I loved the scene where Midge's father is realizing that the women in his life are the exceptional ones. His granddaughter turns out to be a physicist and it finally dawns on him how amazing his daughter is ... what an exceptional series this has been. From the dialogue, clothes, sets, incredible cast ... this was the best show ever. So sad it ended.

Lenny Bruce is a real life ground breaking comedian -he was her mentor and his guidance is what contributed to her success when she finally made it on the show. Women don’t need husbands to be successful. Her career was her husband -the most important relationship in her life was with Susie. Romantic love was never the driver in this series. When she gave up marriage to go on the road is evidence of my statement.

Also, the moment she agrees to tour with Shy Baldwin she tells Joel that in that 5 second conversation, she realized that she was also choosing to live her life alone. She would always be alone. So that final scene of her walking through her over-sized house showed that she got to exactly where she said she'd be, exactly where she knew she would be. Plus all those family photos showed she never let go of them, including (and especially) Joel.

We see Miriam ‘alone’ at the end which makes perfect sense; she had two great loves, her career and Susie. Midge lived and created the exact life she wanted. Joel was also a great love in her life, her protector and perhaps all her failed marriages fell short of what she and Joel shared….the finale is a perfect ending As for Lenny Bruce, we’ll his character was enormously influential in her success and we see his demise handled with dignity in the show..a very sad true life story and we needed that final scene to understand where this pivotal relationship ended up.

If you don't get the "Lenny thing" you don't GET it.Period. It's also not about being without a husband.When you have time....please rewatch the series.

What don't you get about Lenny? He was there for her from the beginning, and, except for Susie, the first one to encourage her talent. She recognized in him the way she wanted to be, mixing comedy with truth, despite the legal and social barricades at the time. At the end, she saw how drugs had corrupted his talent, and tried, but couldn't help him. It was bittersweet, because it showed Midge's good heart but also her intelligence when she realizes that he's beyond her help. BTW, I cried buckets at the end😢

I didn't think that the end was 'anti-feminist', not that Midge was necessarily 'alone'. She lives alone, yes, and that's kind of normal? I mean, she's 72 in the finale scene, and Joel would have been 75. She has had multiple marriages, althought in my head canon she got back with Joel and he's missing from the last scene because he passed away. We've seen enough from the previous flashforwards to know that she still has her friends, kids, grand children etc so the last thing is more to show that she got back her relationship with Susan, since the last time we left them 'in the future' they were stranged.

The “All Alone” scene with Lenny on the Steve Allen show foreshadowed her big empty penthouse. “I’ll be living in my Nardville mansion, all alone”

I smile-cried through the entire last episode, especially the final scene of Midge and Suzie on the phone. It was perfect. They both lived incredibly full lives. Now they were slowing down and the highlight of their days in their golden years is to talk and laugh and sync up ( their show) to continue to have experiences together - im crying just writing this. it was one of the best endings to any show ever, imo

It was an excellent performance from the cast and team behind the show. I loved it. It made cry from joy. What an excellent show from beginning to the end. Far better than any show I've seen in a while. Thank you to everyone who made it happen.

Remember her husband is in jail for tax fraud. The point of the final scene and finale is that the two women (Miriam and Suze) stayed friends till the end. They stayed connected. That warmed my heart. The reality is that the longest and most valuable relationship we have is with our best friends not our spouses. Miriam never chose a romantic relationship over her dream to be a bombastically successful comedian. In real life we all make sacrifices for the things we truly want and I thought the scene was authentic. To achieve that level of success at the time and era she did, she had to give everything and she did. It was a price worth paying in my opinion. Anything else would have been way out of character for her. She didn't seem sad but fulfilled and at peace. It was perfect. It wasn't about a man or her kids, it was about Miriam and Suze. It shows that Miriam and Suze reached their goals. They both made big sacrifices. That's real life buddy. Her goal was never about being in love. If you paid attention to her character arc it would become even more clear. She never chose any man over her career which was the point of the final scene. She never chose a man, her parents or her kids. She went full in to realise her highest potential. She chose herself and the person who always believed in her - Suze. Lenny was significant because he was the one who always believed in her as a fellow comedian and pushed her to be the best comedian she could be. She loved him as a dear friend nothing more. We all have that lover who we care about even when we are no longer in love with them. Lenny was that for her. He was consistent. That's highly valuable for anyone especially a woman in comedy during those times. That's my take. What do you think?

