Patty Lynn is relaxing at the dining room table drinking her café au lait.
Patty Lynn: Isn’t it nice to just be able to sit back and relax for a change? We’ve been run ragged these past few months campaigning with Marietta.
Martin: I’ll be honest, I feel it. I’m absolutely exhausted.
Patty Lynn: I can tell. You’re not yourself.
Kathleen: I just want to thank the Democratic Party for scheduling four states that Marietta’s not strongly contesting on the same week, so we can get some rest and relaxation. I’m reading a book, I’m sleeping in, I’ve finally caught up on The White Lotus.
Patty Lynn: Sleeping in? You get up at seven!
Kathleen: That’s sleeping in for me!
Martin: All the flying is a lot for us at our age.
Patty Lynn: It’s worth it, but it is.
Martin: You know what would be nice?
Patty Lynn: What?
Martin: A nice trip to the market.
Patty Lynn: I love the market!
Martin: I always feel so at peace there.
Kathleen: I would really prefer not to leave the house.
Martin: You never want to leave the house.
Kathleen: Yeah, and I especially don’t want to after being forced to for the last several months! Let me relax, I’ll have to be on the road again very soon.
Martin: Please don’t remind me.
Kathleen: I always thought you liked campaigning!
Martin: I did when I was younger, and when the farthest “campaigning” I had to do was traveling to Shreveport. I’m not made to be campaigning in Washington one night, then Mississippi the next, then Georgia in the morning.
Kathleen: Few people are.
Patty Lynn: I give Marietta credit. She’s traveled much more than us, she’s had to do many more campaign events, and she’s handled it like a champion.
Martin: I’m so proud of her. My daughter’s going to be president. I can’t believe I get to see my daughter be president!
Kathleen: Let’s not assume anything. You get to see her be the nominee for president, most likely.
Martin: Come on, she’s gonna win. Delphy’s numbers are in the gutter.
Kathleen: But do the voters dislike him enough to vote for a woman instead?
Martin: We elected Sheryl Howard!
Kathleen: Yeah, that went great.
Martin: She wasn’t the most popular, but voters don’t blame all women for that.
Kathleen: You overestimate voters.
Patty Lynn: Are we going to get ready to go to the market? I’d like to get there early, I want to have an early lunch before the crowd rushes in.
Kathleen: There’s always going to be a crowd at that place. It’s one of the main reasons I can’t stand it. Too many people! I don’t like people
Patty Lynn: You sound so old.
Kathleen: I am so old!
Martin: I’ll get ready. I want to go early enough that I can get beignets but also late enough that I can also get a muffuletta.
Patty Lynn: I love a good muffuletta.
Kathleen: I can make a good muffuletta.
Patty Lynn: I’ve seen you in the kitchen. I doubt that very much.
Kathleen: Martin, are you just going to let her bully me like this?
Martin: I think so, yeah.
Kathleen: Damn you! You’re supposed to have your sister’s back! Blood is thicker than water!
Martin: Happy wife, happy life.
Kathleen: There’s a saying to fit any agenda!
Later that day…
Martin: Can I tell you, it’s been so nice just getting to stroll around at a leisurely pace, no running to and fro complaining, no hopping on planes to jet set from coast to coast. The best days are spend relaxing and doing the things you love with the people you love. This is the perfect day for me.
Patty Lynn: It has been pretty nice. Those beignets were great, I got a new purse, I bought Sarah some earrings for her birthday, we actually got to just talk without interruption from anyone else for the first time in, what, ten years?
Martin: It’s been a long time
Patty Lynn: Painfully long.
Martin: In hindsight, it’s good that Kathleen didn’t come with. One, she would’ve hated it, and two, we actually got to spend some time alone and just enjoy one another’s company. We have to cherish these memories.
Patty Lynn: Just think, this time next week, we’ll be in Missouri!
Martin: And on that note, I’m going to order myself a sandwich.
Patty Lynn: I’ll be here, perusing this arrangement of wall art.
Martin: Don’t buy anything without asking first. If I’m going to have to look at it forever, let me have a bit of input on it. I’ll be right back.
Patty Lynn: All right…
Ten minutes later…
Patty Lynn: Hey, Martin, I know you said not to buy anything, but there was this one picture that was so perfect, and you were gone for a while, and I didn’t want it to - oh my god, Martin!
