The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Midnight at the Concord
Midge is in deep doo-doo when an unexpected visitor catches her act for the first time.
Episode 5, is my favorite The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episode so far this season. So, I’m not burying the lead on this one: Midge’s father knows she’s a comedian.
And the way in which he found out was sort of incredible. Let’s back up a bit.
Midge is busy playing vigorous games of Simon Says and grooming in the resort salon when she gets the call from B. Altman that they need her back in New York to work the Revlon counter. This is the big time now. Seriously, who’s excited to leave vacation to go back to work?
light. Related Story. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 2 premiere recap
Midge, of course!
Slight hiccup, she has no way to New York. But guess who’s almost finished his box of cereal and will be traveling back to the city – Dr. Benjamin! So, she hitches a ride back with him.
At first, their journey is a bit awkward, but she breaks the ice by riffing on some news radio reports, seemingly charming the pants off Dr. Ben. He invites Midge to a Broadway show using tickets his patient gave him. Somehow, his patients think by giving him stuff he’s work harder to keep them alive, and they’re right!
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The show ends up being awful, and they leave after intermission. Midge brings Ben to a club to see Lenny Bruce, and they have a great time. I love Lenny and Midge’s friendship. It seems like he’s the only male on the show that treats her like a comic and not a female comic. I want to see more of Lenny!
After the show, the two go to The Stage diner where everyone knows Midge. They get the best booth. Ben thinks it’s strange the way Midge works the room but doesn’t really press about it. That’s when she blurts, “I’m a comedian.”
Luckily, Ben thinks it’s weird, which we know from his mother in the last episode is exactly what’s he’s looking for!
Remember Susie? All this time Midge is lolly-gagging in New York, she’s still in the mountains walking around with a plunger, trying to get Midge gigs up there. Midge didn’t even bother telling her she’s going.
Susie gets Midge this incredible gig performing at midnight at The Concord, another resort up in the Catskills. So, Midge must hitch a ride from her brother and sister-in-law back to the Catskills. I’m going, to be honest; I forgot she had a brother.
The owner of the Concord is nuts and expects a “female comic” to look funny. I just roll my eyes at this – another sign of the times.
The room is massive, bigger than any place she’s played before. She’s nervous, but she feels electric when she walks out on stage. Midge is on fire. The more people to feed off, the better. I’d like to see her in a football stadium. I might bust a gut from laughing.
Just as she starts her next dirty joke, she sees him: an older mustached man in a tropical button-down shirt staring at her, and most certainly not laughing.
It’s Abe, her father, who had snuck away from their resort to get away from the Maisels for a night.
Instead of Midge cleaning up her act a bit, she doubles down and goes dirtier, uncomfortably dirty. I actually gasped out loud as she spoke about her mother and father’s sex life in front of hundreds of people AND HER FATHER.
Her personal life is about to go to hell, but the crowd loves her, and the owner wants her back. But her father’s appearance backstage ends any happiness and exhilaration she feels in that moment.
Her and Susie ride in the back seat, and her father drives back to the resort. No words are spoken, but we all know they’re in deep, deep trouble.
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Here’s a thought though. Abe seems to have morphed from a rigid, Type-A man to a more relaxed and romantic version of himself. He still has traces of his old self, but if the first few episodes taught me anything, is that he has evolved. Maybe Abe will be supportive of Midge and Rose moving to France helped him prepare for this. It could be a stretch, but we’ll see.
I just can’t wait to see how our ladies wiggle their way out of this pickle.
Read the recap for Episode 4.
Watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel anytime.