Write a treatment for a special episode of the television series, the Brady Bunch. Marcia Brady, after arranging the temporary absence of Mr. Brady, takes over a leadership of the family in an authoritarian way. She declares Marcia Law. The episode resolves in a humorous, but peaceful way. However, Mr. and Mrs. Brady, we later learn, secretly disinherit Marcia from their Will.
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Airdate (fictional): February 12, 1973
TREATMENT
ACT ONE: The Power Vacuum
The episode opens with Mike Brady receiving a surprise invitation to attend a week-long Architects Without Borders symposium in Palm Springs. He hesitates, but Marcia, ever the helpful daughter, insists he go—she’ll help Carol keep everything running smoothly.
Carol, meanwhile, is swept up in a “Modern Woman’s Empowerment Workshop,” leaving town with Alice for the weekend. Just like that, the Brady household is without adult supervision.
At first, things go well. Marcia organizes the kids into a tidy little schedule: breakfast at 7:00, chores at 8:00, and homework before TV. But when Greg tries to sneak in some guitar practice during chore hour, Marcia’s tone sharpens.
“Under Marcia Law, we don’t skip dish duty,” she declares, donning Mike’s old scoutmaster whistle and clipboard. The pun is met with a mixture of groans and awe. She posts a “Brady Bulletin Board” on the fridge titled “Under Marcia Law.”
ACT TWO: The Crackdown
Soon, the house begins to resemble a cheerful suburban dictatorship. Bobby is caught “loitering” in the hallway without his assigned sock-matching duties and sentenced to fifteen minutes of “reflection” in the linen closet. Cindy is reported for “whistling off-key” during homework time. Peter attempts an uprising by forming an underground “Freedom Snack Club” in the attic, but is quickly discovered and forced to write a 500-word essay on “Why Marcia is Always Right.”
Jan, emboldened by her middle-child angst, confronts Marcia at dinner:
"Maybe you think you're in charge, but you're just acting like a bossy crossing guard with a perm!"
Marcia sends her to “bed without introspection,” a punishment so vague that Jan doesn’t know whether to be relieved or insulted.
Even Tiger the dog is made to wear a red armband (actually one of Marcia’s hair ribbons) and attend obedience drills.
ACT THREE: The Revolution Will Be Harmonized
Greg, ever the cool cat, devises a peaceful protest disguised as a family variety show—“The Brady Bunch Revue (Under Duress).” During the song “We Can Work It Out,” he subtly swaps lyrics to criticize authoritarian rule (“Try to see it Marcia’s way / Or get a week of dish duty today!”). The younger kids join in with a full choreographed number called “Marcia No!”
Marcia, hearing the lyrics and seeing the unity among her siblings, realizes she's become what she feared most: a cross between Napoleon and a guidance counselor. She blows her whistle one last time and proclaims:
“I hereby revoke Marcia Law.”
Cheers erupt. Tiger pees on the armband.
Mike and Carol return home that evening to find a remarkably clean house, a slightly guilty Marcia, and a family performing a satirical musical revue in the living room.
EPILOGUE: The Secret Codicil
As the camera pans out, a voiceover by the narrator from The Wonder Years (yes, a surprise crossover) gently intones:
“Marcia learned a valuable lesson that week. Leadership means listening. Compassion beats control. And maybe—just maybe—you shouldn’t install a curfew on brushing your teeth.”
Freeze-frame on Marcia laughing awkwardly as Alice hands her a parody military medal made from a can lid and a ribbon from Jan’s science fair project.
Cut to a brief tag scene: Mike and Carol, in their bedroom later that night, sip tea.
Carol: “She did learn her lesson.”
Mike: “Yes, she did. But just in case… I made a quiet revision to the will.”
They clink teacups with mischievous smiles.
Cue end credits with the classic grid—except Marcia’s square has been blacked out.
THE END.
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Generate an illustration.
For the style, think of German expressionism with just a touch of cubism. We see a somewhat ominous rendering of an akilter 1960s suburban Ranch House. We see a refrigerator with a sign that says rules and some numbered rules nailed to the refrigerator door. We might see in the background or shadows a pair of handcuffs
