What I’m Watching: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 2, Episode 8 “Someday…” (B+)

It’s important to remember when watching a show where, often, things do go well, that an installment spent with the characters in a rut doesn’t mean that the show is experiencing one also. In fact, much of what happens on this show often feels fantastical and unlikely to have truly occurred in the time period in which it’s set, and Midge going through the way in which she’s able to deal with unwanted advances is about as traumatic as we’ve seen her undergo at any point. In this case, Susie stealing her mother’s car and replacing it with a cowboy license plate didn’t lead to them being pulled over or anything like that, but instead took them on an only mildly harrowing journey to dirty motels, a rained-out gig, and a late arrival back into Manhattan. Calling Joel showed again how he truly has turned into the supportive spouse he always should have been, desperately looking after her while allowing her some degree of independence that was pretty much the highest bar possible for the men of this era. While much of this was dryly or darkly amusing, Midge missing her friend’s baby shower was not, especially after she surprised her by speaking coarsely at the deli, and the most miserable moment came when Midge came home to find that her mother had punitively told Zelda not to clean up so that Midge could atone for her sins. Abe’s reaction to her career was poor, but it seems that Rose is taking it worse and taking it out specifically on her daughter.