Irma Vep Season 1 Episode 7 Review: The Spectre
In an oddly optimistic way, Irma Vep Season 1 Episode 7, “The Spectre,” really deals with some of the characters’ toughest struggles.
We see Mira first, just after she’s stolen the necklace from Laurie and used her (somewhat imagined) Irma Vep powers to bring it back to her hotel. Clearly, she still had a whole heap of unfinished business with Laurie, and after all the games Laurie has played with Mira, it’s kind of refreshing to see Mira fight back.
There’s also Regina, Mira’s loyal assistant who, at times, seems borderline obsessed with Mira. Regina informs Mira that she’s soon pursuing her filmmaking dream, and she’ll be leaving Mira. Mira uses her Irma Vep persona once again to discover that Regina apparently has a crush on her.
And then, of course, there’s Rene. Still experiencing his mental breakdown, he’s torn somewhere between wanting nothing to do with filmmaking again and desperately working with the footage he directed from the series thus far and editing it for hours on end at home.
What seems to be most realistic and most clever about the writing of this series, and specifically this episode, is how all of these stories meet some kind of satisfying conclusion without tying it all in a neat bow or completely resolving anything. To me, it feels like a series that’s showing the brutal truth in all aspects.
For example, when Gottfried, who has been difficult to work with all series, finally wraps on his last day, we’re able to see the entire cast and crew react to his departure in their own unique ways. While some (like Mira and Zoe) find his departure bittersweet, others, like Carla, are only too happy to send him off.
Or when Zoe brings in a so-called “bondage consultant” to give his advice on a scene that involves a kidnapping, Herman seems confused while Cynthia is only too happy for the change.
Telling the truth of filmmaking (and life in general) is what has been this series’ saving grace. With a cast of, in my opinion, far too many characters and storylines, and with a plot that never seems to go anywhere, the truth-telling of the series really becomes the thing that saves it.
The conversation between Mira and Jade is another great example of this. Mira explains to Jade that she feels guilty as a white woman taking on the role that had previously belonged to a Chinese actress.
Now, this scene and Jade’s appearance in the series as a whole is up for interpretation as far as whether or not she’s really there, but the conversation is still meaningful.
It’s even emotional when Mira finds Rene in his home office editing footage and convinces him to return to set. Originally, Rene came across as a bossy, pretentious artistic director with little regard for his actors. Now, he’s probably my favorite character on the show.
Now that Les Vampires has finished filming, we’re left only to see how each person who worked on the show in any way moves on from it. Rene seems to think that it’s the kind of role that Mira will never truly escape. Mira wonders if the spirit of Irma Vep has inhabited Regina more than it has her.
At least it looks like we’ve got some closure between Mira and Laurie, at least. Maybe tossing the stolen necklace off the balcony of the hotel wasn’t the most mature way to handle the situation, but at least Mira appears to be moving on.
And was that character growth when Mira and Regina kissed and then didn’t sleep together? Maybe Mira finally realizes the importance of boundaries between her and her coworkers.
After all, she’s been heavily pursued by Zoe, Gottfried, and Regina, and she’s managed not to give in to any of their advances despite her attraction to at least two of them.
Good for her.
With Irma Vep concluding soon, I really hope we see some real answers to the other characters’ stories. Maybe it’s selfish, but I want Rene to find happiness in filmmaking again. And I want Mira to move on from Laurie completely.
We’ll see where this goes, but at last it looks like it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing some satisfactory conclusions.
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What did you think of this episode of Irma Vep? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Irma Vep airs Mondays at 9PM EST on HBO and is streaming on HBO Max.
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