The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (5×06) The Testi-Roastial Review

For our review of the last episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, click here.

If you haven’t noticed, as the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes to an end, it has looked towards the future through a series of flashforwards to show how the character end up. When it comes to this latest episode, it helps bridge the gap between the present and future timelines in a mostly Susie-centric episode focusing on her impact on the entertainment industry through a series of entertaining stories for which some, Midge and the other main characters were involved, filling some gaps in her story. Recollections from those with past connections to her, it was interesting to follow the arc of her career even though those stories may or may not have always been accurate. Nevertheless, they led to the moment that most viewers have been waiting for but that being said, that relationship perhaps still had a chance after all. An undeniable writing and directing showcase for Daniel Palladino, Alex Borstein also delivers one of her best performances of the series thus far as Susie.

The premise of The Testi-Roastial was centered around a testimonial roast at the famed New York Friars Club for Susie in 1990 where the roasters took their shots at Susie and the other roasters while telling stories about her and her unbelievable exploits. Meanwhile, after the show, the other roasters told other stories amongst themselves. Many of those stories covered Susie’s wheeling and dealing and all the other steps she took as she worked to grow her business and client base, often unbeknownst to Midge. According to the episode, she presented The French Connection to William Friedkin and brought Jesus Christ Superstar and Andre Lloyd Webber to America just to name a few. Meanwhile, she and Mike also put their imprint on the Gordon Ford Show, thus opening the door for Midge to appear on the show. Little did she know, one of Susie’s past questionable decisions led to Joel’s imprisonment, as highlighted in an earlier flashforward. Eventually. as Susie’s business kept growing, Dinah took over the New York City side of the business while she worked on the Los Angeles side.

At the end of the day, the evening was one for reflection, funny jabs, and entertaining stories. The event was all for Susie, so much so that attendees were forbidden to even mention Midge. Though there was clearly some tension there, time finds a way to heal old wounds. As a result of her illustrious career, she had earned a reputation in the entertainment world but her prickly personality remained. Jumping between several time periods over the course of the episode, the makeup and hairstyling as well as the cast were both up to that challenge. The writing remained consistently strong throughout the episode, taking the series in a different direction while very much maintaining the spirit of the series. In what felt like an anthology connected by a compelling central story, it was as hilarious as it was heartfelt. The standout of the episode, without a doubt, was Borstein’s Susie as the final act where her prickliness makes way for a surprising amount of vulnerability will surely put her firmly in the running for a third Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy. And it will be deserved.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.