★★★★☆ (4.5/5) One of the stronger early episodes. The Brandix retreat concept allows the show to fully explore its thesis: that even when you take miserable people out of L.A., they’re still trapped in their own heads (and their pink bow ties). The BDMV format is overkill for a sitcom, but for a fan building a high-quality archive, it’s the definitive way to watch.
Martin Starr’s Roman is often the show's angry intellectual conscience, but here, he is just a loser among losers. Returning to high school brings out his worst instincts. He’s desperate to prove he has evolved beyond the kid who was picked on, yet his "evolution" consists of pretentious pseudo-philosophical rants about "The Matrix" and a screenplay that nobody wants to read. party down s01e04 bdmv
The tragedy of Roman in this episode is that he thinks he is the smartest person in the room, but the room doesn't care. His confrontation with the "cool kids" doesn't result in vengeance; it results in awkward silence. He hasn't transcended high school; he’s just wearing a nicer polyester shirt. ★★★★☆ (4