The instant classic The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of the wittiest shows being produced right now thanks to its brilliant characters such as Midge, Abe, Susie, and Lenny. Every episode has fans not only laughing but also thinking. The series not only teaches fans about advanced algebra, thanks Abe, but life lessons and the issues that were going on in the 1950’s and 60’s.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has incredible characters each with their own special skill sets and areas of expertise. While Abe is the most recognized genius of the show, there are many other characters who are also intelligent in their own ways. Here are the main characters of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, ranked by intelligence:
Sophie Lennon
When fans first met Miss Sophie Lennon they might have been intimidated as she appeared to be a woman of success and sophistication. But the more fans got to know her, the more they realized she is not quite the person she appears to be.
Sophie showed everyone she is not as smart as she would have you believe in season 3 when she royally messed up her chances of becoming a serious actress. Not only is she now a failed Broadway actress, but her stand up spotlight is beginning to fade. Sophie knows she is not as clever or witty as Midge and that’s why she feels so threatened by the up-and-coming comedian star.
Shirley
While Shirley is not often seen doing thought provoking or academic activities, she is one of the more clever characters on the show as she was able to successfully create her own interesting way for hiding money.
In season 2, episode 2 “Midway to Mid-town” fans learned of Shirley’s treasure maps, which is her system for remembering where the Maisel’s stashed money is. Most people just hide money under their mattresses but not Shirley Maisel. She has much more confusing and strategic way of concealing their funds that no ordinary-minded person can easily crack.
Joel
Most fans would agree that Joel Maisel is not necessarily the genius of the series as he has caused more chaos than anyone else in the show and he can’t even come up with his own jokes. But Joel does have his clever moments like when he decided to open up his own club in season 3.
Joel doesn’t have much for a comedic mind but he does have great business sense. While Joel was an unsuccessful comedian, there is hope that he will be able to run a profitable and popular club in Chinatown as he knows the industry better than most.
Rose
Rose Weissman has proven that her husband is not the only intelligent one in the marriage. In season 2 fans learned of Rose’s artistic side as well as her ability to speak French fluently, not even the brilliant Abe Weissman can speak another language and had to rely on Rose’s knowledge while the two were in Paris.
Rose is not only a genius when it comes to casual living in Paris and art, she is also an expert match maker and hostess. Without Rose, the Weissman family, especially Abe, would be lost as her particular areas of expertise are the ones everyone else seems to be lacking in.
Moishe
Some fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel don’t give Moishe enough credit for how successful and smart he is. Moishe is often a comedic relief for the show like when he announces to the house that he is not wearing pants. But Moishe Maisel is more than Joel’s goofy dad.
He is also a successful business man, who even despite what Joel may think, knows how to smoothly operate a clothing manufacturing company. He is so successful at what he does that he was able to buy his family a beautiful and huge home in Queens and give his son $60,000 just to get him out of his hair. Joel could learn a thing or two from his ole’ dad.
Lenny
Lenny Bruce is a man of high intelligence as he is not just your average silly comedian next door, he is a comedian who challenges the viewpoints of society. Lenny Bruce’s acts might make people uncomfortable and get him thrown in jail but they are also thought provoking performances which might make the audience reconsider their stance on a subject.
It takes a clever person like Lenny to be able to turn a serious matter into joke, but still take the subject matter seriously. This was proven in season 3, episode 1 “Strike Up The Band” when Lenny talks about the difference between violence and nudity being shown. Even Abe had to stand up for Lenny on this one.
Midge
No one expected Midge to make it as far as she has in such a short amount of time, but Midge has shown everyone just how clever and quick on her feet she is. When most people would be stumped on what to do, Midge always has the answer whether it’s a joke she thought of in a matter of minutes or a homemade brisket.
Comedians in general are highly intelligent people which has been proven in many studies. Researchers in Austria believe people with senses of humor have higher IQ’s since it takes cognitive and emotional ability to be funny and to process humor. Abe should be more proud of his brilliant daughter as her IQ might be higher than his.
Benjamin
They don’t call him Dr. Ettenberg for nothing. Benjamin proved he was one of the most intelligent characters by not only being a doctor but also having a vast knowledge of art. When Benjamin took Midge to the art gallery in season 2, episode 7 “Look, She Made a Hat” fans discovered that Benjamin is quite the wiz when it comes to art as he knows the history of the artists and the prices of the paintings.
But there is more to Benjamin’s brain than just art and medical information, he also keeps current on world events since he enjoys listening to news radio on incredibly long drives back to the city.
Susie
Some people might be surprised to see the tough Rockaways girl at number two on this list, but Susie has proved several times that she is no slouch. Susie showed the world she was smarter than they gave her credit for as she took a girl with no show business experience and turned her into a star.
Susie has more street smarts than anyone else on this list as she knew who to make connections with and how to do it in order to get Midge to where she is minus the whole Shy Baldwin situation. Susie might not get it right every time but she learns from every mistake.
Abe
The brilliant mathematician and recent activist and theater critic, Abe Weissman, is number one on this list due to his mathematical achievements such as getting hired at Bell Labs and being tenure at Columbia University even though he gave it all up to pursue his passion, which makes him even more deserving of being first place on this list.
Also his grammar is impeccable as fans learned when he attempted to start a newspaper with his wanna-be activist friends in season 3. Abe critiqued their grammar so much, fans felt like they were back in school.
