Warning, this review contains spoilers for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episodes 3 and 4.
Grief, burlesque, musical theatre, an awkward bar mitzvah — this show has it all!
And that was only on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 3. There was a whole other hour after that, with just as much humor and shenanigans!
Tits up, Ladies, we are going through hell.
It’s always difficult when a cast member passes away.
Brian Tarantina, who played the Gaslight emcee, Jackie, passed away in November 2019. Much of Episode 3 dealt with the aftermath of Jackie’s sudden passing, with Susie losing her horrible apartment and moving in with Midge as she mourned her friend.
There is much dark humor played for laughs here. Connor Ratliff is suitably creepy as Chester, listing off the many deaths that occurred in Susie’s apartment. Despite the gravitas of Tarantina’s memory, there are still tasteful jokes (like the show posters at the theatre).
What makes the episode feel respectful is Alex Borstein’s performance at the center of it.
Abe Weissman: Has she tried sleeping pills? Your mother has a gallon jug of them in the closet.
Miriam “Midge” Maisel: She says they make her loopy the next day.
Abe Weissman: Same with your mother, but who can tell?
You can tell it’s not just Susie who’s in her state of catatonic grief — Borstein is also mourning a friend, and you can feel the catharsis as she rattles off a vulgar, heartfelt eulogy about the man she didn’t even really like but who counted her as a close friend.
I had a close friend and I never knew it.
Susie Myerson
The show paints Jackie as a humble Everyman who had his issues, but the tragedy is in the lack of lives he touched despite being a good person.
It’s something that touches all of us, deep down — that nagging feeling wondering if we will leave a legacy.
This is probably the darkest The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has gotten, and it’s a testament to the show that it can still be moving and remain as funny as it is.
Lenny Bruce is back!
Miriam “Midge” Maisel: What the hell are you doing here?
Lenny Bruce: Oh, well, I hate to steal your line, but what the hell are you doing here?
Lenny and some other men hampered a terrific set by Midget at the strip club. Despite the talk Lenny gave her before she went on, she didn’t need him to do what he did.
It’s a dangerous message having a man hurl abuse at a woman publicly and tell her it’s for her good. That scene, despite Midge’s triumph, rubbed me the wrong way.
There are other ways to get the point across that the industry is challenging without throwing things at a woman who’s already suffered a certain amount of humiliation and degradation trying to make it in a male-dominated field.
It’s always been a bit of a back and forth with Lenny and Midge, a will-they or won’t-they, which landed very much in the camp of “just good friends” in Season 3.
It still felt open-ended, but given how the true-life story of Lenny Bruce ends up, it seems like Midge is better off just letting him be her mentor and aspirational goals and keeping things platonic.
Rachel Brosnahan and Luke Kirby have such intense chemistry, it’s hard to deny what it could turn into, but it’s the kind of thing that would probably implode rather than help them both flourish as human beings.
The whole musical theatre arc was so uncomfortable and yet so enjoyable.
Rose and Abe with their capes — delightful! Abe relished his role as a theatre critic and all the prestige and glory that came with it, only to have it come crashing down when he realized what he would have to do.
The first review he wrote was priceless, but did he really think he could get away with it? Entertainment journalism is a funny thing — sometimes there’s no winning. Either you compromise your integrity by lying, or you betray people you care about who are making inferior art.
The bar mitzvah scene was hilarious on so many levels. There was the misunderstanding between Moishe and Akiva, Midge’s insistence that she was great in the musical, and everyone turning on Abe for bad-mouthing a son of the community — even the Rabbi!
You are the frog. I am the scorpion. I sting because it is my nature.
Abe Weissman
Scenes like this are where this show truly shines — with so many characters, it has to be well planned and rehearsed, everyone has to be on the ball.
The result is an ensemble scene that pops to life invoking Tanakh-level betrayal, women yelling from the rafters, and an awkward teenager fading into the background while the adults make it all about them.
It was the kind of organized chaos we have come to love from this show.
If Episode 3 focused on death, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 4 was all about that other great mystery of life — love.
After an uncomfortable date with a bilingual pediatrician, Midge found herself wondering about Susie’s love life and decided to help her friend put herself out there.
With the cheerful determination that seems to be Midge’s calling card, she headed on down to Christopher Street in the hopes of approaching random men and finding a lesbian bar.
As far as cockamamie schemes Midge has enacted, this one was pretty out there. However, she was successful, running into another Dior-wearing fashionista, played by none other than infamous film director John Waters, who gave her directions on where she could meet other like-minded women in a social setting.
