It’s all over, folks, and what journey! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 8 concluded the season on a medium note (i.e., neither high nor low). 

Midge slept with Lenny, and then he chewed her out for self-sabotaging. This season has been about Midge finally getting back on the horse after The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3, so the question we’re left with is, will she?

Meanwhile, we had a few fun cameos and new characters this season and new plots, twists, turns, etc. 

TV Fanatic staff Becca Newton, Mary Littlejohn, Mike Stack, and I will go over how the season ended, what we liked, didn’t like, and what we want to see next.

Do you feel that Abe, a Jew, accidentally going into a church and accidentally taking communion went too far? How do you think Jewish audiences will feel about it?

Becca: No, and I imagine reactions will be diverse, with some finding it funny and some not. 

Mary Littlejohn: Isn’t the general Rabbi consensus that Jews should never enter churches? So for him to go one step further and take communion seems pretty audacious.

However, Abe doesn’t believe in God, so I think he’s probably just worried about other community members finding out.

I’m not Jewish, and I don’t know what I could compare the situation to that I could fully comprehend its gravity, so I’m not sure how Jewish audiences would feel!

Mike Stack: I’m not sure how audiences will feel, but I agree with Becca, it’ll be mixed with some finding it funny and some (possibly) finding it offensive.

Leora W: I am Jewish, and I found it incredibly offensive, hence my asking the question in the first place.

Mary, you are right about not going into a church, and while some might say there are situations where exceptions can be made, this was not one of them.

Also, I find it interesting how abe is so adamant that he doesn’t believe in G-d, but he won’t flush “the body of Christ” down the toilet. That’s a double standard if I ever heard one. 

What is going to happen with Mei and Joe? Will she convert, have the baby, marry Joel, and live happily ever after, or will it all fall apart?

Becca: I think Mei and Joel will fall apart. What Mary said in the previous round table about Mei having an abortion and Mei and Joel not being on the same page remains plausible. 

Mary Littlejohn: Yep, I’m sticking with my original theory. I think she’s going to cut her losses and terminate the pregnancy. She will choose her career over life with Joel. It sucks, but I feel like that’s where this is going. 

Mike Stack: I agree with Mary. I doubt she will convert, have the baby, and live happily ever after. They’ll try, but they won’t succeed.

Leora W: I don’t expect Mei to convert, nor would I want her to. I don’t want her to have the baby, but I worry about the risk of getting an abortion in the 60s, both legally and medically (primarily medically).

However, I’m not convinced that she and Joel won’t end up together despite all this. They have a lot working against them right now, but I’m not ready to give up on them. Call me an optimist. Or maybe I just don’t want to believe it’s over.

Lenny and Midge had sex. React.

Becca: I’m still swooning. It was the perfect blend of comedy, fantasy, romance, and sexiness.

Mary Littlejohn: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! 

You can’t deny their chemistry. The whole scene leading up to it was FIRE. I loved her practical approach to it, too. And his little jokes to keep it from getting too serious. It was just a perfect culmination of what’s been building between them.

I don’t think they’ll end up dating — I think they will keep being friends who occasionally sleep together. That’s all it can be, and if they are both okay with that, well, then great.

Mike Stack: I loved it! So much. As mentioned, it blended everything perfectly. I’m excited to see if they’ll be any awkwardness in the future (and knowing Midge, there will be).

Leora W: I have so many mixed feelings here. I’ve always been reluctant to ship them because Lenny Bruce was a real person, and Midge is 100% fictional, so to re-write his history like that seems weird and wrong somehow.

Aside from that, unless they re-write history completely, this story won’t have a happy ending. I just never thought the show would go there. That being said, that scene was excellent and had me shipping them. Damn, you show!

Milo Ventimiglia played a bad guy for once. How do we feel about that?

Becca: Has he never played a bad guy? I haven’t seen everything he has acted in.

Am I disappointed he didn’t play a character similar to Jess from Gilmore Girls? I’m not. It’s good to see the creators casting actors they worked with before as characters, unlike ones the actors previously played.

As for the role itself, you know the saying — “There are no small parts, only small actors.” 

Mary Littlejohn: I’m just disappointed he was only in it for all of five minutes. He’s handsome.

Mike Stack: I also wish he was in it more. I liked him in the role and wished we saw more!

Leora W: It was surreal because Milo Ventimiglia always plays a good guy. Gilmore Girls, Heroes, This Is Us, plus minor roles and film credits; I’ve never seen him play a villain.

It wasn’t bad. He played the part well. It was just an overall different experience.

Should he have been in it more? Well, that depends. If he was going to play the role of the sleazy married guy Midge hooks up with, I think he was in it exactly as long as he needed to be. That story didn’t need to be expanded on.

However, do I think it would have been nice to see the actor in a role where he got more screen time? Always.

