Sweet Magnolias – Season 3 Episode 6 “And a Star to Steer Her By” Recap & Review

And a Star to Steer Her By

Episode 6 of Sweet Magnolias Season 3 starts with Trotter, Maddie and Dana interviewing to hire more help for the spa. In an exciting twist of events, Genevieve applies and gets the job after a great interview. 

After the interview, Trotter asks the girls what is going on and why he needs to fill in for Helen. The girls lie and tell him Helen is busy, but he doesn’t buy it. Once Trotter leaves, Dana Sue suggests they talk to Helen, but Maddie says it is not the right time; Helen has not been responding to their messages. 

The scene cuts to the boys at the hospital to check on Harlan after his dad had a massive heart attack. Soon, Dana Sue and Maddie arrive and offer their support to him. Helen also rushes in, just in time for the doctor’s update. Thankfully, his dad will make it, but he might not be able to walk. They all decide to help his family one way or the other with Dana Sue offering to step in through her new foundation. 

Of course, everyone senses the awkwardness between the magnolias and wonders what happened. Nonetheless, they are sure the girls will figure things out. Maddie and Dana Sue try to talk to Helen, but she claims she is in a rush to get to court and leave. Helen feels Maddie has a fix-it-all attitude, and Dana Sue tends to tell people what they should feel. 

Elsewhere, Kathy and Bill are going strong and discussing the past. She advises Bill to let go of the past, but shouldn’t she take her own advice?

As the day wears on, Dana Sue and Ronnie meet with Pastor June for their counselling session which goes great. They are finally on the same page, and their hard work to rekindle their relationship is paying off. They ask Pastor June to be their wedding officiator, and she gladly accepts. 

Meanwhile, Helen and Ryan are at home, and he asks her to allow him to take her to Charleston. He wants them to find their old spontaneous nature and their passion. She agrees to tag along after CeCe leaves for school the next morning. 

On the other hand, Cal updates Maddie on the progress of what everyone is working on for Harlan’s family. He notices she is absent-minded and asks what is wrong. She tells him about her fight with Helen and doesn’t know how to fix it. He tries to lift her spirit and advises her to look deep into why she always wants to fix things. Maddie admits that it makes her happy to help others get over their pain. 

In the meantime, Genevieve meets with Eric and tells him about her new job. He shows her the menu he is coming up with for Z’s place. She then invites him to dinner, and he gladly accepts. 

The next morning, Dana Sue meets with Helen and explains that Maddie meant well by her question. She apologizes but Helen tells her that she felt judged and hurt. Dana Sue is shocked to hear this and explains she and Maddie were trying to help. She asks for forgiveness and for them to fix it together. Unfortunately, Helen isn’t ready to move on. 

On the other side of town, Cal picks up Harlan from the hospital and drives him home. Everyone is already at the house trying to help with the renovations to make the house more comfortable for Harlan’s dad.  He is grateful for all the help and support. 

At the Sullivan’s, Isaac proves he is a good second-in-command, and Dana Sue is impressed. She asks him to stand guard a little longer while she tends to something else. She heads to the spa and tells Maddie to resolve their issues.

She feels Maddie was wrong to ask if Helen was happy when she is clearly unhappy. This conversation leads to a fight which ends with Dana Sue, and Maddie being mad at each other. Dana Sue asks her to consider coming to margarita night at her house so they can end the fight. 

At school, Kyle tries to share his frustrations with Annie about not being able to see Nellie anymore. Annie admits she finds the situation hard too but fails to mention that she still sneaks around to see Jackson.  She runs into Ty, and he reaffirms that he won’t take her to Castlewood anymore. By the end of class, Annie and CeCe became lab partners. 

Concurrently, Helen and Ryan have a great time in Charleston until it is time to leave. He asks her to consider leaving Serenity and has the audacity to tell her she is wasting her talents. Helen thinks he is struggling with the changes and assures him that he will also find his place in Serenity. He asks her if she is happy, and she says she is. He tells her that maybe they can be happier away from Serenity. 

Night rolls by, and things at Townsend’s house are going smoothly.  Cal and Ty team up to convince Maddie to let Ty try out baseball in a new boarding school. Maddie is initially hesitant but agrees to Ty visiting the campus to check it out. She is willing to support him as he figures things out.  She and Cal believe Ty has a good head on his shoulder and understands the realities of returning to baseball after an injury.

Maddie is concerned if he is holding on to baseball because he is scared and asks him to take some more time to find his dream. The Sullivans are also doing well, and Dana Sue is excited about the foundation’s proposal to help with the food insecurity in Serenity. Lastly, Helen returns home and tells CeCe she had a great time, but it is hard to believe her. She and CeCe catch up on what happened at school, and CeCe is excited about the new school year. 

The next day, Jackson sneaks into town to see Annie, but they don’t have much time to hang out. Mary Vaughn is keeping him on a tight schedule. Annie feels sad about their situation as she misses him a lot. 

Later that night, the boys meet at the basketball court and have a great time.  They assure Harlan that they will support him through this challenging time. On the other hand, Bill makes an impromptu stop at Maddie’s, but the kids already have plans, so he can’t take them out for Pizza. Meanwhile, Dana Sue waits for the girls to show up for Margarita night, but no one does. 

After the basketball game, Eric meets with Kathy to show her the menu he has been curating. She tells him she wants more, and Eric informs her that this is not something they discussed.

The following morning, Ryan drops by Helen’s house while CeCe is at school. He thanks her for their perfect date at Charleston the previous day. He starts with a romantic speech about how he loves her but can’t stay in Serenity.  He apologizes and says he is not good at settling. Helen is crushed and tells him that she is tired of giving him everything and him always leaving. She kicks him out and tells him she is done.

The  Episode Review

As we suspected, Ryan was no good. He broke Helen’s heart again, and at this point, his actions are just cruel. Helen has given up so much to be with him. I hope she means it this time and won’t ever take him back.  We can’t help but wonder if this will be the crisis that will bring the magnolias back together. 

Kathy was looking at Eric’s keys suspiciously. What is she up to? It must not be something good. Unfortunately, Eric has no idea who he is dealing with.