The Franchise: Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye

October 7, 2024 7:51 AM - Season 1, Episode 1

Problems abound on the set of a superhero franchise movie.

The cast includes Daniel Brühl (Captain America: Civil War), Richard E. Grant (Logan, Loki), and Aya Cash (The Boys), among others, so they know whereof they speak/satirize. Some of the reviews that I've glanced at seem to assume that Marvel is the main target, but this is streaming on Max and there's actually a truck with a Warner Bros. logo in the background of one shot, so presumably DC's efforts are also being used as a source, although the studio head in charge of the franchise is called The Toyman, which I'm guessing is a reference to Isaac Perlmutter, formerly in charge of Marvel.

posted by Halloween Jack (6 comments total)

The jokes are pretty low-hanging fruit, but it's a funny show. Weirdly enough, I didn't recognize Aya Cash at all; she seems to be playing an android, which is definitely a choice, and I'm sure she'll go all, um, Aya Cash soon enough.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:07 PM on October 7, 2024

Oh! Definitely stick with it through the credits. You don't see teasers for spinoff shows or anything, but Richard E. Grant's character says a lot of stuff that's funnier than anything in the actual show. Which I don't mean to trash talk? It's fine, I'll keep watching, I'm into it, but it's exactly the show you're expecting...so far, at least.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:34 PM on October 7, 2024

One thing that I wasn't exactly expecting was that Grant and Billy Magnussen, who plays the actor playing the superhero, do actually get into a (verbal) fight... but it's about who has the superior dramacred.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:33 PM on October 7, 2024

I mean, their characters do.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:34 PM on October 7, 2024

We're loving this show. I laughed all the way through episode 1 (Richard E. Grant is amazing). Episode 2 was more painful (unhappy things happen to Himesh Patel's character) and Richard has more funny monologuing during the credits. I hope that stays a thing. I hate his character so much, but I love him so much. I feel conflicted. :)

I guess the unseen Shane is Kevin Feige?
posted by ceejaytee at 5:05 AM on October 17, 2024 [1 favorite]

This observation doesn't seem worthy of opening a post for a later episode (or enough of a spoiler to leave out of this one), but it's interesting that the show begins with an episode that shows how delicate the actual human body is compared to the indestructible fantasy body of a superhero. I feel like this is a meta
phor for everyday people being swept into a venture both beyond their control and beyond their ability TO control it, like ants in a tornado.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:55 PM on October 27, 2024