Forgiveness, could you imagine?
Sweet Magnolias is back for an emotional, drama-filled season of television. Based on the book series by Sherryl Woods, the stars of the hit Netflix drama - JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliot, and Heather Headley - return as their characters and continue to traverse through heartbreak and challenges in their lives and their small town. Every character in Serenity has their own complicated storylines in Season 2, but a core theme that impacts each of them is forgiveness, whether they extend it or receive it. Forgiveness isn’t just a tool in order to heal: it’s the means by which these characters can begin to move forward.
The series itself begins in the middle of a mediation between a couple torn apart by infidelity. Bill (Chris Klein) slept with Noreen (Jamie Lynn Spears) and she became pregnant with his child. Maddie spends the first season trying to figure out life for herself and her children. How does post-divorce life work? What does finding new love while finalizing a divorce look like? This is the focal point of Maddie’s arc, going from unsure and broken down to confidently running a new business and in a healthy new relationship. However, in these moments of triumph for Maddie, we don’t see her express the anger that stays hidden within her.
So in the new season, Maddie has to be told she needs to slow down and start evaluating this for herself. In the past, she has written off Noreen’s attempts to make amends; the betrayal was still fresh so it never stuck. Now that Noreen’s daughter is here, Maddie is finally ready to move forward for the sake of their blended families. She accepts Noreen’s apology and introduces Noreen to her loving community who supported her last season. This doesn’t mean that Noreen will be invited to margarita nights, but it opens the door for a potential friendship.Sometimes when we hold back mercy from another, it tends to do more damage to ourselves rather than the other person.
Cal (Justin Bruening) could see how this was happening to Maddie towards Bill, especially since she vowed at the beginning of Season 2 that she would never forgive Bill. Cal reminds Maddie of the goodness in her and what could happen to that goodness if she continues to let her anger harden her heart. After Bill confesses to Maddie that he is Isaac’s birth father and apologizes again for the pain he’s inflicted, she is ready to let go of Bill. Maddie forgives Bill and wishes him the best for his path moving forward. They will always be connected to each other because of their children, but now this means they can move forward towards healing and one day, mutual respect for each other.
Another aspect of forgiveness that’s explored in Season 2 is how it’s never too late for forgiveness. Imagine you’re Isaac (Chris Medlin): you moved to a new town in search of your birth mother, and after 22 years of wondering, you finally find her and she initially walks away from you. Peggy (Brittany L. Smith) was overwhelmed coming face to face with the son she was forced to give up as a teenager. Ignoring her mother’s commands, Peggy meets with Isaac and wants to reconcile the time they’ve lost. Instead of being angry and demanding to know why she let him go, Isaac lets her in and begins to build a connection with his mom.
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