The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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Ive been waiting for theMaiselshowrunner to tackle the first theme since Midge started questioning hermotherhood choicesin season one.
We open in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1981.
Esther Maisel, Midges oft-overlooked daughter, is now a neurotic, Ramones-T-shirt-wearing Ph.D. student at MIT.
Its the morning afterLenny Bruces Carnegie Hall concert, his huge fight with Midge, and her blizzard epiphany.
Susie swiftly takes control of the situation and gets Midge talking about what happened at Carnegie Hall.
This entire scene is a fantastic reminder that these two are the shows love story.
Midge doesnt need Zeldas special Polish fish-head soup or Roses crystals and pills.
She needs a devoted manager who can break her in six months.
Tearing up, she promises to open for as many people as it takes until shes a star.
So shes off to seeMike Carr, the talent booker onThe Gordon Ford Show.
Getting Midge on thisTonight Showstand-in is now Susies season-long goal.
All the blood drains from her face.
We see an elegantly dressed blond woman from the back.
Hmm … whats all this about, Susie????
Here comes the comedy and chaos!
Rose announces she won a trip from her bank to Palm Beach!
Joel announces his girlfriend, Mei, is pregnant and theyre getting married!
Shirley and Moishe are getting a divorce!
Look, we all worship at the altar ofStephanie Hsu(and if you dont, go away).
The bottom line is it was impossible for Mei to become a doctor while pregnant in 1960.
Hsu doesnt shed a tear, but shes one trigger word away from doing so.
Because abortion is all those things its the right choiceandits devastating.
On the other hand, Midges career ambitions permanently damaged her relationship with her kids.
For the record, I amnotsaying Midge shouldnt have pursued stand-up.
What I am saying is that its outrageously unfair that these choices come at such a personal cost.
Rose looks sick as she puts everything together.
The war for Manhattans singles is underway.
Then we get to therealreason for the splashy airport sequence.
There are a lot ofA Star Is Bornvibes here because Lennys career is now officially on a downward spiral.
God, Im going to miss these two together.
(Okay, the next step before the next step.)
And Susie notices the late-night kinglaughingat Midges jokes.
So, Susie suggests Gordon hire Midge as his first woman writer, and he agrees!
Midge, however, is hesitant and doesnt quite understand Susies strategy here.
That is until Susie explains this is Midges opportunity to make Gordon Ford laugh on the regular.
Then, He will see you for what you are, a goddamn star!
And we presume, going off SusiesA Star Is Bornenergy, hell give Midge a spot on his show.
Its a great plan … in theory.
Susie marks the date of Midges periods on her calendar with a skull and bones.
Now thats good management.
Who is the big bald guy creeping around Midges apartment?
Did you notice 3-year-old Esther greeted Joels neighbor in Chinese?