I could tell that "Midge Maisel'" laughing while sitting on the couch at the Glen Ford's show was not just Midge, but Rachel laughing with joy. And it made me laugh with Joy too.

At the end of the 2nd season she tells Joel she is making a decision that will lead to her being alone but she wanted to be with someone who loved her that night and they slept together . The scene in her home at the end demonstrated that she was correct. Also she spent the last minutes of the show with someone who loves her…Susie.

I thought the ending was absolutely perfect. She wasn't alone. She watches TV with her best friend. They had achieved everything that they wanted. I think you looked at her going through her house and eating alone as a bad thing while I look at it as empowering. You don't need a romantic entanglement to be happy. You just need to be fulfilled and your friends. She was secure in her knowledge that Joel, Lenny Bruce and Gordon (?) loved her for who she was. But they weren't necessary for her self worth. This whole series was basically the relationship between two best friends who remained friends

Lenny was important to the show because he was important to Midge. He was the seasoned pro who mentored her, and pushed her into moves she needed to make at crucial times. Also, being a real historical figure he brought an element of realism and historical context to the show. I found it sad that he had no happy ending in the show, but he had no happy ending in life. Another dose of reality. I enjoyed seeing how Midge and Susie's lived played out, with great success after such a big gamble on the Gordon Ford Show. And at the very end I was laughing out loud at Susie's skunk jokes along with them.

We need a Rose spinoff- prequel or sequel I will take it!!!!!

I really LOVED that ultimately Midge turns out to be a modern "Faust". So amazing. In the end, Joel sacrificed himself for her, didn't he?

At the end of season 1, I believe, she turned down Benjamin’s proposal because she knew she would have to be alone to achieve the level of success she wanted.

I'm actually really pleased that the actual ending was Midge and Susie laughing while watching Jeopardy a continent away from each other. It was always about them together as best friends. And the fact that Midge a comedian had a plethora of people working for her that wouldn't laugh at her witty one liners (regarding using a mobile and so on), but that it was Susie who actually made her laugh until her belly hurt. And I don't see it as antifeminist that they showed her in a massive mansion eating alone, only surrounded by servants. That's the life she chose. That's what she fought for and risked everything for. And of course she was at her happiest before Joel left. They had a simple yet very comfortable life. They were living the dream. It was like a fairy tale. And they truly loved each other. They never stopped loving each other. But that ship had sailed.

I'm not 100% on the meaning of Midge being alone, but I don't think it was just about being without a man or not having romantic love.

What do you meeeeean you don’t get the “whole Lenny thing” he is everythinnnnng!

Thank you and good night would have been a lovely last note had the show only been about Midge making it big but it was her journey with Susie that was the real “love” story. Two women trying to make it in a male dominated business and world at a time when they still thought women should be barefoot and pregnant. So in the end, she had her big success, Susie had big success, they broke down some barriers, they were wealthy and had adventures and fun BUT everything in life has another side to the choices we make and she did sacrifice relationships along the way to have this big life and this is the fallout. No life is perfect so she got the two relationships she wanted most..the one on stage and the one with her soul sister. And as far as Lenny, they were kindred..foreshadowing the fact that she would live the life he would never have the opportunity to.. A bittersweet ending to a fabulous show. I love Amy Sherman Palladino for her commitment to Excellence! I have watched all of her shows and I will continue to follow her to every colorful world she creates!

you don't get the significance of Lenny Bruce? He was the progenitor of all the great comics -- Pryor, Sahl, Carlin who came afterwards. Without him, there could be no Mrs. Maisel.

In last episode, when Midge had that moment adjusting the wedding photo with her and Joel - and their relationship in the last season - intimates that they got back together, but that he (may have) died. They were together in temple, she came to prison - she proclaimed her love for him - the writers left it open but consensus is that possibility was strongly hinted at.

