Season 4 of 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Pays Tribute to Beloved Cast Member Brian Tarantina
Published Feb. 25 2022, 4:14 p.m. ET
Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 on Prime Video.
It's always tragic when an actor on a television series passes away. Brian Tarantina was part of the cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel from the start, having played Jackie since Season 1. Jackie managed the Gaslight Cafe and was Susie Myerson's (Alex Borstein) boss. Susie and Jackie eventually ended up becoming roommates, but Susie realizes after his death that she didn't know Jackie at all.
Unfortunately, actor Brian passed away at the age of 60 in 2019. Now that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has returned for a fourth season, how does the series address Brian's absence as Jackie? The show actually paid a touching tribute in Season 4, Episode 3, titled, "Everything Is Bellmore."
Here's how 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' paid tribute to Brian Tarantina.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ended up having Jackie pass away as well. In Season 4, Episode 3, Susie is understandably upset when only four people show up for Jackie's funeral. She learned at the start of the episode that Jackie died suddenly from a stroke. True to fashion, Jackie's last words were a list of chores for him to complete for the day.
Despite being upset that only four people (including Midge) showed up to Jackie's funeral, Susie ends up delivering one hell of a eulogy to her former boss. It turns out that Jackie was a war hero, and Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) realizes that he was genuinely proud of having discovered her as a comic. After Susie comes to terms with the fact that she'll never get a chance to talk to Jackie again, she makes a vow.
Susie declares to the universe that she'll dedicate the rest of her career to finding unknowns like Jackie (who also worked as the emcee at the Gaslight Cafe). Since Jackie never caught his big break, Susie promises she'll spend the rest of her life helping other Jackies find theirs. It was a beautiful tribute to both the actor and the in-universe character.
Brian also appeared on another popular Amy Sherman-Palladino series.
Brian was a frequent collaborator of Amy Sherman-Palladino's, the creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The late actor played Bootsy on Amy's other iconic show, Gilmore Girls. Bootsy was a resident of Stars Hollow, the quaint, kooky town where Lorelai and Rory Gilmore resided for years. Brian reprised his role as Bootsy for the Gilmore Girls reboot, A Year in the Life, as well.
Brian's legacy as an actor will always be remembered. May he rest in peace.
The first three episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 are available to stream now on Prime Video.
