Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.The premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's final season introduced fans to a much longer timeline in Miriam Maisel's (Rachel Brosnahan) life. Season 5's main plot picks up just hours after Season 4 left off. However, the new season includes a handful of scenes that take decades later, as well as some from the past. The time jumps are an unexpected addition, as nothing similar occurred in the earlier seasons. Though, at first, this break from protocol seemed an odd choice, the glimpses into the future have their benefits. These scenes give a unique perspective on the life of Midge and her family, including lots of information that would have otherwise been a mystery.
Despite their brevity, the time-jump scenes paint a picture of the future and enable the series to explore Midge's full story. These journeys to the future reveal a lot to the audience, establishing Midge's success as a comedian and showing her relationship with her children as adults. These scenes also serve to drop tidbits about the characters' future lives. As various events are mentioned, not everything gets a specific date, but they give enough information to lay out a rough timeline of the Maisels' future.
1953: Midge Meets Joel's Parents
The show has shown Midge and Joel's (Michael Zegen) early relationship before, but Season 5 takes the time to reveal a few new moments with them. Early in their relationship, Joel brings Midge to his father's business, introducing her to Moishe (Kevin Pollak) and Shirley (Caroline Aaron). Instantly they like her, already bringing up children. Some of the employees mention another girl that Joel had shown around, much to Joel's embarrassment, but obviously, Midge is the one who sticks, at least for a while. Joel reflects on this memory while he and Midge wait for a parent-teacher meeting at their son's school, regretting their break-up.
1954: Joel Learns of the Weissman Genius
Before their wedding, Abe (Tony Shalhoub) meets with his future son-in-law to discuss the inevitable genius of their firstborn son. The Weissman family tradition requires fathers to ignore their sons for five years until the staggering intellect kicks in. Abe informs Joel of the tradition, as it's applicable despite their future son's name being Maisel. He even proudly shows off a book of family history with the accomplishments of his relatives. Joel is skeptical of Abe's instructions, as he has a right to be. In the main show, Abe struggles with the fact that Ethan (Colin Keane) doesn't have the anticipated genius but discovers that Esther (Ireland and Sedona Carvajal) does, leading to a change of heart in Abe.
1955: Dinner with Joel's Friends
After their marriage, Midge and Joel attempt to keep up with Joel's friends, but the ride home devolves into a fight over staying out too late. Joel blames Midge, resulting in her getting out of the cab and trying to walk home. They argue in the street before coming to an understanding. While this isn't a particularly serious argument, it proves their marriage was never perfect as Joel weaponized Midge's lack of a job. This memory is what Midge reflects on while waiting for the meeting with Ethan's school as if convincing herself that she and Joel never worked.
1958: Joel Asks Out Penny Pan
In the final flashback, Joel remembers the beginning of the end of his marriage as he asks Penny Pan (Holly Curran) out for a drink after work. This is nearing the beginning of the show, set in the same year as the first season, but it is a moment that wasn't on screen before. While it's not clear exactly what was going on between Midge and Joel at that point in time, it clearly wasn't ideal.
1958-1961: The Main Show
While Season 1 began in 1958, the show has continued chronologically with only small gaps, but time has progressed quickly. Season 4 reached the year 1961, which is where Season 5 begins. Most of the season is set in this timeframe, continuing the plots from the previous episodes. The Season starts the morning after Midge's ill-advised walk in a snowstorm that concluded Season 4. Susie (Alex Borstein) arrives at the apartment to translate for a sick Midge. Soon Midge recovers from her hypothermia, returning to her struggling career but with a new determination. She gets a job writing for The Gordon Ford Show, where she faces many complications. Her jokes aren't chosen, the other writers don't like her, and Gordon Ford (Reid Scott) likes her too much. But Midge continues to fight against the odds to rebuild her career, which the time jumps prove to be a worthwhile endeavor.
1961-1962: Susie Embraces the Mob
As Susie's friends and coworkers reflect on her career, they tell many stories, One of which claims that in the early years of her career, Susie embraced the mob more than most showbiz people, which helped her get ahead. This story includes an incident where Susie's assistant, Dinah (Alfie Fuller), was beaten by her boyfriend. After trying to cheer her up and sending her home for the day, Susie sends mobsters Frank (Erik Palladino) and Nicky (John Scurti) after the (now ex) boyfriend. While this isn't a reliable story, it's certainly possible. Susie used Frank and Nicky often. This is only one example of Susie's involvement with the mob, but it's no surprise. This plot line runs throughout Season 5, causing Joel's eventual arrest and Midge and Susie's falling out.
1963: Harry Drake's Client
Another story during Susie's Testi-Roastial is about Susie's loyalty to her old friend Harry Drake (David Paymer). When one of his clients seeks Susie out, looking for a change in management, she viciously turns him down while praising Drake's work. Susie has a tumultuous friendship with Drake, but she respects him too much to steal his clients.
Sometime After 1963: Harry Drakes's Death
While the exact date isn't given, everyone agrees that Susie was there when Harry Drake died. But they can't agree on how it happened. Somehow, Susie ended up with several of Drake's biggest clients. One suggests she refused to let anyone in and blackmailed her way into those clients, while others say she cut a deal with Drake's daughter. But the final, and most in-character, story shows Harry abandoned by his family while Susie remains by his side. In this version, he gives over the clients willingly while still lucid because he trusts her. But however it happened, Susie got several major clients, sending her career to the next level.
1970: Susie's Triple Crown
As Susie comes into her own as an agent, there is one legendary story that her peers speak of with reverence: the day she closed three deals in one golf trip. She sells a movie no one wanted by cornering one industry executive, and no one knows how she managed it. But instead of leaving then, she found the new head of CBS and pitched a show she made up on the spot, which went on to run for seven years. She even used names that were not signed on and weren't her clients yet. After hearing of the show, they agreed to let Susie represent them. Afterward, she got the caddies to tell her who else was there, and she proceeded to meet with an ANM Records employee and get a recording contract for Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. After ten years, Susie certainly knew what she was doing.
1971: Midge's Carnegie Hall Show
One future scene shows an interview with Midge, including a reflection on the significant moments of her career. This scene fills in a lot of blanks, but few are given specific dates. Yet the most notable event discussed is a show at Carnegie Hall, which they stated to take place in 1971. This fact indicates that only ten years after the main story of Season 5, Midge gained enough fame to perform as a headliner at Carnegie Hall. That knowledge in itself proves her eventual success in the not-too-distant future. But the clip gives more information about this particular show. Her all-important Carnegie Hall show didn't go smoothly. With an aging audience, Midge was determined to shock people. This infamous show could have ended her career, but it worked in her favor, beginning a new chapter in her career.
1973: Midge’s Canceled Wedding
Twenty minutes before her wedding to Phillip Roth, Midge freaks out and seeks out Susie for help. Susie tries to convince her to get married, but Midge insists that she's still in love with Joel. This isn't the first engagement Midge has canceled, but the wedding is all planned and paid for. Susie wants to set personal boundaries with Midge, but gives in, spending weeks canceling everything and even talking to the would-be groom for Midge.
1973: Rose’s Commercial
By 1973, Midge takes on financial responsibility for Rose's (Marin Hinkle) failing match-making business, even agreeing to pay for an elaborate commercial that Rose makes difficult. Yet Midge refuses to do anything less than what her mother wants, as Rose isn't expected to live much longer.
1975: Susie Visits Lenny Bruce
After a particularly difficult show, Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) gets a visit from Susie, who tries to convince him to let her help. She offers to book him places, but Lenny's career has taken a turn, and so has the man himself. He refuses her help but asks after Midge. Midge won't go in to see him, and Susie can't save him. As one of the few characters based on a real person, Lenny's story can't end well. Though the show doesn't go into his death, this scene hints at the eventuality.
1981: Esther's Therapy
The season opened in the new timeline in 1981 Cambridge, Massachusetts, as an older Esther Maisel (Alexandra Socha) talks about Midge in a therapy session. While Esther is still a baby in the main series, this time jump introduces her personality. This genius young woman has issues with her mother. The fractured relationship causes much stress, but Esther still exhibits many similarities to Midge, especially in her speech pattern. In 1981, Esther is working on her Ph.D. and dealing with the life-long issues she and Midge have. She claims the only person she could ever talk to was her Grandpa. Based on her personality, it's safe to assume this references Abe Weissman rather than Moishe Maisel. Unfortunately, as the statement is past tense, it indicates that by 1981, Abe has died, aligning with the estimation he laid out earlier in the show.
