Favorite Episodes of “THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” Season Two (2018)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Two of the Amazon Prime series, “THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL”. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the series stars Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam “Midge” Maisel:

“THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” SEASON TWO (2018) EPISODE RANKING

1. (2.04) “We’re Going to the Catskills!” – Burgeoning comedienne Midge Maisel and her parents, Abe and Rose Weissman, head for Steiner Mountain Resort, the Catskills resort where they vacation every year for two months.

2. (2.08) “Vote for Kennedy, Vote for Kennedy” – Agent Susie Myerson lands Midge her first gig on television marathon. Their victory is short-lived when they realize Midge is being punished for her past with a late slot. Abe is increasingly unhappy in his dream job at Bell Labs, while Midge’s soon-to-be ex-husband Joel Maisel continues to drown in work during late nights at Maisel and Roth.

3. (2.05) “Midnight at the Concord” – Midge rushes back to New York City when her employer B. Altman calls, needing a temporary fill-in at the cosmetics counter. She also begins dating Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg, whom she met at Steiners, despite her original misgivings. Abe discovers that she is a comedian, when he catches her act at another Catskills resort.

4. (2.08) “Someday” – Midge and Susie hit the road on a short comedy tour, traveling in a vintage Model A Ford that Susie “inherited” from her mother. Joel intervenes on Midge’s behalf when a club owner refuses to pay her.

5. (2.06) “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” – Tension between Midge and Abe increases following his discovery that she is a stand-up comedian. To make matters worse, Abe discovers that his son Noah Weissman secretly works for the CIA. Joel continues adjusting to renewed bachelorhood. Susie becomes overly immersed in her Steiner resort staff persona.

“THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” Season One (2017) Episode Ranking

Below is my ranking of the Season One episodes of the Amazon Prime series, “THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL”. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the series stars Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam “Midge” Maisel:

 

 

 

“THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” SEASON ONE (2017) EPISODE RANKING

1. (1.08) “Thank You and Good Night” – Housewife-turned-stand up comic Miriam “Midge” Maisel and her manager, former cafe employee Susie Myerson deal with the repercussions of Midge’s off-script take down of famous comedienne Sophie Lennon. Midge and her estranged husband Joel Maisel briefly reunite for their son’s birthday.

 

 

2. (1.02) “Ya Shivu v Bolshom Dome Na Kholme” – Midge’s life falls into a tailspin in the wake of Joel leaving her. Their parents butt heads in an attempt to keep the couple together. Susie pushes Midge to seek a career as a stand-up comic.

 

 

3. (1.07) “Put That on Your Plate” – With Susie’s help, Midge hones her act at the Gaslight Cafe. Midge’s father, Abe Weissman, surprises the women with a dinner guest, sending her mother Rose into an emotional spiral. Midge stirs up controversy after meeting a big-time comic, Sophie Lennon.

 

 

4. (1.01) “Pilot” – Midge seemed to lead the perfect life with Joel and their children. But when his dreams of becoming a stand-up comic bombs at the Gaslight, Joel blames Midge and leaves her. A drunken Midge returns to the club and engages in a comic routine that leads to her arrest.

 

 

5. (1.04) “The Disappointment of the Dionne Quintuplets” – Susie shows Midge the ropes during a tour of New York comedy clubs. Rose takes a bit too much pleasure in Midge and the children moving in with the Weissmans.

 

 

6. (1.06) “Mrs. X at the Gaslight” – Susie becomes upset when she learns that Midge has been performing her act at private parties. Abe is thrilled when he receives a job offer from Bell Labs. The Weissman family celebrate Abe’s job offer at a local Chinese restaurant, where they encounter Joel and his mistress, Penny Pann.

 

 

7. (1.03) “Because You Left” – After her second arrest, Midge finds herself in legal trouble when she is forced to face a judge in court. Abe approaches Joel’s father, Moishe Maisel, with an interesting proposition. Legendary comic Lenny Bruce offers some unconventional inspiration for Midge’s act.

