One of the high points of the recently-held Golden Globes was Rachel Brosnahan winning Best Actress in a Comedy TV Series for her turn in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel . The luminous actor walked on to stage to collect her first major acting award, turned to the audience, and said, ‘Cool’. It’s impossible to not fall in love with Brosnahan — who I last saw buried into the ground in House of Cards — and by default her latest performance, that of a Jewish woman in 1958 who finds her calling as a stand-up comedian.
Amazon continues its tradition of pilot seasons, where the streaming service releases first episodes of potential series and then orders seasons — or not — based on response to the pilots alone. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel pilot is easily one of the year’s — and not just Amazon’s — best episodes, and begins with a peek into Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel’s perfect life: a husband, Joel (Michael Zegen), who she adores, a son she dotes on, and a plush apartment that’s only a few storeys below her parents’. Midge, like many American women in the 1950s, is content being a housewife, who occasionally takes notes at her husband’s amateurish attempts at stand-up comedy.
“You don’t really say ‘Hello’ to the audience. May be you should write a strong beginning,” she suggests to her hubby on the cab ride back after one of his performances — feedback he doesn’t take very kindly to. Her husband’s inability to appreciate constructive criticism, however, isn’t the worst thing about their relationship as Midge eventually finds out; Joel’s also having an affair with his secretary. Clueless about where her life is headed, Midge moves back in with her parents, who’re horrified at the idea of their daughter being on the cusp of a potential ‘divorce’.
A lot of this is captured in the first episode itself, which steadily builds up momentum, culminating in an explosive finale that has Midge take over the mic at The Gaslight Cafe in an act of drunken bravado, and discover an innate ability to crack up an audience. It’s a perfectly-tailored pilot, brimming with end-to-end tension and wit, and sailing on the performance of its lead actor. The rest of the season chronicles Midge’s life as she hones her craft as a stand-up — aided by Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), who urges Midge to take up comedy as a career — while dealing with disgruntled but well-meaning parents (both Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkie are adorable).
Watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is a bit like experiencing Mad Men through rose-tinted glasses, where Midge deals with crises like a 21st century woman. The show combines the kind of sappiness and humour that made creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Gossip Girls a fan favourite, and even though episodes two to eight never quite live up to the brilliance of the pilot, there’s enough potential here to root for future editions.
Besides, who wouldn’t want more of The Marvelous Miss Brosnahan?
The first season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is now streaming on Amazon India.
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