The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 2
Dec. 9th, 2018 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakContinues to be delightful, and just what the Doctor ordered as an escape from the darkest (and most stupid) timeline we're currently living in.
Mind you, when I realised the first episode (and a good deal of the second) would be set in Paris, I cringed in advance, because US shows featuring non-US locations, and shows with a comedy premise to boot, those aren't confidence inspiring factors. But no, while the Paris featured there was clearly fairy tale Paris of 1950s movies nature, all the things I feared might happen did not (notably surrender jokes; instead, the equivalent joke was at the US expense, as our clueless (and unable to speak French) heroes said apropos of nothing "and you're welcome for D-Day, by the way". (With late 1950s Americans having a far better excuse for this particular US habit of expecting to be eternally thanked for their participation in WWII than 2018 Americans have.)
Anyway, the plot excuse for the Parisian trip at the start of the season was Midge's mother Rose, being fed up with being taken for granted by her husband, wanting to rediscover the young woman she used to be. By the end of the season, it's Midge's father Abe who wants to go back to the young protesting man he used to be, and I'll get to that again later, but I do detect an overall "parents as people" theme, with both Midge and Joel interacting with theirs in a more, though not completely equal fashion. Speaking of families, Suzy's occasional remarks led one to conclude hers must be ghastly, and in the one episode where we actually meet them, they are, with the exception of her sister, indeed horrible. Meanwhile, Midge herself is that rarety on tv, a female lead character meant to be sympathetic who has children but is not a particularly selfless or devoted mother; it's not that we don't see her interact with Ethan and to a lesser degree baby Esther now and then in a friendly fashion, but by and large she's relying on her support system (her parents, the maid, Joel) to do the day to day caring and raising. I'm impressed.
(Not least because it's realistic both for someone with Midge's money in the late 1950s on the one and her pursuing a day and a night job on the other hand, but also because there's still this unwritten law in most tv and movie presentation that if you're a mother, no matter whether in a historical setting or in a contemporary one, you have to be shown to be devoted to your child(ren) above all else, or you're a villain or a morally ambiguous character at best, and certainly not the lead.)
Midge in the first season had the basic origin story arc, culminating in her decision to become a professional comic for good. This couldn't be repeated, and the show doesn't go back on it, either, though it takes its time with the rest of her family learning about her profession. (BTW, the consequence of Joel having found out in the s1 finale are revealed in a flashback during the s2 opener: he both tells her that she's an amazing talent and that they won't get back together again after all, because he can't cope with the prospect of himself and their married life being shared with all and sunder on stage. Which, you know, is actually understandable. God knows I would not want to be married to a standup comic if that meant being entertaiment fodder to strangers on a regular basis.) The scene where Abe finds out, mid-season, being played as a gloriously horrifying and triumphant at the same time coming out scene. In many ways, Midge's second season arc consists of the consequences, both good and bad, her decision to become a pro brings to her.
Her rebound love interest, Benjamin, is likeable enough and the fact she and Joel continue to have feelings for each other while dealing with the exes situation far more maturely than in s1 is obvious throughout the season, but the central relationship, even more than in s1, is the one between her and Suzy. Which also continues to be nicely unidealized. Midge has the self centricity you need to succeed in showbiz, and the fact that she has a support system and financial safety net while Suzy does not continues to bring tension into their relationship, plus their shared road trip becomes the tour from hell between cancelled gigs, crappy motels and Suzy's terrible snoring. The season finale where Midge's arch nemesis Sophie Lemon, honestly impressed by Suzy's fierce devotion as a manager, wants to become Suzy's client as well could mean a severe changed status in s3 (as Midge has had the emotional upper hand so far), since we don't learn (yet) how Suzy replied to this offer.
Lenny Bruce as the one supporting character who is actually a real life person continues to be used just in the right amount in the show, I feel; his occasional encounters with Midge are charming and serve a purpose in the show, as he goes from being a model/kindred spirit to more of a male alter ego, mirroring what's going on with her inside.
(Speaking of rl celebrities, I thought there was one tiny cameo, but I could be mistaken. When Midge and Benjamin are leaving the art gallery, you can see a young tiny woman with wild long black hair being intrigued/inspired by the ladder standing there by accident. I thoughth this was meant to be young Yoko Ono, as the ladder mirrors one of her installments in the art gallery where she met John Lennon, and she was in New York in 1959.)
