Marietta is in the office of her therapist, Dr. Bouchard.
Dr. Bouchard: Marietta, welcome back. It’s been a while.
Marietta: Yeah, it sure has. I haven’t been home.
Dr. Bouchard: That’s very understandable. And I don’t want to take up your time if this is not what you came to discuss, but I wanted to give you my heartfelt condolences on your father’s death. He meant a lot to this city.
Marietta: That is definitely what I came to discuss, no worries. I’m having a tough time.
Dr. Bouchard: Feel free to share as much or as little as you’d like.
Marietta: It was a surprise, he was very healthy, or at least he seemed to be. I know he was slowing down a bit, but anyone that age would. It’s natural! It didn’t raise a single alarm bell for me. And even still, he was so active recently, he was flying out to my rallies and campaigning with me. There was no sign that the end was approaching.
Dr. Bouchard: That’s the part of death people often struggle to grapple with, the sudden nature of it. Here one minute, gone the next. It’s very natural to be taken for a loop by it and to be heartbroken over it. Don’t ever tell yourself there’s something wrong with feeling these emotions.
Marietta: I know, it’s just hard. You know, I’ve been having panic attacks lately, which… can I be honest without you jumping to any conclusions?
Dr. Bouchard: I’m here to listen to you, you can always be honest.
Marietta: The panic attacks really ramped up when my dad died, but they were happening sporadically before then, too. Did anyone ever tell you that presidential campaigns are very stressful?
Dr. Bouchard: I’ve assumed as much.
Marietta: I just, I know people keep saying I’m the favorite, I’m gonna win, I’m way out in front.. it’s just so stressful. I’m afraid to fail. Now, with my dad’s death on top of it, I’ve never been more stressed. I’ve never felt worse. This was supposed to be my year, you know?
Dr. Bouchard: Can I ask… do you still want to be president?
Marietta: Yes, I do. I just don’t know if I can handle it right now.
Dr. Bouchard: The job itself, or the campaigning?
Marietta: I don’t know. I’m supposed to return to the campaign trail on Friday, that’s four days from now. The thought of going back is tearing me up. I feel my chest tense up, I can barely breathe. I don’t know if I’m ready, but I certainly can’t stay on the sidelines much longer. I’ve won three of the last five primaries, but those were all places I was expected to win. The next four, really six of the next seven, they’re places I need to campaign hard, and I haven’t campaigned at all. They don’t know me, they haven’t connected me. Retail politics is how I win. All due respect to the guy from West Wing and Caitlin Clark and Dan Rather and my old Senate pals, but them vouching for me is not gonna be enough to get the voters of Kansas and Missouri on my side. And I don’t know if I have the strength to keep going.
Dr. Bouchard: Are you asking for permission, or have you made up your mind?
Marietta: Permission for what?
Dr. Bouchard: I won’t say it, because I don’t want to steer you in a way you may not be leaning. I could be reading you wrong.
Marietta: Okay, I’ll just spit it out. I don’t know if I’m in the mental headspace to continue running.
Dr. Bouchard: That’s where I thought this was heading.
Marietta: This has been a dream, and it feels so close, but I think I need to work on myself. The country needs a president that isn’t, well, consumed by anxiety and clinical depression. I was fine before this, I could manage my anxiety with help, but losing my dad so suddenly has just taken me off course. I need to drop out.
Dr. Bouchard: It’s brave of you to come to that conclusion. It’s important to know your limits.
Marietta: I don’t know how I’m going to tell everybody. I’ve put so much into this campaign, but so has everyone else.
Dr. Bouchard: Everyone will understand, I’m sure. They know how close you were with your father, they know you haven’t taken it well.
Marietta: It’s bad enough I have to let down my family and friends, how do I break it to basketball superstar Caitlin Clark and the seventh-billed star of The West Wing whose name I can’t remember that I’ve wasted their precious time?
Dr. Bouchard: I think they understand that not every campaign is victorious.
Marietta: But mine could have been. I’m just giving up!
Dr. Bouchard: You’re not giving up. You’re choosing your own wellbeing.
Marietta: And how do I tell Karen?
Dr. Bouchard: Karen?
Marietta: My campaign manager! She’s both horrible and great at the same time, I’m terrified of letting her down because she’s unhinged, but I also want her to be my friend!
Dr. Bouchard: I think she’ll still be your friend.
Marietta: You don’t know her like I do!
Dr. Bouchard: Okay, I can talk you through this.
Marietta: Thank god, I need all the help I can get! Thankfully, you’re a miracle worker.
Later that night…
Marietta: Tammy, how are you guys doing out there?
Tammy: Well, we’re in Kansas, so how do you think it’s going?
Marietta: Kansas is nice.
