Agent competing with Susie. Present at Testi-Roastial.

S5E6 - (Flashforward) On Saturday, June 2, 1990, The New York Friars Club hosts a “Testi-Roastial” (half testimonial dinner, half roast) in honor of Susie Myerson. Len Blixton reports on the goings-on as the many famous guests pour in, including Stewart Jones, Aaron Lebowitz, Ray Ortiz, Carmine Streeto, Mike Carr, and Benny (who wasn’t invited, but came anyway). Inside the building, two doubtful guys take bets on whether Susie will even show up, and mention the event’s policy that nobody is allowed to mention Midge. Susie does eventually show up (an hour late), and takes her place at the dais alongside Mike, Carmine, Stewart, Aaron, Ray, the older of the two doubtful guys, and one other man. Benny, the younger doubtful guy, Morie and King Swing sit in the audience. Stewart steps up to the podium and kicks off the event, recounting the tale Susie's legendary “triple crown,” in which she got greenlights for three big projects all in a single day at the golf course in 1970. When he finishes the story, Stewart hands the mic off to Aaron, who speaks about Susie’s relationship with Harry Drake, recounting the story of how Susie refused to poach Taylor from Harry. After Aaron comes Ray, who does a set about Susie’s mob connections, then Mike, who begins by eulogizing George Toledano. Mike finishes his set with a heartfelt callback to the rocky start of their relationship, repeating the double middle-finger gesture that he first showed to Susie at the Christmas tree lot in 1960. Carmine does a set about Susie’s sexuality, then introduces the first surprise guest for the evening, Tessie Myerson. Tess thanks Susie for getting her a successful singing career in Indonesia, and attempts to sing her number one hit single “Never Ever Gonna Stop,” seductively leaning into each of the comedians on the dais as she does, but Susie soon gestures to Heather to stop the music, and the performance is unceremoniously cut short. Towards the end of the event, Stewart prepares to throw the mic to Susie for her speech, only to find her missing. Heather fetches her and she grumpily does her speech, roasting Aaron and Carmine, then wrapping up with an (almost) heartfelt moment. As Susie receives a pink box from Heather and prepares to leave, Stewart tells her to hold on just one second for a final surprise. Susie sits back down, and the projector screen lowers to play a special video message from Midge, recorded by Imogene, who can be heard fiddling with the camera equipment throughout. After some initial ice-breaking humor for the room, Midge reminisces with Susie about the good old days, thanks her for giving her her big break, and makes an offer to reconcile on neutral turf. In tears, Susie asks Heather for a number for Midge, only to learn that Midge’s girl just called in and gave it to them. As Susie leaves, Stewart tells the room that they’re all expected to donate to the Jacopo “Jackie” Dellapietra foundation, which Susie echoes.

S5E6 - (Flashforward) Stewart, Carmine, Ray, Aaron, the two doubtful guys, and Benny linger at The Friar’s Club after the event, sitting around a table and exchanging rumors and gossip about Susie. Carmine asks how Susie got all of Harry Drake’s big clients after he died. Aaron claims to know, describing how Susie forcibly kept Harry’s family out of his hotel room as she swindled him into signing the documents. Stewart disputes this, however, claiming that the daughter was in on it, helping Susie to swindle Harry and getting paid in cash right in front of him. Ray claims that both stories are incorrect, that he knows what really happened because his big sister, Linda, was the nurse on duty that night. The table then turns to talking about Susie’s mob connections, leading Carmine to tell one story about how Susie got in deeper with them. Carmine mentions that as thoroughly as Susie was under the mob’s thumb, Midge managed to stay clear of it. The others inquire about how, and Carmine claims to know, but he declines to finish the story until after he’s gone to the bathroom, much to the others’ chagrin. Recalling Mike’s speech from earlier in the evening, Aaron calls bullshit on his eulogy for George Toledano, explaining how much Mike hated George and recounting the story of how Susie got George fired with Mike’s help in April 1961. As Aaron wraps up his story, Carmine returns from the bathroom and explains how Midge got out from under the mob. After Carmine’s story, the table briefly reminisces about the strangeness of Tess’s performance earlier in the evening, then Aaron tells the Midge Maisel Hawaiian wedding story from 1973. As Aaron finishes the Hawaiian wedding story, the two doubtful guys get up and leave. The rest wonder aloud about how and why Midge and Susie eventually broke up, but none of them know. Overhearing the conversation, Mike wanders over and says that he knows what happened - that he heard it from Susie and Midge separately when each of them was drunk. He then tells the story.

AARON: Hello, everybody. As most of you know, I'm a manager, and I've been competing with Susie for more years than I can count. And I have to admit, there's nobody in this business like Susie. Oh, sorry, I misread that. It's “nobody in this business likes Susie.” I mean, really, what is there to say about Susie Myerson that hasn't been said about Pol Pot? Susie's like anybody else, really. She has her bad side and her good side. There's the ruthlessness, the vindictiveness, the profane bile that spews from her mouth like Satan's lava. Then, on the bad side… She was mentored by my one-time boss, the late, great Harry Drake. Yeah, that's about the response I expected. When Harry died, he had so many knives in his back, they had to bury him face-down. But Harry truly respected Susie, even before she was somebody. While they had their ups and downs, Susie stayed loyal when others didn't.
– S5E6

AARON: The gun was smoking like a three-alarm fire, and Mikey's life was about to change.
– S5E6

SUSIE: Now, what's there to say about Aaron Lebowitz? This man has a roster of some of the best comics that I dropped five years ago.
AARON: They're funnier than that joke.
SUSIE: Face it, you are the Jim Belushi of managers who couldn't even sign Jim Belushi.
– S5E6

6. The Testi-Roastial

• Danny Strong also appeared in the Palladinos’ previous series, Gilmore Girls, as Doyle McMaster.

• List of Characters