The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (5×09) Four Minutes Review

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

We have now reached the end of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel after 5 hilarious seasons of laughs and feels. Series finales, let alone ones for such high profile series as this one, are generally hard to pull off. To that effect, there have been plenty of controversial ones over the years. When it comes to this one, entitled Four Minutes, an important reference to a key moment in the episode, it is more of a beginning than an end as the series essentially feels like a prologue to what would ultimately become Midge’s renowned career as a standup comedian, as highlighted in the many flashforwards over the course of the season. The point of the season was to bridge the gap between the person she was and the person she would become. To get there, Midge just needed her big break and it was clear what that was going to be. It was only a matter of time as the season was slowly setting the stage for it. Much more than the moment that longtime viewers have been waiting for, the episode does a great job at bringing characters and storylines full circle. That being said, it would have been nice to spend more time in that gap between the present and the future but it’s fun to imagine what Midge and Susie may have been up to.

Picking up from the end of the last episode, Susie and Hedy’s exchanged proved fruitful but there was also a sad history behind it. Putting out some fires, at home with Abe’s obsession with Ethan and Esther and at work, Midge was set aback by the news that she’d finally get a chance to appear on the Gordon Ford Show. The resulting excitement level by Midge and her wide circle got pretty crazy as Rose’s phone inexperience was hilariously under the spotlight. Meanwhile, the neuroticism of Abe and Rose created another highlight as the race was on to get to the studio to watch Midge’s appearance. However, that circumstances of that appearance was not exactly what she had anticipated. Nevertheless, nearly everyone was there to see her (minus Moishe following an unfortunate then fortunate incident in the shower) and they definitely saw a show.

Despite the circumstances, much like she did in the first episode, Midge was never the best at following rules and had an uncanny ability to find a stage and perform whether others wanted her to or not. From there, she made the most out of the situation and absolutely killed as Rachel Brosnahan solidified her position in this year’s Emmy race as the frontrunner or near the pole position for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, and perhaps Reid Scott should all be in consideration in the supporting categories along with the writing and directing for this episode in particular). The Gordon Ford Show was always meant to be a springboard to something more and that appears to have been the case for Midge. Whatever that is will be up to interpretation.

In the end, it’s only fitting that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ends with the two characters that have carried it from beginning to end, and that was Midge and Susie. They’ve been through a lot individually and together but the series is at its best in those lighter moments when they’re cracking jokes and having fun. Therefore, near the end of their careers, it just feels right to end that way.

still courtesy of Amazon Studios

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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.