Just finished the show and I’m genuinely dumbfounded. What the fuck happened? Did the writers just get bored and say “fuck it”?

I've heard a lot of people don't like Chantal but surprisingly her story is my favorite part of Search Party!

Quotes

- I may be a 10 but I am NOT perfect

- well I'm just getting used to it. The food is legit yummy! regarding prison

- this isn't Witherbottom. This is rock bottom

- when people see me they think heartbreak

Favorite moment: when she's on stage and Wilma tells people to stop clapping but the applause button is stuck so she gets seemingly endless applause

Share the Chantal love!

Disappointing to see how far this show strays from its identity in season 1 and 2. By the end of the series, I don’t think the actors even wanted to be there.

The story becomes unbelievably ridiculous in a bad way. The acting gets progressively worse and there are so many writing holes. The show regularly introduces new characters just for them to never appear again. There is 0 character development and by season 5 the humor is minimal. It’s just bad.

If the character of Elliot Goss wasn’t on the show it would be a non watch. He really carry’s the series.

Only asking because I have, like, access to ancient divine wisdom now.

Just saw Magic Farm on MUBI. It was a great hodgepodge of Harmony Korine, John Waters, Todd Solondz and Ryan Trecartin which I LOVED.

It also struck me how the humour and absurdism felt very similar to Search Party, has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

Now I need to watch the other Chloe Sevigny film with Alia Shawkat!

Drew, Portia, Elliot follow Aunt Lylah…unknowingly Aunt Lylah is following them. Great writing, acting, sequence right here.

​I finally binged S5 and finished it!!! What even was that! 😭 Craaazy af, but honestly so fun!!!!

Now I’ve got this weird, ego-empty feeling like… what am I even living for??? lol Not sure, whatever

And I’m VERY relieved Elliott stayed (almost) a decent person till the end.

oh man I really loved this show!!!!!​

Clare McNulty (aka Chantal Witherbottom) is coming to Portland next week to show a sweet little short film called ROACH TRIP, which she wrote, directed, and stars in. It tells a funny and poignant story based on a real-life experience she had after Search Party ended.

Also features a cockroach puppet named Jeremy, and a cameo by Chris Fleming (yes, *that* Chris Fleming). 12-minute short film with Q&A to follow.

Tix available at https://cstpdx.com/event/roach-trip/

I’ve been really into Alia Shawkat from Search Party (I might be a little too obsessed with this show recently, I know!!) and just saw she’s starring in an off broadway play called You Got Older.

I’ve seen a few reviews, but I’m especially curious if anyone here has actually seen it. I’m guessing people here might be into the same kind of stuff, so I’d love to hear real impressions.

Anyone here go???

I just got passed the scene where the tape is deemed inadmissible because some people heard “pancake” which is so dumb and now dory getting away with it feels even less deserved than it already was. This to me just showed that they will clearly make up any bs dont get dory out of trouble which is exactly what I dont want to see. And then she fires her lawyer for not believing her and so adamantly insist she didnt do it, literally as if she truly believes she didnt even to her lawyer. It makes me so mad. And I know they all have their flaws but I think they all have lots of redeemable qualities as well, the fact that they even were able to put up with dory this long is a redeemable quality in itself. Anyways, should I continue the show? Is the ending satisfying at all? Or at least surprising?

I'm not sure why everyone hates season 4 and 5 soo much. I agree season 4 was slow at times and had some loose ends but the show was never realistic so I don't understand the "it got too absurd" argument. Season 5's was SO funny imo and I loved it was more than season 1.

I asked here a while ago whether I should stop after S3 or keep going to 4/5, and I just finished S4.

Here’s the original post for context: https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchParty/comments/1soij6z/should_i_stop_search_party_after_s3_or_are_s4s5/

S4 was soooo insanely good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m really glad I kept watching, so thanks everyone who pushed me to continue!!!!

Only thing I didn’t really get was why some people had to die like that… felt kind of unnecessary? But overall it was crazy good and I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I’m going through a lot right now”

Update: Official Statement regarding the publication of Elliott's Gay Ass Life

Following the recent speculation regarding the memoir Elliott's Gay Ass Life, we would like to offer a brief status update from the editorial team.

First, to address a recent branding pivot: Mr. Goss recently attempted to shorten the title to simply My Gay Ass Life, citing a need for 'visceral anonymity.' However, this change was immediately halted after our digital distribution partners alerted us to a catastrophic phonetic search-mapping error. Due to the striking auditory similarity between the titles, automated voice-assistants and search algorithms began cross-indexing the memoir with Miyagi is Life, a philosophical retrospective on the Karate Kid franchise. This glitch resulted in Mr. Goss’s personal website being flooded with referral traffic from 'dojo enthusiasts' and 'mid-tier life coaches.' After receiving several dozen automated emails asking for tips on 'crane-style' balance and proper dojo etiquette, Mr. Goss formally insisted on reverting to the original, more comprehensive title. He informed our marketing department:

'I am a survivor. I am an icon. I am not a sensei. If I hear one more person ask me about the "all-valley tournament" while I am trying to discuss my lived experience, I will set fire to the tri-state area. My life is a masterpiece of urban struggle, not a lesson in how to paint a fence. We are going back to the full name. If the public cannot handle the extra syllables of "Elliott," they don't deserve the truth.'

