Sweet Magnolias Season 3: Heather Headley Wasn’t ‘Too Surprised’ by Helen’s Answer to Ryan’s Proposal

Andy Swift
·3 min read
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Spoiler alert: This interview reveals a major twist from the second episode of Sweet Magnolias Season 3.

If you thought last season was dramatic for Helen Decatur, you haven’t seen anything yet.

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Sweet Magnolias‘ third season, now streaming on Netflix in its entirety, begins with Heather Headley’s character at a major life crossroads: Does she accept Ryan’s proposal of marriage, a question she never thought he’d ever actually ask? Or does she turn him down, instead choosing to nurture her budding romance with Erik?

Being the savvy lawyer that she is, Helen employs a loophole, a third option that allows her more time to consider Ryan’s proposal without completely ending things with Erik. Unfortunately, her hastily conceived plan immediately backfires.

Helen informs Erik about the proposal, including that she hasn’t given her answer yet, but as he replies, “That’s all I need to know.” What follows is an absolutely heartbreaking speech from Erik about how he loved Helen enough to give her space, and now he feels like a fool for letting Ryan slip int. Worst of all, when Helen tells him that she doesn’t want to lose their friendship, he tells her, “You already have.”

The season’s second episode ends with Helen finally giving Ryan an answer: She can’t accept his proposal… yet. First, she needs him to stay in Serenity and prove that his commitment is genuine.

While many fans expected Helen to turn Ryan down outright, given how close she became with Erik, Headley tells TVLine that she “was not too surprised” by her character choosing Ryan. “She’s incredibly smart, she has her own house, a great car, this amazing law career that makes her a lot of money, nice clothes, she’s got everything. There are only a few things that Helen does not have, and it’s all of the emotional stuff.”

It’s for this reason that Headley has always thought of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You” as Helen’s theme song. “But doesn’t have a man or the kids, which her friends do,” Headley says. “It’s not that she’s jealous of them for having all of that, but she longs to also have it for herself.”

You can’t have it all, so some things have to be a little tough for her. In Season 2, she had the miscarriage. In Season 3, there’s this longing about the Ryan thing. I felt that he needed to stick around she needed to see that through, but I had a feeling that it would end ugly and messy.

I didn’t know, but I know how the writers are, and I knew they weren’t going to make it easy for Helen. And it won’t be easy for the fans. When this show releases, I’m going to take a little break and go to Tibet somewhere.

Note: This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA officially announced a strike on July 13.

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