I loved the 3-tiered ending, and the last final one was a realistic one. No matter whether you're professionally ambitious or not, women statistically outlive most men. So, statistically, that scene is where most women are headed IF THEY'RE LUCKY. If you have someone like lifelong friend to laugh with at that age knowing you did with your life what you wanted, that's a victory. When I hear people not like that ending I'm like ... I don't think you've gotten that real about what the end of life will probably look like. My grandma died a few months ago with one daughter taking care of her. One kid didn't even visit knowing she was terminal. My dad and I visited while she was sick once. So even if you live this check-box normal life where you get married and have kids, it doesn't mean you're gonna be constantly physically surrounded by people who care about you. What I love about this show from the start is it reveals just how insane it is that anyone expects women to make their lives revolve around a man and/or marriage. Chances are not high those will last until the end. Staying true to yourself and your best friends is way more doable and promising.

OK, first of all, the table in her huge apartment is set for a large number of people, which indicates that perhaps there's a [Jewish?] holiday coming up with many guests. It's a callback to the early series episode about getting the rabbi for the holiday. Second of all, it's ONE moment in Midge's life that we see. Even Joan Rivers wasn't surrounded by people 24 x 7. Maybe Midge has been traveling and she's just happy to be home, in blissful solitude, and just wants to watch Jeopardy and chill with her best friend. I don't know why people read it as "sad and lonely." It says more about the people who think that than it does about Midge. Most of the flash-forwards indicate a less-than-happy life, but then, we know that often fame and fortune isn't all it's cracked up to be. Most of us remember things from when we were young as the best time of our lives; before LIFE got on the way. My father-in-law fought at the Battle of the Bulge and STILL remembered WWII as the happiest time of his life. It's about youth, not so much what was happening in it, which we DO wear rose-colored glasses about as time passes. We forget the bad things and remember the good about what we experienced. In the "60 Minutes" segment early in the season, they TELL you who Midge's later husbands were. As for Lenny, he was like Midge's fairy godmother -- showing up randomly at various times, encouraging her when no one else but Susie was. From what I understand, Lenny was NOT supposed to be a big part of the series, but he nailed the man so completely, and yes, Luke Kirby is EXTREMELY nice to look at, that he was written to be a bigger character. His downfall was deftly handled in the finale. I loved this series. I was late to it, but I'm so glad I watched. Like so many others, I wish it could have gone on, though less for Midge (who was pretty self-centered, let's face it) than for Susie. Maybe Midge's story is complete, but Susie's isn't. Spinoff, anyone?

I'm not sure why you feel qualified to do a review on a show you don't understand or are invested in. Lenny was a grounding force that guided Midge into being a great comic. He saw something in her that even she couldn't see in herself. It was a friendship and a mutual respect relationship. The ending was not divisive....it was brilliant.

Dude, stop trying to make everything about boy/girl love. Having genuine, supportive friends who you have experienced real joys, sorrows, and squabbles with and still are in each other's lives 40 years later is way better than romance. The ending was absolute perfection as only Amy Sherman Palladino can deliver.

The BIG significance of Lenny Bruce in the story line was NOT to be a romantic interest in Midge's life but to be that cattle prod, that mentor to push her forward! He believed in her when she did not. He had to shove her out there while giving her the brutal truths about the business, how though even a man has it tough saying it like it is, times are READY for change and she stands right at the crossroads of being that change! No more goofy slapstick, vaudeville cutsie comedy! The world was ready for gutsy stream of consciousness monologs about gender roles and women's rights and places in society! They were ready for foul- mouth sexual jokes and the realism that women were people with goals and opinions and weren't going to be that perfect vision of the well-heeled put together socialite. She was going to be a single mother with a job to do. Lenny believed in her. That was what his powerful under story was about. Yeah, they had that one night together, but that was two people that really respected each other's boundaries but also succumbing to the attraction and the loneliness. But without losing sight of the ball, that it really wasn't ever going to be about them.

Joel was the love of her life....

Someone who “wasn’t really invested in the show” shouldn’t be commenting. Midge had more than two husbands. Lenny was pivotal to the entire show, he was both Midge’s mentor and her muse. They make it clear that Lenny isn’t husband material, so they used the character to make “magical” appearances when needed. Heck, he appeared in the first episode, and was part of Midge and Joel’s early romance. Nothing antifeminist about the ending. “Happy” doesn’t necessarily mean fulfilled. Midge was happiest the day before Joel left her, because she was deluded and out of touch with the truth about her own level of ambition. Once she realized what her real dream was, she went after it. As is said repeatedly in the series, that doesn’t often lead to happiness. “Happy” isn’t the point.

