The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Review: Everything is Bellmore / Interesting People on Christopher Street (Season 4 Episodes 3 and 4)
I have to say, Midge’s new comedy gig is pretty fantastic.
On The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 3, “Everything is Bellmore,” we get the chance to see Midge on stage as the comic for a strip club. It really is a fitting choice for her.
She can be herself the way she wants to be, and she’s so confident and comfortable in her own skin that the setting doesn’t really matter. In fact, there’s already a bonding happening with the women, and she’s in a position to have their backs and look out for them, which is great to watch.
It’s also fun to see what a strip club would have looked like in this era, as are so many details from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Still, it’s not the perfect situation for Midge. The strip club shows don’t run smoothly — the band doesn’t know when to give Midge a chance the speak, the girls aren’t always prepared for group numbers, and the curtain sticks. Add to that, being a woman makes it even more difficult, with audience members throwing change at her and calling for her to take off her clothes.
Watching her take that all in stride, stand up for herself, and start working to improve things is even more satisfying than seeing her on stage in the first place. If there’s one thing we know about who Midge is as a person, it’s that she’s someone who knows how to take charge without being easily rattled.
Though it’s certainly symbolic that at the end of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Episode 4, “Interesting People on Christopher Street,” she falls right off the stage and into the pit.
Rachel Brosnahan’s performance for all of this remains spot-on. She is sharp and funny as always, both while doing the comedy routines and while interacting with everyone off stage.
The strip club also presents her with an opportunity to run into Lenny Bruce once again. Their banter is as good as it always was, and the chemistry between the two of them drips off the screen. Of course, Lenny refuses to leave at Midge’s request.
He sits happily in the audience and participates in heckling her, but in a way that feels supportive.
Meanwhile, Susie is faced with a tragedy that changes her entire world. She arrives at her apartment to learn that Jackie, who was played by the late Brian Tarantina, has died. His sudden death shakes her to her core, and Midge takes her in to help her cope.
Much of “Everything is Bellmore” has Susie in her pajamas, watching TV and lounging around Midge’s apartment grieving.
It says a lot about their friendship, and the dynamic we then see between Susie and Midge’s family is simply excellent TV.
Jackie’s funeral offers tribute to the character in an endearing way, but more than that, it offers tribute to the actor. The show takes its time addressing his death and giving him a proper send-off.
And when the funeral only has a few attendees, Susie decides to do something bold and crash another service so that more people can hear about Jackie. It’s beautiful and a little dark all at once.
Midge and Susie’s friendship feels stronger than ever on that episode as well, but then it’s tested on “Interesting People on Christopher Street.”
Much like Midge was naive in thinking it would be okay to make jokes about Shy Baldwin’s sexuality, she’s just as naive in making assumptions about Susie’s. Her heart is in the right place, and on top of trying to help Susie in her dating life, she’s also trying to show that she’s open-minded.
But Susie doesn’t take it that way at all, and even though the circumstances are different, it feels like the same kind of dynamic that’s had them clash in the past.
Other thoughts:
- The Tupperware party! The details of that party are so fantastic and indicative of the time period, though I can’t be the only one who was slightly bothered by the Tupperware hats.
- Abe’s work as a theater critic who has to review a friend’s play provides some interesting conflict. And I can’t help but think that in some ways, Abe is just as naive to certain social situations as his daughter is — as is proven by his admission of committing a crime with his friend Asher.
- Speaking of Asher, that reveal about his past with Rose is really something, isn’t it?
- I’m really rooting for Joel and Mei!
What did you think of these episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel airs Fridays on Prime Video.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.