Quinn & Sal Go To War In One Of The Satire’s Best & Most Hilarious Episodes Yet

Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Studio episode 5.

Quinn wages war against Sal in another hilarious episode of The Studio that’s more interested in having fun with the characters’ hijinks than satirizing the ins and outs of the movie business. In episode 5, “The War,” Quinn and Sal both bring competing low-budget slashers to Matt’s attention, and since he doesn’t want to develop two at the same time, he forces them to work together. Their polar-opposite tastes and sensibilities clash as they try to figure out a direction for the project. Quinn wants to make an artsy horror film; Sal just wants to make a Smile rip-off.

So far, every episode of The Studio has lampooned one specific aspect of the modern film industry, whether it’s big-budget blockbusters based on corporate brands, studio executives interfering in the creative process, or auteurs demanding to shoot on film. But in “The War,” the Hollywood satire takes a backseat and The Studio becomes more of a straightforward workplace comedy about tensions in the office. And as a standard sitcom episode, it’s pretty darn good.

“The War” uses the classic sitcom storytelling trick of introducing a conflict, then constantly escalating that conflict with increasingly farcical twists and turns. It’s the same winning formula we saw when Frasier and Niles tried to open a restaurant in Frasier​​​​​​, and when Michael and Jan threw a dinner party in The Office. Quinn and Sal’s battle of wits starts with them simply undermining each other in a meeting with Matt, but it escalates to Quinn blocking Sal’s parking space with a golf cart and Sal hurling a burrito.

The Studio Episode 5 Brings More Depth & Development To Quinn & Sal

Seth Rogen Gives His Supporting Players A Chance To Shine

Seth Rogen’s Matt is on the periphery this week. He’s been the focal point of every other episode so far, but “The War” puts the focus squarely on Quinn and Sal. Matt only shows up to facilitate plot points in their storyline. When he said he was leaving to have “lunch-tinis” with Chris Hemsworth, I was really hoping we’d get a Hemsworth cameo (but if that was the case, we probably would’ve seen it in the trailers). Matt has been a great lead character to follow up to this point, but Quinn and Sal seize their chance to shine.

The episode rounds out Quinn and Sal’s personal lives outside the studio a bit more. We get a glimpse into Quinn’s relationship; she’s singularly focused on her career even when she’s having sex. We see that Sal has a pair of teenage daughters who are glued to their phones and have no interest in spending time with him. They frustrate him to no end, but he also desperately wants to connect with them. He’s the same kind of somewhat sincere deadbeat dad that Ike Barinholtz played in Blockers, and he plays the part equally brilliantly here.

The bickering between Quinn and Sal yields some of The Studio’s funniest lines to date. As they’re arguing about whether to take a gamble on Quinn’s elevated horror pitch or stick to Sal’s safe, formulaic rip-off, an enraged Sal calls Quinn a “D-girl.” She hilariously points out that he ripped off that insult from Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos — not even his burns are original.

The Studio’s Absent Cast Members Are Sorely Missed

Nevertheless, Quinn & Sal Make For A Compelling Comic Duo

It’s a bit disappointing that some main cast members are absent for entire episodes; Catherine O’Hara’s Patty and Kathryn Hahn’s Maya are both sorely missed. Nevertheless, Quinn and Sal make for a compelling comic duo, and “The War” has some huge slapstick laughs with Sal’s antics, from the chili tray that gets spilled all over his suit to the thrown burrito that starts a chain reaction that destroys a film set. “The War” might be The Studio’s least satirically focused episode yet, but it’s also one of the show’s funniest installments.