Apple TV+‘s The Studio episode 4 is called “The Missing Reel,” and it stars Seth Rogen as Matt Remick. He gets caught up in a mystery that threatens both his love of old movies and the future of Continental Studios. It was written by Peter Huyck and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The episode has a neo-noir style and mixes satire with a whodunit twist.
The story starts in the movie theater at Continental Studios. As Matt walks in, he is ready to watch the day’s dailies for the traditional film movie Rolling Blockout. Matt really loves seeing old movies on the big screen because he is a big fan of the medium. He really loves making analog movies and thinks it’s a dying art form that should be saved. His enthusiasm isn’t shared by the projectionist, though. He doesn’t like how long the process takes and misses how easy digital is.
Matt is just getting comfortable when he gets a call from Sal Saperstein, played by Ike Barinholtz. Sal is a longtime friend and studio executive. He is told by Sal that one of the reels from Rolling Blockout has been lost. This isn’t just any reel; it has important scenes on it, like the movie’s climax and a cameo by Olivia Wilde, who directed the movie.
Matt thinks it might have been lost, but Sal and Jean-Paul, the line producer, are sure it was stolen. They suspect several possible motives. First, resentment from the crew over Matt’s decision not to fund a wrap party, blaming budget constraints due to the high cost of film production. Second, rival studios might want to sabotage Continental, which is one of the few places that still supports analog film. If news of the theft goes public, it could harm the studio’s reputation—and Matt’s.
Matt should be careful, because if word gets out that Continental can’t protect its reels, more people will start making movies on their computers. Even worse, Matt might be known as “the man who killed film.” Matt doesn’t want that to happen, so he sets out to find the reel before it’s too late.
Matt starts his investigation by talking to Olivia Wilde (as herself), who is very upset about the missing reel. It’s clear to her how important the lost scenes are. Reshoots would be very expensive and could stop the movie from being finished. Matt also doesn’t want to approve reshoots because the CEO of the studio is putting pressure on him to do so.
Olivia says the production went well and that everyone felt like they were part of a family. She also says there were no problems. But it turns out she had problems with her lead actor, Zac Efron (who was also playing himself). There’s a small nod to Olivia Wilde’s previous movie, Don’t Worry, Darling, which was based on a true story. Even though she denied it, rumors about a fight between her and Zac make it sound like he might be involved.
There is more doubt about Zac after Matt finds a cash envelope in the actor’s vanity trailer. When costume designer Evelyn Dietrichson is seen with the money, a suspicious box, and going to a hotel where Zac is staying, things get worse. Matt and Sal follow her and jump to the conclusion that this is all part of Zac’s plan to get back at Olivia.
Matt learns that Sal lied when she said she was going home and actually went back to the hotel. Matt thinks for a moment that his friend is involved in the plot. But he finds out the truth when he talks to both Sal and Zac.
Zac was mad that there wasn’t a wrap party, so he threw one at his hotel. It cost him money to have Evelyn bring souvenir hats for the crew. The box she carried only had hats in it. Zac is not the thief, but he left Matt and Olivia out of the party on purpose because they don’t get along with him.
Matt sees a man at the party who has the same tattoo as someone in a picture from the night before. What a guy! The tattoo was just a prop for the movie where he plays a member of a biker gang. He says rubbing alcohol is the only thing that will get rid of the temporary tattoo.
This fact makes Sal think of something. A while ago, he had noticed that Olivia Wilde had a strange alcohol smell. He usually knows what brand of liquor someone is because he has a strong sense of smell, but he couldn’t figure this one out because it wasn’t alcohol for drinking. Rub alcohol was used to get rid of the tattoo.
Matt thinks Olivia stole the reel after putting everything together. For her cameo as a gang member, she wore a fake tattoo, took it off with rubbing alcohol and hid the reel to mess up the main scene. She didn’t like Zac’s performance and wanted to reshoot it, maybe without him or with big changes.
At the last shooting site, Matt and Sal talk to Olivia. Olivia tells the truth. It wasn’t just that she was frustrated with her work; she also took the reel to protect her vision of the movie. For her, this was the only way to get a second chance and a different ending.
Even though Olivia betrayed him, Matt decides not to report her. He instead convinces her to give him the reel and agrees to let her reshoot a few small scenes to make things even. They don’t have to do a whole new shoot, which would have cost the studio a lot of money.
At the end of the episode, Matt can finally breathe a sigh of relief because the reel has been returned safely and the shoot is over. The heart of analog filmmaking has been saved for now. At this point, Matt is not “the man who killed film.”
You can find more news about The Studio, in-depth recaps and sneak peeks at tvacute.com.
IS ROLLING BLACKOUT A REAL MOVIE DIRECTED BY OLIVIA WILDE?
THE STUDIO EPISODE 5 RECAP: QUINN VS. SAL – THE EXECUTIVE WAR
