[7.4/10] Susie may have become my favorite character on the show. (Excepting tertiary delights like Mrs. Moskowitz and Astrid.) She has her problems -- like a propensity to get so blinded by the bright lights that she gets in bed with the mob, or her mysteriously solved gambling addiction. But she’s also self-made, recognizing the talent in Midge and channeling an eccentric client where she needs to go. She’s hard-working, determined, resourceful, and down-to-earth in a way that Midge, god bless her, just isn’t.
After the fireworks show Susie put on in the last episode, it’s nice to see her get another win here. Opening her own office, showing some sympathy to Sophie, even rescuing the strange magician from the bar, reveals the sort of gumption and kindness that make her admirable despite her prickly disposition.
Oh yeah, and she’s comfortable with who she is. I’ll confess to wondering about Susie’s sexual orientation. It’s sweet, albeit naive, for Midge to not only try to find a place where Susie could meet someone, but also let her know that Midge accepts her. But it’s just as rousing to hear Susie tell her number one client that she cares more about being the manager than getting into a relationship now and, not for nothing, that she doesn’t need Miriam’s permission to do or be anything, and especially not to find a lesbian bar in the Village. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel leaves things ambiguous enough for Susie, but still finds ways to affirm for her.
Midge is hilarious in this one though. It’s nice for her not to have to do the heavy-lifting character-wise for an episode now and then so she can just revel in the comic chops of it all. Her efforts to go down to the titular Christopher Street and find a lead on a lesbian club is a hoot. Her awkward attempts to get info from passersby, her protestations that she’s not a cop, and her eventually receiving help from none other than JOHN F’N WATERS is hilarious.
But I also like her one-woman crusade to get the “jiggle joint” where she’s emceeing in ship shape. Everything from making the boys knock and show a little courtesy in the dressing room, enlisting a “curtain guy,” and getting the girls to rehearse the big finale, she’s turning the cabaret into a better, if not well-oiled machine. That extra spruce helps, as more folks in the audience, especially women, seem to be enraptured by her material. (Which may be a good thing or a bad thing for a strip club.) Midge is steadily turning her new job into something worthy of her talents, and it’s a fun little step on the ladder.
I’ll confess to having mixed feelings about the farce that is the three-and-a-half decades too late love triangle between Abe, Rose, and Asher. It’s very broad and very silly. Abe trying to feed his onetime friend to the wolves at the FBI and chastise his wife for dating the man more than thirty years ago is pretty awful when you step back from the exaggeration of the presentation. That said, all of the performers are pros, and watching Tony Shaloub, Marin Hinkle, and Jason Alexander go full ham opposite one another for a few sequences has an undeniable charm.
That just leaves the Joel/Mei situation which, god help me, I’m invested in! I never thought I’d be into a Joel storyline here, let alone on his side in an argument, but the prospect of whether to tell the elder Maisels about he and Mei’s relationship is an intriguing one. Joel’s right, they can’t keep it secret forever. But Mei’s also right not to want to have to deal with the prejudice Moishe and Shirley would no doubt bring to the table. Both sides of the argument are understandable in where they’re coming from, even if the dam of secrecy has to break sooner or later, which makes the fight between two people who care for one another seem valid rather than arbitrary.
Granted, Mei calling out Joel for cheating on Midge and then giving Midge the cold shoulder when she and Joel talk at the club feels like a bridge too far. Maybe Mei’s just insecure, worried that Joel will get bored with her or that he won’t want to stand up to his parents. But either way, I’m interested to see where they’re going with this, which isn’t something I’d ever thought I’d say.
(Plus hey, the thought occurs to me that maybe Shirley and Moishe will be okay with Mei? You don’t want to import 2020s values to a 1960s show, but there’s part of me that could see at least Shirley just being happy that her son found someone again, even if Moishe’s less ecumenical.)