Let's see, what else:
- fashion and music are as gorgeous as ever,
- the holiday resort in the Cat Skills reminded me of the one in Dirty Dancing, which leads me to conclude this was evidently a rl American thing in the 1950s and 60s,
- the club manager who was offended by Midge talking about pregnancy (as opposed to sex jokes, which were fine), otoh, reminded me that even today, pregnancy and menunstration and the entire non-sexy parts of female anatomy are still treated as a turn-off or taboo not just by male chauvinists
- Midge vs the male comedians a few eps earlier in the same club also felt like a cri de coeur on the part of Amy Palladino re: treatment of women in comedy through the ages and today at the same time
- It's a flight of at least eight hours even today between Paris and New York, and a completely different time zone, so Abe and Midge just hopping across the Atlantic in pursuit of Rose with no signs of tiredness was, err, as much a part of fairy tale Paris as the dancing on the bank of the Seine later, but hey.
Mind you, when I realised the first episode (and a good deal of the second) would be set in Paris, I cringed in advance, because US shows featuring non-US locations, and shows with a comedy premise to boot, those aren't confidence inspiring factors. But no, while the Paris featured there was clearly fairy tale Paris of 1950s movies nature, all the things I feared might happen did not (notably surrender jokes; instead, the equivalent joke was at the US expense, as our clueless (and unable to speak French) heroes said apropos of nothing "and you're welcome for D-Day, by the way". (With late 1950s Americans having a far better excuse for this particular US habit of expecting to be eternally thanked for their participation in WWII than 2018 Americans have.)
Anyway, the plot excuse for the Parisian trip at the start of the season was Midge's mother Rose, being fed up with being taken for granted by her husband, wanting to rediscover the young woman she used to be. By the end of the season, it's Midge's father Abe who wants to go back to the young protesting man he used to be, and I'll get to that again later, but I do detect an overall "parents as people" theme, with both Midge and Joel interacting with theirs in a more, though not completely equal fashion. Speaking of families, Suzy's occasional remarks led one to conclude hers must be ghastly, and in the one episode where we actually meet them, they are, with the exception of her sister, indeed horrible. Meanwhile, Midge herself is that rarety on tv, a female lead character meant to be sympathetic who has children but is not a particularly selfless or devoted mother; it's not that we don't see her interact with Ethan and to a lesser degree baby Esther now and then in a friendly fashion, but by and large she's relying on her support system (her parents, the maid, Joel) to do the day to day caring and raising. I'm impressed.
(Not least because it's realistic both for someone with Midge's money in the late 1950s on the one and her pursuing a day and a night job on the other hand, but also because there's still this unwritten law in most tv and movie presentation that if you're a mother, no matter whether in a historical setting or in a contemporary one, you have to be shown to be devoted to your child(ren) above all else, or you're a villain or a morally ambiguous character at best, and certainly not the lead.)
Midge in the first season had the basic origin story arc, culminating in her decision to become a professional comic for good. This couldn't be repeated, and the show doesn't go back on it, either, though it takes its time with the rest of her family learning about her profession. (BTW, the consequence of Joel having found out in the s1 finale are revealed in a flashback during the s2 opener: he both tells her that she's an amazing talent and that they won't get back together again after all, because he can't cope with the prospect of himself and their married life being shared with all and sunder on stage. Which, you know, is actually understandable. God knows I would not want to be married to a standup comic if that meant being entertaiment fodder to strangers on a regular basis.) The scene where Abe finds out, mid-season, being played as a gloriously horrifying and triumphant at the same time coming out scene. In many ways, Midge's second season arc consists of the consequences, both good and bad, her decision to become a pro brings to her.
Her rebound love interest, Benjamin, is likeable enough and the fact she and Joel continue to have feelings for each other while dealing with the exes situation far more maturely than in s1 is obvious throughout the season, but the central relationship, even more than in s1, is the one between her and Suzy. Which also continues to be nicely unidealized. Midge has the self centricity you need to succeed in showbiz, and the fact that she has a support system and financial safety net while Suzy does not continues to bring tension into their relationship, plus their shared road trip becomes the tour from hell between cancelled gigs, crappy motels and Suzy's terrible snoring. The season finale where Midge's arch nemesis Sophie Lemon, honestly impressed by Suzy's fierce devotion as a manager, wants to become Suzy's client as well could mean a severe changed status in s3 (as Midge has had the emotional upper hand so far), since we don't learn (yet) how Suzy replied to this offer.
