Previously on the Chicken Sisters.
Oh, no!
What, are you just gonna stand there
like a dang ding dong,
or are you going to come and help me out?
I don't even know what I want.
That's not true.
Mama's storm shelter is nearby.
If we run, we can make it.
Where's the mayor?
He had a heart attack!
Oh my gosh!
Nobody wants to see my doodles.
Oh, they do.
They're special.
And hundreds of thousands of people agree.
Oh, no.
Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?
Someone's got to run Frannie's while I'm gone.
It's a silly thing to regret our past.
Inside every mistake is a ticket to our future.
♪ Time keeps turning ♪
Request a divorce hearing date.
Sure, hindsight is 2020, but don't you see?
That's a gift.
The roadmap of how we got to today.
You can't predict where you're headed.
One day you're running away from your past,
and the next you're smiling on tomorrow's doorstep.
Mmm.
Is it good?
Now, look at those two.
It wasn't so long ago they weren't even talking.
In my wildest dreams,
I couldn't predict any of this.
♪ But I know... ♪
♪ It's already over ♪
The heartbreak.
The hearts mended.
And the friendships blooming out of the debris
of past mistakes.
Mae, this isn't a house, it's a castle.
Thanks, mama.
The future is there for the taking.
An unknown full of possibilities.
And if we're lucky, we'll have some company along the way,
for the good times and the bad.
Mama?
Nancy?
Are you okay? All in one piece.
Let me look at you. Not a scratch, pretty as ever.
Where's Gus?
I'm here.
Frank Junior?
Yeah. Hey.
Are you okay?
Hey.
Oh, I'm fine.
You think a tiny little breeze is gonna take me down?
Whoa!
Okay. Dad, you okay?
I sure am.
Were you sheltering with Grandma Gus
and you're both smiling?
Well, I needed a little help getting down the stairs,
and it turns out that Frank Junior here
is actually good for something.
How are you doing, bro?
Good... bro.
All the tarot cards in the deck
couldn't have seen that coming, y'all.
Mama, I should head on down to The Cluckery.
Oh, you could borrow my car.
- It's over there. - Oh.
Here.
I'll bring it back with a full tank.
Well.
Maybe I could come by for dinner sometime soon.
There'll always be a place for you at the table.
I love you, mama.
I love you.
Mae knew something
that would change the future of her family forever.
You gonna tell her?
But one disaster at a time.
No, I can't. Not yet.
Okay, honey.
I'll follow your lead.
Okay.
Hey. Good to see y'all are in one piece.
Thank you?
Mae!
Oh.
I'm just so happy to see you.
I was so worried.
I'm happy to see you, too, Booger.
Where were you?
Mimi's.
Your wedding!
Did not survive. Yeah.
Things are... everywhere.
Well, I'm so glad you're safe.
We made a mad dash for the storm cellar.
Yeah. Lesson learned.
Turns out I need to incorporate more cardio.
Oh.
Okay. Uh...
Alright, now.
we have been through much worse storms
than that, hmm?
And look what we found.
What?
Where on earth did you find that?
The cellar.
Yeah. I just wanted to be extra safe, so.
There's no place safer.
Hey, I've got a good idea.
Why doesn't everybody stay here tonight,
given what we've all been through?
Well, that's a fine idea, but there's one problem.
Well, half of an elm tree
crashed onto my bed, and now we're down one queen mattress.
Awe, that would have been
so fun having a big old family slumber party.
Sure would be nice if we knew somebody with, like,
a great big ol' house that could fit all of us.
Oh...
Please? Aunt Mae?
You are shameless.
Mae! Jay!
How can you say no to this face?
Please?
I think that's a yes.
Back to base.
I call the room with the big bed.
They're all kings.
Which you're gonna have to share.
Oh, well, Gus I can share the bedroom downstairs here.
Well, I kicked like a donkey, so watch yourself.
'Night, all.
- Love you. - 'Night.
