Purple State

The next morning, Fletcher has a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch. A room becomes available in the hotel, and he moves into it. At the convention, Dot gives a successful impromptu speech, urging the Democratic party not to take rural and farmer votes for granted. She is proud of how she followed her “instincts” to deliver the speech.

Afterward, Fletcher suggests they visit the Milwaukee Art Museum. While exploring the collections, Fletcher takes Dot’s hand, continuing their romantic progression. However, while standing on an outdoor deck overlooking Lake Michigan, a bumblebee flies near Fletcher. He screams and runs away in a flailing panic. Fletcher’s extreme reaction gives Dot “the ick,” immediately extinguishing any romantic interest she had in him.

Upon returning to Cedar Falls, Dot recounts her weekend trip to Mary Russo and Harper Lee Adler. She explains that while Fletcher was a perfect gentleman regarding the hotel room situation, his subsequent behavior gave her “the ick.” Dot describes how he screamed and “ran away from a bee. Like a girl” (162), prompting laughter and similar reactions from Mary and Harper. Having put the incident behind her, Dot decides to go for a walk on a local trail, secretly hoping she will run into Danny Dawson.

On a Saturday morning, Dot, Fletcher, and their colleague Rose Perkins work at a For the Win booth during the county farmer’s market. Fletcher takes an opportunity to flirt with Mimi, the owner of the Flour Power bakery. After their shift ends, Mary and Harper join Dot. The three friends run into Jake and Tommy Taylor, who are helping their parents, Joe and Grace Taylor, at their family’s market stall. Mary makes plans to meet Joe for breakfast to discuss the legal issues surrounding his farm. Seeing the group together, Grace suggests that her sons take The Crew to a traditional Wisconsin supper club and makes a reservation for the following Saturday night, including Danny in the invitation.

Mary meets Joe Taylor for breakfast at Duncan’s Doughnuts and Diner. She tells him that she consulted a partner at her New York law firm and conducted her own research into his legal troubles. Joe explains that they know a foreign company is involved in the proposed development but have been unable to determine exactly who is behind the effort to acquire the farms. Mary gives Joe a folder containing information on a mysterious Washington, D.C.-based company called Intermedium. She explains that while she couldn’t find a direct paper trail, this company appears to be connected to the effort to acquire local farms. Joe takes the information to share with his lawyers, grateful that Mary has taken an interest in helping his family.

Dot hosts a watch party for the Democratic primary in Virginia. The presidential nomination has narrowed to two candidates: Governor Ramsey Stone and Senator Lucia “Lucy” Lopez, with only the New York primary remaining afterward. During the event, Dot receives a call from Danny, who asks her to meet him for lunch at the Sin Bin so he can show her his plans for a surprise renovation of the Reader Falls Bookshop. Dot happily agrees and finds herself daydreaming about Danny instead of concentrating on the election results. Lopez wins the Virginia primary, and Kitty Bell then texts the FTW team with insider information that Stone plans to withdraw before New York, which would make Lopez the party’s presumptive nominee.

The Crew meets Jake, Tommy, and Danny for their arranged dinner at the Cedar Falls Inn, a local supper club. They are greeted warmly by the owner, Melinda Meier, who has known the Taylor and Dawson families for years. At the bar, Jake buys Mary a pull-tab lottery ticket, a local tradition. While they wait for their table, Danny and Dot discuss the surprise renovation they have planned for the bookshop while Ted and Janine are away. Dot confirms that she, Mary, Harper, Fletcher, and Rose will all volunteer to help with the project.

The group of six sits down for dinner. The supper club features classic decor, including hunting trophies and signed photographs of past performers like Frank Sinatra. To get to know them better, Dot asks the men to name the three best things about living in Wisconsin. During the conversation, Jake confirms that he, Tommy, and Danny are all Republicans. The men assure the women that their political differences don’t prevent them from being friends, neighbors, or working together, explaining that Cedar Falls residents generally get along despite disagreement. The Crew then shares what they love most about living in New York. The friendly dinner concludes with a large dessert platter as a Sinatra impersonator performs.

After dinner, the group goes to the White Horse Saloon for karaoke night. They play a game of “karaoke roulette,” where the women’s team and men’s team choose songs for each other to perform. Mary brings down the house with a powerful rendition of “Proud Mary.” As a playful setup, the others arrange for Danny and Dot to sing a duet of “Shallow.” Their performance reveals a powerful and undeniable chemistry between them. At the end of the night, Jake, who served as the designated driver, drives The Crew home. Before leaving, he asks Mary on a date for the following day, and she agrees.

The weekend of the surprise bookstore remodel begins as soon as the Jankowskis leave town. Danny directs a large team of construction workers and volunteers, which includes The Crew, Grace Taylor, and Dot’s colleagues Fletcher and Rose. The group completely clears out the old store, sorts books for a sidewalk sale, and removes dated furniture and rugs. While taking down old plaster, they are thrilled to discover beautiful, original brick walls underneath. The first day concludes after the floors have been sanded and stained, leaving them to dry overnight. Amid the productive chaos, Dot has a moment of clarity and acknowledges to herself that she is falling for Danny.

