Sweet Magnolias – Season 3 Episode 4 “Be Bold” Recap & Review

Be Bold

Episode 4 of Sweet Magnolias Season 3 starts with Helen being grateful for Frances’ thoughtful gift. Ryan is still delivering Frances’ gifts and is just getting to the last round of boxes. He seems happy to be staying in Serenity, and Helen is glad. 

She asks about his work plans, and he tells her that he is the newly approved substitute teacher of the Serenity School system. He says it is a stopgap and hopes to get a job to utilise his NGO experience. He is hoping Jeremy down at the farm might need help. All things considered, Ryan says he is learning to appreciate Serenity’s beauty, and Helen thinks it is only a matter of time before he finds a place in the community. Ryan hints at him moving in with her, but Helen suggests he rents out his own place.

Elsewhere, Peggy meets Dana Sue to ask about Trent after he quit his job. Peggy thinks it is odd that Trent quit and left town with his family. Mary Vaughn is also not returning her calls. Peggy believes Trent is running because he has been misappropriating the town funds. Peggy hopes she can track him down and ask what is going on. Dana Sue has heard nothing about it at the Sullivans but promises to inform Peggy if she hears anything. 

Annie overhears the conversation and tells her mom she has not heard from Jackson. She promises to tell her mom if she hears anything. She tries to call him, but he is unreachable. He leaves him a desperate voicemail asking him to get in touch. 

On the other hand, Cal is getting high-fives from people giving him credit for Trent quitting. He doesn’t understand how they jumped to this conclusion, but he is happy that Trent is gone. Maddie confides in him that she has started painting classes since she wants to try something new. She is, however, worried about embarrassing her mom or herself. Remember, her mom is a well-known painter. Cal assures her she will be fine and she should have fun. 

Back at the spa, Noreen visits to sign up for membership and get some time to herself. Trotter is happy to welcome her. For a moment, Noreen thinks the spa members are gossiping about her affair with Bill, but they are talking about her winning the Forage Festival. 

As Noreen gets her groove back, Kyle wallows about not being able to see Nellie. His friend advises him to move on. On the other hand, his father is stuck on Kathy and sends her a message about how much fun he had at their dinner. 

Meanwhile, Isaac again pitches his herb garden idea to Dana Sue and gets her approval. He has a sound plan, and Dana Sue is inclined to help him make it a reality.  With that settled, the only pending issue at the Sullivan’s is that everyone is watching Eric closely. Isaac and Annie even offer to handle Helen’s usual lunch order.  

This time Eric decides to deliver it to Helen, who is waiting outside and tries to be as nonchalant and professional as possible.  Unfortunately, he is too out of it and gets injured upon his return to the kitchen. Dana Sue asks him to take time off and get himself together.

Concurrently, Maddie talks with Ty and encourages him to look into colleges he might be interested in. She wants him to broaden his search, but Ty still needs help finding what he wants to do next. She asks him to start with the things he doesn’t like. After talking to his friend Gabe, 

Speaking of letting baseball go, Cal gifts Harlan one of his bats and celebrates that Harlan is the new head coach. Harlan is happy about the new position but not pleased with how he got it. He thanks Cal and asks if he can still reach out when he has trouble with the team. 

Isaac and Eric also go on a hike and have a one-to-one talk. Eric admits he is still not over Helen and is not ready to return to the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Paula shares with Dana Sue one of Frances’ diaries. The diary explains that Frances’ had a crush on Dana Sue’s dad. It was an unrequited love, and Frances saw Dana Sue as her daughter, so she left the money for her. Frances felt like Dana Sue is her legacy. Dana Sue shares this news with the girls during the margarita night and ponders what she should do to continue Frances’ legacy. 

They also plan a group date with their boyfriends, but Cal and Maddie can’t make it. Maddie has her figure drawing class with Pastor June. The girls are a tad jealous that Maddie is getting close to Pastor June.

The following day, Peggy reaches out to Helen to discuss the Trent situation. Helen is unaware of how bad the situation is. She, however, thinks that Peggy would make a great mayor. Their meeting is interrupted by CeCe, who wants to get emancipated from her family. Her parents are moving, but she wants to remain in Serenity. After listening to CeCe’s plight, Helen offers her a place to stay. CeCe is shocked, but Helen is adamant and promises to talk to her parents. 

Back at the spa, Maddie sees firsthand that there is a need to offer childcare at the business when one of the clients offers to pay Kyle to watch her kid. Trotter chimes in his two cents, and Noreen walks in at that opportune moment. 

At home, Annie gives Dana Sue the guest list for her birthday party, and they discuss why Frances left them the money. Dana Sue shares a piece of advice with Annie and asks her to be bold and tell her what she wants. Annie admits that she wants to have a friendship like what the magnolias have.

In the figure drawing class, Maddie tries her best but still has trouble getting into the moment. Maddie is yet to find the story behind her drawings, and her mom tries to make her see it.  On the other hand, the group dinner goes well. Ryan suggests that Ronnie and Dana Sue use the money to find their joy. He points out that his aunt was a champion of people’s happiness and rooted for him when he chose a career that always saw him moving. The comment comes off as him proclaiming he is not happy settling down in one place. Helen asks if he is happy, and he says he is. 

The next day, Cal visits Skeeter’s workshop to ask for help on his new project, and Skeeter offers him space to work with them. Ronnie also talks about his marriage to Skeeter and wonders if this has evolved into something new. He decides to take a leap and ask Dana Sue to renew their vows as the customers in her restaurant cheer for their love.

Concurrently, Helen meets with CeCe’s parents and gets their approval to be her guardian. Ryan is not too pleased to hear Helen made this decision by herself. He assures her that he is staying in Serenity and, moving forward, they will need to make significant decisions together.

Later that night, Cal stops by Maddie’s, and Ty apologizes for yelling at him during their confrontation. They quickly patch things up, and Cal and Maddie head out for their date. It is finally two weeks after their deal, and they can have all the physical touch they want.

Soon after Cal and Maddie leave, Ty gets a message from Annie asking if he is free.  She asks him to drive her to Castlewood to see Jackson. Jackson informs Annie that he is transferring to Castlewood and couldn’t reach her because his mom took his phone.

In the meantime, Bill goes to see Kathy and asks her out on a date. Kathy agrees, but the plans change when Eric shows up and agrees to be Kathy’s new consultant. 

The Episode Review

Eric might not know it but his decision to work with Kathy won’t end well. Someone needs to warn him about her. She will ruin his friendship with Dana Sue and it will be so sad to witness. While we are on the topic of Eric, it is ironic that he tries to be there for other people but has a hard time letting others help him. He might want to take some of the advice he has been giving Cal. He needs it too.

On the other hand, Kathy’s new budding relationship with Bill feels unnecessary. It comes off as a desperate move by the writers to add drama to the show. We can only hope it doesn’t blow up on other people’s faces again.