Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
Christopher Miller’s hilarious whodunit is back with a new batch of all-star suspects and genres to explore.
PLOT: Detective Danner returns to help Aniq and Zoe solve whodunnit by questioning family members, star-crossed lovers and business partners, and hearing each suspect’s retelling of the weekend, each with their own unique perspective and visual style.
REVIEW: Last year, AppleTV+ premiered Christopher Miller’s whodunit comedy, The Afterparty, to critical acclaim. Following a Rashomon-esque approach where each murder suspect told their story in a different genre style, the series was as hilarious as it was unique. The creative team had to come up with something new for the second season of The Afterparty, and a cast that was on par with those from the first season. The second season of The Afterparty is as good as its first, with only Tiffany Haddish, Zoe Chao and Sam Richardson reprising their roles. The new season of
The afterparty sees Aniq (Sam Richardson), Zoe (Zoe Chao), and Grace (Poppy Luu) attending the marriage of Edgar (Zach Woods) to Zoe’s sister Grace. The couple, hoping to make a great first impression on Zoe’s parents Feng and Vivian (Ken Jeong and Vivian Wu), find themselves in the middle of another murder. Aniq, who was the detective who cracked the case last year, calls former detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) when Edgar is murdered. Anyone could be the murderer, with so many suspects including Edgar’s suave partner Sebastian (Jack Whitehall), Edgars adopted sister Hannah(Anna Konkle), Edgars loony mom Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), Graces long-lost uncle Ulysses(John Cho), the wacky Travis(Paul Walter Hauser) and Edgar’s suave friend Sebastian (Jack Whitehall). As expected, Danner interrogates each suspect, and their stories follow the genre conventions that fit their personalities.This season, the genres used for the episodes include Regency romance, film noir, black and white mystery, romantic comedy, a quirky Wes Anderson film, gritty heist, erotic thriller, indie drama, social media found footage, and more. The focus on the characters allows actors to explore different variations of their roles. This season, the actors have a lot of talent. Paul Walter Hauser has grown into a great actor. After showcasing his dramatic prowess in the AppleTV+ series
Blackbird, Hauser echoes his funniest turns and will hopefully reprise his character in the third season of this series. Zach Woods is also hilarious, and has been a standout character in the series The Office, Veep,, and Avenue 5. Jack Whitehall is also very funny here, even though he constantly plays variations on the same character.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ew-g7k8-ETiffany Haddish, who often plays characters that can overstay their welcome, is good as the talented investigator who brings everything together. Sam Richardson and Zoe Chao are the stars of this film, as they have been in previous years. Both actors can work their comedic magic as they play characters who have investigated suspects in their own backyard. They also get the chance to develop their relationship. Richardson and Chao are a great pair, and if the series continues for many seasons, they’ll be a good reason to tune in, regardless of who else joins the cast. Richardson, Chao and Haddish as investigators gives
While only nine of the ten episodes were available for this review, I was engrossed by every chapter. The series creator Christopher Miller didn’t write every episode of this season. He shared the writing duties on several episodes. This season’s story has a much more diverse tone and style, while also changing the dynamic between the cast members in a way which sets it apart from season one. The high school reunion last year gave the characters an opportunity to get to know one another, whereas the wedding venue this season allows us to learn more about Aniq and Zoe, as well as bringing in new characters to their inner circle. The writing in this season is equally sharp. Anna Konkle and Elizabeth Perkins became more likable over the course of the season. The first nine episodes of season two kept me as entertained and as intrigued as season one. I haven’t seen the finale yet, so I can’t tell you who did it. But the journey through the first nine episodes was just as entertaining. It may be some time before we see a third episode of this whodunit. However, I am sure that we will eventually find Aniq and Zoe involved in an unexpected case. The Afterparty is a mystery that’s worth solving, and it shows how talented the new cast of actors are at playing different roles in totally different genres. I love this season just as much as the previous one and can’t wait to see how it all ends. I know that no one will ever look at crypto, lizards, or Adderall the same way after they finish this run of The Afterparty.
Season two of
The Afterparty premieres on July 12th on AppleTV+.9
Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch