In 1990, Susie has a dinner in her honor at The Friar’s Club which is classified as a “Testi-roastial”. The dinner is attended by Susie’s friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry.
Susie goes on to become a successful manager in the entertainment industry representing several high-profile clients and earning a reputation of being a ruthless operator who will get the best deal for her clients.
She is approached to have a roast in her honor, which she flat-out refuses. Then it is suggested that she have a testimonial dinner and when she brushes that off too, they come up with the compromise of having a “Testi-roastial”.
Various celebrities who have worked closely with Susie take turns sharing anecdotes and taking shots at Susie for her prickly nature, and all of these guys gather around after the event to share the inside scoops on her journey to the top.
Stewart Jones
Jones is the roastmaster of the event and begins things by commenting on the fact that Susie is an hour late to her own dinner and also mentioning her dependence on marijuana.
He then tells everyone the story of the triple crown, the day that Susie secured a movie deal, a tv deal, and a music deal within a couple of hours on the golf course. That legendary day cemented Susie’s reputation as one of the best in the game.
He sets the tone for the event with his introduction of Susie and does the same for each guest on the dias. He also shares one of the theories about how Susie got a hold of Harry Drake’s clients.
Aaron Lebowitz
Aaron Lebowitz is classified as the “hostile witness” because he’s technically Susie’s rival in the business. He used to work under Harry Drake and missed out on the clients that Harry signed over to Susie instead of him.
His version of events is that she pressured him to do it with the help of forged documents while he lay on his death bed and he sticks by it even though someone else provides a different version.
Lebowitz also tells the boys the story of how Susie got George Toledano fired and put Mike Carr in the producer’s seat at The Gordon Ford Show. Finally, he shares the story of how Susie helped smooth things over after Midge backed out from her wedding to Philip Roth at the altar.
Ray Ortiz
Ray Ortiz is “the closer” and is introduced as the funniest man in the room. He references Susie’s gambling addiction and ties to the mob on the stage.
He’s the one who shares what truly happened between Susie and Harry at the hospital, how he voluntarily signed his clients to her because she was the only one who remained loyal to her.
Mike Carr
Mike Carr is nicknamed “The Dean” and is one of three guests audiences are already familiar with. He is the only one who knows the true story behind Susie and Midge’s split because he’s heard a version of the story from Susie, and Midge.
Carmine Streeto
The nickname handed to Carmine was “the Hammer” and he knew the truth behind Susie’s ties to the mob and how she used Frankie and Nicky to her advantage even though they were the ones who “owned” her.
Having worked with Joel Maisel, Carmine knows how he managed to make a deal with the mob to get Midge out from under their control and what eventually landed him in jail.
He also gets to be the one to introduce Susie’s sister, Tessie Myerson. He used to be Susie’s client at one point as well.
Tessie Myerson
Tessie is a surprise guest at the Testi-roastial and it’s a complete trainwreck. After performing other peoples’ jokes, she sings one of her hit songs before being cut off and unceremoniously ushered off stage.
Midge Maisel
After Susie gets to say her piece at the end of the night, Stewart Jones tells her that there is one final surprise for her as they play a video message from Midge. She thanks Susie for making her what she is and reminisces about the good times they had together.
She finally offers to make peace the next time that Midge is in the city, which brings Susie to tears.
Also Read: Midge and Susie’s split in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel explained