5 Intriguing Insights From Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Watch Parties
A look into the discussion topics and experiences shared during Remarkist’s Maisel watch party sessions.
At Remarkist, our very first series-long watch party was of the fan-favorite franchise, Gilmore Girls. We gathered every night to watch and discuss each episode over the course of many months and had a fantastic time simultaneously building the tools needed for the perfect virtual watch party. So it was only natural that we would turn our attention to another acclaimed series by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino. Every week during our official watch party slates, we came together in an audio room 🎧 to sync our TVs and press play on each episode at the same time. Our community discussions 🗣 around the series ranged from having lots of laughs and joking around about the humor in the show to marveling (see what we did there?) at the gorgeous costumes and set pieces to diving into deep discussions about what it may have meant for a woman in the 1960s to separate from her husband and pursue a stand-up comedy career. It’s been one heck of a ride watching this show together.
We are positively verklempt that the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel drops on Amazon Prime this month. Remarkist community members have already scheduled watch parties for the new season’s episodes. We thought this might be a perfect time to share some of the insights, experiences, and conversation topics we got into during our watch party sessions of seasons one through four. Why watch alone when you can experience the show in a deeper way with other fans?
Bring on the brisket!
1. Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”
What we talked about:
We compared the character of Joel to Christopher in Gilmore Girls. The descriptor “weak man” is used in both shows, as astutely pointed out by fans in the room, and we wondered if Amy Sherman Palladino has a larger thesis about this that she used both shows to work out. But, we also acknowledged that both characters are products of very different times and circumstances.
We took special note of this line, spoken by Susie: “I just don’t want to be insignificant.” We pointed out Joel’s need for approval and his longing for significance and wondered where this theme might take us with regard to all of the characters: Midge, Joel, Susie, etc. Would the series hinge on this idea? We were eager to keep watching to find out.
2. Season 2, Episode 1, “Simone”
What we talked about:
We absolutely loved the introduction of the two men sent to kidnap Susie. Who were these goons? Were they mobsters? There was some speculation that they were sent by Sophie Lennon (remember that in the last season, Midge blew up her spot by revealing that her stage performance was actually an alter-ego).
This episode has Midge and Abe going to Paris, France to figure out what Rose has been up to and why she left New York City. We wondered how long our characters would stay in Paris and just how clueless would Abe have to be to notice his wife had left?!
One of the most-talked-about moments in our discussion was of the Paris nightclub scene where Midge, of course, ends up doing a stand-up routine without being asked. We wondered: how many ways can Midge Maisel grab a microphone and do stand-up? Would she lean over and use a police officer’s walkie talkie occupy the megaphone 📣 at a football game? Microphones tend to appear out of nowhere for Mrs. Maisel! It’s a plot device our watch party room found entertaining at best and preposterous at worst.
3. Season 2, Episode 4, “We’re Going to the Catskills!”
What we talked about:
We discussed a bit of the history of summer resorts ⛱ in the Catskills frequented by the Jewish community in postwar New York and mentioned the documentary Welcome to Kutshers, which tells the history of the last remaining resort of its kind in the borscht-belt at the time of its filming.
This season felt less serialized than the first season. We appreciated that this episode felt like the start of a new story arc, just like Episodes 1-3 of this season felt like its own story arc with the Paris connection.
4. Season 3, Episode 8, “A Jewish Girl Walks Into the Apollo…”
What we talked about:
A huge opportunity for Midge Maisel has her performing at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Midge outs Shy Baldwin, and we talked about the gravity of this with respect to how being gay in the Black community in the 60s was received.
We commented on Midge’s lack of professionalism and saying what’s on her mind all the time. She’s ruined her relationship with Sophie Lennon and now Shy Baldwin. What would this mean for the progression of her career?
We talked about Abe’s career pivot this season from losing his job at Bell Labs to shifting to the arts and becoming a theater critic 🎭. Perhaps Midge and her father aren’t so different when it comes to drastic life changes…
We’ve seen a lot of character development for Joel from Seasons 1 through 3. Midge and Joel have developed a friendship, and he is overall supportive of Midge’s ambitions. It’s interesting to see his and Susie’s approach to Midge’s career. Both of them offer Midge tell-it-like-it-is advice but seem distrustful of one another.
We agreed that the last half of this season was incredible in terms of storytelling and character arcs, and couldn’t wait for new episodes.
5. Season 4, Episode 1, “Rumble on the Wonder Wheel”
What we talked about:
No doubt that we were obsessed with that incredible, hilarious Wonder Wheel 🎡 scene with the Maisel’s and Weissman’s shouting to one another.
We referenced the cool behind-the-scenes video that Rachel Brosnahan posted on her Instagram feed of how they filmed that epic Wonder Wheel scene!
We predicted Alfie, the magician 🎩, would become a client of Susie’s at some point. Some watch party attendees thought the character was a bit too much; others loved actor Gideon Glick’s performance a lot.
Some attendees had never had a funnel cake!
We predicted that the Wonder Wheel scene would be one of the scenes that the Palladinos will forever be known for in how they write families: banter, back-and-forth humor, and arguing over one another. We recognized that the scene is very similar to the Gilmore Girls episode, “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” whose handheld filming technique during the long sequence of scenes with Lorelai, Rory, Emily, and Richard arguing was a reference to the film Husbands & Wives.
Our watch parties at Remarkist always generate insightful conversations about the content we love. We share opinions, likes 👍, dislikes 👎, and laughs 🤣 alongside deeper interpretations of character development and story. Sometimes we debate these points and disagree, which just makes for an even more fulfilling discussion. When attendees leave our watch parties, our chatter doesn’t end there: often, the conversation moves to our Discord forums, where fans keep talking about the shows and films they love. No matter how long the conversation, watching the shows we love this way creates a deeper, more rewarding experience than watching alone. If you haven’t yet joined a Remarkist watch party, download our app and take a look at our upcoming schedule! There’s a watch party for you no matter what you’re into!
