Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 6. Miriam Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie (Alex Borstein) have been inseparable since the very beginning of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but in the final season’s flash-forwards, the two have had a falling out with each other. It has only been hinted at until the recent episode, but context clues have been there for a while. Most importantly, Midge started off married to Joel (Michael Zegen) before their divorce and even still he is protective of her. This has created rifts between him and Susie because of Susie’s callous behavior and questionable methods.

Susie’s methods know no bounds as she is seen stalking powerful individuals until she can convince them to hire her clients. This is not what caused the falling out between her and Midge, though. Susie has been in bed with something worse that fed her lack of boundaries: the mob. In a twist of fate, she almost was killed by two gangsters, Frank and Nicky, (John Scurti and Erik Palladino), who instead befriended her and have worked with her ever since.

Related: 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel': Rachel Brosnahan & Alex Borstein Say Midge and Susie Are Soulmates

marvelous-mrs-maisel-season-5-alex-borsteinSusie, Joel, and The Mob

Because Susie has connections to the mob, so does Midge. Mrs. Maisel is her first and biggest client, therefore everything one does is tied to the other whether they like it or not. Joel has not exactly been the picture of morality, but he wants to protect the mother of his children, so he offers himself in her place. Even before the newest episode, this is apparent because the flash-forwards show him in prison with Midge visiting. She makes a comment that leads the audience to believe that he is there for helping her.

And it turns out, that is exactly the reason Joel went to prison. Joel has already had experience running a nightclub with illegal proceedings underground, so he offered his expertise to Susie’s mobsters. He specifically tells them that this deal is in fact a trade so that he shoulders the “stink” of crime. This is all kept hush-hush from Midge for years and years.

Joel Is Arrested But Midge Didn't Know Why

Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in a shirt and tie on the phone, smiling.
Image via Prime Video

After decades of success with the kids grown up, Joel is arrested in public. The situation confused everybody, including Midge, who had no idea why the cops suddenly showed up to arrest Joel. After some digging, Midge learns exactly what Joel did for her and this leads to her confrontation with Susie. Even though Joel acted of his own volition, she still blamed Susie for the way things turned out.

While Joel’s deal and eventual arrest is the biggest reason for the confrontation, Midge also had other complaints. Apparently, Susie had also been overworking Mrs. Maisel to pay off her gambling debts. Despite receiving a good paycheck in the process, everyone deserves time off to rest away from work, so it is understandable why Midge feels this way. Being overworked, though, was not enough to warrant a friendship breakup for several reasons.

The charismatic Mrs. Maisel is not without her faults. Susie did over-book her to pay off debts, but Midge had never been an easy client to handle. Over the course of the series, Susie has gone above and beyond to get Midge off the ground toward success even becoming like family in the process. In a previous Season, for example, she followed Midge to the Catskills and posed as a plumber to try to get her more bookings. In the flash-forwards, this dedication went even further when Midge forced Susie to cancel her huge publicized wedding for her because she admitted to still being in love with Joel. Susie obliged despite the major setback it would cost her.

So, all in all, their relationship has always been give and take, but the root of the split is the “Joel” of it all. Midge has had several failed marriages because she has never stopped loving Joel, her first husband and the father of her two children. Because Susie and Midge mixed the personal with the professional, Joel would always be in the picture because he is so attached to his ex-wife. Therefore, conflicts between Susie and Joel would force Midge to sort of pick sides.