Friends and Foes Revealed: Magonolia Season Finale

Julien Neaves, Caribbean Head Writer

Yesterday MCU film Eternals premiered on Disney+. But guest writer Tracy J Hutchings already dropped a review on that (you can check it by clicking here) and we are here to talk about another superhero premiere, the season finale of Trini web series Magonolia. It has been a wild ride these past four episodes watching the titular telekinetic teen hero (real name Rachel Quintino) battling enemies both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. And it has all come down to this!

Because the finale episode “Legacy” only just premiered I will not go too deep into detail, but beware some SPOILERS for the previous episodes. Let’s get into it.

Previously on Magonolia! We last saw our hero (played with youthful exuberance by Aaliyah Ragoonath-Maharaj) making plans to secretly meet with her new friend L’shawn, who is actually Capernaum spy Infernaa (Akeima Gibson) in disguise. We do get the meeting but it does not turn out like I expected, for which I give credit to the writers. Early in the episode we do get an exposition dump which is a tad heavy but it does explain a lot, including the name “Magonolia” and how Mags (we’re friends so I can call her that) instantly transforms into her costume. With the name revealed our hero goes viral and makes a splash around the world. Good for her.

The main threat comes from previously introduced villain Paralysis (Sydney Ledger) and she goes full comic book baddie here. This leads to a very entertaining action sequence featuring Mags taking on some henchmen and utilising her telekinetic powers. Punks jump up to get beat down, I always say.

We also have the subplot of Capernaum warrior Lallane (Khaliyah Jaggernath-Mills) as she begins her journey to become a general and take over her late father’s mantle. We don’t spend a lot of time with her but it is enough to move her story forward. Fans of the CGI effects from the previous episodes will be happy here as we get a lot of cool footage of this futuristic alien world.

The new episode also marks the first live action appearance of new Ville Ventures Universe hero Solera (played by 19-year old Ashleigh Sharpe) and she opens up a whole new world of heroes and possibilities. I really can’t wait to see her in action.

The finale ends with not just one but TWO post-credit scenes (who say MCU?) and they feature some major revelations. One twist I did see coming but one was a huge shocker. You’ll know it when you see it. And speaking of seeing, do look out for episode co-directors Cassidy Peschier and Ancil Harris (also the creator of Magonolia) in a cameo. Both Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan enjoyed cameoing in their films so they are both in good company. And also check out some awesome MCU-inspired credits work at the end.

Though my favourite episode remains the tight and action-packed penultimate episode the finale is pretty satisfying. And the most exciting aspect is that it leaves the door wide open for Magonolia’s further adventures as well as spin-offs and superhero team-ups. As Nick Fury told Tony Stark at the end of Iron Man, “You have become part of a bigger universe.” And what an exciting universe it is!

Editor Jules’s Score: 6.5 out of 10

You can check out Sommer’s video review below:

You can watch the finale for yourself on GT Caribbean Network TV by clicking here. And you can catch up on previous episode reviews below:

Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by Freddy Krueger, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “12 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.