Good night.
Amanda and Frankie,
you guys can take the bedroom upstairs.
Sergio? Sorry, Bud.
That leaves the couch, but it's very comfortable.
I'll sleep wherever.
I'm just happy to be with you...
...all.
Um, there's, uh, extra blankets and pillows
in the storage basket up there.
Okay.
Good night.
- Good night. - Good night.
We should have told them.
It's been a long day, baby. Let them sleep.
Yeah. It's never gonna be a good time.
Mae. Hey.
It'll be easier after a good night's rest.
Yeah.
Coming?
Yeah. I'll just be up in a minute.
Okay.
Everyone deserved a good night's sleep,
but the only person who wasn't getting it was Mae.
The keeper of secrets.
Are you asleep?
- Yes. - Ha, ha.
I need to talk to you about something.
Uh-oh.
No. It's nothing "uh-oh". I just...
Sergio and I might not be just friends.
Oh, you don't say.
Don't be sassy.
Mama.
No one ever thought you and Sergio were just friends.
I mean, no one.
How do you know?
Because of the pool.
What pool?
People might have put money down after the episode aired.
Are you kidding me?
I would never joke about love.
People were divided.
Half thought you were gonna get together before the wedding,
and half thought you'd get together after the wedding.
People were placing bets on my love life?
Mmhmm.
$1,000 to the person who got the date right.
Dang. Do I get a cut of that?
Mmhmm. I guessed today.
You did not! You little rascal.
I'll split it with you.
You can take Sergio out for a real nice dinner.
No.
No, you keep it.
You're gonna need it for subway money.
Alright. Go to bed.
Tomorrow I'm walking you right down to Gamblers Anonymous.
He makes you happy.
And you deserve to be happy.
Thank you, baby.
And I deserve to be rich.
Egg-mazing.
♪ Happy people don't fail ♪
♪ Happy people just learn ♪
♪ They don't think they're above push or shove ♪
♪ They just wait their turn ♪
♪ They always got a hand ♪
♪ or a dollar to spare ♪
- Here ya go, honey. - Thank you.
♪ They know the golden rule and what you're going through ♪
♪ Even if they've never been there ♪
♪ So if you want to know the secret ♪
So good.
♪ You can't buy it, gotta make it ♪
Yum.
Nice work.
Mae?
A word with you?
My parents are already on their way,
heading here now.
Tell them not to come.
I can't. They're on their flight, in the air.
What are we gonna do?
We get married. That's what we do.
How? Everything is already--
Food's getting cold.
You heard her.
In the past,
Nancy would have had to ask twice.
But I dare anyone to ignore this Nancy.
Okay, I'm on the hook for that. That's important.
In perpetuity?
- Frank. - Christian.
I'm gonna be heading out this afternoon, like planned.
You said you were staying around till the end of the month.
Well, I got other franchises to look after, Frank.
I can't be babysitting you all day, every day.
Babysitting me?
I'm gonna need that...
that recipe, before I hit the road.
Mmm. Oh, yeah.
I was reading over the franchise agreement,
and it seems as though
we might be in violation of operations guidelines.
Section six, subsection A.
Forget about the franchise agreement.
I am the franchise agreement.
- Okay? - I see.
We need a big change
to turn things around here at The Cluckery.
What do you mean, turn things around?
Uh, I don't mean turn things around.
I mean, like, turn up the heat,
make things more successful around here.
All right, then, let me get you that recipe right quick.
Here's how the magic's made.
- Cayenne. - Mmhmm.
Ginger.
OJ.
- You can't forget this. - Mmhmm.
Almond paste.
This is just for you.
Thank you.
This right here...
this is the secret ingredient to our next chapter.
It sure is.
It's true what they say.
Once a mama's boy, always a mama's boy.
It's sad seeing it messy in here.
Oh, don't you worry.
We'll have it cleaned up in no time.
Howdy, you all.
