DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episode “How to Chew Quietly and Influence People” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Tits up! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s fifth episode, “How to Chew Quietly and Influence People,” resolves a significant storyline from Season 3 — the Midge/Shy debacle. It feels like we’re bidding farewell to Shy, and if we are, this is a depressing sendoff for him. He marries a woman even though he’s gay; he must navigate his career without Reggie and toils away under the too-watchful eye of his overly controlling management team.
That said, I can understand Midge’s newly-established boundary between her and Shy. She doesn’t want anything jeopardizing her career again.
“How to Chew Quietly and Influence People” is a solid, standard Maisel episode, boasting its usually hysterical character dynamics, gorgeous sets, stunning costumes and whip-smart humor.
Ready to dig deep into the episode? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Susie (Alex Borstein) interviewing prospective candidates for a secretary position at her new management firm. Unfortunately, Susie’s not well-versed in the Art of Hiring People for Jobs©, so she consults literature and phones a friend for advice.
Later, Midge (Rachel Brosnahan), whose arm is in a fashionable sling from her fall, wakes Abe (Tony Shalhoub) and asks for help balancing her checkbook. You see, children, there wasn’t a mobile banking app that kept track of your purchases back in the day. In short, Abe informs Midge she’s in the hole, finance-wise.
Then, we see Joel (Michael Zegen) and Mei (Stephanie Hsu) enjoying breakfast together. Suddenly, the doorbell blares, and the phone rings off the hook. Joel endeavors to ignore the door and the phone, citing that his mother might be waiting in the wings to foist another eligible single lady onto him.
The incessant noises drive Mei up the wall, so she relents. Fine, she’ll meet Moishe and Shirley!
Midge arrives at Susie’s to inform her about a peculiar wedding invitation she received: an RSVP to Shy Baldwin’s wedding. Midge locates Susie’s invite in a pile of unread mail that only grows by the second. Susie suggests they attend as a middle finger to Shy and especially Reggie.
Rose (Marin Hinkle) gets a call from Solomon Melamid (Scott Cohen), who wants to meet her on his lavish estate. He sends a car for her, and she arrives at the said lush estate in Scarsdale.
Solomon is filthy rich, and he desires to enlist Rose’s exceptional matchmaking skills for his two unmarried daughters (One of them is over 30 — quelle horreur!). Rose, excited by the prospect of rolling in dough, gleefully accepts the job offer. Solomon has one condition, though: Rose’s family must be respectful. No scandals or salacious talk and all that.
Rose rummages through Midge’s impressive match collection and finds newspaper clippings of Midge’s standup press, including one that reveals she works at a strip club. Rose already thinks Midge is a prostitute, which, in her mind, is synonymous with “comedian”!
Meanwhile, Sophie (Jane Lynch) meets Susie at The Stage Deli, where they chat with Mike Carr (Jason Ralph) about getting Sophie a guest spot on Gordon Ford’s late-night talk show. Hey, it’s Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians! Fun fact: Ralph is married in real life to Brosnahan.
Anyway, Mike doesn’t seem interested in Sophie Lennon, especially after the Miss Julie fiasco. But Susie vows that America will get the genuine Sophie — warts and all. She’ll spill the beans regarding her Broadway snafu and more. Mike agrees to the whole shebang.
Side note: When Susie talks about how “there’s no ‘Q’ in Myerson,” I couldn’t help but instantly think of it as a nod to Q on The Magicians. Sue(sie) me. I’m a fan.
Later, Rose watches Midge perform her set at the strip club in abject horror and about two sherrys deep. She waits for Midge to return home after work, even though her daughter doesn’t arrive until five in the morning. Rose calls Midge out for working in a strip club, once again equating “standup comedian” to “prostitute.” Rose informs Midge about her new matchmaking gig for Solomon Melamid. She won’t let Midge screw it up.
The mother/daughter pair proceed to vehemently argue about the matter, with Midge standing her ground and resolutely refusing to quit her dreams. Too bad, so sad, mom!
Next, Midge and Susie attend Shy’s wedding reception, dripping with opulence and style. Our gals are on a revenge mission, so they try to sabotage the affair any chance they get.
Finally, Shy (LeRoy McClain) and his bride Monica (Chinara Hill) introduce themselves as a married couple to the reception guests. She belts out a snippet of his upcoming single, which he dedicates to his new wife. Then, Harry Belafonte (Josh A. Dawson) also sings a tune. Dawson is the perfect choice for Belafonte. Hats off to the casting department.
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Meanwhile, Mei arrives home in a new dress for their dinner with Shirley and Moishe. She panics, wondering if she’s ready to meet Joel’s parents. Does Mei know enough Jewish terminology? Joel tries to reassure Mei that she’s perfect and they’ll love her.
Joel shows up at his parents’ home in Queens sans Mei, telling Moishe (Kevin Pollak) and Shirley (Caroline Aaron) that she fell ill en route to their house. But she left some tasty alcohol for Moishe!
Midge tracks Shy down in the bathroom for a much-needed reunion. Initially, the conversation is frosty, but it slowly dethaws once Midge explains herself. She confesses to Shy that had Reggie let her on the plane that night; she would’ve apologized to him profusely.
You can tell that Shy misses her companionship; he proposes they get a drink sometime. However, Midge declines the invite, citing that she won’t make the mistake of thinking they’re friends and crossing that professional line again.
This scene hits me where it hurts — both Brosnahan and McClain bring their A-game and heartstring-tugging vulnerability. I hope we see Shy again at some point.
Afterward, Shy’s new management team tries to pay for Midge and Susie’s silence. This crew fired Reggie and Shy’s old band. Why? Because Reggie “was too close” to Shy. Shy has “proclivities,” after all! He needs a team to keep him in check. Midge rejects their money, much to Susie’s dismay. It breaks my heart to see a group of random white men exerting so much control over all aspects of Shy’s life.
Susie swipes a ton of swag bags. Hey, they have Chanel No. 5. What can ya do?
Moishe visits Joel at his club while armed with loads of questions. He knows Joel constantly changes his girlfriend’s name to fly under Shirley’s radar. While Joel doesn’t reveal Mei’s name, Moishe insists that Joel’s love for his gal is all he needs to know.
Susie watches Sophie go on Gordon Ford’s (Reid Scott) show. Sophie knocks it out of the park, divulging her vulnerabilities and baring her soul for America to see. Even Abe and Rose enjoy her stint while at home.
Rose receives a notecard with “Stop” emblazoned in gold across it. Who sent her that?
Susie leaves Sophie’s gig early to head back to her home. She runs into Dinah Rutledge (Alfie Fuller), who waited seven hours past her interview time for a chance to snag the secretary position. Susie, impressed, hires her on the spot.
While in a cab, Midge spots a friend sprawled out on the sidewalk. I’m assuming this is Lenny; the outline resembles him. She orders her cabbie to stop so that she can tend to him.
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Do you think that was Lenny in the final shot? Will Sophie’s career continue to nosedive, or did her appearance on Gordon Ford’s show save her? Will Joel ever introduce Mei to his parents? Join me next time while I recap The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, only on Geek Girl Authority.
Put that on your plate (or don’t — I’m not the boss of you)!
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel streams two new episodes every Friday on Prime Video.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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When did Midge have a fall resulting with her arm in a sling? She just appears with it in a sling with no explanation. Is there part of the episode missing?
She fell into the orchestra pit at the strip club in the final moments of episode four, “Interesting People on Christopher Street.” It’s definitely a bit of a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment.