2x08 Someday...

[7.3/10] There’s a good premise to this one, with Midge and Susie’s road trip getting progressively worse as things go along. D.C. goes fine enough, but then nobody’s in Philly, and they’re rained out in Harrisburg, and the booker won’t pay in New York City. As the gigs deteriorate, so does the camaraderie between Midge and Susie.

I like this trip as another way to highlight how privileged and insulated MIdge is from the rest of the world. She expects “Vlad the Impaler” at the motel to take up her bags. She grew up in the city and so doesn’t know how to drive. She’s aghast at the sorry state of crummy motels and changing in back rooms and sleeping in cars. I like the admittedly painful events here because it’s another sign that “making it” in this industry is going to be much rougher and uglier than an Upper West Side princess is used to.

But it’s tough for Susie too. Beyond learning that she snores and stops breathing in her sleep, she gets a rash on her face; she gets told off and threatened by Joel, and she and Midge are on one another’s last nerve, which happens when you go on a long, bumpy road trip together. Again, I like that their relationship isn’t all a bed of roses, and that things get especially strained when their different life experiences and different modes of being cause friction when they’re forced to spend constant time together.

The one thing I didn’t really care for in this one is Midge missing Imogene’s baby shower. It (a.) doesn’t seem like Midge (Late? Maybe. But missing it entirely? Nah.), and (b.) feels like a follow-up to the “You can’t have it all” theme from the last episode, which I wasn’t crazy about. Don’t get me wrong, I like there being costs to what Midge chooses to do with her life and how it puts a strain on other parts of her life (namely her relationship with her parents). But the “I was so busy with X that I forgot about Y” approach is such generic sitcom plotting.

Still, I appreciate how they make this Midge’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
It rains on her. Then she has to sleep in the car. Then there’s traffic. Then she’s late for her gig and underdressed. Then the booker won’t pay. Then her mom leaves her to clean up from Imogene’s shower because it’s “her mess.” There’s a nice sense of stacking these things, in a way that feels unfortunate, but organic. (Though Susie getting locked in a closet was a little too far and a little too on the nose.)

Joel gets a moment to shine, which is an interesting choice. Again, I really don’t need a lot of Joel in the show, but he gets a chance to come play hero, punch a jerk in the face, and get Midge and Susie their cash, which is something.

Overall, this episode is a little below Mrs. Maisel’s usual standard. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but a little lacking that zing that otherwise powers the show. Still, I like seeing our girls forced to struggle a bit on their first tour, starting things from the bottom and facing some adversity. It makes their (probably inevitable) success feel more earned, and the journey more realistic.