In The Franchise Season 1, Episode 7, titled "Scene 113: The Bridge," the Tecto crew finds themselves in the middle of an escalating disaster: they accidentally blow up a historical landmark in Armenia while Anita narrowly avoids contracting rabies. It’s a zany outing, but it feels like a strange lead-up to what should be a much larger, game-changing finale—especially with Pat hinting at something massive all season long. I’m already imagining a dramatic showdown where Maximum Studios pulls the plug on Tecto and the crew scrambles to save it. But for now, this bizarre little show remains a comedic gem.
The episode opens with Eric (Daniel Brühl) directing a goat through a hoop in Oshakan, Armenia. The hoop is meant to later be CGI’d into a portal in Tecto: Eye of the Storm, but unfortunately, the goat is not cooperating. Eric’s patience wears thin as he yells “Cut!” and storms off in frustration. Meanwhile, Steph (Jessica Hynes) tells Daniel (Himesh Patel) and Dag (Lolly Adefope) that goats are, without question, the worst animals to work with. Dag observes Eric pacing in a fit of rage and wonders if he’s been wearing that bucket hat for two days straight.
Eric, not one to back down from a challenge, orders Daniel to find him a goat with comedic chops—he’s looking for the Richard Pryor of goats. Unfortunately, his troubles don’t stop there. His hiccups return with a vengeance, and in a dramatic fit, he throws his chair across the room. Perhaps that bucket hat is a bit too tight?
Later, the team assembles on a bridge, where they’re prepping to blow up a larger bridge nearby for the film. The Armenian government has given them permission, and Pat (Darren Goldstein) is beyond thrilled. He bonds with a local demolition guy who looks like a mini-version of him, and Daniel informs the crew that Eric has retreated to his hotel for a soothing hot bath to calm his nerves. But then Pat drops a bombshell: He tells Anita that Martin Scorsese has criticized franchise films for contributing to the decline of cinema. Initially, Pat mocks Scorsese’s stance, but as the episode progresses, the threat of multiplex closures and declining film data becomes a looming issue. Pat warns Anita that Tecto could be in serious trouble, but hey, at least they get to blow up a bridge in Armenia.
Soon after, the sustainability worker on set informs the crew of one protected species in the area: the Armenian whiskered bat. If anyone sees one, they must immediately report it to her. Steph, meanwhile, spots Rufus (Justin Edwards) in the crowd and confesses her secret to Dag: she’s been having an affair with Rufus. Officially, they’re now an office romance.
Back on set, Eric, Steph, and Daniel meet in Eric’s trailer, where Eric reveals he’s read the Deadline article featuring Scorsese’s comments on franchise films. Eric decides he has the perfect solution: he’ll rewrite the ending of Tecto and scrap the bridge explosion altogether. He orders a VFX artist to work around the clock to make his vision a reality, though it’s clear this overworked artist is running on fumes. First, he shows Daniel and Steph footage of himself repeatedly slamming his head on a desk. Then, he presents Eric’s alternate ending: Tecto and Eye meet, only to remove their superhero costumes and talk it out like regular people. The film ends with them awkwardly laughing. Daniel is horrified. He tries to talk Eric out of it, but Eric is resolute.
In an attempt to sabotage the decision, Daniel enlists Jaz (Ruaridh Mollica) to run an empty set loop for 30 seconds, which they’ll feed into Eric’s trailer on repeat to distract him. The goal is to get the cast amped up to blow up the bridge without Eric’s interference. Dag, ever the power-hungry character, proposes to take over as 1st AD while Daniel steps into the role of director. She starts bossing people around with her usual quirk—addressing everyone as “Earthlings.” Meanwhile, Bryson (Isaac Powell) is chaperoning a child from the Dream-A-Dream Foundation, only to realize that the child—more like a giant teen—won’t fit into the complimentary pajamas Maximum Studios provided.
In another subplot, Rufus and Steph discuss their affair, with Steph confessing her love. Rufus reminds her of their agreed-upon boundaries—both of them are married, and their fling can’t go any further. But after their conversation, Steph adds Rufus to her “shit list” anyway.
Back on set, Bryson introduces the Dream-A-Dream kid to Adam (Billy Magnussen) and Peter (Richard E. Grant). The parents explain, in Armenian, that their son isn’t a fan of superheroes; he’s obsessed with YouTubers. Adam tries to connect by signing the kid’s shirt, but it’s clear he’s out of his element. Meanwhile, Daniel and Dag meet with the demo team, where Daniel wonders aloud if Pat’s demolition twin has been reading too many nursery rhymes, as he speaks only in riddles. Dag assures him she’ll handle it—after all, she’s 1st AD.
Later, Adam vents to Daniel about Eric’s absence, revealing that Eric’s remarks broke up Flight Mode (the fictional film they starred in together). Adam opens up further, sharing that his father left a two-star review for one of his films on Letterboxd, calling him “unconvincing as Buddy Holly.” It’s a hilarious and sad moment that adds depth to Adam’s character.
To cheer Adam up, Daniel pretends that Eric is speaking to him through a headset, telling him how amazing he is. Later, Anita flirts with Daniel, telling him how impressed she is by his ability to direct 150 people without breaking a sweat. But before anything can progress, Pat interrupts the moment, killing the mood as usual. Pat offers to speak to Eric, but Daniel reveals that Eric is locked away in his trailer, recutting the film. Anita offers to set Pat up in the producers’ tent, but Pat heads out, leaving a brief compliment for Daniel—he sees Daniel as the one truly steering the ship. Daniel is taken aback but unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, a crisis unfolds. Jaz discovers that she’s found another Armenian whiskered bat, which she brings to Daniel. The crew debates whether to inform the sustainability worker, fearing she’ll shut down the shoot entirely. Daniel, in an attempt to handle it himself, throws the bat into a stream to see if it’ll fly. When it doesn’t, the crew resorts to throwing rocks at it—presumably to get it moving.
Later, in a dimly lit trailer, Anita and Daniel share an intimate moment, and she begins to get physically closer to him. But before things can go too far, Daniel mutters about needing to find a medic. That’s when Anita, horrified, realizes that Daniel might have given her rabies after touching the bat. She rushes to rinse her mouth, and the moment is effectively ruined.
As the episode nears its chaotic conclusion, the crew films the long-anticipated bridge explosion scene—but they accidentally blow up the wrong bridge, one that happens to be a historical Armenian landmark. Worse yet, the sustainability worker was on that bridge, but thankfully, she survives the blast. The crew flees the scene as bats descend upon them in a frenzy. Dag realizes they’ve destroyed a bridge that’s featured on Armenian currency, so she distributes bills to the crew as an apology.
Back at the hotel, Eric has an epiphany: screw Scorsese, he’ll keep the original ending and blow up the bridge after all. Daniel, exhausted, claims they’ve run out of time and might need to CGI the explosion instead. The beleaguered VFX guy couldn’t be happier.
In a final, comedic moment, Bryson destroys the Dream-A-Dream kid’s phone after it captures footage of the explosion. There’s no chance that leak will see the light of day.
Mid-Credit SceneIn a hilarious post-credit scene, we hear interview snippets from Pat’s demolition twin and the overworked VFX guy. The VFX artist laments his brutal work schedule, and Pat’s demo twin—who has a bizarre obsession with blowing things up—reveals his dream of detonating the UN building.
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