Tammy: Amy’s mad because she lost a three-point contest to Caitlin Clark. That was how we entertained the rally crowd. Not policy, by turning a beloved sporting hero into a carnival act and making poor Amy look like a fool.
Marietta: Well, you don’t need to try that hard to make Amy look foolish.
Tammy: Tomorrow, we’re doing a rally with John Legend in Ohio. I swear to god, if I’m forced to sing, I will lose my mind.
Marietta: I have a request for you, for all of you, really.
Tammy: What’s that?
Marietta: I need you to fly back to New Orleans for an in-person meeting.
Tammy: Can I ask what it’s about?
Marietta: Just something I need to discuss in person.
Tammy: When do you need to have this meeting?
Marietta: Preferably as soon as possible. Tomorrow?
Tammy: Oh, sure, we’ll fly in to New Orleans just before we go to Ohio. No biggie!
Marietta: I detect sarcasm.
Tammy: We’re swamped, we can’t be making detours.
Marietta: This is important, please.
Tammy: Okay, we’ll leave early and fly in. You even want Karen?
Marietta: Karen’s the campaign manager, so yeah.
Tammy: Oh, so it’s about the campaign?
Marietta: It is indeed.
Tammy: Interesting! I’m intrigued. Are you coming back to the trail early?
Marietta: All will be revealed.
Tammy: How secretive!
Marietta: I am a woman of mystery.
The next day…
Amy: I can’t believe how early I had to wake up this morning. I was at the bar last night after the rally. Me and Jason Sudeikis sang that Sheryl Crow/Kid Rock song at karaoke, Caitlin Clark seemed very freaked out by it and Henrietta pretended not to know us.
Tammy: She made the right choice.
Marietta: What have you guys gotten into while I’ve been gone?
Karen: Absolutely nothing good.
Amy: It’s only been a few days, and they’ve been heavy. It’s just good to unwind sometimes.
Karen: She punched Bradly Whitford in the face.
Marietta: That’s his name!
Amy: He had it coming.
Karen: She was drunk.
Amy: Sometimes, you need to drink to numb the pain.
Henrietta: I’m just glad I’m boring and didn’t go the the bar. I feel fine.
Karen: So, we’re out of here soon again for our Ohio rally. Why’d you call us here?
Henrietta: I don’t see any bags packed, so it doesn’t seem like you’re going with us.
Amy: In fairness to her, who would ever want to travel to Ohio?
Marietta: Sit down, ladies. I made tea for all of you. I see now that coffee would’ve been a better choice for Amy.
Amy: No, I like tea better. More hydrating.
Marietta: Okay. Glad you like the tea. I have news.
Karen: Did you secure an endorsement while you were on leave?
Marietta: No, uh… okay, think Marietta, what did the doc say?
Karen: Are you ill?
Tammy: That’s a layered question.
Marietta: Okay, I’ve sat on this for a while, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate the movement we put together.
Karen: I don’t like the way this is going.
Marietta: You for have been here from the very start, and you believed in me. That being said, I’ve made the decision, and you are the first people to hear this, that will not continue my campaign for the Democratic Party nomination.
Tammy: You're kidding.
Amy: I got humiliated by a freakishly athletic giant woman in a three-point contest for no reason?
Henrietta: We don’t need to talk about that. Not ever again.
Marietta: I’m not kidding. And, Karen, you don’t look so good.
Karen: Well, I don’t feel so good.
Marietta: I understand the shock.
Karen: You realize you’re the frontrunner, right? You’re gonna be president! We’re gonna run Washington! Whatever’s causing this, it’s short-sighted.
Marietta: I’m not in the right headspace at all to run a campaign. If it was smooth sailing through to January, that’d be one thing. I’d have to spend the next eight months on the campaign trail, when I need to be spending my time with my family, in my city, healing. This is all too much to put my family through right now, so soon after my father’s death.
Karen: You’ll always look back and wonder “what if?” You do know that, right?
Tammy: Karen, we’re all disappointed, but some things are more important than politics.
Amy: I told off so many people in this city under the assumption that I was going to be a Washington power player.
Marietta: I’m sorry, girls. I -
Tammy: You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ve thought it myself. I mean this lovingly, but I know how you are, and I know how you deal with crises. It’s probably best to get out of the spotlight and let yourself feel better.
Karen: I’m going to miss this team.
Amy: I’m gonna miss my promotion!
Tammy: No one ever said you were getting one.
Amy: But we all knew I was!
Tammy: You sure about that?
Amy: You should be nicer to me! We’re both stuck working in the same tiny office now!
Henrietta: Has anyone been running that office, by the way?
Amy: Interns. The city’s still standing, I guess they did fine.
Marietta: Can I ask you all something?
Karen: Of course.
