Episode Guide
A united front is the best way to give drink to the thirsty and lay it all down. Dance first, think later is the best way to go about things. All best intentions should be held. What fools these mortals be when faced with storms and rainbows. ..
Sweet Magnolias is a drama that takes all the usual tropes inherent in Lifetime, Hallmark and CW shows and smooshes them together into a syrupy slice of life drama. With a host of diverse characters wrapped up in their own issues throughout the series, Sweet Magnolias relies heavily on its characters to push the narrative forward.
The first episode of Sweet Magnolias focuses on the town’s residents and their issues. The second episode focuses on the ladies’ issues. The third episode will focus on the town’s future.
Maddie and Dana Sue are forced to confront their past while Helen tries to navigate the present. Together, they must come to terms with the fact that they are no longer the only people in town. They must also come to terms with the fact that they may never be able to be together again.
The main point of this review is that Sweet Magnolias is a little too sweet for its own good. The streaming service seems to be trying to do too much with the film, and it doesn’t seem to be working well.
The series does start to ramp up the tension a bit toward the end of this sleepy drama but this is also one of those shows that feels designed to appeal to the sort of demographic that would throw this on as background noise to dip in and out of. ..
That’s a shame though because visually, Magnolias looks great. The vibrant color palette helps each scene pop, the composition is pretty good throughout and the understated musical score that accompanies much of the slice of life shenanigans help to keep things moving at a consistent pace.
The show has a well-rounded arc and Maddie’s kids have their own storylines that help to pad out the runtime. 10 episodes feels a tad too long, but if you’re sold on this premise and tone after the first couple of episodes, you’ll almost certainly see this one through to the end. ..
Ultimately, Sweet Magnolias feels too nice. There are few dramatic spikes of tension and no wild twists or turns. This is a show for a specific audience, and if you’re not in that demographic it’s unlikely you’ll stick around for the long haul. ..
The series is not particularly good or memorable. It’s a packet mix equivalent of cake baking, with little chance of remaining an experience that sticks with you when you could bake something far better from scratch.
