Monday, January 28, 2019

Reviewing the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Reviewing The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an Amazon original series set in New York in 1958, starring Rachel Brosnahan. Mrs. Maisel (Brosnahan) is living her dream. She is married, loves her husband, has two children, and lives in a beautifully appointed apartment in Manhattan. From a very young age, she has dreamt about and planned it all: college, wedding, and her adult life trajectory. She tells us about it during a flashback to her beautiful wedding. Everything is going exactly as planned, until suddenly - in one evening - Mrs. Maisel learns that others can completely de-rail her best plans.

Midge Maisel is a loyal, happy housewife who works hard to please her husband. Mr. Maisel (Joel) is a salesperson with an office job. But at night, he performs at a club as a stand-up comedian. He's not very funny and Midge bribes the club manager with briskets to get Joel into better time slots with a better audience. On the same night that he completely bombs, things completely fall apart for Midge. She is devastated and lost. Am I making this sound like a drama? It is not. It is a comedy full of quirky characters.

A co-worker told me to watch the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Since she has recommended an author that has quickly become my favorite, I trusted her opinion and I began watching the series the first weekend I had a few spare minutes. I am able to watch it for free because of my Amazon Prime membership. I watched several episodes that first day and binged watched into season 2 the next weekend. 




The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reminds me of I Love Lucy - but a naughtier version. The buildings, clothing, baby carriages and way of life are all from that time period. Rachel Brosnahan's facial expressions and/or timing of her humor remind me quite a bit of Lucille Ball. She's a bit sneaky, like Lucy. An example being reminded of Lucy was during a scene at bedtime. Midge goes to bed in a negligee and still made-up. As soon as Mr. Maisel is asleep, Midge gets up and does her beauty routine; putting her hair in curlers and applying an over-night face mask. She sets the blinds so that the sun shines through the crack in the morning - waking her before the alarm. She completes her beauty routine and is back to bed; perfumed, made-up, and looking beautiful. She closes her eyes and he wakes. This scene made me laugh and reminded me ever so much of I Love Lucy

Am I making this sound like an I Love Lucy rehash? It is not. There is cursing, "sex" scenes (not the type of sex scenes shown on cable tv but sex scenes nonetheless), and some modern colloquialisms that aren't from the 1950s. For me, these things are a bit like watching a cartoon with a child and the cartoon includes adult humor and references - out of place but funny (although, I wouldn't be bothered by less profanity).

If the title sounds familiar, it may be because Rachel Brosnahan won a 2019 Emmy for Best Actress in a Television Comedy. Deservedly so, I think.






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17 comments:

  1. Oh, I've just been looking at this series and wondering whether or not to watch it, I think it's a definitely after reading your review!

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    1. Please let me know if you watch it and if you like it. I think it is one of those "personal taste" kind of shows.

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  2. We absolutely love Mrs. Maisel! We have watched both seasons and can't wait for the next one to be available. I wonder if it is more based on Joan Rivers trying to make it as a comic than Lucy. Joan was from New York, was really into fashion, kind of bossy and was Jewish. No matter, Midge is really funny and this is a great series!

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    Replies
    1. Oh wow, Bev, I hadn't thought of Joan Rivers and those familiarities. You may be on to something.

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  3. As someone who doesn't watch too much TV, I look for recommendations on shows that are entertaining and funny. I think I will have to look into this series. Thanks for this review.

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    1. I hope you like it if you end up watching it.

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  4. When it first came out, I tried to watch the first episode but didn't care for it. Now that you have reviewed it and recommended it, I suspect I just wasn't in the mood for that type of series. Or, perhaps I didn't give it a chance to really develop. I'll have to be sure to try it again. Thank you for the recommendation and review.

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    1. Ms. Mouse, I thought of you as I watched those first episodes. It is just naughty enough in spots that I thought you might not like it. If you try it again, I'd like to know what you think. I am thinking it isn't your cup of tea. I'll be surprised if you change your mind.

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  5. So many times, the reviews here are so helpful in introducing me to something I was completely unfamiliar with. That is the case with this TV series Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It does sound funny in a I Love Lucy way and the 1950s setting would appeal to me ~ having lived through that time period. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the introduction, Dawn Rae.

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    1. I'd love to hear what someone who lived in the 50s thinks of the show. I hope you like it if you watch it.

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  6. I used to love Lucy and might also enjoy this series -- if I had time to watch anything for entertainment. I still prefer books to movies or TV. I'll keep this in mind next time I have some time to kill on TV and I'm bored with repetitive news and commentary.

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    1. I have the tv on (at the apartment) constantly for background noise. I totally get what you are saying about preferring reading and movies. I definitely prefer reading when I'm in a quieter place. And totally agree about the repetitive news. Yuck!

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  8. I have seen the ads for this and have been wanting to try it, but just never got around to it. Now with your recommendation I'll have to give it a try. Thanks.

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  9. Fran and I just started watching this a couple weeks ago. We just love it!! I sit there and LOL!! every episode we see. Great review of the series Dawn. will keep watching this one for sure!!!

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  10. I have been wondering about this series since there has been so much buzz about it. Thank you for sharing your take. It doesn't sound like my cup of tea, but you never know. I try to remain open to trying new things. It certainly sounds worthy of a preview.

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  11. LOL at your review! hahah, loved it. Yep, after hearing the nominations and wins I think in recent awards shows, I was wondering what this was all about. I'll have to watch this, it sounds like fun!

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