The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episodes 2 and 3 Recap – How Does Midge’s First Day Go?

By Adam Lock
Published: April 14, 2023 (Last updated: 4 weeks ago)
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episodes 2 and 3 Recap
Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 (Credit to Amazon Prime Video)

Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is desperate to become a famous stand-up comedian and has taken a writing job as a first step towards reaching her goals. Her first day as a writer on the show is captured in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 2. While Midge follows her dreams, the other supporting cast members go about their own private lives. Abe (Tony Shalhoub) is propositioned at work; Rose (Marin Hinkle) believes someone is out to kill her, and Joel (Michael Zegen) recovers from his drunken escapades.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 2 Recap

The previous episode opened with a scene from the future involving Midge’s daughter Esther, and this flash-forward technique is used again in episode two.

This time we look at Midge’s future, with her entire career summarized in a 60 Minutes episode. Midge is interviewed about her stand-up career, love life, and family. She found stardom in the sixties and married four times after that. The comedian comments on being unlucky in love and discusses her falling out with Susie Myerson.

Back in 1961, Midge is preparing for her new job. She asks her parents to help out with babysitting her two children. Midge is excited about the prospects of working on the Gordon Ford Show, but her parents are both skeptical. She stresses the night before, worrying about what outfit to wear for her first day. Midge calls Susie over. Her manager quickly picks out a red number for her to wear.

Who is Sylvio?

On her way to work, Midge is accosted by a man on the subway. The unnamed character, played by Milo Ventimiglia, chases after Midge, desperate to explain himself to her. This one-time lover, who never called back, apologizes, stating that he is getting a divorce. He is called Sylvio and seems to be madly in love with Midge. He offers her his number.

After this strange encounter, Midge heads to her new offices. She tries to befriend the show’s booker Mike, but he is still angry with Susie and takes this out on her too.

In the writer’s room, Midge is treated about the same, with her new co-workers barely clocking to her arrival. Midge introduces herself to the team, but she isn’t given any words of encouragement. Head writer Alvin asks the writers for twenty jokes to be delivered in an hour’s time. Midge panics and calls Susie for support. After the hour is up, Midge pitches her jokes to the group. The writers don’t find her jokes funny, though, and rudely interrupt her.

Other subplots include Joel recovering from his fight. He wakes in his parent’s house, unsure of what happened the night before. He tells Midge that his relationship with Mei is over.

Rose takes her friend to her favorite tea room but finds that it has been burned down. She wonders if her enemies are out to get her and phone her son Noah for help. He works as an analyst for the CIA but refuses to get involved in her schemes.

Midge’s father, Abe, finds his own dilemmas at work. The theater critic meets with Penelope at lunch, and the woman flirts with him, placing her hand on his thigh.

How does Midge’s first day go?

Back at Midge’s new job, Gordon isn’t impressed with the jokes he’s been supplied and asks for better ones instead. The writers work down to the wire, with rehearsals going badly as well. The writers blame Midge for the bad energy and still refuse to use her jokes. None of her writing makes the final cut. All in all, her first day goes terribly.

Drinks to celebrate following the live show. Midge phones Susie to inform her of the day’s woes. Susie urges her to mingle and make friends. The writers gather and chat. Gordon makes a surprise appearance at the bar. He tells Midge to let him know if the other writers aren’t treating her well.

This, of course, only alienates her further.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 2 Ending Explained

The second episode ends with Midge performing at the strip club again. She talks about her new job and trials, one of her rejected jokes from work.

This failed joke works well, with the crowd all laughing encouragingly. It’s the validation that she so dearly needed. Hopefully, she will start to build confidence in herself and slowly start to thrive in this new line of work now.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 3 Recap

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 3 (Credit – Amazon Prime Video)

We start in the future again, Israel, 1984. Midge takes a chopper to meet with her son Ethan, who is engaged to be married and training to be a rabbi. It’s clear that his relationship with his mother is fraught, but she is trying to change matters now, at least.

Meanwhile, in 1961, a joke tally board proves that none of Midge’s jokes have made the show yet. She’s weeks in and still struggling to be accepted.

In the sixties, a young Ethan won’t sleep in his own bed, and he’s taken to see a therapist. Midge tries a new technique, slowly moving him away from her bed back to his own. Joel comes to help, talking about how his parents are driving him crazy.

Rose is jumpy and paranoid after the tea room fire. Whilst Abe is stressed beyond belief after his first-ever typo mistake in print form.

Why does Midge think she’s getting fired?

At the writer’s room, one of Midge’s jokes finally makes the cut, and Gordon okays it for the show. She calls Susie to celebrate. During the live performance, Gordon accidentally flubs Midge’s joke, and she audibly groans at the mistake. Mike tells Midge to grovel for her job, but she fears she will be fired for this terrible faux pas anyway.

Midge tries to apologize to Gordon at the after-work drinks. Gordon accepts her apology but refuses to admit that he made a mistake himself. He lies, saying that he did it on purpose. Midge can’t let this go and gets into a rather dramatic argument with the TV host in front of all the other bar guests.

Midge argues that it was a good joke, just bad delivery. She storms off, assured she’ll be fired now.

Meanwhile, Rose fears her rivals are out to get her and asks Susie to get her a gun. Joel’s life goes from bad to worse. His parents show up at his club, embarrassing the owner and annoying the patrons. Midge tries to perform a stand-up set, but Joel’s parents heckle her to no end.

Joel’s parents badger Midge about the information on Mei and the baby. She can’t bring herself to tell them the truth and lies, saying Mei is stuck in China.

Joel goes along with the lie, and his father tries to organize a covert mission to get her out. Joel is forced to confess to the truth in the end. His parents are surprisingly comforting on the matter.

Why does Susie go to jail?

Susie informs Midge that her argument has made the papers, and she would not be surprised if Midge is sacked on Monday. Susie then receives a call from prison and meets with a stranger. This woman claims to be Rose’s rival. She’s been imprisoned and accused of starting the tearoom fire. These intimidation tactics seem to have worked; this criminal admits defeat and allows Rose to go about her business once again.

Ethan’s sleeping plan seems to be working effectively, but Abe keeps moving the boy as he is blocking the toilet door. Midge and Abe get into an argument over the scheme.

Abe refuses to go with the plan any longer. The next night, Abe talks to Ethan alone, discussing fear and how there are far worse things to be afraid of than your bed. Abe scares Ethan half to death with his so-called words of wisdom.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 3 Ending Explained

At work, Midge fears that this will be her last day on the job, and she prepares to be fired. Gordon is informed that the show is the number one talk show in the whole of America. They go to celebrate after the live recording, skating at the Rink at the Rockefeller Center.

Midge assumes that she hasn’t been fired after all and tells Susie the good news. Then Gordon speaks with Midge in private and tries to kiss her. Midge comments on Gordon being married, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from flirting with her further.

While Midge is propositioned, Susie seeks out Mike. The two finally make amends and decide to organize lunch together.

Episode 3 concludes with Midge heading home, relieved to still have a job. She finds Ethan in her bed again, petrified after Abe’s talk. Elsewhere, Joel’s parents get back together, cuddling in bed, comforting one another after Joel’s bad news.

What did you think of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episodes 2 and 3? Comment below.

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