Irma Vep Episode 5 Recap & Ending Explained: It was only about time that Assays’ dived into the cheeky and palpable meta-ness within the show inside the show. The latest episode of Irma Vep finally takes that leap and in hindsight also addresses issues like the dated value of sacred source material and censorship that is relegated by woke culture. The latest offering also manages to further descend Mira’s internal conflict into her finally losing the plot like Rene.
Irma Vep Episode 5 “Hypnotic Eyes” Recap:
The episode dives directly into production where Rene is handsomely late and visible anxiety-ridden. He is too in his head due to the ‘abduction scene’ that he is about to film. According to him, this is the show’s most important scene because (a) it sets up the sexual tension between Irma Vep and Moreno, and (b) he needs to get it right because this particular sequence in the older film leads to a big controversy.
However, the conflicts are staring him right in the face. Legendary French actor Robert Danjou who plays the grand vampire confronts him before the shoot saying that he and Mira have been preparing to bring their chemistry more girth. He seems to have the wrong idea that The Grand Vampire and Irma Vep are some kind of couple. Rene is not happy about this but since he has too many things on his plate, decides to leave the conversation mid-way. However, within the conversation, the idea of multiple actors playing Grand Master in the original movie does come up.
He then goes up to Mira and explains to her the gravity of the scene they are about to shoot. He tells her to make it sexy and that Danjou’s idea of them being a couple is just his own mumbling fantasy. They have a few disagreements with each other but ultimately decide to shoot the sequence.
As it turns out, the scene takes a toll on Mira and the crew alike. The first instance sees Gottfried going too hard on Mira while abducting her using a scarf. Rene isn’t satisfied with the framing either; in fact, he calls the scene boring and asks them to be sexier and build tension between themselves. We then cut to the 40th take of the same shot after 3 hours and while Rene is still not happy, an exhausted Mira says that he can use this last shot because it is perfectly balanced with the idea he has in his head.
Anyway, they finally come down to the take that is to be used, but somehow, someone from the production leaks the footage, and just like the original film, the Irma Vep show that Rene is making gets into controversy. Apparently, some of the production people headed by Robert sit Rene down and tell him their concerns.
They think that the show is overtly sexualizing the relationship between Mira and Moreno who is, in their words ‘raping’ her. They also bring the issue of abuse and how merely following dated material without acknowledging the abuse feels like the wrong thing to do in 2022.
Rene wants to reason with the production but couldn’t put his thoughts in the right way. He then brings up the idea that if they want things to be cut out, there is no difference between them and the police chief in 1915 who tried to get the scene cut out. Thoughts about the difference between problematic themes and censorship are brought to the table and Rene gets more frustrated.
He then sits with his assistant director and discussions about him realizing his privilege are brought up. His anxieties shot up but after discussing things with Mira, who personally doesn’t find the scene problematic, he comes up with an idea. He shoots a sequence within the Irma Vep show that he is making where he makes Mira’s character appear as an actress who goes to the police chief to plead her case.
The next sequence finds Gregory sitting down with the main producer of the show and discussing how the scene was handled well. The producer is unhappy and warns him that another mess up from Rene’s end and he will end up getting fired.
After that Rene has dinner with Mira where she discusses that he should make peace with Robert since it might derail the production further. However, Rene reiterates what actually happened in the original movie. He tells her that Louis Feuillade was a difficult director and once he had a falling with the actor who played the grand vampire, he killed him off midway.
Earlier on the set, we saw Mira sad at what had happened with Eamonn, and when he texts her again, she feels odd and can’t help but feel sad about what transpired between them. He asks if he could meet her again but Mira asks him to stay away because meeting him would mean that she loses more focus on her work.
Irma Vep Episode 5 “Hypnotic Eyes” Ending Explained:
Much like the previous episode, Mira gets into her costume again and manifests Irma Vep into reality. She then roams around the hotel before actually breaking into one of the rooms with people present. However, she narrowly escapes before anyone can find out.
The next morning on set, Mira is sitting in her trailer when Zoe knocks on the door telling her that everyone is in a panic since Gottfried has suddenly disappeared. Both of them then proceed to see Mira’s suit fit for the next sequence.
Zoe then confronts Mira about what she had promised on the night she blew her off. Zoe is expecting to see some action between them, but Mira again dismisses her wish. She tells her that she like her, but this is not her world. Meaning, that even though she has tried her best to blend in; both into the life in Paris and that of Rene’s world of Irma Vep, she feels dissociated.
This means the inner conflict with her personal life has become so deep-rooted that even someone as headstrong as Mira, someone who has been a pillar to this messed-up production, is having second thoughts.
The episode fades to black in the usual “Coming Soon” fashion, announcing the next episode’s title as “The Thunder Master.”