I don't think the show looks down at Midge at the end. That is a very simplistic way of viewing how she is at an older stage of her life. Just because her last scene is of her alone in the house talking to her bff, it doesn't mean that she is unhappy. The way you might look at it is a woman who has had many adventures in life and that has accomplished a lot. Also, let's not forget that the scene previous to this one is of her scheduling her next few appearances. She is clearly an active person. My takeaway from the finale is that Midge does feel accomplished in life. She is happy. She doesn't need to show it all the time. No one does.

I think in the 2005 scene the big table represents that she often reunites with a big family probably her kids and grandkids and that they visited them often because of the room. Also I love that they portray that her first husband was the love of her life, probably they got back together and he died.

This was great, thanks for posting. I really enjoyed seeing it, and I will come back to see it again! I don't think the comments reflect how much work went into this recap of my favorite show! ❤🎁

I'm glad they added those last minutes even though I found it a bit haunting. I didn't imagine her alone because she chose a career over a man. Relationships are important. Famous women are human beings too and life is complex. I think that's the message. She was a pioneer and it is STILL hard out there for women who want to be their best in a career and still have fulfilling relationships with men who don't feel at all threatened and are also not freeloading gamers (haha). Also, she was in her 70s at the end. Her parents were dead, her children had their own lives, and I imagined that she and Joel were together when he got out of prison and that he was probably dead at the end too. She and Susie were never really friends, but probably realized at some point how intense experiences, especially when we are young, binds us to people in ways it's hard to imagine until there is so much water under the bridge.

Loved every moment of every episode of this awesome story.

The final shot shows that female friendship is the longest lasting bond. That men are not so much important. That she could have had 4 husbands but she had one best friend for life

I thought it was perfect. My best friend for 40 years and I picture our old age exactly the same. The men who have come and gone are a part of it but in the end, it will always be just us. We've raised our kids, had careers and many men who've meant different things but it always comes back to just she and I. I thought the love story between midge and Susie was the center of this series and it ended exactly as we hoped! I don't expect a man to understand that relationship and that's okay 😂

There's nothing wrong with being alone and content.

It is NOT a divisive finale by any means, it has 9.6 out of 10 on IMDB.

Next year, I will absolutely watch the entire series again!

Oh the ending was wonderful with the non-stop laughter between Midge & Susie!! And most women by the time they are in their golden years are living alone whether they are rich & famous or living on a budget and ordinary. Nothing surprising about that. Just the way life is as women live longer than men.

In the flash forward at the very end, I saw a parallel to the real life relationship between Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. They were great friends who spent a lot of time together in their older years. Saw a few interviews before Carl died where they talked about getting together most evenings to have dinner and watch movies. It was a special time they shared together that honored their long friendship and collaborations. Midge and Susie are not in the same room or even on the same coast, but they continue to make time to continue their bond and maintain a significant relationship.

It wasn’t about her being without a husband. It’s about being alone with only Susie as the only person she could relate to. It’s not a man woman thing, it’s a person to person thing

midge is the biggest extrovert , there's no way that house is empty for that long, after all she's a magnificent host.

I think you missed a lot of meaning because you were admittedly not invested. Most of what you questioned or didn't understand has answers.

I stumbled on to this show and just couldn’t stop watching it. And I’m so sad it’s over but the also happy I stumbled into this show and got to watch it. Loved every actor in this show

What do u mean you don't get the lenny thing? If you haven't then you haven't get the show itself. He was more than important to midge and every time he appeared was to teach midge something or in general temrs, to make her feel like she could do it. Lenny wasn't supposed to be the major romantic interest btw and his character was supposed to appear just in the pilot but luke Kirby was so good, the palladinos had to brought him back. Although i love their chemistry, i always knew they couldn't end up together and it wasn't about that, it was about how he always was her fairy godmother, as rachel brosnahan said

