The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Sebastian

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.

Sebastian’s story on The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 5, “Sebastian,” is surprisingly unpretentious and a whole lot of fun.

I was prepared not to like this episode because Sebastian did not seem like an interesting character, and the slick heist narrative suggested an unimaginative plot. I love being proved wrong in situations like this. 

Although, the cryptocurrency portion of the story continues to be tedious and bland. Luckily, Sebastian’s tale encompasses so much more than that.

The big takeaway I get from the episode is that Sebastian is not a bad guy, but Edgar definitely is. Whether Edgar is portrayed as more villainous due to the style of Sebastian’s story remains to be seen, but it comes across as true to the character. 

It really makes me glad that Edgar winds up dead, that’s for sure!

This is a similar element to the murder on The Afterparty‘s first season. Xavier (Dave Franco) was awful from the get-go, so it was satisfying that he was the one that was offed even when we didn’t know who the killer was. 

It’s worth noting, at least to me, that Xavier—whose first name is really Eugene—was a douchebag obsessed with the letter X, as indicated by this quote from The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 1, “Aniq:”

News anchor: At the age of 21, Xavier went platinum with the song “X Marks the G-Spot” off his album, Somebody Xave Me.

If you had asked yourself then what it would be like if Xavier took over Twitter, you’d now have your answer. 

Speaking of the first season, there is a great cameo by Yasper, played so delightfully by Ben Schwartz, who is serving his life sentence in the same prison as Sebastian’s con cousins.

I was hoping there would be cameos from The Afterparty Season 1 to join Danner, Aniq, and Zoë, and this one is an unexpected treat. 

Yasper: When the world hears what I’ve been cooking up behind these very thick walls, you might as well give me another life sentence because I will be guilty of killing it. 

The mechanics of the heist are executed really well, cinematically speaking. There is suspense, intrigue, baseball cards, and nail-biting games of Connect 4. Cracking into Edgar’s safe is Mission: Impossible-level stuff and involves his lizard, Roxana. 

My favorite aspect of Sebastian’s story is that the posh British accent is fake. Jack Whitehall does an exemplary job shifting between the two, and as a result, tells Sebastian’s tale in an engaging and entertaining manner.

And Danner, especially, is enjoying interrogating him. Their banter—and the way it annoys Aniq—throughout the episode is another highlight.

Another suspect is crossed off my list at the conclusion of “Sebastian.” At least I hope he’s not the killer ’cause I’m just now starting to like the guy.

The Afterthoughts:

• “Then she goes after my mom and my entire family. Which actually makes me think that she did it. You know, like, a ‘whoever smelt it dealt it’ situation but for murder.” This is a decent line, but it is Zoe Chao’s delivery that makes it funny. 
• I recently rewatched I, Tonya—I’m on a Margot Robbie kick, what can I say—and realized it’s The Afterparty‘s Paul Walter Hauser who plays Shawn, Tonya’s “bodyguard.” Travis and Shawn are alike in their over-posturing as serious players in the game. It takes thoughtful attention to the comedic aspect of the character to achieve that effect, and Hauser has perfected it. Hauser is also excellent in dramatic roles; please see his award-winning turn as Larry Hall on the limited series Black Bird. Talk about range!
• “May the best man win.” 
• I’m happy to see the Grace-Hannah ship is still afloat.  

What did you think of this episode of The Afterparty? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of The Afterparty stream Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

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