A torturous journey escalating to grotesquerie in the second half, maybe to an extreme bordering absurdity by the end. Dark and unsettling, I was freaked out most of the way through. Rich photography, and fleshy, disturbing performances by the leads.
I went awhile vaguely knowing about Party Down‘s existence and I’m so glad I finally took the plunge. It’s kind of shocking to see a proliferation of new comedies – Party Down, Community, Modern Family, Archer - that confidently strut through their first seasons and come up with real, consistent laughs. All benefit from casts that have an easy chemistry, and this one is especially good, all playing either has-beens or aspiring nobodies. Ken Marino’s likeably pitiable boss, Adam Scott’s washed-up actor, Martin Starr’s unpleasant and vicious nerd, among others; none surprise you that they’ve ended up working at a cut-rate catering service.
I think one part of the production that the show really benefits from is its typical episode structure: taking place over the course of a single gig, we see each event from start to finish, which may not quite be real-time but lends situations a certain presence and continuity. Anyway, it’s funny, watch it.
