Gordon Ford performs a monologue in front of the studio audience. The writers watch from the sidelines.

Gordon gives notes to George, Mike, and the writers.

As the writers leave for the day, they point to the chalkboard tally of jokes that made it into the show. Midge hasn't got any in yet.

At the bar, Midge (the loser) buys everyone drinks.

Midge goes to bed, startled to see Ethan sleeping there.

In Israel in 1984, workers harvest vegetables in a field. A helicopter lands. Midge emerges and calls to the grown-up Ethan. Ethan assures the other workers that it's just his mother.

She takes his arm, and they head back to the warehouse, discussing vegetables. Midge asks about his studies (he is on his way to becoming a Rabbi). She asks him if he got the suit she sent, as she wants him with her for an award ceremony.

Ethan introduces Midge to Chava, his fiancée. Chava tells Midge her history, including being in the army.

Ethan walks Midge back to her helicopter. She tells him to be faithful to Chava, and he swears he will be. Midge is sad he didn't mention his fiancée before now, and she tells him she'll pick him up at six.

Chava mentions she doesn't like Midge. Ethan responds that she's his mother.

Joel and Midge make measurements in the hallway, working on a plan to get Ethan to sleep closer to his own bedroom every night. Joel doesn't trust the school therapist. He warns Midge not to talk about this in her act.

Midge asks why Joel is so cranky, and he says it's his parents, who want a divorce but insist on still living together and using him as a go-between.

Rose is nervous and hears a thump, but it's just Abe coming through the front door. She retreats. Abe asks what Midge and Joel are doing, but he realizes he doesn't actually care.

Midge asks Abe what's going on with him. He tells her he spelled Carol Channing's name wrong in a review, and the paper had to issue a correction. Until then, he had been the only one at the Voice who had never made a mistake.

Joel comes in. Abe asks why he's here but quickly remembers he doesn't care. Rose comes in, startled at a noise, but Abe explains he just dropped the paper on the table. Rose exits in a huff.

In the writers' room, the writers bang out jokes. Midge offers up one about Mel Blanc, and, to her surprise, they like it enough to put it in. Gordon Ford enters. Trudy, the secretary, gives him the pages. He reads them and okays them. Midge gets a tally mark on the chalkboard.

Susie talks to her sister Tess on the phone. Susie is surprised to learn Tess can sing and promises to find her a gig. Tess informs Susie that Skint, her husband, died the previous week, and Susie is surprised she's just learning this now. She hangs up.

The phone rings again. Dinah answers. It's Midge. Midge tells Susie that, after four weeks, she has finally got a joke in.

Rose walks in, and Susie has to hang up. Rose tells Susie she tried to call but couldn't get through. They sit down. Rose asks Susie if she can help her procure a gun. Susie asks why she needs a gun.

Rose explains about the Matchmaker Mafia and how they have threatened her and her family. Susie is shocked to learn that the tearoom burned down. She opens the window and calls across to Maggie, asking her to make room for Rose for a few days. Rose heads over.

Dinah tells Susie she can't let Rose get a gun and suggest she let Nicky and Frank handle it. The thugs offer to help, but Susie insists that they do no such thing.

At The Gordon Ford Show, just before the lights go down, Midge asks Teddy, the cue card guy, to save her the card with her joke on it.

The show begins, and Gordon enters. He goes into the monologue and stumbles over the name "Elmer Fudd" in Midge's joke. Midge lets out an audible groan. Gordon looks at her. He quickly recovers. The other writers physically distance themselves from Midge.

The writers return to the room. Teddy offers Midge the card, which she takes. She asks Trudy if her groan was as loud as it seemed, and regretfully Trudy says it was louder.

George comes after Midge, telling her she shouldn't be worried -- as long as she smiles at Gordon, it'll blow over. As George walks away, Mike tells Midge she should grovel if she wants to keep her job.

Shirley is at the Button Club. Archie brings Joel out to the bar, where Shirley is kvetching to a customer.

Shirley starts talking about how Joel was terrified of spanking and then hands out cracker sandwiches to everyone. She sits back down at the bar, where Archie gives her some coffee, but she refuses. Shirley talks about Joel to anyone who comes up to the bar.

Joel orders her to go home, but she doesn't want to be around Moishe anymore. He offers to get her a cab. Shirley sees Mrs. Moskowitz at the front and suggests it's weird that she's here. Mrs. Moskowitz is about to fight Shirley, but Joel stops them.

Joel calls his father and complains about all the annoying things his mother is doing. Moishe says he will help.

Midge arrives at the bar. Mike points out Gordon Ford. Midge buys him and drink and brings it over. He says she's interrupting, and he's already got one. She apologizes for groaning and explains herself.

Ford accepts her apology, surprised that it was her first joke. He asks her to leave the drink, saying the joke would have bombed anyway. Midge responds that it was a good joke. He explains that he intentionally blew the joke to make him seem human to the audience, and he got a laugh.

Midge doesn't understand, saying he got the wrong laugh. Ford and Midge start arguing about the joke, attracting attention from the show staff across the bar. Their voices rise, and soon everyone in the bar is listening. 

Midge says he can't admit he made a mistake, and Ford says he's been doing this a lot longer than she has. She drinks his drink and leaves.

Midge gets home, stepping over Ethan, asleep just outside her bedroom.

