Patty Chase quotes from My So-Called Life

Patty

It's always tempting to lose yourself with someone who's maybe lost themselves. But eventually, you want reality.

Patty

I'm Patty Chase.

Hi.

Patty

Angela's mom?

Oh, WOW. Angela! Oh, Rayanne talks about her all the time. She's in love with her! She wants to be Angela.

Patty

Really! Gosh, they seem so different.

Oh, you know kids. They find one person and they just can't get enough of them! It's like being in love, only they're not allowed to have sex.

Patty

Riiiight.

No, don't you remember? There'd be, like, this one person, who had, like, perfect hair, or perfect breasts, or they were just so funny, and you just wanted to eat them up -- just live in their bed, and just be them. It's like everybody else was in black and white, and that person was in color. Well, Rayanne thinks Angela is in color. Major color.

Angela

[voiceover] When I was twelve, my mother gave me my sex talk. I'm not sure either of us has fully recovered.

Patty

Now that you and Jordan are um...

Angela

Oh, my God. Mom, please...

Patty

Angela, I can accept that you have a boyfriend.

Angela

I don't have a boyfriend!

Patty

Fine. A pal. A male pal.

Patty

I would think that you would welcome the opportunity to dress up, to look your best.

Angela

Who am I looking my best for?

Patty

For you! Of course this is for you! I mean, I don't...

Angela

Mom, just face the facts, okay?

Patty

What facts, what?

Angela

That I'm ugly, okay? Just face it -- I have.

Patty

How can you say that-- how can you possibly --

Angela

By looking in the mirror, okay? By looking at you, with the way you look at me.

Patty

How do I look at you?

Angela

By the way you instruct me on how to wash my face so I don't get zits. Like you have to fix me, like you're ashamed of me.

Patty

Oh, no -- Angela, sweetheart, no!

Angela

You expect me to beautiful, because you're beautiful. Well, I'm sorry -- I'm not. I'm just not.

Patty

My husband and I read the stuff that the kids wrote --

Hope it didn't give him a heart attack. He seemed a bit fragile.

Patty

Actually, it isn't my husband who had the problem.

Patty

I just think...there's this one piece in particular that I just don't feel comfortable printing.

Oh! You're afraid that Angela wrote it.

Patty

This has nothing to do with whether Angela wrote it.

So, this is just censorship for censorship's sake?

Patty

What?

Hand them over. I'll type them myself, and I'll have them Xeroxed.

Patty

These are children! We are adults! This is not censorship! This is guiding adolescents who need...guidance!

That is a very reasonable opinion, and very clearly stated. Unfortunately, it's total manure.

Patty

Excuse me?

It's horse manure. I sense you're angry. Are you angry?

Patty

Yes!

Yes! I sensed that! [laughs]

Patty

Why is it manure?

Good question. It is manure because this journal should be about giving these students a voice, not about having their thoughts edited. If these kids aren't afraid to put their hearts on the page, why should we be afraid of them?

Patty

You should really teach full-time.

We have a difference of opinion. Fine. But do you think you should be in the position of deciding because you run a printing press and I don't?

Patty

Do you expect me to answer that question?

Yes.

Patty

[pause] No, I don't.

Patty

So. Did Angela write it?

Angela

I can go out on dates, right?

Patty

Yes, but we do have certain ground rules.

Angela

Like what?

Graham

Like what?

Patty

Well, you have a curfew, and we have to know where you're going and with whom, and you can't do any drinking, and you can't get in a car with a boy who's done any drinking, and your father and I have to meet him first, whoever he is. That's it.

Graham

Wow!

Angela

You have to meet him first?

Graham

Yes!

Angela

That is so humiliating. This person means something to me.

Graham

Is there a person who means something?

Angela

Yes, and I don't see why you can't just trust that. Why should I have to parade him around in front of you?

Patty

We just want to drag you down to our level.

Graham

I landed the account.

Patty

I don't, understand..

Graham

When they told me, I don't know, it was like a, this moment because I had to admit that, I didn't want to land it. Because landing it means that, I'm really doing this. This is my job, this is my life, this is it! This is what I really.. - But, look I'm sorry that I couldn't uh..

Patty

Oh no, that's..

Graham

..You know, handle it or whatever..

Patty

That's okay..

Graham

But look, I landed it right? - That's all that matters.

Patty

I don't think so. I don't think that's all that matters.

Graham

Say what you mean.

