The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season Two)

After a very strong first season, I was pleased to see that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was able to turn things up a notch in its sophomore campaign. The show explores Midge's continuing progress toward stardom, including battles against Sophie Lennon, unhelpful gig bookers, her family, and per usual, misogyny. Unlike in Season One, there's fewer questions surrounding Midge's comedic ability and more focus on how difficult it can be for a woman in the late 50's to make it even if talent is taken as a given.

The best arc of the season involves the three episodes in which the Maisel family heads to a summer vacation spot of sorts in the Catskills with many other families. Susie, still trying to get gigs for Midge, humorously finds a way to get room and board at the site simply by walking around carrying a plunger (to which she develops emotional attachment), because everyone assumes that she's on the janitorial staff. One of said gigs puts Midge's comedy life and her family life on a collision course in possibly the most dramatic and hysterical way possible. "Midnight at the Concord" is probably the high point of the season, and the series' best episode other than the Season One finale, "Thank You and Good Night".

The series' other characters have excellent seasons as well. Susie gets noticed for her talents as a manager, and Abe's descent into madness over the course of the season is extremely amusing to watch, because Tony Shalhoub sells the eccentricity so well. Joel continues to grow as a sympathetic character, and a guy who could have simply been a knucklehead who was written out of the show after the first episode gets a chance to grow as a businessman and a person. He even has a few heroic turns during the season. The show's handling and development of Joel has consistently been a strong point of the series, and he's probably the best-drawn character other than Midge.

There's no shortage of cliffhangers at the end of Season Two as Abe contemplates a career change, Midge's comedy act could take a dramatic new turn (which may test her professional relationship with Susie), and Midge's romantic life is an absolute whirlwind. The little universe this show has crafted is extremely well put-together, and I'm very excited to return to it for Season Three.

Season Grade: A