Why You Shouldn’t Feel Sad For Midge After That Mrs. Maisel Ending (2024)

FAQs

Why did Mrs Maisel get Cancelled? ›

This was a decision made by the creators, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. While there may have been a plan to go for longer originally, things started to change due to the pandemic. Due to filming delays, it took a while to get The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4.

What was in Lenny's bathroom in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4? Well, what Midge found was something we already had a sense of. It was his hard drug stash.

Personality...

A natural socialite, Midge can use her funny, bubbly, persuasive demeanor to ingratiate herself with just about anyone. As her life starts to implode, however, cracks begin to show in her perfect facade. Particularly on stage, Midge is emboldened to let her true emotions—and her uncouth opinions—fly.

The episode opens in a flash-forward to 1987, where a greying, pudgy Joel Maisel is serving time in prison. A 55-year-old Midge is visiting, hot brisket in tow. The prosthetics on Michael Zegen and Rachel Brosnahan here are great, btw.

While Lenny and Midge's mutual admiration finally crossed the line into a romantic night together in Maisel's season 4 finale, there is obviously no real-life Midge Maisel that Bruce knew or had any kind of relationship with. In real life, the comedian married stripper and showgirl Honey Harlow in 1951.

Lenny Bruce struggled with addiction.

Maisel season 4, Midge discovers Lenny's drug stash. This critical plot point is accurate: Lenny was heavily addicted to drugs in the final years of his life. He reportedly used heroin, methamphetamine, and Dilaudid (an opioid) daily, according to Jewish Virtual Library.

But all beautiful fantasies must end at some point, and this fantasy concludes like a sledgehammer to the face when Midge is confronted with Lenny's bag of heroin paraphernalia.

After a brief jest to laugh it off, Lenny goes solemnly serious too, and only then do they finally spend a night together. But because the good can't come without the harsh, all of this is capped off by a sobering moment: Midge wanders into Lenny's bathroom and finds his heroin stash.

Maisel couldn't resist telling the story of her one night stand with a handsome man she met in Central Park (played by Gilmore Girls' Milo Ventimiglia), who turned out to be married. By recounting that she was "the other woman" who slept with a married man, Midge inadvertently brought Jackie Kennedy to tears.

Imogene is the bubbly, perky loyal best friend of Midge.

What happened to Midge Maisel's money? ›

See, Susie gambled away all of Midge's earnings last season (unbeknownst to Midge) and attempted to replace them by setting fire to her dead mother's house and collecting the insurance money. The good news is that despite a two-year hiatus, the show is still the vibrant and vivacious Mrs. Maisel we know and love.

Midge is heavily inspired on Joan Rivers, too.

Although much of her career and the show's setting is based around Amy's father, a lot of Midge's experiences are based on the life of Joan Rivers. Similarly to Midge, Rivers was born in New York to Jewish parents who disproved of her career in comedy.

Rachel Brosnahan wears a wig.

She has a perky quality as a character, so we wanted the wig to match," the show's head hair stylist Jerry DeCarlo told Refinery29.

Midge finally got closure with Shy Baldwin in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 and their riveting confrontation worked better without Reggie.

Maisel, Midge (played by Rachel Brosnahan) has two children under the age of 4, Ethan and Esther.

Over the course of the series, it's been made clear that Lenny and Midge's relationship is more than just one of physical attraction. They also support and admire each other, which was evident in the finale when Lenny was able to talk some sense into Midge about her “no opening gigs” mentality.

Midge And Lenny Sleep Together

In "How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall," after a police raid of The Wolford, Midge and Lenny escape to Lenny's hotel room and sleep together. This is shocking as it's the major pay-off of four years of will-they-won't-they between Midge and real-life comedian, Lenny Bruce.

Noah Weissman is the brother of Midge and the son of Abe Weissman and Rose Weissman. He is a recurring character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

The first time Midge sees Lenny, was whilst on a first date with Joel at the Gaiety strip club, back when she was in college. Joel, at the time, was a big fan of Lenny's and wanted to take Midge to see his comedy hero, who was performing at the club.

Maisel based on a true story? Technically, no. There was no Jewish stand-up comic named Miriam Maisel performing at the Gaslight in New York City in the 1960s. However, Midge's story is loaded with references to real-life performers, complete with their triumphs and flaws.

Why is Lenny Bruce so important? ›

Comedy career

Bruce paved the way for counterculture-era comedians. His trial for obscenity was a landmark of freedom of speech in the United States.

Likewise, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Midge Maisel was inspired by the famous comedian and actress Joan Rivers.

Midge finally gets her lucky dress back from Handsome Man's apartment while watching Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) promote his Carnegie Hall debut on Gordon Ford's show.

Midge's divorce was finalized during season 3. She was engaged to Benjamin but ended things when singer Shy Baldwin called to say that he wanted Midge to be his opening act on a USO tour. Oh, and when Joel visited Midge on tour, the two got drunk together and got remarried.

They end up at Lenny's hotel, where they sleep together before Midge finds medicine and a syringe in Lenny's luggage. He brushes it off, but Midge is concerned. Lenny's Carnegie Hall show is a success.

As for Kirby and his character, fans might have been surprised to see Lenny fly off to California in the Season 5 premiere – particularly after the events of the Season 4 finale, when he and Midge finally consummated their relationship and Lenny also urged Midge to take her career to the next level.

Having turned down the Tony Bennett gig because she wants Susie to book her headliner-only jobs, Midge attends Lenny's crazy-successful Carnegie Hall performance.

Mei was pregnant and Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen) planned to marry her at the end of season 4. But marriage and a baby didn't fit into Mei's plans to become a doctor. In an emotional scene, Mei tells Joel there is “no baby.” And that she plans to continue her pursuit of becoming a doctor in Chicago.

