Search Party, season 4

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Just a reminder that, in the US, HBO Max has started streaming the first part of season 4. It will be released over three Thursdays, as three bunches of three or four episodes. I don't have anything about a UK release or if it's supposed to be the final season (but I suspect it is).

In addition to the regular cast, I expect Cole Escola (as the stalker) to have a more important role this season, while Susan Sarandon or Busy Phillips will guest star.


https://youtu.be/VgG1B6w39XI

[Mister Six]

Fantastic! Bloody love this show.

[mjwilson]

We didn't even get a release of season 3 did we?

[Vitalstatistix]

The stalker ending was a bit pants but I trust this creative team; the last two seasons were addictively hilarious and quite brilliant. I just hope they lean more into the comedy satire and slightly less into the drama.

I also hope Shalita Grant's clueless/brilliant lawyer plays some part she was fucking amazing.

[chveik]

I just hope they lean more into the comedy satire and slightly less into the drama.

sadly they're not.

[chveik]

sadly they're not.

not exactly fair, episode 8 (

Spoiler alert

thechantal one

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) is very funny.

not a big fan of the whole

Spoiler alert

crossdressing schizophrenic villain 'trope'. it's a bit boring

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Spoiler alert

and I couldn't care less about Dory's internal turmoil, I wish they'd stick to what they're good at, the funniness

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anyway 3 bags of popcorn

[kitsofan34]

Another strong series, very bingeable show, I've devoured every series in two days max. Seems odd after four series but I had newfound fondness for John Early this time round, and Shawkat was a fucking powerhouse.


FINALE SPOILERS

Spoiler alert

Disappointed by the twist in the last scene. Actually quite liked the ending as it was and don't have much of an appetite for more series.

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[BlodwynPig]

Happy to pay to see this, but oh look, the only way to do so is to buy a VPN. fuck sake.

[Vitalstatistix]

The weakest of the four seasons, but still lots to love.

Gonna spoiler this as it's about the whole season and I don't think many people have watched it yet.

Spoiler alert

The biggest issue for me was the one I had feared going into it: Chip/The Twink. For a show so brilliant at making every character, even small auxiliary ones, so grotesquely funny, this was one I never enjoyed spending time with. And he plays such a big role here.

There was also a lack of forward momentum in those first few episodes. Dory tries to escape, gets captured again, tries to escape again, gets captured again etc. This speaks to a wider problem with S4: the whole Dory kidnapping plot I found nonsensical and unengaging. Shawkat's been getting a lot of love for her performance here but I feel like she was largely wasted as broken/traumatised/brainwashed victim. Scheming, murderous, deluded Dory is whole lot more fun.

I'm being overly critical because I love this show, and there were many things which I adored throughout:

- Elliott becoming a right wing TV pundit
- Portia's casting in the Dory biopic (and the director's hilarious passive aggression)
- Drew's new job at Merry Merry Land
- The guys' makeshift trash outfits after having their clothes stolen
- The song and dance surprise proposal scene!
- Chip's parents and the cinnamon bun factory tour
- The Chantal episode!!
- Susan Sarandon!
- The imagined alternative future where they all have 'hot partners'

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This is often thought of as the Alia Shawkat vehicle but for me the stars here were Early, Hagner and Reynolds. I will never get bored of watching their narcissistic interactions. By this point the characters are so well drawn.

[BeardFaceMan]

I cant remember the last time i watched a show with such a big drop off in quality. Really loved the first 2 seasons, quite liked season 3,  but by christ season 4 was a chore to get through.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I agree with a few people here that the show didn't really succeed with its tone shift this season.

Spoiler alert

In order to make the brainwashing believable, they spent too much time on Dory and Chip. I loved Cole Escola on At Home with Amy Sedaris (canceled a couple of weeks ago), and his performance, especially while impersonating Susan Sarandon, was fine, but it was basically torture porn, without enough things that could be redeeming.
The other three leads got some character development, that was mostly interrupted as soon as their focus was to find Dory. Yet, I loved Elliott joining Fox News and the details about it (the rivalry with his co-host, her fate, which got a great callback shortly before the Chantal episode, his lineup of colored guns, etc.) When the three of them end up together, they have some funny side plots (like the robbing), but the events do ultimately very little to push the plot forward, once again a sign that they are written as an afterthought to fill time while the focus is on Chip and Dory.
I'm mixed about the Chantal episode. The pre-titles sequence with the lawyer was a gem, but the confrontation with her family and her denial were somewhat forced.
Anyway, I loved the slapstick, especially the whole car chase near Babyfoot or the painful proposal by Drew's new girlfriend.

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By the way, show is renewed for a fifth season,

Spoiler alert

presumably about a newly enlightened Dory looking for redemption.

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[Vitalstatistix]

The roundabout chase had me howling. Not particularly clever, just executed perfectly.

Surprised there'll be another season, must be making someone some money. Less of the torture and more of the funnies please!

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

HBO Max is very much in need of shows to maintain its existence. With the pandemic, it's a challenge to put together pilots, and the "real" HBO branch can't just ramp up its number of productions by magically snapping fingers.
So, it's not very surprising that they would renew everything they already have, in addition to rebooting or reviving classic shows.

Also, they're supposed to release the second season of The Other Two, as it has made the switch from Comedy Central to HBO Max. Apparently, even if it's produced by Viacom/Paramount, it wouldn't have been a good fit for Paramount+ and they offered it to HBO Max instead.