The Studio Recap: Oh No!

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Typically speaking, it’s not usually a pleasant situation when someone knocks aggressively on your door late at night. However, there can be exceptions to this rule. In “Casting,” the seventh episode of The Studio, we encounter one such instance. It seems that Maya, already a few drinks into the evening, unexpectedly arrives at Matt’s place and snatches a drink from his hand, replacing it with a bottle to share some exhilarating news. The teaser poster for Kool-Aid is testing exceptionally well, better than any other teaser poster in the last five years.

Maya seems to believe it’s a mix of nostalgia, tackiness, sarcasm, and foolishness that might be at play. She ponders if they should kiss again, but Matt reminds her that they had agreed not to do so anymore, given their history and Matt’s tendency to engage romantically with colleagues, as hinted in the previous episode. (This fresh piece of information about their past, although not entirely unexpected considering Matt’s behavior, is now being brought to light.)

It seems everything is set for the Kool-Aid film to become a massive success. What remains is announcing the cast at the Anaheim Comic-Con, which shouldn’t be difficult since they have an impressive lineup: Biel, Duhamel (though Matt sometimes mispronounces his name), and others. In fact, Matt is excited to reveal the movie’s main star himself – Ice Cube will lend his voice to the iconic Kool-Aid Man! Yes, indeed!

It seems like Maya is growing suspicious about the casting decisions, particularly concerning Ice Cube. Is there an issue with casting Ice Cube that reinforces stereotypes associated with a group of people often linked to Kool-Aid consumption? Initially, Matt doesn’t see it, but eventually, he does. Is this casting decision racist or simply reflecting those stereotypes? The characters struggle to discuss this topic without appearing racist, resorting to avoiding the word “Black.” This dialogue adds a sharp edge to the episode’s satire, especially when Quinn points out that Kool-Aid is not exclusively associated with Black people but rather with less affluent individuals. However, the episode loses some momentum after this point, making its strongest points early on and not quite matching them in subsequent scenes.

When Maya, Sal, and Matt discuss their issues away from the office, they don’t find the resolution they need. Tyler, who Matt seems to have overlooked despite his significance to Maya, is indifferent about it, but he doesn’t feel right speaking for all Black individuals. Fortunately, both Ziwe and Lil Rel Howery are present. Ziwe welcomes the discussion, but when Lil Rel brings up the topic of who will play “Mrs. K,” it opens a can of worms since they already have Sandra Oh in that role. With Cube as the voice, the Kool-Aid Man is portrayed as having a soul of a Black man, according to Lil Rel. Does this suggest that a Black woman isn’t considered “worthy enough to be with a successful Black man like Kool”?

They’re not! It’s become urgent! They need to feature a Black woman in the role. Why not consider Regina King for it? However, that would necessitate recasting the daughter, who is of mixed Asian descent. That sounds ideal, except now they have a cast where all live-action characters are played by white actors and all CGI characters are voiced by Black actors. Quinn proposes the initial cast might have been sufficient after all. She’s dismissed. What about Don Cheadle? Or perhaps a lesbian couple with an Asian child? Or a completely Black cast? Matt exclaims, “That’s indisputable! That’s making a difference!

Indeed, it implies that someone else will need to tackle different tasks, specifically Nicholas Stoller along with his team members Sandra (Kara Luiz) and Dev (Aniz Adam Ansari). The question arises whether Stoller is capable of this task. He hesitantly agrees but then the writers express reservations as neither of them are Black, and they don’t wish to appear as taking jobs from Black writers. However, Matt is eager to explore this new avenue. As he puts it, “We consulted with Lil Rel on this.” So, the writers depart, leaving Stoller to shoulder the writing responsibilities alone. Yet, this shift brings about another challenge: Meeting the agreed-upon deadline seems impossible unless, of course, they engage a cost-effective animation company that relies heavily on AI. Matt struggles with the word “artificial” as much as he does with “Black.” Nonetheless, he approves the idea under the condition that Stoller keeps it discreet.

The issue appears to be resolved, but as Quinn points out, having an all-Black cast might give the impression that Kool-Aid is exclusive to Black people. Once again, they find themselves in a predicament. Matt proposes changing the cast to mirror America’s racial diversity. However, they soon realize this isn’t a solution with mathematics. Consequently, Matt concludes that only one person can determine if casting Ice Cube is racist, and that person is Ice Cube himself.

Matt interrupts Cube during a recording, causing a brief delay. Matt struggles to express his thoughts clearly. When he finally does, Cube is taken aback and asks, “Are you serious?” Cube has already considered and rejected the idea that his casting might reinforce offensive stereotypes. To Cube, it’s straightforward: “The Kool-Aid Man is black… I am THE Kool-Aid Man.

It turns out he was right about something. The next day, the “Kool-Aid: The Movie” Comic-Con panel proceeded smoothly, even announcing Ice Cube as the star. However, another issue arose. During the Q&A session, the topic of AI animation was brought up. This, it seems, is the real predicament. Cube concurred, inciting a chant of “Down with AI.” All that’s left is a dejected Matt, standing alone on stage, with his head hanging in embarrassment.

And … Cut!

The animator credited as “Nerd” (portrayed by Amber Dancy) can be seen in Homelander costume, which references the show The Boys, also produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. This choice serves as a commentary on the difficulty of determining what is acceptable or offensive. By dressing up as this character who mistreats women and supports a discriminatory system, we’re left questioning whether it’s a genuine tribute, ironic humor, or something else entirely. The ambiguity remains unresolved.

In a quiet, nearly whispered tone, Rogen provides one of the episode’s most humorous moments when he responds to Matt’s attempt to connect with Cube by saying, “Sports really are great.

For the first time since its initial episode, “The Studio” is revisiting “Kool-Aid: The Movie”. So far, it appears the series isn’t particularly invested in a continuous narrative, but maybe that could evolve over time.

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2025-04-30 17:55