The Afterparty “Chelsea”

Man, credit where it’s due:  this series has really excelled at casting.  Each character, at least the ones played by recognizable actors, has been more or less perfectly cast, and the next proof of that is Ilana Glazer as Chelsea, the one who looks like a walking train wreck.

Turns out she sort of is.

That may be because her story is told in the style of a paranoid thriller.  She was receiving mysterious and threatening text messages all night, and she went to the reunion strictly to get back at Xavier for something that happened at a St. Patrick’s Day event back in high school.  Lots of folks mentioned that so far, but likewise, none of them have elaborated on what all that meant.

Likewise, just as Aniq’s romcom story could be accomplished fairly easily with some lighting and music, Chelsea’s story can have the same simple adjustment by simply turning down the lights and playing up the terror she feels as she keeps getting threatening text messages.  Is Xavier on to her?  Could it be Zoe since Chelsea had a fling with Brett, leading to Zoe’s divorce?

Wait, she did what now?  Yeah, apparently, Chelsea works as a receptionist at a veterinarian’s office, and she and Brett had an ill-advised fling when both were emotionally vulnerable, her for a break-up and him for having to put a dog down.

But wait, someone at the reunion is following Chelsea!  Is it whoever is sending her threatening text messages?

Um, no.  It’s a guy who saw she dropped her keys and was trying to return them.

Huh.

Maybe she’s a little too paranoid right now.  I mean, all she wants to do is drug Xavier long enough to take some photos of him undressed to sell to TMZ.  She just keeps screwing it up.  She overhears some mean girls mocking her and reacts, let’s say, loudly.   She has some cat tranquilizer to give to Xavier, but Aniq, the one guy she more or less trusts, accidentally drinks it.  That’s why he was unconscious and everyone was able to draw on his face.  Heck, past incidents where Aniq, Zoe, and even Yasper might have thought she was drunk, she was just spooked out of her mind.

I mean, she screws up her revenge plan so bad…um, she doesn’t do it.  OK, she has a change of heart, confesses to Xavier, and he says he already leaked his own similar photos ages ago.  So, the mystery flask Xavier had was Chelsea’s tranquilizers, and she had to keep reminding him not to drink out of it.

She even sticks up for Aniq to Zoe while the two bond over the fact Brett is bad in bed.  Too much high-fiving…

But Aniq, listening in the whole time, does have more to worry about because in Chelsea’s story, when he woke up, he was mad Xavier did something to him again.

So now, Danner wants to know about the St. Patrick’s Day incident.

You know what? So do I!  This is gettin’ good!