The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel show creators address Susie’s reaction in the lesbian bar in a recent sit-down. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which premiered in March 2017 on Amazon Prime Video, primarily follows the story of Miriam “Midge” Maisel, an Upper West Side housewife who stumbles upon both a passion and unique talent for stand-up comedy. Since its debut, the series has received critical acclaim, winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2017 and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018. Supporting Rachel Brosnahan’s lead as Mrs. Maisel are Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollack, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch, Luke Kirby, and Alex Borstein.
Borstein, perhaps most notably known for voicing Lois Griffin on Family Guy, signed on for the role of Susie Myerson. Susie is an employee of The Gaslight Cafe who eventually discovers Midge’s untapped talent for brutally honest stand-up comedy. Throughout the series, barring a few detours from Jane Lynch’s Sophie Lennon, Susie’s sole mission is to elevate Midge into superstardom, leaving little room to explore the depth of her own character’s personal life. However, as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 comes to a close, Susie and Midge visit a lesbian bar where the manager of the rising comic displays an interesting reaction.
In a recent interview with TVLine, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators discuss Susie’s reaction during her visit to the lesbian bar with Midge. While many fans of the show assumed Susie came out in the scene, show co-creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is not entirely on board with that theory. Instead, she believes Susie was abruptly faced with a situation that she likely did not care to be confronted. Daniel Palladino chimed in, stating that this is a topic that will probably be further explored in the upcoming Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5. However, to end the segment in proper Sherman-Palladino form, the Gilmore Girls mastermind jokingly rang in with: “until we kill her.” Check out the creators’ exact remarks below:
I don’t think she came out. I think she was confronted with something that she didn’t care to be confronted with. The fact that she and Midge never discussed her personal life is very much by Susie’s design. Susie’s only goal is to become a top-notch manager and to make Midge a star.
Daniel Palladino Chimed in with:
It’s a storyline that will continue to expand [in Season 5].
Of course, Amy Sherman-Palladino hit the punchline with:
Until we kill her.
While so much of the storyline rightfully centers around Midge’s multi-faceted life, more and more screen time is being made available for supporting characters such as Borstein’s Susie Myerson (and associates). Other stories developing in the show are also becoming more integral, including Midge’s ex-husband Joel and the ongoing saga with his nightclub venture in New York City’s Chinatown. Additionally, the series places a spotlight on real-life comic legend Lenny Bruce, played brilliantly by Kirby. Bruce was a highly controversial figure for the era, often landing in jail for his offensive stand-up routines. Although the character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is loosely based on the comic’s life, the series does a fantastic job capturing Bruce’s real-life essence.
With The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 complete, there are many loose ends to be tied up in the show’s final season. With Borstein’s Susie Myerson faced with a dilemma she may rather not face, it will be interesting to watch the character get more screen time devoted to her personal life and experience that storyline as it develops further. Especially given the time period, society, in general, was far less accepting of more progressive ideations. However it plays out, fans of the show will have to sit tight and wait for the final installment of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to arrive.
