Gretchen is sitting in the audience at the community theater when she receives a phone call.
Gretchen: I gotta get this.
Christina: Toby’s about to go on!
Gretchen: This is about my job, I can’t ignore it. A whole state is counting on me!
Christina: Just be quick, he only has a couple lines.
Lucinda: I sat through this show chicken shit play for my grandson to only have a couple lines?
Patron: Shhh!
Lucinda: Listen, buddy, we’re both watching the same play, you know damn well you should be thanking me for sparing you from having to hear this crime against humanity!
Gretchen steps out into the lobby.
Gretchen: What?
Jeanne: Governor! So glad I got you.
Gretchen: My kid is in a play and his part is almost up, make it snappy.
Jeanne: Hank is getting some really harsh backlash from the impeachment attempt. Really harsh.
Gretchen: Good! I’m still a bit suspicious about you being on my side, but nevertheless.
Jeanne: Standing by your side is just good optics, we know how I feel about good optics.
Gretchen: Do we?
Jeanne: Hey!
Gretchen: Is that all you’re calling me about?
Jeanne: Hank’s polling is showing a close primary, and he’s really desperate to move past the look of trying to impeach you over such a non-scandal. In turn, he is now open to passing the housing bill.
Gretchen: What? I thought that was dead!
Jeanne: We all did. I’m glad it’s not, though. In fact, Hank was the real holdup on a lot of what was cut from it. You could pass a bill with more wide-reaching impact now. That’s how desperate he is.
Gretchen: I love desperation;
Jeanne: I’m aware. We don’t call you Desperado for no reason.
Gretchen: You call me what?
Jeanne: Nothing! You get back to that play, I’ll see you on Monday to hammer out the details of the bill!
Gretchen: Aww, do I have to?
Jeanne: If you want it to pass, yes, you will.
Gretchen: No, I meant going back to the play!
Meanwhile, at Carol and Susana’s…
Carol: Susana, it’s a Saturday night, why are you vegetating on the couch like some sort of bum?
Susana: I just have a lot on my mind.
Carol: We should go out, get your mind off off it all!
Susana: I really don’t feel like going out.
Carol: Come onsite can’t be that bad!
Susana: It’s not bad, per se. Just heavy.
Carol: Let it be “heavy” some other day! It’s a beautiful night in the summer, we can’t waste it!
Susana: Would you give this up if I just told you what I had on my mind?
Carol: Let me get a snack!
Susana: Take all the time you need, as long as you’re giving up on forcing me to go partying.
Carol: Okay, I’ve grabbed some chips and dip. Time for girl talk.
Susana: This isn’t a fun talk. Just a warning.
Carol: Do I need wine?
Susana: Just let me get this out.
Carol: Okay, it is serious if she doesn’t want mama to hit the sauce before doling out advice.
Susana: So, remember when we were in DC and I left the museum because I had a headache and needed to go back to the room and rest for a bit?
Carol: Oh no, is something wrong with you? Do you have some sort of brain disease?
Susana: No! I was meeting with Senator Meyerson. She offered me a job, and gave me one month to decide. That’s Tuesday.
Carol: Oh!
Susana: I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.
Carol: It’s fine… where’s this job?
Susana: It’s in her DC office, she wants me to be her assistant legislative director.
Carol: That’s a good job.
Susana: It’s a more prestigious one than personal assistant to the governor.
Carol: It is. Do you want to move to DC, though?
Susana: I don’t know. I want a career in politics, though. I don’t know how anyone who wants to have a political future could turn down this opportunity. Let’s face it, Gretchen’s not going to be in office forever.
Carol: We’ve got two and a half more years.
Susana: The senator will fill that position by then, though.
Carol: Gretchen gave you a job straight out of college, loyalty is so important. Just think about that.
Susana: Are you only saying that because you don’t want me to move away?
Carol: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a factor.
Susana: It’ll be okay, mom. I’ll always be around, you don’t have to worry about me going away.
Carol: I know, but it’s such a joy to get to work with you every day. I would miss that. Nevertheless, I’m not going to hold you back. You need to follow your heart, not mine. Spread your wings and fly.
