The Afterparty Season 2 Review: The Same Narrative Mechanism To Tell A New Story | Apple Tv+
Cast: Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish, Zoë Chao, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, Paul Walter Hauser
Creator: Christopher Miller
Streaming Platform: Apple Tv+
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Afterparty Season 2 is now available to stream on Apple Tv+ here we are going to discuss is the series good as last season. Upon its arrival on Apple TV+ The Afterparty has established itself as one of the most original and successful comedy series of recent years, combining the elements of the crime genre with the fun and lightness of comedy. Other series have tried it successfully, from the slightly more serious – but equally delicious – Only Murders in the Building, to the Australian and very special Deadloch: what makes The Afterparty so unexpectedly engaging, however, is the idea of declining the well-known formula of the whodunnit in a new way, exploiting the individual episodes to report one by one the testimonies of those present at the crime scene, but changing the narrative genre. We went from noir to horror, from romantic comedy to even animation: a brilliant idea in its way.
As we will see in this review of Afterparty Season 2, of which we have seen the first two episodes made available on Apple TV+, the formula used for this second season is the same, some elements change but the starting point for the narration remains the same: after a mysterious murder, some witnesses will tell what happened to two improvised detectives, who will get busy to unravel the situation. Some cast members from the previous installment of episodes return, including Tiffany Haddish in the role of the now ex-cop Danner (reinvented author of true crime novels), Sam Richardson in that of the creator of escape rooms Aniq and Zoë Chao, who plays the di she loved Zoë. The series created by Christopher Miller does not disappoint but rather is renewed and continues to amaze, dragging the viewer into a story that amuses and at the same time arouses curiosity with a well-thought-out and developed mystery: Apple TV+ is confirmed, we can only reiterate it for the once again, among the streaming platforms with the highest quality content.
The Afterparty Season 2 Review: The Story Plot
Aniq and Zoë are now a steady couple and are more in love than ever. The two are ready to make their story even more official with the dreaded meeting with her parents that Aniq wants to conquer to obtain their blessing (and thus ask for Zoë’s hand): the occasion is that of his sister’s wedding of Zoë, Grace (Poppy Liu), ready to bond forever with Edgar (Zach Woods), rich and brilliant but at the same time clumsy and antisocial, more at ease with his pet lizard Roxane than with people. However different the two seem to have found each other, and even if their families don’t seem to be totally in agreement with their wedding plans, they seem ready to get married and start a life together.
Too bad, however, that someone has other plans, and the morning after the ceremony Edgard is found dead in his bed (along with poor Roxane): it will be up to Aniq and Danner, who have left the forces of order but have not lost his nose as a detective, solve the case, questioning the guests one by one before the police arrive on the scene and take charge of the investigation. Who could have killed Edgar? And for what purpose? Suspects include her mother Isabel, her adoptive sister Hannah, and her handsome business partner Sebastian, as well as Grace’s parents Vivian and Ken (Vivian Wu and Ken Jeong), her uncle Ulysses (John Cho) and her ex-boyfriend Travis (the always hilarious Paul Walter Hauser).
The point in common with the previous season is not only the narrative structure but the common thread is also the return of Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao in the role of Aniq and Zoë, the latter is the sister of the bride and Aniq is now her fiancé. Aniq immediately understands that Edgar, a rich boy, a bit strange, wizard of technology, with a lizard, Roxana, as a pet – killed together with him -, did not die in his sleep but was killed and says it in a whisper, whispering it to the girlfriend. Thus begin the suspicions, the analyses, the furtive glances to understand who he has betrayed. The first to be targeted is Grace who slept all night with the victim.
When Grace becomes the prime suspect, Aniq calls Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish), already known from the previous season, to help solve Edgar’s murder and prove her sister-in-law’s innocence thus obtaining Feng’s approval (a wonderfully surreal Ken Jeong) and Vivian (Vivian Wu), the in-laws. The man, always the same Aniq, funny, careless, creator of chaos, needs Danner and asks her for help to maintain a certain degree of confidentiality – even if she has left the police and is now an author. Danner and Aniq are a perfect pair of investigators, while the first wants to find the culprit, the second exonerates the sister-in-law. The comedy that Miller delivers to us aims to be even more powerful and absurd, this is the trademark of the show, despite some changes – necessary to give the impression of not being trapped in the mechanism such as the addition of two episodes -, the narration used to be consumed in one night, now the gaze has opened up and the story is consumed in a weekend.