1984: Visit with Ethan
Continuing the flash-forwards in Episode 3, Midge visits an adult Ethan (Ben Rosenfield) in Israel in 1984. This scene yet again shows the broken relationship Midge has with her children. Ethan doesn't seem to resent her quite as much as Esther, but he doesn't approve of her behavior. She begins by flying in on a helicopter and scaring his companions. As the two catch up, they reveal that Ethan chose not to go to college and to become a Rabbi instead, though he has not "graduated Rabbi school," as Midge says. Yet this mother-son visit isn't what it first appears. Midge didn't travel to Israel only to check on her son but to ensure he would attend an event that night where the UJA Federation is honoring her. This scene also reveals that Ethan got engaged without telling Midge, which doesn't speak to a close relationship between the mother and son.
1985: Joel’s Arrest
At Temple, Midge, Joel, Ethan, and his wife and child all sit together when the FBI shows up to arrest Joel. Joel has been waiting for them. After he offered himself to the mob in place of Midge, he knew it would happen eventually. Joel explains the story to Midge in a letter, which leads to Susie and Midge's falling out. Midge is furious that Susie lied to her, and Susie refuses to apologize. This split lasts for several years, and another scene shows Midge talking about it on stage in the same year.
After 1985: 60 Minutes Interview
The opening of Episode 2 features an interview with Mike Wallace (Currie Graham) on 60 Minutes, which gives an overview of Midge's career, including her infamous Carnegie Hall show. But no date is stated. However, the content helps to date it somewhat. They discuss Midge and Susie's fallout, which occurred in 1985 and lasted until 1990, providing a small window of time for this scene. While the dates are in flux, this interview reveals a lot about the time between. This interview tells that in the intervening time, Midge won an Emmy and a Grammy and received the French Order of the Arts and Letters.
By this point, she has become a household name. The interview mentions an eight-teen night sold-out run at the Copacabana, several world tours, a series of trips to Vietnam with Bob Hope, and several tours around college campuses. Though many of these aren't given certain dates, some are hinted at. Mike claims she was 30 during her Copacabana show, so if that age is correct, the show would be in 1963. Looking closely, the image of her campus tours includes an audience member wearing a t-shirt from the same event dating it 1969. Beyond her career, it also mentions several marriages and her break with Susie, which would happen between the main show and this interview. Though at least 20 years pass before this interview, they are eventful.
1987: Midge Visits Joel in Prison
After his arrest, Midge remained by Joel's side, visiting him when she can. Despite being split up, Midge is close to Joel than her other ex-husbands (she has at least three). Joel gets on to Midge for spending her time with him instead of performing, but Midge insists that she still performs. In truth, she visits Joel because she still loves him, which is why none of her other marriages worked out.
1990: Susie's Roast
Susie begrudgingly agrees to be the honoree at a roast/testimonial, so the entertainment industry gathers to acknowledge her illustrious career, culminating in an offer of peace from Midge. Though she doesn't come to the event herself, the video suggests the meet-up, and Susie appears touched. While the reunion doesn't appear, it's implied that Susie and Midge are ready to forgive each other after their five-year feud.
2005: Midge and Susie's Jeopardy Night
The final moments of the show include one last look at the future. Set in 2005, it shows Susie retired. Meanwhile, Midge is working with a new agent who, much to Midge's horror, intends her to take days off. After her meeting, Midge calls her old friend to chat, and together they watch Jeopardy making each other laugh and just enjoying themselves. This ending proves that after their feud, they made up, as the testi-roastial video implied. Yet it's important to see it. While neither has a romantic partner, they do have each other in the end, even from a distance. Midge and Susie are the most important relationship in the show, and this scene demonstrates that.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kwamxjKaYq66Voby2v4ymqaxlnZa2tLHLZqqemaOku26BjK2gpp2cnrumew%3D%3D