Abe is on the phone with Gabe, insisting on publishing a 1500-word apology for his typo. Gabe tells him 15 words only. The operator interrupts with an emergency call from Susie Myerson, and after some insistence, Abe hands over the phone to Midge.

Susie informs Midge that her fight with Gordon Ford made the papers, and the article suggests she start looking for another job. Susie tells her to bring a box in on Monday, as she'll be getting fired. Susie then receives another phone call, which she takes.

Susie goes to prison to see a lady she doesn't know. The lady, Benedetta, says she was greeted by the cops this morning, courtesy of Susie Myerson and associates.

Benedetta says her associate Molly died from a heart attack after the cops visited her, and the Jewish one is on her way to Argentina. Benedetta deduces Rose Weissman sent her.

Benedetta says framing her for the tearoom fire will not work. Susie goes into a diatribe about whipped cream. Benedetta starts negotiating with Susie, laying out the territory Rose can have.

Susie says she'll take it to Rose, and Benedetta insists it's a good deal.

At the Button Club, Moishe and Shirley are both there now, with their own friends. People start clearing out.

Midge arrives, asking for some time on stage when the band breaks. The band stops playing, tired of playing over Moishe and Shirley. Joel tells Midge she's up.

Midge takes the stage. She tries to do her act, but Moishe and Shirley keep interrupting. Joel tries to kick his father out. Midge keeps getting flustered. Moishe tells a joke. Joel brings Midge a drink onstage.

In the bathroom, Midge does her makeup. Shirley asks Midge about Mei and the baby. Midge lies and says Mei is in China visiting family but got stuck because of the revolution.

Midge goes to Joel's office and asks why Joel hasn't told his mother about Mei. Midge tells Joel that she told Shirley Mei was in China. Joel assures Midge that he'll fix it and shows Midge how to get out the back way.

Midge gets home. Ethan is asleep in the hallway but in the wrong spot. Midge drags him to the correct location, but then Abe comes out, saying Ethan was blocking the bathroom, and drags him back. Midge and Abe pull the sleeping boy back and forth.

Midge insists that this is science, and Abe retorts that he is going through a hard time. She recounts when he abandoned her during a cookie reward lesson about using semicolons and still has no idea how to use them. She drags Ethan back to his proper spot. Ethan wakes.

In the morning, Joel gets a call from his father.

Joel rushes over to his parents' place. A group of men is gathered around the table. Moishe says to keep quiet. They are an extraction team planning how to get Mei out of China. Shirley brings them some danishes.

Joel pulls his parents into the other room, explaining that he and Mei split up. Mei moved to Chicago, she lost the baby, and they're not getting married. They express concern.

Midge brings an empty box to work on Monday morning. Gordon Ford calls everyone together and speaks to them from the railing, telling them not to bring so many relatives to the audience. George shows up with the network bigwigs. Ford greets them and invites them up.

Ethan watches a nature program about bears. Abe gets home and suggests Ethan sleep in his own bed tonight. Ethan says his therapist told him he's not ready. Abe turns down the volume on the TV.

Abe explains that it's okay to be afraid, but there are things to be legitimately scared of -- and goes into vivid detail about the recent Park Slope plane crash, floods, war, tigers, etc. He tells Ethan that he must learn to live with fear, as it is part of life.

Gordon Ford interviews John Coltrane. The writers watch from the sidelines, with Midge isolated. After the interview, Ford announces that the Gordon Ford Show is the #1 talk show in the country. He breaks out a tray of champagne and invites his writers and staff to join him.

Midge stays off on the sidelines.

Ford takes everyone to the skating rink.

Susie shows up and calls out to Midge on the rink, but they can't understand each other, so Susie comes down. Midge explains that the Gordon Ford show is #1. Ford orders Midge back onto the ice.

Midge and Susie note that it appears Midge is not fired. Midge assures Susie she has had lessons and can skate well.

Midge skates across the rink and gets a glass of champagne. She glides past Gordon Ford, who falls on the ice. She skates circles around him and then helps him up. He goes to kiss her, and she's surprised, as she thought he hated her.

Ford says the fight was great. He continues to flirt, and she reminds him he's married, but he insists it's not "that kind of married." She continues to skate around him, he flirts, and she skates away.

Susie appears on the ice -- also a competent skater -- and searches for the bathroom.

Susie shows up in the office, where Mike is forging George's signature on a document. Susie congratulates Mike and asked why he is not celebrating. Mike laments the talent board, as it's a mess. He tells her they're bringing in Sophie Lennon again next week -- she's a good guest.

Mike asks if Susie really dropped Sophie, and Susie confirms it. Mike asks to do lunch with Susie next week. Mike goes back into his office. Susie removes Sophie from the wall.

Susie roams the floor and sneaks into Gordon Ford's office. On his desk, she finds a picture of Ford with his wife. She gets an idea.

Midge returns home. Ethan is no longer in the hallway. Ethan is in her bed, worried about the torsos from the plane crash, tigers, etc. Midge tucks him in and turns out his light. She goes to sleep in Ethan's bed and pulls Esther out of her bed to snuggle with.

When Midge falls asleep, Esther gets up and returns to her bed.

Moishe reads in bed. Shirley weeps over the knit baby booties. Moishe pulls open the covers, and they cuddle together.