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Did you ever murder someone, or maybe two people, and think you could get away with it? Me neither, but Search Party (2016-) is incredible for that very reason. Unlike all other millennial television series, it exists on its own, and it makes its own genre. It is neither a comedy, nor a sitcom, nor even a dark comedy; it is Search Party. As I am writing my dissertation, yadda, yadda, yadda, I find myself watching shows to break up the monotony or for inspiration, and Search Party is always one of my choices for recent television. The show was lucky enough to find me on Hulu in 2018. I wrote a review for it back then, it’s terribly written and styled, but it’s on the internet.
I watched the first two seasons, eagerly awaiting the third (which took forever!). In my article, I discussed the series and its ability to create something inspiring and stimulating for television, something we have not seen in true form since Twin Peaks and X-Files. So far, several seasons have been released, and the fourth season is set to launch on HBO Max in January, so I thought that it would be worthwhile to introduce some post-grad technical vocabulary and dissect the show. So let’s go right ahead, fasten your seat belts:
Television And Cinema Under The Influence Of Hyperpostmodernism
Firstly, what is hyperpostmodern phenomenology? Rest assured that those who have been asked for interpretations know very little about the term because it does not occur in normal conversation. According to Wikipedia, hyperpostmodernism is a type, mode, or stage of society that is a step back from traditional modernity. The form of an object becomes a reference point for its function, rather than the reverse. The hyperpostmodernist view stipulates that the attribute of its thing has replaced the object. This world is dictated by the rise of technology and relies on the convergence between information and matter. Hypermodernism thrives on emphasizing new technology’s ability to overcome nature’s limitations and dismiss a mindset based on object-driven reasoning in favor of a flexible attribute-driven approach. (( Wikipedia Contributors. “Hypermodernity.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 27, 2020. )). A darn mouthful, ain’t it?
To understand hyperpostmodernism, we must also comprehend postmodernism, which shares many similarities with it. When we recognize that hyperpostmodernism is an upward development of postmodernism, we can see it as one whole. In other words, postmodernism implies that Wes Craven’s Scream, for example, takes elements from previous horror films, such as John Carpenter’s Halloween, but also makes additions that confirm the film’s historical place in its present or future culture. Thus to conclude, cinema is based upon societal standards. Our way of life contributes to the core of what we are, and those standards are expressed in words, the most recent forms of which are postmodernism and hyperpostmodernism.
Mark Waters’ 2004 Mean Girls is hyperpostmodern in contrast to Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream, which is considered a postmodern film. Both of these, and all movements honestly, are intrinsically cinematic, but postmodernism and hyperpostmodernism also engage society by way of mise-en-scene, camera movement, directing, and other means. Hyperpostmodern television, like Search Party, derives from the confluence of past and present. The show mixes old ideas with modern society elements — social media, fame, the legal system — each of these elements makes Search Party a rare and unique television show. One you might love or hate for what it does.
Who Are The Characters Of Search Party?
To explain Search Party would be a disservice since it is impossible to clarify the premise of the show. Wikipedia actually has five separate categories for each season, so see for yourself. Throughout the four seasons, the show has progressed from mystery to dark comedy to satire, to legal drama, and now into a psychological thriller. A lot is accomplished with what the show has, and it is brilliantly executed. As I stated before, this show truly is everything everyone could want and more. To understand what the show is about, however, it must be seen beyond its genre. The characters are what make Search Party a gem because they are pieces of intertextuality (( “Dictionary.” www.dictionary.com, 2021. )) that offer a glimpse of contemporary society. To explain:
Dory Sief (( Alia Shawkat )) + Drew Gardner (( John Paul Reynolds ))
One of the most admirable characters in the show is Drew Gardner, the sensible one. He is referred to as a fool, but like Portia, he can be the smartest one in the room sometimes. He is eager to please others with a high level of anxiety, and he is the one you want to feel bad for, but he is occasionally an asshole. However, despite everyone’s self-centered behavior, Drew is less selfish than the others by a large margin if you count it that way. He is more concerned with the internal turmoil he will suffer as a result of this rather than how they will be perceived by society. In his loved ones’ eyes, he wants to be viewed as a good person, not necessarily by the media. However, he does participate in the glorification of his “murderous” stint by exploiting the attraction to him in season three.
Dory, the main character, is the one who sparks everything off. She is obsessed with Chantel in the first season in order to escape her melancholy existence. Because she doesn’t know what she wants to do, and she gets extremely engrossed in the process, she loses herself in her self-indulgent own world. It is solely her fault, as she dutifully threw everyone into the turmoil, oblivious to how it would affect them. Her desire to feel less lonely led her to invite her friends to the same quagmire in which she found herself.
