IMHO "Party Down" (1.10): Season Finale

The season finale of the Starz comedy Party Down aired last week, and featured fabulous new cast member Jennifer Coolidge, as well as a Hollywood gay wedding ... and George Takei suffering from pee fright and anaphylactic shock.

For those unfamiliar with the show, here is a brief synopsis:

The show follows a Los Angeles catering team, a sextet of aspiring Hollywood wannabes stuck working for tips while hoping for their "big break." Each episode of this half-hour comedy finds the hapless catering team working a new event, and inevitably getting tangled up with the colorful guests and their absurd lives.

The terrific cast includes Ken Marino (gay demon Tony on Reaper), Lizzy Caplan (who we last saw floating into the sky on True Blood), and Jennifer Coolidge (who replaced cast member Jane Lynch).

The season finale revolved around the wedding of a gay Hollywood bigwig named Stennheiser (played by David Marshall Grant, who years ago earned his place in gay TV history). Not much was done with his character or the actual wedding, but thankfully out icon George Takei was there to provide us with laughs.

George played himself (which he's made a late-life career out of) and has two great scenes. The first is when Star Trek fan Roman (Martin Starr) follows him into the men's room and stands next to him at the urinal, while trying to start a discussion about "mind-melds". Needless to say, this doesn't go over well with George, who experiences "pee fright" and can't conduct his business.

Later, due to a mix-up with color-coded serving trays, George is fed shellfish and suffers a severe (and over-the-top) allergic reaction.

The scenes with George were silly, and a lot of fun, but the one big scene with the groom had a sharper edge.

Caterer (and straight aspiring actor) Kyle (Ryan Hansen) worms his way into meeting Stennheiser, and gushes about how he'd love to work with him, and how he's "willing to do anything" to make it happen.

Stennheiser laments that Kyle didn't show up before his wedding day, as Kyle slowly realizes that his offer to "do anything" has been misconstrued. Before he can explain that it's a misunderstanding, the groom introduces him to another gay Hollywood bigwig, and informs the guy that Kyle would be perfect for his new "base-jumping" movie, and that he's "willing to do ... anything".

The next time we see Kyle, he's overjoyed ... having just been cast in a new "base-jumping" movie.

The episode earns an up arrow thanks to George, a great turn by guest star Kristen Bell as a shrewish caterer, and the always reliable Jennifer Coolidge (although no one can replace Jane Lynch).

You can see clips from the episode at the Starz site, as well as all of the season's highlights. And for fans of the show, you'll be glad to know that Starz has officially renewed it for a second season.