What better night to review the third season of Mrs. Maisel (on Amazon Prime Video) - the third night of Chanukah - and, at the same time, Christmas Eve! I loved all three seasons, and it may be because my wife and I just finished watching this, but I loved this season the best. The acting was brilliant, hilarious, and better than ever!
Just some story highlights, and some analyses and questions below -
- Mrs. Maisel and Lenny Bruce- why didn't she sleep with him? It looked like he wanted to. She's definitely attracted to him. So ... she didn't want to do anything that might somehow throw her career off-course? (I won't say of course, just off-course, because of course I'm not sure.) But it is ironic, given what happened at the end.
- Fact-checking and continuity: Abe talks about an op-ed in The New York Times - but it's 1960 or 1961, and, hey, even if was 1965 that would be wrong. The first New York Times op-ed didn't appear until 1970. (Ok, I'm a Professor of Communication and Media Studies - at Fordham University - so I would know this. But, memo to Mrs. Maisel production - get your details right.)
- I'm still trying to decide what ratio of Johnny Mathis and Jackie Wilson best describes Shy Baldwin? I'm thinking maybe 80% Mathis? Not 100%, because, on occasion, Shy has a nice burst of rock in his singing.
- Regarding Shy, my wife called it that Midge went over the top with her jokes which came too close to outing Shy. I was thinking if you didn't already know it, you might just think she was riffing on his effeminate elan (didn't Saturday Night Live once have an hilarious skit on the effeminate heterosexual?). In any case, what happened was Susie's fault for not being there to calm Midge down. And once she's up on stage, a different part of her brain takes over - a part that bounces ideas around like basketballs, and makes her brilliant, but which doesn't think of consequences.
- Susie at least came through for Midge with Midge's money. But now that Shy's contract is gone, what she will use as collateral?
All of this has the makings for a great fourth season, which I'll 100% be reviewing! Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
It all started in the hot summer of 1960, when Marilyn Monroe walked off the set of The Misfits and began to hear a haunting song in her head, "Goodbye Norma Jean" ... Marilyn and Monet
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