In The Afterparty season 2, when Zoë’s sister’s husband is killed right after their wedding, Aniq invites Danner to investigate, as the case is close to Zoë’s family. The second season is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Story
Aniq and Zoë arrive at Minnows Estate Vineyard for Zoë’s sister Grace’s wedding to Edgar Minnows, a big name in the tech industry. Zoë and Grace’s parents, Vivian and Feng, have already arrived.
Aniq is planning to make a great impression on Zoë’s parents in order to receive their blessing to propose to Zoë. However, not everything goes as planned when Edgar is found dead after the wedding. Edgar and his pet lizard were poisoned.
Edgar’s mother, Isabel, is quick to accuse Grace, claiming that Grace married her son for the money. She calls her sheriff friend to make the arrest.
Since the case is close to Zoë, Aniq calls and invites Danner to investigate, who has now become an author but is ready to help Aniq out. Grace aside, every other guest at the wedding is a suspect and could be behind Edgar’s murder.
Performances
Tiffany Haddish, as Danner, Sam Richardson, as Aniq, and Zoë Chao, as Zoë, pick up their roles like they never left their characters.
The partnership of Haddish and Richardson continues to be the soul of the investigation in the show. They channel the energy the two characters should carry when they are together.
Richardson shares great chemistry with Zoë Chao too. They are able to convey why Aniq and Zoë are perfect together.
The Afterparty season 2 certainly brings a star-studded cast that plays a group of characters that are quite distinct from one another. Each one of them makes an impression when they are given a chance to tell their story.
Paul Walter Hauser as Travis embraces the silliness and absurdity of his character to the point where he will make viewers laugh in every scene Travis is featured in.
In contrast to Hauser’s performance, Ken Jeong as Feng carries the heart of a hard-working family man. While Hauser makes the viewers crack up, Jeong will have them in tears. The Afterparty season 2 is packed with such distinct performances.
Positives
Much like the characters, the backstories featured in The Afterparty season 2 are also quite distinguishable and kept fresh. It is never just the retelling of events that lead up to the murder.
The show dives deep into the lives of the characters before coming close to the day of the murder. This way, everything feels new, and a viewer will feel like they are watching a new movie that just has the same ending.
The Afterparty, as a series, is definitely a celebration of cinema and genres. Keeping that in mind, the show continues to be flawless when it comes to perfecting the craft of a genre.
From color grading to aesthetics to tone to other minor details, everything is taken into account while making an episode dedicated to a particular genre. The actors taking the genre seriously is another cherry on top.
Negatives
While The Afterparty season 2 keeps the details intact, not every other story told is going to appeal to a viewer or add excitement to the narrative. A couple of episodes are dull.
Also, the series, as a comedy, doesn’t promise the laughter riot that it should. At times, the jokes don’t really land the way they should.
The finale explores two very exciting genres. However, these genres get very little time, as the show favors solving the mystery and closing the season over them.
Verdict
The Afterparty season 2 has managed to live up to its first season and keep things fresh despite having a formulaic approach. The new diverse stories and a strong performance by the cast make the second season worthwhile.
The Afterparty season 2
Director: Eric Appel, Anu Valia, Christopher Miller, Tamra Davis, Peter Atencio
Date Created: 2023-07-12 06:30
3.5
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