After a long, Covid-induced, hiatus, Amazon’s flagship series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back for its fourth season. Unfortunately for us, it’s also back with the same issues that plagued the series in its previous three seasons. When the show is focused on Midge or Susie (the great Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, respectively), the series feels light, whip smart, and funny. When the focus shifts to the various supporting characters who inhabit Midge’s life (and doesn’t include an appearance by either of the show’s two star ladies), the series begins to fall apart at the seams, as none of those characters can command the screen – or the script – like Midge and Susie.
It’s odd to me that we’re still spending significant amounts of time with Joel (Michael Zegen, who tries to make the best of a role that was thin at the start and has only grown thinner as his story has removed him further and further from Midge’s day-to-day life), Midge’s ex-husband, as he continues his quest to create a bustling night club in Chinatown (and romances Mei Lin (Stephanie Hsu, who continues to be wasted in the role). There’s absolutely zero reason we should continue to be invested in a character the series doesn’t find particularly interesting (he was a cad at the start and no amount of time spent with him has changed the character enough to make him worth our while). Ditto for Joel’s parents, who continue to pop up, complaining constantly (although Caroline Aaron’s turn as Shirley does add a bit of levity to a rather trying sequence in the season premiere surrounding a child’s birthday party). As for Abe (the great Tony Shalhoub, who is always a welcome sight, even if he’s under used as well) and Rose, Midge’s parents, well, showrunners Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino manage to concoct a reason for their continued presence in Midge’s life that works within the story. But again, when Midge isn’t in their immediate orbit, the series can’t justify their standalone scenes.
And that’s the central problem with the series: The show doesn’t really care all that much about anyone that isn’t Midge or Susie (and really, it only cares deeply about Midge). No one gets a satisfying arc outside of the pair. No one is a truly fleshed out character outside of the pair – and one could argue that Susie is much less three-dimensional than the titular Mrs. Maisel. This far into a series, with this large of a main cast, there should have been a great deal more character development than we’ve received. But here we are, four seasons in, and I couldn’t tell you anything about Moishe (that’s Joel’s father, played by Kevin Pollak), other than that he loves to complain about, well, everything.
That’s not to say I don’t still enjoy the series – I do. I just don’t find it electric like it was when it began. And there are some killer moments within the first two episodes screened for critics that showed flashes of what made the series a hit back in the beginning (surprise, surprise, they involve scenes with Midge and Susie). But outside of the great work of Brosnahan and Borstein (who have such clear control over their characters that the rapid-fire dialogue flows from them and feels genuine), there’s not much left to recommend of the series. Midge is once again trying to rebuild her career. Susie is scrambling to make money – for herself and her sole client. And we’re going in narrative circles, watching the pair bounce off their respective supporting characters and try to keep their heads – and the story – above water. You can practically see the writing straining under the weight of a narrative that wants to move forward but can’t because if Midge ever did truly make it, well, the series would be over.
As a fun distraction, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fits the bill. But the series has certainly lost its narrative luster in this fourth season. The cast remains top notch, but the story drags when it isn’t centered around Midge – which is a problem a series at this stage of life shouldn’t have. And the comedy? Well, the stand-up still isn’t particularly funny. But the fast-talking scenes between Midge and Susie still pack a punch. The rest of the series? Not so much. I wish the show had taken the time to either excise some of the superfluous characters or pare down their roles to help streamline the story to focus on what Sherman-Palladino and Co. want the series to be about: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Unfortunately, it wants to have its cake and eat it, too. Which makes for a muddled series that could be much stronger.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres on Amazon on February 18. Two episodes will be released each week, with eight total in the season. The first two episodes were provided for critics.
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