The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (5×08) The Princess and the Plea Review

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

We have now reached the penultimate episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But as much as it may seem like an end, this final season is leading to a beginning. Midge has found plenty of success over the years though she has yet to truly find her big break and that break looked to be a spot on the Gordon Ford Show. However, its antiquated rule preventing staff from appearing on the show was the last hurdle for her. Ultimately, this was her destiny and the key for Midge to realize that destiny seemed to be Gordon’s wife Hedy (a scene-stealing Nina Arianda). Before that, a hilarious cold opened showed the extent of Abe’s obsession with Ethan’s education but then, he took that energy and applied it to Esther in order to test her abilities to prove he was right about the Weissman bloodline while oblivious to the fact that her sudden piano playing could have easily been a fluke.

Susie had some damage control to do regarding James as she was facing pressure from all sides from his camp and Midge’s. In the meantime, it was nice to see Midge had some fun reliving her past and got into some hijinks with her old girlfriends at her high school reunion luncheon. The power of Hedy Gordon could be seen as she managed to get Princess Margaret (Kate Abbruzzese) to appear on The Gordon Ford Show for an exclusive interview, single-handedly outscooping other talk shows and news outlets who were all interested in an exclusive interview with the notorious princess. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Midge made her mark, writing a hilarious comedy sketch for the princess. Riding that high with Gordon and the rest of the writing staff, she was soon brought back down upon learning that Susie had been keeping a big secret from her, one that was holding her back from moving forward in her career.

The most heartwarming part of the episode is also one that will reward long time fans of the series. A showcase for Tony Shalhoub and the writing and direction of Daniel Palladino, Abe, meeting up with his friends from The Village Voice, had a moment of self-reflection, speaking about how he found himself at a crossroads and questioning himself and what he thought he knew about a world that kept changing around him. He believed he failed both his children but he now acknowledged the accomplishments of his daughter and the person she became. For pursuing a career in comedy and succeeding on her own, he applauded her for the strength and fearlessness he never had. Abe was finally taking her seriously for the remarkable person she was.

Trying to make it up to Midge for holding her back, it appeared that she may have gotten Midge her big break but she was called out of the office became of sort of emergency just as Gordon was about to share the news or some news.

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.