Well Party Downers, this is it, the end of Season 2, and possibly the show. This season, Party Down established itself as one of the finest comedies on television. It’s grand finale was funny and bittersweet, a culmination of what the show was all season. While I don’t think the episode was the best of a stellar 10 episodes, it was pretty high up there on the list. With the triumphant return of Jane Lynch/Constance, Party Down set the table for its possible future, one in which Ron gets his dream girl, Roman writes a masterpiece, and Henry (might) go on to bigger and better things.
It was great to see Lynch back on the show, where she was a natural fit. Lynch is the bright spot of Glee, but as the undying optimist Constance, she was at the top of her game. Now engaged to Howard Greengold, an elderly Jewish movie producer that is making Constance 10th wife, a fact that makes Casey and Henry very nervous. Their wedding is a cross between traditional Jewish and Buddhist hippie, with yarmulkes and pot cookies, several of which are mistakenly eaten by Roman. Kyle’s band is set to play a song for the soon to be happy couple, and Ron must confront the fact that Danielle, her fiance, and her Party Down-owning father are there. And then there’s poor Lydia, Constance’s replacement, who can’t figure out “which part is flanks.”
For a while, the party seemed to be going in just a completely disastrous direction. The pot cookies sent Roman into a hazed out world, where he calls paramedics, fearing that he’s dying. Constance threatens a still confused Lydia. Danielle breaks off her relationship with Ron, tearing him apart. Casey becomes increasingly more concerned that Constance is going to have to sign away everything in a pre-nup forced upon her and Howard by the latter’s daughter. And then there’s Kyle’s song, perhaps my favorite part of the episode. Singing about the trials of a young, wannabe actor, Kyle sings to a group of elderly Jews that, “they brand you with a star,” and “give you a number.” His complete ignorance combined with his sincerity in singing the song made the moment less cringe inducing and more hysterically funny.
Perhaps the most poignant scene the show has ever done happens in a study, where Henry finds Casey in tears over the news that her big scene in the Apatow movie was cut. He tries his hardest to encourage her not to give up, and seemed sincere in doing so, but Casey justifiably doesn’t want to hear it from a guy who, for the whole show, has reveled in the fact that he’s given up. Party Down had relatively few somewhat serious scenes, and this one stood out thanks to the chemistry between Adam Scott and Lizzie Caplan.
But Party Down surprisingly enough, wasn’t ready to leave our characters at the lowest depths. Ron stands up during the wedding when the call for objections is made (as did Patrick Duffy!), and professed his love for Danielle, a move that got him punched in the face, but also won over Danielle. Constance’s friend that baked the pot cookies talks Roman through it all, and helps him wright his “masterpiece” on a roll of toilet paper. And though Howard dies in the car as it’s leaving the wedding, Constance is grateful for their time together, and its discovered Howard had signed the pre-nup as “Jack Shit,” which Henry knows from an earlier conversation that he genuinely loved her. Unlike it’s first season, Party Down ends on a happy note for Henry, as he fails to show up to an event as he goes in for an audition on an indie film that Kyle was reading. It leaves a smile on Casey’s face, and it shows Henry, our character stuck in a rut since Episode 1, finally making a go of the career that he should have had.
And thus ended a stellar season of Party Down, one I really think rivals the other top notch comedies on TV right now. Season One was good, and it had some great moments, but for the most part, it was about establishing the characters and the atmosphere of the show. With the establishment out of way, Season Two allowed for more tinkering with these characters. We learned that Roman wasn’t an undiscovered writer, but one that focused more on his own genius. We learned Henry was actually a good actor, not just one that had his moment. And we learned that poor Ron will have everything bad happen to him, but in the end, he’s got someone in the world just like him.
I was pretty frustrated after reading Troy Patterson’s article on the show for Slate, who said the show, “would seem even funnier if it were not so heavily indebted to the funniest TV shows of recent years.” Aren’t all shows heavily indebted to something else? Wasn’t Arrested Development indebted to The Simpsons or The Office to Curb Your Enthusiasm? What Patterson seems to ignore is that television is a constantly building medium. Every great show begets another great show. I guarantee soon enough you’ll read a review of a new comedy that is viewed as indebted to Party Down.
A possible third season (the show hasn’t been picked up by Starz yet) would more than likely see big changes with Adam Scott only being able to appear in 3 episodes after moving to Parks and Rec, and Ryan Hansen getting a gig with a new show. But while I’m hesitant about this great show losing it’s more or less principle character, this season showed me just how good Party Down‘s writers are and how well this show is at adapting to a revolving cast of characters. But if this is it for Party Down, then man did it go out on one hell of a high note.
Other Notes:
- Two other great moments: Danielle using the excuse that her dress was on backwards, when it actually was on backwards, and Ron’s elated news to Danielle that her parents were getting divorced.
- Though this was the fifth episode to feature a character on a lot of drugs (Season 1 had Casey on Ecstasy and Bobbi on mushrooms, this season had Ron high in a coffin and Lydia “powdering her nose”), I thought the Roman bits were pretty funny, mostly due to Martin Starr’s hilarious facial expressions.
- Be sure to check out Alan Sepinwall’s great interview with PD co-creator John Enbom, in which he talks actor changes and what might happen in a hypothetical season 3.
- What did anyone else think? Should Party Down be used in the same sentence as shows like Parks and Rec and Modern Family?
Michael’s Score: 84
TUiW Grade: A-
Party Down Season 2 Grade: A
Michael
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