S01.E01: Pilot

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

A housewife in the 1950s decides to become a standup comic.

As is Amazon's way, they dropped this pilot to gauge response prior to picking it up for two seasons.

[Megan]

I enjoyed this. Rachel Brosnahan was great and it's my favorite time period to romanticize. I even have that exact pyrex in my pyrex collection (it's a thing.)

Midge is very much like every other ASP  girl though,  just so gosh darn great at everything and so much more clever than everyone else. That got old on GG especially, by the end I thought Lorelai was awful.  Her girls are really self-centered and kind of assholes and mostly it's just other people telling them how wonderful they are and we never really see this wonderfulness. If any one questions this wonderfulness we're told to believe that person is so very wrong.

I'll watch the first season for sure.

[Hero]

I thought it was funny. I'm Muslim, but what her parents said/did when she told him her husband left her was similar to what I have seen/experienced.  

When her mother told her to be quiet because "they'll" hear and Midge was like who's "they?" I laughed so hard at that because my mom used to say that. My mother also used to say people will see you. What people? These phantom people were always brought up whenever my parents didn't want me to do something. 

I wonder when the rest of the season will be released.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Midge is very much like every other ASP  girl though,  just so gosh darn great at everything and so much more clever than everyone else. That got old on GG especially, by the end I thought Lorelai was awful.  Her girls are really self-centered and kind of assholes and mostly it's just other people telling them how wonderful they are and we never really see this wonderfulness. If any one questions this wonderfulness we're told to believe that person is so very wrong.

It was strange.  It really did feel a lot like a more Jewish version of Gilmore Girls, but with cussing and nudity.  I did like the pilot, and am eager to see where they go with it.  I do wonder if the premise is enough to sustain a series going forward.     

[zxy556575]

The general vibe seemed more like an updated Mary Tyler Moore to me, but since that was one of my favorite shows I'm good. I have no expectations about where it's going to go because there isn't a mystery to solve or government to save; it's just Midge adjusting to her new upended version of life.

I agree with @Megan about Sherman-Palladino, as she does, possibly making Midge unbearable in her perfect spunkiness. I'm more forgiving of comedies, but don't push me, Amy.

I really liked bar manager Suzie and hope she continues as a featured player. The period design was fun, too.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Lord Donia

[ixixan]

Does anyone else think that Alex Borstein's character is kind of what Luke was supposed to be before they decided the character should be male?

[wendyg]

I don't think I'll be watching this show.

However, a data point: the joke at 8 minutes in about the waiter, the spoon, and the man who didn't eat his soup...appears as the explanation for the Jewish use of "Aha" in Leo C. Rosten's wonderful book The Joys of Yiddish. More famously, of course, the Gettysburg/Lincoln one-sided phone call is Bob Newhart's old routine. I can't tell if we're meant to think he's copying or if ASP is simply borrowing. It's confusing to me, and either way, it's not a good look.

ETA: OK, I should have watched a bit further...

Edited April 19, 2017 by wendyg

[OtterMommy]

I enjoyed it, which is saying something since Amy Sherman-Palladino doesn't usually work for me.  Other than Tony Shalhoub, I wasn't familiar with any of the actors, but I thought it was well-performed and well-written (and Midge's humor was similar to my own).

[Wings]

On 4/10/2017 at 9:19 AM, saoirse said:

As is Amazon's way, they dropped this pilot to gauge response prior to picking it up for two seasons.

So this is an amazon series and not TV?  Do I have that right? 

[OtterMommy]

24 minutes ago, wings707 said:

So this is an amazon series and not TV?  Do I have that right? 

Yes, it's on Amazon and, so far, the pilot is available.

[DianeDobbler]

I read this has been picked up for a second season. I really loved this in a way I never really liked Gilmore Girls. Rachel Brosnahan is completely believable as a stand-up. You can't really act that. I wasn't sure when I saw the preview of her wedding day speech, but she actually was really funny. Midge is super smart, very quick, very observant, and makes decisions quickly, which also makes her believable as a natural for standup. She's also got loads of intelligent confidence. I liked that she, as the show runners explained, enjoyed her life. She was on top of it, was clearly the engine that powered the family, and in a different time could be running a business better than her husband, just as she's a better stand-up than her husband.

