Episode 6, titled “Zoë”, is a lively retelling of the titular character’s night and depicts the internal struggles she goes through in all its comedic, surreal glory. The central mystery of “The Afterparty” is well advanced and Detective Danner, out of options, agrees to interview Zoe, who seems relatively harmless.
Of course, once she dives into her story, and we see “Big Momma Bear Zoe,” the soft-spoken single mom doesn’t seem quite so innocuous. We also get some insight into why Zoe is apparently drawn to flashy Xavier and goofy Aniq at the same time. Let’s take a closer look at Episode 6 of “The Afterparty” and see how much closer we are to solving the mystery. FRONT SPOILERS.
Afterparty Episode 6 Recap
The episode opens with Zoe claiming to have a “confession”, which is conducted in the recording studio’s interrogation room. She launches into her story and how her “wild side” almost literally controlled her for most of the evening. As her description of the night’s events continues, we see more versions of Zoe’s personality come to life.
In the flashback, things get off to a lackluster start as Wild Zoe realizes her classmates are still awkward around her due to her recent divorce (from Brett). Soon, “Good” Zoe regains control, and she soon finds herself in the school bleachers with Aniq. We saw this moment from Aniq’s perspective in Episode 1 and are now seeing it from Zoe.
When she discovers that Brett has left their children unattended, Momma-Bear’s massive and protective personality comes to life and our heroine races to find her children, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. Aniq is forgotten, and Wild Zoe then takes over and begins flirting with Xavier. Luckily, it’s only a matter of time before she realizes that Aniq is the one who truly loves her. As the animated sequence ends, Zoe comes down from Xavier’s room and reconciles with her longtime friend, Chelsea.
End of episode 6 of the Afterparty: Did Zoe kill Xavier?
Back in the present, Zoe closes her story by saying that depending on how the events are told, the murder suspects might also continue to change. Despite Zoe’s hints that maybe all (or none of them) are involved in the murder, Danner remains skeptical. However, before she can make her next move, Detective Culp walks in, saying he’s spoken to the Commander and that Danner is now off the case.
And so, as expected, it turns out Zoe didn’t kill Xavier. She very clearly leaves her room during her lifetime and joins the party, thus giving her multiple alibis. Danner, too, is pretty sure that Zoe didn’t commit the crime but remains suspicious of Aniq since, even at the end of Zoe’s story, he’s the last one heading for Xavier’s room in anger.
Zoe, however, introduces an interesting storyline that might actually turn out to be correct. Considering how unlikely each of the guests (or, according to Danner, “suspects”) seems to commit murder, it’s possible they all know about it. Other than Yasper and maybe Ned, no one really likes Xavier, so any guests involved in the crime are a definite possibility. If that’s really the case, then Zoe could, in part, be responsible for Xavier’s murder. Until then, she is apparently innocent.
Is Inspector Danner off the case?
Well, it certainly looks like it. In the final moments of the episode, his subordinate, Detective Culp, calls the captain, then smugly enters, apparently with direct orders from higher authority that Danner should stop leading the investigation. While she may be “officially” off the case, if there’s one thing about Danner, it’s her disregard for authority. Therefore, we can expect her to continue the investigation (as she has done all along) a bit longer until her replacement arrives.
How many versions of Zoe are there?
This episode shows us the many colorful facets of Zoe, starting with her wild side, which she’s seemingly locked away since she was in high school. On the night of the reunion, Wild Zoe makes an appearance and takes over for much of the night, which is how Zoe ends up with Xavier in the first place.
We also get a glimpse of Momma Bear Zoe, her protective motherly side and perhaps the show’s scariest character. At the end of the episode, when she’s in a reconciliatory mood, “annoying stoner Zoe” shows up just in time to sweeten things up. In between, a few other versions of Zoe also appear, and the episode ends with an epic mashup of all her forms, including the petite but feisty “furious child Zoe”.
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