Maybe not. I have the sense that Frank and Nicky are kinda going rogue on their, ummm, sponsorship of Susie Myerson & Associates. That is, it’s something of an unsanctioned side hustle for them, and whoever they report to in their organization isn’t intended to get a taste. If that’s the case, they could possibly die while they’re off doing their day job; and if no mobsters know about the arrangement, Susie could be off the hook.
There’s also the minor running gag of Midge and Abe being completely oblivious to things going on in their own home right in front of them.
A couple seasons ago there was the episode in which Rose picked up and moved to Paris, with Abe only noticing a week later. Then it turned out she had left a big piece of paper with her new address in plain sight in the kitchen, which the housekeeper expressionlessly points out only when asked.
Then this season the same housekeeper got a boyfriend named Yanoush, who practically lives there. Only it turns out this has been a longstanding thing. When Midge mentions the “new” boyfriend to Susie she immediately exclaims, “What happened to Yanoush?!”
Midge is completely focused on her career and Abe on himself. Which makes it hilarious when people like Susie know about the goings-on in the home, and they don’t.
That being said, they made an effort to show Midge is still very caring with her children. But that seems to go somewhat awry in the flash-forwards.
And WHY wasn’t the character’s immediate response then, “Okay, I quit. Problem solved!” Her only reason to be in that writing room was to get that chance and there really never should be a better chance than that one.
I enjoy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, though, IMHO, this season seems the weakest.
Alex Borstein (Susie Myerson) has a stand-up comedy show called Corsets & Clown Suits, now steaming on Amazon Video. Some of her comedy is a little flat for my taste, but I must say, she is quite talented! She sings and dances throughout her routine—and she’s very good at both. Watch it, you’ll like it!
Because he probably still would have said no, and that was her best excuse as to why she couldn’t date him.
Well, they said the reason they want Midge to do the show is because their Boss wants Midge specifically to do the act. They could be lying of course, but I don’t think the show is going to stray too far into Sopranos-type plot lines about guys not kicking up their full share this close to the end of the series. But hey, if they do go that route and that means we see one less pointless extended song and dance routine, then I am on board.
My guess is that Mei is going to save them. After Midge had Frank look into Mei, he said they were backing off; her family was too hot, too dangerous. He also begs Midge not to tell anyone that he and Nicky were snooping around her family, so that sounds like leverage Midge can use to get out from under their thumb.
But since this is the show it is, probably Midge will sassily push her way into Carlo Gambino’s hangout, spout some fast, cheeky, borderline amusing banter, and then Carlo will have no choice but to be taken smitten with her and forgive her debt because she is so marvelous.
I think the point of showing those efforts is to show how ineffectual they are, or at least to show how she’s already lost Esther. Midge takes Esther into her bed to sleep next to her, Esther climbs the fuck out. Midge has the kids come to the show, Esther says she’s sick of hearing the voices of her family.
I know for me, I always liked the idea that we were watching a “never was” comic from that era. Like she just kept effing up her career because of who she was…but eventually found a spot, but it wasn’t as a star.
Now apparently were watching the biggest stand up of all time…fun?
I predict final episode is entirely set in the 80s.
That’s what I thought had happened at the beginning of the season when Esther was complaining about her calling from Reno at 4am est. I was thinking well she’s not calling from Las Vegas or New York or LA and it’s so late they gave her a bad time slot, she must have turned out just a working comic. But I mean, it’s not like I have a working knowledge of what time the biggest comedians went on stage in Reno in the 80s.
While the overall plotlines can be a bit… difficult to swallow… a lot of the gags are absolutely hilarious. Imma suspend my disbelief for the laughs.
*Janusz
I thought the same thing with the Reno reference.
I’m not a fan of the flash forwards - I don’t want to know that Midge became super successful and eventually broke with Susie, didn’t get back together with Joel, and is mostly estranged from her kids. It can be a useful storytelling tool but in this case I would rather wonder “What happens?” versus “Why did this happen?”
I thought the first episode was one of the best, a return to form of the zany madcap dialog from season 1. The Thanksgiving dinner gave me flashbacks to the Sedar where Susie meets everyone. I was a bit sad that they wrote Mei out so quickly, it seemed pretty definitive. That’s a shame, I thought she was a good character.
I’m a bit tired of all of Midge’s situations revolving around the men finding her attractive. The writers room is great - they treat her mostly like a writer. Ford falling for her is retreading old ground.
I’m glad they’re revisiting the Frank and Nicky storyline. There’s no way they would have been doing all this for so long without being clear on their ownership of everything she touches. Susie has been unrealistically naive so far - this was a clear reality check.
The past relationship between Hedy (Ford’s wife) and Susie could be interesting, but right now it’s a storyline I don’t care about. Granted I know nothing about it yet, it was a bit of a cliffhanger.
I was really quite enjoying the unsubtle references to Frank and Nicky’s methods of getting a stage show together. How absolutely EVERYONE was utterly terrified of them, a number of members have fled for their lives, possibly to go into witness protection (which might actually work for a plotline), and the emotional wrecks they are.
“Is that tears?” as Midge reads the script…
The roast episode seemed like half an excuse for Daniel Palladino to bring back every Gilmore Girls male actor he could.
It wasn’t bad. I enjoyed a lot of the flashbacks/flash forwards.
“The cake was -very- expensive.”
I really enjoyed the roast episode.
I liked that Midge reached out to repair the relationship (and that Susie was happy to have her friend back). It needed to be Midge because Susie had always been the one to give in. And even though she was fiercely loyal (as demonstrated), there needed to be a place where she couldn’t forgive - I think the audit was probably it, she would never cheat a client (with some slop for what she was forced to give up to the mob).
The roast was a brilliant device for wrapping up a lot of plot lines in the limited time available.
It’s probably just as well that the series is wrapping up, as it’s in danger of becoming The Marvelous Miss Myerson. Alex Borstein is absolutely killing it.
It’s kinda always been Marvelous Miss Myerson. Suzie was always more interesting than Midge.
I also loved the roast episode. A good way to explain what happened with Suzie.
I’m actually enjoying the flash forwards. Midge was based of Joan Rivers so I don’t think she was ever meant to end up not making it. Speaking of that, Midge seems to be the only one not aging in the flash forwards; I wonder if she’ll slip into the uncanny valley of plastic surgery?