Patty Lynn spots Martin lying on the ground with someone performing CPR on him.
Patty Lynn: Did anyone call 9-1-1?
Thirty minutes later…
Kathleen: Patty Lynn, I rushed here immediately, as you can see from the curlers in my hair. What’s going on?
Patty Lynn: I don’t know, but thank you for coming.
Kathleen: Of course I came! Even if I weren’t in the state, I’d fly in just for this. Do you know how he’s doing?
Patty Lynn: I don’t know, he wasn’t responding in the ambulance. He… it doesn’t look good.
Kathleen: He’s strong, Patty Lynn. You know that. I know that. He knows that.
Patty Lynn: It’s just… you didn’t see him. I’ve never seen him look so, I don’t want to say it… soulless. Lifeless. He looked… gone.
Kathleen: Honey, I’ve been there. I know the feeling. I know the look. It doesn’t mean he’s gone. It just means he’s unwell, and the doctors are going to do all that they can for him. Come, sit down. He can wait it out together, there is strength in togetherness.
Patty Lynn: Are you sure?
Kathleen: Sure of what? That we can weather this together? Yes, I’m sure. You’re like a sister to me. I’ll be by your side no matter what. For right now, though, we have to think good things, hope for the best, and pray that, in some way, he can feel our positive energy. There is power in positive thinking.
Patty Lynn: I don’t know how to think positive right now.
Kathleen: Think of the years you’ve spent together. Think of the life you built. Think of all you’re going to do once he’s out of here.
Patty Lynn: What if he doesn-
Kathleen: Don’t. Don’t think that. There’s no need to think it at this time. Hold onto hope while you’ve still got it.
Thirty minutes later…
Doctor: Mrs. Landfield?
Patty Lynn: Yes?
Doctor: I’m your husband’s doctor, Dr. Edwin Lesure. Would you step in this room with me, please?
Patty Lynn: No… no.
Patty Lynn falls to her knees and starts sobbing. Kathleen spots her, begins to sob herself, and walks over.
Kathleen: I’m Martin’s sister. I don’t know what’s been said, but please excuse her, she’s, uh —
Edwin: Oh, no. You feel all that you need to feel, I understand the emotions. Whenever you’re ready, if you’d join me in here.
Kathleen: Patty Lynn, come on. It’s okay.
Patty Lynn: It’s not!
Kathleen: Come on, we don’t know anything for sure yet.
Patty Lynn: All right, fine.
Patty Lynn and Kathleen walk with the doctor into a private room.
Edwin: Mrs. Landfield, I am so sorry, but your husband has died. I an truly so sorry for your loss. We did everything we could, he had a very weak pulse when he arrived, he suffered a major stroke and it was too much for his body to handle. Take all the time you need, we can help you handle the arrangements, move at your own pace. If you have any questions, I’m here to answer them. If you would like to see him, that can be arranged. We’re here to comfort you and help you in any way.
Patty Lynn: I don’t know how to go on.
Edwin: That’s perfectly normal.
Patty Lynn: I just want to be alone. I’ll be alone forever, but right now I need to just… I need time.
Kathleen: Should I go, too?
Patty Lynn: No, I want you to stay. One Landifeld’s left me, I can’t let another go, too.
Two hours later…
Patty Lynn: Kathleen, I don’t know what to do in this house. I’ve never been without him here. I’ve had days where he was out of town or something, but I knew he was on his way back soon. This is so different. This is not right. It feels unnatural.
Kathleen: I know exactly how you feel. Martin was my brother, that’s different than spending every waking minute of every day together for the last sixty years, but he was my big brother. I don’t know a world in which I didn’t know him. I don’t know a world without him. Marvin and I… how do I tell Marvin?
Patty Lynn: How do I tell my kids? How do I tell Sarah?
Kathleen: I can call them for you if that would help.
Patty Lynn: No, I have to do it myself. They deserve to hear it from me.
Kathleen: Are you sure?
Patty Lynn: Yes, and I have to do it now. They deserve to know immediately. It’s already been two hours.
Kathleen: And they’ll understand exactly why it’s taken that long.
Patty Lynn: I just don’t know what to do without him. It’s not fair! To have my world ripped from my hands in an instant.