 

Since I live in NYC and my relatives go way back in both Brooklyn and Manhattan, I completely enjoyed everything and was drooling over the apartment she lived in, as well as her parents' apartment. I had friends whose parents had apartments like that. Good luck either family in the same circumstances, however comfortably well off, acquiring spaces like that today. The club manager's apartment with the Murphy bed whose foot landed right up to the entrance door was also exactly right. I liked how comfortable she acted in her space, sitting on the bed and propping her feet up. Today that would probably be renovated into cute, outrageously overpriced studio. That stuff is disappearing. It made me nostalgic for New York even though I'm here. Even the dumps are disappearing/have disappeared if they're remotely in a desirable area, plus more and more areas have been gentrified into becoming desirable. Places like the Gaslight Club are gone and going as well. And even though Zabar's is still here, places like the meat market where she ordered the lamb and picked up a couple of black and white cookies don't proliferate either anymore, and places like Zabar's are as much tourist attractions as they are local shops. Like so many big cities, New York City is losing its character.

Alex Borstein, who plays the female club employee, is the voice of Lois on Family Guy. I think she and Brosnahan are matched well. The only parts of this I couldn't watch were her husband's stand-up routines - I'm bad with second-hand embarrassment. The actor who played Joel reminded me of Kevin Rahm, who played Ted on Mad Men.

Only thing I'm a little in the dark about is who pays for what. Who does Ethan work for? While the apartment they live in is completely plausible for that era, and for a young, upper middle class professional family of the time, her husband doesn't seem to be all that high up at work, not the one running things. If he was part of a family business or if HIS family were in the picture it would explain things more. 

P.S. - the only thing I flat out didn't believe was Rachel's arrest. I don't believe there are cops standing outside at that hour anticipating that a drunk housewife from the Upper West Side will spontaneously take the stage and pull down the top of her peignoir. Lenny Bruce, fine. He was a regular on the comedy circuit and known to the police. The fact that so many cops hustled in to pull her off stage the absolute second she dropped her top in the very first time she'd ever been on a stage made no sense at all.

Edited October 22, 2017 by DianeDobbler

[small potatoes]

Series Premiere November 29, 2017

[lark37]

Thanks for the premiere date Small Potatoes!  I watched the pilot over the weekend, and enjoyed it quite a bit which surprised me, because I never got into Gilmore Girls. I knew Rachel Brosnahan from Manhattan and was impressed by her in that. I also love period pieces and Tony Shaloub, so I gave this a try expecting to be bored. I was pleasantly surprised, but I agree with the idea that a plot that consists of following a female comedians life isn't much to sustain a series. The writing will have to be as good as the acting to keep this going!

[screenaddict]

I really enjoyed this. I was cheering on Midge and wishing bad things for stupid Joel. The costumes are drool-worthy - Rachel Brosnahan looks great in them. I'm looking forward to watching more.

[Dminches]

Rachel Brosnahan was magnificent in the pilot.  I did not know she had the talent to play that character.  Most of the other roles have been more reserved.  

I also love any show set in the late 50s through the late 70s in NYC.  That's part of the reason why I like The Deuce.

It was so obviously from the being that her husband had no talent and she had all the wit.

Looking forward to the season. 

[biakbiak]

On 10/22/2017 at 6:48 AM, DianeDobbler said:

 

Only thing I'm a little in the dark about is who pays for what. Who does Ethan work for? While the apartment they live in is completely plausible for that era, and for a young, upper middle class professional family of the time, her husband doesn't seem to be all that high up at work, not the one running things. If he was part of a family business or if HIS family were in the picture it would explain things more. 

 

He has a large corner office and during the fight she said he was a Vice President.

[bybrandy]

On 10/22/2017 at 8:48 AM, DianeDobbler said:

Only thing I'm a little in the dark about is who pays for what. Who does Ethan work for? While the apartment they live in is completely plausible for that era, and for a young, upper middle class professional family of the time, her husband doesn't seem to be all that high up at work, not the one running things. If he was part of a family business or if HIS family were in the picture it would explain things more

This question gets answered in episode 2.

Favorite little line in the episode, "Grab some pens on your way out.  You're going to need them."  Because Penny can't work the electric pencil sharpener.  I Loled way, way, way too hard. 

Edited December 5, 2017 by bybrandy
Because apparently it is Penny not Patty.

[aradia22]

I decided to finally see what all the fuss is about. Less than 7 minutes in, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I found the character quite grating. I know they've said it isn't based on Joan Rivers but she gave me that same vibe minus that cruel streak. 

