As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of comic books and superhero movies, I can’t help but feel a bit of nostalgia tinged with disappointment when it comes to “The Franchise“. Having grown up on the witty, sharp satire of shows like “The IT Crowd” and “Veep”, I was eagerly anticipating this series as a fresh take on the industry.
In the third installment of “The Franchise,” it’s clear that the subtlety is lacking, much like a strong stick. Daniel Brühl, in “Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost,” provides ample humor, demonstrating an impressive laugh-to-line ratio. However, the episode’s focus on Maximum Studios attempting to sneak in lazy, pseudo-feminism into “Tecto” following criticism over the cancellation of “The Sisters Squad” feels overly forceful – as if it’s being repeatedly hammered into us by someone with earthquake-like strength.
In this episode, I believe it’s trying to poke fun at the sexist stereotypes common among some comic book enthusiasts who hang out in basements, as well as identity politics, and how major superhero film studios have been criticized for giving into pressure from both sides – a trend that’s been evident in movies like Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and The Marvels. We’re all familiar with this pattern, right? It’s no secret that it’s been going on for quite some time. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t seem to offer anything new or fresh; its satire about feminism feels outdated and uninspired.
This isn’t to say that the episode is entirely without its merits. As a sort-of Brie Larson (the most famous target of some online Marvel fans’ misogynistic ire) surrogate, Katherine Waterston’s Quinn Walker, an Oscars-anointed actor debased by her part as “The Lilac Ghost” on Tecto, is quietly tragicomic; I mean, damn, the episode ends with her car being checked for explosives by bomb dogs after an on-set photo leaks on Reddit. (“Quinn, do not check your mentions,” her publicist cautions over the phone.) I also felt it was the strongest episode so far for Billy Magnussen’s performance as Adam, who is locked into a permanent emasculation complex; perhaps it’s just the growth hormones he has been taking, but he really struggles with anything remotely phallic.
In this episode, we’re introduced to a satirical tool of immense power, repeatedly whacking us with its humor. Following the cancellation of The Sisters Squad , Anita is tasked by Pat to empower Tecto. This instruction eventually reaches Eric, leaving us wondering how they plan to execute it. The answer comes in an unexpected form: they decide to grant The Lilac Ghost, initially intended for only a few brief appearances as the spirit of a deceased woman, powers equal to those of the main character. This move serves as another hint that Eric starts questioning his past creative choices regarding gender issues: “I might have slipped up with a sexist moment in a commercial, but I’ve always aspired to create feminism,” he confesses.
Before the upcoming filming session, Dag proposes using a stick, an idea that receives general approval from the production team except for Daniel, who values staying faithful to the original comic books. This joke implies that they are symbolically giving power to a woman by having her use a large prop resembling a phallic symbol, hence the term “potency.” However, it’s important to note that this exercise is merely to satisfy a requirement and they don’t care much about the specific means as long as they can claim to be supporting women’s rights on screen.
Apart from this, it’s clear that Anita doesn’t care about Tecto since she’s using it as a stepping stone to create artistic films under her personal production company, which she reveals to Daniel following his comments. It’s no surprise given Anita isn’t typically into comic books. This means Quinn, who believed she was free from the Tecto set, is called back for an additional scene the next day, a responsibility her contract obliges her to fulfill. A fashionable feminist playwright arrives by helicopter to revise the script before filming, and voila, they’ve created a feminist piece! However, Adam feels undermined by this, and Peter refuses to participate in the day’s shoot other than nodding – as planned – resulting in the scene remaining unfilmed.
In this series, there’s a recurring pattern where a scene becomes challenging due to various issues on set, such as executive interference, actor ego clashes, or my own nerves (Eric), and it often falls upon the unsung heroes behind the scenes, like Daniel, to resolve the issue. This time, in a nail-biting moment, he provided Anita with strategies to handle the main actors, saving the day once more. In return, she acknowledged his efforts and extended an olive branch, proposing they collaborate to bring Tecto to completion. The relationship between us is complex, as we’ve got a history together – not just professionally, but personally too. Anita, unintentionally, gained favor with a powerful producer due to a past incident where she embarrassed me on another set in our early careers. As a result, I ended up working in less prominent roles, while she climbed the ladder of success within this franchise.
Upon re-reading, I realize it might seem more critical than a rating of three stars. However, let me clarify that I didn’t find The Franchise to be a boring waste of time. The cast delivers admirably with the material they are provided, and while the overall satire may appear too obvious and outdated — as exemplified by this episode, which is the weakest in terms of satire — there are still moments that provoke laughter and enjoyable line deliveries. Interestingly, I often feel this way about superhero movies: the actors usually put in a lot of effort, and I imagine the crew does too, making it watchable despite familiar tropes. In summary, I’ve enjoyed The Franchise to some extent; I’ve had some laughs — just not as many as I typically would from an Iannucci-style satire.
Post-Credits Scenes
• I feel like there’ll be at least one of these dedicated to Daniel Brühl’s performance for every episode, but for my money, he’s by far the MVP of the series. His squirming anxiety over his apparent “women problem” in this episode? Gold, all of it. (Especially when he has to pick one of five female extras to model for an image on a tombstone: “Look at you all, standing there in your power. But don’t look for too long. It might be a little bit weird. I choose them all! Congratulations, you’re all dead.”)
• Okay, fine, the rewritten dialogue for the stick scene is pretty funny: “A woman of maximum potency, with my stick so very, very potent…” / “And yet, no more powerful than my earthquake glove!”
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2024-10-21 06:54