If comedy’s about timing, then poor Mrs Maisel chose an unfortunate week to bow out. I’m reminded of the time I was at the bar after a gig, talking with a fellow comic who’d also been on, and a punter came over to us and pointedly said just to him, “I really liked YOU.”

I wish I’d told them how they’d wrongly perceived the whole evening as some kind of competition. But I was too annoyed that I’d lost.

Watching the final episode of the Amazon Prime’s five-season run of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on the same night as the final episode of the even more heavily lauded Succession, it’s unfair and unnecessary to make comparisons. Yet still, I know which one I’d prefer to encore.

While both concern the struggle for success, the former’s a comedy with tinges of tragedy, the latter a tragedy laced with comedy.

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Shining success: Rachel Brosnahan (Photo: Philippe Antonello/Prime Video)

But as we finally see Mrs Maisel proceed from her initial introduction as a 1950s Jewish housewife embarking on a career as a standup after her husband cheats on her, to achieving all the fame and fortune she ever wanted, the tragedy is left consigned to others.

With the clever framing device of flash-forwards used in this last season, the episode opens on a 1965 drug-addled, heavily on the decline Lenny Bruce. And unless Midge turns out to be his dealer, we can tell she’s the one who made good.

Luke Kirby’s spot-on impression of Lenny has always been my favourite thing about the show, but allowing his tragic fate to act as some kind of poultice of pain so we can get on with feeling good is somewhat of a narrative cop-out.

Most of the remainder of the hour then goes back to 1961 to show us precisely how Midge succeeds this time after so many near-misses, landing her big break on the late-night talk show she writes for.

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Rachel Brosnahan as Mrs Maisel (Photo: Philippe Antonello/Prime Video)

On the way there’s the spiffy dialogue, wacky supporting characters, overwrought camera moves and set pieces, and meticulous period wardrobe that’s marked the series, all to the delight of some, but which can slightly grate with others, ie me.

Maybe I’m softening, as by the end even my personal pet peeve of fake stand-up that’s not funny doesn’t wind me up to the same extent as usual.

Is it possible, that a tear nearly formed as I was carried along with the goodwill and emotion of Midge grasping her moment to shine and relishing it. Flash-forward again.

It’s 2015. Midge aka Joan Rivers, is working incessantly and living in a palatial apartment. And it seems that there are even more tears to be sprung.

I’ve tried to avoid too many spoilers here, it’s not like the series was going to end with Midge back as a housewife, but let’s just say that real success is portrayed as friendship.

So fine Mrs Maisel, “I liked YOU as well.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Amazon Prime| ★★★★✩