Call My Agent 2.4 - Questioning

Call My Agent : Questioning

Genre : Comedy / Drama / Satire

Showrunner: Jason Reitman

Writer : Dominic Wilkins

Cast: Lesley Manville, Caroline Dhavernas, Rainn Wilson, Brian d'Arcy James, Michelle Yeoh, Gilles Marini, Chris Colfer and Michael Stuhlbarg

Plot: Miranda (Lesley Manville), sitting in front of the cameras, ready to do the first live interview of her career. The pressure is on, not only does she have to save face, but she’s also trying to save the sinking ship that is the Jones agency. Six months. All she needs is six months to get her inheritance that will allow her either sell the agency, or to keep running it. She doesn’t want to think about that decision just yet, she has more urgent matters to attend to. Melissa Hao (Michelle Yeoh) gets her attention, they are about to start the interview. Miranda adjusts her dress and takes a deep breath before the interview starts. Her reputation is on the line.

Andrea (Caroline Dhavernas) and Bob (Rainn Wilson) welcome their second client of the day, Bob’s this time, hoping that their meeting will go much more smoothly than the one they had earlier. They send Wilson (Brian d’Arcy James) on a mission to find where Miranda is and he accepts it diligently. Bob tells Andrea that this meeting will go well, he’s certain. It’s a great movie, a great project, some good stars attached and his client is the only missing pieces, he’s thrilled and convinced to make a slam dunk. As Wilson heads out, he holds the door to Bob’s client, Michael Stuhlbarg (Michael Stuhlbarg). Bob gets up and greets Michael, but Michael isn’t all smiles as Bob would’ve hoped. Andrea mouths to Bob, asking him if everything is alright and Bob says he’s just a serious guy, everything will be alright. As they sit down, Michael tells Bob they need to talk. They really need to talk. Andrea sighs, what is it this time ?

Melissa starts the interview simply. She asks Miranda how did she manage to end up in the director’s chair at the Jones agency. She says her father died and he put her in charge. Melissa asks Miranda what she was doing before inheriting this position. Miranda says she could call herself a socialite, but that would just be a fancy word to say what she really was. She was a daddy’s girl who lived off his fortune and did nothing all day and just lived her life to the fullest. Melissa thinks Miranda just admitted she doesn’t have the required skills and knowledge to run a talent agent. Miranda cuts her off and she says she knows what Melissa’s plan is. She’s here to drag her through the mud and to destroy her reputation and she won’t let that happen. She may not be the most educated woman on the planet, but she can stand up for herself and if she wants a fight, she’ll have a fight, but she better be ready cause she can last as long as it needs to save face. Melissa is embarrassed and she cuts to the commercials, as Miranda wisely smiles. Melissa heads for the backstage area and she screams to her producer to bring in the secret weapon, they’re going to break that bitch.

Michael Stuhlbarg tells Bob that he’s tired. Bob doesn’t understand what he means by that. He says he can’t handle the pressure. Bob asks him to put it more bluntly because he still doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. He’s a great actor and everyone thinks he’s good, what more can you ask, right? Stuhlbarg says that’s exactly what he’s talking about. People expect excellence from him, everything he touches turns to gold and he fears what’s going to happen once he’s in a flop. Will people think that he’s done and not offer him jobs anymore. The indie films don’t pay much and even when you don’t work, you still have to pay the rent. He doesn’t want good films anymore, he just wants to do a non-challenging film that comes with a hefty paycheck. That’s all he’s asking for. He can’t stand the pressure anymore, so no, he won’t accept the Jonestown role. Andrea walks away screaming “Are you kidding me”. Bob isn’t so sure this is a slam dunk anymore.

Melissa comes back and sits in her chair as they come back from the break. She stares at Miranda and says it’s now time for Miranda to explain herself to the man she abandoned after he tried to defend her, François. Miranda is genuinely shocked to see François again and she feels tears are about to fall. She regains her composure as Melissa allows François to give his side to the story. François says he came forward to the media to defend her, but she completely threw him under the bus and rejected him, showing to him that she is just a self-centered jerk who only cares about herself. He says it’s now time to let the cat out of the bag. She only accepted the job because it was the only way for her to get her inheritance. She’s just in for the money and she knows it. She even told him in private that she doesn’t even like her employees, in fact, she despises them. Miranda can’t believe what she’s hearing. She looks around desperately, hoping that all of this is just an elaborate prank, when she sees Wilson, looking really disappointed. He just heard everything and just like everyone else, he will believe it’s true. François goes on and on, saying she mistreated him for years and used him as a human sex toy for years and she knew he wouldn’t say a work, because he was a vulnerable immigrant. Melissa concludes François’ mean and untrue rant about Miranda with a question for Miranda. How will she respond to these accusations? Miranda sees Wilson walking out in anger and discouragement and she speaks to herself, promising that she’s going to do the right thing for once. Miranda says she may be avoiding the question, but all François just said is untrue. The whole controversy started as a gender inequality scandal after they won an award celebrating their work for gender equality in Hollywood and miss Hao has turned it into a witch hunt to bring her down, god knows why. She isn’t going to endure this anymore. She’ll see her in court for this. Melissa asks her with which money, because she doesn’t have any. Miranda walks away, whipping the tears dripping down her face.

Michael Stuhlbarg is committed to drop out of filming his upcoming film. He says he had a hard time coming back to his normal life after his last film. He can’t do it anymore, he doesn’t remember who the real Michael Stuhlbarg is. Bob agrees because he truly is a good character actor. He can’t even recognize him sometimes, because he is so good. Bob is adamant that Michael should do this film and afterwards they can find him cash-grabbing roles, but he needs to end its true career with a bang, right? Michael says he’s right, but he better listen this time, or else he’ll come after him. All these years in character, he learned a lot of things. Bob escorts him out and they’ll see each other on the Jonestown set.

Miranda knocks on Desmond’s apartment door and when he opens, she falls in his arms and they almost fall on the floor. As she’s sobbing, Desmond can’t believe Miranda has a heart after all, he always thought she was heartless, and that’s just the way she acted, but tonight he sees a real, vulnerable woman in his arms.