Is Wes Anderson’s style a genre? The genre experimentation is the most exciting aspect of The Afterparty, and in the fourth episode, we witness the Wes Anderson style of filmmaking. Whether or not the style can be considered a genre itself is up for debate. There was a Wes Anderson storm on social media, with many attempting to replicate the style of the auteur. While most failed, some managed to retain the essence of Anderson. When asked about the social media trend, he expressed frustration. Of course, Anderson’s films are more than just symmetry and pastels, but those are, undoubtedly, the most striking features of his works. In episode 4, the deceased’s step-sister, Hannah Minnows, takes center stage. Hannah’s quirkiness makes her the perfect protagonist for an Anderson-style episode.
Spoilers Alert
Why Was Hannah Planning To Stop Edgar And Grace’s Wedding?
In the previous episode, Travis discussed how he and Hannah were planning on sabotaging Edgar and Grace’s wedding. While Travis believed Edgar was involved in a Bitcoin scam, Hannah’s reason was unknown. Moreover, a typewriter key was found in Edgar’s pocket that belonged to Hannah, and the fact that she had access to poisonous plants made her the perfect suspect. But what was Hannah’s story? It turns out that Hannah was deeply and madly in love with Grace. Remember how Hannah was the one who accompanied Grace when Edgar went away (episode 2)? Their love story blossomed during that time. Grace suffered from immense guilt whenever they were together. She knew it was wrong, but then again, she enjoyed Hannah’s company. She had started to care for her, but at the same time, she never stopped loving Edgar. Being attracted to two people at the same time overwhelmed Grace, and she decided to do what was expected of her. Grace and Edgar’s relationship never bothered Hannah; as long as she could spend time with Grace, she was content.
Before getting married, Grace decided that she no longer wanted to be with Hannah. She felt conflicted and decided to do the right thing. Hannah was devastated, to say the least. She tried to get over Grace, but that seemed impossible to achieve. Hannah was in love, but Grace was adamant about getting married to Edgar. At the rehearsal dinner, Hannah wanted Grace to notice her, so she mingled with Travis. She had invited Grace to her yurt before the wedding and composed a letter for her, but Grace never came. Hannah had given up, but strangely, Grace’s uncle Ulysses motivated her to not lose hope. So, she teamed up with Travis to get the wedding canceled.
Hannah was the wedding officiator, and she instructed Travis to announce his objection during the ceremony and show proof of Edgar’s crime. She assumed that the evidence would help them stop the wedding. Hannah had a change of heart when she watched Edgar and Grace share wedding vows. She realized how much her brother valued Grace and was head over heels in love with her. She decided to sacrifice her love for her brother’s happiness; after all, Edgar was the only person she truly connected with. He enjoyed her unconventional ways and never judged her for who she was. Hannah did not wish to ruin her brother’s future for her selfish interests, so she backed out of the plan. She decided she would spend the year traveling, but before she left, Hannah handed over the “G” key to her brother. It reminded her of Grace, and she believed Edgar deserved to keep it with him. Without Grace, she would struggle to find meaning in her life, just like forming sentences without the “g” type key. But that was the challenge Hannah had decided to undertake.
Is Sebastian Guilty?
From the get-go, Sebastian seemed to be a dubious character. He desperately wanted to impress everyone present and showed quite an interest in Edgar’s wealth. In episode 3 of The Afterparty Season 2, it looked like he had already guessed an important password, thanks to his interaction with Travis. The night before the wedding ceremony, Sebastian expressed how he would lose a business partner. The statement did not make much sense considering Edgar was getting married, which technically should not have affected their business situation. Danner and Aniq concluded that the only explanation was that they were no longer business partners.
From the list of names Aniq found in Edgar’s office (that Travis concluded were identities Edgar intended on adopting), he realized that the names were of Edgar’s potential business partners, clearly suggesting that he and Sebastian had separated. Since no one knew about their separation, Sebastian was taking advantage of Edgar’s death and handling all his business. Sebastian had the perfect motive to poison Edgar—he was not ready to move on, and he despised Edgar for removing him from the company. Sebastian asked Zoe’s father, Feng, to help him close a business deal, suggesting that he had already started to make decisions on behalf of Edgar.
At the end of episode 4 of The Afterparty Season 2, we witness Sebastian make a call to a potential client and impersonate Edgar to convince them that the transaction is legit. Whether or not Sebastian murdered Edgar remains a mystery, but he surely is a shady person. We will get to hear Sebastian’s version of the story in the next episode. There is someone lying, and “Afterparty” is about calling a bluff in the end. Up until now, Grace has lied about the nature of her relationship with Hannah. It makes sense considering she was engaged to marry Edgar, and after his death, if she had come clean about her affair, she would have been further humiliated. Hannah continues to be in love with Grace, but Grace does not feel the same way, or that is what she says when Zoe asks her about Hannah. For Grace, her affair with Hannah was a fling, and presumably, the chances of them getting back together are low. It is also possible that Grace lied to Zoe because she was scared of not being accepted by her family. Things are getting complicated in The Afterparty season 2, where love and money seem to be the possible reasons behind the murder.
