As has been the case throughout the series so far, there are bits and pieces of The Franchise Episode 5 that work. But beyond one key performer who manages to liven up every scene he’s in, the comedy continues to fail by refusing to go beyond what we already know. “Eric’s Hospital Scene” fails to look beyond the headlines of what it takes to make a superhero film amongst a sea of other superhero films. Instead, we’re getting bullet points of the most grievous errors made and the egregious hurdles the talent must scale to keep even a modicum of soul in their picture. There are a few laughs, but it’s all just so obvious.
Following the events of Episode 4, where Eric (Daniel Brühl) underwent his problematic man transformation, Daniel (Himesh Patel), Anita (Aya Cash), and co must deal with the fallout from higher-ups. This comes in two forms. The first is that Peter (Richard E. Grant) is asked to shoot a cameo in another film, which shreds at Adam’s (Billy Magnussen) self-confidence. The second is product placement. They now have to find a way to shoehorn in a specific kind of Chinese agricultural equipment—a tractor.
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Management argues that it will help sell the film in China. However, the major problem that production is up against is that they somehow have to justify the existence of a tractor in a space-bound film. The sequences where they try to figure out where to add the product placement are funny enough. This is especially true when the final result is in the background of Eric’s most prized sequence, where Adam’s character mourns the death of his wife. Daniel reveals that the studio wants to cut the scene Eric sees as pivotal to the film. By adding the tractor, it will make them hesitate.
The Franchise Episode 5 sees the production already walking a fine line. Daniel wants Eric to be motivated and stand up for himself and their film, but Eric keeps doing it in ways that have major repercussions for the team. This hits the fever pitch when he loses his cool on set and goes on a massively vitriolic tirade against China in his anger about the specific piece of product placement. The audio is leaked, and he is once again in the hot seat as higher-ups look to get more control of the project while undermining its success.
Bruhl, at least, is very funny in this episode, especially when capturing the minor, petty indignities he believes he’s suffering. One in particular is the fact that another person is wearing a tiny indoor scarf, something he believes only directors can do. The differences between Eric at the start of the episode and the end are striking. He is so clearly beaten down by the studio’s interference with what was meant to be a passion project.
But no character truly walks the line of hilarity and misery as Magnussen’s Adam does. For such a charismatic actor, Magnussen is tremendous at playing these characters who should be love interests or major stars but instead play slightly against type. He’s perfectly cast as an actor vying for the same level of stardom as other franchise actors, yet is always a step behind. His desperation is palpable, and there’s something deeply depressing about watching him tear into the bucket of protein brought to him to keep him lean and, in his words, “valuable.”
If this were just a satire about the lengths to which male stars will go to achieve a certain, unattainable superhero body, there could be something worthwhile and fresh. Due to the specificities, it’s both painful and yet funny. Adam works so well as a character because of Magnussen’s off-kilter charm and because there’s something so deeply pitiful about the character that makes us want to learn more.
The Franchise Episode 5 proves that the series is solid enough background noise. There’s little depth, and the writing isn’t interested in digging beneath the surface level. The cast is, for now, the only real and continued draw.
The Franchise Episode 5 is out now on HBO.
