Saturday 27 May 2023

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Season 5

It's the last one. Interesting in its forward scenes: 1981, Midge is a huge star, but she and Susie are no longer friends. Her kids are grown up, her daughter a super-intelligent physicist and her son works on a kibbutz.

Back in time, Midge is trying to make it in an all male TV writer's room.

The show features the usual amazing choreography (whether in a musical number or not). For example in episode 4, there's an incredible and very complex dance routine in 'the modern kitchen' requiring all sorts of pin-sharp timing and props, all in one take, and then when the action moves off-stage to Susie and her gangster pals, it's done without a cut, still in that one take, so after take 14 of the routine, or whatever, it's the three actors in the scene after that could fuck it all up - not risky film-making at all. Directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.


In a marvellous episode 6 set in 1985, Suzie attends a 'Testi-Roastial' where numerous comics tell stories about her and her legendary career as an agent - and latterly, amongst each other, in a very Woody Allen way ('You're nuts - my sister was a nurse there and this is what really happened..' sort of thing). Great golf course sequence from 1970 where she makes up a comedy show on the spot, and sells it to television, talks one producer into a film  project and gets a record label to fund the first Lloyd Webber / Rice album. We also learn (a) why Joel went to prison and (b) why Midge and Suzie fell out. But is there a rapprochement coming as Midge has sent a welcoming video message...?

That lovely play out song is - believe it or not - Elton John, 'Love Song' (from 'Tumbleweed Connection').

And then - neither of us realised we were watching the last episode 'Four Minutes' in which Midge takes her decisive moment in front of the camera (and is promptly fired ) thus making her a star, with a lovely but poignant look into the future, where Midge and Susie - some space apart - both settle down to watch the same recording of 'Jeopardy', and chat. A sweet and perfect ending.

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