'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Season 3 Episode 2 review: Susie and Midge's bond is like fine wine but Sterling K. Brown's sass steals the show
The review contains spoilers for 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Season 3 Episode 2 — 'It's the Sixties, Man!'
Relationship dynamics are changing for Midge (Rachel Brosnahan). On one hand, her manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein) wishes to handle her nemesis Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch) and on the other, her divorce with Joel (Michael Zegen) is on the brink of getting finalized. There is love, there is hate and with a beautiful blend of the two, the episode rightfully puts things into perspective.
The episode begins with a stand-up. "Is it weird that when you're away from home, you start missing little things about it? Like your kids..." Midge jokes. Her set bombs and she gets just a few laughs. More than comical, her words take an inspirational turn when she credits Susie on stage. "I won't be alone. I will have my manager, Susie Myerson. She has always believed in me. She's pushed me, sometimes from the cliff. But I am grateful for that. If there's no loyalty, what is the point of a partnership?" Her message stirs Susie's heart.
Midge heads home to find it in a mess. Joel brings her kids and hands a newspaper clipping of her picture in a Marilyn Monroe pose, where her skirt blows in the air. The two talk about their impending divorce and Joel assures her he would be by her side with just a slight tinge of remorse. "It's just a stamp on a piece of paper," Joel says and Midge replies, "It's more than that."
There is a clap back to "lateness" in this episode too, when Midge and Susie meet at a restaurant. "I was waiting for 10 minutes," Midge calls out. "I am 2 minutes early," Susie argues and Midge answers back, "I was 10 minutes early." Irked with Susie, Midge asks her why she didn't do anything about the moment when her skirt blew in the wind, taunts her about Sophie Lennon and leaves right in the middle.
Later, when Susie calls Midge to remind her about the photos, she informs her about the divorce proceedings and sarcastically comments, "Maybe I should have called Sophie and told her. Then she could have told you and you would have remembered." Cool-headed Susie simply retorts back, "No that won't be a good system, Miriam."
The camaraderie between Joel, Midge, and Susie in court is one of the strongest points of the show. Bewildered, the judge even asks, "You both seem to be okay with everything. Which takes me back to the point. Why are you divorcing? What about your kids, Ethan and Ester?" When he pressurizes the two to think about it "one last time," Joel takes the blame and cooks up a story of "not just committing adultery once but having a string of ladies." In all the chaos, the petition for divorce is granted and the two look into each other's eyes for one last time.
But the biggest surprise drops when Sterling K. Brown spills his sass on-screen as Shy Baldwin's manager Reggae. He has a swagger that won't make you blink your eye for even a second. Brown's brazenness is on another level and perhaps, he will fill in the missing "wow" factor. The episode addresses undercurrents of racism, sexism, and feminism, particularly in conversations between Susie and Reggae, where he refers to Lou as just the "white guy."
Women's rights are also referred to when Midge's parents screw their lives themselves. "I don't believe both of you," Miriam tells her parents. "You quit Colombia. You lose the apartment. You go to beef up your trust fund. You come back without a trust fund? What is going on with you two?" Putting the blame on her head, she says, "I'll tell you what's going on. You. You put this in my head. You made me passionate and independent and broke."
In the end, Midge spots Susie on the staircase at the party where they were supposed to be together. Addressing how the two were moving away from one another, Susie says, "If this is how it is going to be, then f**k it, I won't manage her. I'm fine with it. I can deal with Sophie Lennon. You'll always be my number one." Written by Daniel Palladino, the episode comes a full circle and shows how some bonds never break — but only get better with time, like old wine.
