Party Down: Difference between revisions

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It was created by [[Veronica Mars|Rob Thomas]] and contains a mini [[Production Posse]].

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=== This show provides examples of: ===

* [[Actor Allusion]]: For some of the series, Casey talks about how she's trying to get a spot in a Judd Apatow movie. In reality, Lizzy Caplan has been in several Apatow productions, and is part of his [[Production Posse]].

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* [[Amazing Freaking Grace]]: In "James Ellison Funeral" (where else?).

* [[And Starring]]: Lizzy Caplan as Casey.

* [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking]]: In "James Ellison Funeral", Kyle complains about his movie going straight to video, a lover not calling him back, and his [[X Box]] malfunctioning.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: In "James Ellison Funeral", Kyle complains about his movie going straight to video, a lover not calling him back, and his [[X Box]] malfunctioning.

* [[As Himself]]: Steve Guttenberg and Patrick Duffy.

* [[Bastard Boyfriend]]: Casey's husband plays the part of the bastard boyfriend for the first few episodes of season 1 until {{spoiler|they get a divorce.}}

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* [[Bigger Is Better in Bed]]: Possibly the one good thing to ever happen to Ron.

* [[Biggus Dickus]]: It was just a glimpse, but holy hell, Ron!

* [[Bland Name Product]]: The Soup-R-Crackers soup/salad buffet Ron wants to open is likely a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souplantation Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes].

* [[Bland-Name Product]]: The Soup-R-Crackers soup/salad buffet Ron wants to open is likely a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souplantation Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes].

* [[Blonde Republican Sex Kitten]]: Roman asks a student if this trope has any truth to it in "California College Conservative Union Caucus".

* [[Bourgeois Bohemian]]: Constance and her new friends in "Constance Carmell Wedding".

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* [[The Chew Toy]]: Ron is a pedantic, sycophantic, socially inept loser who thinks he may well be the next Donald Trump. He's also put through more mental and physical trauma than any other character on the show.

* [[Class Reunion]]: Party Down caters ''Ron's'' reunion in "James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion".

* [[Cluster F Bomb]]: Leonard Stiltskin's dialogue in "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen Party" and "Precious Lights Pre-School Auction."

* [[Cluster F-Bomb]]: Leonard Stiltskin's dialogue in "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen Party" and "Precious Lights Pre-School Auction."

** Lampshaded by Roman at the end of "Sweet 16" when he assumes the customer feedback card to be nothing but insults, and gets it right word-for-word.

* [[Conspicuous Consumption]]: In "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday" Lydia reveals that if she had millions of dollars, the first things she'd do would be to throw a huge party, buy some shoes for herself, and buy a few hundred horses for her daughter.

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** In "California College Conservative Union Caucus," the names of the drinks that Henry is serving, for example, the "freedom-tini."

** A cultured author and the [[Jerkass]] screenwriter desperate to please him raise a stink over the lack of Calvados in "Joel Munt's Big Deal Party".

* [[Drowning His Sorrows]]: Kyle in "Nick DiCintio's Orgy Night" after being on the receiving end of a [[The Reason You Suck Speech]].

* [[Drowning His Sorrows]]: Kyle in "Nick DiCintio's Orgy Night" after being on the receiving end of a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]].

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Kyle.

* [[Dyeing for Your Art]]: Roman uses this trope in "Willow Canyon Homeowners Annual Party" to trick Kyle into shaving all his hair (although Kyle only gets to do his left eyebrow before the scheme is revealed to him) by giving Kyle a fake voicemail that a character he's auditioning for is being rewritten as a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.

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** In "James Ellison Funeral", Lydia asks awkwardly, loudly, and bluntly about how James Ellison died.

** In "Constance Carmell Wedding", the circumstances surrounding Danielle's parents' divorce means that Danielle and Ron can finally be together, but that doesn't change the fact that Ron just cheerfully told Danielle that ''her parents are getting divorced''.

* [[Foreshadowing]]: In "Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar", Ron tells Constance and Henry a [[Scare Em Straight]] story about a friend mixing prescription drugs and liquor and nearly dying. The same happens to {{spoiler|Bruce}}.

* [[Foreshadowing]]: In "Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar", Ron tells Constance and Henry a [[Scare'Em Straight]] story about a friend mixing prescription drugs and liquor and nearly dying. The same happens to {{spoiler|Bruce}}.

* [[Gag Penis]]: Ron's is briefly visible as he hastily stuffs it back into his pants.

* [[Genius Bruiser]]: Roman is extremely irritated to meet a hulking college football player who is better-read than he is, as well as a pre-med student.

* [[Global Ignorance]]: Constance thinks that Toronto is part of the United States in "California College Conservative Union Caucus".

* [[Hey ~~Its~~ That Guy]]:

* [[Hey It's That Guy]]:

** In-universe. Henry is often recognized from his beer commercials.

** Kyle, Constance, and Casey also get recognized in "Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh".

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* [[Informed Ability]]: Averted with {{spoiler|Henry's acting. You hear a comment here and there about his talent and then he blows everyone away in "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday Party"}}.

* [[Informed Judaism]]: Casey Klein's religion is never brought up in season one. In season two, she makes two references to being Jewish, though it never factors into her actions at all. Actress Lizzy Caplan is Jewish in real life.

