‘The Afterparty’ Recap: ‘Hannah’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Anna Konkle as Hannah in Episode 204 of ‘The Afterparty’ – ‘Hannah’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘The Afterparty’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. 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.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Twee Indie Film has managed to stay true to its roots throughout the course of its existence. Which is… no easy task. Because most genres of film tend to evolve and transform into something new and unique as the years roll along. But the world of Twee remains quirky and uplifting and always looking toward discovery and perhaps it is the genre’s innocence that allows for it to maintain such positivity. Since those are elements that cannot be sullied or ruined by the darker aspects of our world, no matter how hard one might try and for proof… well then look no further than the next episode of The Afterparty on Apple TV+.
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For the next chapter in the mystery of what happened to Edgar, tried to see if by chance the wonder of the Twee Indie Film could indeed be sullied by plunging such elements into the midst of a murder mystery. All by having Danner and Aniq, and to a lesser extent, Zoë, sit down with their prime suspect Hannah. Since she of course… had the missing ‘G’ key found on Edgar and was near the very plant that likely caused his death. And she of course… had motive and well… that meant the time had come for her to tell her tale and she of course did so in the Twee style. Complete with those perfect title cards and Avant Garde moments of narration and guidance you find within the genre, and well… her journey is what informed us that this is a genre that is infallible.

Simply because Hannah too went on a journey of discovery in life. One that brought her acceptance through Edgar, since she was adopted and he made every effort to keep her safe and make her part of the family and that allowed for Hannah… to enjoy the wonder of life, and of the world, and live with a freedom that few of us have ever known. Not to mention, she also found the purest of love in this life. Specifically… Grace. For Edgar was always out and about doing business things like a good businessman, and that meant she and Grace spent a lot of time together and discovered the spark and indulged in its wonder. Giving Hannah a joy she never knew and that of course… prompted her to go to great lengths to end the marriage when Hannah learned that Grace was going to stay with Edgar, regardless of what they felt. 

But alas, that plan changed when the big day came, when she realized that her brother actually did care for Grace deeply and was motivated to change and become more because of the spark they shared. And rather than rob her brother of what she felt in her heart, she repaid him in kind by leaving the marriage be and carrying on with the pain that only a forbidden love can create. And she also gave him the G as a parting gift, and well… sadly… we know how Edgar’s story ended. But the truth about Hannah’s journey is what mattered here, since it absolved her of murder and its motivations, and it pointed these intrepid gumshoes toward a new suspect for the case. Since Sebastian was hovering about and making some odd moves in this tale to keep the business going, and exhibited some odd behavior around Hannah that left everyone wondering if he did it, and well, it is possible. For he was apparently about to be fired from the company, there are few things in this world that push a person to kill, quite like money.

But that is of course… a matter and a suspect to be explored next week, and in the here and the now, we can celebrate another inventive tale. For this really did showcase how the innocent nature of the Twee Indie Film, and the purity of the journey its characters go on… doesn’t allow for the genre to ever be corrupted. Mainly because its core themes revolve around appreciating the best parts of the world, we take for granted, or reminding us that we should always approach the bad with maturity and objectivity, so we don’t succumb to darkness. And the show deserves a round of applause for perfectly integrating those messages into a story about the worst act imaginable, and for doing so in delightfully comical ways and well, that once again leaves us eager to see what kind of unique genre study awaits us as the case continues along. Until next time.

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