Is Lenny right about Midge hiding at the burlesque club?

Becca: Yes. Midge is afraid of failure, and she thinks of The Wolford as a place where she can’t fail.

Mary Littlejohn: Agreed. Though she has made a lot of positive impacts, she’s already gone as far as she can go there, and now it’s closed anyway, so she can’t go back even if she wanted to.

Mike Stack: Oh, he’s 100% correct! She’s afraid she’ll fail anywhere else, and she doesn’t want to hear that either. She’s hiding from her chance at success, which of course, involves failing.

Leora W: Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it as hiding until Lenny said it, but it makes sense. 

Did Midge hear Susie and Lenny about her career? Do you think she’s going to make some changes, and if so, what? Will she open for Tony Bennet?

Becca: Yes. I don’t know if she’ll open for Tony Bennet, but Midge’s goal going forward seems to be to get on late-night TV. 

Mary Littlejohn: I think it’s a shame that Lenny had to basically tell her the same thing Susie did before it clicked with her. MIdge needs to keep working.

It’s good to know what you want for yourself, but how does it advance your career if it means not working at all?

She doesn’t have to sell out; she just has to adjust depending on her audience, as she did with Jackie Kennedy (until that went pear-shaped).

Mike Stack: I don’t know. I think she’s finally coming to her senses about what she needs to do to advance her career, but I don’t know if she’s ready to do it. She still wants to hide. Making a change will be difficult for her; I hope she can do it.

Leora W: I think she’ll listen to Lenny, and it’s about time. She needed that kick in the pants, and Lenny did an excellent job giving it to her.

Who was your favorite new addition to the cast and/or plotline this year?

Becca: Gabe and the rest of The Village Voice crew — I wish we had gotten more of them. 

Mary Littlejohn: The whole gang at the Wolford — Bunny, Gloria, Bunny, Boise, and the rest of them. I’m sad that they got shut down because I’m pretty sure that means they won’t be back next season!

Mike Stack: Definitely the Village Voice! I loved the plot itself and everyone there, and I agree with Becca — I wish we had gotten more.

Leora W: Dinah, Alfie, and everyone at the voice was excellent, but my bias for Santino Fontana will show here. Every time I saw Boise on screen, I had to smile.

Who was the MVP of the episodes?

Becca: Rose for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 7 and Lenny for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 8.

Mary Littlejohn: Becca, you beat me to it! Marin Hinkle was unreal in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 7 — so good! And Lenny absolutely made The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 8.

Mike Stack: I’d have to agree with both of you! They split the MVP ranking for these episodes instead of one person for both!

Leora W: It’s unanimous. 

What was your favorite scene, quote, etc.?

Becca: Besides the Midge and Lenny scenes, I loved Moishe’s reaction to Abe’s eulogy because the show didn’t undercut the sentiment for laughs. 

Mary Littlejohn: I was in tears at the end of Abe’s eulogy!! It was so beautifully played between the two of them.

Midge’s final set at the Wolford is a series highlight for me, and I’m still reflecting on it. “Are women more important than God?” My mom was a nurse, and to have women’s emotional labor so poignantly expressed and acknowledged gave me chills. 

Mike Stack: I agree with Mary; that quote/scene gave me chills! But, my favorite scenes had to have been the scenes with Midge and Lenny. Their chemistry is just electric.

Leora W: Definitely the Midge and Lenny stuff, and Midge’s set about women holding men up and being G-d.

How did you feel about the season overall, and what do you want to see next season?

Becca: Overall, I feel good about the season. The pacing could have been better. There were too many storylines, and many of them could have been resolved now instead of pushing the payoff to next season.

Despite that, I enjoyed the season, remain invested in the characters, and look forward to what comes next. 

Mary Littlejohn: Agreed. It was super fun and entertaining but uneven and with minimal resolution.

I’m sad we only get one more season, but I like that the show will go out on its own terms and not outstay its welcome, giving the writers a chance to conclude the story in a satisfying way (hopefully).

I’m not a fan of the two episodes a week for only four weeks. Putting out once a week over eight weeks would have felt like we were getting more content without actually getting more, if that makes sense? Well, it’ll be fun to rewatch.

Mike Stack: I enjoyed the season even with its many faults. Nothing happened to resolve any storylines. I’m happy that even though we only get one more season, it seems like it’s a planned ending.

I hope everything gets wrapped up (semi)nicely, unlike the end of this season.

Leora W: I loved it and wished it were longer. The ending didn’t have a lot of resolution, but it sort of fit.

I’m excited about the final season but scared because of who the writers are. I want Midge to make it in her career, find love, a true Hollywood ending, realism be damned! 

Over to you TV Fanatics. Do you agree with us?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is streaming on Amazon Prime.

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