Marietta is at Patty Lynn’s for dinner.
Patty Lynn: Maria, how’s Congress?
Maria: God, you’re gonna start the conversation by making me discuss something as awful as Congress?
Milton: It’s not that bad!
Maria: Everyone is insane!
Marietta: I did warn you about that, did I not?
Maria: I remember you telling me to go for it.
Marietta: That doesn’t mean I didn’t warn you about the job!
Kyle: You could always retire.
Maria: I don’t dislike the job, I just said everyone’s nuts! I’m helping to make a difference, I suppose. And I’m proud to be serving my community.
Marietta: Enjoy it while it lasts! Because, one day, it’ll come to an end.
Milton: Oh, gosh, are you already getting upset about having to leave office in a year?
Marietta: I love the work, and I know there’s no way to go up from here, so this is my swan song. I have to savor every moment.
Moira: You’ve been a terrific mayor.
Tammy: Why are we talking about her like she’s dying?
Marietta: In the eyes of the world, I might as well be. I’ll be completely obscure as soon as I leave office. I could’ve been president! Now, I’m just gonna be the sad lady who walks around the French Market, crying.
Tammy: I think a retirement would do us all a favor. We’re not exactly “young.”
Marietta: Don’t say that!
Tammy: Is it untrue?
Marietta: No, that’s why I don’t want it said! I’m trying to avoid acknowledging reality!
Kyle: You’re not that old, mom!
Milton: “Not that old.”
Kyle: That’s not what I meant.
Milton: I know, but it’s still funny.
Patty Lynn: Gee, I didn’t realize I’d stir up all this conversation with a simple question. I was just trying to make small-talk with my granddaughter-in-law.
Kathleen: You know these people are unable to answer a simple question without flying off into tangents. Well, you’re guilty of it, too.
Patty Lynn: I am not!
Marietta: Maybe we should just move on. I like these dinners to be an escape from politics, not another reason to send me into an anxious spiral.
Milton: Are you sure? It certainly is fun for all of us to watch you spiral.
Moira: Milton!
Milton: It was a joke! A simple joke.
Moira: It was unkind.
Sarah: It was nasty, dad.
Milton: Don’t try to talk down to me.
Sarah: I’m being honest!
Marietta: Children, pipe down.
Patty Lynn: Yes, it’s dinner time! I made gumbo!
Maria: I love gumbo! Especially your gumbo! The food in DC… it just can’t compare to southern cuisine.
Patty Lynn: I’m so happy to get to bring you all together and make you good food. It’s how family should be!
Milton: And Tammy’s also here!
Patty Lynn: Tammy’s family, too!
Tammy: Thank you! My real family doesn’t do this for me, so it’s great to be adopted by a new family in my seventies.
The next day…
Marietta: Good morning, ladies.
Henrietta: You look exhausted!
Marietta: I couldn’t sleep last night! I don’t know why.
Tammy: All that thinking about leaving office soon?
Amy: How has no one announced they’re running for mayor? The election’s next year! It’s like everyone’s waiting to see if I’ll run! It’s a sign, I think. The universe wants me to be the next mayor.
Tammy: Zero chance that’s true.
Amy: You’re so mean!
Tammy: I’m a realist.
Marietta: Amy, I think you need to do what makes your heart happy.
Tammy: I think let’s just let Marissa be mayor.
Henrietta: What if Moira wants to be mayor?
Marietta: She doesn’t want to be. I think Marissa beating her for city council president really took a toll on her. But if Marissa wins, the job’s surely hers, so that’s good! But I don’t want to think that far ahead, because I want to live in the moment. I love being mayor!
Tammy: She’s having a tough time with moving on.
Marietta: I can’t move on, I’m still mayor for another year!
Tammy: Last Halloween in office! Something to think about. We gotta go big this year!
Marietta: We have another year after this.
Tammy: You’re not really in charge once you’re a lame duck. We all know that.
Marietta: I think they still let you hand out the candy and plan the Halloween parade.
Tammy: Nope, I don’t think so. They bring the new guy in there to get him ready.
Amy: The next mayor is not going to be a man. I know that much.
Henrietta: Marietta, I just want to say, this job’s been an honor, and -
Marietta: No! We have a full year left! We’re not doing goodbyes right now. Let’s focus on the work we haver at hand.
Tammy: So, Halloween -
Marietta: Surely we have more important matters than Halloween?
Tammy: None that I can think of!
Marietta: Infrastructure? Public health? Parks?
Tammy: Snickers or Milky Way?
Marietta: Snickers!
Amy: No, Milky Way!
Marietta: Are you crazy?
Amy: Those peanuts get stuck in my teeth, I don’t like it! Milky Way is nice and creamy.
Marietta: No pain, no gain!
Henrietta: Are they arguing about candy?
Tammy: Just be glad she’s not currently crying about not getting to be mayor for life.
Marietta: I heard that!
Tammy: Dammit.
Two days later…
Eliza: You guys know where my cousin is?
