Ep 14. Monette

Designing Women was a popular sitcom that aired from 1986 to 1993 and followed the lives of four women who worked at an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Season 1, episode 14 titled Monette was aired on January 5, 1987, and dealt with controversial issues like racism, discrimination, and intolerance.

The episode starts with the women of Sugarbaker's receiving a request from Monette, a Southern belle, to buy all their inventory and decorate her house for a debutante ball. With a promise of a huge paycheck, the women eagerly take on the job. However, tensions arise between Monette and the Sugarbaker women when they realize that Monette wants to exclude African American people from her debutante ball.

The women are stunned and appalled, not just because they themselves are white but because it went against their principles. Anthony, the black delivery man, overhears Monette's conversation with Julia and tells them about the party's racist restrictions. The Sugarbaker women are irate, and Julia decides to confront Monette directly.

Julia meets with Monette, hoping to change her decision and convince her to open up her party to everyone. However, Monette remains obstinate, citing "tradition" and "Southern heritage" as the reasons for her discrimination. As Julia exits, she realizes that she left her coat behind in Monette's house, and when she goes to retrieve it, she overhears a conversation between Monette and her mother.

In the conversation, Monette admits that she plans to have a cotillion for her own daughter next year, and they will exclude Jews because they don't think Jews assimilate well in Southern society. Julia is horrified and realizes that she can't back down from this fight.

The women of Sugarbaker's decide to take a stand against Monette's racism by returning the job and refunding her money. They ask their employees to leave Monette's house in a huff while making it clear that they cannot participate in such discriminatory behavior. Julia takes one last stand against Monette and lets her know that she's not going home until Monette apologizes for her behavior.

Monette's mother, who has overheard Julia and Monette's conversation joins in and accuses Julia of "trying to stir up trouble." However, the Sugarbaker's women stick together and make it clear that they won't stand for bigotry in any form.

As the episode progresses, we see Anthony stand up for himself against his discriminatory employer, a subplot that highlights the racism faced by blacks even in the 1980s. It ends with Monette sending a note to the women of Sugarbaker's, which is read by Charlene.

In the note, Monette writes that she hopes to apologize to the women in person one day for her behavior. The episode ends with the women of Sugarbaker's forgiving Monette, but making it clear that they are still committed to standing against bigotry.

Designing Women was a groundbreaking series that tackled important issues way ahead of its time. Monette was an episode that highlighted the complexities of race relations and how discrimination can often be intertwined with gender, class, and tradition. It conveyed the message that in the fight against discrimination, we must stand together united against bigotry and intolerance.