The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the perfect palate-cleanser between the heavier offerings of TV’s ‘golden age’, according to Dan Slevin.
Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel from Amazon’s Prime Video. Photo: Amazon Prime
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the first job of television is to be entertaining. The new ‘golden age’ of scripted TV that we are currently enjoying often means harrowing trials for unlikeable (or at least flawed) characters. There’s a lot of murder, a lot of drugs and, thanks to streaming and cable services taking over from network TV standards, there’s a lot of cursing and a lot of nudity.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. To everything there is a season, etcetera, etcetera. But we always need a palate cleanser and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (on Amazon Prime) is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that it won eight Emmys last year and is nominated for three Golden Globes this year. If you were considering signing up for a trial of Prime Video, let Mrs. Maisel be your entry point.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (famous for the Gilmore Girls), Mrs. Maisel is the story of Midge, a young Jewish woman in New York in the late 1950s who, shocked by her husband’s infidelity, drunkenly gets up on stage at a club and spins her story into stand-up gold. Season One was the tale of her getting up the courage – with the help of real figures like Lenny Bruce and fictional ones like her wannabe-manager Susie – to try and turn professional.
Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie (Alex Borstein) nosh and schmooze in season two of Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Photo: Amazon Prime
Season Two, which was released about ten days ago, eventually takes the story a little further but spins its wheels in terms of plot for quite a few episodes. This is less of a problem than it sounds as this season gives the brilliant supporting cast – Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle as Midge’s parents; Michael Zegen as Joel her ex and his parents, played with gusto by Kevin Pollak and Caroline Aaron.
If you like stories about brilliantly witty and hyper-articulate Americans (The West Wing, M*A*S*H, the aforementioned Gilmore Girls) then this is for you. Rachel Brosnahan as Midge is superb, holding her own as an emerging stand-up as well as holding her own up against the experienced professionals listed above, all of whom have the potential to steal any scene they are in.
Amazon have thrown an enormous amount of money at The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and all of it shows up on screen. The locations and fashions are recreated with a determined accuracy, all the scenes seem brim to overflowing with extras and the camera flows effortlessly around each scene in a feat of cinematographical choreography that can only come with lots of time and lots of budget.
Photo: Amazon Prime
It’s not family-fare. There is a bit of swearing, especially when the foul-mouthed Susie (brilliantly portrayed by Alex Borstein) is around and the subject matter can get a little grown-up at times too. But a gun is never fired, I’ve only seen one punch thrown and, while they talk about sex a lot, it’s hardly ever on screen.
Mrs. Maisel is at its best when Ms Sherman-Palladino is also directing and the two episodes set on vacation in the Catskills, while being all character and very little plot, are a delight. We hooted with laughter throughout.
Both seasons of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