Lenny Bruce as the one supporting character who is actually a real life person continues to be used just in the right amount in the show, I feel; his occasional encounters with Midge are charming and serve a purpose in the show, as he goes from being a model/kindred spirit to more of a male alter ego, mirroring what's going on with her inside.
(Speaking of rl celebrities, I thought there was one tiny cameo, but I could be mistaken. When Midge and Benjamin are leaving the art gallery, you can see a young tiny woman with wild long black hair being intrigued/inspired by the ladder standing there by accident. I thoughth this was meant to be young Yoko Ono, as the ladder mirrors one of her installments in the art gallery where she met John Lennon, and she was in New York in 1959.)
Let's see, what else:
- fashion and music are as gorgeous as ever,
- the holiday resort in the Cat Skills reminded me of the one in Dirty Dancing, which leads me to conclude this was evidently a rl American thing in the 1950s and 60s,
- the club manager who was offended by Midge talking about pregnancy (as opposed to sex jokes, which were fine), otoh, reminded me that even today, pregnancy and menunstration and the entire non-sexy parts of female anatomy are still treated as a turn-off or taboo not just by male chauvinists
- Midge vs the male comedians a few eps earlier in the same club also felt like a cri de coeur on the part of Amy Palladino re: treatment of women in comedy through the ages and today at the same time
- It's a flight of at least eight hours even today between Paris and New York, and a completely different time zone, so Abe and Midge just hopping across the Atlantic in pursuit of Rose with no signs of tiredness was, err, as much a part of fairy tale Paris as the dancing on the bank of the Seine later, but hey.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 01:04 pm (UTC)I loved season 1 but I got Midge fatigue, so I'm happy we're getting to know everyone around Midge. Also, I kinda like how they rehabbed Joel a bit.
p.s. When they got to the Catskills, I was wondering if they left Esther in New York with Zelda or her in-laws. But she left the baby in the car WTF?!
p.p.s. I kinda ship Midge with Lenny, kinda a little bit.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 06:06 pm (UTC)-I actually thought the D-Day joke still felt like a bit of a surrender-esque joke. I mean, I feel like it was making fun of Abe since he was blustery, and possibly even making fun of the American propensity to think they single-handedly saved the day. But I think it rubbed me the wrong way because that American view is so entrenched among many that I feel like a cursory joke like this one just reinforces instead of subverts.
-But I think overall I probably have more problems with this show than you, so maybe I'm just automatically less willing to give it a chance. I love it, but I have problems.
-One of my favorite things about the show is the fact that Midge is a mother but not that focused on being a mother, and yeah, they continued to do so great with that. I loved in S1 when she did that whole bit on stage about how she didn't have pictures of her kids. I wish they would do more with her personal feelings about motherhood vs social expectations, but that would make it again All About Being A Mother, which we probably don't need.
-(I was disturbed by the times the children were actively forgotten, like the commenter above mentioned, though I think we were supposed to be disturbed.)
-I LOVE that the central relationship is between her and Susie. I love their friendship, and I agree with you that it is refreshingly unidealized.
-I thought that was supposed to be Yoko Ono too. I'm actually surprised they don't have more celebrities, because why not? I feel like having had the painters be real people could have been interesting. I understand why the Shy Baldwin character is not real, given that we might be spending quite a bit more time with him next season (?)
-I, too, was reminded of Dirty Dancing!
-Definitely agree Amy Palladino has Things To Say about women in comedy, and I am HERE FOR IT
also, hi
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 10:01 pm (UTC)I'm not too far into season 2, but not especially worried about spoilers. I've been through the Catskills, and used to have a boyfriend who had a cabin not far from that area. Though this was much later, my understanding was that culture was very much a thing.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2018-12-10 08:53 pm (UTC)I am still in the middle of s2 and enjoying it very much.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2018-12-15 01:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2018-12-24 07:01 am (UTC)