Hollywood: Season 1 Episode 6 “Meg” – Recap/ Review with Spoilers

Between the Klan, an overzealous lawyer, and the return of Ace, does “Meg” stand a chance in being released?

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Directed By	Janet Mock
Written By	Ian Brennan, Janet Mock, Reilly Smith
Aired (Netflix)	5/1/2020

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

The Many Threats To The Production – Avis, Claire, Archie, Rock

While Henry mentioned something about using the mob, between boycotts and the Klan, it seems no one is safe. Even Claire and Avis get a burning cross outside their home. Heck, in terms of Rock and Archie, a Molotov cocktail is slung threw their window. Thus leaving everyone on high alert and security ordered to protect everyone.

Happiness Makes Up In Height For What It Lacks In Length – Ernie, Ace, Dick, Avis, Ray, Claire, Jack, Archie, Rock

The security issue isn’t the only one plaguing the production of “Meg.” There is also that $25,000 hole Ray caused, which, initially, was supposed to be solved by turning tricks. However, Ernie decides to get some of the old-timers back in rotation and do some work himself. Leading to, in just a week, $25,000. This, as you can imagine, leads to wanting to make him a producer, but he shoos that off. So, since he refuses a behind the scene role, he is given an on-camera one as a studio head.

And the happy times keep going as Archie asks Rock to move in with him, Claire asks the newly single Jack out, and Ray comes out of his coma. Hold up, wait, that’s not actually a good thing. At least, at first, it wasn’t since you know Ace, he is the type that would pick a blockbuster with a bunch of explosions over anything meaningful. That is until he watches Meg and has to deal with Dick threatening to resign if it gets shelved or destroyed. With that, and Dick coming out, Ace becomes an advocate for the film, and when Avis too talks about how things gotta change, Ace agrees to make her co-chair.

But then he dies. Which, alongside Henry wanting to change the film, it throws the film off. However, what originally was just going to be a handful of issues that may affect the box office becomes the film’s demise.

You Can’t Win Them All – Ace, Avis, Ray, Henry

How? Well, Ace’s lawyer, who seems to be the studios more than Ace’s, he swoops in with cops and right in front of Ray, snatches his reels and throws them into the fire. Mind you, this is just when Henry and Ray finally agree on an edit but, what can you do? And as for Avis, well, while we know what happens when Ace is incapacitated, who knows who is in charge with Ace now dead.

Highlights

This The First Time I Cared About Meg

Jokingly, I want to say we care about “Meg” now since Ernie has a part in it and how affected he was by his casting. However, with actually getting to see parts of the movie, rather than it just heard about, it made it more real. The kids were no longer a bunch of people who played a part in a revisionist history with little oomph behind it, you could truly get lost in the meaning of a film like this being made in the 40s.

On The Fence

The Switch Up Claire And Ace Went Through

Though with that said, I found myself side-eyeing the change in Claire and Ace. Probably because Claire came off like a potential villain when we first met her, even when her dad had a heart attack. So this switch up led to a raised eyebrow. The same could be said for Ace. For while we know life or death moments change a person, I found myself in the same mindset as Henry about the ending of Meg. I was left wanting more details about what led to this change and not through taking note of the big moment, but what they learned, what they thought.

I mean, how do you go from overtly ambitious, as Claire was, to letting a colored girl take a part you would have had just because you were white and the studio head’s daughter? Then with Ace, your wife, who you cheated on for ten years, you’re suddenly trying to save the movie you wanted dead before you almost died? Much less, there is a Black lead, a Black writer, your right-hand man tells you he is queer and will ruin you if you don’t have the movie made, and you don’t make a stink about it? Heck, your wife gives you an ultimatum, and you just give in?

I get the show is supposed to be revisionist, but its straying from a semblance of reality, beyond the extreme of racism, is making it iffy.

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