Mira courts offers from both her agent and the production’s financier, who promises a lucrative – but morally compromising – advertising deal. When actress Cynthia Keng arrives on set, René experiences a crisis of faith – and turns to his star for advice. Later, Mira plays hard to get before receiving an unexpected visitor.

After shooting an iconic moment in which Moreno kidnaps Irma Vep, René faces backlash over the scene’s sexual implications. Unwilling to waver, René cites attempted censorship of 1916’s The Vampires – and original Irma Vep’s courageous fight to keep her film alive. Meanwhile, Mira deals with complex emotions as she sinks deeper into her character.

After an epic blow-up on set, the fate of Rene's series is put in jeopardy. Rene gets a visit from a ghost as the production team considers taking The Vampires in a new direction that would reunite Mira with a figure from her past. All the while, Mira grows more entwined with her role as Irma Vep.