With an episode title like “The Pirate Queen,” I was genuinely intrigued, though admittedly, I did not have Midge getting arrested in international waters for piracy and assault on my bingo card.
But am I surprised? Not entirely. Midge Maisel is capable of everything and anything—and this episode was proof, as it was chock full of surprising developments that were equally as eyebrow-raising as her arrest (not the first, nor the last, I’m sure).
Speaking of arrests, the episode kicked off giving by fans a glimpse at the year 1987, revealing that Joel is in prison.
Midge is paying him a visit, so it’s nice to see that they are still on friendly terms and haven’t missed a beat despite the whole being behind bars thing. At this point, Midge is already quite famous, which works in Joel’s favor as he’s seemingly the popular guy in prison handing out signed photographs to his fellow inmates.
This is a different Joel, however. It’s a guy who has been through some things and learned his lesson the hard way, though it’s not exactly clear what landed him in this spot. He seems to suggest that looking out for Midge is what landed him in prison, and given what we know about 1961, it might be that he crossed Frank and Nicky, the mobsters that own Susie. Then again, his risqué supper club lifestyle could’ve simply led to this moment— we won’t know for certain until later in the season.
Midge’s children might not be too supportive of her career, but Joel seems smitten, pushing Midge to get back to her comedy rather than selling wigs, which is apparently her new business venture in the future timeline. Midge assures him it’s lucrative, but it’s all just so she doesn’t have to tell him he’s right and make up with Susie. Whatever caused their rift, you know it must be overblown if even Joel is urging Midge to reconcile, while also proving that the two of them need each other.
Again, we have no idea what transpired between Midge and Susie, but I’m sure we’ll find out sooner rather than later.
There are some other takeaways from their brief meeting—Midge and Joel are grandparents to baby Rose (I’m assuming Ethan’s daughter) and Midge’s mom, Rose Weissman, is no longer alive.
We’re more than halfway through the final season, and it feels so, well, final. And the future is just so different from what I imagined it would be, that I’m having mixed feelings. I like season 5 a lot, but I kind of wish we got a happy ending rather than the practical and realistic turn of events that we’re getting.
It’s also unclear if Joel and Midge are back together in the future (the chemistry is there), nor is it clear what their passionate kiss meant in the ’60s. Yep, I said kiss. I’m conflicted about this one because when Maisel first premiered, I was upset about his cheating and their breakup, but have come to appreciate their co-parenting and friendship over time. It’s rare to see exes on such friendly terms, quite frankly, so it’s refreshing.
The split has been good for them. If they stayed together, they would’ve ended up resenting each other, but by going off and doing their own thing, they’ve been able to flourish into their best selves and pursue their respective interests, unconventional as they may be for the time period. And they are both supportive of each other’s endeavors, which may have not been the case if they were married.
It’s been such a good arrangement, in fact, that I like them more as friends than romantic partners, so the kiss threw me for a loop and made me question everything—were they simply caught up in the moment or are they actually willing to give things another try?
We don’t get any more clarification on the matter as Midge goes about business per usual, eventually accepting a dinner date with Gordon Ford. You’ve got to give it to that man—he’s persistent. Under normal circumstances, I think Gordon’s charms would’ve been effective on Midge, but she’s a woman on a mission, and she’s not going to let some man—even the host of the #1 talk show in America—get in her way.
I applaud her for the speech where she informed him that if she slept with him, all her hard work would be reduced to nothing; she’d just be Gordon Ford’s girlfriend and that’s not what anyone wants. But most importantly, if she got on the show after sleeping with him, she’d never know if she deserved any of it, and that’s why Midge is destined for greatness. She doesn’t want to win by cheating—she wants to earn it and prove herself.
The one last dance at the end was truly sweet, and a nice way to wrap up a “what could have been.” It felt final. Midge spoke her peace and Gordon accepted it.
Men are just pining over Midge left and right—she’s got that spark and that confidence.
And she most definitely has the attitude, which is what landed her in hot water in the first place following the cruise in New York with the Ditty Diaper reps.
Midge’s show was an absolute hoot, but when she saw one of the men getting a little too handsy with a waitress, she decided to step in and things escalated rather aggressively.
Who knew Midge was the original “me too” movement originator? The man is lucky that all it cost him was his little suit and personal belongings because if this were the present day, he would’ve been blasted on social media!
Midge’s problem has always been that she doesn’t know when to stop, but in this case, she was definitely doing the right thing by speaking up for the waitress and calling out men who feel “protected” by their power.
Midge would’ve definitely been in more trouble, however, if Gordon hadn’t taken a liking to her, so there are definitely perks to being pretty and desired.
There wasn’t a lot of crossover with Midge and Susie as the latter spent most of the episode proving that she’s the best and baddest—and most sought-after—manager in all of New York. She tracked down an agent, and then a film producer, following him right to his bath house, so that she could convince him to cast her budding comedian in his film. Her play was a little questionable as she told David Weston not to hire her client since he’d make her more money on tour, but it proved that Susie has always had a knack for this. She knows how to play the game and say the right thing; by telling Weston to let her talent go, she created the demand. And Weston took the bait, hiring an unknown for his upcoming highly-anticipated film and contributing to Susie’s total domination as an agent.
I guess I’m just wondering why she was able to get this done for a new client, but Midge is still a writer on the Gordon Ford Show. If Susie has all this power, along with a line of potential clients pouring into her office hoping for a moment of her time, why isn’t she able to do more for Midge?
As I said, there wasn’t a moment wasted during the episode, and somehow they even managed to squeeze in Zelda and Janusz’s wedding at the Weissman household. None of the couple’s family were able to attend, which was so often the story for immigrants who gave up everything to create a life for themselves and their future families in the U.S.
And while their nuptials were as sweet as can be, Abe and Rose couldn’t help themselves when part of Janusz’s vows suggested that Zelda would never have to work another day in her life. The Maisel family has relied on her for so long, they’ve become incapable of doing anything for themselves. The poor woman had to teach them how to vacuum on her wedding day, hoping to set them up for success, but fully knowing that they would never master household chores, cooking, and anything else, as they’ve lived a genuinely privileged life all these years.
Things are changing so rapidly, it’s hard to wrap your head around it all, but that’s life, and somehow, the series creators and writers managed to capture that essence this season perfectly.
What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying the final season thus far?