Carol’s phone rings.
Carol: We’ll finish this discussion later.
Susana: As soon as you’re off the phone!
Carol: Of course.
Carol answers the phone.
Carol: Yep?
Gretchen: Who answers their phone like that?
Carol: Me! Now, what are you calling about? I was in the middle of something.
Gretchen: I don’t mean to interrupt, I just have some amazing news!
Carol: I could use some of that right about now.
Gretchen: I just spoke to Jeanne Riverro earlier tonight and she says that Hank is desperate to bail himself out of this trouble he’s gotten into due to impeachment, and he’s now willing to back the housing bill in order to not look like he’s obstructing my agenda.
Carol: But he is obstructing your agenda!
Gretchen: Yes, but at least this gets us a huge win on a key issue. We have two years left, we need to take any win we’re offered or the offer may never happen again.
Carol: Do you need me to work on fine-tuning the plan this weekend?
Gretchen: No, enjoy your weekend. We’ll meet with Jeanne and Hank about it on Monday.
Carol: Sounds good. I’ll see ya then, bye Gretch.
Gretchen: Bye!
Carol hangs up.
Susana: What was that about?
Carol: Gretchen’s getting a big win.
Susana: Good, she deserves it! What’s the win? Did she beat out Gina Whilder for Maxim’s “Sexiest Governor in America” award?
Carol: That’s not a thing anymore, they realized that was sexist.
Susana: Maxim cares about sexism?
Carol: It was either that, or they dropped it when they had to give the award to the 78 year-old governor of Alaska because she was the only woman governor in America for that brief two-year period.
Susana: So, anyway, what was Gretchen’s big win?
Carol: The housing bill.
Susana: Oh, that’s great!
Carol: Yeah, it is. It’s not passed yet, but Jeanne says that Hank is so desperate to turn his approval ratings around that he’s going to support the bill.
Susana: I’m glad things are looking up for you guys.
Carol: You say that like you’re not part of the team!
Susana: I had nothing to do with this.
Carol: Neither did I! Heck, neither did Gretchen, really. This is possible thanks to Jeanne and Hank, and we’re surely not going to let them take the credit for this.
Susana: I know, but… I don’t know how to put this.
Carol: Put what?
Susana: I’m not really part of the team anymore.
Carol: So you’ve decided already?
Susana: I think this is what I have to do for my career.
Carol: Don’t cry, this is not a sad occasion. You’re moving on to greener pastures.
Susana: Don’t put it that way!
Carol: It’s true, and that’s why I’m excited for you! You deserve to flourish like I did. You think my parents appreciated it when I moved to DC to serve as a low-level congressional staffer? At the end of the day, though, they knew I was pursuing my dream. I want you to pursue every dream you have. If that means working for a senator and working up the chain, I want you to do that. Maybe you’ll find someone you can really trust a develop a lifelong friendship with, like I did with Gretchen.
Susana: Oh, god, how am I gonna tell Gretchen?
Carol: That’s gonna be up to you, but she will understand. You’re young, and you have a lot of promise and a bright future, she won’t want to hold you back.
Two days later…
Gretchen: Oh, I am just so excited! Do you know how it feels for months, and months, and months of planning to actual prove fruitful?
Sarita: Well, technically the version of the bill you spent months on was thrown out.
Gretchen: Shut up, Massachusetts!
Sarita: You know, I don’t have to take this!
Gretchen: Oh, are you mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore?
Sarita: No…
Gretchen: Exactly. You know I’m a pretty damn good boss, say Susana?
Susana: Huh? What?
Gretchen: I treat Massachusetts well, no?
Susana: So well!
Sarita: Other than not knowing my name, you do treat me well, it’s a good job. Well, aside from when you make me talk to -
Samantha: Oh, Gretchen!
Sarita: Dammit…
Samantha: Big day today!
Gretchen: Huge! You have nothing to do with it, though. You should probably go and, uh… I don’t know, what do you do? Cut ribbons?
Carol: No, that’s what you do.