Overall, though, Susie is the star of this one, and I’m glad to see her coming into her own.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-02-26T06:52:58Z
[7.4/10] Susie may have become my favorite character on the show. (Excepting tertiary delights like Mrs. Moskowitz and Astrid.) She has her problems -- like a propensity to get so blinded by the bright lights that she gets in bed with the mob, or her mysteriously solved gambling addiction. But she’s also self-made, recognizing the talent in Midge and channeling an eccentric client where she needs to go. She’s hard-working, determined, resourceful, and down-to-earth in a way that Midge, god bless her, just isn’t.
After the fireworks show Susie put on in the last episode, it’s nice to see her get another win here. Opening her own office, showing some sympathy to Sophie, even rescuing the strange magician from the bar, reveals the sort of gumption and kindness that make her admirable despite her prickly disposition.
Oh yeah, and she’s comfortable with who she is. I’ll confess to wondering about Susie’s sexual orientation. It’s sweet, albeit naive, for Midge to not only try to find a place where Susie could meet someone, but also let her know that Midge accepts her. But it’s just as rousing to hear Susie tell her number one client that she cares more about being the manager than getting into a relationship now and, not for nothing, that she doesn’t need Miriam’s permission to do or be anything, and especially not to find a lesbian bar in the Village. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel leaves things ambiguous enough for Susie, but still finds ways to affirm for her.
Midge is hilarious in this one though. It’s nice for her not to have to do the heavy-lifting character-wise for an episode now and then so she can just revel in the comic chops of it all. Her efforts to go down to the titular Christopher Street and find a lead on a lesbian club is a hoot. Her awkward attempts to get info from passersby, her protestations that she’s not a cop, and her eventually receiving help from none other than JOHN F’N WATERS is hilarious.
But I also like her one-woman crusade to get the “jiggle joint” where she’s emceeing in ship shape. Everything from making the boys knock and show a little courtesy in the dressing room, enlisting a “curtain guy,” and getting the girls to rehearse the big finale, she’s turning the cabaret into a better, if not well-oiled machine. That extra spruce helps, as more folks in the audience, especially women, seem to be enraptured by her material. (Which may be a good thing or a bad thing for a strip club.) Midge is steadily turning her new job into something worthy of her talents, and it’s a fun little step on the ladder.
I’ll confess to having mixed feelings about the farce that is the three-and-a-half decades too late love triangle between Abe, Rose, and Asher. It’s very broad and very silly. Abe trying to feed his onetime friend to the wolves at the FBI and chastise his wife for dating the man more than thirty years ago is pretty awful when you step back from the exaggeration of the presentation. That said, all of the performers are pros, and watching Tony Shaloub, Marin Hinkle, and Jason Alexander go full ham opposite one another for a few sequences has an undeniable charm.
That just leaves the Joel/Mei situation which, god help me, I’m invested in! I never thought I’d be into a Joel storyline here, let alone on his side in an argument, but the prospect of whether to tell the elder Maisels about he and Mei’s relationship is an intriguing one. Joel’s right, they can’t keep it secret forever. But Mei’s also right not to want to have to deal with the prejudice Moishe and Shirley would no doubt bring to the table. Both sides of the argument are understandable in where they’re coming from, even if the dam of secrecy has to break sooner or later, which makes the fight between two people who care for one another seem valid rather than arbitrary.
Granted, Mei calling out Joel for cheating on Midge and then giving Midge the cold shoulder when she and Joel talk at the club feels like a bridge too far. Maybe Mei’s just insecure, worried that Joel will get bored with her or that he won’t want to stand up to his parents. But either way, I’m interested to see where they’re going with this, which isn’t something I’d ever thought I’d say.
(Plus hey, the thought occurs to me that maybe Shirley and Moishe will be okay with Mei? You don’t want to import 2020s values to a 1960s show, but there’s part of me that could see at least Shirley just being happy that her son found someone again, even if Moishe’s less ecumenical.)
Overall, though, Susie is the star of this one, and I’m glad to see her coming into her own.