What I’m Watching: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 2, Episode 6 “Let’s Face the Music and Talk” (B+)

It’s strange to see Midge so skittish, since only her father is truly capable of making her act that way. Telling her “You’re already you” made some sense, but then he wanted her to wait until after Hanukkah so that she didn’t ruin it for her mother, who I’d imagine would be far more open to the idea than he’s being thus far. Focusing all of a sudden on Midge’s brother Noah gave Abe a distraction to be able to propel the child he thought he could control to a bright future, only to discover that his son actually has a far higher security clearance than him and shouldn’t even be discussed around his employees. That betrayal was a helpful pathway for Abe to, in his own way, acknowledge Midge’s side career, asking her if she’s as funny as the comedian on stage. The best moment of the hour was Rose assuring Abe that he did know Noah’s name since they were the ones who named him. I like that Midge went straight to Joel to tell him that her father knew, and his first response was to buy her an ice cream. Noah hating Joel was an entertaining subplot, and I wasn’t quite as fond as lonely Esther being the only observant Jew desperately fasting on Tisha B’av in all of the Catskills, whose food-starved mental state Rose was able to take advantage of to get information about Noah. Susie’s return being celebrated as if she was missing was funny, and she really has managed to make the most of her unplanned trip to the Catskills. I like that Benjamin claimed to have come back to the Catskills because he couldn’t get a refund on his hair salon appointment, and that, great as their banter has been, he wasn’t willing to have Midge walk away without giving him her address or number since it wasn’t like the movies where she could just say that. Their future is looking bright.