Exclusive
’Sweet Magnolias’: Breaking Down That Shocking Season 5 Split
What To Know
- One of the main couples on Sweet Magnolias broke up in the Season 5 finale.
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher told Swooon why the split was necessary and revealed whether she thinks the pair will get back together.
Not all of the Magnolias had a happy ending on Season 5 of Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias. While the three leading ladies, Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen (Heather Headley), and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), began the season in committed relationships, one love story fell apart by the Episode 10 finale. Warning: Spoilers for Season 5 of Sweet Magnolias ahead.
The shocking split came after a major tragedy took a toll on the couple, along with communication issues that had already been threatening to tear them apart.
Dana Sue and Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) were the pair that didn’t make it through Season 5. With his new e-bike tour company taking off, Ronnie was extremely preoccupied throughout the season, and Dana Sue felt neglected. What should have been a happy time in their lives — their daughter Annie’s (Anneliese Judge) high school graduation — turned into Dana Sue feeling like her husband was prioritizing work and his new business partner Courtney (Courtney Grace) over his family.
Amid those struggles, Dana Sue and Ronnie’s house burned down after an accidental fire started in their garage. Officials confirmed that the experimental e-bikes Ronnie was storing there did not cause the fire, but the existence of those bikes was a secret he was keeping from Dana Sue, sparking another argument between them.
Courtesy of Netflix
At Helen’s wedding to Erik (Dion Johnstone) in the finale, Dana Sue told Ronnie she wanted to separate. Instead of moving into a new apartment together, she announced she would be getting her own place. The fate of their relationship is one of the open-ended questions in the final episode, leaving the door open for a storyline in Season 6, should the show be renewed.
“I think this allowed for a cool depiction of what a real relationship is,” Swisher told Swooon. “These things happen. This is real life stuff. It offered up a lot of cool storytelling for Brandon with Ronnie and being able to wrap his head around that. The conflict was, I thought, really important for our show.”
As for whether or not Ronnie and Dana Sue will be able to work it out, Swisher admitted she doesn’t know what the future holds.
“I think the show is very hopeful and positive and wonderful and beautiful and heartfelt, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to have their happy ending,” the actress explained. “It doesn’t have to button up like that for it to feel like we’ve had this amazing journey. I don’t think there was a feeling of … do we need to button this all up and make sure everybody knows they’re all OK? They are going to be OK no matter what because they have each other.”
Sweet Magnolias, Season 5, Streaming Now, Netflix
