The Studio Episode 3 'The Note' recap: Matt struggles to confront Ron Howard

Apple TV+'s satirical comedy television series The Studio dropped the first two premiere episodes on March 26, 2025. Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the series explores the ups and downs of Hollywood filmmaking. The show provides a peek into the functioning of a fictional production company called Continental Studios, headed by Mathew 'Matt' Remick (Seth Rogen).

The Studio aims at striking a balance between satire and drama with a mix of all things Hollywood, notably power and chaos. Apart from Seth Rogen, the cast of The Studio includes Catherine O' Hara as Patty Leigh, Seth's mentor and former head. It also features Matt's talented team — Chase Sui Wonders as Quinn Hackett, Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason, and Ike Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein.

The Studio Episode 1 dealt with how Continental Studios' newly-appointed head, Matt Remick, tries to support Martin Scorsese's Oscar-worthy project, but loses the deal to a commercial project by Nicholas Stoller. In Episode 2, Matt's interference in the filming of a one-shot romantic drama disrupts the shooting. In the premiere episodes, we thus see how Matt struggles with his artistic ambitions and the commercial expectations of Hollywood.

The Studio Episode 3, titled The Note, was released on Apple TV+ on April 2, 2025. This episode is based on Seth Rogen's interactions with the legendary Emmy and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard. Matt loves giving feedback to other people's work, so how will it go this time with Ron Howard?

To know more about what happened in The Studio Epiosde 3, keep reading!

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Matt struggles to confront Ron Howard in The Studio Episode 3

The episode begins with Matt and his team reviewing the final cut screening of Ron Howard's film Alphabet City, starring Anthony Mackie and Dave Franco. The viewers get a glimpse of the film, but Matt and his team realize that the film needs to be cut short. The Continental Studios team needs to give their honest feedback to Ron, who is scheduled to reach the venue in the afternoon. The team decides unanimously that a particular motel sequence needs to be edited.

Turns out Matt is not sure about confronting Ron. Even though he hates the motel sequence, there's something that's holding him back — a past embarrassing encounter with Ron Howard. During Matt's early career days, he was invited to a screening of A Beautiful Mind. Given his habit of honest feedback, Matt mentioned that the audience needed to know that Paul Bettany's character in the film was imaginary. The suggestion, however, made him a laughing stock among his peers, and he was outright ridiculed by Ron Howard. This past incident holds Matt back from giving the feedback note to Ron Howard.

Quinn Hackett, Matt's assistant, decides to confront Ron and tell him what the Continental team feels about his movie. However, she fails to deliver the note when she encounters her favourite actor, Anthony Mackie, who also happens to be the producer of Alphabet City.

When Patty Leigh decides to tell Ron to edit the motel sequence, she ends up complimenting it and realizes that the motel sequence is emotional for Ron, as it is a tribute to his dead cousin. The Continental Studios team, however, doesn't give up. They now send Sal to give Ron the note and narrate a fake cousin's death story to add emotional depth and make Ron feel comfortable. However, Sal is unable to do so. Turns out that Anthony Mackie, the actor and producer of Alphabet City, too, does not like the motel sequence.

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Matt finally delivers the note to Ron Howard in The Studio Episode 3

During the marketing meeting, when Matt begins with his speech, Ron interrupts him and recalls the incident at the screening of A Beautiful Mind. He humiliates Matt in front of everyone on the team, which angers the head of Continental Studios. Matt delivers the feedback note out of rage. He also yells how Ron's movie is boring and needs to be edited. This leads to a fight, with glasses shattering and half of the office being destroyed. Later, Ron and Matt apologize to each other. They decide that the motel sequence needs to be edited out of the film. However, before parting, Ron threatens to destroy Matt if they meet again.

To know more about what happens next, watch The Studio Episode 4 on April 9, 2025, on Apple TV+.

Also read: 'The Studio' Episode 3 Review—"The Note"