Unnecessary sex (?) against a tree. All these non-network shows not hampered by censorship. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. What did that tell you about the characters that couldn't be achieved in a better way? I just felt like there were a bunch of similarly awkward decisions like that instead of an effort to get you to like and connect with the characters. Though, from the beginning, I did think it all looked great. Lovely costumes, everything fairly period appropriate. 

It started to grow on me a little more when they played Barbra Streisand. I liked when she started analyzing his jokes and then how she snuck in and out to do her nighttime routine without her husband ever seeing her. It started to become less about this overbearing personality who seemed so pleased with herself and superior and instead she seemed to evolve into an intensely capable (to the point of oddity) character whose potential wasn't being pushed to its limits. But also... were fake lashes really that prevalent at the time?

I was amused at her mom's gentle nagging and superficiality. 

I think it's a bit hampered by the fact that she seems to be putting on a character with the accent and an older character at that when the fact that the character is young seems significant to the story, as well as incredibly apparent. But when her husband decided to leave, it forced the actress to drop some of the act and behave a little more naturally. 

I think it's got a bit of Agent Carter going on. I'm not sure how I feel about it's portrayal of the 50's. On the one hand, I get where they're coming from with how they're portraying Joel, her parents' reaction to him leaving, etc. On the other hand, it's a bit obvious. Surely even in the 50's everyone wouldn't be going "it's all your fault." Just because there was sexism, it doesn't mean everyone was incapable of compassion as a first reaction. Also, the constant quips kind of confuse the matter. The tone of the show is... wobbly.

I will say she really came alive when she finally stepped on stage. Everything that felt off about the character works once it's part of her act. Was it believable that was all off the cuff? No. But it was better than her constant one-liners in normal life.

[sconstant]

On 4/19/2017 at 7:36 AM, wendyg said:

However, a data point: the joke at 8 minutes in about the waiter, the spoon, and the man who didn't eat his soup...appears as the explanation for the Jewish use of "Aha" in Leo C. Rosten's wonderful book The Joys of Yiddish. More famously, of course, the Gettysburg/Lincoln one-sided phone call is Bob Newhart's old routine. 

Loved the catch on the Rosten.  The book was first published in 1968, so it's not exactly a "he's ripping it off from there."  (Not sure we have a button to pin on when exactly we are, but Newhart's big first album (with the Abe Lincoln routine) was released in 1960, so maybe the 1958 that Amazon gives is the 1962 by the time the story really gets going?)  Anyway, it's certainly a classic joke, and totally on the nose that he's not telling original material there either.

Edited: poked around a bit more, and Leonard Lyons apparently had this joke in a syndicated column in 1956.  Spelled out here:  https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/waiter_taste_the_soup

On 10/22/2017 at 9:48 AM, DianeDobbler said:

And even though Zabar's is still here, places like the meat market where she ordered the lamb and picked up a couple of black and white cookies don't proliferate either anymore, and places like Zabar's are as much tourist attractions as they are local shops. Like so many big cities, New York City is losing its character.

...

P.S. - the only thing I flat out didn't believe was Rachel's arrest.

The only thing I flat out didn't believe was that she would buy meat for the Rabbi coming over from a butcher that sold ham and bacon (as advertised on his storefont), when it took 5 years to recover from a joke about shrimp being served at the wedding...

Edited December 6, 2017 by sconstant
add info: the 1956 Lyons column

[Sentient Meat]

I've only watched the pilot, but I think the show is brilliant so far... it feels like vintage era Woody Allen/Neil Simon with a feminist twist... and Rachel Brosnahan is a revelation.  Watching her reminded me of when I saw Michelle Pfeiffer do the Fabulous Baker Boys after only knowing her from Scarface...  you knew she was beautiful already, but what an actress as well.  The only criticism I have which is the one I normally have for any fictional portrayal of the world of stand-up, is that the routines themselves aren't funny.  This worked well with the husband who wasn't supposed to be very good, but not so much with Midge's part  (As I said I've only seen the first episode, so maybe her material is great by the end)  However, the dialogue is terrific and it feels very distinct and period appropriate in comparison to the Gilmore Girls, so kudos to Amy Sherman as well,

Also, no way does that schlubb leave that woman in real life.  Excited to see the rest of it.

