(lively guitar music playing)
♪ ♪
(subdued music playing)
♪ ♪
(heavy breathing)
(music intensifies)
(gasps)
-(door opens) -Ah!
Sorry.
Am I, uh... disturbing you?
Uh... I like to spend time on set
before the crew comes
and, uh, turns it into chaos.
So do I.
I have to absorb how it feels as a real place.
I need to make sure it's, uh, haunted.
-Hm. -Sorry, um,
I feel safer if, if you're not pointing a gun at me.
(both chuckling)
Am I that dangerous?
You are Irma Vep for me, so, yes, you are dangerous.
Yeah, but off camera, I am a nice person.
No, not to me. Maybe later...
when the shoot is over.
So...
is it haunted enough for you?
René: The set?
Well, um,
most of the time, sets are soulless.
-But not this one. -You have an actual ghost...
with a gun.
Mira...
do you believe... in the invisible?
The invisible.
I... guess so.
I mean, it depends on what you call invisible.
Things that exist... but you cannot see.
Mira: Like what?
Like, uh...
Wi-Fi.
-Wi-Fi... -Yeah, Wi-Fi, yeah.
Sure... um, yeah.
But then, I mean,
sometimes I feel like it's not there
and it's not working.
What about presences?
You mean the way a place has some sort of soul?
-Or not. -That you can't see but you can feel.
-Yes, yes. -I do.
Sets are eerie because they're real
and they're not real.
They look real,
but they're an imitation of reality...
(knocks on wall)
just like dreams
are an imitation of reality.
You're right, like dreams.
Um, were you rehearsing?
I was.
Do you want to show me?
Are you sure I should kill the Grand Vampire?
Oh yes.
We should get rid of him.
He's definitely not gonna be happy.
Screw him.
But I'm here for you...
so I'm in for the ride.
♪ ♪
(jaunty accordion music playing)
(gunshot)
(grunts, groans)
Yes! Great! Yeah, you did it!
Now shoot him again.
Empty the barrel.
-(gun clicking) -Now, jump on him.
Yeah, with both feet. J-Jump on him!
René, I have heels on.
I can't jump on him.
No, no, no. He's dead. He, he doesn't feel nothing.
-Jump on him. -I am so sorry.
-It's okay, it's fine. -(buzzer)
You have nothing to be sorry about.
This is between René and me!
He's a nutcase!
René, I will sue the hell out of you!
It's payback time! You're going down!
Fuck you. Oh!
Robert: Thank you! Bye!
Bye!
-(bangs monitor) -Oh!
(banging)
Mm!
(chuckles)
Mm?
Hm...
(phone ringing)
(grunts, groans)
(Gregory speaking French)
(sirens wailing)
(phone ringing)
Uh...
(doctor speaking French)
Ah, merci.
Technically, it wasn't suicide.
It was more like a... sex game.
Yeah, well, let's not speak about the sex game
because it's not sure.
(all say hello)
(knocks on door)
-Salud. -Bye!
("Frankie's Gun!" by The Felice Brothers playing)
(machines beeping)
♪ ♪
♪ My car goes Chicago ♪
♪ Every weekend to pick up some cargo ♪
♪ I think I know the bloody way by now, Frankie ♪
♪ And turn the goddamn radio down, thank you ♪
♪ Pull over, count the money ♪
♪ But don't count the thirty in the glove box, buddy ♪
♪ That's for to buy Lucille some clothes ♪
(dog barking)
♪ Bang bang bang, went Frankie's gun ♪
♪ He shot me down, Lucille ♪
♪ Bang bang bang, went Frankie's gun ♪
♪ He shot me down, Lucille ♪
♪ He shot me down, he shot me down ♪
-Stop. -(car honking)
-(tires screeching) -Hey, hey. Stop.
Hey. Hey, hey, hey!
♪ I saw a man hit my mom one time, really ♪
♪ I hurt him so damn bad I had to hide in Jersey ♪
♪ Called my mama told her, in the dresser ♪
♪ There's 10 or 20 dollars but there ain't no lesser ♪
(speaking Cantonese)
Oh my god.
Hi.
Are you okay?
-(speaks Cantonese) -Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
-I'm, I'm totally fine. -You sure?
How good to see you.
-Oh! -(thud)
-Yes. (chuckles) In the hotel. -(shower running)
I was, um, coming out of the elevator
and I saw him right there.
And he passed out.
No, no, no, he's fine. He's in the shower.
I put him in a cold shower.
I think he's fine right now.
He didn't seem any less coherent than usual.
He just... wanted to go straight to set.
And I was like, uh, "No, you need to rest."
-(chuckles) Yeah. Oh no, it's fine. -(shower stops)
I think he's done with the shower. I'll call you back?
What the fuck happened to you?
I don't know.
I-I was quietly sitting in my hotel room
reading this really cool book about drugs in Nazi Germany.
"Blitzed." Heard of it?
-Never. -It's fascinating.
Did you know all those elite troops were on speed?
Okay.
(inhales vape)
Then there was a blank.
I woke up in a clinic... drips in my arms.
Well, let me fill you in.
Seems you hung yourself
in the closet and passed out.
