Amazon with Abe: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 2, Episode 10 “All Alone” (B+)

Well, this is not how I expected this season to end. Opening with Rose going to see the card reader, who wasn’t quite given the opportunity to say that she didn’t exactly see Midge in a wedding dress, and a flashback to Joel waiting to get hit by cars in the middle of the street until Midge answered his wedding proposal presented confusing predictions of what was to come. Benjamin coming over to ask Abe’s permission to propose was a fully hilarious process, namely with the twenty-five character references and whether he plans for snacking. Abe’s sudden decision to abandon everything he’s worked for and focus on who knows what next did lead to what should have been a positive development in the form of permission for Benjamin to marry Midge. Unfortunately, her excitement at casually getting a phone call offering her the chance to tour with Shy after being rushed off the stage during her pregnancy set resulted in an immediate acceptance, without thinking either of her kids or of the man she’s theoretically about to marry. I wasn’t sure exactly why we were seeing so much of Lenny’s act towards the end of the episode, but I guess it was for Midge to realize that she’s meant to be all alone for the rest of her life if she really wants to do what will make her happy. Midge stopping by to sleep with Joel is pretty much the most self-destructive thing she could have done, and we’ll have to see how that plays out. Susie didn’t have time to get a word in and tell Midge that Sophie wants her to manage her career too, which may prove to be a problematic conflict of interest that she can’t afford to turn down. This has been another terrific season, and I’ll look forward to watching all of season three closer to when it premieres later this year.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Rachel Brosnahan as Midge