[Warning: this article contains spoilers, viewer discretion is advised]
Released on Amazon Prime Video in the spring of 2017, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a period piece that takes place in the late 1950s and early ‘60s starring Rachel Brosnahan and co-starring Alex Borstein.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also created the hit show Gilmore Girls, this series won a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in 2017 and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a five season show that follows our main character Midge Maisel as she goes through life as a female comedian in the ‘60s. She is a Jewish mother of two living in New York with her husband Joel in a wealthy apartment where she is happy and comfortable, but not for very long.
As soon as the show begins to settle the viewer in, she gets cheated on by her husband and ends up getting extremely intoxicated at a bar called The Gaslight. Here, she drunkenly gets on stage and tells all about her now ex-husband in a rough comedian act. Midge then meets her new best friend, slash agent, Susie Myerson and begins to really discover her talent. With her newfound ability, Maisel begins to realize that stand-up comedy is where her passion lies, even though everyone in her life seems to think she’s crazy. The show follows Midge as she attempts to make a name for herself in the big leagues as one of the biggest stand up comedians of her time.
Being a woman in the ‘60s was fairly difficult if you weren’t like everyone else. Being prim, proper, polite, and sweet were all things women were supposed to be. But the fact that Maisel was able to be all the things they wanted her to be, but also a little scandalous and vulgar, was such a revolutionary thing for other women in her world.
She changed the status quo for women and pioneered a culture where women can have careers to be who they want to be. She was funny and coarse and looked absolutely stunning while doing it. She broke the boundaries between woman and superstar.
I truly loved the cinematography in this show, it was truly like stepping into a time machine and seeing things first hand. The color, the sights, the sounds were everything and really brought you back to a time. The costumes were so skillfully crafted and so beautifully made that I wish I had Maisel’s wardrobe.
Everything was perfectly made for the era and was absolutely stunning. Not only that, but the actors are amazing and have incredible amounts of talent to be able to portray these characters in such deep and engaging ways. I felt so deeply intrigued while watching this show. Every time I finished an episode it was like snapping back to reality and realizing I just spent a whole hour on one episode.
This show made me realize that society has gone a long way from the ‘60s, and without women who pushed their limits to be bigger and better, then we wouldn’t have had so many powerful women in our lives. Even though Midge Maisel is a fictional character, I wholeheartedly believe that she changes something in each person who gives their time to watch this show.
I loved every minute of this show and would definitely recommend it! I rate it a 10/10.