Portia Davenport (( Meredith Hagner )) + Elliott Goss (( John Early ))
The two latter are Portia Davenport and Elliot Goss, who are not dating, as opposed to Dory and Drew, who are dating and not dating at the same time; it’s a bit complex. The most charming character is Portia Davenport, who I think is the smartest of all the characters; pretending to be ditzy is her best quality. It is in her nature to operate as if she is unaware of what she is doing, yet she is so self-centered that she believes this is her right. As a child, nobody paid attention to her, so she replicates that in her friendships and relationships.
In truth, it’s a bit messy. Once you position yourself as a ditz, everyone believes your actions are “ditzy.” When you develop this theme, it becomes easy to look at yourself as a self-absorbed individual without anyone calling you out. That’s all because they have the misconception that you are too lethargic to make a decision. Clever, in fact. Elliot Goss is the best because he is the only character who actually realizes he is self-absorbed and doesn’t care who knows it. He can admit it without fear of retribution. His character reflects this modern-day persona, albeit he tends to be quite manipulative. However, he is honest about it as well. Therefore, he takes people at face value and lets them choose whether they want to spend time with him. You aren’t obligated to, but, as Elliot would express it, who wouldn’t want to be around him? He is a personality.
What Is Search Party About?
*Watching the show is strongly recommended, but these will be concise, quick, smooth synopses of each episode without many spoilers.*
At the beginning of the first season, Dory learns about Chantel and searches for her. She later falls under the impression that they were friends when in fact, they were not. Her obsession with the idea that she has been murdered or gone missing is based on her own self-delusion. Since she is self-absorbed, she believes that the idea is the truth. However, this notion does not reflect reality. She is manifestly manic by the end of season one, along with everyone around her. There is an extremely toxic quality in her, and much of the season is devoted to establishing the story that will continue: the characters.
It is clear that season two focuses more on the murder, with Dory being arrested by the end of the season. However, season three is the story of the aftermath and building up in preparation for the actual arrest. We have seen Dory murder, destroy her friendships, become toxic, and commit more murder in just two seasons. A third season is highly deserved. This follows a more serious and legal plot while still remaining as humorous as ever. As The Verge says, “This is the space in which season 3 thrives. While it’s ostensibly about dominoes falling — it takes place immediately after Dory is under arrest for murder — it turns into a post-truth farce.” (( Rivera, Joshua. 2020. “Search Party Is the Scathing Millennial Satire You Need to Binge.” The Verge. The Verge. July 2020. )). And here’s the trailer for season four—Dory is in some big, big trouble.
What Is The Relationship Between Search Party And Hyperpostmodernism?
Finally, the most important job to be done when analyzing Search Party is to understand what it is really seeking to accomplish: i.e., present a play on the way in which we as a society act melodramatically and elevate our lives above others in importance and value. We tend to think that we are the only individual in the world and that life is centered around us. Even though that is rarely the case. In part, what makes Search Party so transcendent is that it exaggerates emotions and actions to the point they become droll.
It makes you laugh at yourself, at the way you behave, where you might not even realize you are acting the same way. Everyone can be a bit self-absorbed every now and then, but never to the extent as Dory, Drew, Portia, and Elliot. The distinction between them and you is that you probably aren’t always selfish, only when you need to be to protect personal boundaries and your life. However, this is just the show’s surface; if you analyze each season separately, you can discern its societal roots.
Season One Of Search Party (( 10 Episodes; 2016, TBS ))
The first season is completely about Chantal and how her activities are connected to the mystery surrounding her whereabouts. I don’t know about you, but mysteries are my favorite. They are an element that I enjoy reading, watching, and absorbing. Knowing that season one is a mystery at its core is what makes me love it so much both now and when I first watched it. A significant part of the first episode (( Season One, Episode One: “The Mysterious Disappearance of The Girl No One Knew.” Story by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter. Teleplay by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers. Directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers. November 21, 2016 )) focuses on Dory and her inability to feel like she is not moving forward.
She is in a relationship that feels comfortable, her friends are always the same as usual, and nothing is new. That is when she becomes obsessed with Chantal because if she can find Chantal, she can regain control of her life and find some motivation. But instead, she finds herself making many careless decisions that endanger her own safety and that of her friends. Dory becoming obsessed with someone else’s life shows that she wanted to escape her own.