I don't think she did put her career ahead of love - she had so much love in her life - Joel, Suzie, Lenny, her family, her kids, her friends, and her career - she said not that she wanted a big career, but that she wanted a big life, and I think she got that. And Lenny was a big part of that - it was in the previous season, but he told her that if she wasn't really successful it would break his heart, so having him in those final moments where she clearly made it big was important for her character arc, from the beginning where he was there the very first day she went on stage, all the way to the end, when his own career and life was falling apart, but he still wanted everything for her. The future marriages and divorces didn't mean so much as they were a path to her remembering how much she loved Joel, and how much he loved and cared about her, and how they fit. I think she eventually got back together with him after he got out of jail - remember, we only see the very very later in life time, when Joel is clearly not in the picture anymore, but his picture takes center stage among the rest. I guess I just don't get why anyone would think this show was just about her being successful in her career, I mean, that minimizes it so much.

So sad the show is ending. Sure wish we could have more seasons! 🥰🥰

The end is a call back to Lenny Bruce's actual standup, and the one we see when Midge goes to "stand outside his playdate." He talks about how once becoming successful he will live alone in a penthouse. Just search for All Alone. The restaurant call back is also to help with the All Alone call back. Lenny Bruce is one of the biggest comedians of all time and, in this world, he was a part of Midge's success. And in the end she got what he talked about.

She is single and financially secure and has a friendship that outlasted her marriages. That was not easily possible in the year of the pilot episode...not for a woman. Her kids are not around and apparently are not very close to their mom. I think that is the significance of the final scene. She chose comedy over love when she left Benjamin. That was a choice she made with her eyes wide open. She always loved Joel. I would love to know who the other 3 husbands were.....Gordon? It is clever that they left a lot out so if they decide to make a movie, they can. Perfect ending.

I'm not aware of another TV show in which the last season was so unlike the previous seasons, with the time jumping back and forth. It was a unique method of showing what "had happened" to the characters in the future. It was well done, but I would have like to have seen Joel get out of prison and reunite with his family and friends. It was such a tremendous sacrifice that he made for Midge, it would have been nice to see him free. They showed close to the end of the downward spiral of Lenny Bruce and I understand why they left it at that last scene. However, just short wordless scene with Midge reading about his death in the paper, closing her eyes, and fade to black would have been very powerful.

And still... I feel I'm the only one talking about this but WHERE IS MOISHE??? why was he excluded from the end? I certainly hope Kevin Pollack couldn't be there and not that they just didn't want him there. What a lost opportunity to show him at least chuckle to prove Midge is funny.

I loved the ending, especially when Midge took her big moment. She was alone in her apartment in the end, but that table was set for about 20 people and the workers in the kitchen were preparing for an event, so I think she was going to have a big dinner party later, but first, she had to watch Jeopardy with Susie. I just wish that Midge had repaired her friendship with Shy Baldwin. She really hurt him, not in a malicious way, but in a careless way, not realizing he was the "victim", not her. I hope Shy found a true love and was happy.

I loved the ending! Midge ended up with the best relationship of her life Susie. Susie is Midge's husband in a platonic life partner sense.

I like the idea of it being a sort of "choose your own adventure," where we can fill in some of the blanks. I think after Joel got out of jail, he became an important part of Midge's life again. I don't think they got remarried or anything afterwards, but she made sure he was taken care of. She made him her manager for a while, as an excuse to give him a steady income, until he decided to formally retire; and she bought him a small house her's - far enough away that he could feel she wasn't smothering him, but close enough that she expected him to come to dinner most nights when she was in town. She didn't cook anymore, but she taught her cook how to make her brisket. Joel was probably gone though, by the time of the flashforward, but she was there with him at the end, along with their kids and grandkids. She declined to give his eulogy, insisting instead it should be Ethan. The very next day she was back onstage; and her entire set was about her ex-husbands, working backwards and ending with Joel. She brought back all the old jokes, the ones everyone knew by heart, along with some new ones that came to her in the moment, but she ended with a heartfelt reflection of what he truly meant to her, the eulogy she had actually written but lost the nerve to say at the funeral; and concluded with how much she'll miss him.

What a fantastic way to wrap it up. I loved this show ( all but season 4….. not wild about that) just fantastic. Gonna miss it.

