What I’m Watching: Party Down

Party Down: Season 2, Episode 7 “Party Down Company Picnic” (B+)

What a fun opportunity this was to see the Party Down crew out of their uniforms and in civilian clothes as they attend their seasonal company picnic. It’s great that Ron still dresses up in a tie when he doesn’t have to and, as Henry correctly points out, Kyle and Roman spend their day off turning their jobs into a contest. Uda’s catering crew really does make for a fabulous villainous group. Seeing Lydia’s daughter Escapade just makes it clearer, if it wasn’t entirely clear already, how out of touch with reality Lydia really is. Kyle giving Escapade advice, like to go to bars but not to share with anyone that she’s fourteen years old, was hilarious, but what proved to be truly awesome was when Lydia stepped it up and cut Kyle’s $300 shirt with her $1.29 scissors and threatened to call his manager and reveal that he wasn’t actually gay. It may not be a traditional way of solving problems, but it sure as hell works here, and the incredibly dumb Kyle doesn’t even seem to mind. Casey’s sudden decision to become a champion is fantastic, and I enjoyed seeing here extremely competitive side. The return of Kristen Bell as Uda was, as expected, excellent, and seeing her constantly on her Bluetooth and then break up with Henry just as he was about to break up with her was a fitting departure for a fun (or, more accurately, a stick in the mud) character. Ron’s fortune in finding the perfect woman in the form of the company head’s daughter after she threw a horseshoe at his back could have worked out so well, but of course, she has a fiancée. That man can never catch a break, though at least Henry decides to give him control, albeit minus the raise and benefits, of the crew once again. Seeing Henry and Casey back together and on the same level next episode should be a lot of fun.