Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Episode 2.08 "Someday..."
Midge and Susie gear up for their first road trip, and quickly learn that the dynamics of going on tour are more challenging than they thought. Back in New York, it's business as usual while Midge is away, forcing her to wonder if her new life is worth sacrificing her home life.
In 2018, it makes no sense to provide full-length reviews of each individual episode for shows released all at once on the streaming services. Sure, there are some shows out there that value the power of the episode. They do make a point in differentiating each episode to ensure it's not just one big slog to the finish. However, the ability to watch the entire season at one's own viewing pace has largely changed the way we consume and discuss these shows. So, some brief summary thoughts are really all that's actually necessary with these seasons. As such, here are my latest thoughts on the next episode of Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
"Someday..." was written by Kate Fodor and directed by Jamie Babbit
Midge absolutely has been a privileged character. She has only had to fleetingly care about other people with responsibilities that could disrupt her perfect life. She has always been able to rely on the family money. She can go off to the Catskills for two months without worrying about what will happen back home. She is choosing to go into comedy because it has become a passion of hers. She only somewhat understands the financial burden all of this has put onto Susie though. Her manager has bent over backwards to be more than accommodating for her star client. She knows how much potential Midge has to go far in this business. In fact, they line up their first road tour here because bookers have seen Midge perform and want her for clubs across the country. It's just a small trip that encompasses D.C. and Pennsylvania before returning to New York. But it's also enough to point out that Midge isn't made for roughing it. There is a lot of fascinating story that can come from being out on the road. It can be so illuminating and fun to experience the many different facets of this country. But the constant traveling and staying in crummy hotels can be a burden too. It's even more so for Midge because she is accustomed to a certain standard. That means that she can come across as entitled when the entire episode is about how privileged she is. She understands the importance of going out on the road. She just never thought about the practical reality of it. She never had to learn how to drive because she was a city girl. She never had to worry about getting paid so that she can afford her life. She never really had to plan things out so that she could remain committed to everything she wants to do. Here, she doesn't realize that she'll be on the road during Imogene's baby shower. She is even hosting that event in her parents' apartment. That's something that she just decided. It wasn't a conversation that she had with them. At least, it wasn't something that was big enough of a deal to feature onscreen. Moreover, Midge believes she can just call in to the event and offer her apologizes with that being good enough. That comes after she let Imogene in on her new life and promised that it wouldn't change their friendship at all. Plus, she fully expects the apartment to be back to normal when she comes back home. It's not. This is a mess that she created. Rose is absolutely in the right to expect Midge to clean it up. It doesn't matter just how awful her day has been. This entire tour has been somewhat of a disaster too. None of these gigs went according to plan. It shows that it's still rough for her out there. Even when she has a solid show back in the city, Susie struggles with getting paid by the manager of the club. As such, they have to rely on Joel to come down and knock some sense into him. That shows just how traditional Midge can still be. She still expects men to take care of things for her. She strives for a sense of independence. But she also yearns for her children to remember her even though she's only been gone for a few days. That's another thing that is important to point out. She has never had to worry about caring for Ethan and Esther. It's always been presented that she's a loving mother. But she hasn't had to be personally responsible for them because she always had someone who could conveniently care for them. She still has that now with her family. She has the freedom to go on this comedy tour. They are all letting her go out and chase her dream. They are just operating under the assumption that it won't change the responsibilities that she already committed to. Midge continues to hope that she will get a free pass. She won't. She is just now starting to see the reality of the situation. That can be a frustrating quality though. As such, this hour feels like a slight speed bump for the second season because of how privileged the main character comes across.
