The Franchise‘s third episode “Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost” continues to make fun of the superhero movie business in a biting way. This episode takes place in the tense environment at Maximum Studios, where the production team is working hard to add a feminist veneer to their latest hit movie— Tecto: Eye of the Storm after getting bad feedback for canceling a project led by women. But the way they try to give women more power seems more like an empty gesture than real progress.
Key Events of the Episode
• Quinn prepares for her final day as the Lilac Ghost.
• Pat pitches his solution to the studio’s “woman problem.”
• Anita is tasked with beefing up the Lilac Ghost’s role for more feminist appeal.
• Daniel struggles to keep the film “comic book accurate.”
• Adam panics over hormone treatments that may turn him into a sheep.
• A powerful “Stick of Maximum Potency” is introduced into the plot.
• Multiple actors and the production team butt heads over new script changes.
Quinn, who plays the Lilac Ghost, is getting ready for her last day on the Tecto: Eye of the Storm set at the beginning of the episode. Daniel (Himesh Patel), her coworker, wants her luck, and Dag, her coworker, makes fun of the fact that she once streamed one of Quinn’s movies without permission while she was in Greek waters, saying that there are no rules at sea.
At the same time, Anita (Aya Cash), the movie’s producer— rushes to a 5 AM meeting with Pat (Darren Goldstein) and Bryson (Isaac Powell), who works for the faceless studio executive Shane. Pat says that the studio has a “woman problem” because there aren’t enough female superheroes, which is what caused the Sister Squad project to fail. He gives Anita the job of making the Lilac Ghost’s role stronger so that there are more female characters in the series.
Daniel is busy on set managing actors like Eric (Daniel Brühl) and Steph (Jessica Hynes). They are also trying out actresses for the part of a “dead wife,” who will only show up in the movie as a tombstone and a body. But Eric is unhappy with the candidates because he says they don’t fit his “vision.” The episode goes into more detail about how silly the movie business is by showing how these small roles are seen as important creative choices.
After that, Quinn meets up with Peter (Richard E. Grant) who is thrilled that he only has to nod during his scenes that day and that Quinn will be handling the heavy dialogue. Peter makes fun of Adam (Billy Magnussen) about how he does his work but Adam stays focused on his method acting, which adds to the comedic tension.
Soon, Anita calls a meeting of the film’s main creators, such as Daniel, Eric, Dag, Steph, and Bryson, to tell them about Pat’s request to make the Lilac Ghost a stronger female character. Eric tries to defend the character by calling her a “strong, female ghost.” Steph adds that her superpower is “clumsiness” which is a funny jab at the industry’s tendency to make weak feminist moves.
Eric says that the Lilac Ghost should have the strength of the strongest man in the world while the crew thinks of ways to give her more power. But Dag says that she should be the most powerful person in the universe by giving her the “Stick of Maximum Potency.” Daniel doesn’t agree, saying that the Stick belongs to a different character, Professor Poton, and that changing it will make online comic book fans mad. Still, Anita is set on making the change, ignoring Daniel’s worries.
Rufus (Justin Edwards), dressed as a giant mollusk, runs into Steph backstage. It’s clear that she has a crush on him, which adds a romantic humor to the episode. At the same time, Daniel checks on Adam, who is having a meltdown because of the hormone treatment he is getting. He thinks the hormone, which is supposed to make sheep fatter, is making him turn into a sheep because it’s giving him “b*tch tits” and a curly white hair is growing on his back. Daniel tells him that he’s not changing into a sheep, but the scene is only there to make Adam laugh as his fears get stranger.
As the team gets ready to film a scene with the Lilac Ghost’s new abilities, Daniel tries to keep everything “comic book accurate” out of fear that fans will not like it. Anita, on the other hand, pulls Daniel aside and tells him that she is the producer and he needs to respect her authority. She’s set on making it through this shoot, no matter how hard it is.
After work, Bryson gives Quinn flowers as she ends what she thinks is her last day. They’ve decided to give the Lilac Ghost a powerful new weapon and have a feminist playwright look over the script, so reshoots are set for the next morning, which is a big surprise. It breaks Quinn’s heart to hear this, and she laments the online hate she’s gotten for playing this character before. When she says that her child’s pediatrician once sent her a death threat because of her job, the pressure gets even higher.
When Quinn comes back to set the next morning, the chaos has not stopped. When Daniel and Dag go to check on her, they find her crying but determined not to mess up her makeup. As the filming starts, Peter finds out that he has to “cower” during his scene instead of just nodding, which makes him throw a small fit. While this is going on, Adam starts to think that everyone is pointing the finger at him for being a sheep when he takes Eric’s comment about “hearing” him as “herding” him. Adam storms off scene in a fit of fear.
Pat had praised Anita for giving the Lilac Ghost the Stick of Maximum Potency as a “accessory.” Now he wants her to clean up the mess and give him his “lady scene.” Anita has to talk to Adam about this because Adam’s lawyers are now involved and are making even more demands about his superhero gear and making sure that the Lilac Ghost’s staff isn’t stronger than his.
Daniel steps in as the fixer to try one last time to save the day. He suggests that they cut down on the Lilac Ghost’s staff so Adam’s character can feel better about himself, and he lets Peter take a few days off for a commercial shoot. Quinn, on the other hand, just wants to die on screen and leave the series. After these changes, the team moves on to the next part of the job, which is to shoot the scene.
At the end of the episode, Quinn thanks Anita and then finds out from her agent that the Stick of Maximum Potency has been leaked online. Her agent tells her not to check her mentions because she knows she will get in trouble if she does. Bomb dogs are all around her car, which adds one more dark joke to this already silly show. As the credits roll, Quinn and Adam give awkward interviews about their roles. Adam promotes his charity’s goal of vaccinating all women, which adds another ridiculous element to The Franchise’s already crazy and funny mood.
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