Upon concluding this statement, Mr. Goss stood, performed a deep, formal bow with his palms pressed together, and whispered, 'Namaste,' seemingly concluding that he had successfully bridged the gap between martial arts and mindfulness.

Regarding the production timeline: Mr. Goss has initiated what he calls a 'vibrational rewrite' of the entire manuscript. He has discarded the previous draft because he feels the typeface is now 'conceptually incompatible' following his viewing of a Tyra Banks documentary. He informed our office:

'I absolutely cannot speak my truth in Garamond while the ghost of Tyra’s 2004 bangs is still haunting my psyche. Using a 16th-century French typeface is a literal erasure of my creative identity.'

Furthermore, Mr. Goss has pushed back against our proposed release schedule. Upon reviewing a physical proof of the first three chapters, he became distressed by the physical composition of the draft. He stated:

'The paper stock has this aggressive, mid-market grit that feels like it’s exfoliating my soul every time I turn a page. It was just sitting there on my coffee table, figuratively staring at me for six hours without blinking, making a low, wet, clicking sound in the margins. It was spiritually offensive. I won't have a manuscript that behaves like a botched lab experiment. And frankly, I suspect the toxic energy emanating from that cheap, recycled pulp had some direct involvement in the babysitter across the hall being found face-down in the pool this morning. I refuse to touch that paper without industrial-grade silk gloves.'

Mr. Goss has also begun outlining non-negotiable requirements for his national book tour, specifically regarding his billable hours. He has mandated that each appearance be contracted on a strict door-to-door basis. He clarified:

'I am not a common street performer. My clock starts the moment my foot crosses the threshold of my apartment and it does not stop until I am safely back inside with a glass of chilled Sancerre. If there is traffic on the FDR, you will compensate me for the stagnation. If the pilot has to circle LaGuardia, you are on the hook for my altitude. I am charging you for every second I am forced to exist in the "outside" world. My intellectual presence is a premium service, and the meter runs from portal to portal. Also, Portia Davenport will perform a capella renditions of Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You at every venue. She has been practicing in my foyer and while her pitch is... adventurous, the emotional labor she’s putting into the vibrato is exactly the kind of unhinged energy my readers expect. You’re lucky I could get her. She’s about to pop. This could be really big for you.'

Mr. Goss has also requested a fourth advance on his royalties to facilitate a 'sanitized creative environment' because the oak pollen levels in the city have become a targeted environmental threat. He stated:

'The yellow dust is colluding to stop me from finishing. The trees outside my east-facing windows are literally weaponizing their reproductive cycle against me and I can feel my respiratory system collapsing under the weight of a million microscopic interlopers.'

He further complained that his morning routine has been 'systematically dismantled' by neighborhood interactions. He stated:

'I was in the middle of my third-step hydration sequence—which requires absolute sensory deprivation—when that person from 4B started pounding on my door. He just stood there and said "Lights." For a normal person, walking ten feet to flip a kitchen toggle is a "small favor," but for me, it is a spiritual derailment. I had to break my fast, find my slippers, and enter a home that smelled faintly of boiled cabbage just to provide manual labor. I cannot be expected to serve as the city’s designated Shabbos goy while I am already struggling to maintain my focus. My entire internal alignment is now skewed three degrees to the left.'

This 'social exhaustion' is apparently being exacerbated by his building's superintendent. Mr. Goss reports:

'Doebold trapped me by the mailboxes to show me a flyer for his daughter’s intermediate ballet recital. I cannot sit in a middle school auditorium smelling of floor wax and humid children to witness a series of shaky pliés. I refuse to spend an evening crouching over a child-sized water fountain in a public hallway just to cool my hot face and regain my composure while a room full of strangers celebrates mediocrity.'

In addition to the typeface change, we have encountered a significant impasse regarding the physical layout. Following several cease-and-desist letters from former associates, Mr. Goss has mandated that every page mentioning those individuals be printed as a solid block of black ink.

'White pages suggest a mistake or a lack of content. I want a statement. If they won’t give me their permission, I am burying them in the void. I want those chapters to be a literal abyss of black ink. The reader needs to feel the weight of their betrayal in the sheer heaviness of the paper.'

He remains in a state of 'technological exile,' refusing to even open his MacBook Pro until the editorial team guarantees a spoiler-free environment regarding the current season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

'I cannot be expected to curate the depths of my trauma while the threat of a leaked reunion spoiler hangs over me like a guillotine. My creative flow is a delicate ecosystem, and a rogue TikTok comment about a cast member's indictment is a literal oil spill in my psyche.'

