It’s been nearly 15 years since the original run of Party Down ended, yet the show has slid back into its rhythm like a stained rental tuxedo. Season 3 has been a masterclass in balancing nostalgic callbacks with the crushing weight of middle-aged mediocrity. But with Episode 4, titled , the series finally reveals its true hand: this isn’t just a reunion; it’s a eulogy for a specific kind of Hollywood delusion.
Spoiler Warning: Full spoilers for Party Down Season 3, Episode 4 (“To the Moon, Gavin!”) ahead. party down s03e04 webdl
🥂🥂🥂🥂 (4 out of 5 flat sodas) It’s been nearly 15 years since the original
Meanwhile, Kyle (Ryan Hansen) is convinced Chad is a secret CIA agent and spends the entire episode trying to get “extracted,” leading to a physical comedy bit where he hides inside a piñata shaped like the moon. The title, “To the Moon, Gavin!,” is a cruel joke. While Gavin dreams of escaping Earth, Henry is grounded in the most brutal way possible. We get a quiet scene where Henry steps away from the noise to call his daughter. She doesn’t pick up. He stares at the fake rocket, and Adam Scott does that thing where he looks like he’s about to cry but also laugh at the absurdity of it all. Spoiler Warning: Full spoilers for Party Down Season
Gavin’s rocket never launches. The champagne runs out. And as the crew cleans up the desert glitter under floodlights, Henry looks up at the actual moon—not the fake one—and smiles. For the first time all season, it doesn’t look like a grimace.
Party Down streams on Starz. This review is based on the S03E04 WEB-DL release.
(Note: This review is based on the WEB-DL release, so we’re looking at pristine 4K catering trays and perfectly compressed audio of people sighing in disappointment.) The episode opens with the Party Down crew loading a beat-up van with shrimp cocktails and a dry ice machine. They’ve been hired to cater the launch party for “Odyssey Two,” Gavin’s (Ken Marino) harebrained follow-up to his failed soft-rock concept album about space colonization.
It’s been nearly 15 years since the original run of Party Down ended, yet the show has slid back into its rhythm like a stained rental tuxedo. Season 3 has been a masterclass in balancing nostalgic callbacks with the crushing weight of middle-aged mediocrity. But with Episode 4, titled , the series finally reveals its true hand: this isn’t just a reunion; it’s a eulogy for a specific kind of Hollywood delusion.
Spoiler Warning: Full spoilers for Party Down Season 3, Episode 4 (“To the Moon, Gavin!”) ahead.
🥂🥂🥂🥂 (4 out of 5 flat sodas)
Meanwhile, Kyle (Ryan Hansen) is convinced Chad is a secret CIA agent and spends the entire episode trying to get “extracted,” leading to a physical comedy bit where he hides inside a piñata shaped like the moon. The title, “To the Moon, Gavin!,” is a cruel joke. While Gavin dreams of escaping Earth, Henry is grounded in the most brutal way possible. We get a quiet scene where Henry steps away from the noise to call his daughter. She doesn’t pick up. He stares at the fake rocket, and Adam Scott does that thing where he looks like he’s about to cry but also laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Gavin’s rocket never launches. The champagne runs out. And as the crew cleans up the desert glitter under floodlights, Henry looks up at the actual moon—not the fake one—and smiles. For the first time all season, it doesn’t look like a grimace.
Party Down streams on Starz. This review is based on the S03E04 WEB-DL release.
(Note: This review is based on the WEB-DL release, so we’re looking at pristine 4K catering trays and perfectly compressed audio of people sighing in disappointment.) The episode opens with the Party Down crew loading a beat-up van with shrimp cocktails and a dry ice machine. They’ve been hired to cater the launch party for “Odyssey Two,” Gavin’s (Ken Marino) harebrained follow-up to his failed soft-rock concept album about space colonization.
