NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 episode 1, "Go Forward."
Drink some coffee and try to keep up because the fast-talking, fast-walking Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is back and more determined than ever to get the stardom she's been chasing. After setting a career manifesto in season 4, Midge saw a sign in the season 4 finale that she thought said, "Go Forward." Appropriately, that is the title of the season 5 premiere, where everyone in the Weissman and Maisel clans are adjusting to big life changes as they move forward.
Even time is moving forward. The opening scene of episode 1 is set in the early '80s in a therapist's office where grown-up PhD student Esther Maisel (Alexandra Socha) is alternating between solving complex scientific equations and ranting about her mother. It seems that Esther's path to adulthood was fairly rocky. Who could have guessed?
The next scene goes back in time to just after Midge's blizzard adventure. She is home, in bed, eating pills and recovering from hypothermia. Unable to get any coherent words out of Midge, Rose (Marin Hinkle) calls Susie (Alex Borstein) to come over and translate Midge's incoherent sentences.
Midge is out of her plucky attitude and unstoppable ambition. She's questioning herself and her instincts after walking away from the Tony Bennett gig. Ultimately, Midge pulls through (though may lose a toe to frostbite), recommits and promises to listen to Susie.
Susie immediately goes to bat for her star client, going to see Mike (Jason Ralph), the booker for The Gordon Ford Show. But given his history with Susie and Midge, Mike isn't biting. He gets Susie thrown out and then banned from the 30 Rock building.
It's a big family Thanksgiving at the Weissman's with the Maisels. There are some delightful bits referencing parenting attitudes from the '60s and Midge, Joel (Michael Zegen) and Abe (Tony Shaloub) getting stuck at the kid's table. But there are two big bombs dropped during dinner, because no Thanksgiving is complete without some big family drama.
Moishe (Kevin Pollak) and Shirley (Carolina Aaron) reveal they're getting divorced, although they are still living in the same house. Then Joel tells Shirley about Mei's (Stephanie Hsu) pregnancy and that he and Mei are going to get married. Shirley is thrilled that another grandchild is on the way.
But Joel should have waited to drop that particular bomb. When he takes Esther and Ethan back to his apartment for a visit, Mei is there to say goodbye. She can't let all her work to be a doctor go to waste, letting Joel know she's not going through with the pregnancy or the marriage and is on her way to Chicago to pursue her dream. Joel, whose life really isn't turning out the way he planned, takes the news hard.
At the diner, all the regulars are having a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. Susie is talking Alfie the magician (Gideon Glick) through his anxiety about doing a two-week gig in Las Vegas. He's anxious about flying but Susie isn't about to let him back out of what could be a career-making gig. Susie breaks a tooth on one of Fred's (Andrew Polk) "Hard Rock Rolls." Midge shows up and Susie lets her know about a couple gigs that she booked for Midge so she can get back in front of an audience.
The day after Thanksgiving Susie stalks Mike to a Christmas tree farm where he has taken his kids. Susie doesn't endear herself to Mike by harassing him at the tree farm and he tells her that he's never going to book Midge. This is a frenemy relationship that is pure joy to watch.
Though Susie's tooth is bothering her, she refuses to get it fixed. Midge tells Susie to go see Midge's dentist and she can get Alfie on the plane to Vegas. At the airport Midge runs into Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) on his way to Los Angeles. Their interaction is weighty with everything unspoken between them. These two clearly have strong feelings for each other but can't be in the same orbit or they both become less than they are. Midge tells Lenny she's not going to blow her career, letting him know with these few words that she heard him and is taking his warning about getting in her own way when it comes to her career.
Midge goes back to the burlesque bar to try out some new material and get her performance mojo back. But she's very rusty. Susie tells her it's OK to bomb, which is what these little gigs are for. But when Midge is getting ready, Gordon Ford (Reid Scott) and his team arrive and Susie knows this may be Midge's one shot.
After a rough start Midge finds her rhythm and impresses Gordon Ford, but he doesn't want to bring her on the show because she's too edgy. Susie has a flash of brilliance and tells Gordon to hire Midge as a writer on his show because the show has no female writers.
Gordon likes that idea, but initially Midge says no; doesn't want to be a writer. Susie tells Midge this is the break she's been waiting for, it's what will get her in the door so she can eventually make it to national TV. Midge, trying to get out of her own way, trusts Susie and says yes. Mike is furious, and Susie spits her broken tooth at him and flips him off. With her new job, Midge is finally back on the path to stardom.
The first three episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 are now streaming on Prime Video. New episodes premiere every Friday.
