‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 5 Review: Amazon’s Series Goes Out Tits Up In Excellent Final Season

Amy Sherman-Palladino wears many hats (literally and figuratively). She’s received due praise as a writer, producer, director, and pop culture connoisseur throughout her career. But even her most fervent fans can forget she’s also a gifted seer. No matter how you felt about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s past two seasons — whether you thought the series was going in circles like a Wonder Wheel or that its protagonist Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) had become too self-absorbed and self-destructive to marvel over — you have to remember Sherman-Palladino is the same woman who knew the last four words in Gilmore Girls more than a decade before they were uttered onscreen. She sees the future. She puts thought into her endgame. So it should come as no surprise that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s final bow deserves a standing ovation.

After being booted from Shy Baldwin’s tour at the end of Season 3, the Season 4 finale of Sherman-Palladino and her husband/creative partner Daniel Palladino’s Prime Video series finds Midge turning down an opening gig for Tony Bennett at the Copacabana. She tells Susie (Alex Borstein) her days as an opening act are done and she only wants headline gigs henceforth. No exceptions. But later in the episode, after the embers of Midge and Lenny Bruce’s (Luke Kirby) glorious slow-burn finally burst into flame, the seasoned comedian — fresh off his sold-out show at Carnegie Hall — skewers Midge’s manifesto, warning her, “If you blow this Midge, I swear to god you will break my fucking heart.” When we last left our struggling stand-up, she was braving a blizzard on foot, stopping only to gaze up at a billboard that read “Go Forward.” Once the snow clears, Midge realizes the letters above her actually spell out The Gordon Ford Show, but she takes it as a sign to go forward nonetheless. And go forward she — and the series — did.

Exactly fourteen seconds into The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Season 5 premiere, aptly titled “Go Forward,” you’ll realize everything has changed. In true Palladino fashion, the dialogue is still delightfully dense, fast-paced monologues feel fueled by Pedro Pascal’s beloved venti iced quad espresso, the wardrobe wows, and the superb set design completely immerses viewers in another era. But the farewell season doesn’t just settle for more of the same. All nine episodes made available for review utilize unique storytelling techniques that expand this sensational world in ways fans will never see coming. The approach is incredibly ambitious, and in less capable hands could have easily catapulted the final hours into complete disarray. I’m not saying your brain won’t be perplexed, but you’ll leave with a newfound appreciation for the show’s range and — if you’re anything like me — with tears streaming down your face.

In tandem with the season’s noteworthy shift from the ’50s to the ’60s, Maisel’s characters finally develop in ways that viewers had frankly started to doubt were even possible. In picking up the morning after the Season 4 finale, the premiere wastes no time reminding Midge that her actions have consequences and not everything goes her way. She’s laid up in bed with hypothermia from her snowy trek home! She has frost crotch! She might lose a toe! But worst of all, she has Lenny’s disapproving words on a loop in her head forcing her to reevaluate how best to pursue her dreams. Imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, and as Midge fights self-doubt, she broadens her comedy horizons by writing jokes that don’t revolve around her. She reverts to her scrappy Season 1 self while trying to prove her worth. And she even loosens up long enough to eat a perfectly good pickle off the ground. (We’re talking five-second rule here, people! It’s fine!)

As new career opportunities arise, relationship dynamics change and characters reckon with past mistakes, that burning desire for growth and self-improvement spreads throughout the people in Midge’s orbit. Susie gets serious about her business. Joel (Michael Zegen) tries to turn over a new leaf. Abe (Tony Shalhoub) has an epiphany that comes through in an Emmy-worthy, tear-jerking performance from Shalhoub. The care these characters have for each other is explored in more depth than ever before, but not at the expense of laughs. And new stars and more Gilmore cameos pop in to make a more star-studded farewell.

Though refreshing shifts in pace are appreciated, whether it’s a stand-up act, a heated dinner table discussion, or a subway action sequence with “The Handsome Man” (a returning Milo Ventimiglia), the show thrives — as always — in moments of controlled, meticulously choreographed chaos. To the dismay of some, Sherman-Palladino still spends ample time indulging her own elaborate on-screen fantasies that, at times, may feel unnecessary. (This season we see everything from a black and white sitcom starring Bunheads lead Sutton Foster and Hank Azaria to an extravagant musical performance inspired by literal garbage.) But from calling the Maisel family out for being essentially useless without Zelda (Matilda Szydagis) to letting Esther (Avigayil and Emunah Rosenblatt) cry about her family talking too much, the series also pokes fun at itself on its way out.

At the heart of the show lies Midge and Susie’s friendship. Brosnahan and Borstein remain one of television’s greatest dynamic duos who take their chemistry and performances to new depths in Maisel‘s final batch of episodes. Whether you love or hate the bold twists that lie ahead, there’s no denying these two keep the series watchable and surpass Season 5’s many outrageous demands. Fans have long expected the final season of Maisel to tackle Lenny Bruce’s 1966 death, and without spoiling anything, the comedian receives a touching tribute thanks in large part to Kirby’s warm, rich performance.

Five seasons later, Maisel may still have its hecklers, but it leaves behind a stunning series finale and a defining legacy. Since its 2019 premiere, the Emmy-winning show has fueled nostalgia for decades past; dazzled in writing, talent, and visuals; reminded viewers there’s always room for humor amidst grief, and empower people to rise from the ashes to pursue their passions, no matter how unattainable a dream may seem. Much like Midge’s stand-up career, the series has seen highs and lows, but as far as I’m concerned The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel goes out tits up.

The first three episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premiere on Prime Video on April 14 with new episodes available to stream weekly on Fridays.