[aradia22]

Quote

Today that would probably be renovated into cute, outrageously overpriced studio. That stuff is disappearing. It made me nostalgic for New York even though I'm here. Even the dumps are disappearing/have disappeared if they're remotely in a desirable area, plus more and more areas have been gentrified into becoming desirable. Places like the Gaslight Club are gone and going as well. And even though Zabar's is still here, places like the meat market where she ordered the lamb and picked up a couple of black and white cookies don't proliferate either anymore, and places like Zabar's are as much tourist attractions as they are local shops. Like so many big cities, New York City is losing its character.

I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, I don't think you're owed a storefront if you're not providing goods or services that people want. And there are businesses that basically act like Susie that people just don't have the time for anymore when there are so many other options. On the other hand, it is jarring to see different chains take over the city to the point that you start lamenting a salad chain taking over from an Au Bon Pain. There are still pockets of weirdness and tradition in the city and I appreciate that. 

To bring it back to the show, it's nice to take a trip back in time but this show in particular seems to be celebrating mostly insular worlds.

[cali1981]

I finally watched the first episode last night and loved it.  Rachel Brosnahan was very good in "Manhattan" the show about the creation of the first atomic bombs during WWII and in this show she's outstanding.  This role is a career booster.  For me the cultural references were great.  Being Jewish and growing up in NYC in the 1950s (although not in a swanky apartment building on the west side of Manhattan but in a two family attached house in Brooklyn) I saw many things, some subtle, that just clicked for me.  I'm definitely in for the whole season.

[tennisgurl]

I finally had the time to catch this (its been a busy month!) and I am super glad I did. The lead actress is charming, and I love the time period and all the details about the look and culture of 1950s New York City. I always feel really drawn to that era (even though not even my parents were alive at the time), so this is right up my ally. 

I dont know why, but I laughed really hard at Midge sitting in the communist meeting eating the Communist Manifesto and eating chips and dips. Also, her husband really must suck as a stand up comedian if he cant make any funny jokes about holes in his sweater. Come on dude, making fun of your crappy clothes or financial situation is comedy 101! 

[Guest]

I didn't click with Gilmore Girls so if I'd known the pedigree I might not have tried this.  Ten minutes into the pilot I was a little meh, too.  Her opening wedding monologue was way too cutesy for me.  Like how after her "Who does that?", the room is silent, then she cutely says, "I do!", with her palms up like a princess and the room erupts.  As if it was unclear who she was talking about?  It just felt forced.

But by the end of the hour I found myself caring about her and less turned off so I'll keep going.    

[Jodithgrace]

Quote

I don't believe there are cops standing outside at that hour anticipating that a drunk housewife from the Upper West Side will spontaneously take the stage and pull down the top of her peignoir. Lenny Bruce, fine. He was a regular on the comedy circuit and known to the police. The fact that so many cops hustled in to pull her off stage the absolute second she dropped her top in the very first time she'd ever been on a stage made no sense at all.

I think the cops were already there for Lenny Bruce.

 I've seen the "aha" joke done by Eddie Murphy playing an old Jewish man in the film "Coming to America." 

I cringed during the husband's routine. I don't usually like shows about stand up comics because I can't stand to see a comic crash and burn. But I knew Mitzi (?) was going t be good, because otherwise why would there be a show, so I could relax a bit. 

I never watched the Gilmore girls so I have no expectations But so far, so good.

[biakbiak]

27 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

But I knew Mitzi (?) was going t be good, because otherwise why would there be a show, so I could relax a bit. 

 

Her given name is Miriam and she goes by Midge.

[JAYJAY1979]

I prepared for the whiplash from Amy's usually tendency to have characters talk without taking a breath... but that technique works on this show because it takes place in New York, back in the 1950s.  Plus, the lead played a very intense and reserved character on House of Cards.. and this role is the complete 180 from that role.

With that said, I don't think I can binge the show.. I'll watch an episode a day.

[kwnyc]

Quote

the only thing I flat out didn't believe was Rachel's arrest.

Actually, NYC only dropped the ridiculous "cabaret license" law in 2017! And especially in the late '50s and as the '60s progressed, arrests for things like that were very common in the little spaces where there were performances: the Caffe Cino (which was the home of off-off Broadway) was regularly busted. The cops in the Village were said to be very corrupt, and worked hand-in-glove with the gangsters who owned many of the clubs. (The Stonewall Riots allegedly started because the cops were busting places to "clean up" the Village for politicians facing re-election."

