User Reviews

Love the show, but Tony Shalhoub made this episode shine like gold. From the very beginning, Abe's incessant cantankerousness perfectly captured the typical angst that precedes family trips. He represented every frustrated father surrounded by an atmosphere of fickle women. With his opening reprimand of Ethan for touching his "toys" (the TKAM parody, by the way, was brilliant), to his micromanaging of the women's overpacking, and even his obsessive chastising of the flighty assistant Samuel, who ended up retaining the "Jimmy" moniker throughout due to Abe's fervent emphasis that the young man would never ever win his favor, was a composite of every nagging, critical and equally lovable father on this earth (his "How could you possibly HELP me with the tree!" line also had me in hysterics). Perhaps it's the inflection on certain words that Shalhoub uses to reflect his irritability, but either way, there isn't one iota of "Abe" that each of us can't identify within our own fathers. And this is why I truly love this character!

I'm still not sure why the writers continue to infuse Joel so much into the storyline, as it seems odd that an ex would accompany his separated wife on a solid two-month sabbatical in the Catskills simply to be near his "children". Even by Season 2, his presence to the family was still heavily established as "awkward", so the reasoning for his attendance didn't seem credible enough. Perhaps just a subtle ploy to keep his appearances active in the show in order to avoid his character from becoming an afterthought? No clue, really. In addition, I also don't understand the point of Midge's "children" or why they were even written into the "Maisel" series other than to symbolize Midge's domesticity. Ethan and Esther contribute to none of the story arcs and act more like decorative pieces being raised by mysterious guardians off-camera. I don't know about you, but I can count the times on one hand where we've actually seen Midge actually caring for Esther in this entire show. As a comic she soars, but as a mother, she completely sucks. News flash, writers: Most new moms (especially those from the 50's) are glued to their children. And leaving young babies in the car unattended for extensive periods of time, along with the family luggage, seems oddly bizarre.

Either way, I know this is a popular episode, but I had to give credit to where credit was due. Tony Shalhoub is, in many ways, an underrated actor, but his credibility and comical genius certainly does wonders to make this season so much more enticing!