The Mrs. Maisel Appraisal: Episode 1

What a way to kick off the first season! We start by seeing Midge and Susie on the tail end of being fired from Shy Baldwin’s tour; it sparks a side-of-the-road tantrum from Midge, akin to that of a toddler (it seemed a little out of character, but plausible nonetheless). The next day, she asks Susie for her money from the beginning of the tour. However, we know Susie has gambled it all away, so she frantically tries to get it back, ultimately getting a loan from Joel. I’m not really loving this storyline, as this is the first thing Susie has done throughout the show to make me not like her, but everyone has flaws, and gambling is Susie’s. Also, the dramatic irony of knowing Susie didn’t have the money stressed me out throughout the episode, but I guess that was the point.

The hands-down-best scene in this episode is when Midge’s whole family (Joel, their son Ethan and both sets of their parents) were on a Ferris wheel on Coney Island, and Midge decided to tell them she was fired from the tour. Since they were all in separate Ferris wheel compartments, they were yelling at each other from across the ride, all having multiple conversations at once, with the camera rapidly switching from one character to another. This scene was exactly what I love about Mrs. Maisel: it was snappy, fast-paced and full of one-liners that left me giggling the entire time.

All in all, this was a solid start to the season; I got to see all of my favorite parts: the crazy parents, Midge and Susie’s friendship at its finest and, of course, some spectacular stand-up. I’m excited to see where this season will take Midge, and I’m hoping she’ll make it big soon.

Midge’s quip corner: “And I know, that’s life. [Stuff] happens. You should just be a bigger man and let it go. Well, I’m a woman, so [screw] that.”