Oh. You sound like a local.
Uh, apologies about the mess.
Oh.
Bless this mess.
It's just... it's so fun to try to talk like you all.
Um, this is Henry Flanagan.
Amanda, this is our senior editor.
Hi. Glad we made it happen despite a natural disaster.
Why don't y'all
just come sit in this booth here?
It's clean.
Thank you.
Thanks.
So, Amanda...
I've heard you have a lot of great stories to tell
with your adorable drawings.
What do you say we make a book, huh?
Look at that.
Amanda's dream served up on a tornado-cracked platter.
I wish I could help.
Oh, mama, I got it.
So you and Jay stayed at Mimi's last night, huh?
Yeah. Yes. We are-- we were.
Yes, we did that.
Is there a big mess to clean up?
That place is held together by chewing gum.
Uh-oh. It's not just the dishes
that need to come clean.
Okay. Um, mom, I can't lie to you.
You know what I love about your drawings?
It's your voice.
You hit the average mom
right in the bull's eye.
- Average mom? - Yeah.
You know the kind of woman who's got the kids
and the minivan,
and her hair's all messy, and...
she's always running late
for baseball practice and ballet...
We are looking to appeal to the...
plain Jane average woman.
Plain Jane?
Them's fightin words.
This man done gone and stepped in a big ol' pile of trouble.
I think you're missing the point of my doodles.
Oh.
My drawings are about my family,
about love, about...
friendships and hardships and everything in between.
About all the times I laughed
instead of cried.
They're about life, my life
and the people I love.
No, I get it.
I'm... I'm not missing anything.
Uh, and you would get an advance.
Which would be a lot more than you're making around here.
Uh... and I'm very good
at getting new authors
on the New York Times best seller list, so...
Are you interested or not?
I am interested.
- Thank goodness. - Great.
I'm interested in...
why you think you can talk to me that way.
Excuse me?
I have never
in my life met an average mother.
Mothers are
the strongest, most resilient people on the planet.
They are our first teachers,
our best friends,
our protectors.
Henry, he can be a little bit gruff--
You know, here in the South, we're not too keen on people
coming down and... putting on airs.
So thank you,
but no thank you.
Unbelievable.
Um...
Mama.
That was awesome.
I told you she could handle it.
Don't you let anyone dim your shine.
Hey, y'all.
Mae and Gus need our help ASAP.
I didn't know how to tell you, Mama.
Reduced to a pile of rubble.
Oh, Gus. I don't know what to say.
Gus wasn't one for tears,
unless, that is, they were absolutely called for.
Nothing but a pile of junk.
Broken stove,
half-working cash register,
leaky sink, peeling paint.
Grandma, Gus.
♪ You wake a little early ♪
♪ Lonely ♪
♪ Some days ♪
Thank you, Mimi's.
You have given this town so much.
I'm so grateful you gave me my girls.
Frankie. Mae.
Amanda.
Gus.
I'll go next.
Thank you, Mimi's,
for teaching me
how to read off of mama's recipes.
Thank you, Mimi's, for giving me a place to feel safe.
The tips I made here made me feel like an adult.
Yeah, we learn to be polite, talk to grown-ups.
Not take any crap from anybody.
No.
Thank you, Mimi's.
She is...
just another responsibility that
fell on my shoulders
when I was too young to handle it.
But she was all mine.
And having Mimi's meant that
I didn't need anyone else's checkbook.
I could do it all on my own.
Oh... oh, y'all.
I heard what happened.
I came to pay my respects.
Thank you, Shawna.
♪ You gotta hold on and wait for that ♪
♪ dawn to break ♪
Now, Gus was sad, that's for sure.
But suddenly, once the last tear dropped,
an overwhelming sense of relief
washed over her.
Oh!
And she was antsy to move forward.
Stop standing around feeling sorry for me.
We got a wedding put on.
Whoa!
This is a disaster.
You okay?
