‘The Afterparty’ Recap: ‘Danner’s Fire’

8/9/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Michael Ealy and Tiffany Hadish as Dr. Quentin Devereaux and Detective Danner in Episode 206 of ‘The Afterparty’ – ‘Danner’s Fire’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 206 of ‘The Afterparty’. To revisit the previous episode, clickhere. Also, 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 1990s were a fascinating era for the crime drama and crime thriller, for one reason and one reason alone. Because somewhere, on some random day… a question was asked. Wherein someone wanted to know, what would happen if a crime story was made as sexy and as erotic as possible? Which was a question that piqued interest, and the answer was explored via a bevy of ultra-slick crime thrillers that featured murder and erotica and steamy sex scenes and well, the answer to that question in the end, since these movies came and went pretty fast… was that the end result would be… weird in nature. Not terrible, since those movies are memorable and people talk about them to this day, but they do feature some awkward and wild moments that don’t quite work as well as those creatives might have liked.

If anything, the spicy erotic crime story is top of mind today, because it was reflected upon and deconstructed and lampooned in the next episode of The Afterparty on Apple TV+. For ‘Danner’s Fire’ was the perfect opportunity to explore why Danner left the force and well, that came about because Danner compromised herself on a critical case. For there was a firebug running around town, setting places ablaze and in order to fully prove her gut instinct that the suspect in custody, was innocent, Danner spent time with the man’s therapist, a Dr. Quentin Devereaux. Who had instant chemistry with Danner and they of course, succumbed to desire and took part in a torrid love affair, that screwed up the case badly for Danner. Because it turned out that the good doctor was the firebug all along and was working to keep his burning desires a secret by pinning his crimes on someone else.

But that love affair caused so much chaos and left Danner in such a despondent place when the truth was revealed, that Quentin was able to escape, so that forced Danner to leave the force in disgrace. Which was… quite the powerful tale to tell since it spoke the fallibility and humanity of the character, adding depth to Danner and urgency to the case, since it could serve as her redemption. But what also made this so compelling, was that this story was that perfect tribute/send-up to those erotic crime thrillers of the 90s. Since it perfectly captured the intensity of them, and of course… it made sure to deeply lampoon the sex scenes. In fact, Danner, and Quentin’s spicy connection in front of the fridge may go down as season two’s funniest scene. Courtesy of their ‘erotic’ use of Elbow Macaroni and the advent of Titty Slapping. All of which brought forth a flawless tribute to those films of old, one that properly celebrated their over-the-top sexuality.

But of course, there’s still a case brewing in this household, one that once again progressed in a unique manner as Danner regaled Aniq with tales of slapping titties. For Travis didn’t like the fact that fingers were being pointed and that such an act was dividing the guests and sowing discontent. So, he set out… to prove that anyone on either ‘side’ could have poisoned Edgar, by making tea with tiny does of Devil’s Trumpet to prove how easy it was to make the poison and how there was a delicate line in the dosage of this dangerous flower. Which led to more hilarity in this tale since Travis did get the dosage right and didn’t die but went on one hell of a hallucinogenic ride in the process. But he did prove his point and disarmed everyone in the process regarding the us vs. them mentality brewing… and he even inspired Zoë to find and hide the teapot that Edgar drank from… since that might have the evidence needed to prove who committed this heinous crime.

But that aside, this really was another amazing episode. Because the laughs came in a fast and furious manner in this story thanks to Danner and Devereaux’s burning love affair, but it also offered great depth and character development for Danner, and she was even able to teach Aniq a lesson in objectivity by telling her titillating tale. Allowing for her to grow and learn from her mistakes and that’s something you don’t see in comedies all that often. But what matters more, is that the case is inching closer to its conclusion and there are clues finally coming into play. And now that we have answers regarding what prompted Danner to leave the force and take this case, a deep dive into those clues and the next suspect is what likely awaits, and it will be interesting to see where the case is headed next now that its top investigator is refocused and ready for redemption. Until next time.

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