After Bonnie blurted out Isaac’s secret at the dinner in Bill’s honor at the end of the previous episode, tensions are at an all-time high as everyone processes the truth about Isaac in the fourth episode of Sweet Magnolias season 4.
Kyle is feeling angry, Katie is excited about gaining another brother, and Ty is most concerned about his mom and how she’s doing with how everything came out. Like Kyle, Noreen is feeling quite angry and confronts Isaac about the like. He tries to explain to her that he just never knew how to tell her the truth, but she’s not having any of it and packs a bag as she leaves with Bex. (We later learn she’s staying with Jeremy, but just temporarily as he wants her to move in out of love not anger.)
With the secret out, Helen goes to see Peggy to tell her about Bonnie’s outburst and she imagines the rumor mill is going to be churning like crazy to know who his mom is which is when Helen puts the pieces together. Speaking of putting the pieces together, as the dust begins to settle, Maddie comes clean to Dana Sue, Helen, and Cal that she knew the truth about Isaac and has for some time. The girls are again disappointed but they pour it out and move along as Maddie asks for their help in planning Bill’s funeral.
Kathy comes to town with Bill’s father, Tripp, and meets up with Maddie, Bonnie, and Paula to talk through the plans for Bill’s funeral with Pastor June. Bill has asked that only Ty, Kyle, and Katie give readings at the ceremony which angers Bonnie, who keeps pushing back until Kathy shuts her down by pointing out the importance of honoring Bill’s wishes.
As Maddie deals with Bonnie's drama, Isaac is struggling to pick up the pieces of his life after Bonnie blew it up just as he felt as though he’d found his place in town. Isaac is concerned that everyone hates him and Erik assures him they love him for the man he is, not whose son he is. He suggests Isaac go for a hike to clear his head and allow himself to process his emotions.
Speaking of processing emotions, before Bill’s funeral, Helen finally fills the girls in on her breakup with Alex. While they had some fun, she simply realized they weren’t a forever match.
Sweet Magnolias season 4 episode 4 ending explained: Isaac leaves town and SPOILER calls it quits
Bill's funeral arrives and we see Isaac show up, but he’s clearly still struggling. He tells Erik he did the hike and all he could think about was losing his mom and missing his dad, his real parents. He says he needs to see his dad exiting before the funeral begins to head out of town to make his way to Ohio.
As the service unfolds, Bonnie asserts herself when Ty freezes up during his reading, standing up to sing before finally settling back into her seat. The service drags up a lot of emotions and at one point Erik quickly races out. Genevieve goes after him and it’s clear that Erik is questioning his own mortality, as he tells Genevieve he doesn’t have time to build his legacy. In an unexpected twist, he breaks up with her bringing their relationship to an abrupt end.
Following the funeral, the town heads to The Corner Spa for a wake, which is when Noreen learns about Isaac leaving for Ohio as she’s given a letter from Bailey. We also see poor Genevieve showing up just in time to witness a tender moment between Erik and Helen.
As the episode draws to a close, Bonnie once again makes a scene, this time calling out Ty for abandoning his family in order to pursue his music dreams telling him he needs to be a Townsend man and be responsible, which is when Ty makes it clear that he’s not sure he even wants to be thought of as Bill’s son. Bonnie says Ty is dishonoring his father which prompts him to point out how blind she is to the fact that Bill caused so much pain. Maddie arrives and asks what is going on as Bonnie begins to rant about how disrespectful her son is as Ty runs away from the situation. Maddie finally has reached her breaking point and lays into Bonnie for her actions and the way she’s spoken to her kids, which is when Bonnie has the audacity to raise her hand to slap Maddie.
Much to Bonnie’s surprise, Maddie catches her hand and makes it clear Bonnie is not welcome and orders Tripp to take her home as the episode ends in dramatic fashion.