REVIEW: ‘The Franchise’ Episode 2 — “The Invisible Jackhammer”

The Franchise Episode 2 makes it abundantly clear how quickly people will sacrifice creative integrity in Hollywood. If the premiere stripped the veneer of glamor from big-budget productions, “The Invisible Jackhammer” drives that point home. Movie making might seem like a dream come true, but for plenty involved in bringing these stories to life, it’s all about how to keep the money train moving. And while it’s justifiably cynical, especially considering the studios it’s aiming at, there’s still the sense that the series should be doing more.

Daniel (Himesh Patel) looks to assert control over his set while dealing with the new threat of the film’s new producer, Anita (Aya Cash.) However, it doesn’t seem to go in his favor from the jump, as he punctuates his deep breathing meditation while commuting to work with rhythmic vaping. That control loosens further when he arrives for a crew meeting organized by Anita that she, in a power move, cancels at the last minute. As Peter (Richard E. Grant) puts it, Daniel and the rest of them are all now auditioning for the jobs they already have.

At first, Anita’s involvement seems like an unnecessary way to pile on Daniel’s stress load further. The two talk privately about their romantic history and the fact that she cheated on him with a famous actor. She plans to have a public teardown of Daniel to help bury that lede while also asserting her dominance and inspiring fear in the crew. He agrees, albeit unhappy, as he’s learned there’s no way for the producer to berate the director. The AD is the best bet she has.

But The Franchise Episode 2 allows for some surprise with Anita, and she’s instantly a more interesting character. Throughout the episode, we watch as everyone but Dag refuses to call out a new element of the film, the “Invisible Jackhammer,” for how ridiculously it looks in execution. They placate Adam’s (Billy Magnussen) rightful concerns that he looks silly pretending to use it, even when Adam calls Daniel one of his closest friends. The idea is that they accept that things won’t always look great to keep the production moving rather than lose money due to more time and effort spent on perfecting the film.

But the two, in a moment of shared camaraderie, finally agree that it’s not working and that they want to stand up to higher-ups to remove it. However, Anita’s one expression of ego lands her in trouble, though it’s not explicitly stated. She angers some higher-ups, and, as a result, her female-led superhero project is axed. Her job, like Daniel’s, is safe only for now.

The most interesting part of The Franchise so far is the inner workings of producers and crew, which are seen as dispensable. But the writing needs to go beyond the surface level. We get that big studios care more about profit than creative gain and that it’s easier to overload a poor, overworked VFX artist to create an army than cast 100 extras. However, two episodes deep and the series remains coasting on what’s known to anyone who follows these productions with a critical eye.

It doesn’t help that, so far, our voice of reason isn’t all that likable. Lolly Adefope delivers a solid performance; her line deliveries are refreshingly off-kilter. However, Dag is frustrating as she undermines Daniel. She’s right—Daniel, the series, and viewers know this. But her character and how she interacts with those around her need to be more seamless. So far, she’s too obviously a viewer insert, there to point out the obvious shortcomings of the industry.

Grant and Magnussen continue to deliver a buzzy, antagonistic chemistry as the two actors war against one another through petty grievances and even pettier complaints to Daniel. Both commit to the silliness of their characters and the jobs they’re performing, bringing life to even the dullest frames. Patel continues to expertly toe the line as a man who is one wrong word away from an active mental breakdown but keeps it together through the force of one neatly applied vice.

The Franchise Episode 2 continues to be a lightly funny, if hollow, experience. For a series meant to be saying something about a dominant issue in the film industry, it ultimately says very little. Better and more constructive takedowns have been written in recent years. So here’s hoping that, as it’s early in the show, it becomes more biting and assertive as we go alone.

The Franchise Episode 2 is out now on HBO.