had vowed to support her husband’s dreams as much as her own, but she didn’t. She admits to doubting and blaming. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the obvious atrocities like cheating, that we fail to see there are other ways in which we break our vows. Recognising the roles played by each party is essential to healing and forgiveness.
The Power of Community and Friendship
A petition to remove Mary Vaughn Lewis’ husband as Mayor of Serenity is filed when Maddie and Helen discover that they are using the mayor’s office for personal gain. Despite Mary’s efforts and threats, they remain steadfast to have the mayor removed on the premise that the town deserves better. But some believe the high school baseball team deserves a better coach and Mary has a deciding vote. Maddie must now choose between principle and love. How far will she go for the man she loves? She has been as brave as some of us ladies are yet to be. After all, she did say the three magic words first.
The friendship among the three leads, Helen, Maddie, and Dana Sue is enviable, as they never fail to be there for each other’s crises – Maggie’s divorce, Dan Sue’s business or relationship woes and Helen’s quest for a baby. Despite what is happening in their individual lives, they make the time to connect. Best of all, they have me in the mood for some margaritas!
Having binge watched from Friday night, the season finale is about to start. I don’t know how it will end. I will not spoil it for you. Perhaps by now you have your remote ready to watch. All I know is, Ryan’s back and Helen’s in a tailspin over him, yet again. They say a first love never dies and if it shows up, you may just go back. While the ladies are out here adulting, there's some puppy love brewing among their kids. It will be interesting to see where those first loves end up. In another hour, reality will set in, and I will anticipate the hustle and bustle of the daily commute, lessons learnt from spending the better part of my weekend in serenity.
I am Suzette Campbell
Note: Originally published on February 5, 2022
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