What I’m Watching: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 3, Episode 3 “The Punishment Room” (B+)

The opening scene of this episode was terrific, demonstrating that Midge, Abe, and Rose have returned home but are still trying to do their best to get a handle on their everyday lives. Almost not hearing the baby say her first word and then all leaving with no one to watch the kids was an entertaining start. Midge nearly got to move up to makeup, but instead she found herself in the coatroom desperate to offer her advice to the clients being misdirected by the girls actually working behind the makeup counters. Offering to help Mary, played by Erin Darke from “Dietland” and “Good Girls Revolt,” plan her wedding seemed innocuous enough, and she did do a tremendous job organizing it and making the punishment room seem a little livelier. The set Suzie actually got her went great, but Midge couldn’t resist the opportunity to get up and do a bit when she was thanked at the wedding. For someone who can talk, she really can’t read the room, and the fact that she kept talking after she made a sex joke about the priest was truly cringe-worthy. Accidentally confirming that it was indeed a shotgun wedding was the worst part, and now she’s stuck back at the switchboard for good. Rose nearly got herself banned from auditing after riling up the master’s students, but then Abe stepped in to formidably rescue the situation and both keep her in the class and get a different model slated. Joel trying to control his parents’ wild books is a hilarious process, and I like that he’s doing good work and driving them absolutely crazy at the same time.