Yeah. Sorry.
I just needed to get that out.
Hey.
If you can handle an open casting call
at a mall in Fort Lauderdale,
you can handle anything.
What do you need?
Everything.
You got it, babe.
"Babe"?
Everybody!
Everybody, everybody.
Everybody.
We are about to make miracles happen.
Mama, mama, stop!
Oh.
Hey, let me help you with that.
The last thing I need at my wedding
is an immobile mother.
I'm not dead yet, you know.
What is this?
Oh, it's just a...
silly little thing that I have.
Just some...
some stuff I saved from when you were a baby
and some other keepsakes.
Oh!
Tiny little toes.
Oh, that is so sweet!
Why didn't you ever show this to me?
Oh.
Is that a dress?
Mm.
It's my favorite dress.
Your favorite dress?
I couldn't bear to wear it after Clayton.
But I loved this dress.
I still do. Maybe that's...
that's why I kept it all these years.
Need a hand?
Sure.
You're building something?
Yeah.
I reckon I like to build things.
Never really got to do too much of it growing up.
What are we making?
A wedding arch. But not an arch.
It's, uh, something cool I got in my head.
That is, if we have enough beams.
I bet we do.
Alright. Um, on three.
- Here. - Ready?
Yeah.
One. Two. Three. Lift! Whoa!
Yeah.
Come on.
Nice job.
♪ Used to tell me that love is a lot of... ♪
♪ You got your numbers and you're betting on me ♪
♪ You used to say that ♪
♪ Love is a game but ♪
♪ You got your numbers ♪
♪ And you're betting on me ♪
♪ You're still betting on me ♪
♪ All of my ideas ♪
♪ Holding me real tight ♪
♪ It's just the longest game in my mind ♪
♪ and we'll be here ♪
♪ a thousand times ♪
♪ a thousand times a thousand ♪
♪ You used to tell me that love is... ♪
Looks beautiful.
Thank you.
♪ You got your numbers and you're betting on me ♪
♪ You used to say that ♪
♪ Love is a game that ♪
I gotta get back to work.
♪... and you're playing anyway ♪
That's it.
That's it? That's all it takes to be ordained?
Everything's easy on the internet.
Well, I'll be.
I'm an official officiant.
Oh, my, my.
Oh, hey. I heard your publisher was ruder
than a Kentucky basketball fan
sitting visitor side of a home game.
Uh, yeah, I... I told him I wasn't interested.
Good for you.
It would have been nice, though.
Yeah.
I think you should still do it.
I mean, no one is going to offer me a deal like that again.
What about a local publisher?
Okay, sure. Sign me up.
You underestimate my talents.
You know, Queen of the Cowboys, right?
Yes.
I mean, you know, I read part of it.
I read all of it.
Okay, I could not put it down.
Oh.
That makes me so happy to hear, because I wrote it.
You did what?
It's self-published under a pen name.
- You did not. - Mmhmm.
I thought some things sounded familiar.
You made me blush.
Oh. Thank you.
You know, not to brag, but to brag.
It did really well on book talk.
And I've been thinking of expanding
my little home publishing company.
What if I publish your book?
Oh, you're pulling my leg, Shawna.
Don't do that.
I've already got my hopes up once.
I like what you do.
I think it's sweet.
And it reminds me of... home.
Me too.
You look so beautiful.
Yeah. She's got her grandmother's hair.
Whose hair do I have?
Your grandmother's. You have the exact same hair.
Oh, my.
Do you like it?
Well, uh, white clothing should be for people who have butlers,
but, um...
yeah, it's real pretty.
I mean, Mae could walk down the aisle in a hot dog costume
and still look gorgeous.
And you're sure you're okay walking?
Now, don't you worry about me.
Well, I'm asking because...
I would like for you to walk me down the aisle.
You would?
Yes. I'm sorry I got...
caught up in what other people think
a wedding is supposed to be like.
But it should be you.
It should always have been you.
Well, if you don't mind taking it slow,
uh...
I would love to.
Go as slow as you need.
Look at you.
Breaking the rules.
I'm so proud of you.
Maybe there was one more rule
that needed to be left in the dust.
Should a bride always wear white?
♪ Young love, it was dumb love ♪
♪ Holding each other so tight ♪
♪ We got stuck ♪
♪ I miss ♪
♪ borrowing your books to read your notes ♪
♪ in the margins ♪
♪ The closest I came... ♪
Something old into something new.
Definitely borrowed,
and decidedly not blue.
You ready?
- Are you ready? - Yeah.
Okay.
♪ Be good in our lives whoever it is ♪
♪ I hope they're proud ♪
♪ You're a... ♪
Here let me take that for you.
- Love you. - Love you.
♪ Young love, it was dumb love ♪
♪ Holding each other so tight ♪
♪ We got stuck ♪
Jay.
Mae.
A wedding...
is between two wonderful people who love each other.
But a marriage...
a marriage is even more than that.
Look behind you.
Look.
That's your community.
A marriage is made so much stronger
when it's built on the foundation of
all the love
that's been holding you up for your whole life.
Do you have vows?
Jay...
not much has changed since we met.
That first night at that bar by Wall Street,
it was so raucous and loud, but you were just...
calm, and sure.
I saw your certainty and I could feel my heart beat slow.
I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath.
You always see
the hopeful side of things, Jay.
You see what's possible in life.
And any time a rough wave knocks you down,
you just stand back up again, undeterred.
You are not just a rock.
You are a mountain.
I can't promise you a life without bumps along the road.
But...
I swear I'm going to be by your side on the ride.
Mae Moore.
I remember the day I knew you were the one.
We were taking the stairs at Columbus Circle,
and coming up from the train,
And this young mother was struggling with her stroller.
You didn't even ask if she needed help.
You just grabbed the bottom.
She smiled at you like you'd read her mind.
And then your mother
told me story after story about you
growing up here, helping others.
Ooh.
She remembered every date.
Every time you fed someone who couldn't afford it
or defended someone who couldn't defend themselves.
I couldn't ask for a better partner in this life.
Do you have the rings?
Well...
I now pronounce you... married.
You can kiss.
♪ When I'm walking I'm humming a song for my baby ♪
♪ He's on my mind, I'm passing the time ♪
Uh, excuse me, Sonny, can I cut in?
Absolutely.
So, you're happy with the way everything turned out?
Very.
I think... I think this is the happiest I've ever been.
It was a beautiful wedding.
Mae, you're such a pretty bride, and...
you look even better in this dress than I did.
Thank you.
Don't get cake on it, hmm?
Alright. Come back and get your wife.
Alrighty. Thanks, Gus.
♪ Look at me and he would say ♪
♪ Say, say, say... ♪
Ah!
Thank you.
Look at you, Mr. Handsome.
Like it?
Yeah.
I do.
Listen.
Uh...
I owe you an apology.
It's a lovely thing to see a person change
right before your very eyes.
I wasn't nice to you in our marriage...
for a long time.
I hated myself, and...
I took it out on you.
Thank you...
for saying that.
And I'm sorry, too.
They're signed.
Thank you.
♪ Seems like ancient history ♪
♪ You were sleeping and I was driving ♪
♪ Well, you were lying next to me ♪
♪
They're all grown up.
Yes, they are.
Yeah.
Well, I think we did a pretty good job.
Yes, we did.
Mmm-mmm.
Hey! Come on!
You can have carrots and sparkling water.
I think not.
You're gonna have my cake and eat it too.
You bet I am.
♪ ... what we have, what we have, we have... ♪
You know when...
when we were at Frannie's,
cuddling close,
there was something I meant to do.
I've been thinking about it ever since.
Turn on the dishwasher?
No.
It wasn't that.
Close out the register?
