‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 2 Rubs Our Faces in Its Own Privilege

There’s never such a thing as a guaranteed win in the unpredictable world of television, but I thought The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was close. The first season of Amy-Sherman Palladino’s comedian epic was such a delightful experience it was one of the rare seasons of 2017 television I watched twice. In fact I was so certain that Maisel Season 2 would be something I adored, I put off my list “Best Television of 2018” selections until I had the screeners for it in my hand. I wanted to love the latest season The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But I can’t.

In its second season The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel casts aside the world-shattering challenges that once made Midge such an interesting character to embrace something that’s always lurked on the edges of this comedy-drama — its exorbitant wealth. The resulting series is as pleasant and pretty as it is hollow to watch.

It’s impossible for Maisel to be anything other than charming, especially with the great Rachel Brosnahan at its helm. But for for me what transformed the Amazon original from another funny show into something I begged people to watch was it’s portrayal of Midge’s fall. From its first episode, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel showed us just how extraordinary and extraordinarily underutilized this woman is. Seeing Midge transform from cooking briskets for bribes to commanding a room all on her own was empowering. It was a season all about a woman trapped in the chains of sexist expectations waking up and starting to break free. It was about an unexpected underdog you want to win.

But in its second season The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel takes a step back from that ferocity. Midge no longer seems hungry to become the next greatest stand up; she’s happy to frolic around Paris and later the Catskills with her parents. In one episode she’s far more passionate about making her way back to the Revlon counter then even touching a mic. All of this is fine, by the way. Giving Tony Shalhoub’s Abe and Marin Hinkle’s Rose more screen time is rarely a bad thing. But every episode Midge spends sinking into the comfort of her parents’ absurd wealth and Joel’s (Michael Zegen) support, she becomes a little less compelling. By the end of Episode 5 our hungry underdog has been reduced to a child quivering under her dad’s rule.

Even Susie (Alex Borstein), Midge’s constantly angry agent who’s supposed to be our grounding financial anchor is flattened this season. In Season 1 it was easy to believe that Susie was struggling. Her cramped apartment, pathetically limited business cards, and ever-changing phone arrangements screamed money problems and acted as a much-needed mirror to the privileges Midge took for granted. But though Susie spends a lot of time talking about needing money this season, her struggle is never really felt. Much like Midge frolicking off to the Catskills for two months, everything manages to resolve itself without any of that pesky emotional weight.

All of this would be fine if it wasn’t for how we talk about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Maisel justifiably swept up at the 2018 Emmys, claiming its status as one of the greatest shows of the year. It is now a prestige comedy, but in its second season it’s one without much of the weight that comes with that title. That stands out in our current TV climate. Atlanta consistently stands as a funhouse mirror about race in modern day America. Veep is a scathing takedown of the cynicism of politics delivered by Julia-Louis Dreyfus’ sharp tongue. Barry is a heart-wrenching examination of PTSD and attempting to escape your past. Even a lighter critically-acclaimed show like The Good Place is more than just funny. It’s a complicated and emotional examination of what it really means to be a good person.

Of course there’s always time for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to change and return to the more precarious footing it found last year. Critics were only given the first five episodes of the show prior to its premiere. There’s reason to believe the back half of Season 2 will return to exploring Midge’s breakdown and her gradual rebirth. But for now The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel doesn’t seem interested in showing the difficult sides of comedy or even being a person. It’s pretty, witty escapism, and that’s depressing.

Watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video