Kathleen: I watched my Allen slowly get weaker and weaker, and I still denied what was happening. One day, he was gone. It was jarring, it was horrific. I was never prepared. You got no advance warning, but at least you can know you had that good last day. He didn’t suffer, he was enjoying his life and then he was gone. That’s better than so many people get.
Meanwhile Marietta and her staff are in Kansas.
Marietta: Karen, is there a reason we’re in Kansas? You said we didn’t have a shot here.
Karen: After the momentum you’ve gained, I see no reason not to at least try. We can cut into Ross’s margin here, and then we can swing over to Illinois and Ohio.
Amy: Just the place I’ve always dreamed of visiting - Ohio!
Tammy: Hey, I spent a ton of time there during Mitch’s presidential campaign. It was, well, as boring as they say.
Karen: Can we at least feign interest in it when we’re there?
Tammy: That’s not going to be easy.
Marietta: So, any famous guests coming out to stump with us in Kansas?
Henrietta: Do they even have celebrities?
Karen: I’m sure they do, but none of them are joining us. This is just a quick campaign event, followed by two others in nearby towns. We’ll be here six Horus, tops!
Marietta: Ah, just the six hours.
Tammy: Toto, I have a feeling we’re still in Kansas, dammit!
Karen: Everyone is simply being too negative. We do well here and the other states voting the same day, it won’t be perceived as a momentum shift. None of these states are favorable for us, but if we put in the work, we can keep it close and avoid the media hyping up Baum or Ross too much.
Marietta: I actually agree with you. Louisiana’s a lock, Missouri should be good for us. The other states don’t vote until the beginning of April. We might as well spend some time in these midwestern states. Besides, it’s not like we actually have a shot in Connecticut or Rhode Island, so this is certainly a better use of our time.
Henrietta: Is anyone else getting worried that none of you three will get 50% of the delegates needed?
Karen: Don’t even say that! I’ve done the math, we’re on track to clear a majority, especially once we force either Ross or Baum out of the race.
Marietta’s phone rings.
Tammy: That ringtone is so annoying.
Marietta: It’s incredible!
Tammy: Incredibly pretentious. The theme from Rocky?
Marietta: I’m a champion!
Amy: Is the champion going to answer her phone?
Marietta: Why would I do that?
Amy: It could be important.
Marietta: It’s just my mother, probably trying to call to ask whether I think she should buy crunchy or smooth peanut butter or something equally ridiculous and pointless.
Amy: All right, ignore her at your own peril.
Marietta: Fine, I’ll answer.
Tammy: At least it can distract you from the fact that you’re in Kansas!
Karen: You need to stop openly hating on the states we’re campaigning in.
Amy: No, keep going.
Marietta answers her phone.
Marietta: Mom, what’s going on?
Patty Lynn: Hi Marietta…
Marietta: What’s wrong? I hear it in your voice. Something is the matter.
Patty Lynn: Honey, I love you.
Marietta: You’re scaring me!
Patty Lynn: Marietta, your father and I went to the French Market today. We had a beautiful day, it was magical and peaceful and everything I’d ever want. At the end of our visit, your father suffered a medical incident and he passed away today.
Marietta: No!
Tammy: What’s wrong?
Marietta: Mom, you’re kidding!
Patty Lynn: The doctors did all they could, they said it was a stroke his body simply could not handle. I’m so sorry to be telling you this and ruining your day.
Marietta: No, you didn’t - it’s not your fault. How are you?
Patty Lynn: I’m trying to manage. Your aunt has been incredible. Once I tell you and Milton, she’s going to start calling and telling the family. She’s doing all that she can to ease me through this. I love you, and I have to call Milton now.
Marietta: Mom, I love you. I’ll be home soon.
Patty Lynn: Don’t. Just win, don’t let this distract you from that. This country needs you.
Marietta: I’ll talk to you soon, then.
Patty Lynn: I love you, dear.
Marietta hangs up.
Amy: Marietta, you’re crying.
Tammy: What happened?
Marietta: My father. He… Henrietta, I love you, I know you two had a tight bond.
Henrietta: Oh no.
Marietta: My father died today.
Tammy: Oh, Marietta! Come here!
Marietta: I don’t know what to do.
Amy: We’re going home. It’s the only thing we can do. I know I’m not family -
Marietta: You’re family.
Amy: but I think the Landfields need to come together again. I think that’s how you get through this.
