The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 5/ Episode 9 “Four Minutes” – Recap and Review (with Spoilers) | Finale

The series finale of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will likely bring tears to those who remember when this was but Prime Video testing the waters for original content.

Release Date (Prime Video)	5/25/2023
Director(s)	Amy Sherman-Palladino
Writer(s)	Amy Sherman-Palladino
Previously Noted Characters and Cast
Miriam	Rachel Brosnahan
Susie	Alex Borstein
Lenny	Luke Kirby
Gordon	Reid Scott
Mike	Jason Ralph
Abe	Tony Shalhoub
Rose	Marin Hinkle
Joel	Michael Zegen
Imogene	Bailey De Young

Plot Recap

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The Fall Of An Icon – Miriam, Susie, Lenny

So much can change in four years. In 1961, the year of her big break, Miriam looked to Lenny for advice, he was helping her craft her superstar signature, and he was in top form. He was charming, funny, and still a certain level of dangerous that was appealing.

Yet, in four years, 1965, a year before he died, he was a mess. Even Susie, who at this point is managing Eartha Kitt’s career, couldn’t get him back on the wagon, never mind his career on track. But what could she do for a man waiting to die as he watched his career die slowly?

The Truth About Hedy – Susie, Miriam

Who is Hedy? Well, after getting out of jail for assaulting a police officer and Miriam signing Susie out as her emergency contact, Susie opened up a bit. After all, going to jail changes a person and makes them vulnerable.

Jokes aside, the short version of a long story is, yes, Susie and Hedy were something. Not girlfriends, but Susie was in love with Hedy and would follow her anywhere. However, that was the problem. She felt like a lap dog, some weird escape from Hedy’s life amongst the affluent, and while there were talks of moving to Egypt, four kids, and Susie willing herself to believe Hedy wasn’t pulling her leg, then the rug was pulled from under her. Hedy went to Paris, got engaged, and while that didn’t stick, Susie did wake up.

Since then, Susie has set love aside for her career, and Miriam is probably the closest thing to a life partner she has had.

T*** Up – Gordon, Mike, Abe, Rose, Miriam, Susie

In 1961, Miriam is given a chance to be on the Gordon Ford show, but with a catch – she isn’t doing her set, and it is going to be a fluff piece—one about meeting the writers and learning about the people behind the scenes. Susie is pissed about that, Mike doesn’t hear the end of it, and Miriam is a bit embarrassed since she invited her family and friends to the taping, thinking it would be her big break.

What makes matters worse is that, with Abe’s recent shift in perspective, this is the first time she has heard him be proud of her and actively engaged regarding what she is doing with her life. Then her mom, she got everyone to call Rose to let her know because she wanted to impress her too. For as shown in 1973 (Episode 7), Miriam harbors some level of guilt regarding not being the perfect daughter, and in this moment, she hopes to prove that her differences from her mom aren’t liabilities or something to be ashamed of. She, with Susie’s help, did know what they were doing; it was just a new frontier in which she knew she had to garner support since she wasn’t going to just be given it.

So when Gordon tries to reassert his authority after Hedy pressured him to do this, Miriam decides to hijack the segment and do a clean four minutes. Gordon is unable to stop her and maintain his on-camera persona, and Mike is helpless, but Miriam is ultimately rewarded for her efforts. Her parents, friends, and extended family see her in action on national television! Her career takes off, and even in 2005, she is still performing. Susie is retired, but after their reconciliation (Episode 6), they still talk and even have a routine of watching Jeopardy together.

Other Noteworthy Information

1. Joel’s parents decide to sell the business and retire to Boca
2. We actually see Imogene in the flesh, and not just hear her voice, in this episode

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

Seeing Miriam Do Stand Up

We’ve seen Miriam do stand-up many times before. However, this time it was different. In the past, her stand-up performances have been milestones for her and Susie. They were professional goalposts but still very much personal. Now, she is including her family, Joel, and this is something serious. I mean, the only thing that would have made it better is if Lenny was there or shown watching wherever he was.

And I gotta admit, I got teary-eyed. We’ve seen Miriam at her lowest, taking risks and falling flat on her face, and even were part of the people who saw this when it was just a pilot Amazon was taking a risk on with no guarantee this would ever get a full season. Yet, here we are, five seasons in, and now we know Miriam’s entire story.

Which, thankfully, they left out her dying. Mind you, seeing Esther and Ethan reconcile who their mother is with the career she had would have been a touching ending, and if she died before Susie, I would have had a snotty cry listening to Susie do a eulogy. But, it is better this way, ending things with Susie and Miriam watching Jeopardy, joking around, and Miriam still getting on Susie’s nerves.

On The Fence

The Fall Of Lenny Bruce

While we are spared Miriam’s inevitable death, we are not spared the fall of Lenny Bruce. I question why. You and I know what happens to Lenny Bruce – going from infamous comedian to burnout, but they could have taken creative liberties here. Heck, they could have just shown Miriam and others at a funeral of sorts and skip over the fall of an icon.

But, considering they only showed Lenny on a downturn and not when he bottomed out, maybe this was a nod to the truth but shouldn’t be considered a full embracing of it.

Previous Episode: Episode 8

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