Patty

I'm proud of you, I'm glad you landed the account, and you're fired.

Graham

What?!

Patty

You're fired, because I love you, because I don't want to lose you.

Graham

Uh, no, no Patty it's okay, I-I-I can fix my responsibilities..

Patty

I know it, but you're not happy, you're not. You're.. [sighs] something has to change.

Graham

What'll we do? I mean...

Patty

I don't know..

Graham

What'll I do? I don't even..

Patty

I don't know what you're gonna do.. I guess you're finally going to figure it out.

Patty

Rayanne reminds me a lot of a roommate I had in college.

Angela

Well, did you like her??

Patty

Yeah. But, one night something happened.

Angela

What happened?

Patty

Oh, the same thing that happened with Rayanne tonight. Except she died.

Angela

I'm sorry, Mom.

Patty

No. Honey, you did the right thing, calling me.

Patty

Why is that, though, do you suppose? I mean, why is it so taboo? Why, why is it that, that you can't speak to people honestly about their children?

Graham

Because-- I'm gonna kill you. Oh, Patty, it's like twelve-fifteen already.

Patty

I know, I know, I know. Okay, I'm gonna stop obsessing about this, starting now. 'Night.

Graham

'Night. Because. [Graham turns on the light] Because nobody wants to hear something like that. Nobody wants to hear they may have made a mistake with their kids. Nobody wants to be accused of not being a decent parent. I mean, it-it is, it is an unwritten law, whatever goes on in your family is your business, period. Nobody else's.

Patty

Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here. Do you really believe that? I mean, you really believe that it would be that much of an intrusion to casually and non-confrontationally mention to someone that you happen to be a little concerned about their child?

Graham

Uh, okay, okay. How would you respond to something like that? You know, some friendly, well-meaning comment like that?

Patty

Poison dart. Ohhh.

Angela

There's this thing tonight at this coffeehouse, Vertigo, and I-I promised Rayanne I would ask if I could go, but I-I don't even really want to go, and I feel so guilty. See she's, she's singing, um, with this, this band that-- all right, fine, it's Jordan Catalano's band, but this has nothing to do with Jordan, or the fact that we broke up or, or anything, that's what's so weird, it's something between Rayanne and me...I-I can't even describe, but it's there, and it's been there for, like, a while, since that night w when you had to drive her to the hospital. It's this thing that we never talk about. [She picks up a pile of clean laundry] So these are mine? Thanks, I was kinda low on clean socks. [She hugs Patty] Thanks for listening. [leaves]

Graham

It's okay. She'll ignore you for another month just to make up for it.

Patty

I know.

Rayanne

Just so you know, I, uh, I didn't drink yhat whiskey. I poured it back. You can ask Angela.

Patty

You haven't had one drink? Since that night in the hospital?

Rayanne

No. Swear to God.

Patty

Why didn't you tell me that you had stopped seeing your counselor?

Rayanne

I don't know. Maybe just 'cause I wanted you to think I was okay, so you wouldn't mind if I, you know, stayed friends with Angela.

Patty

I guess she means a lot to you, huh?

Rayanne

I guess that's, like, the one thing you and I have in common.

Rayanne

Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Chase.

Patty

Rayanne?

Rayanne

Yo.

Patty

Apparently you and I are in the same karass. Call me Patty.

Rayanne

Patty, thanks. For, like...for my life.

Patty

Oh, a Christmas card from the Levettis?

Graham

So?

Patty

Well, I finally took them off the list! We haven't laid eyes on them since Danielle started solids, and now out of nowhere they send this?

Graham

Patty, it's a greeting card, not a dead fish.

Sharon

[voiceover] I resolve to never again have sex with Kyle, or anyone, again, unless I really love and respect them.

[voiceover]... to spend more time with the dog, and Sharon.

[voiceover] ... um, give up coffee, there, that's an easy one.

Brian

[voiceover] I resolve to stop obsessing over Angela Chase.

Danielle

[voiceover] ... to badger Mom into letting me wear make-up.

Rickie

[voiceover] ... to find some place where I like really, belong.

Rayanne

[voiceover] ... to stop drinking, but this time, like, really stop.

Patty

[voiceover] I resolve to be less judgmental, less critical, to lighten up! And above all, to be more supportive, and less suspicious. [about Graham] No matter how much it seems like he's hiding something.

Graham

[voiceover] ... to tell Hallie Lowenthal once and for all that I'm not going into restaurant business with her... And to stop all those long talks with her after class.