The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 1 takeaways: A modern whodunit for Gen Z

Romance, murder, a literal 'afterparty', and a deep desire to be The Thin Man make this episode likable in its characters and execution. Apple TV+ has dropped its newest series entitled The Afterparty with some interesting characters, plot twists, and a hilarious lead performance from Tiffany Haddish.

Usually, whodunits made nowadays are a case of Sherlock Holmes imitation syndrome. However, this series can stay afloat with a fresh take on the genre. It’s about a group of people coming together for a high school reunion.

The much-famous Xavier (Dave Franco) is shockingly murdered by one of the party guests. It is now up to Haddish’s Detective Danner to find the suspect.

Here are the main takeaways from the first episode of The Afterparty.

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The Afterparty: People’s perceptions are always différent

Tiffany Haddish as Detective Dinner (Image via Apple TV)

In the first episode alone, the party-goers witness the murder of Xavier and get questioned by the police. Detective Danner has already deduced that everyone has a différent story. Since that remains to be accurate, details can become skewed and blurred when the witness recalls the scene of the crime.

Trying to match every story is already so disheartening and complicated that a person’s word is not enough to properly discern what truly happened, which is why there needs to be more evidence. Danner begins to interview each witness one at a time, adjacent to Knives Out and uses her unique people skills to get the information out of them.

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Th suspect is not always the killer

The cast of the series (Image via Apple TV)

In almost every whodunit, many audiences will believe that the person with the most likely motive has committed the crime. In the end, it is revealed that someone who was the least likely to commit the crime was behind the deceptive act. This is made solely to throw the characters and audience off their tracks and backpedal in their assessments.

It’s an old habit and tool of filmmaking that has yet to die out and remains a mainstay in the art of cinema, not only for entertainment but for character development.

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People will tolerate you if you have enough clout

Dave Franco as Xavier in The Afterparty (Image via Apple TV)

Dave Franco has become very annoying in the show as the rich, arrogant snob Xavier. He lavishly spends money, rides into lowkey events in helicopters for attention, and flirts with other women already talking to someone.

Without the money and the fame, Xavier would be another annoying prick with a big ego. People tolerate him because of his possessions, and people either want his lifestyle or resent him because of it.