The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows Midge's (Rachel Brosnahan) rise to success, but she doesn't embark on this journey alone. Throughout the story, Midge is surrounded by family and, more importantly, her dedicated agent, Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein). Susie is the most important figure in Midge's career. As the person who first got her into the business and kept Midge on a path, Susie is the reason Midge is where she is and why she will eventually achieve success. 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 actually good at what she does? Season 5 jumps into the future, showing Susie as a powerhouse in the industry. Yet her choices in the main show don't reflect a talent for it. She's determined, tenacious, and pushy but has gotten emotionally invested in Midge. Whether it's the already famous Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch) or the rising star James Howard (Jay Will), Susie undeniably puts Midge's career first since they are friends, to the detriment of her other clients. That begs the question: Is Susie really as good at her job as everyone seems to believe?
Susie Doesn't Treat All Clients the Same
When Midge has an opportunity to perform in front of Jack Paar, Susie goes to bat for her girl, fighting the clear sexism to get Midge an opportunity. But Paar's booker, Pete (Rob McClure) will not listen. Instead, he brings up her other client James Howard. With the movie deal Susie made for him, Howard is getting buzz, and Pete offers him a chance to be on his show. But Susie insists they aren't there to talk about Howard, trying to move the conversation back to Midge. When Pete ends the conversation, Susie tries to convince Howard not to do it until he threatens to leave unless she takes the deal. While it's annoying to lose the opportunity for Midge, this could be big for Howard, and he deserves the chance that Susie tries to deny him.
This isn't the first time Susie has shown favoritism towards Midge. When Midge tours with Shy Baldwin (LeRoy McClain), Susie spends most of the time on the road with her, going from one show to another and helping Midge with the day-to-day realities of touring. But when Alfie (Gideon Glick), the alcoholic illusionist Susie represents, books a tour, Susie has Midge drop him off at the airport and hasn't mentioned him since. Alfie is a flight risk in the best of situations, so he likely needs management or at least supervision. But Susie is too busy in New York to offer it. Certainly, she has more clients now than when Midge was on the road, but that doesn't justify throwing Alfie to the wolves.
Before even Alfie, Susie proved this would be a problem when she represented Sophie Lennon. Sophie already had a following, and Susie did get her on stage again. But the two had long been arguing, so it's no surprise that the relationship was strained. Susie attempted to split her time between Midge's tour and Sophie's show, but she seemed to stay away from Sophie whenever possible. After an onstage mental breakdown, Susie wants to remove herself from Sophie but does agree to arrange one last interview, which takes Sophie's career to a new level. Yet Susie still refuses to work with Sophie again because it caused problems with Midge. Sophie chases Susie, but as the two female comics cannot get along, Susie chooses her friend, losing a successful client.
Is Susie the Best Thing for Midge?
Susie is instrumental in Midge's career, but a different agent may be more helpful. Susie's newness to the world means she has few connections. Although she's willing to fight her way into rooms, she's often ignored. Some of Midge's best opportunities fall into her lap, like the Shy Baldwin tour or the performance for Jack Paar. However, that isn't Susie's fault, and Susie does work hard to get Midge opportunities. Yet when she does so, she often doesn't learn enough about the event. When she gets Midge on the telethon, she doesn't know Sophie Lennon (who hates Midge and is the headliner) until they get to the event. This leaves Midge pushed to the back and, frankly, lucky that anyone saw her at all. The same issue arises when Susie gets Midge a writing job on the Gordon Ford Show, unaware that staff can't get on the air, which was Midge's entire goal. The repetitiveness in which Susie agrees to things without getting all the information is unprofessional and has a negative impact on Midge's career.
But the worst thing Susie does for Midge is agree with her. Susie never refuses her friend, allowing her to persist in her no-opening-act declaration, even when it means turning down huge opportunities, like performing at the Copacabana. Susie puts up with too much of Midge's nonsense in the name of their friendship when managing the talent's unwise decisions is a large part of the job. Midge would be better off if Susie focused more on making her successful than she did on satisfying all of Midge's wants.
Then How Is Susie Successful?
The entirety of Episode 6, "The Testi-Roastial," details Susie's path to becoming a well-known and respected talent agent. Her illustrious career indicates she has a talent for her job, but her actions contradict that. So how can she meet such success when she doesn't seem to be particularly good at her job? The best answer lies in a different plot line on the show. Concerned about Midge, Joel (Michael Zegen) investigates Susie's friends Frank (Erik Palladino) and Nick (John Scurti), who have been incredibly helpful in setting up Susie Myerson and Associates. He discovers the connection to the mob that Susie is only beginning to understand herself. Their involvement in Susie's business and the profit they can get from it would motivate their continued assistance as Susie's company grows. Despite her questionable choices, Susie has their backing and her ever-growing connections within the industry to reach success. Perhaps she can improve in time, but she's certainly not the best agent yet. Sure, Susie's business takes off, but judging by her actions, that may have more to do with her mob connections than her business sense.