Karen: Marietta, I didn’t know your father like anyone else did, but he was a lovely man.
Tammy: The loveliest I’ve ever met.
Karen: I will cancel our events for as long as you need. You grieve.
Marietta: My mother says not to come home, but I think I have to. We should fly down tonight.
Karen: You can all fly down tonight. Take the campaign plane.
Tammy: No, I have a bad experience with using campaign resources for personal use. We’re flying back on the first commercial flight
Meanwhile, in DC…
Kate: Milton, did you finish the animal rights bill you were working on with Mildred?
Milton: I’m just sprucing it up, but it’s nearly done.
Ellie: Good, we need a PR victory. The Republicans are busy slandering us and calling us obstructionists.
Kate: We are, though. That was our campaign promise, to block the president from enacting his agenda. The people liked it.
Ellie: Yes, but it’s disgusting that they bring that up like it’s a bad thing!
Milton: We’ve gotten plenty done! Some of it has even become law! The rest of it has been blocked by Kylie or John or Kylie and John, but that’s okay, sometimes Aimee or Sharon or Olivia has a conscience and votes with us.
Ellie: Just think, next year, we’ll be sending bills to your sister for her to sign!
Milton: Oh, please don’t say that. We’re all so scared of jinxing it.
Ellie: Well, I think this is a done deal. People are done with Delphy, and Baum and Ross are both lightw-
Kate: Valued members of the Senate Democratic caucus.
Ellie: They’re never here anymore because they’re too busy campaigning, they make us rely even more on the Republicans. It’s disgraceful!
Milton gets a phone call.
Kate: Who’s that, Moira wondering where you are?
Ellie: I’d hope not, it’s three in the afternoon. He’s supposed to be here.
Milton: No, it’s my mother.
Ellie: Are you in trouble?
Milton: Probably. Let me answer so I can find out.
Milton answers his phone.
Milton: Hey, mom, how are you?
Patty Lynn: Hi, Milton, I’ve been better.
Milton: Are you all right? You sound stuffy. Are you sick?
Patty Lynn: I think you should sit down. I have something to tell you.
Milton: All right.
Patty Lynn: Kiddo, your father and I were out shopping today, and he slipped off to get something to eat, and he had a medical incident.
Milton: Is he all right? That’s awful!
Ellie: What’s awful?
Kate: Shh!
Patty Lynn: He was taken to the hospital, and they did what they could, and he died. I’m heartbroken. We’re all heartbroken.
Milton: Oh my god, no!
Patty Lynn: I love you. I can’t really bare to speak about it too much, I just want to sob. I’ll talk to you soon, all right?
Milton: Of course, do you need me to call anyone?
Patty Lynn: No, I want you kids to relax and go about your business. Grieve, spend time with those you love, keep fighting the fight. Your aunt and I will handle everything.
Milton: Take care of yourself, mom. I love you.
Milton hangs up.
Kate: I can see from your face that whatever happened, it’s not good news.
Milton: My dad died.
Kate: Oh, Milton.
Ellie: We’re here for you. And for Marietta. Whatever you need, we’re here!
Milton: I think I have to go home. Could you have Mildred finish up the bill?
Kate: Of course! Take all the time you need, Milton!
Milton: Thank you. You two are the best.
Ellie: We are, indeed, the best.
Kate: Ellie!
Ellie: Sorry, inappropriate timing, I realized it as soon as I said it.
Later that day, in New Orleans…
Sarah: Grandma, someone’s at the door!
Kathleen: It’s probably just the delivery guy, you can open it.
Sarah: You sure?
Kathleen: Do you want me to get it?
Sarah: I would prefer that, yes.
Kathleen opens the door.
Kathleen: Oh my gosh, wasn’t expecting you guys!
Marietta: I just want you to know, we both had the idea to fly here entirely independently.
Moira: Milton insists he had it first.
Marietta: Not true.
Milton: The fact that we got here are the same time feels like some sort of miracle.
Marietta: That’s an odd way to put it.
Patty Lynn: Kids! Oh, I’m so glad to see you! Thank god you didn’t listen to that nonsense I said about staying put and not flying in. Even I didn’t believe that! I just didn’t want to guilt you.
Marietta: That would be a first.
What did you think of this episode of Marietta? Let us know in the comments and make sure to read the new episode next week!
