The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)

Any watchers? It’s about a Jewish Upper West Side housewife in the 1950s who’s seemingly perfect life gets turned upside down and decides to become a stand-up comedian. It plays like a companion piece to Inside Llewyn Davis with all the painful sincerity, hilarity and beauty that movie had but from a distinctively feminine perspective.

Rachel Brosnahan turns in absolutely star-making performance as the title character and the supporting cast, particularly Alex Borstein, Tony Shalhoub and Kevin Pollak, all shine in/with the perfect rhythm of the series (its relentless. Again, very Coen Bros. esque verbal gymnastics). Luke Kirby also impresses in a short appearance as Lenny Bruce that’s surprisingly and thankfully not too character-y.

It’s technically brilliant. The series employs long tracking shots that really milk the impressive set design for all its got. Costumes are outright desirable and the needle drops are quite good too.

In short, it’s just about the most lively and earnest thing you’ll find on a streaming service right now and it’s helping me get through some fever so go watch it.

I lost sight of this over the holidays. Thanks for the reminder!

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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear

I've heard nothing but good things. I plan on watching it very soon.

Great, great season closer. Michael Zegen really steps it up in the second half.

If you can watch this and you’re not, you’re missing out.

I just heard great things about this; might give it a shot.

Season 2 is up for streaming now and I did not renew that Amazon Prime subscription.

Season 4 is off to a killer start. That Ferris wheel scene was hysterical.

The series finale aired Friday. I really like this show. I think this is one of my favorite modern comedies. I think Rachel Brosnahan does a wonderful job as the title character, and that it would be a far lesser show if her role were portrayed by a different actress. I was actually quite surprised when I saw her performance because the only significant role that I remember seeing her in previously was as a fairly minor character in "House of Cards", where she really didn't display the kind of acting talent that she did in this show. To me, this is an example where an actress who may not have been impressive in other roles really can shine in the right role. I really didn't like the season where she was playing in strip clubs (think this was Season 3), and Season 4 was not as strong as Season 1, but it's otherwise an enjoyable and amusing show for me. I don't find it laugh out loud funny, but do find it to be consistently entertaining, and both Maisal and Susie's characters are well cast and portrayed. I think that this last season was one of the better seasons of the show, although for me, I felt like the series finale should have ended after the scene on the talk show, and that the power of the episode was a bit diluted with the scene in the diner as well as the scene in 2005.

From the lack of discussion on the board in this thread, I'm wondering, do we have many fans of the show? If we do, what did you all think of the final season? Was frequently using flash forwards a good strategy, and why do you think the use of flash forwards was chosen as a plot device, as it's a bit unusual? What did you think of the series finale? Was it a fitting end for the characters to you?

LOVED this show, although somewhere in the deep middle it felt a little sloggy to me. But it perked up here in the last season, and I give the series two thumbs up.

You're right about Rachel finding the right role. I too was a bit stunned when I looked her up on IMDb that first season (because she looked familiar), only to realize she'd played Rachel Posner on House of Cards. Polar opposites. If someone had told me while I was watching House of Cards that she'd eventually be starring as a 1960s comedienne, I wouldn't have believed it. But her comic timing when her character was onstage was always razor sharp.

I absolutely loved all the side characters too: her parents (gotta love Tony Shalhoub!); her in-laws; Susie; the maid... everybody was fabulous in this show. Adding in Lenny Bruce was an interesting way to go mid-series, and it made for some great moments. The sets were terrific; the costumes were glorious. Everything = so fun, so well done.

I did NOT mind that final scene in 2005 because I'm betting it was a sort of sideways homage to the likes of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, who often met for dinner and to watch shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune around takeout food and cheap dinners. When Reiner died, I immediately thought that Brooks was probably going to feel a very deep hole in his life without having Reiner around to get together and watch game shows each evening.

I don't think they overdid it--just one scene, after all. The diner scene I could have done without, but it kinda brought the Lenny Bruce elements full circle, so that too didn't seem overdone.

As for the flash-forwards this season: I could take them or leave them. They did kinda give away the fact that she did end up successful, and some of the scenes with her grown son/daughter were awkard because those relationships were a bit sad. And of course, Joel ending up in prison to protect her was just such a heart-wrenching thing. And yet, why didn't we see him in/around 2005? Did they ever show us what became of him? Did that slip past and I missed it? There were SO many times I was sure we'd see them get back together, but yet it never happened. Despite his having gone to prison for her!

ANYWAY, sad to see this show end, but it did, at least, end properly. Too many shows get cancelled without closure, so I'm grateful when a show can tell its own story and finish it on its own terms.

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