Ah, now I understand the neck pain
and the strangulation...
-I guess so. -...strangulation mark.
I was wondering.
Please, eat something.
Yeah, nothing to worry about.
Something I do if I can't get my dick up.
(laughs)
Does it work?
Usually, it works, but sometimes I black out.
It's a, it's a thin line.
Seems this one was close. (laughs)
-I've done much worse. -Oh, I'm sure.
-But now I feel fit as fuck. -(both laughing)
It just boosts you.
-Oh! -You have no idea.
Well, seems the brain scan showed no lesion, so...
("Lady and Man" by Khruangbin playing)
Herman: Yeah, I think it's an excellent offer.
I need to discuss it again with Laurie.
♪ ♪
Yo! Me and my team, we had a second Zoom with the French.
And they seriously want me to finish "Irma Vep."
-You're really considering it? -Yeah.
I mean, I ain't give 'em my decision yet.
I told 'em to wait till tomorrow.
But Marvel pushed back "Sharkman," and...
thought you'd be happy to go to Paris for a few weeks.
-I am. -And the money's good.
I'm sorry to be blunt, but it's basically a hack job.
What you talkin' 'bout? I mean, it's a prestige gig.
Honey, you shouldn't be doing a TV show right now.
It's bad for your image.
How?
"Doomsday" performed well,
so you can build on the momentum.
This "Irma Vep" thing's gonna take you nowhere.
-So you don't wanna go to Paris? -Mm!
Of course, I wanna go to Paris.
Who doesn't wanna go to Paris?
But I care about you.
I'm concerned about you and Mira, though.
No reason to be.
I sense there's no closure.
I don't know about her, but...
I'm perfectly fine with being just friends with her.
-At a distance... of course. -Well, if we do go,
-we'll make sure there's distance. -Thank you.
What the fuck happened with René Vidal?
Apparently, that motherfucker vanished.
-Really? -Yeah. Cut his phone off.
-Nobody can contact him. -You tried?
I sent him a text.
Did he text you back?
Kinda. He--
Never seen no GIF like this.
See, I interpret it as him sayin', "Be my guest."
Mm... it strikes me
for something a little less nuanced,
like, "Go fuck yourself."
Have you tried René again?
Turned his cell off.
I sent him a couple texts.
I'm not surprised.
(sighs)
Just disappointed.
I committed to this show because of René.
I could feel betrayed.
-I'm sure he's in pain. -I know.
But now we're stuck with Herman.
They need your approval.
Mira: You know I'm going to give my approval.
What else can I do? There aren't many options anyway.
At least he's the evil I know.
Herman is not evil.
I'm scared though.
Why?
I miss Laurie.
(chuckles) I don't.
I called her this morning.
-She didn't pick up. -Why the fuck did you call her?
She'll be in town.
We might as well set the rules.
Laurie doesn't play by any rule.
Don't let her hurt you more than she already has.
(beeping, buzzer)
(speaking French)
(beeping)
(hangs up phone)
uh...
(phone ringing)
(pensive music playing)
(laughing)
Herman.
Regina: Ugh, I'm in a complete panic.
They want me to replace René just to save the day.
Lyle: (on computer) Sounds like a great opportunity to me.
Grab it.
But I'm not prepared,
and it's not even my project.
Make it your project.
For a day?
Mira needs your help.
I'm the one who needs all the help I can get.
Oh, come on. You'll be fine. It's only one scene.
(groans)
Let me show you something.
I stayed up all night looking up references to prep.
-(video plays) -(chuckles)
-What the hell is that? -You know Kenneth Anger?
Experimental filmmaker.
René always mentions him as an inspiration.
Should I know him?
He doesn't see himself as a director,
but... as a magus.
-You mean a magician? -No, magicians do tricks.
A magus believes in... invisible forces.
He believes that actors are spirits
and movies are magic rituals.
And what exactly is the purpose of movies as magic rituals?
To invoke Lucifer.
(grand operatic singing)
♪ ♪
You mean some sort of, uh, satanic ceremony?
No, not at all.
It's like Lucifer is the fallen angel
but he's literally the carrier of light.
His movies are about conjuring Lucifer?
No, they're about accessing that light.
What's your point?
All movies are about accessing the light.
All movies are about--
-Maybe the good ones. -Yeah, the good ones.
And if you don't believe in the invisible, then...
then you just don't make good movies.
Is this something that they taught you in film school?
No, and this is the part of cinema
you gotta learn by yourself.
No one teaches you that.
You know you sound exactly like René?
-Your blouse. -Thank you, Ms. Director.
(chuckles) Only for the day.
And then I'll turn back into my usual pumpkin.
Look, here's Anaïs Nin as Astarte,
-Goddess of the Moon. -Mira: She plays Astarte?
No. I mean, she's... being Astarte.
You know, that's the major difference.
So, you mean that I have to be Irma Vep?
No, you have to let Irma Vep be you.
For "The Vampires" to be a better show?
For "The Vampires" to be art.
-As opposed to? -Entertainment.
It's not supposed to be entertaining?
Well, of course, it's supposed to be entertaining,
but it could be more than that.
So, uh, how do you see your first shot?
