The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators, Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband Daniel Palladino, already what the series’ final shots will look like. The acclaimed series just dropped its eight-episode fourth season on Prime Video, with the series renewed for a fifth and final one. The couple write and direct nearly every episode of the series and bring to it their signature fast-paced dialogue and memorable characters.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows the titular Midge Maisel in her newfound career as a stand-up comic in New York City through the late ’50s and early ’60s. The series has received widely positive reviews from critics, with many commending the writing, acting, camera work, and production design. However, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has received some criticism for its bumps with historical accuracy and a perceived lack of dramatic stakes in the more recent seasons.
In an interview with TVLine, the pair say they know what the final moment of the series will be. They explicitly say they don’t know what the final words of the series will be, but know what the last image will be. Sherman-Palladino says “I don’t know exactly what the final four words are. But I know exactly what the last images are.“
With the Palladinos being the primary writers and directors (only three out of the series’ 34 episodes have been written and directed by other people), the pair clearly want to keep their endgame close to the chest. Additionally, with the two being let go from their original series, Gilmore Girls, it’s understandable how they would want to keep control over the ending of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The two writer/directors are currently in the process of filming the final season of the series, which is likely to premiere sometime in 2023.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of the sharpest, most beautiful-looking shows on television. However, with a lack of dramatic stakes that defined the first two seasons, the series has sort of slumped into a superficial, sugary, comfort zone rather than push its characters the way it did in the early days. With the final season, the duo have the chance to give Midge the success she’s worked so hard for, without it feeling cheap and rushed. Though The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 is still incredibly fresh, it doesn’t mean the creators can’t look towards the finish line and decide for themselves if they want to sprint or walk there. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has the chance to end the way it began, and only time will tell if it will.
