#this was supposed to be a post about Midge and Joel but it became about everything I guess

[elizabethbennets]

I know we are very unpopular in this fandom, but I love Joel and Midge. Seriously—I adore them. And I know Joel was an insecure ass who cheated and hurt our girl, but his development over the last five seasons means a lot to me. He’s not perfect—at all. And growth is never linear. I don’t agree with all of his choices. What I do love, though, is that he has taken ownership for his mistakes. Joel knows he fucked up. He REALLY fucked up. But I love that he’s become so protective of Midge, and is adamant about protecting her. Midge Maisel needs no man to look “after” her, but she has her blind spots (big ones), and Joel knows that, too. He loves her. And most of the time, he doesn’t deserve her. Even I’m not convinced he deserves her now. But he understands her. And she understands him. There is a respect there that wasn’t there before—one that comes with healing. And if the flash forward tells me anything, it’s that Joel is the longest and most consistent relationship Midge has ever had—failed marriages; the tear between her and Susie; her children…Joel is a constant. They’re not together in the traditional sense, but they will always fold into each other, and I think that’s that story ASP has been trying to cement since the beginning. I remember reading somewhere that ASP said something along the lines of how Midge will get everything she wants, but she’ll remember the day before Joel left her as the happiest day of her life (if someone can source this that would be great!). Joel represents a time of her life that was the epitome of stability and comfort. With all her fame; her glory—I don’t think anyone on this show was destined for a happy ending, and the crux of this is what happens when you step beyond the confines of expectation. Its an empowering story, and Midge was always destined for greatness, but this greatness comes with tremendous loneliness—one that Midge never reconciles with.

#this was supposed to be a post about Midge and Joel but it became about everything I guess #idk #listen I love Lenny #but we all know how that story ends #I loved Mei too #but they just keep going back to each other #the marvelous mrs. maisel #joel x Midge #joel x Miriam

[maiselous]

Any thoughts on Penny Pann?

Ooooh…. I like what they did with her, but I’m okay with her not sticking around. Amy seems to be pretty good at knowing when a character’s fulfilled their purpose. 

The thing about Amy is that she’s always been known for ‘othering’ most people to make her protagonists stand out. In Gilmore Girls for example, most of Lorelai & Rory’s peers seemed pretty basic compared to them.

Same thing with Penny Pann. She’s basic, submissive in a 1950s way, and obviously not innocent because she knew Joel was married when they cheated. So I didn’t like her because I knew we were not supposed to like her. Plus we didn’t see that much of her. 

What I thought was pretty sophisticated of Amy as a writer was when she turned around and wrote that scene with Penny and Joel in the car talking about General Tso’s chicken. Joel’s having all kinds of doubts (not just about his relationship, but about his identity, arguably) and Penny’s just sitting there trying to be happy. And we as the audience are like “Holy shit, this isn’t fair to her”. There was just A LOT happening in that short, layered, relatable scene and it shifted things.

To her credit, Amy’s done that before even in Gilmore Girls (remember when we legit liked Lindsey more than Rory??)

But at the end of the day, Penny became the butt of a joke (”TRAMP! That’s what I went to seven different department stores to tell you!”) and I’m kind of okay with that. Like, I don’t think we would have benefitted much from making her more sympathetic bc the damage has already been done. Midge definitely doesn’t care for her and I don’t think she needs to. 

Sorry this turned into a long Thing, Penny is a straight-up minor character and I didn’t think she would evoke this many words lol. But she does exemplify just a little bit of how ASP writes her characters. Also I’ve been watching a lot of video essays on youtube so…

Here’s a post that sums my thoughts up:

“Me: Hoe don’t do it…

TMMM: *makes me feel bad for Penny Pann*

Me: Oh my God!”

#thanks for the ask! #tmmm #The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel #mrs. maisel #penny pann #penny x joel #Amy Sherman-Palladino #gilmore girls #writing #midge maisel #marvelous mrs. maisel