I grew up in small-town Iowa, where everyone knows everyone’s business. There are the families that get along, the families that you don’t want to know, and then the ones you do. There was a lot of feuds and there was a lot of getting along. But, the thing is, it’s still home.
And watching The Chicken Sisters felt like seeing the small town that I remember on the screen. The ties of family, the allure of getting out, and the way that somehow you’re always drawn back home.
There was watching and seeing the view of people who stayed and the ones who left. It was the wanting to be more and the way you don’t want to be defined by your choices. But it was the shame and also the misguided feelings of being stuck. I kinda had to smile, because even though there is no chicken rivalry in the town I grew up in, there is the feeling of lost.
And this desire to find oneself.
You can’t help but be drawn in from the beginning – with Margo Martindales’s voice taking the role of narrator. She draws you in so that you instantly want to be a part of this town. You want to protect the people of this town. You’re invested.
Even if parts make you want to snooze a bit.
Before you come for me – the first episode of any series is always setting things up. It’s not always the best episode and it’s not always the worst. Sometimes it’s a middle ground and The Chicken Sisters is a middle ground.
The fictional town of Merinac is known for many things – but one of the biggest is a generations-old feud between two rival fried chicken restaurants, Mimi’s and Frannie’s. You’re either one or the other.
Amanda was born into Mimi’s side of things but fell in love with Frank Jr – marrying into a family that she was supposed to hate. It’s the way that it goes, but for her, it meant losing her Mama. Her Mom even walked out after her wedding, because she had chosen sides. She banned her from Mimi’s.
Apparently what she did was so unforgivable that she had to lose her family. She should have left with her sister – who no longer lived in Merinac. Mae had left a long time ago and was hosting some Marie Kondo-type show in New York. Mae had left and she never wanted to come back.
But Amanda, one night in a quest to find something more exciting in her life, enters the two warring chicken places to Kitchen Clash. It’s amazing what you can find while you’re doom-scrolling on Instagram late at night. She’s not sure what she wants out of life, but she knows she wants a life that is bigger than what she has.
While she gets her husband and her family to agree, her Mom, well that’s a different story. Gus, played by Wendie Malick, is a pistol. She’s very stereotypical southern and it’s kinda funny, but also kind of sad. She’s a hoarder and has driven her kids away. Gus will only agree to this situation if Amanda gets Mae to come home.
It’s both empowering to Amanda and also a moment that drives her insane. I say empowering because Amanda feels seen for the first time by Gus’ new hire – Sergio. If we’re being honest, if Sergio wants to look at me the way that he looks at Amanda, I would feel all the things too. Amanda wants to make all of these things happen for her family – both sides.
I am not sure of who you are supposed to like, but for me – I instantly couldn’t stand Frannie’s side of the family. They were all about the fame and the money but didn’t seem to care about the town. They wanted to be able to franchise. Amanda has loyalty to them, but she also has an undying love for her Mom.
It’s a thing that a lot of us can understand. Your parents can make you crazy, but it doesn’t mean that your love for them fades. You want to make sure that they aren’t embarrassed and that they know that you will still be there for them. When Frank Jr wants to push Gus’s hand, Amanda isn’t willing to accept that.
She’s angry over it.
Probably the star of this episode is Amanda and Frank Jr’s daughter, Frankie. She’s a teenager, with big dreams of leaving Merinac and being like her Aunt Mae. She’s willing to make calls, talk to her aunt, and do what is needed for her Mom. Truthfully, she also wants to be around her Aunt, which no one can blame her for. We’re all drawn into big dreams and drawn into some type of celebrity when we’re a teenager.
Frankie admires her Aunt Mae.
Her father and mother are after different things and quite honestly, Frankie is after her own thing. There isn’t much that happens in this small town, but she’s willing to make the most of it.
You see, if there is anything that I learned about this show in this first episode, everyone has their own motivation. That’s life though. Everyone has their own motivation.
The biggest thing I felt about The Chicken Sisters is that this is a family story. The family that you are born into, the family you make, and the family you try to escape. It’s about a town where there are no secrets, but there are also too many. It’s about a small town.
And yes, there’s chicken. That chicken may be what brings them all together or tears them further apart.
But hey, with this cast and the drama and the complexity, we’re in for the ride.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Amanda being a vegetarian but working in a chicken restaurant was a weird touch – cause wouldn’t she also want to not touch the chicken
- Mae’s OCD and panic attacks are relatable
- Mae is vicious on this show
- Frank Jr has a lot of issues that need to be addressed.
- Frank Jr, be nicer to your wife and manipulating her ain’t cool
- Nancy sure went Hollywood fast
- Kenneth, I love you
- I think I am in love with Sergio, but I don’t like hush-puppies
- What was Gus doing in the closet? We approve
- Frankie – you’re the MVP
- Love that Kitchen Clash shows up early
- Can we talk about how great Margo Martindale’s voice is?
Episode 2 of The Chicken Sisters premieres on Hallmark+ on September 12th.
