The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, a platform-defining programme for Prime Video, made its last bow
with a series finale so significant that it had not one, not two, but three alternative
endings.
This is after five seasons, 43 episodes, six decades spent on screen, and innumerable chuckles.
After five seasons, are you curious how The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel resolves everyone's
plots?
Are you curious about Midge's big break?
Or how does the show say farewell to Joel, Abe (Tony Shalhoub), Rose (Main Hinkle), and
Lenny Bruce of course?
Decider's finale is detailed in the explanation.
There are significant spoilers coming, so beware.
However, other from that, TITS UP!
Finale Summary Lenny Bruce's cough opens the last episode
of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel.
The excellent comic is having a bad 1965 performance in San Francisco, which will be his penultimate.
A concerned Susie can be seen watching from the back of the room as he begins performing
a folk dance on stage after fumbling through court paperwork, mumbling his lines, and missing
his own parts.
What I witnessed outdoors this evening was abhorrent.
After the performance, Susie, who is now in charge of Dick Gregory, Phyllis Diller, and
Eartha Kitt, tells him, "You can do better than that.
"Lenny Bruce, you are.
There will always be only one of you.
Let's retrieve him.
Lenny, a shadow of his old self, refuses the invitation but does inquire of Susie as to
whether Midge is present.
Susie responds "no," and as she steps outside, she sees Midge smoking uncomfortably.
Midge asks, "Well?"
“No.
Miriam, he's a wreck.
Do you want to enter? says Susie.
Midge, crushed, declines.
And Susie promises to make another effort to reach him when she is in Los Angeles the
following month.
The next thing we know, Midge is getting Susie out of jail after she attacked police officers
in a park, and we're back in New York in 1961.
(At the conclusion of Episode 8, she received an urgent call.)
Susie ultimately discusses their past as they have coffee after revealing she begged Hady
to get Midge on The Gordon Ford Show.
It turns out that Hady and Susie were involved at Pembroke, but Susie was heartbroken when
Hady left for Paris during her junior year and returned engaged.
When Midge gets home, Rose claims her coworkers have phoned six times to ask where she is.
When Midge changes into a new outfit, returns to the writers' room, and phones the boys,
she finds out that Mike was calling because Gordon needs to see Midge.
She encounters Gordon, who is in a supercharged frame of mind.
OK, you've won.
He screams, obviously furious that Midge forced Hady to vouch for her, "You're on the show...tonight."
After a quick change of clothes, she dashes to inform the authors before going to Susie's
office.
After a brief celebration, Midge phones Joel to extend an invitation to the play (to which
Joel has just heard that his parents are not getting divorced!).
He's thrilled and gives her the go-ahead to mock him on air (such growth!
), but after Midge gets up the phone, she discovers pigeon poop on her show outfit.
As a result, Dinah goes to Bergdorfs to pick up the clothes she had on hold.
Midge eventually gets through to her dad while working on her act, and he assures her that
he will bring her mother to the studio on time.
Abe takes a time to tell Midge how fantastic the accomplishment is before hanging up the
phone (still buzzed from his emotional breakthrough in Episode 8).
Rose refuses to watch the show even though he asks her to get dressed as he hurries home
because Midge didn't contact her.
Rose puts up the phone after realising it has been ringing nonstop all day, and immediately
Joel, Shirley, Zelda, and the Gordon Ford Show writers call to tell her the news.
She and Abe rush to hail a cab to go to 30 Rock but discover that everyone is in the
middle of a shift change and won't take them, so they board a "harrowing" bus and make it
there just in time.
Your lucky numbers are 46, 24, 11, 6, and 5, a cryptic fortune reads as Midge flips
through her notebook while honing her performance.
Before Gordon enters to introduce another visitor, astronaut Alan Shepard, to the programme,
she reads it, smiles, and tucks it into her dress close to her heart.
Midge's fancy clothing is seen by Gordon, who informs her that she will not be performing;
rather, she will be participating on the show to answer a few questions about being a writer.
Midge, Susie, and Mike object, but Gordon is certain that the sofa is for actual visitors
and even orders his workers to bring out a STOOL for Midge.
Wait…What Steps Does Midge Take to Get Her Big Break?
To make Midge's guest appearance seem less spectacular, Gordon introduces her as his
"resident lady writer," attempts to fill the time by chatting about himself, and has the
other of his authors appear on camera.
Gordon cuts to commercial four minutes early as Midge laughs, and as she's about to concede
defeat, her glance catches the microphone.
Midge informs Susie that she still has four minutes.
"I'm considering doing something risky that may be really disastrous for the two of us.
It may destroy us.
Definitely me, and indirectly you.
How do you feel?
According to Susie, Midge began her career by standing up on a stage without anyone's
permission and speaking a lot of garbage that no one wanted her to say.
So that's it, she says.
"Tits up," Midge repeats.
When the programme resumes after the break, Gordon asks Midge why the coffee in the writers'
room is so wonderful.
Midge responds, "Fun fact: I'm not truly a writer, so I wouldn't know.
I work as a comic.
She ignores instructions, takes the stage, and gives an incredible performance that covers
her family, her divorce, her transition from housewife to comic, life as a single woman,
her goals, and her children.
She even remembers to thank Bergdorfs so they'll pay for her dress.
a symbol.
After a six-minute performance (and far longer than four minutes of airtime), thunderous
ovation, and a final "THANK YOU, AND GOODNIGHT," Gordon brings Midge to the sofa, introduces
her as "The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel," and then dismisses her.
The series might have simply ended there, but it didn't.
How Does The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel Bid Lenny Bruce Farewell?
The camera moves down to a Chinese restaurant in the snow as we advance in time by six months.
Lenny and Midge are inside, still dressed for the Season 4 finale, fulfilling Lenny's
pledge to take Midge out for "some truly terrible Chinese food" after doing "some very blue
things in that very blue room."
They are conversing casually in a booth.
Lenny asks for the check as Midge practises writing her autograph.
He agrees with her when she says it's been a lovely night.
She then inquires as to why he is so certain of her future fame.
"It's just a hunch," he claims.
"I witnessed your deed.
I saw you elude a police pursuit.
You are quite talented.
Lenny takes Midge's fortune cookie when the fortune cookies are delivered.
He reads from the little piece of paper, "Allow me," he says.
He then says, "The spotlight waits for you centre stage," which causes Midge's eyes to
shine.
"All you have to do is step up and claim it," he says.
"When you do, everyone will be aware of your identity.
They'll be familiar with your intelligence, wit, grin, and expressive eyes.
They won't be able to resist your charms.
They'll prostrate themselves at your feet and worship you and your show corset at the
altar.
Midge snatches the fortune from his hands only to discover that he completely made up
the message and that it is blank.
It simply reads, "YOUR LUCKY NUMBERS ARE 46, 24, 11, 6, & 5."
When she finally had her big break, she retained the riches all those months and held Lenny
dear to her heart.
(I am sobbing, yes!)
"You better take notes.
You will shortly, not too long from now, be paying for the Chinese cuisine," Lenny predicts.
Again, that VERY WELL COULD have signalled the end of
the series.