After eight episodes of The Afterparty, we finally receive the answer to the biggest mystery: who killed Xavier? Though Danner has a good idea of the night’s events, she still has to ask the youngest guest at the house some questions to fill in the final blanks.
“Maggie” refers to Zoë and Brett’s daughter who has been out in the car for most of the night. Though that didn’t prevent her from joining in the festivities a little bit and observing some key happenings. The episode showcases our final genre, the children’s film. It’s a fun and silly take and portrayed as a live action cartoon. There is plenty of slapstick comedy and zany sound effects that matches well with a young imagination. The music, exaggerated lip synching, and occasional muppet all enhance the playful tone. Maggie’s interpretations of more adult activities are funny and demonstrates her innocence.
That is all a tasty appetizer to the big The Afterparty reveal when Danner finally lays everything out. She deftly explains what happened that night and throws in theatrics and curveballs to keep everyone on their feet. It’s impressive and comprehensive even shining light on some of the season’s lesser questions. Tiffany Haddish excels as Danner’s confidence and attitude grow the more her story plays out. After hearing it all, there’s some added replay value going back to the earlier episodes to see the continuity. You would have to be a really observant viewer to catch everything on a first run through before the finale.
The real star though is Sam Richardson. His subtle facial expressions hearing the truth speak volumes to the disappointment, shock, and hurt Aniq experiences. You can see the gears moving in his head as he anticipates what comes next and is able to pick up at points in Danner’s explanation in a verbal tag team against the killer. When confronted for eavesdropping on everyone’s statements, Richardson also brings a genuine sincerity when admitting how much he empathizes with his former classmates after hearing their stories. I’ll reiterate what I said in the premiere and say that the actor has enough charisma and presence to be a lead as well as take on more dramatic roles.
The ending comes to a satisfying, albeit straight forward, conclusion. There aren’t any real big twists but it is disheartening to think that one of these characters we’ve grown fond of over the season is a killer. It’s also a little cliched and predictable that someone finally remembers Walt’s name but very gratifying that Danner sticks it to Detective Germain. Plus, before the finale we learned that Danner will be back to solve another big case in a second season.
The season one finale of The Afterparty delivers a quirky and fun children’s story in the first half while answering the big mystery in a satisfying way through stand out performances from Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson.
Binge the entire first season of The Afterparty on Apple TV+.
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