It was when
we were under the tables
listening to the wind whip around us.
I remember.
I wanted to do something.
But I wasn't sure I should do it with a friend.
What if we weren't friends?
Then I'd do this.
♪ What we have ♪
♪
♪ What we have What we have... ♪
♪ What we have we have, we have... ♪
Esther, thank you so much for calling.
Oh, I thought you might want to see this.
We weren't on the schedule till next month,
but after the storm, we moved right to the top.
Awe, you really care, Nancy.
I care as much as everybody else.
No.
Not like everybody else.
Mayoral elections are in the fall.
Well, that's something to think about.
Oh, I gotta go.
I'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Ciao.
Okay, so just make sure to call me
as soon as you and Lindsay get in the apartment.
And don't talk to strangers.
And don't go walking in Central Park at night.
And always make sure to ask if the hollandaise
was made that day.
Okay, mama. I will. I promise.
Wait, wait. Come here.
Can you stand here one more time?
Please?
- Fine. - Straight.
Don't you wish you could push pause
on time whizzing past you just for a second or two?
Oh, I love you.
I love you, too.
I'll miss you.
I love you.
Oh. Okay. I love you both.
Call you when I land.
Bye.
You call us, you text us,
you email us, WhatsApp us.
Is that a thing?
I don't know.
You are asking the wrong person.
Do you want to, um, pop in some laundry
while you're here?
No, I actually got a washer dryer installed this week.
Very good.
Okay.
I heard you have a big date tonight.
Uh, no, it's not a date.
It's more of a meeting of the minds.
Mhm.
Who told you?
Shawna.
Have a nice time.
Thank you.
Hey, are you trying to leave without me?
What, am I, crazy?
Well...
Don't answer that.
Good, I caught you.
Frank had properly disposed of his rotten old self
and was never looking back.
Now, I don't care what time it is here.
You call me when you land.
Oh.
Come on in.
Gus was still
getting used to the softer side of Nancy's only son.
Now, take one more last look at that tree, mama.
When you come back, it's gonna be nice and trim.
Are you sure it's not too much trouble?
Should have trimmed it a long time ago.
Look at my boy. Isn't he precious?
He's a grown man, Nancy.
True.
Stay out of trouble.
Yeah, well, no promises.
Bye, Lil.
Bye.
Ciao.
Wrong button.
That one calls the flight attendant.
I thought it was the light.
I haven't been on a plane before, either,
but I know how to read the labels.
Panzanilla por favor.
I can't wait for the piazzas and the statues.
And the wine.
In moderation.
That's not la dolce vita, Nancy.
You just best relax and enjoy yourself.
Got to get you rested up for your mayoral run.
Uh. Hey, me scuza?
Signorina?
Time marches on, y'all, so join the parade.
Grab a baton, and get your best pageant wave ready
for whatever's meeting you around the bend.
Finished the first draft.
Amanda! Oh, my gosh!
Oh, Amanda! Oh, Amanda!
Oh!
I could cry.
Oh, heavens.
Is that me?
Is that-- Oh, look.
Oh, I know, I know there, I've been there.
Is this the Frannie's from Kitchen Clash?
Same place, same chicken.
You just stoppin' through Merinac?
Uh, we-- we took the train.
What train?
Train hasn't stopped here since forever.
Who's we?
All of us.
Okay. This way.
Hope y'all are hungry.
Let me get y'all some iced tea?
I guess Kitchen Clash
wasn't so bad for Merinac after all.
Just took a spell to get the word out
that Chicken Sisters is the best place
for fried chicken this side of the Mississippi.
We have to embrace the possibilities of joy.
♪ Tryin', I'm tryin' ♪
Let yourself feel joy today.
Because you don't know what the road ahead
is paved with.
♪... tryin' ♪
♪... tryin' I'm tryin' ♪
Ah!
What happens next?
Well, that chapter has not been written yet.
Y'all take care of one another now, you hear?