Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is a period comedy-drama series. At first, Miriam “Midge” Maisel, née Weissman (Rachel Brosnahan), is a relatively happy housewife with two children. But after her husband Joel (Michael Zegen) leaves her for his secretary, her life comes to an abrupt end. And that’s when Midge discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy and finds her manager in Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), an employee at the bar where Midge gives her first performance.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is a love letter to the New York Jewish experience at a time when America was still riding high after victory in World War II. The show is funny, poignant and frankly retrospective. Here’s everything you need to know about the first three seasons of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’. FRONT SPOILERS.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 1 recap
In the pilot episode, Midge and Joel live with their two children – Ethan and Esther – in the same building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as Midge’s parents, Rose (Marin Hinkle) and Abe Weissman (Tony Shalhoub). Joel works for his uncle at Tri-Borough Plastics and aspires to be a stand-up comedian. However, he lacks the talent for this and copies jokes from more prominent comic books such as Bob Newhart during his weekly Gaslight Café routines. After realizing that his acting career is going nowhere, he lashes out at Midge, who has given him nothing but support. He then leaves her for his secretary, Penny Pann.
When Rose and Abe blame Midge for the split, she goes to Gaslight and delivers a drunken, raw, and impromptu performance. Among his limited audience is Susie, who becomes his manager. Midge also befriends Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby), a real-life stand-up comedian who has become one of the greatest of all time. They meet after Midge is arrested for exposing her breasts during her routine.
The rest of the season revolves around Midge and Susie trying to gain a foothold in New York’s highly competitive and misogynistic stand-up landscape. Joel’s parents, Moishe (Kevin Pollak) and Shirley (Caroline Aaron), together run the Maisel and Roth Garment Company and are the antithesis of Midge’s reserved, intellectual parents. In the season finale, Joel, having broken up with Penny, sleeps with Midge. But their relationship suffers another hiatus before it even restarts properly when Joel discovers Midge’s stand-up act. At the end of the season, Midge claims a stage name for herself – Mrs. Maisel.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 2 Recap
Midge gets a job as a makeup counter at B. Altman in season 1. In season two, she is relegated to performing switchboard duties after a public argument she had with Penny. She and Abe find out that Rose has moved to Paris, France, and they haven’t noticed. They follow Rose to the City of Lights and find her immersed in the city’s art and culture. Abe decides to stay while Midge returns to New York. He eventually convinces Rose to come back with him. Once in New York, he makes some changes in their lives, including getting Rose the job of art auditor at Columbia University, where Abe is a full professor of mathematics.
Later in the season, the Maisels and Weissmans visit Steiner’s Resort in the Catskill Mountains for their summer vacation. While there, Abe learns about Midge’s stand-up career. Soon after, he and Rose discover that their son, Noah (Will Brill), is working for the CIA. Midge becomes romantically involved with a surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg (Zachary Levi), whom she meets at the station. Benjamin has a much more positive reaction to Midge’s career as a stand-up comedian and eventually asks Abe for permission to marry his daughter.
Meanwhile, Joel quits his job at Tri-Borough Plastics in Season 1 and begins helping his parents with their business in Season 2. After his father gives him $60,000 and tells him to find his purpose, Joel decides to start a club. Midge’s career chart continues to rise, despite attempts to sabotage it from Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch), a seasoned comedian who wears a big costume during her acts. In the season finale, Midge accepts an offer to open for famed African-American singer Shy Baldwin on American and European tours, without even thinking about her future fiancé. The second season finale ends with Midge showing up at Joel’s house, looking for solace. They end up having sex.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3 Recap
By the time the third season begins, Midge has quit working at B. Altman and ended things with Benjamin with a letter. And Susie became Sophie’s manager. Abe quit his jobs at Columbia and Bell Labs. Overcoming many obstacles, Susie overcomes Sophie and arranges for her to star in a Broadway production of August Strindberg’s 1888 play “Miss Julie” opposite well-known actor Gavin Hawk (Cary Elwes ). However, on opening night, Sophie sabotages the production by reverting to her stand-up persona.
Rose rejects the money she receives from her family trust after falling out with her family. This puts more financial strain on her and Abe, and they reluctantly move in with Moishe and Shirley, who quickly get upset. Joel grows closer to Mei Lin (Stephanie Hsu), a Chinese-American woman who helps him with his club. She even helps him get a liquor license for the establishment.
Midge continues to thrive as a rising star in stand-up. She delivers one successful performance after another in Las Vegas, Nevada, opening for Shy. She also discovers that Shy is gay. When Joel comes for a visit, they get drunk. The next morning, they discover that they have remarried. This time, they decide to divorce as soon as possible. While Midge is in Florida, her parents come to stay with her, exhausted by the Maisels.
Abe meets Asher Friedman (Jason Alexander), an old friend and playwright who was forced into exile from New York after being accused of being a communist. Abe writes an article in the New York Times defending his friend and is later asked to become a theater critic for The Village Voice.
Midge returns to New York after Shy takes a break from touring. She saves Joel’s club on opening night by giving a spontaneous performance during a technical glitch. She also convinces Moishe to sell her and Joel’s apartment to her. Rose discovers she has a gift for Jewish matchmaking. Susie deals with her own gambling problems and convinces Joel to oversee Midge’s finances. As her mother dies, Susie must leave before Midge’s performance at the Apollo Theater, where Shy is expected to resume her tour.
For the first time in her career, Midge begins to have anxiety issues. Shy’s manager, Reggie (Sterling K. Brown), advises her to talk about Shy and the tour. During the routine, although she doesn’t outwardly mention that Shy is gay, she alludes to his girlish personality. He wins over the crowd, but she loses her spot on Shy’s tour. The season ends with Midge and Susie standing on the tarmac as Shy’s plane departs for Europe.
Read more: Where was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 filmed?
