Sweet Magnolias- A show so slow that it stops time
The pandemic has turned all of us into binge-watchers. Which means most of us will be watching shows that don’t really interest us. Like I did when I binge-watched ‘Sweet Magnolias’. I must confess, I actually liked the trailer and was excited to see Brooke Elliot post her ‘Drop Dead Diva’ gig. Boy, how I was disappointed.
The Netflix original show ‘Sweet Magnolias’ follows three best friends through a journey of romance, motherhood and friendship in the small town of Serenity, South Carolina. The show was one of the most boring shows I’ve ever seen. Not only was it predictable, but the show was like any other television drama from the 90s! It reminded me so much of Hart Of Dixie and Chesapeake Shores. The plot lacked a unique story line and the characters were less than likable. Maddie (JoAnna Garcia), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and Helen (Heather Headley) all deal with real-life issues (which don’t even seem like real issues )while still living their everyday lives and managing the business they run together(where they hardly spend any time). Each character makes a number of questionable decisions that left me groaning and not in the good way. Helen, plays a lawyer who has answers for everyone’s problems and is a ‘fixer’. Just like any other Black woman who is supposed to clean up after the messes made by white people.
The show tries hard to give perspective of every character, making it a little difficult to follow. The show is extremely slow paced and it took me 20 days to finish it, which says a lot for someone who bingewatches all the shows. It took everything I had to finish this show since the first nine episodes are incredibly dull and hard to watch, and there was only one season. I often had to take breaks in the middle of episodes because I couldn’t force myself to pay attention. The pacing is so damn slow and redundant that at any given point of the show you can fast-forward it and the cast would still be doing the same shit over and over again.
Perhaps the only redeeming quality of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ was the last episode. The season finale left the audience with many cliffhangers and things to wonder about. Although, the boredom I experienced while watching season one almost overrides my want to continue onto a future season two. There is no telling whether the next season will continue the high note season one ended on, or if it will fall back to the show’s dull beginnings.
Only the last episode was the one worth watching. I think this show is meant to please middle-aged people who like dramatic, small-town stories. ‘Sweet Magnolias’ would be the last show that I would recommend to anyone.