It was admittedly a bit jarring to see John Waters just sitting there in the 1960s, and it took me out of the moment briefly as I hadn’t been expecting it at all, but I got on board pretty quick.
Midge looked so full of herself when she took Susie to the bar, but when Susie finally figured out what was going on, she was suitably annoyed with Midge.
It is odd that Susie has kept this part of her life so guarded, but then these were different times, there was no way of knowing how Midge might take it, or maybe she’s just a very private person.
Midge spent the rest of the episode trying to apologize. Perhaps this will help her recognize the line she crossed with Shy. If Susie knew the true nature of Midge’s Apollo set, how might her feelings change?
(Also, did anyone expect Midge to get hit on, like, immediately after Susie left the bar? The woman’s a knockout!)
I stepped on a spent condom coming in here so I’m all set for souvenirs.
Asher Friedman
Jason Alexander returns as Asher Friedman after Abe made mention of their “attack on a US Federal building” in his review.
The real story here, though, was that Asher and Rose dated in the 1920s while Rose and Abe were briefly broken up. Abe had no right to be angry here, but the heart can be an unreasonable organ, and at least he admitted that he tunes Rose out a lot.
Rose, I admit that sometimes I don’t listen to you, but this time I was listening to you when you did not tell me that you shtupped my best friend.
Abe Weissman
Abe can be so immature and has trouble managing his emotions, but he’s so earnest that it’s hard not to feel for him.
Seriously, though, trying to throw his friend under the bus for dating his wife long ago was a step too far. The repercussions for Asher could have been disastrous, and it was Abe’s fault for breaking up with Rose in the first place and then not listening when they got back together.
You can see where Midge gets her stubbornness.
I don’t trust soup. It tells you it’s food but you eat it and you’re never full. feels like a scam.
Joel Maisel
Mei and Joel’s frank dialogue about meeting his parents was a much-needed reflection of this still very overtly prejudiced society.
Mei is so sharp, but she doesn’t want the finality of knowing his parents disapprove. It was hard to hear her say she was okay with being a mistress — was she hurting Joel more at that moment, or herself?
Luckily, she caught herself and apologized, but it was sad to see her unwilling to fight. However, Joel has not been subject to as much prejudice as Mei. He’ll never truly understand the experience of being a Chinese-American woman in the 1960s and the long list of ethnic slurs she provided.
The scene was funny in a dry, fatalist way.
Well, he’s not much of a rabbi if he’s working on Friday!
Mei
I hope Mei and Joel find some way to make their relationship work, but Joel is right — it probably is more of an issue that’s she not Jewish. While he didn’t so much as say it, it seems like Joel really loves Mei, and she’s probably afraid to admit that she loves him, too.
I’m just going to say it — I don’t need more Sophie Lennon.
Jane Lynch is a great comedienne, but her schtick has always felt a bit off from the rest of the show. Maybe Lynch herself is too recognizable and too distinct, but she has a hard time blending into the ensemble.
She’s had brilliant roles in some of my favorite films, but here it would be nice if she could quietly fade away. Susie’s got enough going on with her new place and potential new clients.
It’s great to see Midge having a positive influence at the strip club. Not only is she upping the professionalism of the technical aspects, but she’s forcing real change by getting Boise to treat the girls with respect.
The dancers are developing more confidence, which shows in their attitudes and performances onstage. It’s a win for everyone, and it’s refreshing to see Midge is a place where she can make a lasting impact on so many other female performers.
Boys knock ‘cause girls have knockers.
Miriam “Midge” Maisel
(Also, you have to applaud the inventiveness and sheer camp of the themed burlesque outfits on display here! They are so much fun!)
At first it felt like a tease not to show us Midge’s set at Joel’s club. But, they saved it for the strip club, which was a wise choice, and a strong point on which to finish the episode, with her signature closing phrase, “I’m Mrs. Maisel, thank you and goodnight!”
She’s doing what she does best — raunchy, observational commentary about the real lives of men and women. The women are engrossed, happy to hear a comic that plays to them. But here’s the kicker — the men were laughing, too.
You are a stripper who doesn’t take anything off and just stands there yelling at people. This is neither of our problems.
Russell
Maybe if Midge can open a few minds, her impact will extend further than if she had gone on a tour of Europe or kept playing for the same crowd at the Gaslight.
So, I should go to the comedy buildings and make with jokes? Because it doesn’t matter.
Zelda
There you have it. Love and death — as only Mrs. Maisel could present them!
What did you think of this double-bill of episodes?
What were your favorite laugh-out-loud moments?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.