Murder by Cheesecake

In Miami in the late 1980s, Rose Nylund hangs up after a furtive phone call. Her roommates, Dorothy Zbornak, Dorothy’s mother Sophia Petrillo, and Blanche Devereaux ask what is causing her anxiety so early in the day. Rose tries to deny it but soon admits she is worried about her family. Her particular concern is her cousin Nettie, who sees her as a mother figure after her own parents abandoned her. Nettie is happily engaged, but her wedding cannot take place in St. Olaf, Minnesota, as the town’s only hotel recently burned down. Rose is attached to St. Olaf’s unique wedding culture and concerned that Nettie seems eager to elope. When Dorothy asks if the nearby town is a suitable alternative, Rose says, “In the rival hamlet of St. Gustav? […] I may be desperate, but I’m not foolhardy” (13). The other women assure Rose that they will help her plan the wedding.

Later, Rose reluctantly explains to the others that it is important that Nettie’s wedding adhere to every cultural norm, as her fiancé, Jason, is originally from Florida. Though he loves St. Olaf’s quirks and traditions, he is apprehensive.