‘Party Down’ Recap: ‘Kyle Bradway is Nitromancer’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Three Premiere of ‘Party Down’. To revisit seasons one and two of the show, click here. 
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One particular question that we ask of others and others ask of us is… where do you see yourself in ten years? And we ask that question because we are forward thinking creatures, the kind that harbor dreams and hopes and plans for what tomorrow may hold and asking that question or being prompted to answer it helps us to understand that plan for ourselves and for others, and hopefully it keeps everyone involved in that conversation on track toward that ten-year plan. But alas, what’s fascinating about that question is that it really is nothing more than a fleeting moment of fantasy. For none of us know the future, nor do we have any clue what will happen in the next ten years since life can take us to some wild places on a moment’s notice and never was that truth more evident than in the season three premiere of the wildly popular cult classic STARZ series, Party Down.
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For ‘Kyle Bradway is Nitromancer’ is a story that picked up ten years after the season two finale of the show, wherein… we came to learn about where life can take us in a decade. Sometimes for instance… nothing changes all that much as evidenced by Rowan and Ron’s journeys since we came to learn here… they were still working at Party Down with Ron running the show. For others… ten years allows for life to settle into calm since Lydia was enjoying her time as her daughter’s manager and Constance’s rich husband left this plane of existence and left her everything, giving rise to comfort and peace and through Henry’s journey we were reminded… that life can take us to some very unique places. Since this once hopeful actor found the path to marriage and steady work as an English teacher and the catch-up session didn’t end there. 

Because this story also informed us, that sometimes… ten years’ time does net us exactly what we want Since we came to learn that Casey found the success she wanted and so did Kyle Bradway. Since this story focused on his big night. For he landed the coveted superhero role, Nitromancer, in the mega movie of the same name and that brought everyone together again and allowed for them to reflect upon the journey. Which was joyous for some, and bittersweet for others, but this premiere did exactly what we were hoping for. It showed us what the team has been up to since that wondrous wedding episode, and it was the perfect way to immerse us back into their world and their lives in a smooth manner. Plus, it allowed for depth and subtle moments to come forth regarding the journey they’ve all been upon. All of which kept the realism and relatability of this series alive and well, and its wonder didn’t end there.

Simply because, what would an episode of Party Down be without some shenanigans and twists and turns and surprises? And those were here in spades. Courtesy of Ron’s dilemma in trying to buy the franchise outright, since he came to learn that debt, he incurred was going to make that quite difficult. Forcing him to go to extremes to try and save the company and poor Kyle… was dealing with some past echoes from his former band. The kind that brought forth questions regarding whether or not the upcoming star of Nitromancer had ties to the scummy world that only Neo-Nazis populate and well… that ended up bringing about quite the painful twist for Kyle. One that oddly tied into the theme since that too reminded us of the fact that life takes us on some crazy and wild turns, a point that was also hammered home by story’s ending.  

Since we came to learn that this particular celebration and evening, took place in the year 2020, at a time when the world was concerned about a potential viral outbreak from the Coronavirus that found its way to American shores and that perfectly speaks to the theme, and the fleeting nature of that question, and it truly brought home the fact… that this remains one of the most relatable comedies out there. Since everything here, felt like old times with the gang and was as reflective and as introspective as ever, and as funny as ever too, since the humor here was flawless through and through, and well… it’s just great to have this show back. Plus, it’s equally as wonderful to know, that it hasn’t missed a beat and that we are going to be treated to another incredible journey with this crew, one that will offer up the same magnificent echo of life that we’ve come to expect from this classic. Until next time. 

To learn more about the return of ‘Party Down’. Visit our preview article to hear about the revival process from Showrunner John Enbom and check out our interview with Martin Starr and Ryan Hansen.  

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