First, the camera's here...
the entrance to Moreno's flat.
And then, we have a close-up
of the nefarious Satanas
as he puts on his poisonous spike.
Then he rings Moreno's bell
to confront him and Irma Vep about
the Grand Vampire's murder.
(tense music playing)
(inaudible)
And action.
♪ ♪
Satanas: Don't worry, my dear.
He's only paralyzed.
In five minutes, he'll be back to normal.
And he will have learned his lesson.
No one messes with The Vampires.
The man you killed and whose body...
is in this trunk, was a subordinate.
-I, Satanas... -(thunder, lightning)
am the true Grand Vampire.
I want you to join The Vampires.
If you don't swear your allegiance to me by tomorrow,
you will be killed at 2 AM.
(cheery music playing)
♪ ♪
(tense music playing)
(Musidora speaking French)
(clears throat)
D'accord, d'accord.
(clattering)
(extras chattering)
Oui?
(dramatic piano playing)
(light dance music)
Dancers: Whoo!
Moreno: Garçon?
Champagne.
Dancer: Whoo!
(whistles)
(whizzes through air)
(explosion)
(all screaming)
(glass shattering, objects breaking)
(screaming continues)
(coughing, chattering)
(Musidora speaking French)
(coughing continues)
(sirens wailing)
René's Voicemail: Hi, this is, uh, René Vidal.
Don't, don't leave any messages.
I will never return them. Thank you.
(sighing)
(uneasy music playing)
♪ ♪
(tense music playing)
♪ ♪
(indistinct chatter)
♪ ♪
(person singing)
(water running)
(singing continues)
(indistinct voices)
Herman: We could redo the buttons.
We could send it to Mike.
He did all the buttons for "Doomsday."
Laurie: He'll do it, you think?
Herman: Yeah, we have plenty of buttons
leftover from "Doomsday."
Laurie: Okay.
Well, anyway, enough about me. How was your day?
Herman: Oh, we just rode around, looked at all the main sets.
Just to get the mood.
I can get a vibe of what's goin' on.
Okay, did you like it?
Not really, no.
Laurie: I mean, you start tomorrow.
That doesn't really give them much time to fix things.
Herman: Why is why I have to fix the most important things.
René, cheap ass. I mean, not cheap.
In the art world, they call it a minimalist.
He's a minimalist. Not me. I like big shit.
-Laurie: Oh, I know. -Herman: It's frustrating.
There's this scene where this bomb
is supposed to go off in this nightclub.
He wanna shoot it in a dump.
I'm like, you don't shoot that in no dump.
You go to Moulin Rouge,
or Folies Bergère, or somethin' big.
Fuck that little shit. You know what I'm sayin'?
Herman, this is a TV show,
not a movie.
-They don't have the budget. -I know, I know.
But at the end of the day, I'm just trying to do my best with what I know.
Hollywood, blockbusters. I grew up on 'em.
Didn't mean to judge.
I know I'm not a Coen Brothers.
Them motherfuckers are geniuses.
-No, no, no, no, no. -Yeah.
I hate when you do that. Don't be self-deprecating.
You're going to make... great movies one day.
Herman: If movies are still being made.
Laurie: No, they will.
Herman: I got somethin' for you.
-Laurie: What? -Herman: I got a surprise.
-What? -Yeah... Don't move.
-Are we celebrating something? -Herman: One second.
-Woo! -(Laurie chuckles)
Laurie: You're crazy.
(chuckles)
Yes.
-Baby... -(Laurie chuckles)
-Pick a hand. -Left hand.
-Both, come on! -(screeches)
Wow.
It's a surprise.
Open it, it don't bite.
-Ay! -Ooh.
Wow.
-Herman. -What, you don't like it?
-It's so beautiful. -(kisses)
It's an apology for takin' a hack job in Paris.
I never said it was a hack job.
You kinda said it was a hack job.
Okay, fine, I said it was a hack job.
Wanna put it on?
-Yes. -Let's do it.
Oh, wow.
This latch can be tricky.
I mean, French latches.
Voilà.
Ooh.
Herman: It's gorgeous. Damn!
Laurie: Ah, I don't wanna break it.
Herman: Here, let me help you take it off.
Ah, it's so pretty.
-Herman: Ooh, mamacita! -(Laurie chuckles)
Yeah, what's up?
Shit.
Goddamn!
Have you heard from Mira?
Been avoiding her.
She been askin' about you.
She said she texted you.
Yeah, I've been busy.
I'll respond tomorrow.
Maybe.
You're just toyin' with her.
Herman, she used me as her sex slave.
Herman: Come on, babe. That's a bit dramatic.
Laurie: Yeah, well... she doesn't like that
I'm not the submissive groupie she once knew.
-I'm a woman. -Yes, you are.
I'm not a puppet.
-Herman: You want revenge? -Laurie: No.
But I won't let things spin out of control again,
-that's for sure. -Such a badass.
Yes, I'm a badass.
I'm a badass.
(giggling)
Herman: You know I'm ticklish there. Stop it!
(moans, giggles)
Laurie: Baby.
(light flute playing)
(Laurie yelps, laughs)
♪ ♪