The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 episode 8 recap: Midge fights for her big break

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Midge pushes Susie to call in an uncomfortable favor.

Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Image credit: Philippe Antonello/Prime Video)

NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 episode 8, "The Princess and the Plea."

The penultimate episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel leans into nostalgia. It opens with Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and Joel (Michael Zegen) in the office at Ethan’s school to discuss a problem with his teacher. Chatting while they wait, they each remember important or meaningful moments in their relationship. Joel remembers when he first introduced Midge to his parents. Midge remembers a romantic moment where they danced in the street after a fight. But Joel also remembers how things went wrong and when he started an affair with his secretary.

The problem at school is a serious behavioral issue, not with Ethan, but Abe (Tony Shalhoub). Abe has been hanging around the school annoying all the teachers trying to make sure the school is challenging enough for Esther. Joel and Midge promise to get Abe to behave.

Midge is heading back to her alma mater, Bryn Mawr, for her 10-year class reunion, but before she does Joel asks if the two of them can get a drink to catch up and not talk about their kids. Midge agrees.

Abe tries to gauge Ether’s genius at home as well. The idea that the smart kid who will be carrying on his academic legacy being Esther and not Ethan has toppled Abe’s worldview. 

Susie (Alex Borstein) is busy trying to not get fired by James (Jay Will) after she was reluctant to book him on Jack Parr’s show before Midge. Dinah (Alfie Fuller) saves Susie’s relationship with James by sending him gifts, but she convinces Susie a face-to-face in Baltimore is also needed. Grudgingly, Susie agrees. 

At Bryn Mawr, Midge meets up with her closest friends from her college days. They drink, talk and bid on some items at the fundraising auction. They also go back to an old shed on the grounds where they hid messages to their future selves in bottles sealed with flowers. One by one they take out the messages they had written years 10 ago and read them aloud. 

Midge is puzzled by her younger self’s message, which just says “Don’t!” She doesn’t remember writing it or what she meant by it. Midge laughs off the message. The women promise they won’t wait another 10 years to catch up again and go their separate ways. 

Cut to the studio on a workday. Gordon Ford (Reid Scott) gets some big news. Thanks to his wife Hedy (Nina Arianda), The Gordon Ford Show is getting the interview of the year, her royal highness Princess Margaret (Kate Abbruzzese). The princess isn’t doing press on her visit, but she agrees to come on The Gordon Ford Show, and she wants to do a comedy sketch. 

Midge plays a big part in Princess Margaret’s appearance being a huge success, writing a weather forecast skit that suited the princess’ dry British sense of humor perfectly. At the celebration after the show, Hedy introduces herself to Midge and reveals that she knows Susie, or Susan, as Hedy calls her, saying they were roommates in college.

After hearing this, Midge goes to the train station to meet Susie. Midge calls out Susie for not telling her she knows someone as influential as Hedy Ford. Susie hedges about their relationship, saying she didn’t know Hedy that well. Not believing her, Midge pushes Susie to use her relationship with Hedy to help get Midge on the show. Midge explains that she’s exhausted and tired of hitting the same brick wall over and over. She wants her break. 

Susie doesn’t want to use her relationship with Hedy, refusing to explain the full extent of their relationship. This upsets Midge because she doesn’t understand why Susie won’t fight for her the same way she did for James, finding ways to work around the system.

Midge pulls out the big guns. She tells Susie that if she won’t use this connection, Midge will always know that Susie could have done more and didn’t. With that parting shot Midge walks away.

At the studio after a show, Hedy is talking with some friends when she sees Susie waiting for her. A very uncomfortable Susie asks Hedy as a favor to her to get Midge on the show. Hedy is prickly about Midge and asks Susie if she really believes in her or if it is something more than that. Not waiting for the answer, Hedy says she will do what she can, promising she’ll talk to Gordon the next day.

The next morning Midge runs into Hedy at the office as she goes to talk to Gordon. Hedy ultimately demands Gordon book Midge when he initially refuses, reminding him he owes her. Gordon is upset and storms out of his office. Will he give in and give Midge her big break? It certainly seems that way but Midge is pulled out of the office before he does.

Throughout this season fans have gotten to see Midge’s future success, but not the performance that launched it. That should make next week’s finale, “Four Minutes” an exciting and bittersweet end to this marvelous tale.

The series finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres on Prime Video Friday, May 26.

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Sonya Iryna
Sonya Iryna

Sonya has been writing professionally for more than a decade and has degrees in New Media and Philosophy. Her work has appeared in a diverse array of sites including ReGen, The Washington Post, Culturess, Undead Walking and Final Girl. As a lifelong nerd she loves sci-fi, fantasy and horror TV and movies, as well as cultural documentaries. She is particularly interested in representation of marginalized groups in nerd culture and writes reviews and analysis with an intersectional POV. Some of her favorite shows include Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Sandman.