SUCCESSION, MRS. MAISEL, and BETTER CALL SAUL.
Plus, that one time I saw Bob Odenkirk at a smoothie bar.
A QUICK UPDATE: Watch History will now be released every other Monday, rather than weekly! This will (hopefully) give me more time to watch a variety of films to share with you.
This post contains mild spoilers for ‘Succession’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’. If you are not caught up, skip to the end!
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there seems to be a plethora - nay, a veritable overflowing cornucopia - of prestige television shows currently in their final season: Succession, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Barry, and Ted Lasso, to name a few. Therefore, I have been deep in the trying-desperately-to-avoid-Twitter-spoilers time-suck of catching up on my favorite shows so @successionmemes57 doesn’t ruin things for me.
Oh, and I am late to the game and started watching Better Call Saul after years of resisting out of deference for Breaking Bad, and yes, everyone was right, okay? Better Call Saul rules. And because Better Call Saul concluded last year and is thus fair game in terms of discussing plot points online, I have also had to forgo my responsibilities and relationships in order to catch up.
Anyway, here’s what I watched this week:
Succession, Season Four (HBO)
After four seasons of watching one of the best collections of characters to ever grace television (I really believe this), I have now come to realize an unfortunate fact: if I was ever in a conversation like the ones that take place in Succession, I without a doubt would be a Cousin Greg: unsure, trying to keep up, and just generally out of my league.
This is a blow to the ego, but it’s also better than trying to intelligently discuss whether one should or should not send blood bricks to their ex.
Succession took a massively bold step in the third episode of its final season (IYKYK), and while I admit the general anxiety of the episodes have decreased a bit since this particular plot point, the intrigue is alive and well, and I still after all this time find myself rooting for sweet, tired-but-resolute Kendall and his weirdie-with-a-good-heart energy.
Series finale: May 28th.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season Five (Prime Video)
I’m not totally sure what to make of Maisel’s final season, whose seventh episode (out of nine) will release May 12th.
Truthfully, it’s a hard thing to wrap up. Our entire vested interest over the past four seasons has been spent wondering if Midge will in fact make it, and here is the conundrum we now face as an audience: we want her to make it, but what happens when she does? It’s the Pam/Jim effect, and somehow creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will have to carry it off with aplomb.
So far, they have mostly relied on using time-jumping to summarize what will happen to Midge, Susie and the gang when she finally hits the big time. It’s a creative tactic, and it allows for the breadth that Midge and Susie’s story deserves, which is more than just a neat, happy ending. However, it does feel like a bit of a cop out. I know we’ve seen Midge struggle for four seasons, but I want to see her reach her final breaking point; will we be given that opportunity, or will it be glossed over in the wake of all this time-hopping and filler musical numbers a la Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?
In this fifth and final season, is it really that satisfying to know Susie turned into a cold, mostly-hated celebrity manager after she lovingly carried a plunger around the Catskills for an entire season? It makes sense, but it also doesn’t.
Series finale: May 26th.
Better Call Saul, Season Three (AMC/Netflix)
When Better Call Saul first premiered in 2015, I had a moment of second-embarrassment for Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan. This will never work, I thought to myself, you don’t get this lucky twice.
Over the following years, just about everyone (see: my parents) told me Better Call Saul is awesome. And after the show received like, a billion Emmy nominations, I finally caved, and I’m so glad I did: Better Call Saul is awesome, and it is watering the dry patch of my soul left in the wake of Breaking Bad.
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) may be one of the best characters on television, ever. Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) is a revelation and made me once again believe in the power of a signature hairstyle. Somehow - somehow - I have mostly avoided spoilers for Better Call Saul, even though the series wrapped last year after six seasons.
And yes, it is true: one time I was sitting on a park bench near midtown Manhattan and watched Bob Odenkirk walk out of a smoothie shop and right in front of me with his little organic berry treat. I did not react in time to engage him, but also, like, the man probably just wanted to enjoy his smoothie.
All six seasons of Better Call Saul are streaming on Netflix.
I’m enjoying marvellous mrs. Maisel. I think it’s so hard to find a show that is consistently good like that. But I agree that there’s a risk we will feel like it was rushed out to end, with the time jumping.
I do find it kind of refreshing not having the 20-years-later-thing on the last episode, though. Anyway, I may regret this, but so far, so good. :)