 

 

8. (1.05) “Doink” – Midge gets a job at B. Altman, a Manhattan department store, where she makes new friends. She also hires an unemployed comedy writer, an act that proves disastrous for her budding career. Joel’s relationship with Penny Pann meets with disapproval from his parents, along with the wife of his friend/co-worker Archie Cleary.

 

 

 

 

Top Ten Favorite Television Productions Set in the 1960s

Below is a list of my favorite television productions (so far) that are set in the 1960s: 

TOP TEN FAVORITE TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET IN THE 1960s

1. “Mad Men” (2007-2015) – Matthew Weiner created this award-winning series about the professional and personal life of an advertising executive during the 1960s. Jon Hamm starred.

2. “Kennedy” (1983) – Martin Sheen, Blair Brown and John Shea starred in this seven-part miniseries about the presidency of John F. Kennedy. The miniseries was written by Reg Gadney and directed by Jim Goddard.

3. “Tour of Duty” (1987-1990) – Steve Duncan and L. Travis Clark created this television series about an U.S. Army infantry platoon during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. Terence Knox and Stephen Caffrey starred.

4. “Pan Am” (2011-2012) – Jack Orman created this series about the lives of four Pan Am stewardesses and two pilots during the early 1960s. The series starred Kelli Garner, Margot Robbie, Karine Vanasse, Mike Vogel, Michael Mosley and Christina Ricci.

5. “Vegas” (2012-2013) – Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Walker created this series about the conflict between Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb and a Chicago mobster named Vincent Savino. Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis starred.

6. “The Astronaut Wives Club” (2015) – Stephanie Savage produced this adaptation of Lily Kopel’s 2013 book about the wives of the Mercury Seven astronauts. The cast included Joanna García Swisher, Yvonne Strahovski and Dominique McElligott.

7. “The Kennedys” (2011) – Jon Cassar directed this award winning miniseries that chronicled the lives of the Kennedy family between the 1940s and the 1960s. Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Barry Pepper, Diana Hardcastle and Tom Wilkinson starred.

8. “Crime Story” (1986-1988) – Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger created this television series about the bitter conflict between a Chicago police lieutenant and a mobster in the mid 1960s. Dennis Farina and Anthony Denison starred.

9. “Path to War” (2002) – John Frankenheimer directed this HBO movie that dealt with the Vietnam War through the eyes of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Michael Gambon, Donald Sutherland and Alec Baldwin starred.

10. “Public Morals” (2015) – Edward Burns created and starred in this TNT limited series about police detectives who worked for the Public Morals Division of the New York City Police Department.

Five Favorite Episodes of “THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB” (2015)

Below is a list of my five favorite episodes of ABC’s limited series, “THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB”. Based upon Lily Koppel’s 2013 book, the series was developed by Stephanie Savage.

 

FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB” (2015)

1. (1.08) “Abort” – Betty Grissom is forced to deal with the grim reality of the death of her husband, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, as she prepares to openly question the circumstances regarding his pre-launch test for Apollo 1 mission.

2. (1.05) “Flashpoint” – Trudy Cooper discovers that NASA senior officials are making an effort to quash a burgeoning astronaut program for women.

3. (1.07) “Rendezvous” – Following the success of the Gemini program, the Apollo program is launched and the pressure on the astronaut wives grows. Meanwhile, Marilyn Lovell struggles to conceal a pregnancy on the eve of her husband James “Jim” Lovell’s Gemini 12 mission.

4. (1.04) “Liftoff” – The Mercury program families begin new lives in Houston on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The period also features the arrival of the Gemini program families. Marge and Deke Slayton deal with the latter’s grounded status, while Trudy and Gordo’s tense relationship begins to thaw.

5. (1.02) “Protocol” – While Louise and Alan Shepard bask in the success of his Freedom 7 flight, Betty Grissom preps for Gus’ first flight and turns to Louise for advice. Meanwhile, Annie Glenn struggles with the idea of facing the media with her stutter, in the wake of husband John Glenn’s Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.