The review of the franchise premiere: “Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye”

The opportunity to kick a superhero when he's down is rare, but HBO is lacing up its boots The franchisea satirical take on tentpole filmmaking from creator Jon Brown (Dead pixels) and executive producer Armando Iannucci (Veep) and Oscar winner Sam Mendes. I don't want to be a nerd, but wouldn't that be enough? The franchise a villain?

If nothing else, its premiere shows a mischievous streak in navigating the chaotic terrain of its central film production, where creative desires meet corporate interference and a shocked crew watches with half-closed eyes. Listen closely and you might hear the network cackling in the background. Who knew this stuff had a sense of humor?

Remember that HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, home of the newly formed DC Studios, whose goal is to correct the course of its own franchises after years in troubled waters. One wonders if there are any internal concerns The franchise The goal is to go on to make tentpole films (and all the backlot slander that comes with them). David Zaslav's atomic bombing Batgirl for a tax write-offThe #ReleaseTheSnyderCut Kerfuffleor the catastrophic hatchet job resulting from it David Ayers Suicide Squad or… well, you get the idea. But what's going on? Hugs WBD The franchise as good-natured self-criticism or as a face-saver who focuses on the tired crew of this profession as its true heroes? Maybe it does a little bit of both?

And I have to ask: Why The franchise and why now? A cynical downgrade of superhero movie production might have had a more subversive swing in 2021, when Marvel Studios embarked on a streaming bonanza WandaVision and tried (in vain) to quell the behind-the-scenes discord during its creation Black widow (a compromised production that ended a public dispute between the studio and its star). The release of might have had a bigger impact James Gunns The Suicide Squadgiven the director's brief rejection from Marvelwhat led to this a new command position for Gunn at DC Studios.

The franchise? Now? Marvel casts Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom for obviously sweaty reasons And DC presses the restart button like his nervous comic counterparts? Now that we're talking about it, the timing of Brown, Iannucci and Mendes feels kind of perfect.

The show's premiere follows Dag (Lolly Adefope), a new third assistant director who joins Maximum Studios' production. Tecto: Eye of the Storm on day 34 of a 117-day shoot. This tagline resonates with her as she follows the convoluted steps of first assistant director Daniel (a whirlwind Himesh Patel), who conveys the vibe of someone fueled by pure fear and three consecutive hours of sleep. Their first day is also a blast, with a parade of prima donna extras (one Fish Man seems particularly troubled), a washed-up British actor/walking HR nightmare (Richard E. Grant), and Eric (Daniel Brühl), the Film German director with delusions of grandeur that almost everyone in the crew indulges in.

Dag shows both resilience and beginner's anxiety on her first day: seconds before the punchline drops, she pulls Daniel away from a nuclear trans joke (good); She later investigates Daniel's private life regarding Anita (You are the worst's Aya Cash), a new producer at Maximum and, we have to assume, a former flame (badly). “This is not an appropriate 3rd AD interaction,” Daniels says almost robotically as he stows away his confusing plush sleep helmet. “You just have to replace the battery (pops his walkie-talkie) and…charge my steam.”

The impending catastrophe continues when the evil Maximum Studios boss Pat Shannon (Darren Goldstein) arrives with detrimental changes to the story Tecto. Pat's problems include the lighting, which Maximum finds too dark compared to the saturated aesthetic “preferred by the culture.” To this end, Eric generously pledges his submissiveness. Maximum's other comment? An ignominious end for the Fish People, an aquatic race that is thematically important to Eric's vision Tecto. The director finally protests against this: “The Fish People Are my film!” Pat answers: “Or is it?”

Pat's role in The franchise is clearly modeled on Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, whose unique vision, like Mr. Fantastic, was stretched across five (six? seven?) phases of cinematic chaos. Pat is a foreboding presence on set, more so than I can imagine Mr. Feige, but I can't imagine that his mid-production agitation prompted not one but two actors – Peter (Grant) and Tectos Main character Adam (Billy Magnussen) – her eyes became red from lightning strikes just because he asked for brighter lighting.

