Alaskan Girl Grit Conquers All
En route to her successful climb of a "tiny sliver" of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, Sarah Palin runs into a few obstacles. When weather holds her back from landing a small plane on Ruth Glacier, she comes back the next day. Later, she jumps over a dangerous crack in the ice and, finally, the mama grizzly overcomes her fear of heights when rock climbing. Watch as Palin grips America by the heart and shows us how effort is necessary for success. Her trip is about more than just packing family into an RV, it is a rite of passage for Alaskans. Lucky for us, Palin waited for this moment to be on national television.
Mama Grizzly Is a Valid Term
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The gods of reality television must have been watching over Sarah Palin as she had the gosh darn luck to run into a real mama grizzly caring for her cubs. Palin uses this National Geographic moment to note that the female bears have a "nature that humankind can learn from." And, much like the politically conservative mama grizzlies that the former Alaska governor has been mentoring, this bear shows its cubs how to fend for themselves. Just how the grizzly bear rug in Palin's family room fits into this analogy isn't quite clear, but watching this mama bear fight a papa bear (no relation) is still pretty awesome.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
Alaska is paradise for Palin. Or at least the Alaska that isn't in the line of sight of the journalist living next door who may or may not be writing a hit piece. So what does the former vice-presidential candidate do to stop her peeping neighbor from his annoying charade of pretending to read and drink tea on his porch? The obvious decision: Get your husband and his buddies to build a 14-foot fence. Of course, it doubles as a perfect blueprint for our nation's borders.
The Decider Lays Down the Law
This episode did show us that Palin spends plenty of time glued to her BlackBerry and prepping for television interviews. But don't be fooled—she's no dummy, especially when it comes to her daughter and boys. When teenage Willow hangs out with her "friend" Andy, even though Sarah doesn't move her eyes from her computer, she still knows exactly when the boy goes rogue and tries to sneak upstairs. But Sarah, in her best sitcom parent impersonation, calls Willow's cellphone and lays down the law. Her house. Her rules.
Cupcake Diplomacy
The opening sequence of the show joins Palin in medias res as she mans the command center of the family home—the kitchen. Leadership starts here, as Palin clashes with 9-year-old daughter and sidekick Piper over the protocol for baking cupcakes. Piper, however, has no time for diplomacy and instead opts to use a surefire way of getting mommy's attention: Calling her "Sarah."
