Ep 10. Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception

Party Down is a comedy series that follows the exploits of a group of struggling actors and writers who work for a Los Angeles-based catering company. The tenth and final episode of season one, titled "Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception," sees the Party Down crew working at a high society wedding reception.

The episode starts with Ron (Ken Marino), the team leader of Party Down catering company, introducing Casey (Lizzy Caplan) to the team as the new employee, who is replacing Henry, who had left the team in the previous episode. The team then sets out to cater to the wedding reception of the wealthy Stennheiser and Pong family, where they all have different roles to play.

The episode mainly revolves around Casey, who is struggling to fit in with the rest of the team. She is trying to find her place among the team members and prove herself valuable. Meanwhile, Henry, who had left the team earlier, shows up at the event as a guest and catches up with Casey. They both talk about why Henry left, and Casey expresses her frustration about not finding her place in the group. Henry explains that it takes time to integrate and not to be discouraged.

As the reception begins, the team begins to work on their assigned tasks. Ron is working the bar and trying to impress a wealthy widow, Lydia, by showing off his knowledge of fine wines. Casey is tasked with serving appetizers but is struggling to complete the task due to her lack of experience. Uda (Marin Starr) and Roman (Martin Casella) are in charge of the buffet, but they are having an argument about the pronunciation of the word "quinoa," which leads to some awkward moments.

The main event of the reception is the wedding cake, which has been custom made with a mechanical device designed to spin around and give guests a 360-degree view. However, as the cake is being brought out, the device malfunctions and sends the cake spiraling out of control. The team is forced to improvise, and they come up with a solution that saves the day.

Throughout the episode, there are several subplots that add to the humor. A couple of notable ones include Kyle's (Ryan Hansen) attempts to impress the guests by putting on various accents, and Ron's continued attempts to woo the wealthy widow, Lydia, despite some setbacks.

Overall, "Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception" is an entertaining and enjoyable episode of the series. It showcases the strength of the ensemble cast, as each of them has their moment to shine. The humor is sharp, and the episode does a good job of balancing comedy with some poignant character moments. It serves as a fitting finale for the first season of Party Down, leaving viewers wanting more and looking forward to the next season.