Hi everyone, welcome back to Search Party, rolling episode three: The Night of One Hundred Candles after the break.

We’re in the parking garage with Gail (Christine Taylor) who is lending her car to Dory (Alia Shawcat) and Drew (John Reynolds) but that’s fine she’s not invited, totally cool! I forget that people in big cities don’t usually have vehicles, too expensive to store and too difficult to use. Somehow I lived in Vancouver for two years without a car and I miss those days sometimes.

Gail wraps up her passive aggressive joking (it’s the under-thirty club in this car tonight! No old people! *pointing to self*) and they’re off! To pick up Portia (Meredith Hagner) and Elliott (John Early), the former who kicks Dory out of the front seat (motion sickness) and the latter of which was penetrated last night. Now I’m staring at his bum, but he’s sitting on it.

They’re super dressed up, Dory makes sure they know this isn’t a cocktail party, right? Elliot’s “Dory, look me in the eye and tell me you know what to wear to a vigil” makes me laugh at least, even if Dory just gives him a furrowed brow.

Dory wonders about Chantal’s highlighting of a sentence about unhappy families (you probably know the one), what does that mean? Everyone thinks they have an unhappy family, unless they’re not paying attention and that means THEY are the ones making their family unhappy. True story.

Elliot makes fun of Dory attending, Portia outs him as only going to collect $20 Leslie stole from him by not paying for skating senior year. Portia is there for revenge; if anyone sees Kensie Gordon, make sure someone mentions Portia’s TV role on Surviving Essex! Series recurring!

Dory spies Agnes Cho (Jennifer Kim) waving her flameless candle at her; she was in Dory’s dorm and does something legal with apes at the Bronx Zoo. She remembers Drew, of COURSE, Chantal had a big crush on him, which surprises everyone and does she know Portia? *Portia blink blink blink* *Agnes lie lie lie* of course!

That’s so odd that Chantal having a crush on Drew, he doesn’t remember her at ALL. Elliot to Drew: did you kill Chantal? Coz we’re on your side if you did, we just wanna know. Chantal’s parents give a tearful speech that ends with announcing the hashtags for this vigil, does that really happen these days? That’s hella gross. Let’s get this disappearance trending, people!

Chantal’s sister Kathryn (Bonnie Milligan) speaks then, taking responsibility for sending Chantal out for cupcakes on the day of her bridal shower: it’s her fault! She should have just let Chantal enjoy the day! Her parents nod along, but really: who enjoys a bridal shower day but the bride? I didn’t even like mine, but then I hate weddings.

Ted (Connor Ratliffe), Kathryn’s fiance, gives a short speech on how Chantal was like his little sister, a “IS!” from the audience brings him scrambling back to the present tense as Elliot and I decide he’s the murderer. Well. Since I saw Chantal alive, Imma assume Ted is the reason she left.

Chantal’s choral group (Choral Fixation) starts singing….”Since U Been Gone” ohhh no, no nope. Totally with Elliot

Dory is looking at pictures inside the house when Bob (James Young), Chantal’s dad comes up, we’re all looking at him as a suspect, right? I am. Elliot’s not getting very far with collecting from Leslie (Sas Goldberg) since she’s calling bullshit on his designer water bottles for Africa project. Portia’s bored and being hit on by older male attendee Chuck (Of No Name in IMDb).

Oh ho, Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall) is here! Julian, after all his dumping on Dory for being interested in what happened to Chantal!

He swears he’s just there to help out his friend Gabe; Drew slimes over.

As Elliot makes his move on Leslie’s $20, donate to his project, perhaps? She’ll think about it. Elliot: you HAVE TO.

Across the room, Portia describes her TV role to Chuck thusly: “Courtney Garcia, a frisky (frisky?) rookie cop with super sensitive hearing.” He brings up sex scenes as his wife Miranda (Katie Maguire) shows up at his arm. She looks like she knows the drill. They’re there because Chantal was their nanny. She drags him off to see to their kids, Chuck stopping to hand Portia his card

Elliot wants Julian to write about his water-bottles-for-Africa project (like Toms); I assume to give it more weight so he can get that $20 from Leslie.

Agnes just can’t get hold of Jane Goodall, you know? No matter how many message boards she posts on. Dory interrupts to ask about Chantal’s ex-boyfriend Gavin (Griffin Newman) who’s wandering around on the phone. They broke up abruptly just before Chantal disappeared, Agnes thought they might get married. Dory follows Gavin and ends up in the kitchen with Chantal’s devastated mom.

She takes a great big gulp of wine and approaches: she saw Chantal at a Chinese restaurant and Chantal’s mom goes OFF. Does Dory know where Chantal is? Screaming “WHERE IS SHE!!??” until Ted intervenes. This woman hasn’t slept in days, if Dory thinks she knows something, she should tell the cops or call the hotline: end of story. What she is doing is not helpful, go buss some tables, jerk!

Everyone wants to leave, Drew comes across Gavin burning a picture of Chantal’s Missing poster. He doesn’t think Chantal deserved any of that, he never saw her walk on water. He recognises Drew from swimming laps: great form.

Um

Dory sneaks upstairs to Chantal’s room after Julian offers her a recommendation to a psychiatrist, get out, Dory! Trying on Chantal’s clothes is creepy AF. AND it’s Kathryn’s room, not Chantal’s and she totally gets busted.

Gavin remembers Dory too

Bet she gets that a LOT. Relationships are head, yeah? Gavin’s barely had time to find some space to rub one out. Tough, wow, gotta be difficult what with the police and family talking at him all the time. Best of luck with everything.

Everyone but Dory is back in the car waiting to leave; she’s in Chantal’s room finding a sonogram picture. Oh ho! Chantal was / is pregnant? Hmmm and we’re oot.

Everyone is shitty on this show, you know? Dory’s ineffectual instead of actively offensive, but her character is just too unbelievable as a complete doormat. Elliot is really good at representing the casual cruelty part of youth, flipping on past emotions and conventionality, losers! Catch me if you can! But Portia’s vulnerability and complete self-absorption strike odd notes, neither realistic or recognisable. Let’s call it uneven at best and whomever compared this to Girls was clearly paid to do so. Until next time!