The TV thread

My wife and I just started episode 5. The show doesn't really have a point anymore, but it's amusing and great to look at.

 

Sprint Series had fifteen seconds when I worked for NASCAR. Plenty of time to whack any F-Bombs from Rainbow Boy's crew and not ruin any childhoods.

I wish I could like Mrs. Maisel. When Tony Shalhoub ranted, "Why did we go through all this?" at the end of season one, I agreed with him. She seemed like a precious, slightly mean precursor to Lorelei and Rory. (Barf! Barf! Barf! Barf!) The only Amy Sherman-Palladino-helmed series I liked was Bunheads. Maybe it was because Sutton Foster didn't make me want to throw things at the TV.

Have just finished After Life. Ricky Gervais still reigns as the king of cringe. It's beautifully written and he nails grief and depression. Like his other series, everyone seems broken in some way. Part of me wishes I hadn't watched it and part of me is glad I did because it loosened up some emotional gears that have been stuck for a while. As the kids say, it could be triggering for some people.

 

He has won an Emmy for season 2. But he was great in this season.

Spoiler: spoiler for Friday's episodes

And we finally got the Midge-Lenny payoff, plus the hint on what kills him.

Also, please give Marin Hinkle an Emmy for the scene where she recreates Midge's comedy routine while hypnotized because that was GREAT.

Also great: the scene where Abe describes taking Catholic communion. I was dying.

Mostly, this season didn't really stand out to me. It feels like a whole lot of middle - they're obviously going to take Midge huge next season, so this season, she settled for the strip club.

Also, FYI, when the show premiered, here was the synopsis:

"It's 1958 Manhattan and Miriam "Midge" Maisel has everything she's ever wanted: the perfect husband, kids, and an Upper West Side apartment. But when her life suddenly takes a turn and Midge must start over, she discovers a previously unknown talent, one that will take her all the way from the comedy clubs of Greenwich Village to a spot on Johnny Carson's couch."
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So I'm expecting the Gordon Ford show plays a very strong role in next season.

 

In terms of the last couple of Maisel episodes:

Spoiler

The chemistry between Midge and Lenny is off the charts. I think that using a real life character instead of a fictional amalgam hurts the show because of what happens to him. I still don’t get her journey this season or what the last scene was supposed to mean other than she is going to be on the guy from Veep’s talk show.

The best character for me this season was Kevin Pollak as Moishe. A flawless performance.

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I thought it was a kind of wild flex that, for a show that's kind of about women's empowerment and struggles:

Spoiler

The final episode and big speech of the season basically boiled down to a guy telling Midge to get her shit together. And, said guy is a morphine / heroin addict.

It just kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. The whole season was kind of meandering and mostly unnecessary. The show has basically become Gilmore Girls on that huge Amazon budget. The characters of the show don't live in reality in the slightest, which can be OK, but if that's the case, I don't think we need multiple episodes of them worrying about money.

 

Dodging around spoilers ...

I just look upon the show as point-in-time glimpses now. I'm OK with it not going from Point A to Point B. I just think the acting and dialogue makes it well worth the watch.

 

It is the world's most expensive and exquisite marshmallow to me. I enjoy it, but at the end of the day, it's just so slight.

 

Plot and continuity have never been ASP’s strong point. In an 8 episode season with so many characters to feed, it seems like most of them are going to go unserved, especially with all of the Busby Berkeley choreography. I just don’t find Susie that interesting and her plot often makes no sense (2 of her 3 clients by the end are people who she accidentally watched perform for maybe 45 combined seconds and she’s always so busy but she never appears to be scouting talent or making deals).

 

The Amazon blank check on the show over the years is kind of crazy. The scenes in Paris, Rose’s family which took all of maybe 10 minutes, the summer resort, the wedding this year, etc.

 

It extends to their other shows - The Pack, which is basically The Amazing Race but with dogs; The Wilds. It's the sole reason I'm excited to see that Lord of the Rings show, because I kind of doubt I'm going to be into the story.

 

Really looking forward to HBO's "Barry" returning next month. Such a great show. Big fan of NoHo Hank.

"You know the song "Fly Like an Eagle" performed by Seal on the Space Jam soundtrack?"

 

I thought the first season was so good and the ending was so perfect that I didn’t want them to ruin it with more episodes. Season 2 was really good but I wonder how much more they can go with the show.