I think that interpretation of that sequence in Midge's future home is a bit of a stretch. I think it's more a commentary of, you can make it big, and have all the money in the world, but what does it all mean if you don't have a _friend._ After everything was said and done, for everything Midge had earned for herself, all she wanted to was curl up on a couch in a small room and watch Jeopardy! and share her time with Suzie over the phone; and I think that's beautiful.

That was a really good idea to have that as the last scene shot. All the cast was there.

Lenny Bruce was Maisel's compass-- her mentor. He had a significant role in Maisel's character arc.

I absolutely loved this show!!❤

Amazing episode, and I will miss the series.

When youre a powerful and strong willed person, you are usually alone. Even if you have people that love you, you make them uncomfortable. And you are usually alone. But we all have that ONE person that gets us. The one that doesnt have to be romantic. Its pure platonic love. Its very powerful because theres no s e x involved.

When I saw the scene of Midge alone at the end, I was about to get angry. Why are we always shown that those who fight for their dreams and achieve them live alone and lonely, eating alone in her kitchen despite her elaborately decorated dining room table set for 30 people? Why are we fed this ridiculous idea that if we pursue our dreams, we'll lose our friends and family? It's nonsense. But the Sherman-Palladinos did not let us down. When Midge came to her TV room and sat down to watch Jeopardy with Suzie, I LOVED it. It was perfect. Sure, Midge lived alone in a huge Manhattan penthouse with a staff serving her like Sophie Lennon - the fruits of her immense and lasting success. But unlike Sophie, she had people in her life who loved her. Suzie in the main. Maybe she still has Joel and her brother and sister-in-law, Imogene, and others. But the end scene teased us that she gave up human connection to be famous, but she didn't. She had human connection. She had a best friend for life, no matter how far apart they lived. It was perfect.

Instead of raining so hard and so why are you don’t understand it maybe you should look at the small details a little more than you get why it’s completely understandable.

Suzy said in season one "I am going to be alone in life. I don't mind bring alone. I just do not wa t to be insignificant". When Midge leaves Benjamin she goes to Joel and says alsoshe will be alone. Those knew the life they wanted and to have it meant sacrifice, people would never really understand them but they were fine with it because what they loved there careera more. Also they ultimately always had each other.

If they do a spin-off it could be with the fast talking genius Esther Maisel, the daughter, I liked that short flash forward intro to one of the final season episodes, where she's introduced as some kind of genius, they could make her into some kind of NASA/SpaceX engineer/White House advisor of some type.. include whatever you can think of for the ultimate genius young woman even if kind of neurotic..

Perfect. Loved it all.

I was happy with this ending… at peace with it. I am sad that it’s over though.

I was SOOO invested in this series. Loved it so much! Lenny is very much significant because 1) he was in the very first episode when Midge first got arrested for her very first stand-up, 2) remember that Midge is very much inspired by Joan Rivers who did the observational, stream-of-consciousness style comedy, 3) Lenny was one of the ground-breakers for observational, stream-of-consciousness style comedy, and 4) Joan had a close friendship with Lenny (that may or may not have been sexual at some point - alluded to by Joan but not confirmed) Edited to add: the love story in the show is between Midge and Susie, not Midge and some man. Because love does not need to be romantic. There are many kinds of love. I think the showing of Midge's empty house is not to show that she is romantically alone (though she is), but to contrast with the final moments of the most important love she has experienced: her friendship with Susie. It was hard-fought, at times one-sided, and had its ups and downs. But they ended up *together*

The last moment is just about showing female friendship. I find ASP's shows are always about female relationships. The story wasn't just about Midge making it but it was also about Susie and Mitch: how they grew together, how they are always going to be in each others lives despite the distance

That phone scene was incredible!

About Lenny and Midge - This important scene establishes Midge's future status as one of the greats . It's Lenny Bruce - THE stand up comic legend of his generation passing the torch to the next. Aside being in a convoluted and star-crossed romantic relationship, it's acknowledging Maisel as one who is his equal and peer.

Maybe dont review a show you didnt really watch?

I loved the series and all the pieces of the finale. I think if you watched every episode you understand and appreciate the ending . Will miss these characters.

