Let’s just start by acknowledging that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a well-loved and well-reviewed series over all three of its seasons so far. Bonus points to Amazon Prime for offering up three full seasons of episodes coming in at 8 stars or more over on IMDb. (Spoiler alert for this list, the lowest-rated episode we have sits at a still-respectable 7.9 stars). But no series is perfect and some episodes will always be far more enjoyable and far more classic than others.
Here we will review the 10 least loved of Mrs. Maisel out of the first three seasons of the program. What the future holds, we don’t know yet.
Marvelous Radio – Season 3 Episode 7 – 8.5
In the penultimate episode of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s most recent season viewers are treated to an episode that watches Midge and Susie hustle for radio spots as they wait for the Shy Baldwin tour to get back on the road. Apparently fans enjoyed the tour a bit more than Midge’s New York City struggles in season three.
The episode also features the briss of Midge’s nephew, a grand occasion that could have been treated with more grandness (and humor) on television.
Strike Up the Band – Season 3 Episode 1 – 8.5
The season premiere of the most recent season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel did not rank amongst fan’s favorites. The episode saw Midge work through a USO performance before hitting the road with Shy and, while her antics were amusing, the episode was very much a setup hour for the rest of the season, which did not make it stand out amongst such well-reviewed episodes in other seasons.
Midge’s parents struggle with their new financial situation, yes, new storylines have to be introduced, but that doesn’t mean that information makes for the most fun television.
Someday … – Season 2 Episode 8 – 8.4
Season three was not the only season to offer up episodes that would land in the bottom ten toward the end of season two Midge and Susie prepare for their first road trip together and apparently fans didn’t find that situation as funny as others.
With all the fun that viewers enjoyed of Midge and family in the Catskills dragging the characters away from the entertainment and summer camp feel of vacation apparently didn’t stand up to the other hilarious episodes offered in season two.
Simone – Season 2 Episode 1 – 8.4
Apparently coming off an amazing premiere season, fans were expecting a little bit more from the season two premiere of the Amazon comedy series. Sitting almost in the middle of the list is the episode that took us all out of New York. Rose and Abe, and Midge, seem to be much more in their element while somewhere in the tri-state area, and fans could certainly feel it as the family struggled in their follow up season.
Again, 8.4 is not a terrible rating, but it still ranks low where Mrs. Maisel is concerned.
Mrs. X at the Gaslight – Season 1 Episode 6 – 8.4
Season one of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took viewers and critics by storm, but that doesn’t mean the entire first season was perfect. Here we have season one’s first offender, an episode that sees Midge working the party scene instead of the club scene, fans were about as pleased with Midge’s choices as her manager, Susie.
We also get to meet brother and sister-in-law to Midge, Noah and Astrid. While both excellent additions to the cast and family, they still were not enough to gain the episode extra stars.
Ya Shivu v Bolshom Dome Na Kholme – Episode 2 Season 1 – 8.4
Season one again will round out all of Mrs. Maisel’s 8.4-star episodes. Apparently the pilot episode was so good expectations may have been a little too high for poor episode 2. Joel leaving has left all the Weisman’s in a tailspin, and apparently it’s not as fun to watch the fallout as it was to watch the inciting incident.
Still, again, 8.4 stars are nothing to be ashamed of and yet, poor episode two ranks in the bottom half of the worst Mrs. Maisel episodes on IMDb.
It’s the Sixties, Man! – Season 3 Episode 2 – 8.2
Apparently it’s just hard to be episode two in any season. This year the second episode of Midge’s most recent season, saw Susie take on Sophie Lennon as a new client, Joel meet a new girl in Chinatown, and Abe take an interest in some beatniks.
Maybe it was the introduction of so many new faces that put off fans who had been waiting a year to check back in with the characters who were already near and dear to their hearts, whatever the reason, season three’s second episode didn’t live up to the hype.
The Punishment Room – Season 2 Episode 3 – 8.2
Maybe it’s the cinge-worthiness of Midge’s bridal toast to her friend Mary, but this was one marriage it was a bit more fun to hear about, maybe, than really watch. The awkwardness took some of the humor out of the situation.
Despite Midge’s great work setting up for a friend’s rushed nuptials, one part of being a comedian is knowing when to leave the jokes at the door. Still a bit new on the comedy scene, Midge certainly hadn’t learned that yet, so early on in season two.
The Disappointment of the Dionne Quintuplets – Season 1 Episode 4 – 8.2
Perhaps the episode only suffers in hindsight, after three full seasons of exceptional television. Anyway, the fourth episode of Mrs. Maisel’s premiere season sees Midge move on from her marriage by moving one floor up and back in with her parents. The real problem with the episode though was Joel.
This was when fans really started to hate him not just because they loved Midge, but because Joel was just awful in his own right. Setting up house with a secretary down the block? Cliche much?
Doink – Season 1 Episode 5 – 7.9
The very middle of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s first season is the only episode so far in the series to come in ranked under 8 stars. It’s the first time audiences (and Midge herself) get to watch her bomb a performance on stage and, apparently, like the audience at the Gaslight, television audiences don’t love seeing Mrs. Maisel not being funny.
Midge then tries to hire a ghostwriter for some of her jokes which, shockingly, is another bad idea. Susie doesn’t like this side of Midge and, it seems, neither did audiences.