Throughout the entire first season, we get to know many of the characters in the show, including who Dory is; it is imperative for her to be perceived positively by other people. Her self-esteem rests on how everyone else views her. She occupies a space many of us fill on Instagram and other social media platforms. Everyone wants to be famous for doing something, and Dory is no different. Her virtue is to be considered omnipotent and incredibly important, so everyone thinks what she says is the word of God. But… she actually doesn’t want that at all. In reality, it is just Dory thinking that it is her utopia. A hyperpostmodern part operates within that space, the metaphor of Dory as a symbol for millennials and culture as a whole. The way she interacts with her world is similar to how we interact internally with ours without realizing so.
Season Two Of Search Party (( 10 Episodes; 2017, TBS ))
In the second season, as well as in season three, viewers will witness the immediate aftermath of the murder. After getting to know each character, you may begin to anticipate how they will act in their fictional space. This familiarity with the characters’ symbolism makes season two an even better story arc. The first episode, 201, begins with the aftermath of a murder.
The murder of Keith has been committed by Dory, solely in my opinion, but Drew takes part in it because he sympathizes with Dory. Regardless, they manage to get every one of them entangled in this mess. In front of a not-so-missing Chantal, they have to bury a body. It turns out that Chantal was never missing. It is my favorite season because it deals with mental health, along with season three.
A hyperpostmodern phenomenon manifests itself in the last two seasons of the show since different characters react wildly to what has been accomplished; some try to ignore what has been achieved, some attempt to dive headlong into it, and others try to collaborate with others to fill the void (Drew when he searches for a reason to prove he has always been a “killer” in season three with a childhood friend.) In that regard, one thing is for sure: Keith is not the last person to die, and Dory will be in the spotlight long before any of us knows it.
However, they find that once they are back in their “rich, NY” lives, things are immediately less comfortable. In her naive belief that everything and everyone will return to the normal course, Dory pretends everything is fine, but everything is not fine. Nothing was the same for our Search Party.
Hashtag: The Paranoia Of Generation Y
Each friend becomes increasingly paranoid over who is watching them and who knows what they have done, and they all begin to unravel. Even though their life seems to be unraveling, they appear to be much more comfortable. Finally returning home means getting perks for finding Chantal. After a huge ordeal of Chantal’s parents’ missing person case, they are given a key to the city.
All in all that is a great thing, but it would have been all for the best if Dory didn’t get them into this position in the first place. As the season progresses, the group begins to suspect Dory is the source of their difficulties, and they decide to eliminate her from the group. The effects of stress begin to overwhelm Elliot, and he becomes manic. In addition to the paranoia, Dory becomes conniving, which makes you question whether her path resulted from the person she has become. Because she became so invested in the notion of being important, she is now influential for the wrong reason.
You can only stay in the limelight for so long before they start to turn their back on you; Chicago (2002) taught us that. However, Dory doesn’t care because Dory only cares that they will now pay attention to her. Dory, Elliot, Drew, and Portia are all subconsciously influenced by their social background to constantly tell themselves they’re important and/or have important things to say. And that’s what keeps Drew, Dory, Elliot, and Portia believing themselves to be important. The second season deals with the destructive effects of self-absorption on a person’s sanity.
Nevertheless, April’s death will lead to a very transcendental third season. Search Party continues to be one of the best television series of the modern age in terms of camerawork and setup, as well as cast and crew. As such, the excitement about season three is alive and well. Also, there’s a cool shot parallel with the remake of Cabin Fever (( Season 2, Episode 5: “Paranoia.” Directed by Michael Showalter. Written by Christina Lee. December 3, 2017. )) that I really enjoy. I am not sure if it was intended, but the juxtaposition is stunning because they also go crazy in Cabin Fever. I love a good window shot either freakin’ way.
Season Three Of Search Party (( 10 Episodes; 2020, HBO Max ))
The long-awaited season three finally saw the light of day. After three years of waiting and busy schedules, we got another season of Dory, Drew, Portia, and Elliot. The third season stands out as one of the best, currently. We focus on the media. The nexus of modernity. This is the underlying construct that hyperpostmodernism is built upon. A huge issue for the millennial generation but a gift for many as well. At this point, Dory feels that she has gotten far more than she can handle. She is famous, but she is famous for being despised.
Having murdered two now, she lives by herself, is not permitted to see her friends, and exists as this hated but loved being. She is constantly being watched, driven mad by paranoia. At the apex of her life, she is completely alone. From season one, you can see that Dory is now starting to see what she has done to her friends. When Portia explains in her testimony that Dory was just acting out of self-absorption, Dory begins to feel emphatic for how she treated Portia.
As I said before, Portia is one of the smartest in the group sometimes. Before this, I don’t think Dory knew what she was doing was hurting her friends. I think she saw it as “I will be less alone if I put them in my shit, too,” and she is, but not in the way she thought. She thought they would get away with it, but that has been the least of their worries right now. With the trial’s aftermath, Dory won’t be liked anymore or less; all will primarily hate her.
