Susie Myerson has always been the spikiest character on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” but, generally, she’s had a soft spot for Midge. But, in the season four finale, tensions are starting to run a bit higher between them, and series star Alex Borstein says Susie might have some thinking to do.
Following the incident with Shy Baldwin at the end of season three, Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) resolved that she wouldn’t take on anymore opening gigs; she only wants to perform places where she’s the headliner, and can say what she wants, about who she wants. Unfortunately for Susie, this means her first — and most successful — client is passing on some pretty great opportunities (and money).
In the season four finale, that includes passing up the chance to open for Tony Bennett, a gig that came Midge’s way thanks to Lenny Bruce. It’s the hardest one yet for Susie to let go, and Borstein warns that Susie might need to start thinking a bit selfishly.
“They really — especially for Susie, she has no safety net,” Borstein told TheWrap. “There’s nothing. There’s no family support. There’s nothing, no other financial support. It’s sink or swim and do or die. And, yeah, it’s a very real reality that you have to worry. You know, is Midge even a proper client for her continually? Is she more hassle than she’s worth in the end? But we’ll find out.”
That said, Susie is now in bed a bit with the mob, something Midge angrily points out in the final episode as well. And while that may not make her a “proper” manager, Borstein noted that this is born out of necessity.
“I think the reality is, you got to do what you got to do to make it happen,” she continued. “Like I said, if Susie had access to regular bank loans or another way to build or finance her ‘Susie Myerson and Associates,’ she’d take it, but she doesn’t. And I think she knows a little bit, like, there’s nothing free in this world. But I think she’s choosing to ignore how deeply stuck she might be getting herself.”
Of course, Susie is also in the dark about the latest development in Lenny and Midge’s relationship. Yes, after four seasons of chemistry, the two comics finally gave into their attraction to each other.
“I think she’s gonna be jealous. I think Susie would like to bed Lenny Bruce,” Borstein joked.
Jokes aside, she noted that if and when Susie does find out, it likely is going to become a sore spot — just for different reasons.
“I think Susie is always jealous of any intimacy Midge has with someone else,” she explained. “Not because, ‘Oh, I want her intimately,’ but because she doesn’t want to lose her. It’s like Joel, Lenny, anybody. She wants her focus. She wants her time, she wants the best of her for her. And Susie, I think, selfishly does not want to share her and does not want to lose her. That relationship’s the biggest romance of the show, I think, the ‘womance’ between between Midge and Susie. And I think she does not want to lose her to anyone.”
Whether Susie and Midge eventually split is indeed the question, but Borstein personally does still think the women are good for each other. “I think they raise the bar for each other, they force the other one to get out of bed and work hard,” she said.
Unfortunately, fans will just have to wait until Season 5 to see how their story ends. Borstein can only tease so much.
“What can I tease? We’ve gone to some — not that there’s massive amounts of travel, meaning length or distance — but we’ve gone to some fun locations,” she said. “There’s some fun outdoor stuff that’s very refreshing and neat. Every time you take these characters out to a new place, it feels very fresh and new. And Susie continues to get to play with other people in the show. For, you know, Season 1 and 2, maybe it was a lot of just Midge and I, Midge and I. But we’re seeing Susie build her associates up, and she has to have new clients, and she has people that work with her, and so that means my, you know, stage as an actress opens up to new people and I get to play with more people.”
All eight episodes of the fourth season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are now streaming on Prime Video.
