That Wedding scene made me more uncomfortable than Scott's totts for some reason
[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.
Oh god I couldn't keep looking during that wedding scene.
This is an interesting episode. The script was flipped here. Midge is no longer infallible and I see the beginning of a fish out of water--perhaps even a critique on code switching. In the Paris episode, I wondered if it was intentional how awkward of a path Midge took to get up on stage. And this episode proves that correct. The woman in the audience who recommended therapy provided a nugget of insight into Midge the show hadn't yet delved into.
Midge is funny, obviously. And she's very good at what she does, but her predilection for stand-up comes at the cost of her ability to fit into the environment with which she typically associates. I like that critique. I think that commentary and arc is going to be a valuable and good addition to the show because I think it commits itself even more wholeheartedly to the theme of people changing. Within the episode, I think it emphasizes how the uptick of every character might be a bit shakier than the average show would have you believe. Midge's somewhat meteoric rise might be built on a house of cards that is coming with a backhanded inability to fit in. Abe and Rose's newfound happiness is potentially leaching off of Abe's career (and again, Rose struggles to fit in). The scene with the dean of Columbia was easily the best bit of the episode (Shalhoub is consistently a gift to this show). And even Susie's shift into management is coming at considerable cost to her finances.
So what makes it all so much more interesting is Joel. This is the character that we've arguably seen punished the most so far. Even though Midge lost everything, the hope of her comedy career was always there. Her personal life failing gave rise to her career. But Joel's self-destructive tendencies not only cost him his stand-up dream, but also his career, his family, and even whatever illusory happiness he had with his affair. Joel's rock bottom provided a solid foundation for a change in character that actually might serve as an opportunity for solid success later. He seems to have done enough soul searching that he understands his faults and likely understands that his own misdeeds are, to an extent, irreparable. So even though he is tearing his hair out babysitting his parents' finances, there's a sense that he might actually be on an uptick built on rock. While watching the first season, I really appreciated how much the show beat up on Joel. He made some awful decisions and I admire the show telling us that. But it may have been more than just a feminist tinge in practice, it seems that because the audience has seen Joel be punished it actually might allow us to empathize with him better now. We don't have to judge him, the universe of the show already enacted vengeance upon him.
So yeah, parts of this episode seemed significantly off, but I don't really feel as though that has anything to do with the quality of the episode, but more because of how the episode subtly started exposing cracks. I have no doubt that everything that is about to happen in this season will likely be tied in to one of the unexpected turns from this episode.
There were a few lovely subtle jokes in this one. All from egg salad to Prince Albert. And self destructive weapons.
Finally someone found the records. Just in time too. Exciting times.
After a hilarious and entertaining first season, this episode is just another in a continuation of disappointment the second season is so far.
This one on the other hand was the most irritating episode so far. :/
Shout by WynterVIP 6BlockedParent2020-01-24T22:17:30Z
I am getting irritated that Midge takes every opportunity to turn any public gathering into her personal comedy show. She just needs to make a flippin toast at a wedding and BAM! she is on the table doing a whole routine. She stops by a bar in Paris and BAM! she is somehow on stage talking about her failed marriage again. It's not always about you, Midge, and most of the time I am cringing rather than cheering you on.