"He's kind of an amalgamation of a lot of different figures who were that successful, but Johnny Mathis comes to mind," confirmed star Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Midge on the show, to Refinery29. Other potential inspirations include Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nat King Cole, and maybe even singer Harry Belafonte.

It is revealed in the Pilot that Joel had been having an affair with Penny Pann, his secretary, due to not being happy in his marriage to Midge and also his work life.

Does Mary ever forgive Midge? ›

Even though Midge apologized, Mary wouldn't forgive her and the other makeup counter girls sided with Mary.

About the intense relationship between Midge and Susie, Borstein made sure to state that it's a love story, but a platonic one. “She is in love with this woman, with her mind, with her talent, with her chutzpah but I also think she wouldn't pass up a night with Lenny Bruce,” Borstein said.

In the early years, Midge was a teenager, the same age as Barbie, but during her multiple comebacks, it was led to believe that she was more of a young adult, around twenty-five years old, when marrying Alan, then having children.

You might recall that the bad blood between Sophie Lennon and Midge first arose in S1. After meeting with Sophie and learning that she is a wealthy, Yale-educated sophisticate and not a low-rent pleb from Queens, Midge exposes this fraud during a set at the Gaslight, kicking off a years-long feud.

The truth is, obviously, more complicated—Midge made hom*ophobic jokes about Shy (referencing his “Judy Garland shoes,” the fact that they met in a ladies' bathroom, and that he “has a guy for everything”) in a vain attempt to win over an all-Black audience.

Located on the Upper West Side in The Strathmore building, it would cost you a whopping $28,000 per month to rent. To keep the sizable apartment, the character often shares it with her parents, but still—that's basically the cost of a car.

Midge is a woman in her late 20s with blue eyes and a dark brown bob, her appearance seen to be bare some similarity to her mother.

Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel (née Weissman), an upper-middle class Jewish American housewife and mother who discovers her flair for stand-up comedy after husband Joel leaves her.

What do Betty Draper, Liz Lemon, and Midge Maisel (the protagonist of a new series produced by Amazon) all have in common? They all went to Bryn Mawr.

Oh, the irony… Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) is in a fashionable matching arm sling because, oh yeah, she fell into the pit at The Wolfard in the last episode.

What lipstick does Mrs. Maisel wear? ›

With that, ladies and gentlemen (because why not), we present Rachel Brosnahan/Midge Maisel's fave choice: Ilia Color Block Lipstick in “Flame,” a bright red hue with blue undertones.

Maisel Season 4 finally shows Midge as not another Mary Sue, but a self-preserving artist.

He struggled with drug and alcohol problems, which caused his death. Bruce struggled with addiction, and he died on August 3, 1966, following an accidental morphine overdose in his Los Angeles home. He's buried in Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Will The Marvelous Mrs Maisel be back for season 5? Yes! Midge will be back for a fifth season of Amazon Prime Video's hit comedy-drama, with the streamer announcing the good news in February 2022. The bad news is that The Marvellous Mrs Maisel's fifth season is set to be its last.

Lenny Bruce has flown off into the sunset. In the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 premiere, while taking Alfie (Gideon Glick) to the airport for his first ever out-of-town gig, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) runs into an old friend — Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby).

Midge is heavily inspired on Joan Rivers, too.

Although much of her career and the show's setting is based around Amy's father, a lot of Midge's experiences are based on the life of Joan Rivers. Similarly to Midge, Rivers was born in New York to Jewish parents who disproved of her career in comedy.

Maisel' comedienne Sophie Lennon appears to be loosely based on Phyllis Diller, among other comediennes. Phyllis Diller was known for her outrageous and self-deprecating housewife persona. She did this for similar reasons that Sophie Lennon assumed the role of an overweight clownish housewife.

Shy Baldwin

Although there was no real Shy, Rachel Brosnahan told Refinery29 that the character was a mix of several real-life legendary singers. "He's kind of an amalgamation of a lot of different figures who were that successful, but Johnny Mathis comes to mind," Rachel explained.

The TL;DR version is that Moishe Maisel survived a near-fatal heart attack after learning that Mei is pregnant with son Joel's baby.

Put your hands together because there will be a season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But sadly, this will also be the final season. The show made the official announcement in February, and fans were not prepared to say goodbye to the series.

What happens to Mei in Mrs Maisel? ›

But that all disintegrates rather quickly in the first episode back, in which Mei admits to Joel that she had an abortion and then drops another major bomb — she is moving to Chicago for her residency, where she'll continue to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, and leave Joel in her rearview mirror.

"He's kind of an amalgamation of a lot of different figures who were that successful, but Johnny Mathis comes to mind," confirmed star Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Midge on the show, to Refinery29. Other potential inspirations include Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nat King Cole, and maybe even singer Harry Belafonte.

When we got news that Mrs. Maisel Season 5 would premiere in April, it came with news that Kirby was no longer a series regular.

You might recall that the bad blood between Sophie Lennon and Midge first arose in S1. After meeting with Sophie and learning that she is a wealthy, Yale-educated sophisticate and not a low-rent pleb from Queens, Midge exposes this fraud during a set at the Gaslight, kicking off a years-long feud.

In Season 4, we meet yet another performer striving for stardom: the magician Alfie (Gideon Glick), who Susie (Alex Borstein) takes under her wing as a new client. Like Shy and Sophie, Alfie is not based on a real person.

The model for superstar crooner Shy Baldwin is almost certainly Johnny Mathis. But although the character Shy looks and sounds like Mathis, in his career, real-life Johnny never did record the hit song "Younger Than Springtime" from the famous Broadway musical and film South Pacific (1958).