Episode Review: The Studio Episode 3 - "The Note"

Welcome back to the blog readers. After hearing some positive buzz about this little show called The Studio (2025), I decided to check it out with no intention of reviewing it on this blog. But watching the first two episodes really changed my mind because I cannot believe how much I loved them. I could not believe what I was seeing in these episodes. The comedy was funny, the story was so on point, and I was engaged the whole time. Would I be able to stay hyped for this show with this episode, titled "The Note," written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg? Stick around to find out.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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I had an innate fear that the magic of the first two episodes was not going to be captured in future episodes because I thought the showrunners would begin to get a bit complacent by this point. Especially because most of this episode basically takes place over a single 30-minute period. And I do have to say that what I saw in this episode was very uncomfortable to watch, but that is what made it so great. Seth Rogen is killing it in this role and my prediction of Emmy nomination is becoming more and more real as the weeks progress. Plus, do you believe me now about what I said in the review for the second episode about Rogen's character?

Seth Rogen is bringing something to the character of Matt Remick that I do not believe anybody else could have brought to it. Maybe it is that charm and with that only Seth Rogen knows how to bring, just like his role as Pumbaa in The Lion King (2019) and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024). He seriously does such a brilliant job of making you root for this character but also to make you feel uncomfortable whenever he does something. Almost like Michael Scott but in the world of film production. I want him to succeed but he does these dumb things that make you cover your eyes in places.

I absolutely have to talk about the story of this episode because while it may seem contained, it definitely leads to a broader picture that I alluded to last week. The episode begins with Matt, Sal, Maya, and Quinn get to watch a preview screening of Ron Howard's new film Alphabet City starring Anthony Mackie and Dave Franco. The group are loving the film until a meandering sequence that takes up the final 45 minutes of the film that leaves a sour taste in their mouths. They then learn that Howard is coming later in the day to attend a marketing meeting to come up with concepts to promote the film while they struggle with who will tell Howard to cut that sequence that takes place in a motel. They agree Matt will be the one to tell him although he is hesitant to do so. When Howard comes 15 minutes earlier than expected, Matt struggles to tell Howard (who according to this show is a very nice guy) about the note and eventually does not tell him.

He returns to his office where he is chastised by the group for not giving Ron the note, and he explains why he is afraid to do so: he gave him a note during a preview screening of A Beautiful Mind (2001) that Howard roasted and made fun of him for, leading him to be humiliated. After an argument where they try again to get Matt to give Ron the note, Quinn volunteers to do it until she sees Anthony Mackie, who is attending the marketing meeting as a producer on the film. Patty arrives, blows more smoke up Ron's ass, reveals she hates the scene too, and then reveals to the group that the motel scene is supposed to be a metaphor for a recently deceased cousin, leading Matt to convince Sal to lie about one of his cousins being dead to get him to drop the scene. All goes according to plan until Ron opens up to Mackie and Sal about the cousin, leading Sal to get emotional and fail to give Ron the note.

Another argument ensues in Matt's office when they attempt again to get Matt to give Ron the note when Mackie enters and admits he hates the scene as well, but does not want to get on Ron's bad side. They once again try to get Matt to give him the note and he reluctantly agrees on the condition Mackie backs him up. Mackie agrees but instantly turns on him in the marketing meeting when Howard brings up the A Beautiful Mind story, leading a humiliated and angry Matt to blurt out his hatred for the scene, leading to a fight between the two. Later that night, Ron calls Matt and apologizes for the fight and to tell him that he is deleting the entire scene. He warns him, however, to not cross him again or he will make his life a living hell.

Do you believe me now in regards to what I said last week? Matt is totally not qualified to be the head of a studio, and this episode is Exhibit C as to why. In the first episode, he completely fumbles the idea for the Kool-Aid film by crumbling under pressure to make the film the studio wants him to make. And as an added bonus, he made an enemy out of Martin Scorsese. In the second episode, he completely ruined the final shot (which was to be filmed as a oner) of that film with Greta Lee with his various shenanigans. And in this episode, how he was handling this issue with the note to give to Ron was completely unprofessional. Even if he had been humiliated by him in the past, you have to stay professional in that matter and not let your personal feelings overtake the needs of the business. The coming weeks will further prove my point and maybe more people will be able to see what I currently do.

The Studio is firing on all cylinders with another episode that totally blew my socks off with uncomfortable fun and a vehicle for Seth Rogen to get an Emmy nomination. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next episode.