‘Party Down’ Recap: “Once Upon a Time ‘Proms Away’ Prom-Otional Event”

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘Party Down’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we are in the midst of working a job that is in fact, beneath us and a struggle to deal with, we lament it and rightfully so. After all, that job sucks, in every way imaginable, and includes tasks and duties that are just annoying and yes, beneath us. But we put up with them in the moment to cash the check they send our way and to bide our time until something better comes along and when that does… then we look upon those ugly jobs fondly. For they are the ones that taught us our worth, and they also help us appreciate the discipline we learned while sweating away doing those annoying tasks and well, that all-important lesson is top of mind today, simply because the next episode of Party Down on STARZ explored it in a unique manner.
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For when we caught up with the team in “Once Upon a Time ‘Proms Away’ Prom-Otional Event”, they were preparing to help Lydia provide her daughter, Escapade, with the prom she missed out on as a child. Something Lydia mentioned back at Jack Botty’s party and well… being in the heart of a prom/promo event for a new movie, put everyone in a reflective place. Where they’d been, where they were going or not going, and what needed to happen to get them going. Which really did create an interesting vibe for the party, one that featured some lighthearted moments of course, such as the epic dance off between Sackson and Kyle. Because holy hell, that was utterly amazing and hilarious, and it also brought forth some tender moments since Lydia came to learn that her worries were unfounded about her daughter. Since she was in a good place and more worried about her mom’s happiness at this point over anything else. 

But while that reflective place brought out youthful feelings in some, and hope for others, it put Ron in a very unique mindset. One where he genuinely realized that this job had done a lot for him and that he truly cared about it and its success. To the point where he came to understand, that if he could get his business card in the hands of the powerful PR agent present at this gig… he could elevate what he worked so hard to bring to life. The only problem was… he had some bad shellfish before the party started and that messed him up bad. To the point where he had to cake his face in foundation to not look flushed and where he broke every health code known to man by emptying himself into a massive cooking pot when the rotten shellfish wanted out. 

Which meant he needed to lean on Constance to help him land the deal, which made her nervous since that kind of work wasn’t her style. But she too knew what this business meant to her and how it helped sustain her and others and she buckled down and sealed the deal. Hammering home how the journey makes us value the tough days and that was further explored by Henry. Who finally landed the acting gig of a lifetime in this tale, courtesy of Evie’s promotion at work, and well… that too… allowed for Henry to ponder upon this job and what it had done for him. Because despite being back in the thick of it during a rough time… without being here and without being part of this team, the journey would not have brought him to this job and the newfound love he was enjoying and well, all of these moments made for one surprisingly moving episode. 

Simply because… this really was a celebration of the journey, and everything it entails in a positive and negative manner, and how we come to appreciate the journey, and it was also, a stunningly funny episode as well. Since Roman getting a compliment and a development deal (a move that also called back to the central theme of this tale) led to some hilarious misunderstandings in matters of love, and the other jokes present here were just top notch and also… Ken Marino deserves a loud round of applause for his performance here and his work this season, period. Because he has just been slaying as a director and an actor, and this was a fine reminder of how skilled he is as a comedian, for certain, and well… with everyone on the cusp of new beginnings and new chapters, it will be interesting to see what comes next for this team when the season three finale drops next week. Until then.

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