The Afterparty: Aniq 2: The Sequel

July 12, 2023 8:36 AM - Season 2, Episode 1

When Zoë's sister's wedding weekend is destroyed by a murder, Aniq calls his old friend Danner to investigate the crime.

"Season two proves that not every successful project needs to be continued; let some things die peacefully instead of turning them into pointless anthologies. Miller, Lord, the cast, and everyone involved can do, and deserve, better." -- Saloni Gajjar, AV Club

"Season 2 does its level best to recreate the magic, but that’s the thing about a great party — once it’s over, it’s hard for anything to live up to the legend." -- Proma Khosla, IndieWire

"And yet the show’s collective charisma and self-amusement can only create so much intrigue in place of a delayed big reveal. But taken in total, as a binge for after a party, it’s still plenty of fun." -- Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

posted by Etrigan (13 comments total)

I watched the first two episodes and I'm having fun. I did always like over-the-top mysteries though.

The biggest problem with this season will undoubtedly be the lack of Ben Schwartz, although Ken Jeong and Jack Whitehall (who I almost didn't recognize because he's doing a Cary Elwes impression instead of his normal accent) have been funny. And Zach Woods is awesome even though he's basically playing the same character he's been doing for years.
posted by mmoncur at 1:30 AM on July 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Cary Elwes is an interesting reference point because I thought that he was giving serious Christopher Guest as the six fingered man vibes.

I’m also enjoying it. Knowing how the first season was constructed, it’s fun picking out weird little holes that you know will get expanded on in the other episodes (where was the lizard when Aniq was looking for her? Is “Gail” just passive aggression or a clue? etc.)
posted by Phase Shifting Pulse Gate at 6:58 AM on July 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

I found Ep 1 dreadfully unfunny, just Aniq being a complete moron over and over again. But Ep 2 was better, more back to the form of season 1 and had some actual funny in there, so I'm hopeful that the genre riffs will be fertile ground again.
posted by LooseFilter at 7:08 AM on July 13, 2023

Sam Richardson can definitely bring the kind of anarchic energy that this show concept needs, but it didn’t quite land in this episode. I think it’s because they went more for a Meet-The-Fockers cringe feel rather than a more antic farce. It needed to be broader. I think this would have worked, even with all the groundwork it needs to lay, if Richardson had played to the rafters—full on Cary-Grant-in-Arsenic-and-Old-Lace levels of incredulity at what’s going on around him.

(Side note: I have not seen any of the Meet the Parents movies. Arsenic and Old Lace, on the other hand…)

Are we doing both episodes here or should we get a separate thread for Grace’s episode?
posted by thecaddy at 9:46 AM on July 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Maybe we can have Ep 1 and 2 here and then do a separate thread for episode 3 when it comes out?

I am enjoying this so far mainly because there are so many good actors in it. It's super fun to see John Cho do something wacky, Paul Walter Hauser is a great "Reddit guy," Poppy Liu is such a talent, Jack Whitehall is such a good jerk and I laugh at any character Zach Woods plays (though I agree, they're samey). I think the only thing that missed for me was having the second episode be full on Victorian fantasy piece. Like in season one there was value in looking for tiny clues, things that changed and even though each person had their own spin on events, it wasn't full on cosplay. I do miss Ben Schwartz and I, too, wish Aniq weren't such a weird dolt though I like that Edgar likes him.
posted by jessamyn at 7:44 AM on July 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

To some extent I do feel like Aniq's doltness is based on the "romantic comedy" retelling
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:40 PM on July 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

On Ep 2 -- the genre is Regency Romance? Aspects of Grace and Edgar's characters, and their families' class relationships, may mirror Pride & Prejudice?

We're enjoying it.
posted by brendano at 5:31 PM on July 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

We're enjoying it here, too.
It's so obviously the mother of the groom, or maybe his sister, or the bride. Or the brother. Or maybe an accident. I don't really care, so long as the ride is fun.
posted by Acari at 9:17 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

I added a post for episode 3.
posted by jessamyn at 9:45 AM on July 21, 2023

Yeah there were about a dozen references to Pride and Prejudice. Plus Grace’s wedding dress had an armoire waistline. The ones I caught were Grace out right referring to the estate as Pemberly - her making the joke about being flown away to Amsterdam at the picnic, which was a pretty good mirror to Elizabeth’s joke to Jame about Pemberly -
posted by bq at 6:42 AM on July 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’m not in love so far. One of the things I liked best about S1 was that Danner was out to be a good detective - was trying to make detective even- so while she was using the “tell your movie” as her way in, there was a method to the madness and you had the sense that there were stakes for her to solve it - when stories got too silly, she wanted them to go back on the rails. These last two shows, that’s gone. Now she isn’t even a detective anymore, she’s all about the stories, so it feels like there’s no anchor at all. And they’ve turned her into an incompetent (she’s not even writing the book she quit the force to write?) In a real crime scene, Aniq is a suspect even if he’s the one who called her in. And people’s stories should be treated like witnesses / suspects — start with where they were at the wedding and then we can deal with their backstories. Episode 2 was fun, but it felt like basically the High School episode from s1 - it gave almost nothing except the Adderall and the prenup.

I just feel like there aren’t any stakes now. Does the identity of the murderer matter to anyone?

The acting is fantastic, though, and the commitment to the production is great. I’ll give it at least one more.
posted by Mchelly at 8:21 AM on July 26, 2023

The puppets that Grace "knitted" are both clearly crocheted. For a show that is so incredibly careful about details, I will be so, so mad if that is just an error and not a clue of some kind.
posted by SeedStitch at 6:18 PM on August 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

Episode 1:

As a yarnie, I laugh at that last one. I have also long since given up on non-yarnies knowing any kind of difference.

Who murders a poor innocent lizard?!?!

I wasn't going to watch this after the bad reviews, but the first episode wasn't bad? It was pretty "Meet The Parents" embarrassment factor for poor Aniq and I am not into that, but I rather liked that Edgar liked him? It did work as a romantic comedy of awkwardness.

On a related note, I went out for Hawaiian shaved ice today and recounted the Taiwanese shaved ice thing to my friend because we go to this place with extremely fine shaved ice once in awhile (I don't know the ice's uh, nationality, but the franchise is called Vampire Penguin).

OMG THE FUNCLE OMG OMG.

Episode 2: on the one hand, fantasy turning it into Bridgerton/Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice whatever is weird, but they do kinda make it work? Grace is downright adorable dealing with Edgar and Roxana without being fazed (after the first scream, anyway). Their dorky dancing ("Douglas") is adorable, as is Edgar's defense of her. The helicopter cracks me up. I am desperately rooting for these two crazy kids, except, well... you know....They're so cute together in their weird little ways, darn it. Are we sure he's dead and this isn't a fakeout?!

Ken Jeong: the guy who eats the potpourri and air freshener and has his logo on the back of his Regency jacket.

Ohhhh, that tame outdoor picnic was the bachelorette party?!?

"The worst thing about the wedding is the guests," lol.

Funcle Ulysses's dancing reminds me of my cousin Bill, a guy who looks like a tech nerd (okay, so he is) but can cut a VERY FAST RUG at a wedding.

I was really enjoying this until Zoe and Travis started messing with the body. Uck, guys. Also not liking how Danner's all "I don't care if you mess with the crime scene." Come on, girl.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:24 PM on August 20, 2023