If Graeme doesn't "get" the significance of Lenny Bruce, Graeme doesn't "get" standup comedy, period. Does it really need to be explained that Midge befriending a real life groundbreaking standup icon, who blazed the trail for virtually everything in the art form that followed, is an important subtext? Come ON.

Graeme you didn't got the point of the happiest day of her life, is about how much easier it is for a women to just follow the rules and have her life writen for her. She choosed the hard way, the struggle, the making of the path, she remembers that time as the happier but in a naive way of being happy. It was easier when she belived that was all, the husband and the two children, but whe she saw the complexity of life, life is no just happy (sorry for the broken english)

The final episode redeemed the last season for me. I truly had wanted to see her rise to fame and the last season began by jumping us to an older Midge that was very famous. I felt cheated out of the journey. But the final episode was redeeming and very well done. And the importance of Lenny is that he was her mentor from her first night getting in a stage.

Lenny was her mentor not just a love interest. He is the one who truly believed in her

I was initially disappointed by the flagrant display of wealth. I came to the same conclusion you did: that it all meant nothing because now her life's empty and meaningless. But while the shots of her walking through her home felt melancholy, Midge's face read as content. It's viewer error that we mistake a woman alone as discontent. (She can't possibly be fulfilled unless her grandchildren are underfoot and everyone's fighting over the brisket.) She always loved having nice things and it showed that didn't change over the years. I agree with some of the other commenters who said her career was her true husband. Ultimately, it's a show about the creative process and friendship. The ending with Suzie was brilliant. (And those moments where Lenny parted the curtain enough to show her how he truly felt were my favorite moments in the whole show. I don't care if they have a tragic story, or if it wasn't even a true romance, the complexity of their relationship make them my favorite couple in TV.)

I LOVED this show. So good and I’m sad it’s over. Kind of feel like season 5 was a tad rushed..I wanted it to keep going! lol

Re: your concerns about Feminism.. Please read Betty Friedan. Her end-game was never about powerful woman full stop. She understood that corporations would harness the women’s movement to their own interests (welcome to 70 cents on the dollar, ladies) ASP is slyly telling us (okay in my analysis) that our allies are the men and women who support us. Joel realized he was an old school ass of a husband. He realized he screwed up. He acted as an ally in the end. He was the love of her life.

I don't see the ending scenes as anti feminist in any way. To me it looks at a woman in her 70's looking at her life...she's had a very successful career, and while the men in her life have come and gone... the love of a deep friendship between women will always remain. It was special to me because my dearest friend and I sit and watch our favorite shows just like Miriam & Suzy did...even counting out when we are hitting the play button! ❤

If you don't get the whole Lenny thing, you don't get this series! Sorry.

I just watched a documentary of female comedians (Joan Rivers produced it) and they all said you live for the laughs but you have to give up a personal life for it. Midge states in the last season that she needs the laughs and applause, and that's what she still has in her 70's--she still has her career and Susie, her friend. Do you have to give up something in your life--of course, but missing something you don't have doesn't make you an anti-feminist. It makes you human, a human who has made choices. And Lenny was a colleague who respected her work which was huge--I can't think of another comic in the series who gave her respect. And the fact that he ended the way he did (and that we all knew about it from the get go) added a great dramatic pathos to the show.

I loved, loved, loved this series. Interesting that you don't "get" the Lenny Bruce and Midge connection...I SO get it and was VERY glad he had a scene in the finale. His pep talk to Midge in the Carnegie Hall episode was epic! The last episode was almost perfect....I guess Joel was still in jail.

I mean, what's more real than two old biddies watching Jeopardy and laughing together? That's as good of an ending I'd wish for anyone, I suppose.

