Party Down Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Jack Botty's Delayed Post-Pandemic Surprise Party
Mary Littlejohn
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Party Down is cringe-comedy at its finest. These characters and this cast continue to set the bar high.
On Party Down Season 3 Episode 2, Evie throws Jack a surprise party, not anticipating everything that could go wrong and how little everyone cares.
In this post-pandemic era, parties feel a little more special than they used to. We've all been to our share of long-delayed parties.
Underneath the jokes and discomfort, Party Down is so relatable at its core, which is a big part of the appeal.
Many industries suffered, and, of course, catering was one of them. Plenty of small businesses were left scrambling to stay afloat.
The cast was over a decade younger in the original two seasons, and they still had some hopefulness.
This season stands in contrast. Those of us who watched it then are also older, and many of us have been through something similar.
It's still a comedy, cringy and sharp as ever, but the shine has worn off for the characters.
There's a lot less to look forward to, and most of the Party Down staff (Henry, Roman, and Kyle, in particular) are merely going through the motions.
Things are still crumbling. Not everyone can pick up the pieces of what they lost.
Lucy Dang: You get an innocent, child-like sweetness up front followed by an earthy whiff of decay.
Ron Donald: Why?
Lucy Dang: It’s a rumination on mortality.
This is the side of hustle culture we don't often see -- the fact that for every actor or content creator that makes it, you have the ones who don't make it, who are relegated to jobs they hate because they never achieved their dreams.
This episode is particularly brutal, because the failed actors are forced to be subservient to those who came out on top.
Hustle culture mentality is real and damaging. Nobody is where they want to be.
Oh, Henry.
Just when you think you have your life together (maybe not how you imagined it, but doing okay), you get hit by a curveball. The pandemic threw a lot of people's lives into disarray, and strained marriages buckled under the pressure. Henry's was one of them.
Roman DeBeers: You must be happy that they changed the blatantly misandristic alimony laws.
Henry Pollard: Actually, I still pay. She makes less than I do.
Roman DeBeers: Less than a teacher? What does she do, is she a shoe shine at a bus station?
Unfortunately, he can't make alimony payments on a teacher's salary, and so he is now back at Party Down. He's now unapologetically stealing prescription opioids. Henry knows what he can get away with -- he's been through this before.
It's not where he wants to be, but he's stuck treading water for the foreseeable future.
Jennifer Garner is, as always, eminently likable. Her Evie is practical, no-nonsense, direct, and sees through the bullshit. She's still a human, but she's more frustrated at herself than emotionally devastated at Jack's indiscretion.
Evie and Henry are definitely going to hook up. It's obvious. Their banter is delightful. The scene in her office would have gone much worse if she didn't find him endearingly charming. It's going to happen.
Evie Adler: So, you don’t act any more at all?
Henry Pollard: Only when I say “my pleasure” as I hand people drinks.
Kyle, too, is suffering, having gotten "semi-canceled" and now working at his would-have-been co-star's party. Of course it sucks. He may never get another acting gig.
Ryan Hansen portrays Kyle with the perfect amount of smiling defeatism, like he's just resigned to it, but he tries not to think too hard about it. (Kyle doesn't seem to think too hard about anything).
Tandy is a reference to the washed-up side of it, too -- even fame doesn't last when you have it. She's a former child star struggling to stay relevant. On some level, that's everyone's struggle.
Lydia managed to pivot to a decent career but seems to have lost her soul in the process and may be irrevocably damaging her daughter, too. When Kyle Bradway offers you insightful perspective, that's a sign to reevaluate.
However, she still manages to save the day with a party deposit after Ron botches his future with Jack Botty in order to smell better. (Seriously -- how did he think he wouldn't get caught?)
Ken Marino is so damn perfect as Ron. He's the epitome of the worst of hustle culture. He wears his four COVID bouts as a badge of honor. His commitment to the "grind" is damaging to his body and soul.
He's doing what it takes to survive, and it's hard not to feel for him, despite his treating his employees like crap.
If you've ever worked in food service (actually, most customer service in general), you've probably worked with a Ron Donald, so your mileage may vary and how sympathetic -- or just pathetic -- you find him.
Zoe Chao is a wonderful addition as the experimental genius chef, Lucy. She finds the comedy in playing it completely straight, an artist who takes herself so seriously she threatens to sabotage both the party and herself.
I’m not a storyteller. My medium is food. The point is a true artist is breaking the rules all the time.
Lucy Dang
Lucy is a satire of the snobbish chefs who believe themselves above it all, but Chao balances the pomposity with quirkiness and sincerity.
We didn't get much in the way of Roman this episode, so hopefully, Martin Starr's dour vlogger/would-be novelist will get more time to shine in future episodes.
Sackson is a good foil because he still has youthful energy, seeing his older counterparts not necessarily as something to aspire to but as a cautionary tale.
Sackson is ambitious and sees his position as a stepping stone, a means to an end, something he'll escape from well before he ages.
He gravitates to Constance for advice because she's the only one who seems to have found true success (even though she just fell into it).
Jane Lynch once again blesses us with another classic "how much of this dialogue is improvised?" scene. You have to love the absurdity of her musings. It's why she's here.
What are laws, anyway, but basically rules?
Constance Carmell
On another note, it was great to hear James Marsden sing! As a fan of his from Enchanted and Hairspray, it was delightful. The man is good at what he does!
The fact that the episode ended on a deadpan note about Sackson's uncle getting mauled by a bear was just brutally funny. It's fantastic how the cut to credits is used so effectively as a punchline.
Best Throwaway Joke: Secret weddings, illegal poker tournaments, goth raves, unpermitted underground brisses...
This episode flew by, but it helped establish where these characters are at in their lives.
What will be in store for our beleaguered caterers next week? Will we be seeing Escapade's prom in a future episode? That would be fun!
What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Mary Littlejohn Mary Littlejohn was a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic.
