REVIEW: ‘The Franchise’ Episode 3 — “The Lilac Ghost”

The Franchise Episode 3 finally feels like the series has a sense of momentum, though not much. Overall, the series, created by Jon Brown and executive produced by Brown, Armando Iannucci, and Sam Mendes, remains shockingly toothless. However, Episode 3 at least highlights some genuinely shocking truths about the industry in which these characters find themselves. Some of it might be obvious (entitled fanboys are terrible, and sexism is, in fact, bad), but the series finds a way to handle these stories with some necessary wit and bite.

The big issue plaguing the shooting of Tecto: Eye of the Storm is that the internet calls out the studio—Maximum—for being sexist. They figured they’d solved the issue by putting all of their major female characters into a single film with a woman director, writer, and DP. But fans are once again asking for greater representation, and the studio rep, Pat (Darren Goldstein), is telling Anita (Aya Cash) to fix it.

In this case, the fix is to expand the character Academy Award winner Quinn Walker (Katherine Waterston) is playing. Daniel (Himesh Patel) is against it. He argues that their plan to give the character all-mighty powers goes against the source material they’re drawing from and will also stoke the flames of trolls online. Greater still, it threatens the ego of their lead actor, Adam (Billy Magnussen). Adam, who, due to some growth hormones, is feeling increasingly fragile while also harboring paranoia that the steroids he’s taking are turning him into a sheep.

Waterston makes a great guest addition as Quinn, a woman who seemingly can’t fathom why she signed on for the film. She’s visibly distressed when asked to stay on for some reshoots to help amplify her character, crying in her trailer between takes. But while we all know the toxicity of comic book fan culture can be intensely invasive and problematic, it’s still validating to see the series highlight this. At the end of The Franchise Episode 3, she learns that a set picture has leaked of her new staff that her character holds. She watches in horror as her car is searched for bombs and is told that, in the interim, she should stay away from social media.

The Franchise Episode 3 highlights that no matter the intent, good or bad, studios will never want to put their back into making inclusive stories with diverse perspectives. The series delivers the best bout of brutal honesty, as Pat speaks derogatorily to Anita while saying he’s allowed to because he knows it’s wrong. And the joke of Eric having to choose a woman out of a lineup to play a dead wife character whose image only appears on her tombstone is effective. These characters want to be praised as feminists for the sake of numbers and reputation rather than do the actual work.

However, the best part of The Franchise Episode 3 remains the actors. Cash and Patel have a great interaction in which their characters’ history airs as they walk the fine line between strained friendship and Anita being Daniel’s boss. Cash delivers a strong piece of physical comedy as she sprints across a parking lot to make it to her meeting with Pat.

But it’s Magnussen who steals the show this time around. His absolute sincerity when talking with Daniel about his fears is striking. Magnussen’s charisma shines despite how much of an oaf Adam is while also highlighting a specific brand of insecurity that plagues actors asked to cut superhuman figures despite the limited capacity of a human physique. At one point, while talking about everything he’s taking and injecting himself with, Adam admits, “I don’t want this,” and it’s surprisingly effective. Because who, really, would? He might envy other actors who pull off particular looks, but the effort to achieve it takes a heavy toll.

The Franchise Episode 3 is at its best when it needles into the specificities of what makes a film shoot for a major superhero release tedious. It gains leverage by honing in on the particular evils of marketable feminism and the mental and physical pains of what it takes to look like a superhero to the general public. The series hasn’t perfected its tone yet, but it shows signs of growth.

The Franchise Episode 3 is out now on HBO.