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Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, set in the fictional small town of Serenity, South Carolina, follows best friends Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen (Heather Headley), and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) as they experience the trials, tribulations, and blessings of small-town life. Together, they work through their issues and work together to make their lives and the lives of those in their beloved hometown better. Since the beginning of the series, they have stepped up to become community leaders, working to clean up Serenity and put people who deserve and won’t abuse their power in leadership roles around town. All the while, they encourage those around them to do better, too, becoming a shining example of true friendship that others around town have come to crave.
Sweet Magnolias Season 3, which recently premiered on Netflix, heavily focused on developing relationships new and old, like the blossoming sisterhood between Annie (Annaliese Judge), CeCe (Harlan Drum), and Lily (Artemis). Ty (Carson Rowland) and Kyle (Logan Allen) became closer as brothers, while we saw cracks in the friendship between the Magnolias that led to them not speaking — at least not in any polite way — for a couple of episodes. Romances, like Cal (Justin Bruening) and Maddie’s or Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) and Dana Sue’s, became deeper and filled with more love than before. It’s admirable how beautifully the characters and relationships were written in the latest season. However, one relationship we were missing and didn’t see nearly enough of was the friendship between Noreen (Jamie Lynn Spears) and Isaac (Chris Medlin). We need more of them going forward, please.
Noreen and Isaac’s Friendship Was An Unexpected Highlight of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ Season 2
Both Isaac and Noreen felt somewhat like outsiders in Sweet Magnolias Season 2. Isaac had originally come to town to find his biological parents, first suspecting Erik (Dion Johnstone) and then Dana Sue, though neither theory panned out for him. However, his relationships with these characters were still strong, though their primary purpose was to give Isaac a wise ear and great, honest, and loyal people to aspire to be like. Meanwhile, Noreen had a much harsher start in Serenity. She cheated with Maddie’s ex Bill (Chris Klein), got pregnant, and they got engaged. Thankfully, by the end of the first season, Noreen finally saw the light and called off the engagement. She left town, seemingly for good, but returned a couple of episodes into the season when Kyle needed her. When she needed a place to stay, Isaac welcomed her into his home — her new home — where she decided to stay, with his blessing, after having Rebecca a.k.a. Bex.
Given the unlikable nature of Noreen’s story, this newfound relationship was instantly a way to get people on her side. In practically every interaction, Noreen made it known how thankful she was for Isaac to be by her side as a friend, inspired by his generosity and how he opened his home to her and Bex. It gave the audience a relationship from Noreen’s perspective that was worth rooting for — because, as great as her relationship with Kyle was, it was complicated and somewhat tainted by her past with Bill. Likewise, not that we needed any more evidence, but it showed what an amazing young man Isaac is. It showed how he has the goodhearted nature of Serenity’s residents flowing through his veins (even if he didn’t grow up there). It was a great depiction of his compassion, too, as he never once complained about having a restless newborn in the house. He just wanted to help Noreen get back on her feet.
This Friendship Is, Arguably, the Most Important Relationship for Both Characters
While there were some great moments with Isaac and Noreen in Sweet Magnolias Season 3, like the pair winning the Forager Festival with Annie, there wasn’t enough. Instead of focusing on Isaac and Noreen’s relationships, as the 10-episode run did with nearly every other character, it instead showcased the lives Isaac and Noreen were creating for themselves in Serenity. When Erik left Sullivan’s, Isaac stepped up and proved himself as a very capable sous chef, prompting Dana Sue to offer him a new title when Erik returned as second-in-command in the season finale. Elsewhere, after being unable to resume her role as a nurse in Season 2, Noreen stumbled into a job at the Corner Spa as the leader of their new childcare offer for spa clients. While both of these turns in the story were great, and their interactions with the other characters are always wonderful to watch (especially with Isaac), we need more of Isaac and Noreen’s friendship if the series returns for a fourth season.
The reason why is that Isaac and Noreen’s relationship is the only one on the show where they truly feel like equals. While we don’t know Noreen’s exact age, the gap between them is clearly not as large or noticeable as with the other characters. They are on the same page in life, just as we see with the Sweet Magnolias, the other crowd including Miss Paula (Caroline Lagerfelt), and the teenagers. Usually, Isaac and Noreen receive some sage words of wisdom when they interact with anyone older than they are, like Dana Sue coming up with a solution for Noreen to get some sleep when Bex was fussy in the early episodes of Season 3. When they’re interacting with anyone younger than them, it’s they who are tasked with delivering the wise words that influence growth, as Isaac does in late Season 3 as Annie struggles with being grounded. All of these relationships are great, don’t get me wrong, but just as it’s important to see the Magnolias or the teenagers work through life together on the same page, we also need this for Isaac and Noreen.
This friendship is one that is so special. While there was technically enough of it on-screen in Sweet Magnolias Season 3, it wasn’t enough. This is something that needs to have a spotlight on it throughout the season, as it’s such a special relationship that has the unique potential to allow both characters to continue growing without having to be coached by those older than they are. The finale seemingly leaves off with Isaac being ready to tell Noreen that Bill is his birth father and Bex is his biological sister, which will certainly cause some rocky waters. Noreen also has something to tell Isaac, though what that could be is a mystery. Regardless, the potential fourth season seems like the perfect opportunity to dig in deeper with Isaac and Noreen and establish their friendship as their own version of what the Magnolias have.
Every episode of Sweet Magnolias is now streaming on Netflix.
