Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Zegen, Alex Borstein, Jane Lynch, Marin Hinkle, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Stephanie Hsu, Luke Kirby
Season Four of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has many of the same charms of the first three seasons and adds a few wrinkles. Lenny Bruce (Kirby), for one, takes on a more "hands-on" approach to being Midge's unofficial mentor. Susie (Borstein) reluctantly takes on the institutionalized Sophia Lennon (Lynch) as a client. Midge, after being left on the tarmac after being fired as a famous singer's opening act, takes a job as the emcee and quasi-manager for a local strip club. Midge's parents Abe and Rose (Shalhoub and Hinkle) focus on new careers while moving in with their daughter (or is it the other way around?). Joel (Zegen) has a secret relationship with Mei (Hsu), an Asian woman whose parents are the landlords of Joel's thriving new hotspot.
As the calendar turns from the 1950's to 1960, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel retains its buoyancy while doing its best to expand its characters' comfort zones. A few things don't change, such as Joel and Midge's children disappearing for long sections of the show, only to appear to remind us they even exist. And Midge's stand-up act remains unfunny, but like the first three seasons, the quality of Midge's act doesn't matter as much as her attempts to make a career of it.
There are also moments when Abe's love for his ex in-laws (Pollak and Aaron) come into full focus when Moishe (Pollak) suffers a heart attack. Abe may be exasperated by Moishe sometimes, but when the chips are down, Abe is there for him. The same could be said for Midge and Susie, Midge and Joel, and even Susie and Sophia to a lesser extent. The characters in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel remain good-hearted even in the most troubling of times, except for the rivals to Rose's fledgling matchmaking business. Who knew those who find love for others could be so heartless themselves?
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