[7.1/10] Even before the credits rolled, I could tell this was a Daniel Palladino episode. Between the wacky stereotypical Italian family, the gay jokes about Joel and Archie, and the conversation between Midge and Susie about whether or not she should flirt with a guy to get a good booking all just feel like his style. He tends to go much broader, oftentimes shtickier, than his wife does. That’s not always a bad thing, but it feels a little less sharp than the show is on a normal basis. That said, he’s penned some great episodes of the show already, so I shouldn't judge too quickly here.
The thing is that I don’t really fully love any of the stories here. Each has their elements, but each also has their drawbacks. The closest one to a full thumbs up from me is exploring the way that Susie is hurting financially right now. I like calling out the contrast between Susie’s circumstances and Midge’s as not just a wacky odd couple pairing, but a difference in privilege and support systems that have real tangible consequences. Susie coming in straight up about why they need paying work is a good moment, even if it’s mixed in with a mildly retrograde take.
Midge’s storyline here has its moments. I like her briefly ascending from the basement to be a coat check girl, only to have the setup and payoff of a demotion when she inevitably breaks the one rule and leaves the booth. There’s also a good montage splicing together and finding connections between her different routines at the Gaslight.
But some of the other scenes felt off. I like the idea of her using her way with people to get Mary a better suite at the local Catholic Church for her wedding reception, but the actual conversation wasn’t as on point as some other great Midge interludes. Likewise, her turning a simple “thank you” from Mary at the wedding into a chance for another stand-up routine felt even weirder and more contrived than the Paris incident. Plus, the idea that she’s gotten so institutionalized by stand-up that she’ll work blue at a religious wedding strains credulity. None of it felt right.
On the other side, I have the same qualms about the elder Weissmans’ storyline here. There’s laughs to be had from both Abe and Rose near-fainting at the sight of a nude model in an art class. There’s something fun and pointed about Rose dressing down the sexism of the university’s art history department in one minor conversation over tea. And I like Abe lecturing his students about Zeno on a walk to visit his wife. But the scene with the dean feels tonally out of step with the rest of the show and unconvincing as a resolution.
Oddly, I liked Joel’s story a decent amount here. Him realizing that his parents are meshugganah, between his mom’s “treasure maps” and his dad calling everything in the bank goyishe, is a good beat for him. You can see ways in which he’s not just crawling back to mommy and daddy this time, but actually helping them, providing a service that they need in all of this to organize this crazy business held together by handshakes and hidden bribe money. I don’t know about him living in some abandoned part of his dad’s shop, but you can at least see him working toward earning this on his own.
Overall, this episode doesn’t hit the heights of others, especially the prior episode, but still has its moments, even if it features more of Daniel Palladino’s broad humor than I usually like.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-12-11T06:25:09Z
[7.1/10] Even before the credits rolled, I could tell this was a Daniel Palladino episode. Between the wacky stereotypical Italian family, the gay jokes about Joel and Archie, and the conversation between Midge and Susie about whether or not she should flirt with a guy to get a good booking all just feel like his style. He tends to go much broader, oftentimes shtickier, than his wife does.
That’s not always a bad thing, but it feels a little less sharp than the show is on a normal basis. That said, he’s penned some great episodes of the show already, so I shouldn't judge too quickly here.
The thing is that I don’t really fully love any of the stories here. Each has their elements, but each also has their drawbacks. The closest one to a full thumbs up from me is exploring the way that Susie is hurting financially right now. I like calling out the contrast between Susie’s circumstances and Midge’s as not just a wacky odd couple pairing, but a difference in privilege and support systems that have real tangible consequences. Susie coming in straight up about why they need paying work is a good moment, even if it’s mixed in with a mildly retrograde take.
Midge’s storyline here has its moments. I like her briefly ascending from the basement to be a coat check girl, only to have the setup and payoff of a demotion when she inevitably breaks the one rule and leaves the booth. There’s also a good montage splicing together and finding connections between her different routines at the Gaslight.
But some of the other scenes felt off. I like the idea of her using her way with people to get Mary a better suite at the local Catholic Church for her wedding reception, but the actual conversation wasn’t as on point as some other great Midge interludes. Likewise, her turning a simple “thank you” from Mary at the wedding into a chance for another stand-up routine felt even weirder and more contrived than the Paris incident. Plus, the idea that she’s gotten so institutionalized by stand-up that she’ll work blue at a religious wedding strains credulity. None of it felt right.
On the other side, I have the same qualms about the elder Weissmans’ storyline here. There’s laughs to be had from both Abe and Rose near-fainting at the sight of a nude model in an art class. There’s something fun and pointed about Rose dressing down the sexism of the university’s art history department in one minor conversation over tea. And I like Abe lecturing his students about Zeno on a walk to visit his wife. But the scene with the dean feels tonally out of step with the rest of the show and unconvincing as a resolution.
Oddly, I liked Joel’s story a decent amount here. Him realizing that his parents are meshugganah, between his mom’s “treasure maps” and his dad calling everything in the bank goyishe, is a good beat for him. You can see ways in which he’s not just crawling back to mommy and daddy this time, but actually helping them, providing a service that they need in all of this to organize this crazy business held together by handshakes and hidden bribe money. I don’t know about him living in some abandoned part of his dad’s shop, but you can at least see him working toward earning this on his own.
Overall, this episode doesn’t hit the heights of others, especially the prior episode, but still has its moments, even if it features more of Daniel Palladino’s broad humor than I usually like.