The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Ulysses

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Funcle Ulysses’ tale is one of epic romance, betrayal, and ballroom dancing on The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 7, “Ulysses.” It takes us all over the world and contains a pretty juicy plot twist that shakes up the investigation, much to Aniq’s dismay.

At the heart of the tale are the bride’s mother, Vivian, and her fun uncle, who may or may not be Grace’s biological father. John Cho and Vivian Wu are a delight to watch in this overdramatic love story that stretches from the Middle East to Patagonia to Tampa, FL.

Rather than a hyper-focus on a niche genre, “Ulysses” takes the form of several different genres, both broad and specific. This allows the story to be engaging and not overwhelmed by the theme—that’s right, I’m looking at you The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 4, “Hannah.”

Along with a well-acted story within the series’ efficient structural framework, the audience is treated to the story as a Western, as a romantic adventure that spans the globe, and as a family drama with secrets and forbidden love. 

And that’s not even mentioning the comedic aspect that is ever-present.  

A lot of that comedy comes from the dancing element, primarily through Cho’s performance as the episode’s titular character.

In my review of The Afterparty Season 2 Episode 6, “Danner’s Fire,” I noted that Tiffany Haddish seemed to be having the time of her life playing Danner in that setting. There’s a similar feeling here watching Cho dig in and feast on all the rich tropes that come from these genres like it’s a freshly-made Dutch baby.

Cho told Town & Country that his main reason for signing onto The Afterparty Season 2 was the character of Ulysses. 

John Cho: The character that they were presenting to me was just irresistible. All the adventure movies, and the skills that I’d have to learn — that seemed really delicious.

While covering multiple genres in one retelling, this episode is, impressively, able to achieve a cohesive mood.

In the same interview, Cho says the inspiration for his performance was also more of a mood. “I just think my character loved Legends of the Fall, a lot. He loved it a lot. And so I think that was a big deal for him. I think in his mind he had really long hair.”

This is exactly the mood of the episode, so Cho should be happy that it translated so well to the screen.

Legends of the Fall might be the most heavily referenced film, but similarities to others are done really well. There’s an excellent Dirty Dancing motif, and connections can be made to 1996’s The English Patient with its narration format, its aesthetic, and the theme of a tragic hero running from a torrid affair.  

Despite this odd mix of films referenced on “Ulysses,” the episode maintains a steady pace with plot points that drive the overall narrative. 

As per usual, the episode ends pointing the finger at the next suspect. This time it’s Feng — father(?) of the bride. Could he have done it? Is he really Grace’s father?

What did you think of this episode of The Afterparty? Share your thoughts and theories on whodunnit in the comments below!

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New episodes of The Afterparty stream Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

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