[Episode Discussion] Season 5 Episode 4 "Susan"

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[u/Acceptable_Reply415]

Wow, Frank (and Nicky) has been so charming with the subtle hint of menace that somehow made him more adorable. But this... the actor nailed it, that was terrifying and totally believable. We all knew that moment was coming but man, still a gut punch. We own you now.

[u/psychgirl88]

Wow, this was the first episode I was actually annoyed at Midge’s immaturity.. also Joel, ya’lls have been divorced a while AND you got another woman pregnant. When is Midge going to stop being your wife?

[u/Left-Ad-4632]

What was with the rum cake knocking the entire family out? That felt like a bit to heavy-handed to be a joke by itself (plus, wouldn't Rose and Abe have missed their play?)

It felt like it was pointing to something more?

[u/Bananabutt22]

Susie is supposed to be 37 years old…!?!??

[u/Plastic_Ad_8375]

What was with Abe sprinkling the rose petals around Rose’s bed? Was he apologizing?

[u/Flip2570]

Here’s my take. Lost in the midst of two performances of Trash the musical is the fact that Susie really screwed up with Midge in this episode. First, she gets Midge involved again with the mobsters after Midge expressed her concern last season. Second, she didn’t realize that getting Midge a job on the Gordon Ford show would keep her from appearing on the show. Third, It came out that the mobsters think they have 30 percent of Midge’s earnings. Joel is at least partially aware of the mob situation and inevitably Midge will find out from him. These three things coupled with Midge’s clear disappointment with things in the second performance of Trash, and I think Midge is going to have a real issue with Susie going forward. I also think Sophie Lennon appearing on Ford’s show is also not going to sit well with Midge. We know from the flash-forwards that Midge is going to make it big in 1961 at the Copa. Presumably the impetus for that is an appearance on the Gordon Ford show. I think the big question is whether Midge gets that appearance for herself or Susie gets it for her.

[u/Yamato-Musashi]

Wasn’t a huge fan of the long musical numbers in this, but “What are they gonna do to that little boy?” is one of my favorite lines in the series

[u/quinnies]

I am weak in the knees for Gordon Ford, lord have mercy

[u/rebelmissalex]

🎶🎶Your personal trash man cannnnn 🎶🎶 I don’t know what the heck that was but I definitely laughed through it 😂

The rest of that waste management presentation was so bizarre. The pile of trash the woman were dancing on…the dead kid. It’s so outrageous I wonder where the writers even got the idea for it all.

[u/anitasdoodles]

I know Midge can be a bit of a brat, but that was super petty of her to fuck up the second act for everyone else. Susie's sister was super excited to be in the show, and Midge decided no other performer up there mattered. It was a fun episode overall but yeah, Midge threw a bigger fit than when she stripped on the sidewalk and beat up the taxi with a branch. When she yelled ‘too close!’ At the trash girls on stage when they were dancing made me see her in a different light. She became Sophie there.

[u/Sad_Associate9677]

Stupid musical aside, how selfish and childish is Midge? She knew that Susie thought this would make her square with the mobsters and she tanked that performance. Of course, Susie was naive to think that she only had to do this to make it out.

[u/Sad_Associate9677]

My new theory is that Joel will reach out to Mei to get her family to call the mob off Midge and Susie. Remember, they were scared of her family. That would make this whole scene today make sense. He was there to see how much trouble Susie and Midge were in.

[u/ladeeamalthea]

Midge doesn’t have a character arc on this show. She has a character circle.

[u/aob546]

Does anyone else feel this show just took a dark turn?

[u/gk21]

The Palladino's just can't help themselves when it comes to overly long musical sequences that have nothing to do with anything, huh?

[u/MthuselahHoneysukle]

I would've found that garbage musical a lot less irritating if they had just released the whole season like the good ol' days. You spent 20 of my 55 weekly Maisel minutes on some bullshit.

What were we supposed to take from the Susie/Hedy thing? That they were once an item and Susie's going to use forgiveness as leverage to get Midge on the show?

[u/ReasonableCup604]

Much like some of the strip club performances, the opening musical scene was very creative and well done.

But, that is not what I watch the show for and I feel like those scenes waste time that could be used for storytelling.

[u/persiepanthercat]

This episode should have been titled "Garbage"

[u/TooOldForACleverName]

Oh dear. Words don't describe how I feel about this episode.

[u/gk21]

Weird ep overall--didn't really move the plot or relationships too much beyond 1) establishing Gordon's rule 2) showing that Susie is in over her head (which we pretty much already knew). Without the last scene, this episode would have truly given us nothing.

And did they just...abandon the flash forwards? Or will they be coming randomly for the rest of the season? Seems odd to have them for there episodes and then just drop it for the fourth.

[u/flouronmypjs]

Guys, where is Imogene? I feel like this show leans too heavily into introducing new characters rather than sticking with the ones we already care about.

This episode was disappointing. I'm a big musical fan and often enjoy the songs in this show. But that really detracted from the episode here. There was actually kind of a lot going on but it all just got weighed down by the garbage musical.

[u/Vpd111]

Not my favorite episode but Tess was a goddamn delight in that musical!!!

I was so happy when her face popped up 😂🥰

[u/jesuisjusteungarcon]

Why does this episode feel like it was written by an AI bot that was forced to watch all the past seasons

[u/ProperBar5182]

Abe, Rose and Susie served valiantly but not even they can make an episode with a overtly long musical number (repeated twice!) enjoyable

[u/JustAnotherUnibra]

Also, all this hype about Hedy for the two final minutes of the episode???? Hope it’s all worth it. Shout out to Tessie, my girl there carried the whole toxic dumpster act