Sweet Magnolias Season Premiere Review: The Aftermath of the Accident

After a year and a half, we finally knew who was in the car.

At the beginning of  Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Episode 1, we quickly learned Kyle Townsend and Nellie Lewis were in the car accident.

However, the drama in Serenity had just begun.

Finding out which teenagers were in the car sparked drama and tension among so many relationships in Serenity.

As the parents tried to place blame for how Kyle stole the car, Jackson and Tyler got into their own blame game, which left Ty injured as well.

If it was possible, Tyler seemed even more crushed than Kyle. He couldn’t play baseball for at least six weeks, and the State Championships were coming up. He had scouts coming to watch him and felt his dream slipping away.

However, Kyle knew he caused this mess, but he was reluctant to discuss why. In many ways, Kyle is the typical middle child. He didn’t want to make a fuss, but he often felt ignored by his family and overshadowed by his talented older brother.

Kyle to Ty: Sorry about your car.
Ty: Don’t even worry about it. I’m just glad you’re in one piece.

Kyle and Nellie have the potential to be a Romeo and Juliet type couple. Their families, especially their mothers, hate each other.

The Lewises blame Kyle for the car accident, even though Nellie doesn’t.

She managed to sneak out and visit him in the hospital.

Kyle(Logan Allen) and Nellie (Simone Lockhart) have the sweetest chemistry that hopefully will develop into something more throughout the season.

Kyle’s accident affected almost every relationship in Serenity and filled both Maddie and Annie with guilt, which we saw play out even more in Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Episode 2.

Annie felt responsible for the accident, partly because she didn’t return Kyle’s crush. She thought letting him down was kinder.

Kyle lost his temper when Annie still tried to act like his friend by bringing over his favorite foods from the restaurant and signing his cast.

Annie: I should definitely sign your cast.
Kyle: Why?
Annie: It’s what friends do.
Kyle; I don’t need you to pretend to be my friend.

Kyle acted as a bitter teenager, saying he didn’t need Annie. It was apparent that her rejection still stung and was one of the reasons he left the party.

It’s challenging being a mom to a teenager in the best of times, but it was devastating for Maddie to watch her sweet Kyle become so angry and isolated and not let her in. She blamed herself for not knowing the entire story or how to fix it.

Upon Paula’s advice that she couldn’t help Kyle until he was ready, Maddie took a step back and decided Kyle needed to see a therapist.

Dana Sue also dealt with teenage angst since Annie was consumed with guilt, and she didn’t think her daughter should be shouldering that responsibility.

Annie, come here baby. Obviously, we have to talk, but I want you to know that I love you and I’m so grateful that you’re okay.

Dana Sue

Dana Sue even voiced her concern at margarita night about Annie’s pressure, and things got heated. It was rough seeing them fight, but stress makes people say things they don’t mean.

The accident affected Annie and Ty’s relationship as well. At school, Annie was in the middle of the gossip because she’d been there the night of the fight.

When other students re-enacted the fight, Annie stopped them, and Jackson thanked her. Annie and Ty locked eyes, but neither knew what to say yet. Their lives had changed that night.

Ty had some personal decisions to make as well. With his arm injured, was he still going to help lead his team to State?

He felt his life-long dream was starting to slip away, and it was ingrained into him.

The series Sweet Magnolias is loosely based on the best-selling book series by Sherryl Woods.

Sweet Magnolias Season 2 seems to be slightly based on the second and third books, following Dana Sue’s relationship with Ronnie and Annie, Helen’s quest for a baby, and her evolving romance with Erik.

In fact, the Netflix Book Club is covering the third book, Feels Like Family, so they’ll be dissecting how they took the story and constructed this season with it.

Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) is a welcome addition and has a natural connection with Annie and Dana Sue. He knew how to comfort Annie quickly and convince Dana Sue that he should stay in town to help. He was a charmer.

We felt the instant sparks between Dana Sue and Ronnie, but Dana Sue tried to be immune to his charm. She wanted to keep things professional.

She proposed they stay married in name only so she could get a second mortgage and afford to keep Sullivan’s. Most men would have been offended.

Ronnie looked amused and only cared about helping her in any way possible.

Ronnie: I think you’d be tickled to find how I can help your cause.
Dana Sue: the way you can help my cause is to sign your name on the application so I can keep my business.

Dana Sue had her walls up so high that she considered taking on another partner –Cal Maddox. While Cal promised to be a silent partner, his notoriety as a baseball player could help or hurt the restaurant.

Sweet Magnolias always focused on friendships, but in Season 2, it also focused on the importance of finding your true family.

Helen has always played the aunt to Maddie and Dana Sue’s kids. She’s listened to their problems and given them advice. Now she wants a child of her own.

When Helen learned she was pregnant with Ryan’s baby, she was overjoyed. However, she was also torn since she knew Ryan didn’t want children, and she didn’t want to trap him to coming back to her out of duty.

If anyone can be a single mom, it’s Helen. And she’ll have the help of the Magnolias and their children.

Issac (Chris Medlin) also had a big story heating up. While he initially believed Dana Sue was his birth mom, that was soon proved false. Helen offered to help him find his birth mom.

Like many adoptees, the need to find his birth mom became stronger after his adoptive mom recently died. The need to know where you come from is is often overwhelming, no matter how great of a childhood you had.

I don’t need to know why. I just want to b know who, whose eyes are starring back at me every time I look in the mirror.

Issac

That’s how Issac felt. He learned so much from his parents, but he needs to know where he came from.

Hopefully, Issac learns that Helen and Dana Sue and everyone want him to feel like he belongs in Serenity. The community may have its issues, but they look after their own.

Over to you, Sweet Magnolia fanatics. Were you surprised by who was in the car? Do you think Cal will be an excellent silent partner for Sullivan’s?

Chime in below in the comments.

Sweet Magnolias Season 2 is streaming now on Netflix.

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Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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