"Susie Myerson" (Emmy winner, Alex Borstein) went from managing a Greenwich Village comedy club to being the force of nature talent manager of rising star comedian Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a 1950s Jewish housewife from New York City's Upper West Side, whose showbiz career outside the home is sparked by her cheating husband, Joel (Michael Zegen).
The titular character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is vivacious, as well as the star of the show, so storylines revolve mostly around her interacting with her manager, as well as her parents, Abe and Rose Weissman (Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle), fellow comic Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby), and others whose paths cross hers. The off-beat Susie, though, is quite interesting in and of herself, so it’s no wonder that fans are clamoring to get to know her better.
She’s Never Been Kissed
From the show’s inception, Alex Borstein has been often asked if the character she portrays is gay. She said in an interview with the Advocate:
“One thing I like about [Susie] is she’s like this fleshy, new-formed baby. It’s interesting that a lot of people who want to know about her sexuality are the same people who would be like, ‘We don’t want it to be labeled.’ I like that she’s never had the luxury of having a relationship or even exploring it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s never even had her first kiss. She’s absolutely in love with Midge to some degree, and she is also in love with Lenny because she falls in love with minds.”
She’s Based On A Real Person
“We always saw Susie Myerson as a powerhouse in the waiting," shares the show’s co-creator, Dan Palladino. He and his partner, Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), modeled the character after real-life Hollywood agent, Sue Mengers because she was the most formidable agent at one time.
Mengers was a female talent agent (when there were none) from the 1950s until the 80s. She started as a secretary and worked her way up to representing A-listers like Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, and Cher, to name a few.
She’s A Trailblazer
Just as Midge is considered ahead of her time because there were hardly any other female comics, Susie, too, is a pioneer—not just because she has a knack for spotting talent or because of her no-nonsense approach, but because she’s a woman in business who negotiates deals.
In the Eisenhower era in which the show is set, it was truly a man’s world, where women worked until they got married, then moved to the suburbs and had children, a la Mad Men’s Betty Draper.
She Introduces Midge To The Real World
In order to expand her client’s horizons, Susie lands some new gigs for Midge outside of NYC, as well as her first television talk show and telethon.
It’s time for a road trip. Much to the comedian’s shock, because her manager thinks she is too pampered (and let’s face it, she is), they go on tour in Susie's mother's jalopy and stay in some shady motel rooms to save money - some of the jobs pay Midge in products, like dog food.
She Wants To Matter
In the series pilot, Susie sums herself up perfectly when she offers that she doesn't mind being alone, she just does not want to be insignificant. The crass curmudgeon wants to do something with her life, even if it’s advocating for another woman to get her shot in the limelight.
Hence, she puts up the money to bail Midge out of jail, then adds to her already busy and burdensome schedule at the club to take a chance on a naïve, awkward, immensely talented comedian who has a lot to offer, as well as learn.
She’s Smart
Susie runs around in menswear, is loud, and rough around the edges. People take one look at her and make assumptions, such as, that she isn't smart.
Susie manages a rising star stand-up comic, then takes on the established star, Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch), both of whom are high-maintenance. She can think her way out of any bind and into jobs for Midge, reads contracts (and finds loopholes), holds her own with men in boardrooms and nightclubs, and single-handedly pulled together a Broadway show, without prior experience.
She’s Learning To Love Herself
An alcoholic mother and dysfunctional family have done Susie no favors, leaving her to believe she doesn’t deserve a good life. But success has given her confidence to trust others and feel worthy of nice things. This begins when Jackie (the late Brian Tarantina) moves into her hovel of an apartment and gives it a makeover so it’s actually inhabitable.
She then trades in her leather moto jacket for a business-like blazer, strutting into the luxurious Hotel Fontainebleau, slipping tips to the staff and her business card to just about everybody.
She's Is A Gifted Musician
In episode 2 of season 2, Midge’s parents are in Paris, so Susie moves into their Upper West Side classic-six apartment to keep her client company.
While Midge is working at B. Altman during the day, Susie not only makes herself at home in Abe’s robe, soaks in a bubble bath using Rose’s pink, decorative soaps, plays their records, raids the fridge, and does general snooping, but sits down at the Weissman’s grand piano in the den and plays a classical piece like a virtuoso. She even tunes it for them.
Travel Is New To Her
It’s clear that Susie’s world is and always has been rather small. When she shows up in the Catskills in season 2, she is in awe of the resort where the Weissmans, Maisels, and most of their Manhattan neighbors vacation each summer. “Two months? I figured it was five days, tops. What the hell do you do up there for two months?”
In season 3, Susie takes her first-ever plane ride when she and Midge join the Shy Baldwin tour. Panicked is an understatement. Midge notes: “Susie, you can’t hold your breath the whole flight.”
She’s Not A Sidekick
Susie may be a supporting character on the show, but she’s not beneath Midge or like “Ethel Mertz,” following the lead of “Lucy Ricardo.” They are partners, albeit one is out front and the other is behind the scenes.
Susie is also a mentor, as well as a manager, and even though Midge killed it on the night she jumped on stage and regaled the crowd with her comedically sad tale of her husband’s betrayal, she wouldn’t have become her professional alter ego “Mrs. Maisel” without Susie’s vision and encouragement.