‘Party Down’ Season 3 Finale Recap: Bosses Talk [Spoiler]’s Return

The following accommodates spoilers from Party Down‘s Season 3 finale.

Henry Pollard might have even stunned himself with the massive determination he made in Party Down‘s finale Friday, but by episode’s finish, it wasn’t the one shocker he could be gobsmacked by.

After selecting to finally flip down Evie’s supply to journey overseas and revive his appearing profession, Henry discovered himself nonetheless working at Party Down 4 months later. In the episode’s mid-credits scene held at a Hollywood TV press junket, viewers and Henry alike have been handled to a short-but-sweet look by Lizzy Caplan. Her character Casey Klein was on the town doing press for her new present (which she hates by the way in which), and after making an attempt to hijack a bottle of Grey Goose from the kitchen, she stumbled into Henry. The two former coworkers-turned-friends with advantages have been each surprised to see one another, and their all too temporary reunion implied that maybe these two nonetheless have a teensy little bit of unfinished enterprise. After the quickest of catch-ups, they agreed to hang around subsequent time she’s on the town. (C’mon Season 4!)

Below, co-creators and govt producers John Enbom and Rob Thomas discuss to TVLine about how Caplan’s look got here to be, why Henry determined to show away from appearing (once more) and whether or not or not a fourth season is within the playing cards.

TVLINE | Before we dive into the finale, have there been any talks with Starz a couple of potential Season 4?
JOHN ENBOM | Not at the moment. I suppose we now have to attend to see how all of the algorithms and math equations line up or no matter they do today.

TVLINE | How do the actors really feel about doing extra? What’s the final vibe there?
ROB THOMAS | I believe they might hop in in a short time. This solid adores each the present and one another. Finding the timing is likely to be troublesome, however the willingness would completely be there.

(*3*)TVLINE | It was nice to see Casey again, even when just for a brief scene. How did that come about?
ENBOM | It was one thing we needed to try to work out simply as quickly as we knew that she wouldn’t be accessible for the complete run of the factor. So we stored pondering, “Can’t we just try and squeeze something in?” We hoped that we might possibly steal her for an episode or one thing like that, however she was completely locked up. Finally we had a gap the place she could be free to work on a weekend. We knew we needed to do one thing after which we lastly knew how a lot time and sources we needed to do it. And so we got here up with one thing primarily based on that after we acquired the inexperienced gentle from our companions at Starz.

TVLINE | Had Lizzy been accessible for longer, have been there any plans for a Casey/Henry romance, or was there every other storyline you needed to scrap or pivot away from?
ENBOM | Oh, sure! We mainly broke the entire season round the concept that first episode (the place it’s Kyle’s huge celebration for his Marvel film breakthrough) was a possibility to convey the 2 of them again collectively. They had not seen one another in all these years. She had gone off to New York and all that type of stuff. So that was going to be our launch pad for this complete season. Obviously, we needed to begin yet again, however that was totally the intention, to see the 2 of them having every taken these completely different paths and see what it was like for them to get thrown again collectively once more, see how they’re feeling and all that. So, hopefully sometime, however we couldn’t do it this go-around.

TVLINE | How do you at all times land such wonderful visitor stars (like Dan Bakkedahl, who’s unbelievable on this episode)? Is it by means of common channels, or is it a extra casual course of, the place you may snag a Kristen Bell or an Enrico Colantoni as a result of they’re already in your circle?
THOMAS | Quite a lot of occasions we ask the people who find themselves in our circle that we now have labored with and belief. I’d say in these first two seasons when the present didn’t have as a lot of a status, we went to loads of associates. In truth, the way in which we solid our collection regulars was going to individuals prepared to make this pilot in my yard. We went to a really pleasant viewers after which stored asking, nearly as favors from associates. As the present grew to become recognized a little bit bit extra, it grew to become simpler to say, “Hey, we would love this person. We’d love J.K. Simmons,” and simply put out the request. And that was an actor we didn’t know on the time, however simply thought he was proper for the function.
ENBOM | I believe Adam had really simply achieved a film with him. We do the entire above. Every every now and then, we’ll take a stab at anyone we now have no connection to, however who we’d simply like to [work with and see] if they might have an interest. Every every now and then that works out as a result of possibly they’ve seen the present and so they prefer it and are up for the thought of coming in for 2 days and getting all bizarre or no matter. Then sure, there’s additionally Nick Offerman who we met like 10, 12 years in the past. And we have been like, “Oh, man, wouldn’t it be great to get him on the show?” We lastly had the chance to tug him in. That was very thrilling for us.
THOMAS | And typically, it’s simply blind luck. I believe our casting director Anya Colloff stated, “Oh, there’s this really funny guy that you should get for the Sweet 16 birthday party. His name is Kevin Hart.” And we have been like, “Oh, OK.”
ENBOM | We had not heard of him on the time!

TVLINE | At the tip of the season, Henry decides that educating is the place he belongs. What is it about that evening that convinces him to show down the appearing gig and keep on the college?
ENBOM | I believe what we needed to do was point out that no matter development or maturity he had achieved through the years had led him to be extra invested in making what he can of the place the place he’s, fairly than at all times wanting and hoping to be getting someplace else. So in that sense, that was our notion for a way this season would play out. It was the notion of him being tempted by this concept, having it come creeping again into his life after which him having to make this alternative.

But additionally, one thing we first see within the third episode with the “not, not Nazis” or no matter they’re, we see this concept that he’s had this theater factor foisted on him. He’s overburdened, he’s not that into it, however then by the tip we see that he’s made a reference to what really excited him in regards to the theater, about appearing. So that was the place we needed to convey him by the tip. The factor that drove him creatively and by way of his desires and ambitions wasn’t fame or cash, it was the love of what he was doing. And so, the concept he finds a brand new method to obtain that that doesn’t contain stardom or getting again on that treadmill was what we needed to dig into.

TVLINE | I can solely think about how troublesome it should’ve been to work round everybody’s schedules this season, however how did all of Jane Lynch’s video calls come into play? Where have been these scenes shot?
ENBOM | Jane’s schedule was extraordinarily tight to start with after which we needed to transfer our schedule round an amazing deal, particularly at first, for various causes. We really misplaced her totally out of 1 episode. So, we really shot out of order in order that we might have her for each the primary episode after which the promenade celebration episode, after which she was gone after that. Everything else that we did, we really shot in a lodge room within the lodge the place we shot the promenade episode. We simply needed to shoot her fully. Everything that was left, we ran upstairs and did it in that room. And then all of it went on the iPad. It was the perfect we might do, however we love having Jane within the present, so we needed as a lot as we might get.

TVLINE | Henry and Evie are such an amazing couple, and Jennifer Garner has been nice. Does that relationship have to finish simply because he doesn’t need to act?
ENBOM | I imply, there’s definitely that risk. As we talked about, we actually don’t know what’s happening with the potential for Season 4 or something. But we have already got concepts for the place we might go and the place we’ve left off as a result of I believe one of many issues that we’ve at all times loved about Party Down is that between the [fact that] each episode is a brand new celebration, a brand new location, a brand new little world that we’re leaping into, there’s the truth that no person ever fairly achieves what they’re hoping to realize. We really feel like we will at all times discover new methods to restart individuals and scramble up issues that we’ve arrange. We’ve at all times had type of a conclusion, however one which’s additionally a little bit query mark that may be like, “This isn’t an end-end. This isn’t a final happily ever after.” It leaves open the questions of will this work out, what occurs subsequent, all that type of stuff.

Jennifer Garner was unbelievable to work with and I believe she did a tremendous job and was a really fascinating new kind of character to have on the present. Who is aware of how a lot enjoyable we might have along with her having a horrible streak of luck or one thing? Hope springs everlasting, as we now have been saying lots recently.

TVLINE | Yeah, why not simply destroy everybody’s lives so that they need to work at Party Down catering perpetually?
ENBOM | [Laughs] Sometimes it has to occur!

Thoughts on Party Down‘s finale and Casey’s return? Grade the episode and season beneath, then gentle up the feedback!