* [[It Is Pronounced Tro-PAY]]: In "Steve Guttenburg's Birthday", Kyle thinks "Nietzsche" is pronounced "Niche". He also thinks "velour" is pronounced "vel-hour".

* [[It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY"]]: In "Steve Guttenburg's Birthday", Kyle thinks "Nietzsche" is pronounced "Niche". He also thinks "velour" is pronounced "vel-hour".

* [[~~Its~~ Personal]]: Lydia's notes for "[[Celebrity Resemblance|Wesley Snipes]]"'s movie in "Joel Munt's Big Deal Party" involves adding several layers of this trope.

* [[It's Personal]]: Lydia's notes for "[[Celebrity Resemblance|Wesley Snipes]]"'s movie in "Joel Munt's Big Deal Party" involves adding several layers of this trope.

* [[Jerkass]]: Roman, and also most of the hosts of parties. But not Steve Guttenberg.

* [[Just Friends]]: Henry and Casey for much of the series, especially {{spoiler|after they first sleep with each other.}}

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* [[Marijuana Is LSD]]: Roman accidentally eats three marijuana muffins and goes on some kind of cosmic journey of introspection in "Constance Carmell Wedding".

* [[Matzo Fever]]: None of the other male waiters are Jewish, but they all have the hots for the smoking Semite Casey Klein.

* [[May December Romance]]: Constance and her fiance Howard in "Constance Carmell Wedding". Howard's daughter shows up halfway into the party and turns out to be Constance's age.

* [[May-December Romance]]: Constance and her fiance Howard in "Constance Carmell Wedding". Howard's daughter shows up halfway into the party and turns out to be Constance's age.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Constance is named for the fact that in her pursuit of her dreams and her optimism, she's completely constant.

* [[Mistaken for Racist]]:

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* [[No Except Yes]]: "This is not a retreat--it's an ''advance!"'' in "Brandix Corporate Retreat".

* [[No Sense of Personal Space]]: Constance.

* [[One Dialogue Two Conversations]]: In "Joel Munt's Big Deal Party", Lydia shares light conversation with one of the attendees in the bathroom and remarks that she "came in here to powder my nose, but I can't find the stuff." The attendee lends Lydia her compact...which is full of cocaine. Later on she asks a different woman the same thing and actually receives makeup.

* [[One Dialogue, Two Conversations]]: In "Joel Munt's Big Deal Party", Lydia shares light conversation with one of the attendees in the bathroom and remarks that she "came in here to powder my nose, but I can't find the stuff." The attendee lends Lydia her compact...which is full of cocaine. Later on she asks a different woman the same thing and actually receives makeup.

* [[Only Sane Employee]]: Casey.

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Henry.

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* [[Raging Stiffie]]: Kyle spikes Roman's drink with a ground-up Viagra in "Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar" to get back at him for the incident detailed in "[[Dyeing for Your Art]]". However, there still has to be real arousal for the erection to start, making for a [[Brick Joke]] during [[The Tag]].

* [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]

* [[The Reason You Suck Speech]]: Kyle gets a pretty deflating one from a struggling actress he's hitting on about how he's just as much of a failure as her in "Nick DiCintio's Orgy Night", leading him to [[Drowning His Sorrows|Drown His Sorrows]].

* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Kyle gets a pretty deflating one from a struggling actress he's hitting on about how he's just as much of a failure as her in "Nick DiCintio's Orgy Night", leading him to [[Drowning His Sorrows|Drown His Sorrows]].

* [[Right Through His Pants]]: Both averted and played straight.

* [[Ruthless Foreign Gangsters]]: The staff caters an event for a gang of Eastern European gangsters of unspecified ethnicity, though the name "Zoltan" suggests that they're Hungarian. They're celebrating their leader getting away with murder, and the staff has reason to suspect that they're plotting another.

* [[Self Deprecation]]: "James Ellison Funeral":

* [[Self-Deprecation]]: "James Ellison Funeral":

{{quote| '''Henry:''' Most actors aren't very bright, so it has to be simple.}}

* [[Sensitivity Training]]: Ron in "Willow Canyon Homeowners Annual Party."

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** Valhalla Catering, Party Down's rival catering company, is intense.

** Roman takes everything way too seriously. He accuses someone of making a mockery of the body shot in "Nick DiCintio's Orgy Night".

** "James Ellison Funeral" has a discussion about what [[Where Da White Women At|a black person lusting after white people]] would be called, since "jungle fever" is only for whites who like blacks.

** "James Ellison Funeral" has a discussion about what [[Where Da White Women At?|a black person lusting after white people]] would be called, since "jungle fever" is only for whites who like blacks.

{{quote| '''Roman:''' "Temperate deciduous fever"? "Fjord fever"?}}

* [[Shut Up Kiss]]: Casey to Henry in "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday".

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** Kyle brushes off Roman as a writer in "Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh".

** The community theater actors in "Not On Your Wife Opening Night" pointedly avert this attitude, kissing up to Roman and proclaiming that in theater, the writer is God.

* [[Yank the ~~Dogs~~ Chain]]: Happens to all the characters at least once. Some standout examples:

* [[Yank the Dog's Chain]]: Happens to all the characters at least once. Some standout examples:

** Henry in "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen" ''nearly'' gets a major supporting role in a big-budget movie.

** In season two, Casey finally gets her [[Judd Apatow]] role {{spoiler|only to find out her scene was cut}} in "Constance Carmell Wedding".