Forget sleight of hand, Alfie's biggest trick in "Billy Jones & the Orgy Lamps" may have been foreshadowing trouble ahead for Susie and Midge. Alfie, played by Broadway star Gideon Glick, is an unexpected addition to the world of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The young magician who Susie meets in a bar is... well, he's a little bit creepy, but also fascinating.

Alfie appears to use his talents to trick patrons of the bar into buying him drinks, but he's also intuitive in a way that makes Susie squirm. Within moments of meeting her, he surmises that she's having money troubles, and alludes to her committing arson. While he could have guessed the money troubles bit (or overheard it if Midge's manager happened to be talking to the bartender about the sorrows she was drowning), there's no way she would have casually mentioned that she and her sister burned down their childhood home for the insurance money.

Is Alfie a touch clairvoyant or simply intuitive to an unsettling degree? That remains to be seen, but for now, he sees right to the core of Susie's current dilemma and without ever mentioning Midge's name, he hints that the tight bond between the two friends is about to be tested.

Let's analyze this cryptic scene to see what clues it holds for Susie's Season 4 arc.

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" Is Playing On The Jukebox

Even before Alfie approaches Susie, the soundtrack hints at the tough manager's mental state. After losing Midge's money due to her gambling addiction, and then being denied a check from the insurance agency because they expect foul play in the fire at her childhood home, Susie is feeling more alone than ever before. She can't confide in Midge, because it would mean revealing her betrayal. Instead, she's sitting in a strange bar in the middle of the day while Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" plays in the background.

That particular song is easily one of the most melancholy songs ever written, and seeing it underscore this scene is a reminder that Susie hasn't hit rock bottom just yet — but it's coming.

Susie Is Bothered By The Calendar Being On The Wrong Month

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel timeline can get a little muddy, but it was likely around April when Susie's gambling addiction led to her losing all of the money from the first leg of the Shy Baldwin tour. She certainly seems bothered by the bar's calendar being stuck on April. Her unease would make sense since she's still paying for the mistakes she made in the spring.

Alfie Knows She's Having Money Troubles...

Just because Joel bailed her out this time that doesn't mean Susie is off the hook. Midge is going to find out that her manager gambled away their money, and when she does it's not going to be pretty. In that way, Alfie's comment that Susie is "having enough trouble finding money as it is" could point to a future where she and Midge part ways.

And He Might Know About The Arson Too

Susie looks downright alarmed when Alfie says he can't let her go up into smoke. At the same time, he's asking her to pick a coin, and each time she chooses the wrong hand, much like she keeps making the wrong decisions. In hopes of keeping her secret from Midge, she goes to Joel for the money Midge needs to pay her ex-father-in-law for her old apartment. There's no way that's not going to come back to haunt her.

It also happens to be the third bad decision she made after: 1) gambling the money away, 2) committing arson and insurance fraud, and 3) going to Joel for a loan. This coincides with the three times she chooses the wrong hand during Alfie's magic trick. The fourth time she chooses the wrong hand, he was trying to let her win, which could point to her fourth mistake — not confiding in Midge and giving her a chance to help her friend in the first place.

Alfie Transports Susie Somewhere That Will Make Her Smile

For his final trick, Alfie hypnotizes Susie and transports her into the picture from the calendar. That picture just so happens to be reminiscent of her Season 2 excursion to the Catskills to convince Midge that she couldn't just take the whole summer off. For both women, that was a simpler time, when their careers were on the rise and their bond felt unshakable, but things are far more complicated now.

Susie has betrayed Midge's trust, and Midge isn't always the most forgiving person. When she does find out what her manager did, their relationship could be shattered, and Susie will be left as alone as she is when she snaps out of her Alfie-induced trance.

Susie's right: magicians are the worst, but in Alfie's case, his tricks might just be warning Susie of the trouble that lies ahead for her and Midge.

Images: K.C. Bailey/Amazon Prime Video; Amazon Prime Video