Retired and Reeled In
| "Retired and Reeled In" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of the Willis episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 11 Episode 21 22 | ||
| Directed by | [[]] | ||
| Written by |
| ||
| Featured music | (see article) | ||
| Production code | 1121 1122 | ||
| Original air date | February 24, 2023 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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"Retired and Reeled In" (alternatively titled "Ava Willis Has Left Craven Gifts") is the two-part season finale episode of the eleventh season of the American animated comedy-drama television series Queen of the Willis. It originally aired in broadcast syndication in the United States on February 24, 2023 as a two-hour movie. In the episode, Ava is spending her final days before retiring from Craven Gifts after 34 years and passes the reign to Caityln Sparks.
The episode was written by series creator [[]] and directed by [[]].
Contents
Plot[edit]
Ava Willis has one final meeting at Sweethearts Restauant with Tina's staff Little Nicki and Mallory, who tries to dance around some bad news she has to deliver - Tina's been receiving bad reports about the Craven Gifts, specifically about Adrienne's leadership. Ava isn't especially concerned until Adreienne tells her that the reports are coming from inside the camp. Ava is hit the hardest by this news, as she considers Craven her work family, and out of all of the days her retirement week she is hurt that one of her own people has been saying bad things about her behind her back.
Later that afternoon, an embittered Ava Willis returns to Craven Gifts to find her Retirement Party, which she had already approved, is off to an early start. She barges into her office and orders everyone back to work and that the party will start at 3:00 PM.
Back in her office, Adrienne Fansler gives Ava more bad news: a memo from the Indiana Retailers Commission about a surprise inspection in a few days. Adrienne delicately ask Ava what's wrong, she quietly refuses to say.
That evening, just as the eve of Ava's final day at Craven Gifts about to begin, Ava walks in and grimly tells everyone about the surprise inspection, and then about the bad reports (without mentioning that they came from within the camp). She says she wants to show "those so-called pencil-pushers" that Craven Gifts is "not only the best damned retailer in Quillsville, but the best in Quillsville, period!", eliciting a loud cheer from the staff.
The next day, after Ava sternly gives instructions to Zelda Martin, Jena Battishill, Natalia Lightner, Reginald Wilson, Jane Jill, and Scott Schueller, on preparing for the inspection. Ava reveals that the bad reports she mentioned are coming from Yelp and Google. Leaving them alone in her office with Ava, the Craven Gifts members resolve to find the snitch; Adrienne suggests Ava, but Natalia and Jena come up with another more plausible candidate: Scott Schuller.
Back at Craven Gifts, Natalia and Jena peruse through Scott Schuller's locker searching for any incriminating material, but Scott catches Ava and Adrienne in the act and protests his innocence. But even in his state of outrage, Scott advises Jena and Natalia to look through the outgoing mail for any letter addressed to Craven Enterprises. They enlist Natalia's help to rifle through the outgoing mail and eventually find a letter addressed to Craven Enterprises; Natalia thinks it can't be her, but when Natalia opens the letter and, to her shock and disgust, they find that April Bonds is indeed the informant.
Later, the gang surprise Ava in her office as she is packing up her things from her office while the Craven Gifts team brings in cake, celebrating 35 years. Ava apologizes to them for being so surly, and admits they're the best bunch she's ever worked with.
Later, Ava calls Tina Craven and asks her to call off the inspection. Tina apparently agrees but realizses that she is just hours from retiring from her post, the team is less shocked by this than by the news as Ava already told the staff that her replacement will be a Caitlyn Sparks. Adrienne's primary concern is that, Caitlyn will will not share an appreciation of Sunday sports and will take too long with her sermons for anyone to make it home by gametime. At a potluck retirement party, Ava introduces Caitlyn as the new manager of Craven Gifts, and upon discovering that she is an avid fan of the Bears she decides that Caitlyn will be a perfectly fine successor. Caitlyn, meanwhile, attempts to get the congregation to try a homemade dish from her native Chicago called Deep Dish Pizza, which most of the staff at not only at Craven Gifts, but also Craven North, Craven East, Craven South, and Craven West as well as the families of the Craven Gifts employees.
Ava says "It's been a great 35 years at Craven, and I am at the later stage of my prime of my life."
The episode ends with Ava clocking out of Craven Gifts one final time as Ava Zinn's cover of The Beatles 1965 song In My Life plays.