1.) Lenny is one of the most influential for Midge, he inspired her, believed in her, and supported her from the beginning. He was a mentor figure for her and her moral support. Susie, Lenny, and Joel were always there for her. He's such a role for her that in the future, Midge didn't want to see him again in such a bad shape because they had a perfect goodbye, and she didn't wanna ruin the great lenny image for her. Sorta selfish in a way, since lenny probably really needed midge, but there's an angle that makes me kinda understand her side even though i don't agree, same goes for the shy fiasco where she almost outted him, but the series tried to make us sympathetic for her so much. 2.) Midge being alone is not weird, it's a perfect callback to when she saw shy baldwin smoking at the end (the last time midge saw shy), where in a way she realized that many times, when you're trying to reach to the top, you can reach it, and be alone at the top. That's why we got scenes of midge being and seemingly alone. But that's where the series shows us that Susie is still there for Midge, they're still there for each other, and so that scene is a way for callbacks and proving their friendship and how you can not be alone in the top. Since this show is indirectly (Or directly actually) about their friendship during stardom, I think the series did convey this perfectlyy!

Lenny believed in her, respected her, & pushed her to stay true to herself. He also was one of the only people who knew firsthand the sacrifices she would have to make.

As someone who is/was "very invested in the series", I think Lenny's purpose was very evident. He was a successful comedian whom Midge looked up to, whose fame she aspired to in the beginning (as time went on, she wanted even more), and she respected his opinion. His belief in her pushed her to continue even when she was down. The sexual tension between them was merely happenstance; the night they finally got together needed to happen, and when Midge saw those drugs in his room, you knew Midge wasn't going to ever go further into a romantic relationship with him because in the end he would only hold her back. They would remain forever friends but nothing more. Joel would remain her true love no matter how many husbands she went through but they could never make it work as spouses. She and Joel would forever love each other and would remain loyal and supportive to each other but just couldn't be married anymore.

Lenny Bruce was a mentor to Midge. Other than Suzie, he was the only person that always believed in what she could do.

I Agree with you. The last scenes with midge were so depressing. She got to be a star but in the end was alone watching tv chatting with Suzy. I was like WTF? The should have ended with her moment on the Gordon Ford Show. That would have been perfect

I would say start at the beginning and watch the entire series in order to understand it. Lenny was her mentor, probably the first comic she ever saw, with Joel, and her support all the way through. Watch the scene with Midge and Lenny on the Carnegie Hall stage, that was one of the most pivotal scenes in the entire series! Really, there was nobody else she could relate to as a comic. Also, I didn't interpret the last scene the same way. As a woman, your entire life is compromised. She did have to give up a lot of close relationships due to her rising fame. An entire show was dedicated to explaining that. She recognized that was the way it was going to be and made a conscious decision to choose fame.

THANK YOU! I hated the Season 5 flash forwards and I'm glad to see I'm not alone. The series should have ended on Gordon's couch, period. There's no point in having us root for Midge to finally get her break against all odds, then have her succeed to a level we couldn't have even imagined, and then close with, "But it turns out, none of it made her happy".

If you watch the pilot episode credits it ends with the song Girl Talk as does the finale but sung by different people…. so the whole series can be as Midge said female empowerment and Girl Talk .

I agree that the episode should've ended on the talk so, either at "thank you and goodnight" or just before he fires her. The rest seemed like an unnecessary add on. That said, she said in her stand up that she wanted a big life. She wanted to be SO famous. The trip through her house and the scheduling performances and the entourage of people in her house show she had a big life. As big as it is, she goes to a small room to curl up on a couch and call her friend to watch tv together. I just think post talk show appearance, it wasn't necessary. I always liked the Lenny Bruce angle. He represents a struggle for a woman her age in that time period.

I thought the ending was perfect. Miriam wanted to be a famous stand-up comic, and she achieved it. She decided early on that that's what was important to her, and then she went out and got it. That involved sacrificing some stuff, but what she didn't do was sacrifice THAT in order to achieve what everybody kept telling her she was supposed to want. If it had ended with a flash-forward to Miriam relaxing in the bosom of her loving family, that would have been an anti-climax.

It always surprises me at the fuss that is made over the “four minutes.” Vs. six-minutes of the show’s end. These talk shows are filmed in advance (for obvious reasons) and the Director can, at his discretion chose to lengthen or shorten any “bit” or guest spot, which is why so many guests often get “bumped.” Clearly, this is a case where the performer, Midge, was going to great he made the decision to lengthen her spot. No big deal. He knew he could cut other stuff in the editing room later. Relax everyone.

My thoughts also, I wanted the whole thing to end on Gordon Ford introducing The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.