Afterparty Season 2 Review and Analysis
The Afterparty is a particular series, capable of being many things depending on the protagonist of the episode, he showed it to us in the first season; the detective to find the culprit investigates, interrogates, and digs into the lives of those who are facing, she did it with both Aniq and Zoë. The feeling is that this season will not be dissimilar: the second episode focuses on Grace – as in the first season the first interrogation was by Aniq -, the style chosen is that of the romance novel. The young girl, like a Pride and Prejudice heroine, or a Bridgerton heroine, is shown to the viewer in the rain, in period clothes, shaken by a deep feeling for that young man who did everything for her, or so she hoped and imagined. For her he was immediately the man of her life, her dream of love: she was a lover of letters, small and big surprises, he instead so rooted, rational, in love with her yes but also very busy at work and in business. It doesn’t take much, and the truth emerges, it’s not all a fairy tale, the stories are true and real, and there are no very romantic surprises, but a man rooted in reality, in the contemporary world – Grace is given a surprise, the prenuptial contract. The second episode not only narrates the wedding day but also all the past, when Grace and the victim met, and the birth of their love.
In these Agatha Christie-esque episodes, between blood, revenge, and dislikes, but also love, the viewer will be ensnared by the lives of the new characters: Jack Whitehall plays Edgar’s best man and financial partner, Sebastian, a charming James Bond-like man who likes take center stage; Paul Walter Hauser is Travis, one of Grace’s old flames, John Cho is Ulysses, a nomadic guru who has traveled the length and breadth of the world. Edgar’s icy and haughty mother, Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), and his adoptive sister Hannah (Anna Konkle) are added. One at a time the stories of the other wedding guests will be told, who knows what other genres, cinematographic, literary, or television, will be chosen, if the first season brought the viewer into romantic comedies, thrillers, and action films.
As we anticipated at the beginning, the narrative trick used is the same as in the previous season, each episode is told using a different genre: the first, entirely focused on Aniq, is a fun Rom-Com that openly mentions Meet the Parents, the second, in which the protagonist is Grace, is instead an Austenian-inspired costume drama, in which the protagonists are transformed into new Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. The chosen formula is once again a winner, and we are immediately drawn into a unique and well-thought-out story, which episode after episode highlights different elements of the story and the characters, well-characterized and in-depth. Also, in this second season, Christopher Miller and his team make the best use of genres, always managing not to make the passages from one narrative to another seem forced. everything works well, and we cannot notice – with a certain amazement, because we did not expect to appreciate this second tranche of episodes so much – how we were able to replicate the formula, without however “copying” what had already been done and renovating it successfully.
The cast of “Veterans” is once again perfect in the roles, Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson together are truly hilarious, and the harmony between the latter and Zoë Chao gives life to some of the best moments of the series. Among the newcomers, we particularly appreciated Zach Woods (who, although he is the “dead” of the season, we can’t wait to know more), John Cho, and especially Paul Walter Hauser, a wannabe detective passionate about Reddit and conspiracy theories. The Afterparty Season 2 lives up to its first season, it is capable, as we mentioned, of entertaining with both of its genres: the comedy that amuses and the crime that teases and involves. The series shows both of these sides of it in the best possible way and for this reason, it is confirmed, in our opinion, as one of the most interesting, unique, and innovative shows around.
The Afterparty Season 2 Review: The Last Words
The Afterparty Season 2 is confirmed as one of the most successful comedies out there: the formula repeats itself but is successfully renewed, immediately capturing the viewer with a well-thought-out mystery. For The Afterparty Season 2, the situation is difficult because the first season has impressed and amazed thanks to a funny, fast, plural language, has been able to use myriad genres, always telling the same story, adding nuances to the main story. In the first two episodes, the show laid the groundwork for doing this. Everyone is a suspect; What awaits us in the next episodes? Who knows who will be the killer?
