‘Sweet Magnolias’ Season 2: Who Was in the Car?

'Sweet Magnolias' addressed a huge season 1 cliffhanger in the first minutes of the season 2 premiere.

by Megan Elliott

Published on February 4, 2022

3 min read

‘Sweet Magnolias’ Season 2 premieres reveals the identity of Kyle’s passenger

Kyle wearing a blue button-down shirt in 'Sweet Magnolias' Season 2

Sweet Magnolias Season 2 picks up immediately after the end of season 1. Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and Bill (Chris Klein) rush to the hospital. Helen (Heather Headley), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) join them. As Maddie and Bill wait for news about Kyle, Dana Sue frantically tries to reach her daughter Annie (Anneliese Judge), who isn’t answering her phone.

Dana Sue fears Annie could have been the one in the car with Kyle (Logan Allen). But seconds later, Annie walks into the hospital. She’s shaken, but OK. Tyler (Carson Rowland) is also there, so he couldn’t have been the passenger. Nor is it a stunned-looking Jackson (Sam Ashby). But Nellie (Simone Lockhart) is conspicuously absent.

“We’re waiting to hear word on Kyle,” Helen says to Jackson. “And your sister.”

So, it was Jackson’s younger sister Nellie who jumped in the car with Kyle as he sped away from the party after trying to intervene when Tyler and Jackson got in a fight.

Both Annie and Kyle are going to be OK

Kyle and Annie’s accident was serious enough to send them to the hospital, but fortunately, their injuries aren’t severe. Nellie has some scrapes and bruises but doctors quickly treat and release her. Kyle’s in worse shape. He’ll have to spend some time in a wheelchair, but he’ll also recover.

Physically, Kyle will be fine. But his mental state is another story. His parents are reluctant (for now, at least) to push him about why he got behind the wheel of his brother’s car in the first place. And Kyle clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. When Nellie visits his hospital room after the accident, he brushes her off because he feels guilty for putting her in danger.

There’s also obvious tension between Kyle and his brother. After all, it was Kyle’s feelings of being slighted and ignored by his older sibling (and the rest of his family) that sparked their confrontation at the party. Right now, Kyle just wants to ignore everything that’s going on around him. But he’ll have to confront the circumstances that led to the crash – and its consequences – sooner or later.

The car crash’s effect on other ‘Sweet Magnolias’ characters

Annie, wearing a red shirt, looking at the camera, with Jackson in the background in 'Sweet Magnolias' Season 2

Kyle isn’t the only Sweet Magnolias character who will be grappling with the effects of the car crash this season. Ty might not have been in the vehicle with his brother. But he ends up being the person who is most seriously injured as a result, albeit indirectly.

At the hospital, Ty and Jackson get into a scuffle as they argue about the accident. Jackson knocks Ty to the ground, breaking his arm. In a flash, Ty’s dreams of heading to the state championship – and possibly playing pro baseball – are shattered. With his arm in a cast, he won’t be able to pitch for the next four to six weeks. And he’ll just have to wait and see whether the injury has longer-term consequences.

Meanwhile, the accident could push Annie and Jackson together, a development that’s hinted at in the season 2 trailer (via YouTube). It’s even causing tension between the Sweet Magnolias themselves. In the episode’s final moments, Dana Sue breaks down in tears. The accident has deeply affected Annie, and her mother is upset on her behalf.

“She has been through so much,” Dana Sue says before walking out on margarita night. “Why is it always the loyal one, the faithful friend who’s supposed to absorb every twist and kick that life delivers and still come up smiling?” Dana Sue’s talking about her daughter. But it seems she’s also speaking of herself and her role is in the trio of friends. Could this cause a permanent rift in their friendship? Probably not. While Dana Sue has some feelings to work through, she’ll likely patch things up with her friends soon, especially given the big reveal at the end of the episode: Helen is pregnant!

All episodes of Sweet Magnolias Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.