Henrietta: Mom! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?
Eliza: I work in the state legislature, you can hardly call it “work.” Besides, I’m in-district, so this is technically me doing community outreach!
Amy: Marietta’s in her office, she’s having a meeting with some business guy. I don’t know.
Tammy: He’s the developer of the new arena. You know, because we’re bringing the WNBA to New Orleans.
Eliza: I forgot about that.
Amy: But you’re a lesbian, isn’t that all you guys think of?
Eliza: Okay, first, I’m bisexual. And second, I don’t think lesbians only think of the WNBA.
Tammy: Of course, they’re also listening to k.d. lang and the Indigo Girls
Eliza: Okay, how many more lesbian stereotypes do you guys have up your sleeves?
Henrietta: Shh, they’ll take that as an actual challengE!
Marietta: Well, Mr. Samuelson, I’m so glad you stopped in today. Tammy will show you the way out if you need the help.
Tammy: Right this way!
Marietta: Eliza!
Eliza: Marietta!
Marietta: What brings you here?
Eliza: Fantastic news!
Marietta: Things are so bad, I genuinely can’t even imagine what that could be.
Henrietta: Are you pregnant again?
Eliza: My god, no. And, no offense to Marietta, I’d have told you in private first.
Marietta: No offense taken!
Eliza: I have some interesting information from the state legislature that very much concerns you.
Marietta: Are they trying to impeach me again even though they don’t have that power?
Eliza: Nope! They’re actually helping you, in a way. Majority Leader McHenry wants to run for governor, and he really thinks he can beat Governor Bordelon. Because he’s addicted to power, he wants to get rid of term limits for governor. So he wants to amend the constitution to abolish all term limits in the state. And that would trickle all the way down to mayor.
Marietta: Would it?
Eliza: It sure would. So you can run for another term!
Marietta: I could? Would the voters like that?
Eliza: That’s for people smarter than me to determine, but you can run again if you want. And I think you should!
Amy: Are you kidding me?
Eliza: What’s wrong?
Tammy: She thinks she’s going to be mayor. She’s delusional.
Amy: I am not! I’m very accomplished!
Marietta: Well, this is a huge shakeup. Before I begin dreaming… is it actually going to pass?
Eliza: It’s very likely. Democrats support it because Governor Bordelon is our best chance of winning the office again. Republicans support it because their standard bearer does. So, no reason to doubt it’ll pass.
Tammy: Will the Supreme Court allow it?
Eliza: What are they going to say, that our state constitution is unconstitutional?
Marietta: An amendment has to be approved by the voters. Will it pass? Term limits are popular.
Eliza: Who knows. But McHenry will put a ton of money into backing the vote, and he’ll probably make sure it’s worded super confusingly so people don’t even know what they’re really voting for, so that should help!
Marietta: Well, I have a lot to think about, clearly!
Amy: You know, I could still run even if you do!
Tammy: Because that went so well for you last time.
Amy: It got me this job!
Tammy: What a tragedy.
Later that week…
Marietta: Mom, aunt Kathleen, I desperately need advice.
Kathleen: Boy, you’re really in trouble if you’re asking us.
Patty Lynn: We have great advice! Especially me!
Kathleen: What a shame that Martin’s not here for some much-needed sanity.
Marietta: They’re apparently banning term limits in Louisiana. It will become unconstitutional for the stare, or any city in the state, to mandate term limits for elected officials. So that means -
Patty Lynn: You get to run again!
Marietta: If I so desire.
Patty Lynn: Why would you not want to?
Marietta: Is it appropriate? What business do I have being the first mayor in decades to serve three terms?
Patty Lynn: The people love you!
Marietta: I almost lost re-election until my opponent destroyed his own campaign with, you know… unseemly behavior.
Kathleen: Buying prostitutes.
Marietta: I would rather not have to think about it, but yes.
Patty Lynn: You’re popular now! You almost became the Democratic nominee for president! You inspired a nation!
Marietta: I know you’re my mother, and as such, you have to believe I hung the moon. But I have to think rationally here. I don’t want to embarrass myself and lose re-election. I don’t know if it would garner much support to take advantage of this new Republican-backed amendment.
Kathleen: You have to follow your own heart. I know it sounds like I’m dodging answering the question, but really, only you know what the right thing is for you to do.
Patty Lynn: You gotta go for it!
Kathleen: You say that about every office she wants to run for.
Patty Lynn: Not true! I told her not to run for governor.
Kathleen: You just didn’t want her moving to Baton Rouge!
Patty Lynn: And she didn’t want to, either.
Marietta: That is true.
Kathleen: It’s an hour away!
Patty Lynn: She barely comes to see me, and she lives ten minutes away!
Marietta: That’s a lie!
Patty Lynn: It’s how I feel!
Kathleen: Is this the woman you want to take advice from?
Marietta: I ask myself that so often. I still don't have an answer.
What did you think of the season premiere of Marietta? Let us know in the comments and make sure to read a new episode next week!
