‘The Chicken Sisters’ Recap: ‘We’re on the Same Team, Y’all’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Lea Thompson as Nancy Hillier in Episode 102 of ‘The Chicken Sisters’ – ‘We’re on the Same Team Y’all’. (Photo Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Hallmark Media.) ©2024 Hallmark Media.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘The Chicken Sisters’. To revisit the Series Premiere, click here.

When we last settled in to discuss the fascinating new Hallmark+ series, The Chicken Sisters, we talked at length about how the show’s series premiere, defied convention. Because normally, stories that feature family feuds or a family shattered by misunderstandings from the past, are supremely fluffy and fun in nature, and make it clear it will be easy for all those folks to reconcile and find love in their hearts again, before ending the story with a big family meal and smiles and joy. Whereas this series premiere reminded us that such matters are messy. Courtesy of some very real-world elements from characters we can relate to, and well, this is top of mind today… simply because the next chapter in this saga, shattered more tropes regarding such stories.

A feat that ‘We’re on the Same Side, Y’all’ accomplished… after it outright fooled us. Because at first, this story seemed to be steeped in convention. Because as filming started, there were some lovely epiphanies that took place. For instance, Mae realized that her A-type personality caused harm sometimes and that prompted her to reach out to her mother and her sister in a more even keel manner. To help them understand what she wanted to accomplish by coming home for this. Which allowed for her and Gus to find some common ground and even help one another move forward regarding plans on how best to win the show. Making it seem as though… this was indeed going the standard route. But thankfully, that was just to remind us of how those conventions can fail this kind of story, because… none of us wanted an easy out for Mae, and that’s when the story shifted gears, and defied the ‘easy bake heal’ trope present by informing us… that it is just not that simple for a family or an individual to move forward after years of struggles.

Which was why, Mae and Amanda both came to learn, that lies, unfinished business, and old grudges, won’t allow for quick healing. It will instead, lead to mistakes and bad blood and misunderstandings. Because Amanda did have some frank talks with Sabrina to vent about those very issues and frustrations. Who of course… exploited those talks for television, and that would come back to haunt. Because Mae did find out what Amanda said and that infuriated her to no end and prompted her to lash out, but at the same time… her anger stemmed less from an act of betrayal and more from the fact that her life was a lie. And having the truth exposed scared her and terrified her because she had some deep-rooted fears and traumas about the past and has yet to accept her core identity.

Yet, while that could have carried this episode no problem and spoken deeply to that central theme, it wanted to showcase how this process won’t be easy for everyone involved in the story. Which was why this story dug deep into Nancy’s life, and showcased how years of generational expectations can diminish a person and leave them wondering what their worth actually is. Since she discovered she was a natural in front of the camera and that she enjoyed a little sliver of the spotlight and that for her, her journey will have entail finding agency and a voice she never had because of the expectations laid down upon her, and that won’t be an easy task. Not with a son who reinforces such matters.

All of which made, for a supremely powerful story. One that truly hammered home that it isn’t enough to just go home again and expect for everything to be okay. Because to really find that peace, we need to face our own demons, find our worth and do the work to heal. Only then can we forgive, forget and move forward as one with our family and that was just incredible to see play out here. Because we don’t see enough of that in stories in this vein and that continues to make this series so worth our while. Because this is revolutionary stuff for these types of stories, and these are lessons we all need in our lives. Because much like the characters in this story, we too lose our way and make these kinds of mistakes and truly… that engages us into this journey further and leaves us eager to see how the healing will begin for these broken yet hopeful individuals. Until next time.

Watch ‘The Chicken Sisters’ on Hallmark+.

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