The Wonderful Mrs Maisel shows Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) rise to success, but she does not go on this journey alone. Throughout the story, Midge is surrounded by her family and, more importantly, her devoted agent Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein). Susie is the most important figure in Midge’s career. As the person who got her into the business in the first place and kept Midge on her way, Susie is the reason Midge is where she is and why she will eventually succeed. But Susie is as new to the business as Midge herself. Making Midge a star isn’t easy, especially considering how difficult Midge can be.
But is Susie really good at what she does? Season 5 takes us to the future, showing Susie as an industry leader. However, her choice in the main show doesn’t reflect her talent for it. She is strong-willed, persistent, and persistent, but emotionally invested in Midge. Whether it’s the already famous Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch) or rising star James Howard (Jay Will), Susie undoubtedly puts Midge’s career first as they are friends, to the detriment of her other clients. The question arises: is Susie really as good at her job as everyone thinks?
Susie doesn’t treat all clients the same
When Midge has the opportunity to perform in front of Jack PaarSusie fights for her girlfriend while fighting overt sexism to give Midge a chance. But booker Paara, Pete (Rob McClure) does not obey. Instead, he mentions another of her clients, James Howard. Thanks to a film deal Susie made for him, Howard rises to prominence and Pete offers him a chance to be on his show. But Susie insists they’re not here to talk about Howard, trying to bring the conversation back to Midge. When Pete ends the call, Susie tries to convince Howard not to do it until he threatens to leave if she doesn’t agree to the deal. Although missing an opportunity is annoying for Midge, it can be important for Howard, and he deserves the chance in which Susie tries to deprive him.
This isn’t the first time Susie has shown favoritism towards Midge. When Midge tours with Shai BaldwinLeroy McClain), Susie spends most of her time on the road with her, moving from show to show and helping Midge with the day-to-day realities of touring. But when AlfieGideon Glick), an alcoholic illusionist Susie represents, book a tour, Susie asks Midge to give him a ride to the airport and hasn’t mentioned him since. Alfie runs the risk of escaping at best, so he probably needs to be managed, or at least supervised. But Susie is too busy in New York to suggest that. Sure, she has more clients now than when Midge was on the road, but that doesn’t justify leaving Alfie to be eaten by wolves.
Even before Alfie, Susie proved that this would be a problem when she represented Sophie Lennon. Sophie already had fans and Susie brought her back on stage. But the two have been arguing for a long time, so it’s no surprise that the relationship has been strained. Susie tried to split her time between Midge’s tour and Sophie’s show, but she seemed to stay away from Sophie whenever possible. After having a mental breakdown on stage, Susie wants to leave Sophie, but agrees to set up one last interview that takes Sophie’s career to the next level. However, Susie still refuses to work with Sophie again because it caused problems with Midge. Sophie pursues Susie, but since the two female comedians cannot get along, Susie chooses her friend, losing a successful client.
Is Susie the best thing for Midge?
Susie plays an important role in Midge’s career, but another agent might be more helpful. Susie’s newness in this world means she has few connections. Although she is willing to force her way into the rooms, she is often ignored. Some of Midge’s best opportunities fall into her lap, like a Shy Baldwin tour or a performance for Jack Paar. However, it’s not Susie’s fault and Susie works hard to get opportunities for Midge. However, when she does, she often doesn’t know enough about the event. When she invites Midge to the telethon, she doesn’t know Sophie Lennon (who hates Midge and is the headliner) until they get to the event. This leaves Midge relegated to the background and, frankly, she’s lucky anyone even saw her. The same problem arises when Susie gets Midge a writing job on The Gordon Ford Show, unaware that the staff can’t get on the air, which was Midge’s entire purpose. The repetition with which Susie agrees to things without getting all the information is unprofessional and has a negative effect on Midge’s career.
But the worst thing Susie does for Midge is agree with her. Susie never turns down her friend, letting her insist on her no opening act, even when it means giving up huge opportunities like performing at Copacabana. Susie puts up with too much Midge nonsense in the name of their friendship, while managing unreasonable talent decisions is a big part of the job. Midge would be better off if Susie focused more on being successful than on fulfilling all of Midge’s desires.
Then how is Susie successful?
The entire episode 6, “The Testi-Roastial”, details Susie’s path to becoming a well-known and respected talent agent. Her brilliant career indicates that she has talent for her job, but her actions belie it. So how can she be so successful if she doesn’t seem to be particularly good at her job? The best answer lies in another storyline of the series. Worried about Midge, Joel (Michael Zegen) explores Susie Frank’s friends (Eric Palladino) and Nick (John Scurti) who were incredibly helpful in creating Susie Myerson and Associates. He discovers a mafia connection that Susie is just beginning to understand. Their involvement in Susie’s business, and the profit they can make from doing so, motivates them to help further as Susie’s company grows. Despite her dubious choices, Susie uses their support and her ever-growing connections in the industry to succeed. Perhaps she will improve over time, but for now she is definitely not the best agent. Sure, Susie’s business is picking up, but judging by her actions, it may have more to do with her mafia connections than business acumen.
Source: Collider
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