John Cho’s presence in this show is a gift to us all; let’s just get that on the record right now. His mind-movie episode is a weird, sweeping, tragic romance — or a “tragic tale dramatically told,†as Edgar said when he heard it a few weeks before the wedding weekend — and Cho not only handles it all but brings an emotional depth as well as a fully committed silliness/humor to it that … well, it just works.
Where to even begin? At the beginning, I suppose, just as Ulysses does, even though Aniq tries to tell him they really only need his version of the wedding weekend events. But has Ulysses ever made a long story short? Probably not, is my guess. However, the deep background is necessary in this case in order to understand his presence at the wedding … as well as what he was doing with the glass behind the bar at the after-party.
Ulysses’s story is one told in words, yes, but also through dance. To honor his love for the art form, I’m going to take us through the various dance scenes as a way of recapping the episode. Let’s have some fun! Let’s … dance!
The Robot: The first dance we see is Ulysses demonstrating the robot to a bunch of U.S. soldiers in the back of a covered truck in Kuwait. Turns out Ulysses was part of the USO and the “Rootin’ Tootin’ Salute to America†tour during the Gulf War. Raise your hand if this information shocked you! Because it did shock me, and I’ve found this season of The Afterparty pretty predictable in many aspects so far, but not this one. Anyway, right after the robot dance, an explosion blasts the van apart and one of Ulysses’s dance team members has his foot blown off. It’s not great!
Sleep Dancing: Even though it’s kinda making light of veteran PTSD and that’s not cool, the short scene of a depressed and tortured Ulysses doing dance moves in his sleep after coming back to San Francisco was … John Cho is just giving it his all here.
Training with Vivian: At Feng’s suggestion — Feng, who we learn is Ulysses’s half-brother but treats him “with the warmth of a full brother†after Ulysses returns from Kuwait and moves in with Feng and Vivian — Ulysses and Vivian pair up to enter the world of ballroom dancing. In Ulysses’s words, Vivian was “an exacting teacher†who brought him back to life through dance and moral support.
Competition Montage:Â Ulysses and Vivian take the United States competitive ballroom-dancing scene by storm, and Ulysses begins to heal from his emotional wounds.
The “Around the World Liftâ€: Vivian and Ulysses practice this complicated dance move on the beach in Tampa before the Southeast Regionals, and in the heat of the moment, share a smooch that leads to a full-blown affair. After this moment, they continue dancing “vertically and horizontally,†as Ulysses says.
Angry Rain Dance: The tension and guilt of leading double lives — sharing longing looks across the dinner table, reaching for the toothpick dispenser at the same moment, witnessing a clueless Feng gift Vivian an Oscars-worthy necklace — is too much for the lovers to bear. Vivian ends the affair and their dance partnership, and Ulysses does an angry rain dance straight out of a Twyla Tharp production. I get why Aniq and Danner share an eye roll at this, especially when Ulysses says, “It was like another landmine went off, but this time my friend’s foot was my heart,†I mean, yikes. But also? It was fun to watch. Plus, the music scoring his dance is a jazzy instrumental version of “Careless Whisper†by George Michael, the lyrics of which include, “I’m never gonna dance again / Guilty feet have got no rhythm … I should’ve known better than to cheat a friend / And waste the chance that I’d been given / So I’m never gonna dance again / The way I danced with you.†TOO PERFECT.
The Macarena: For some time, Ulysses finds solace in his role as “Funcle,†which he once again defines as “Fun Uncle,†even though Danner and Aniq are both up to speed on this front. The macarena scene featuring him, Zoe, Grace, and Vivian was probably my favorite dance of the episode. When Vivian and Ulysses share a romantic moment, though, the fun is over. He decides to leave because it’s too painful to be around her but not with her, and for good measure, this is when Feng discovers their betrayal and kicks Ulysses out forever.
More Around the World Dancing: This is different from the aforementioned dance lift, but during Ulysses’s travels around the world, he sees both dance and Vivian everywhere he goes (as another instrumental version of a popular ’80s song plays — this time, “Africa†by Toto). He finally finds peace in Patagonia, only to have Edgar track him down and insist Ulysses attend the wedding for Grace. Edgar plays his trump card to get Ulysses there, which surely occurred to eagle-eyed viewers, too: the suggestion that Ulysses could be Grace’s biological father.
The Wedding Dance: Remember when Edgar ran off during his and Grace’s first dance (to confront Sebastian at the safe) and Ulysses stepped in to dance with her? That scene has so much more meaning now that we know he could be her father-uncle (still “Funcle,†with a different definition). Vivian insists at the rehearsal dinner that he is not, but Ulysses decides to do his own paternity test after seeing what a natural dance Grace is. Does it occur to him that she got this ability from her mother, also a professional dancer? No, it does not. So he swipes a glass of hers and swabs it for DNA — what Sebastian saw him doing at the after-party. He plans to send it out for testing on Monday but doesn’t want to disrupt the family, especially since he’s kinda-sorta made peace with Feng.
At the after-party, the half-brothers drink to burying the past, and Feng mentions that the bing in his hand is for Edgar only — after he’d earlier said he’d “handle Edgar†and not let Grace’s new husband ruin his family.
Ulysses’ tale seems to clear things up re: Vivian and Edgar and their talk of secrets (as mentioned by Sebastian last week), as well as point to Feng as a new suspect. Zoë, too, is starting to feel a bit off when it comes to her parents and their innocence in this whole murder thing — mostly because they refuse to talk to Danner and Aniq, and Zoë thinks that’s a little weird. Hannah and Travis do, too.
We might get some clarity on that front, though, as well as some more evidence — real evidence — about the weekend’s goings-on, thanks to a poolside chat between Zoë and Hannah that includes this hilarious exchange:
Zoë: “Admit that you killed your brother so we can all go home.â€
Hannah: “But I wouldn’t go home; I would go to jail.â€
Zoë: “Which would be your new home!â€
They remember that Feng had a social-media intern videoing the whole weekend. Zoë and Travis find him (Chyler) on Instagram and plan to get him to give them the footage, as they tell a pleased Danner and queasy Aniq.
“All the secrets are comin’ out,†Aniq says to close the episode. He sounds less than thrilled — because he now knows a major secret about Zoë’s family that she does not know, and he’s uncomfortable keeping it from her even though it’s not his secret to tell — but I, for one, want more cards on the table. Plus, Chyler and Feng’s video footage is bound to be excellent.
Clues Clues Clues
• Suspect Watch: As per usual, the end of the episode casts someone new in a suspicious light. By the next episode, that person has told their story and (seemingly) exonerated themselves. This time, it’s Feng. But let’s think outside the box/episode pattern: Maybe Chyler did it?!
• I know that the photos Ulysses has on him are (a) a convenient prop to prove to Danner and Aniq that he’s not lying about his affair with Vivian and (b) mean to show that he’s still carrying a flame for her, but … it’s weird. It’s weird that he would be carrying those around still.
• There’s something so innocent and charming about Feng’s excited “You’re going to look like you’re at the Oscars!†when he gives Vivian the necklace. It really makes you feel for all parties involved in this affair.
• In Ulysses’s version of the story, Edgar ends the wedding like so: “It is now 10 p.m., so it’s that special hour where guests become trespassers. Please leave.†Still good.