The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (4.5) Episode Recap: Just Shy of Closure

At each turn in this season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I have enjoyed the dialogue. There is at least one moment each episode that I start laughing out loud and then laugh again 10 minutes later when I remember the same joke again. But I noted in the last recap that the show started to feel like it was spinning its wheels. It hadn’t moved any character or plotline substantially and the episode marked halfway through the whole season. However, I also remarked that there was no reason to expect that to continue given the show’s history. Well, it turns out that spinning stopped even quicker than I anticipated.

Going into season four, the biggest storyline that demanded resolution was Midge being left on the tarmac after Shy unceremoniously fired her from the tour. We get her and Susie’s fallout over the course of the first four episodes. But not until episode five do we get the closure between Shy and Midge. It was worth the wait. Midge and Susie get both angry and drunk as they crash Shy’s wedding (albeit as accidentally invited guests). Then Midge finally confronts Shy about leaving her on the tarmac after she follows him to the bathroom. What could have been an explosive conversation gives way to compassion. Midge apologizes. Not because she wants to be on the tour or even back in Shy’s good graces (she even declines an invitation to get dinner together after they finish their conversation). She apologizes because she knows the position she put Shy in. More importantly, she knows herself and wanted Shy to know that she would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. It’s an emotional (and frankly a bit tragic by its end) conversation handled with grace from Midge’s perspective and a nuanced and gentle performance from Rachel Brosnahan. The somber end to the entire evening is punctuated by Midge noticing a lonely Shy standing outside in a doorway in the midst of his own wedding. The significance of the moment is not lost on Midge. It is a representation of what Lenny told her seasons ago about becoming a performer: it’s isolating work. Shy feels it as he has to hide parts of himself, and now Midge experiences it as she knows that relationship is too far gone for her to offer comfort.

The other major development in this episode surrounds the relationship between Susie and her former client, Sophie. Sophie begs Susie to take her back or at the very least help her salvage her career. Susie finally relents to help her one last time if Sophie promises to leave her alone. Susie gets on her on a nighttime talk show and Sophie kills. She sounds as good and as funny as ever. On its face that sounds good. It means she might actually leave Susie and Midge alone. On the other hand, it also signifies Sophie’s rise from the ashes, so to speak. Her story isn’t over. Perhaps for the betterment of the show even. Each time I think I am not particularly invested in Sophie’s storyline, Jane Lynch gives a performance like she gave this episode and hooks me. We will see how long I remain on that hook in the coming episodes with even more Sophie.

This week was not particularly joke-heavy relative to the comedic dialogue I look forward to every episode, but I am happy to be able to spotlight Joel talking about an Etch-A-Sketch this episode: