The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 7 shifted the focus from Xavier's murder to an unrelated case that Danner worked back in her days before becoming a detective.
While this episode was fun enough in its own right, it didn't have anything to do with the main plot. As a standalone, it's fine. But it comes at an awkward point in the series where we need an "ah-ha" moment or two as we go into the finale with theories substantiated by what transpired to this point. It might have been different if the central flashback story had gotten a proper resolution, but it didn't. All we knew was that Willow didn't go down for a murder she didn't commit, but without Vaughn going down for his wife's murder, it felt too open-ended to be satisfying. Honestly, it's puzzling. How did Danner get to her conclusion about Xavier after recalling this particular case? How did seeing the open door to the recording booth trigger her light bulb moment? Is it something to do with Aniq, Zoe, or Yasper? It feels like there was a lot of padding here, but then maybe there were clues that we initially overlooked that will all make sense upon rewatch. The implication is that Danner will be interviewing Maggie next. Though, to be fair, Danner hasn't interviewed Jennifer #1 (though it's clear she doesn't like her), nor has she questioned Ned. Also, shouldn't Jennifer #2 be considered a suspect since she vanished after admitting to Zoe that she sent those texts to Chelsea? Couldn't she have snuck upstairs at that point? It was ambitious to make the whole episode Danner-centric. Unfortunately, it didn't pay off -- unless there are pieces that will make it all fit together in the finale. It wouldn't be surprising if that were the case. Christopher Miller has proven to be endlessly shrewd with his hints and clues, and his attention to detail has been superb. Tiffany Haddish has an easy, casual charm with a caring heart. Danner's efforts highlighted the broken system of public law enforcement and rampant misogyny. What are your thoughts, fanatics? Did you enjoy being side-tracked? Did you catch anything I might have missed?
Who do you think killed Xavier? What information could Maggie possibly have that would make it all make sense?