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.

 

 

 

 

Favorite Television Productions Set in the 1940s

Below is a list of my favorite television productions (so far) that are set in the 1940s: 

FAVORITE TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET IN THE 1940s

1. “Homefront” (1991-1993) – Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick created this award-winning series about the residents of a small Ohio town in post-World War II.

2. “Mob City” (2013) – Jon Bernthal starred in this six-part limited series that was inspired by John Buntin’s book, “L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City”. Co-starring Alexa Davalos and Milo Ventimiglia, the series was created by Frank Darabont.

3. “Agent Carter” (2015-2016) – Hayley Atwell starred as Margaret “Peggy” Carter, an agent with the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) in the post-World War II Manhattan. Created by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the MCU series co-starred James D’Arcy and Enver Gjokaj.

4a. “Band of Brothers” (2001) – Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced this outstanding television miniseries about the history of a U.S. Army paratrooper company – “Easy Company” – during the war. Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston starred. (tie)

4b. “The Pacific” (2010) – Spielberg and Hanks struck gold again in this equally superb television miniseries about the experiences of three U.S. Marines – John Basilone, Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge – in the war’s Pacific Theater. James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello and Jon Seda starred. (tie)

5. “Manhattan” (2014-2015) – Sam Shaw created this series about the creation of the first two atomic bombs at Los Alamitos, New Mexico. The series starred John Benjamin Hickey.

6. “The Winds of War” (1983) – Dan Curtis produced and directed this television adaptation of Herman Wouk’s 1971 novel. The seven-part miniseries starred Robert Mitchum, Ali McGraw and Jan-Michael Vincent.

7. “Pearl” (1978) – Stirling Silliphant wrote this three-part miniseries about a group of men and women who experienced the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Angie Dickinson, Robert Wagner, Lesley-Ann Warren and Dennis Weaver starred.

8. “The Jewel in the Crown” (1984) – The ITV aired this award winning television adaptation of Paul Scott’s “Raj Quartet”novels (1965–75) about the end of the British Raj in India. The fourteen-part miniseries starred Art Malik, Geraldine James, Charles Dance and Tim Pigott-Smith.

9. “Foyle’s War” (2002-2015) – Anthony Horowitz created this television crime drama about a British police detective during World War II. The series starred Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks and Anthony Howell.

10. “RKO 281” (1999) – Liev Schreiber starred as Orson Welles in this 1999 television adaptation of 1996 documentary called “The Battle Over Citizen Kane”. The television movie also starred John Malkovich, Roy Schneider, James Cromwell and Melanie Griffith.

Top Five Favorite Episodes of “MANHATTAN” (2014-2015)

Below is a list of my five favorite episodes from the 2014-2015 WGN series, “MANHATTAN”. Created by Sam Shaw, the series starred John Benjamin Hickey and Olivia Williams: 

TOP FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “MANHATTAN” (2014-2015)

1. (2.07) “Behold the Lord High Executioner” – In this episode, the second Los Alamos base’s commander, Colonel Emmett Darrow, engages in the hunt for a possible spy after the son of a Native American cleaning woman stumbles across a can filled with equations.

2. (1.12) “The Gun Model” – Dr. Reed Akley, lead scientist for the Thin Man bomb design of the Manhattan Project, becomes vulnerable when he tries to fix the design’s shortcomings.

3. (1.02) “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” – When Dr. Frank Winter, lead scientist for the Manhattan Project’s implosion design, attempts to save his team from being shut down, his action leads to serious consequences for team member Dr. Sid Liao.

4. (2.10) “Jupiter” – While the countdown to the first nuclear weapon test commences, Dr. Frank Winter races to apprehend a Soviet spy who intends to sabotage the gadget.

5. (1.05) “A New Approach to Nuclear Cosmology” – When Dr. Glenn Babbit’s past comes back to haunt him, Frank clashes with newcomer Dr. Charlie Isaacs to protect his mentor and team member.

 

Five Favorite Episodes of “MANHATTAN” Season Two (2015)

Below is a list of my five favorite episodes from Season Two of the WGN series, “MANHATTAN”. Created by Sam Shaw, the series starred John Benjamin Hickey: 

FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “MANHATTAN” SEASON TWO (2015)

1. (2.07) “Behold the Lord High Executioner” – In this episode, the Los Alamos base’s commander, Colonel Emmett Darrow, engages in the hunt for a possible spy after the son of a Native American cleaning woman stumbles across a can filled with equations.

2. (2.10) “Jupiter” – While the countdown to the first nuclear weapon test commences, Dr. Frank Winter races to apprehend a Soviet spy who intends to sabotage the gadget.

3. (2.02) “Fatherland” – Frank endures a brutal interrogation at the hands of the U.S. government at an undisclosed location, before he discovers the real reason behind his imprisonment.

4. (2.06) “33” – When Frank and the other scientists begin to harbor ethical doubts over the construction of the Bomb, they engage in a moral battle with the U.S. Army over how the Bomb will be used.

5. (2.03) “The Threshold” – Worried over Frank’s disappearance, his wife Dr. Liza Winter wages a battle against Colonel Darrow to find his whereabouts and facilitate his return to the base. Meanwhile, Rachel Isaacs, the wife of scientist Dr. Charlie Isaacs, stumbles across a secret about Dr. Robert Oppenheimer’s private life.

Five Favorite Episodes of “MANHATTAN” Season One (2014)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season One of the WGN’s “MANHATTAN”. Created by Sam Shaw, the series starred John Benjamin Hickey:

FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “MANHATTAN” SEASON ONE (2014)

1. (1.12) “The Gun Model” – Dr. Reed Akley, lead scientist for the Thin Man bomb design of the Manhattan Project, becomes vulnerable when he tries to fix the design’s shortcomings.

2. (1.02) “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” – When Dr. Frank Winter, lead scientist for the Manhattan Project’s implosion design, attempts to save his team from being shut down, his action leads to serious consequences for team member Dr. Sid Liao.

3. (1.05) “A New Approach to Nuclear Cosmology” – When Dr. Glenn Babbit’s past comes back to haunt him, Frank clashes with newcomer Dr. Charlie Isaacs to protect his mentor and team member.

4. (1.07) “A New World” – While visiting an off-site reactor in Tennessee, Charlie and Dr. Helen Prins race to prevent a meltdown. Meanwhile, Frank and his wife, Dr. Liza Winter; help the family of their maid Paloma.

5. (1.11) “Tangier” – The death of a German-born spy for the Allies in Germany re-invigorates the hunt for a spy on The Hill. Charlie and his wife, Abby Isaacs, make a sacrifice when the plan with Frank to develop the implosion project is threatened.