(Yes, I am also one of those people who adores the Village in the Beatnik/Hippie era.

[Atlanta]

I'm glad I didn't know a Gilmore Girls creator was behind this show before watching. I would have passed on it. I found GG insufferable after giving a chance. As others said, the tree sex was unnecessary, but it's cute so far. I have a hard time believing that husband would leave HER. She outdoes him in looks, wit, drive, and smarts. 

[bijoux]

21 hours ago, Atlanta said:

I'm glad I didn't know a Gilmore Girls creator was behind this show before watching. I would have passed on it. I found GG insufferable after giving a chance. As others said, the tree sex was unnecessary, but it's cute so far. I have a hard time believing that husband would leave HER.  She outdoes him  in looks, wit, drive, and smarts. 

Therein lies the problem IMO. 

[lefawn]

It wouldn't be the first time a five-ish guy, through some combination of luck, proximity and persistence, landed an eight wife and then thought he could bag a 10.

Edited January 11, 2018 by lefawn

[Nidratime]

Even though I think my retirement has gone to Amazon, I just this past week signed up for Prime and this is the first show I've begun to watch. I was a big Gilmore Girls fan (for the first five years) and knew Amy was behind this. And, I have to say this show fits her so much more like a glove. I feel completely immersed in this world and I thought it was great. It's hard to write and pull off stand-up and I'm not laughing as much at Midge on stage from joke to joke, but I do think her whole persona on stage is funny. The characters I loved was Tony Shaloub and Alex Borstein, in the pilot. (I think it's the second episode where I really laughed at her character's personality. *She* should do stand-up!)

[jocelyn314]

On 12/6/2017 at 11:14 AM, aradia22 said:

I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, I don't think you're owed a storefront if you're not providing goods or services that people want. And there are businesses that basically act like Susie that people just don't have the time for anymore when there are so many other options. On the other hand, it is jarring to see different chains take over the city to the point that you start lamenting a salad chain taking over from an Au Bon Pain. There are still pockets of weirdness and tradition in the city and I appreciate that. 

To bring it back to the show, it's nice to take a trip back in time but this show in particular seems to be celebrating mostly insular worlds.

What does that mean celebrating mostly insular worlds? And why is it a negative?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I meant to watch this over the holidays and didn't get around to it. I'm glad I finally started! As I was watching the beginning, Midge and Joel seemed like such a happy couple and a well oiled machine that I was wondering how long it would take (and would the impetus would be) for Joel to leave (which I knew from one of the previews). That bastard was already having an affair with his dimwit secretary (the brief shot of her trying to sharpen a pencil was priceless) and then he decided to leave his wife because he bombed? I wanted to reach through the screen and tell Midge that she was better off without someone like that.

I love all the costumes and music, so it would be worth watching just for those two things, but Rachel Brosnahan is perfect in this role!

On 10/22/2017 at 6:48 AM, DianeDobbler said:

Only thing I'm a little in the dark about is who pays for what. Who does Ethan work for? While the apartment they live in is completely plausible for that era, and for a young, upper middle class professional family of the time, her husband doesn't seem to be all that high up at work, not the one running things. If he was part of a family business or if HIS family were in the picture it would explain things more.

Since she lives in the same building as her parents (I think they're only one floor apart on 11 and 12), I assumed that either they bought the apartment for Midge and Joel as a wedding gift or that they were able to help Midge and Joel get into the building.

On 12/2/2017 at 3:48 AM, aradia22 said:

Unnecessary sex (?) against a tree. All these non-network shows not hampered by censorship. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. What did that tell you about the characters that couldn't be achieved in a better way? I just felt like there were a bunch of similarly awkward decisions like that instead of an effort to get you to like and connect with the characters.

I didn't see it as unnecessary. I saw it as very typical for the time and for Midge. She had a list of things she wanted in life. One of them was to get engaged. Good girls weren't supposed to have sex, but many of them did once they got engaged (unbeknownst to their parents, of course). Midge was happily staring at her engagement ring because she got what she wanted. Joel was happy because he was getting sex. At the time, they were both happy but he even as they were having sex, he said that his goal was to make her laugh every day of her life, which was a glimpse into how long he wanted to do comedy. They were having sex outside because back then, most schools would not allow male visitors into the girls' dorms. If you had a visitor, they had to stay in the lobby and someone would come up to your room (or ring your bell) to tell you that you had a visitor downstairs.

