[7.8/10] There were so many great lines in this one! It’s the first episode not to be written by a Palladino, and it’s reassuring to know that the series can bust out some laugh-out-loud exchanges and maintain Midge’s observational humor style without the show’s creator and/or executive producer behind the pen. I laughed at Midge’s routine at the parties, at Susie’s smart remarks, at Abe’s giddiness, and at Astrid’s overzealous efforts to prove her Hebreic bona fides. This was a laugh riot of an episode, which goes a long way.
But I also like the bigger storylines at play. It’s interesting seeing Midge getting her groove back after bombing by “playing” parties and owning the room with her stand-up. It’s equally interesting to see Susie affronted by that, since she sees Midge as an original, somebody who’s better than putting on a minor show for a small group of effete elites or doing [shudder] industrials. The contrast between the two of them works, because Midge is taking slow steps to get her life back together, and this is just one part of that, while for Susie this is the moonshot she’s been waiting for and it pains her to see it squandered.
Here’s the amusing thing though. Midge and Randall the semi-hacky comic are pretty darn funny together! Maybe it’s the writer doing her job too well, but despite Susie’s eye-roll, their patter is cute and chuckle-worthy at worst. I know Susie thinks that Midge is above that and has the potential to fly higher than being a second rate Nichols and May, but their little sketches and banter are fun.
That said, you can tell Susie’s right when she dresses down the William Morris(!!!) rep for being poised to chew Midge up and spit her out. You can tell some of this is personal for Midge -- despite her protestations, she views Midge as a friend and she’s hurt at losing both a potential meal ticket but also a buddy, even if the buddy part doesn’t come naturally to her.
Their scene at the end together is sweet and well-written. Susie expresses her feelings the only way she knows how -- with an angry rant -- and Midge breaks down and admits that she’s going to need a shoulder to lean on sometimes. It’s a good step in the evolution of their relationship, and the two of them continue to have some great comic interplay.
I also like the excitement over Abe feigning disinterest but also being absolutely giddy about getting a job at Bell Labs. He and his son nerding out over it (and other things) is a hoot, and the futzing over cufflinks and rolls is equally entertaining. This episode plants the seeds of his discomfort upon learning of Midge’s arrest, which is an interesting fly in his soup. Similarly, I like Rose worrying about what Midge will do as a divorcee, since Rose is still rooting for a reunion with Joel that seems increasingly unlikely.
That said, the two families running into one another at Ruby Foo’s is a nice coincidence that creates drama, and Joel seeing Midge without her wedding ring and clearly being affected by it makes for a nice beat.
We also finally get to meet Midge’s brother and sister-in-law. The latter is my favorite part of the episode. Her overzealous attempts to demonstrate that she’s Jewish enough despite being a shiksa in order to get into the Weissmans’ good graces is the comic gift that keeps on giving. At the same time, I really like the rapport between Midge and her brother Noah. It’s lived in without being showy. His little monologue about wanting to punch Joel despite his own lack of scrapping ability, and his compliment to his sister about her being “the funny one” are very sweet. The Weissmans have such a lived-in family dynamic, and Noah and Astrid slide into that perfectly.
Overall, this is another winner in the show’s first season, with a lot of funny lines and some great character developments and introductions along the way.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-12-04T04:59:47Z
[7.8/10] There were so many great lines in this one! It’s the first episode not to be written by a Palladino, and it’s reassuring to know that the series can bust out some laugh-out-loud exchanges and maintain Midge’s observational humor style without the show’s creator and/or executive producer behind the pen. I laughed at Midge’s routine at the parties, at Susie’s smart remarks, at Abe’s giddiness, and at Astrid’s overzealous efforts to prove her Hebreic bona fides. This was a laugh riot of an episode, which goes a long way.
But I also like the bigger storylines at play. It’s interesting seeing Midge getting her groove back after bombing by “playing” parties and owning the room with her stand-up. It’s equally interesting to see Susie affronted by that, since she sees Midge as an original, somebody who’s better than putting on a minor show for a small group of effete elites or doing [shudder] industrials. The contrast between the two of them works, because Midge is taking slow steps to get her life back together, and this is just one part of that, while for Susie this is the moonshot she’s been waiting for and it pains her to see it squandered.
Here’s the amusing thing though. Midge and Randall the semi-hacky comic are pretty darn funny together! Maybe it’s the writer doing her job too well, but despite Susie’s eye-roll, their patter is cute and chuckle-worthy at worst. I know Susie thinks that Midge is above that and has the potential to fly higher than being a second rate Nichols and May, but their little sketches and banter are fun.
That said, you can tell Susie’s right when she dresses down the William Morris(!!!) rep for being poised to chew Midge up and spit her out. You can tell some of this is personal for Midge -- despite her protestations, she views Midge as a friend and she’s hurt at losing both a potential meal ticket but also a buddy, even if the buddy part doesn’t come naturally to her.
Their scene at the end together is sweet and well-written. Susie expresses her feelings the only way she knows how -- with an angry rant -- and Midge breaks down and admits that she’s going to need a shoulder to lean on sometimes. It’s a good step in the evolution of their relationship, and the two of them continue to have some great comic interplay.
I also like the excitement over Abe feigning disinterest but also being absolutely giddy about getting a job at Bell Labs. He and his son nerding out over it (and other things) is a hoot, and the futzing over cufflinks and rolls is equally entertaining. This episode plants the seeds of his discomfort upon learning of Midge’s arrest, which is an interesting fly in his soup. Similarly, I like Rose worrying about what Midge will do as a divorcee, since Rose is still rooting for a reunion with Joel that seems increasingly unlikely.
That said, the two families running into one another at Ruby Foo’s is a nice coincidence that creates drama, and Joel seeing Midge without her wedding ring and clearly being affected by it makes for a nice beat.
We also finally get to meet Midge’s brother and sister-in-law. The latter is my favorite part of the episode. Her overzealous attempts to demonstrate that she’s Jewish enough despite being a shiksa in order to get into the Weissmans’ good graces is the comic gift that keeps on giving. At the same time, I really like the rapport between Midge and her brother Noah. It’s lived in without being showy. His little monologue about wanting to punch Joel despite his own lack of scrapping ability, and his compliment to his sister about her being “the funny one” are very sweet. The Weissmans have such a lived-in family dynamic, and Noah and Astrid slide into that perfectly.
Overall, this is another winner in the show’s first season, with a lot of funny lines and some great character developments and introductions along the way.