The second season of Search Party is almost upon us, but there's still time to catch up on the darkly hilarious first season if you've irresponsibly left it until now to get around to watch it. That's assuming you've heard of the mystery/comedy/thriller about a group of fairly infuriating but somehow compelling millennials who have nothing better to do than try to track down a vague acquaintance who's gone missing.
Spearheaded by dissatisfied personal assistant Dory (Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat), the quest takes the amateur sleuths on a twist-filled adventure that culminates in a finale you won't see coming.
Episode 1: "The Mysterious Disappearance of The Girl No One Knew"
Greatest moment: When Dory tells friends Elliott (John Early) and Portia (Meredith Hagner) about the disappearance of Chantal (Clare McNulty), they're scathing in their appraisal of her. Immediately after, Elliott takes to social media to broadcast his distress at the news.
Guest star: Christine Taylor plays Gail, the bored, rich wife for whom Dory works.
Episode 2: "The Woman Who Knew Too Much"
Greatest moment: Dory's boyfriend, Drew (John Reynolds), confronts her ex, Julian (Brandon Michael Hall). He comes armed with a spare milkshake to hurl at Julian after clarifying whether the former lovers have been sleeping with each other.
Guest star: Rosie Perez gets her crazy on as Lorraine, who claims to have information about Chantal's disappearance.
Episode 3: "The Night of One Hundred Candles"
Greatest moment: The friends attend a candlelight vigil at Chantal's house, where her college a cappella group performs a song in her honour: "Since U Been Gone (Chantal)".
Guest star: '90s sitcom fans will get a kick out of seeing Herman's Head star William Ragsdale among the crowd at the vigil.
Episode 4: "The Captive Dinner Guest"
Greatest moment: Having met Chantal's ex boyfriend Gavin (Griffin Newman) at the vigil, Dory invites him over for dinner and, in a particularly tense moment, nabs his phone while he's otherwise occupied trying to hit on Portia.
Guest star: Fans of Vinyl will recognise Newman from his role as A&R rep Casper.
Episode 5: "The Mystery of the Golden Charm"
Greatest moment: Chantal follows the clues to visit Chantal's roommate, Penelope (Bridey Elliott), who is entertaining clients with a particularly unique piece of performance art. Rabbits are involved.
Guest star: We saw him lurking around in the previous episode and now Ron Livingstone steps in to the spotlight as private detective Keith.
Episode 6: "The Secret of the Sinister Ceremony"
Greatest moment: Pretty much the entire bizarre dinner conversation at Bellow & Hare, the store full of trinkets and knick-knacks Dory visited in the previous episode. Together with Portia and Elliott, Dory attends the gathering, despite being warned the place is a front for a cult.
Guest star: In a piece of perfect casting, Parker Posey plays Brick, the woman who runs Bellow & Hare that we first saw briefly at the end of episode five.
Episode 7: "The Riddle Within the Trash"
Greatest moment: Having come across as a complete douche previously, Drew shows some redeeming qualities when messed up neighbour April (Phoebe Tyers) makes a move on him.
Guest star: Mr Robot viewers may recognise Sunita Mani, who makes a second appearance as Pia, one of the members of the Bellow & Hare "cult".
Episode 8: "The Return of the Forgotten Phantom"
Greatest moment: Portia, angry at Elliott over his deception (which we won't ruin by detailing more specifically), turns the tables on her friend in a surprisingly effective manner.
Episode 9: "Password to the Shadows"
Greatest moment: Twist alert. Dory – and the audience – is thrown for a loop when she approaches Chantal's family for money to pay off information withholder Agnes (Jennifer Kim).
Episode 10: "The House of Uncanny Truths"
Greatest moment 1: "Greatest" may not be quite the right word, but the confrontation that occurs at the location given to the group by Agnes changes everything.
Greatest moment 2: When the truth about Chantal finally comes out, it's not what anyone – least of all Dory – was expecting.
Search Party season 2 starts Monday 20 November at 10:30pm on SBS VICELAND.