The renovation of the Reader Falls Bookshop is completed by Sunday evening. The space now has newly stained floors, fresh paint, modern shelves, new furniture, and a new exterior awning. The team gathers to surprise Ted and Jeanie upon their return. The elderly couple is overjoyed and moved to tears by the community’s gift. During the celebration, Mary receives a text message informing her that her grandmother, Nonna, has been hospitalized in New York after a suspected stroke. Jake immediately offers to help, driving Mary to the Milwaukee airport in his police cruiser to ensure she makes her flight. They kiss before Mary enters the terminal, and Jake promises that he will be there whenever she returns. Watching him wait until she is safely inside, Mary realizes that “trusting” a man is a new and different feeling for her.

Mary spends the next two weeks in New York with her family. She learns her Nonna suffered only a minor stroke and is recovering well. While in the city, Mary visits her law firm, where her superiors praise her for her excellent remote work. She also meets with Patricia Parker, the eminent domain expert she consulted about the Taylor farm case. Patricia advises Mary to “keep digging” for information, suggesting that the most important clue is often “hiding in plain sight.” (196) With her grandmother stable and a new lead in her legal investigation, Mary decides it is time to return to Wisconsin, noting that she has only five months left in Cedar Falls.

When Mary’s flight lands in Milwaukee, she is surprised to find Jake waiting for her at the airport. During the flight, Mary had been contemplating two options for her future: becoming a successful partner at her New York law firm or building the kind of family with Jake she has realized she also wants. She cannot see how to reconcile the two paths, especially as she recognizes that she is falling for Jake while remaining certain that she will eventually return to New York. When Jake casually asks what she wants to do, Mary mistakenly assumes he is asking about their relationship and admits she isn’t sure she is ready for one. He clarifies that he only meant what she wanted to do tonight. 

Instead of meeting her friends for dinner, Mary asks Jake to drive her somewhere he “loves.” He drives her to the Taylor family farm for a private, romantic evening at a secluded pond where his grandfather once built a double tree swing. They enjoy a picnic with wine as they watch the sunset from the swing. They kiss, and Mary texts Dot and Harper to let them know she will not be home that night.

Tommy invites Harper on a fishing date. Though anxious, Harper agrees to go. They spend a quiet afternoon on a boat; while they don’t catch any fish, Harper finds the peaceful experience deeply relaxing. Afterward, Tommy takes her to dinner at a restaurant called the Ugly Walleye. During their meal, Harper checks Instagram and sees that her toxic ex-boyfriend, Kai, has liked one of her recent photos. Realizing she is much happier without him in her life, she decisively unfollows him. The date ends with Tommy kissing her. For the first time, Harper feels that a place other than New York City could truly feel like home.

On July 1st, Dot uses her red Sharpie to cross another day off her New York picture calendar. Looking at the month’s photograph of Central Park makes her homesick, and she realizes that there are only four months left until Election Day. She and Fletcher discuss campaign strategy, noting that the presumptive Democratic nominee, Lucy Lopez, has chosen her former primary rival, Governor Stone, as her running mate. They brainstorm ideas for Lopez’s upcoming visit to Cedar Falls, agreeing that their top priority must be helping her connect with Wisconsin’s rural and farming communities. Fletcher mentions that he plans to meet up with a group of friends, including Mimi, to watch a baseball game later. After work, Dot leaves the office to meet Danny for a dinner date, temporarily putting polling, politics, and the pressures of the campaign aside.

Dot and Danny have a dinner date at Barley and Bone, an upscale local restaurant. Over a shared Door County cherry cheesecake, Danny opens up to Dot about his past. He tells her about the tragic deaths of his fiancée, Sadie, and their unborn daughter caused by a drunk driver. He confides that for years he has been afraid to close his eyes at night and has used his demanding work schedule as a way to avoid the emptiness of his home. He admits that helping with the bookstore remodel was the first time he has truly felt “alive” since the accident and that he still dreams of raising a family one day.

As Dot and Danny leave the restaurant, they run into a group of his childhood friends, including a woman named Maddy. The encounter is tense and awkward, as Maddy acts territorial toward Danny, while another woman makes a rude remark about Dot’s Democratic political work. Although Dot tries to remain friendly, the interaction briefly makes her feel as though she does not belong in Cedar Falls.

Later, Danny drives Dot home and walks her to the porch. He politely asks for permission to kiss her goodnight, and they share their first kiss. Their moment is interrupted by Mary and Harper, who were hiding on the porch to escape the heat from their broken air conditioner. Before leaving, Danny invites The Crew to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of the Sin Bin.

Afterward, the three friends discuss how unexpectedly complicated their lives in Wisconsin have become. All three are developing feelings for Republican men they never would have meet in New York, forcing them to consider how much political differences should matter in their personal relationships. Dot admits that falling for Danny was never part of her plan, while Mary acknowledges that Jake’s politics have become less important to her as their relationship has grown. Rather than deciding what their relationships mean for the future, the women accept that, for now, it may be okay to not know.