Mrs. Maisel Season 4 Showrunners Address Midge’s Apology To Shy

Amy Sherman-Palladino discusses Midge and Shy’s bittersweet reunion in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4. Created by Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premiered on Amazon Prime Video in March 2017 and quickly gained high praise from both viewers and critics. The dramedy series set in the 1960s follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a New York City housewife, who pursues a stand-up career after she discovers her natural talent for comedy. Rachel Brosnahan leads the series as Midge, accompanied by a supporting cast that includes Alex Borstein, Michael Zegan, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, and Luke Kirby.

Midge and the rest of her friends return for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4, following a long wait due to pandemic delays. Season 3 saw Midge accidentally ruin her first real big break when she outed Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain) in a comedy set while touring with him. Midge’s slip cost her her gig and her friendship with Shy, so it was a surprise when Midge and Susie received an invite to Shy’s wedding. When Shy and Midge finally met again in season 4 episode 5, “How To Chew Quietly and Influence People,” Midge took the opportunity to apologize for outing Shy, providing a moment of closure.

Following The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 finale, Sherman-Palladino and her husband and writing partner, Dan Palladino, sat down with THR to discuss the show’s most recent season and its future. During the discussion, Sherman-Palladino broke down the apology Midge gave Shy mid-season, saying it had to happen. The Mrs. Maisel showrunner explained how even though Shy and Midge could have been support systems for each other, Shy’s position in the industry inevitably isolated him. Sherman-Palladino also added that this apology opens up the possibility for future reconnection between the two. Read her full break-down below:

“Midge realized that, in show business, there are show business friends and show business friends are not friends, and it’s easy to mistake that…I think she has been carrying what she did at the Apollo with her ever since that moment. Midge is someone who can be a little blind to what’s going on around her, but she would have jumped in front of a bus for Shy. She would have deflected anything for Shy, and the fact that she hurt him in a moment of panic for herself was killing her the entire time. So that apology was going to happen at some point. The fact that she saw him at this wedding, this manufactured [wedding], cut off from his family, from Reggie, from the band — who may have bitched and moaned about him, but they were a bonded family — and seeing him very lonely, that’s hard for her.

He’s such a layered person and to give them this opportunity, two people who want connection, but they’re just not in a moment to be connected at all — those are the saddest moments. Shy looking at a new life without any support system around him and then looking at someone like Midge, who maybe could have been a friend. Although, I think Shy is in a different realm now where friendship means something very different. All his friends have become employees. It’s the Elvis Presley syndrome: Your friends are your hangers-on. They’re your friends but you’re paying them. So, how friendly could they be? That’s where he’s at in that scene. I think there’s always a possibility to have him back. There’s always possibility for reconciliation or at least reconnection, now that the playing field has been leveled with her apology.”

Midge’s mistake with Shy literally left her stranded in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 3 finale, so while season 4 dealt with the fallout of Midge’s career, Shy and Midge’s friendship remained a constant question. As Sherman-Palladino explained it, Midge’s apology puts that question to rest. The two may no longer be friends, because they missed their moment to connect, but they both hold respect for each other. Midge can now move past her mistake.

Although Midge’s arc with Shy is complete, Sherman-Palladino teases that McClain may reappear in the role for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5. That being said, since season 5 will be The Marvelous Ms. Maisel‘s final season, and any guest appearances will probably be in the form of cameos to avoid leaving the show with unanswered questions. Season 5 has recently begun production, so viewers eager to see Shy Baldwin again will have to wait for more news about the show.

Source: THR

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