#ASP is a coward who won't give us more Weissmans

[wonderlandleighleigh]

What was the brain child for The Fine Art of Being a Zeyde

I think it really started with the idea that while Midge is similar to both of her parents in varying ways, I feel like there had to be someone in her family (other than Noah, who pointed out in season 1 that Midge has always been funny, and funnier than Joel) who encouraged her to be herself.

She's...kind of odd. And that's not something Rose would have encouraged, and while Abe probably finds it charming, I don't know that he'd encourage it too much either, especially with Rose there, raising Midge to take cues from her.

Neither Rose nor Abe can cook. Zelda does those things for them. Who taught Midge to make that amazing brisket? Or those killer latkes she boasts about in the first episode? We know Shirley's cooking leaves much to be desired (cabbage, onions). We know Joel doesn't cook. We never see Moishe do anything in the kitchen. Zelda is an option, certainly, but she has a busy job, taking care of the Weissman household.

Who taught Midge to do that? Cooking is a skill. Sure, you can follow a recipe, and your food will probably come out pretty good, but consistency and quality take time to master. She would have had to have started learning before she went to college at some point, because girl went straight from college to married life, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

It wasn't Abe or Rose who taught her that when you're homesick, food is best shared with the people around you, even if you don't know them very well, like when she cooked for the Shy Baldwin tour. That's a value that's taught. Something learned.

Since ASP refuses to give us more Weissman family members, which, to be honest, is bullshit, I decided that it would make the most sense to be Abe's father. Someone who knew Midge from when she was an infant, but passed before the series started. We know Rose's family (The Lehmans) are out in Oklahoma. We're given to believe that they don't have the time- nor do they care enough - to visit Rose and her family. She's a woman, and of no consequence to the family fortune or business.

The first Chaim Weissman, who Noah and Astrid name their son for, makes the most sense. Noah doesn't seem like someone who would name his only child after someone he's never met, so I'm given to believe there's some affection there at least.

From there, Chaim wrote himself. His being a rabbi makes Abe's atheism ring as a sort of rebellion against his father's life, which all children go through. His reliance on facts and science is so solid because he grew up with someone so steeped in religion. When Abe grows into a man, and his mother, Chaim's wife, passes, Chaim decides to go back to Europe and study there. He comes back to the states mostly because he suddenly has two grandchildren he wants to know and be present for, but also because if you were paying attention to Germany in the mid-30's, and weren't in such deep denial (many, many Jews were. They had prospered in places like Germany for many yeas, and were utterly blindsided by their fates), you knew something dark was coming.

Midge's girlhood is spent in the shadow of World War II, and she watches things play out across the Atlantic, often seeing those events through Chaim's perspective, because we often rely on our adults to help us parse out difficult information when we're young.

When he's not eaten up by survivor's guilt, or feeling maudlin about the way the war plays out for the Jews of Europe, Chaim is a jovial, thoughtful man, who adores his grandchildren, and sees a spark in Midge that Abe and Rose know is there, and they like it (though Rose will say she's too strange), but they don't nourish it the way Chaim does. Chaim loves that his little granddaughter is funny, and smart and giving and driven and a little weird.

Sadly, when Chaim dies, there isn't really anyone around to remind Midge that those things are good and not something she should have to hide. He wanted so much for Midge to be the unique person he knew she was. If he'd lived to see her wedding day to Joel, he likely wouldn't have been super thrilled.

If he'd lived longer - much longer - he would have like Susie. And even Lenny.

While he would probably be kind of shocked at Midge's blue material, he'd get the jokes. He wouldn't sit there stone-faced like Abe, or progressively get more drunk like Rose.

He'd laugh. He wouldn't be able to help himself. The jokes are funny. They're shocking, you know. To a man likely born in the 1870's, but they're funny.

Anyways! Thank you for asking this question! It's one of my most favorite things I've written. <3