On 12/18/2017 at 3:41 PM, Jodithgrace said:

 I've seen the "aha" joke done by Eddie Murphy playing an old Jewish man in the film "Coming to America."

Ha, I still remember that from the end credits!

 

On 1/11/2018 at 9:48 AM, lefawn said:

It wouldn't be the first time a five-ish guy, through some combination of luck, proximity and persistence, landed an eight wife and then thought he could bag a 10.

Ain't it the truth? I know several couples like that. One is this gorgeous girl who is smart, sweet, friendly, trustworthy, very sunny in personality, totally in great shape (former athlete), and has a job that pays really well. When she started dating her now-husband, I asked her best friend, "So what's the deal with this new boyfriend? Is he really smart? Really funny?" She said no to both. I said, "Okay, does he do a bunch of volunteer work? Is he loaded?" She said no to both of those too. I said, "Is he really interesting in some other way?" She sad no. She also said that none of their other friends could really see what this girl saw in him. He's average looking with a good job so he's not broke or trolllish or totally stupid. But this girl is an 8 or 9 in every way and he's just there.

On 12/6/2017 at 9:50 AM, Sentient Meat said:

The only criticism I have which is the one I normally have for any fictional portrayal of the world of stand-up, is that the routines themselves aren't funny.  This worked well with the husband who wasn't supposed to be very good, but not so much with Midge's part  (As I said I've only seen the first episode, so maybe her material is great by the end) 

I gave Joel and the guy who was doing Bob Newhart's routine (very badly) when Midge returned to the club a pass for not being very funny because I think we're supposed to see that they're not actually funny. As for the stuff that Midge said during her inadvertent routine, I gave it a partial pass because she wasn't trying to be funny. She was drunk and bitching. As Susie said, it was rough but it had potential, which I agree with. She wasn't roll on the floor funny, but she had some entertaining observations about herself, her husband, her life, and even the guys going to the bathroom.

[Guest]

On 1/13/2018 at 11:01 AM, jocelyn314 said:

What does that mean celebrating mostly insular worlds? And why is it a negative?

Based on what insular means, I'm assuming s/he means it's focused on the world of well-off, 1950s NY Jews, which not many of us can directly relate to. 

I'd say it's not a negative that such a show exists, but that I don't find a lot of it relevant or funny because it's just not a world I know people from or see in real life.  So I'm either left wondering about why is the shrimp comment funny, or what do the Dionne quints have to do with anything, or feeling it's a little wrong that Tony Shalhoub and the other dad are both written as cheapskates, to varying degrees, because that's a Jewish stereotype that the few Jews I know *do* find insulting, not funny.  

[aradia22]

@jocelyn314 Sorry, I would have replied earlier but I forgot where I was going with that. I mean, I still think it's true. I just don't remember what point I was trying to make. I think I was just replying to someone else. I don't think the show is necessarily about a holistic picture of the time period or hearkening back to pre-gentrification. In some ways its about places and things that are still intact even if they've been altered or evolved slightly with the times. I do think the show has other issues with race but that's not my critique with it being insular in episode 1. Just that it has a specific project... I don't know. Again, I kind of forgot what my point was. But it was more about specificity and not necessarily a negative. 

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

it's a little wrong that Tony Shalhoub and the other dad are both written as cheapskates, to varying degrees, because that's a Jewish stereotype that the few Jews I know *do* find insulting, not funny.  

I appreciate that feeling of insult (and have felt it), but, realistically, Abe, like my father, would have likely grown up penniless during the Depression, perhaps wondering too, why they needed to have three sets of dishes (to keep kosher) when they didn't have enough food to put on one set—a habit of thinking that never really goes away, even when times are plentiful.

Edited January 17, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Atlanta]

I didn't take it as a stereotype but I'm not Jewish. I took his interjections in the pilot in jest (a foil to his daughter). I took it as they play off each other. I'm referring to the wedding toast.

[Guest]

I think it’s the most common Jewish stereotype.  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Jews

“Modern day Jews are still stereotyped as greedy, nit-picky, stingy misers and are often depicted in caricatures, comics, and propaganda posters counting money or collecting diamonds.”

[bijoux]

what in the pilot indicated that Abe and Moishe were cheapskates? It’s hard for me to remember which episode is which apart from the big stuff.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, bijoux said:

what in the pilot indicated that Abe and Moishe were cheapskates? It’s hard for me to remember which episode is which apart from the big stuff.

