The Marvelous Mrs Maisel season 4 episode 1 & 2 review: Rachel Brosnahan’s show is less funny, but not dull

3/5

Story: Miriam "Midge" Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) has lost her contract with the legendary Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain) after cracking a personal joke at the singer’s expense at one of her stand up gigs. Hopeless, she heads back to the city with her manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein).

Review:

The first episode Season 4 begins with where the last instalment left off. Midge, who opened Shy Baldwin’s shows with her comedy act, was thrown out of the rest of the tour, losing out on the first big opportunity of her life, after she cracked a joke he did not like.. 

Now as she is back in the town with her manager/friend Susie, she has only one place to go — her apartment that she bought back from her former father-in-law, Moishe Maisel (Kevin Pollak)

This season begins by showcasing how toxic the world can be, especially back in the day, for a divorced, working woman.

Midge shifts back to her apartment and asks her parents, Rose and Abe Weissman (played by Marin Hinkle and Tony Shalhoub respectively), to live with her after they lost their home in the last season. Her parents accept this offer but tell her to keep this a secret as it's shameful for them to be living with their divorced daughter. 

Meanwhile, Midge’s ex-husband Joel (Michael Zegen) seems to have recovered after finding himself at his lowest. He’s now more successful than ever in his bar business that he started a few months ago. Midge has lost her “everything has to be perfect” charm, but her ex gains it. 

However, towards the end of the second episode, Midge picks up her strength and strives to fulfil her aim to become the best comedian in the world.

Susie is seen fighting a legal battle with her small-time client Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch), the biggest female comedian of the decade, who failed as a theatre artist and landed in a mental institution. Yes! Shockingly weird, as I being a fan of this character would want to see more of her in the show.

The first two episodes left us nostalgic, as the latest season took its time to arrive. It also mirrored the reality of how a divorced woman used to be looked upon in society during the 50s. The laughs were less and so were the funny punches. The series returned to Amazon Prime after almost two years — high expectations from the new season of the Emmy Award-winning show were only met with (slight) disappointment.

Verdict:

The first two episodes of season 4 have been my least favourite of the entire series so far. However, judging by how the show has delivered in the past, it seems promising and not at all dull.