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July 10 - 16, 2023 Page 3 By Dana Simpson Mention the words "high school reunion" to nearly any adult and chances are their initial reaction will be to cringe. Regardless of one's unique experience in high school — whether popular, nerdy, athletic or one who flew under the radar — most "grown-ups" would rather move toward their future without reliving too much of their past. That said, there are exceptions to every rule. Upon its early-2022 premiere, "The Afterparty" proved that a high school reunion could be much worse than a single serving of cringe. In Season 1, the murder of par- ty-boy influencer and reunion or- ganizer Xavier (Dave Franco, "The Disaster Artist," 2017) turned one graduating class upside-down. Now, in Season 2, the gang is (partly) back to celebrate love — but, yes, there has been another death along the way. The next installment of "The Af- terparty" premieres Wednesday, July 12, on Apple TV+. In the official promotion for the show, Apple TV+ warns prospective viewers that "nothing is as it seems" in "The Afterparty." Centering on the titular afterparty of the afore- mentioned high school reunion in Season 1, each episode tells the same story — the story of the night in question — from a different angle. A truly unique storytelling device implemented by creator Christopher Miller ("The Lego Movie," 2014) and his team of writers, each charac- ter's personality, preferred aesthetic and biases come out through the manner in which they choose to tell the events. For example, Season 1 sees Det. Danner (Tiffany Haddish, "Girls Trip," 2017) investigate Xavier's death by first interviewing Aniq (Sam Richardson, "Veep"), a pro- fessional escape room designer, who chooses to recount the evening as if it were a romantic comedy. Second up to the proverbial bat is Brett (Ike Barinholtz, "The Mindy Project"), who presents the night as if he were in a good-guy action flick, followed by Yasper (Ben Schwartz, "Parks and Recreation"), an aspiring mu- sician trying to get a leg up on the industry by using Xavier's high-pro- file contacts. To no one's surprise, Yasper's interview is told as a quirky, upbeat musical. "Broad City" comedian Ilana Glazer also provides commentary on the evening as her character, Chelsea, a vet clinic receptionist who harbors some ill feelings toward the now-dead Xavier. Chelsea sees the night as a psychological thriller, while the remaining three partygo- ers-turned-witnesses — Walt (Jamie Demetriou, "Stath Lets Flats"), Zoë (Zoë Chao, "Love Life") and Mag- gie (Everly Carganilla, "The Chair") — each has their own very different stories to share during the final four episodes. Danner also gets a chance to speak. It's difficult to reveal the jump- ing-off point for Season 2 of a murder mystery without revealing at least some crucial details regarding Season 1, so suffice to say that only one person's version of events can be the correct one, and, as Apple cautioned, it may not be what you'd expect. At the end of the day, however (or rather, the season), the murder is solved and the remaining former classmates can move on with their lives. Until Zoë's sister's wed- ding, that is. ACROSS 1 Total rapture 4 M*A*S*H* star Jamie 8 l.A. clock setting 11 Suffix with lact 12 Fortuneteller's opening (2) 13 "The Price is Right" host Carey 14 Secretive org. 15 Imaginary paradise 17 Big name in country music (2) 19 Queen ___ (Beyoncé nick- name) 20 Prefix with scope 23 "The Goldbergs" actor who played Pops: George ___ 26 Burger topper 27 Boxing ring org. 28 Bill ___, TV's Science Guy 29 Orderly grouping 32 Makeup mishap 34 "Suits" star Gina 36 Eastern way 37 Danger 42 Have a low opinion 44 Sgt., e.g. 45 Robin ___ 46 "I'm ___ you!" (2) 47 "___ for Noose" (Grafton nov- el) (2) 48 Common ID 49 light gas 50 Flue residue DOWN 1 North Korean leader Kim ___ -un 2 Bones, anatomically 3 Orbital period 4 "Boy Meets World" and "Girl Meets World" actor Danielle 5 "Teen Wolf" and "Mortal Kom- bat" (1995) star linden 6 Raise kids 7 HGTV improvements 8 Completely spotless 9 French seasoning 10 Bygone airline 13 Former sitcom that starred Ken Jeong (2) 16 "___ Jail" (Monopoly instruc- tion) (2) 18 TV schedule abbr. 21 Georgetown athlete 22 Single thing 23 Action drama starring Shemar Moore 24 It collects the rain in Spain 25 Troops guarding a town or stronghold 30 "___ and Dangerous" (1986 John Candy film) 31 Slangy assents 32 Edible fish 33 Sitcom starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney 35 Attack (2) 36 Connect with 38 Russo of "Nightcrawler" (2014) 39 Sicilian city 40 long-running police procedural 41 Brit's "Baloney!" 42 Some batters, for short 43 Android alternative CoverStory The identity of the featured celebrity is found within the answers in the puzzle. In order to take the TV Challenge, unscramble the letters noted with asterisks within the puzzle. InFocus Love, death and parties: Season 2 of 'The Afterparty' premieres on Apple TV+ "Justified: City Primeval" (FX/Hulu — Limited Series Premiere, July 18/19) Timothy Olyphant reprises his role as u.S. marshal Raylan Givens in this new limited series. Having left Kentucky 15 years ago and now living in Miami, a chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway sends Raylan Givens to Detroit. While there, he crosses paths with the violent and socio- pathic Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), aka The Oklahoma Wildman, who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again, with formidable Motor City native and lawyer, Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis), by his side. Solution is on page 2. Tiffany Haddish in "the Afterparty"

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