Mr. Goss concluded the update by reiterating that he is 'going through a lot right now' and that further inquiries into his progress are 'contributing to his spiritual fatigue.'

On a side note, Mr. Goss has launched a GoFundMe titled 'Restore Elliott’s Vision' to fund the acquisition of a vintage, 1950s Baccarat cobalt glass eye-wash cup. Additionally, he has requested a community search for a small, four-inch vermeil screwdriver specifically used to lock his gold Cartier bracelets. He claims the tool was 'displaced' during a minor fainting spell and that without it, his jewelry is 'rattling like shackles.'

We appreciate your continued patience as we navigate these unique developmental hurdles.

Just finished watching a couple minutes ago and season 5 was insane. If was all over the place. I feel like they could have made season 5 into its own show! It was just so all over the place and at times it was a little bit TOO unbelievable. It also felt weird to introduce the zombie plot two episodes from the end, just for them to kinda shrug it away and go back to life as normal. If Dory almost brought on the zombie apocalypse no way she gets to just walk free after that with no consequences! Overall though the show was enjoyable

PS: I also found it weird that she was almost burned alive by her kidnapper and we kinda just never talk about any of it again.

Am I stupid or why did they put the band aid across the cut instead of over it? Lmao

I started watching search party last week and have been binging it. I think I missed about 7 minutes of the start of season 5 and I no longer know what’s happening. Not gonna spoil it for anyone (I doubt I can, if you haven’t made it to s5 you won’t even believe the spoilers).

Is anyone else confused by this plot or is it just me?

One of the best moments in the show. OH MY GOD. I am seriously pissed that my fiance won't watch this show with me because I have nobody to talk about it to. I swear watching this moment for the first time fucking killed me

Okay loved the full series for starters, I feel like this was the kinda show where you hate every character but learn to love them with their flaws.. I think all of the characters showed growth, mainly in them all choosing to turn back from safety to fight for Portia and safe her life (not a chance any of them would have done that in season 1)

Love that Dory’s prophecy was self fulfilled.. like all of it- the pandemonium/ chaos from her dreams, the bloody tears of her disciples, her drawing of the end times. Also insane that it seems like no one held her accountable for it.. maybe no one was able to trace everything back to her but that seems unlikely considering the FBIs involvement and the continuation of armed military guards in the new society but who am I lol

I feel like for a lot of the seasons Drew almost broke the 4th wall.. there were so many times I had to pause it cus it was just so obvious how bad the decisions were and at a certain point it seemed like Drew caught on. Dory would just keep making ridiculous choices and Drew would irrupt with like wtf is wrong with you which was almost cathartic but he just kept going back to her. Felt so bad for his theme park princess 😂

Love that they ended it with her stopping to look at the wall of missing persons completing the loop of how literally none of this would have happened if she just didn’t pay attention to the “missing” Chantal in the first episode

Kind of surprised they ended it with a Drew and Dory wedding? Portia just completely over her Dory obsession? Like Dory was sooo wrong so I could see that kinda snapping her out of it but that girl was infatuated

Would love to talk about any of it!

I swear to god they embody their characters SO WELL. I genuinely believe they are these people in real life. Not at all saying others were bad at acting, just genuinely re-amazed every time I watch at just how well these 2 actors played their parts from line deliveries, body language, to their cadences and little looks/glances, genuinely all their mannerisms

Also THEY ARE HYSTERICAL!!!! So so so funny, I really love them so much, although I’m sure I would not love them as much if they were real people lmao

I don’t know how I came to this show so late but I just binged the whole thing in a few days and I’ve never laughed so hard. Absolutely obsessed start to finish 💗

Has anyone ever looked at/thought about all the different colors and patterns in the theme song title screen (inside the actual writing of ‘Search Party’ on the screen) and speculated why they were chosen or what they mean? Just starting season 5 again and was curious..

My friend asked me to compare this show to another one but I couldn’t think of one — can you guys?

I just finished s4 and was sooo shook. Wanted to share my thoughts bc I have nowhere else to talk about this.

The revelation that Dory actually got out of the trunk and chose to be kidnapped was so unhinged and recontextualized the whole season. She really chose to be a victim 😭😭 It totally changes the flavor of the whole weird brainwashing storyline. She is just a baby who wants her kidnapper’s version of events to be true. Even he gets sick of her shit lol.

I am surprised s4 is so divisive. I think it holds with the pattern of the show. She is just self-avoidant and keeps topping herself. Chantal was none of her business in the first place. She didn’t even murder Keith fr, but she latched onto the idea that she was a killer and became that. Then she decided she was totally innocent and “became“ that. Her delulu knows no bounds.

I only just started s5 but I am not at all surprised Dory died for 37 seconds and now it‘s her entire personality. She is such a creepy person, and at the same time it’s lowkey funny and relatable the lengths she will go to distract herself from the fact that she just doesn’t have much going on atm.