Gretchen: Nothing happens in this state.
Samantha: Lovely way for the governor to speak about her state.
Gretchen: I must tell it the way it is.
Susana: Governor, Leader Riverro just called to say that she and Speaker Matthews are on their way.
Gretchen: You’re speaking so official!
Susana: Well, we are in the presence of the lieutenant governor.
Gretchen: That’s certainly no reason to change how you speak. She barely even has a job.
Samantha: I think that’s unfair.
Gretchen: I do not.
Jeanne: Ready to get to work, governor?
Gretchen: Wow, that was fast!
Jeanne: Well, I work one flight of stairs above you.
Hank: Gretchen… no hard feelings, right?
Gretchen: We’ll say that.
Hank: I apologize for my overreaction.
Gretchen: It’s not genuine, Hank, but I am willing to look past it in order to get work done for the people.
Hank: Will you endorse me for re-election if we do this housing bill?
Gretchen: If you pass my original plan with no alterations, yes.
Carol: Hey, wait! This is a quid pro quo.
Gretchen: No payment is being exchanged.
Jeanne: Besides, she’s somehow very popular in our party now, trying to take her down again would be genuine political suicide.
Samantha: How’d that happen?
Gretchen: No one knows!
Hank: So, will you agree to that endorsement?
Gretchen: You didn’t answer my question! No alterations!
Hank: No alterations.
Gretchen: All right! I’ll endorse you. Next month, once this is passed and we can brag about it together.
Hank: Sounds good to me.
Gretchen: Carol, I know you have the original version of the bill filed away somewhere.
Carol: I think Sarita would kn-
Sarita: Here ya go!
Gretchen: Okay, you two get to work. Whip, whip, whip!
Jeanne: I’ve always had the support for it.
Hank: I’ll get to work.
Gretchen: Yeah, you earn that endorsement! And, ladies, we are going to lunch! Liquid lunch, that is!
Susana: Gretchen, it’s ten in the morning.
Gretchen: That’s when Kathie Lee Gifford did her best drinking!
At lunch…
Susana: Gretchen, I know this is a celebration, but I have something I really ought to tell you, before you find out from someone else.
Gretchen: Is it so important it can’t wait until we come off of this high?
Susana: It needs to be said, I’ve been trying to tell you all morning.
Gretchen: All right, go ahead.
Susana: Could we step outside? I’d rather not tell you in an Applebee’s while Kings of Leon blasts in the background.
Sarita: There’s nothing I want to do with Kings of Leon blasting in the background.
Gretchen: All right, let’s go outside. You two, don’t steal my drink.
Carol: Yeah, I don’t drink alcohol in the morning, you’re good.
Gretchen: Such a square!
Outside the restaurant…
Gretchen: What’s going on? Are you pregnant, is that why you wouldn’t drink a dollarita?
Susana: Gretchen, I am so grateful for every opportunity you have given me since I started working for you. I've learned so much from you, you've shaped who I am as a person.
Gretchen: Okay...?
Susana: Senator Meyerson offered me a senior position in her DC staff, and I’m going to accept the position. My last day will be the end of July.
Gretchen: Wow, that took me by surprise.
Susana: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or blindside you. I just decided this yesterday. I think I have to do it for the sake of my career.
Gretchen: I’m going to step back inside, take all this in. It’s a big thing to process.
Susana: Take all the time you need.
Gretchen goes back into the restaurant.
Sarita: So what was that abo-
Gretchen: I’m not feeling well, I’m going to head home. Tell Pratt she can sit at my desk for the rest of the day.
Carol: Oh, Gretchen, I’m sorry! I knew this would upset you!
Sarita: What the hell’s going on? And how do I always find out last?
At Gretchen’s house…
Christina: Mom! What are you doing home so early?
Gretchen: I live here.
Toby: We were baking!
Lucinda: I was baking. They were making a mess.
Gretchen: Since when do you bake?
Lucinda: Since when does the governor get home before noon?
Gretchen: I’m unwell.
Lucinda: That much has always been obvious.
Gretchen: You’re a bully.
