I have bad news, my friends: the formerly fearless Mrs. Maisel is deep in the midst of a Gilmore Girls Season 6 level Rory crisis. In the Season 4 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the titular comedian was served a big ole piece of humble pie, and just like a certain smartie in her junior year at Yale, she did not take things well. Now, when life handed Rory Gilmore a couple of lemons she proceeded to steal a yacht, drop out of college, and have a full-blown existential crisis. Midge Maisel is doing the 1960 adult woman equivalent of that by pitching a roadside fit in her underwear, taking a safe, dead-end job at a strip club, and excelling at selling Tupperware.
Look, for the sake of the women who work there, I'm glad Midge has improved the working conditions at The Wolford. But despite her protestations about Lenny Bruce getting his start working in strip clubs, she could be doing so much more. After all, she's not starting out in her career anymore. Instead, the former housewife is licking her wounds over Shy Baldwin kicking her off the tour.
Working at The Wolford is a huge step backwards for Midge, just like Rory suddenly becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was a colossal waste of the younger Gilmore's time. Like Rory before her, Midge is in crisis mode, whether she wants to admit it or not, and right now she's channeling all of her worst instincts. She hasn't quite stooped to watching The Graduate in the middle of a weekday afternoon, but if someone doesn't give her a wake-up call soon, don't be surprised if Midge ends up swooning over Birkin bags instead of furthering her comedy career.
She Had A Rory Level Meltdown In The Season 4 Premiere
In the wake of being kicked off the Shy Baldwin tour due to telling inappropriate and dangerous jokes about Shy's sexuality, Midge went nuclear on the side of the road. Her tantrum included stripping down to her underwear and taking her frustrations out on an innocent cab, much like Rory impulsively decided to steal a yacht when Mitchum Huntzberger told her she didn't have the right stuff to be a journalist.
Now, getting ticked off about the curveballs of life is totally understandable, but Midge and Rory's responses to their respective situations were total overreactions. Rather than get back out there on the comedy circuit, Midge has insisted to Susie that she only wants to take gigs where she can say whatever she wants — in short, gigs that don't pay and guarantee she'll never be able to make any real money at her job. Meanwhile, Rory made the rash decision to drop out of Yale due to one man's criticism. Not either of their finest moments.
Midge Is Escaping Into Her Old Posh Life
In the wake of career drama, both women decided to escape into the comforts of their privileged lives. Rather than back out of her deal with her ex-stepfather to buy back her old apartment, Midge forged ahead and moved back into the luxurious home with her parents. Can she afford to live on the Upper West Side? Absolutely not, but she's finding comfort in retreating to a time in her life when her biggest worry was preparing a perfect brisket.
As for Rory, she decided to take up residence in her grandparents' pool house where she could enjoy full maid service every morning instead of confronting her problems head on.
The Wolford Is Midge's DAR
Both Midge and Rory have boundless energy and potential, so when they find themselves with nowhere to direct their talents they pour them into frivolous pursuits. In Rory's case, that meant throwing galas for the DAR, and for Midge it means selling Tupperware and revamping the Wolford. On the one hand, Midge has improved the working conditions for the women at the Wolford (which is a win), but in terms of career moves, she's working at a place that's unlikely to give her career any forward momentum despite the fact that she's attracting a better clientele to the club.
She's Clashing With Her Mother Over Her Life Choices
Now Midge and Rose are no Rory and Lorelai. These two have always been at odds about Midge's decision to pursue comedy as a profession instead of finding a second husband. But in this one instance, Rose is right.
Midge isn't going anywhere working at the Wolford, while Rose's job could bring in some much-needed cash for the household. That makes her daughter's stubborn refusal to branch back out to clubs where she'll have to polish her act all the more frustrating. If she's serious about being a comic, then it's time for her to get back out there. Much like Lorelai was right about Rory torpedoing her life for the worst possible reason, Rose isn't in the wrong to ask her daughter to pursue her dreams beyond the walls of the Wolford.
The Man Who Knows Midge The Best Is Concerned
The single best moment of Gilmore Girls Season 6 was hands down Jess confronting Rory over her life choices. It was only by seeing herself through Jess' eyes that she was able to find the courage to get her life back on track. Midge hasn't quite gotten to that stage yet, but Lenny showing up at the Wolford and making it clear that comedians don't get to stay in their comfort zones was certainly a step in the right direction.
Following in Season 6 era Rory's footsteps isn't the best look, but if Midge can stop battling with Sophie Lennon and worrying about the Wolford's roof, then she might finally find the courage to step back into the spotlight just as Rory eventually came to her senses and returned to Yale.
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