As early as it gets going, it's clear that there's going to be increased madness The franchise primary superpower. We've already seen entire races of fishmen (and their heavily designed makeup!) swapped for extras in green unitards to stand in for whatever Maximum comes up with later. (Between this and Daniel's hidden cherry trees, Tecto is burning money at a rate that might make Barry Allen think.) The chaos in midstream production is synonymous with superhero movies (at least for us idiots who continue to watch them) and, as one can observe, feels about five years old old-fashioned. But who knew a satire about such low-hanging fruit could be so funny?

That's not to say the dialogue (from Brown) isn't somewhat stilted and heightened by Mendes filming the ensemble in wide, sweeping single shots. The result was that a whole series of rapid cheers and funny bon mots arrived The franchise can feel stagey, but they're brought to the cheap seats by enthusiastic players, suggesting an electric energy on set The Franchise –a good sign for future episodes. (Speaking of enthusiasm, Grant is totally on top of his game as Peter, the theater ex-pat with a shady resume.) I can't believe I'm saying this, especially since so many shows push straightforward ideas beyond a reasonable season length stretch, but I wish “Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye” had been longer. There are hints of deeper characterization here (what's going on with Daniel's voicemail?), but for now The franchise lets his inside baseball shenanigans become the main attraction.

The final scene between Dag and Daniel, where production comes to an end for the day and they can have a candid moment to address the not-so-good vibes between them, takes care of that The franchise with something heartier to chew on: a joke about working in the entertainment industry that cuts to the core and bodes bad news for people Tecto Sentence. From Daniel: “So this guy Curly has been working in a circus for thirty years, following the elephants with a big bucket and scooping up all the elephant shit. And at the end of every night he has to burn everything. So he goes home and smells like burnt elephant shit. One day his brother comes to him and says: “Curly! Great news! I got you a job in my office! Decent salary; You can work regular hours.' And Curly says, “What? And quit show business?'” With that he drives off, leaving Dag to ponder his meaning – and her future.

Crazy observations

• • I wonder if The franchise will show us enough of it Tecto so we can piece together the ridiculous plot, sort of like “when.” Curb your enthusiasm showed us enough of it Seinfeld reunion Topher Grace made a clever edit the “lost” episode.
• • Kiwi and passion fruit, peaches and cream – how many other vape strains will Daniel vape and infuse? Tecto wraps?
• • First days up Tecto Come on, Dag's life couldn't have been the worst. (Was there a 3rd AD before her? If so, no one brings it up.)
• • “Of course the walking is strange, but the boasting is interesting. Bragging… but fearful. Like a panther on the way to a job interview.” Whoever Brühl channels for this role – be it Herzog or Fassbinder – he slays.
• • “Oh, the nonsense!”
• • “I’m the damn line,” Pat tells Daniel in a moment of unbridled complacency. “I am the only constant force in this entire universe and completely invisible. I am also an adult. I'm here to help you.” But just before we think Pat has gone soft, he makes his next move: he shoots Tectos inefficient producer, the only barrier between Eric's vision and Maximum's interference.
• • And who will replace this producer if not Anita, whose knowing looks and high position will surely distract Daniel in the future? (Did they have a relationship? Is there a really bad dating story?) Trouble for Daniel isn't necessarily the worst outcome for Dag. She adapts quickly, and who knows? Perhaps a new 1st AD position will become available sooner rather than later.
• • Speaking of falls from heights, I feel like Pat is prepared for that. His speech at the urinal was too cartoonishly bullying for something dramatic and gratifyingly bad not to happen to him.
• • Naturally, The franchise has a mid-credits stinger, although what's made of it is pretty brilliant. It uses EPK footage of interviews with the two stars of Tecto and shows us another bizarre dimension to their acting approach. I'm definitely ready for more absurdity between Peter and Adam.
• • What do you say, group? Is The franchise HBO's Marvel answer to Veep? How high is your tolerance for steamy bosses? (Mine: not very!) How did Billy Magnussen avoid Marvel or DC for so long? will Tetco Wrap up production or burst into flames?