Marietta: Go ahead, do these rallies for the next two days. On Friday, I’m going to announce to the nation that I’m dropping out. First, though, I want to tell those I care about. I don’t want anyone feeling blindsided by this.
Amy: We have to lie to John Legend?
Tammy: I’m a politician, I’ve lied before.
Karen: We can do that. This has been a special campaign, I want you to send it off on your own terms.
Marietta: I want to thank you guys. You almost got me there. I have no doubt you would’ve got gotten me all the way there if not for myself.
Tammy: You can’t beat yourself up for the very natural, reasonable desire to rest and emotionally recover from your father’s death.
Marietta: I know I shouldn’t, but I do. Never could I have imagined a worse ending for my own campaign than being outright rejected and badly losing, but here we are.
Amy: I know it’s early, but how about a toast to the campaign. We didn’t get the job done, but we all know we could’ve.
Marietta: I’m not drinking at noon.
Amy: That’s the best time to drink!
Henrietta: Yeah, we’re gonna get her out of here.
Marietta: To Betty Ford?
Amy: I’m not an alcoholic! I’m just feeling nostalgic! This was a year of our lives!
Karen: I’m going to miss you guys.
Amy: Yeah.
Karen: Not a very warm response.
Tammy: She’s not a warm person.
The next day…
Marietta: Okay, gang. I’ve made a decision, and I need your support, whether you agree or not.
Milton: This required a 1 PM family meeting, surely it’s important.
Kathleen: We all know what this is about, right?
Patty Lynn: Enlighten us.
Kathleen: Marietta, go ahead.
Marietta: You probably do know. So, I’ll just rip the bandaid off. I am dropping out of the presidential race.
Patty Lynn: Oh no! Don’t give up just because things are hard! That’s not in your nature!
Marietta: That’s not why. Well, it is hard, but not politically. Mentally. I’m struggling, I just lost dad.
Patty Lynn: He wouldn’t want you to drop out because of this.
Kyle: I think he’d trust her to make the right decision, no?
Kathleen: He would. And I could tell from the very start that you believe it’s right.
Marietta: It is right. I’ve felt so much anxiety about campaigning, because I know I’m too upset to continue running. Campaigns are crazy, and I want the party to win. I would cost us the race, because I can’t wage an effective campaign right now. Eleanor Baum or Jenny Ross would be much more effective than I would be. I think one attack ad from Delphy right now would send me into an emotional spiral. I couldn’t debate, not even my own party members. It just wouldn’t be right. This isn’t my moment. God has made that clear.
Patty Lynn: I’m disappointed. Not in you, for you. You didn’t deserve to have this happen to you right now.
Marietta: But it did, and I have to face reality.
Milton: I’m proud of you. You’re putting your country and your party and your mental health before your own ambitions. That’s the exact reason you should be president.
Moira: Honey, you could run for president! She could transfer all her delegates to you!
Milton: Ha! I’d rather die!
Moira: Okay, that answers that.
Marietta: I’m going to be announcing my decision on Friday. I’d like you all to be there for me.
Patty Lynn: We’ll be there. And your father will be too, in spirit.
Marietta: Please don’t make me cry.
Patty Lynn: Oh, sorry!
Marietta: In fairness to you, most things make me cry lately.
Two days later…
Tammy: You ready? They’re going to cut into The View for this, so this is major news. I want you prepared.
Marietta: I’m ready.
Tammy: Okay, then, here we go.
Marietta walks to the podium on the stage.
Marietta: Greetings, my fellow Americans. I began this campaign nearly a year ago, unsure of how it would end up, but certain that my voice and vision for America was important, and could resonate with the voters of my party. Over that time, I’ve met voters across the nation and connected with them, and I’ve been supported by incredible people along the way. From everyday engaged citizens just looking to make a difference, to celebrities trying to use their platform for good, so many helped keep this campaign moving, and helped me surge in this race. That being said, some things are more important than politics and elections. Less than two weeks ago, my father Martin Landfield - Governor of Louisiana, cabinet secretary and New Orleans mayor - died. It was a shock, and a heartbreak for me and my family. I’ve been open about my struggles with anxiety and depression. It’s an issue that I've kept under control, and I’ve centered much of my campaign around research for improving mental health, and fighting to make it easier to receive care for mental illness. We must stop the stigma, and normalize admitting when you’re just not okay. Right now, I’m not okay. Our country needs a president who isn’t distracted, a president who can commit their full attention to the job. Right now, that can’t be me, so I have decided, for my own sake, and the sake of my party and country, that it’s time for me to step aside from the race and end my candidacy. To those who believed in me, I thank you, and please, do not despair. The fight will go on, and I will always be on the sidelines, working for what’s right. I just won’t be president. Thank you all, and please, never give up the fight.
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!