I gues OP might be referring to this part of Midge's wedding toast:

Quote

It's like a dream or a nightmare if you're my father. "How much for the flowers?" "Who eats mushroom caps?" "Do the caterers have any idea "what the Jews just went through a few years ago?" Two cakes, one for eating.

—which now seems to me like an introduction of the offbeat character of Midge, more than anything else.

[Crs97]

This show made me nostalgic for “Brooklyn Bridge.”  I heard great things about this show and convinced my husband to try it.  Ten minutes into it I asked him if he thought it would get better.  We will probably try another episode, but I am not overwhelmed by any means.

Were the girls bleaching their pubic hair or removing it?  Between that and the tree sex and her flashing the comedy club audience, it felt like ASP tossed those things in just because she realized she can: “Look at me, I can be risqué because I am not on network anymore!”  Meh.

[CherithCutestory]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I gues OP might be referring to this part of Midge's wedding toast:

—which now seems to me like an introduction of the offbeat character of Midge, more than anything else.

Yeah, I think she was exaggerating for the bit. That's her thing once she embraces stand-up and it comes naturally to her. Reality exaggerated. And Abe partly followed along and partly was trying to justify his objections. But the insane costs of weddings (even before the current age where that has exploded) is something otherwise generous people can get freaked out about. That's not really cheap but sane. And such a minor spoiler but

Spoiler

nothing subsequent to this has ever suggested he's cheap.

That being said, the show does skirt the stereotype line when it comes to Joel's family, I think. But then they are significantly less fleshed out than Midge's side of the family.

Edited January 19, 2018 by CherithCutestory

[millennium]

On 1/16/2018 at 11:06 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

Based on what insular means, I'm assuming s/he means it's focused on the world of well-off, 1950s NY Jews, which not many of us can directly relate to. 

I'd say it's not a negative that such a show exists, but that I don't find a lot of it relevant or funny because it's just not a world I know people from or see in real life.  So I'm either left wondering about why is the shrimp comment funny, or what do the Dionne quints have to do with anything, or feeling it's a little wrong that Tony Shalhoub and the other dad are both written as cheapskates, to varying degrees, because that's a Jewish stereotype that the few Jews I know *do* find insulting, not funny.  

The focus on affluent Jews reminded me a lot of Transparent, another Amazon series.   Like you, it's not a world I'm very familiar with either (where I grew up, we had one Jewish family).  

The clothes in this series are great, though.

[Guest]

On 1/19/2018 at 7:03 AM, Crs97 said:

This show made me nostalgic for “Brooklyn Bridge.”  I heard great things about this show and convinced my husband to try it.  Ten minutes into it I asked him if he thought it would get better.  We will probably try another episode, but I am not overwhelmed by any means.

Were the girls bleaching their pubic hair or removing it?  Between that and the tree sex and her flashing the comedy club audience, it felt like ASP tossed those things in just because she realized she can: “Look at me, I can be risqué because I am not on network anymore!”  Meh.

I finally watched last night after it being on my “to watch” list for a while. I agree with this last paragraph. Like it felt she was pushing the envelope just to push it.

Ill give it another episode but overall I found it quite predictable. Except that for some reason before starting it, I thought it was a mystery show. Oops. :)

[The Companion]

Finally got around to checking this out tonight. I really enjoyed it. Admittedly I loved Gilmore Girls and even enjoyed Bunheads, but this felt somewhat different to me. Perhaps it was the expanded world. 

I thought the point with Midge having sex outside and going to burlesque shows was, in part, to show that she wasn't strictly the "good girl" she tried to portray. 

I thought Midge was a really interesting character. Perhaps because I identify with her over planning personality. 

[ByTor]

On 6/9/2018 at 8:30 PM, deaja said:

for some reason before starting it, I thought it was a mystery show. Oops. :)

LOL I'm so glad it's not just me, I thought that exact thing too!

[chitowngirl]

You might be thinking of Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries.

[Suzywriter]

I loved the humor, but I don't understand that kind of wealth. That "starter" apartment had to be $75,000 a month, with an easy million in furnishings.

[Cherry Cola]

On 10/27/2018 at 11:58 AM, Suzywriter said:

I loved the humor, but I don't understand that kind of wealth. That "starter" apartment had to be $75,000 a month, with an easy million in furnishings.

It's gorgeous, isn't it?! I adore the costumes and the apartments.  So beautifully done.