Is This A Closer Look At My Inner Being?
Season three has a spectacular montage sequence, in particular since the murder of April by Dory. This has become a favorite of mine, though, before that, the character of Dory has changed dramatically. If you look at the world from the standpoint of social media, season three becomes very apparent. There is an allusion to the mass media, a play on Ted Bundy and the interest that people had, a play on gender stereotypes, how women and men are treated differently when they commit “murder” — so much on how that can be related to our contemporary society. Because of this, season three is referred to as Dory’s hyperpostmodern ode. It has always been unavoidably focused on her, but this season demonstrates her transformation in ways we have rarely seen before.
As someone who has never been left alone, Dory now has no one. She has no one while she had everyone in Season 1. Her enormous breakdown is painful, as Dory begins to realize how self-centered she is and how terribly wrong she has been to all those around her. In the imitation interview she has with her parents to “redeem” herself, she is actually in tears at the end of it. She admits that she is frightened and does not know what to do, as she never imagined it would get this far. Yet, she continues to allow her past to torment her and forget it even existed. She believes that she isn’t responsible for Keith’s death, which is just plain narcissistic.
Search Party Season 4 ≠ The Future Of Dory Sief?
As season four progresses, Dory becomes more aware of who she is, what she has done, and what she has become. The hyperpostmodernist aspects that had prevailed in season 1-3 have been further explored, as Dory begins to understand why she exists in this time and space without anyone but an insane man who perceives her as his best friend. She is ultimately receiving the punishment for what she had done to others in the worst way. Every time she tried to escape, she found herself back in the same position as before. At the end of season three, Dory assumed that she would acquire a sense of normalcy and a feeling of well-being. Although everyone else has come to terms with the current situation, she has not — as she, herself, is the true originator of it all.
So far, Dory has been regarded as someone who needs redemption. Although Dory is far from deserving of redemption, as humans, we enjoy watching an unsavory character see the light of day, no matter how unpleasant. It is only natural that we root for it. We believe she deserves some sort of retaliation, but not in such a drastic manner, right? (Therefore, the ‘hyper-elevated’ outcome would never actually occur but provokes a sense of dread due to the possibility.) With the camera, the show conveys these humanistic qualities, and while the season has not yet concluded, one can hope that Dory will see the light and be able to apprehend her role in the decisions that she made on her own. Hard to believe, but plausible. At the end of the day, she is only human. (Get it?)
As The Wrap says, “Season four’s vibe so far is very reminiscent of Stephen King’s Misery.” (( Samson Amore. 2021. “‘Search Party’ Season 4: How Dory Became the Real Missing Person.” TheWrap. TheWrap. January 14, 2021. )).
Do You Think Dory Can Return To Reality After Search Party Season 4?
Despite the fact she has never accepted her past, many also have not, and the fact that she became messed up with Keith, obsessed with Chantal, and made it to this point could very well be the tip of her inability to acknowledge or comprehend her own past. It is her parents’ contention that she did not ask for help, did not want help, and is therefore in the situation she is in. Perhaps if she had reached out to Drew, made a point to communicate with him, maybe she would not be in the situation she is in. She wouldn’t be on this path if she weren’t so self-absorbed to not be aware that people cannot read her mind.
The montage in question is when April is conversing with her twin sister June in a side-by-side shot that shows both actresses saying the same lines a second after hearing them. This scene reflects Dory’s maddening guilt, but I enjoyed the appeal of having both actresses deliver the same lines simultaneously. Not only is this a display of actual guilt, but it also shows the excessive paranoia that April will tell, and thus Dory will be in trouble not once but twice. In season three of the show, most viewers wonder if they are Dory. The emotional extreme close-ups of Alia Shawkat are hauntingly beautiful. Her face truly is a goddess. Having enjoyed this whole season, I am motivated to reassess myself and what I am doing, and how I treat others. If Dory is in this position for being too self-centered, I certainly do not intend to act this way.
Regardless, this is a hyperpostmodern phenomenon; Dory exists as a societal whole. She is a mirror of how society reacts towards others. Dory represents how society works in regards to us, how we treat each other. In contrast to previous seasons, it is not Dory alone who sparks societal norms. The interconnectedness of the narrative is astounding this season. In addition to the judge’s claim that he suffers from an illness and has to snack while his trial is in progress (LOL), Search Party is a sentimental method to portray that everyone thinks their work is important, something that might not be true. During season three, the fear of being oppressed and, without meaning to, being selfish is most prevalent because it causes a lot of anxiety. In short, it helps make us re-examine how we behave.
Here’s to a crazy freakin’ season four, Search Party; see y’all on the other side.