The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Travis
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The bride’s ex tells his story in the style of a film noir on The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 3, “Travis.”
Just like last season’s psychological thriller installment, The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 4, “Chelsea,” Travis’ episode fits with the overall murder mystery theme really well. The dark and moody recounting from a self-proclaimed online detective is prime for the narrative, giving the writers, Christopher Miller and Mike Rosolio, a lot to work within the film noir genre.
Mimicking the hard-boiled, world-weary private eye doublespeak, complete with puns and old-timey language, Paul Walter Hauser has Travis fitting into that world as naturally as can be. Not only does this performance suit the theme perfectly but it enhances the comedy as well.
Hauser delivers the noir dialogue with panache, making some of the more ridiculous lines more funny than silly. He is also able to achieve the right amount of symmetry between Travis’ real world persona and his noir counterpart.
This is shown particularly well at the point of the interrogation when Travis recalls his encounter with Aniq who is there questioning him with Danner. Aniq reacts to him both in the present and the flashback when Travis thinks “switching tables” is code, and both exchanges are delightful.
In fact, most of the time spent with Travis, Aniq, and Danner provide many laughs along with moving the narration and investigation forward.
But the one finding the most useful clues is Zoë. Her own private inquiry into Edgar’s death is really fun to watch.
On The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 2, “Grace,” Zoe Chao shows off her physical comedy prowess by wrestling with the dead body to open Edgar’s locked phone. On this episode we are treated to this adorably enthusiastic novice gumshoe version of Zoë.
Her expressions and line delivery—along with the funny banter between Aniq, Danner, and Travis—make the present day portion just as entertaining as the noir telling.
One thing that stands out on Travis’ episode is that there are some central players while other characters take a backseat. We see very little of Feng, Vivian, Ulysses, and Isabel, and quite a bit of Hannah.
Something shady is going on with the groom’s adopted sister and she’s the next suspect on the list. So far, on this second season, the ending of one episode sets up the following one perfectly.
I definitely want to learn more about Hannah sooner rather than later, so I’m happy the investigation will focus on Anna Konkle’s intriguing character.
Travis’ story is told in exaggerated black & white noir, and these particular tropes lend themselves to parody. Not only is the comedy top-notch but the cinematography is as well, showcasing a respect for the well-known film style.
The dramatic lighting is executed extremely well, honoring one of the main tenets of noir.
Stellar performances combined with the beautifully-shot noir scenes make this episode, also directed by Miller, a strong installment of the series overall.
What did you think of this episode of The Afterparty? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
New episodes of The Afterparty stream Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.
One thought on “The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Travis”
did anyone else notice the headline “Tony Shalhoub is the anti Christ” as the papers were scrolling on the screen? would love an explanation from writer, director, actors, or someone
Comments are closed.