So I've been thinking about the character of Lenny Bruce and I had to write down my thoughts.
I was so sure that everything with Lenny was gonna work out, that he was gonna get a happy ending and that Midge wouldn't have to continue on in a world where he didn't exist - because that's what this show wanted us to believe. All the hints of a happy endgame was there, so that's why I thought their goodbye at the airport in season 5 didn't make sense.
But then I read the interview where Luke calls Lenny a "dream weaver" and everything finally clicked for me.
Lenny was never supposed to be a love interest. He was meant to be the fairy godmother, the Sandman, Peter Pan sweeping Midge (and us, the audience) away to Neverland. He was never a part of the game, because he was the game master, dropping in from time to time to nudge the player (Midge) in the right direction.
He's the only character based on a real person which doesn't anchor him in this Mrs Maisel-reality, but makes it feel like he's rather just passing by. The way he just pops up from out of no where and leaves without a trace. Even Midge says in season 3 episode 5 that "I've never pictured you living anywhere, you just exist."
Every scene he has with Midge makes perfect sense. A little too perfect. He always said and did exactly the right things that Midge needed in that moment. He shows up when she needs him the most and sprinkles his magic, putting her, and us, into this dream-like state with his charm, duping us into thinking that everything is gonna be alright and that he's always going to be around to aid.
Through this whole series Lenny is a man on a mission. He is on a trajectory to make something of himself as a comic, laser focused on the endgame come hell or high water. He's adamant to spread his truth through comedy at whatever cost. As like with a lot of artists, his passion is almost to the point of a diagnosis, something he couldn't alter even if he wanted to. Even if he knows it's gonna end up eating him alive, he's not gonna stop for anything.
My point is that Lenny was never supposed to even be here in the first place. So why did he stick around?
Because of Midge. She's the one who bailed him out in the first episode after sharing a cop car with him the night before, putting him in a sort of debt to her. Also peaking his interest, I'm sure. Seeing something in her that he can relate to. And so their waltz begins with him coming in and out of her life to check on her and make sure she's fine by helping her out in any way he can.
We always talk about how Midge never planned Lenny. But guess what? Lenny didn't plan Midge either. And he certainly didn't ever plan on falling for her. He even says it in season 4 episode 8 before they sleep together. "I didn't plan this."
The problem is that he always knew that he wasn't suppose to be there. And even though we also knew, we choose to ignore it because of Midge. Because she found herself swept up in his magic and so we, the audience, allowed ourselves to be swept along.
That's why that scene at Carnagie Hall was so powerful. Because this was not only Midge finally realizing that she had strayed from her path, but also Lenny realizing that he had as well. His mission was to support her and mentor her, not falling completely in love with her. So when he tells her that "If you blow this, Midge, I swear you will break my fucking heart." he means that in every sense. Because they can't be together, he knows that, so if she doesn't succeed, there would be no point in him being stupid enough to get himself emotionally involved in the first place. Because if his heart is going to break either way, it has to be worth something.
So that final scene with them at the airport was Lenny both removing himself from the situation (how he didn't call her), but also him and Midge coming back to status quo. Comics on their own journeys, with their own truths to tell.
Their story wasn't suppose to be one of love, but it happened anyway, just as love does. And since Midge never seems to have told anyone their whole relationship kinda feels like a dream. Was he just something that Midge conjured up whenever she needed him the most? Did he even exist at all?
(I do however wish that their last moment together could've been left on a happier note, because the way it was now was just heartbreaking and nothing else. I'll just pretend that season 5 doesn't exist. In my mind Midge and Lenny will always be dancing in that club in Miami.)
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