Lucinda: Tell me something I don’t know.
Christina: Mom, are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.
Gretchen: I’m fine, just got a headache! Leave me be!
Christina: Will do.
Toby: We’ll bake extra just for you!
Gretchen: I appreciate that, you’re very sweet. I’m going to lie down. Try not to be too nosy. I mean you, mother.
Lucinda: I’m sorry, I can’t help but turn into Gordon Ramsay when I’m in the kitchen with these two.
Later that night…
Anthony: Gretchen, are you awake?
Gretchen: I don’t want visitors! I feel terrible still!
Anthony: Carol called.
Gretchen: Damn her!
Anthony: I’ve been told you’ve been in here for six hours, and I know that’s not healthy.
Gretchen: Sleeping isn’t healthy?
Anthony: The tissues on the bed suggest you’ve been crying for most of that time.
Gretchen: You’d cry too if it happened to you!
Anthony: I will avoid commenting on the Lesley Gore reference and instead say that I truly do understand the heartbreak of a friend leaving, but you have to accept that she’s moving on to better things.
Gretchen: Better than working with me?
Anthony: Honey, you’ve said yourself you’re stepping aside from politics when your term is up. Susana is young, she doesn’t have the luxury of retiring from the arena in 2026. This will give her a great path towards getting a high-paying, high-level job in the staff of a majority party senator for as long as she wants it. This is not a dig against you, just an acknowledgement that life goes on.
Gretchen: I don’t want her to move on from me! It shows I’m outdated, old news!
Anthony: She has immense respect for you and everything you’ve given her, she just, in the words of Kenny Rogers, knows when to hold it and when to fold it, when to walk away and when to run.
Gretchen: Don’t use The Gambler against me!
Anthony: Please don’t let this devastate you. Susana deserves for you to embrace her decision. You have to let her go with your blessing.
Gretchen: It’s hard. She’s like family.
Anthony: Family will always be in your heart, whether you see them every day or not. You will always be a part of each others’ lives.
Gretchen: You’re not wrong, but it’s still hard. Who could ever replace her?
Anthony: No one will ever replace her, but other people can step up to that job and do well. Meanwhile, she gets to go make a difference in DC and help make the entire country better.
Gretchen: Now you just sound delusional.
Anthony: I’m dreaming big. I want to see her succeed, too.
Gretchen: Okay, it’s like five o’clock, I’m hungry.
Anthony: That was quite sudden.
Gretchen: My stomach’s grumbling.
Anthony: Let’s go out to eat. That kitchen is a mess!
Gretchen: I don’t even want to know.
The next day…
Susana: What is all this?
Gretchen: I want you to know that I am happy for you!
Sarita: About what?
Gretchen: Oh my god, you still didn’t tell her?
Carol: We were busy yesterday.
Susana: This is very nice, but I do hope you know I’m still going to be around until the end of the month.
Gretchen: Yeah, but I needed a big way to show that I accept that you’re moving on, and I’m so thrilled about this opportunity. You are so bright, you’ve been a tremendous staffer, and I’m glad that Senator Meyerson recognized that. I even told her in a follow-up to that very strongly-worded email I sent her yesterday afternoon.
Susana: I’m gonna miss you.
Carol: I’m gonna miss all of this!
Sarita: Why? What’s happening?
Carol: Use contact clues!
Susana: I’m always going to be just a phone call away.
Gretchen: Same here. And, if things were to ever go south, you know you have a job you can fall right back into.
Susana: I know. Now, I gotta stop talking about this. I’m gonna cry at work!
Gretchen: You can cry. There’s no shame in tears.
Susana: I’m going to try and wait until that last day before I let it happen.
Gretchen: In that spirit, let’s cherish this time we do have, and not dwell on the inevitable.
Carol: Hard to do that with this giant banner and the huge cake.
Gretchen: Are you really complaining about cake? Are you even human?
Carol: What a ridiculous question.
Susan: This, this I will miss.
What did you think of this episode of Raymond Island? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to read the season premiere of The Princess Royal next week! Raymond Island will return for season six this fall!
