What I’m Watching: Party Down

Party Down: Season 2, Episode 3 “Nick DiCintio’s Orgy Night” (B+)

After two episodes that weren’t completely spectacular, we have an installment that exemplifies what’s best about this show. The crazier the party the crew is catering, the more entertaining things tend to be, and in this case the theme of the party was pretty intense but none of the guest seemed to get that. Nick’s continued insistence that it was implied on the invitation was fun, and I loved having Thomas Lennon, who recently tried to seduce Paul Rudd in “I Love You Man,” as that character. His asking Roman for help but refusing to let him join in the festivities was amusing, as was Lydia’s efforts to sleep with Nick despite his blatant ignorance of her presence or her advances. I particularly love the dynamic between the main characters and how it comes into play here. The most wonderful part is seeing Henry loosen up and bond with Ron, sharing a moment of laughter when Uda calls Henry. Though it’s extremely volatile, the relationship between Henry and Casey is also fun. I enjoyed him asking why her was she was so pissed off and her readily explaining that it was due to her finding porn on the computer as well as her being on her period. Their discussion about why men and women do what they do was terrific, and it’s good to see them still working out as characters even though they’re no longer engaged in any true kind of intimate relationship. The constantly rotating shifts taken on by the crew, spearheaded by Ron and Casey continually asking for different duties, was a nice entertaining subplot throughout the episode.