The Afterparty suspect list: Who is the most likely killer in Apple TV Plus’ whodunit?

Let’s try and figure out who’s actually done it—killed Xavier—in The Afterparty

The Afterparty successfully scratched the itch for an entertaining murder mystery caper after last year’s crime comedy Only Murders In The Building. Christopher Miller’s Apple TV+ series is an engrossing and amusing whodunit. It follows Detective Danner’s (Tiffany Haddish) investigation into douchey popstar Xavier’s (Dave Franco) death during a 15-year high school reunion party at his lavish, seaside mansion.

The show features a roster of comedy favorites, from Ilana Glazer to Sam Richardson to Ben Schwartz, who all play Xavier’s former classmates and current murder suspects. Each episode changes genres depending on who is narrating their point-of-view of the night. The first season finale will finally reveal who killed the star of the fictional Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Before the big reveal, The A.V. Club is trying to figure out who is most likely to kill among the fictional class of 2006. Naturally, spoilers abound if you’re not caught up with all the pre-finale episodes.

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10. Maggie

No, the 6-year-old did not kill Xavier. Brett (Barinholtz) and Zoe’s (Zoë Chao) daughter Maggie (Everly Carganilla) has apparently been stuck in her dad’s car for the duration of the night. And even though the finale is titled after her, she’s probably just going to provide Danner with some groundbreaking clue that confirms the detective’s theory of who the killer might be—maybe Maggie saw Xavier fall from the balcony? But the ploy to name the last episode after her is still a fun one.

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9. Aniq

How do we know the killer is not Aniq (Richardson)? Because The Afterparty has been telling us from day one to assume it’s him. Aniq has been on the top of everyone’s suspect list, from Danner to the meddling Jennifers. He’s spent the entire run trying to prove he didn’t kill Xavier, as much as he hated him.

Aniq charmed his way into Zoe’s heart after all these years post-high school (Richardson makes a strong case to lead his own rom-com); there’s no way he’d ruin his progress by committing such a crime now. He’s simply using his escape-room designing skills to help Danner and clear his name in some weird ways.

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8. Jennifer #1 and Jennifer #2

Would The Afterparty make either or both the pregnant Jennifers a killer? Most likely, no. Jennifer #2 (Ayden Mayeri) has been missing all night, and Jennifer #1 (Tiya Sircar) is quick to blame literally everyone else. But they’re both clearly just pot-stirrers. They love to think they’re the Regina George, but they would’ve been her minions if they really were in Mean Girls.

Hopefully, Jen 2 is probably stuck in another secret room somewhere in Xavier’s mansion because she accidentally locked herself in.

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7. Ned

Ned (Kelvin Yu) loves pranks and having a good time, but he doesn’t have a strong enough motive. Yes, Xavier possibly slept with his ex back in high school, but Ned has moved on. He’s married to Jen #1 and is an expectant father. Unless the couple decided to off Xavier for some big previously unknown reason, it’s safe to say Ned will not be going to prison.

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6. Indigo

Indigo (Genevieve Angelson) is undoubtedly the most mysterious member of this high-school reunion afterparty. She whizzes into the scene with quips and deadpan delivery, but she has mostly stayed out of Danner and everyone else’s way. Indigo as the culprit is anticlimactic and unsatisfactory. Her all-black ensemble with the glasses (and the martini glass), on the other hand, is quite killer.

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5. Chelsea

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Chelsea (Glazer) has an excellent reason to loathe Xavier’s guts. As revealed in “High School,” he lied about hooking up with Chelsea during the infamous St. Patrick’s Day party. The fib made him popular but tarnished her reputation. She’s spiraled ever since. To seek revenge, Chelsea wanted to leak Xavier’s nudes to embarrass him. She confesses to Danner her plan to tranquilize him, but did she go ahead and kill him during the confrontation instead?

Chelsea is also the last known person to see Xavier alive in his room. But knowing the trauma she’s been living with all these years, and how she wanted to overcome it (admittedly not in the healthiest way), Chelsea wanted closure and the ability to move on. Would she really push him off the balcony knowing it’s likely she’ll get caught? Nah. But then again, she doesn’t have much to lose.

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4. Brett

Ah, Brett. It looks like this wannabe Dominic Toretto will also do anything for his family apparently. He’s determined to reunite with Zoe and raise Maggie together. He appears innocuous enough, like someone who only threatens to fight but is too cowardly to step up when needed. But maybe that’s exactly the impression he wants to give?

Yes, he had a heart-to-heart with his former partner, so it seems like they’re all good. But maybe he really did snap. Xavier’s death will not just get him out of the way, but if Brett manages to frame Aniq—who is also pursuing Zoe—then he’ll be the only shoulder left for her to cry on. Listen, he really is silly enough to believe he’ll get away with it.

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3. Walt

Has there been a bigger red herring on a crime show? Jamie Demetriou’s astounding turn in The Afterparty notwithstanding, Walt’s ability to be invisible makes him the perfect culprit. No one would spot him going into or exiting Xavier’s room. Even if they did, they’d be hard-pressed to remember his name or what he looks like.

Walt has spent literally every minute on the show trying to get noticed by any one of his previous classmates. He was ignored in school—no one knew the infamous graduation/St. Patrick’s Day party was at his house—and he’s being ignored now. What better way to finally get all the attention than offing the most popular one of them all?

But making Walt the killer is the expected route. The Afterparty is trying to be subversive with all its genre-bending. The finger may point to him, but the more fun and twisted ways to go would be…

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2. Zoe

Zoe is extremely sharp. Instead of pursuing her artistic passions, though, she got stuck in a monotonous marriage with Brett and is still enveloped in the world of her high school, where she now is an administrator. It’s quite the arrested development. Maybe she thought she’s had enough?

Her individual episode, the animated “Zoe,” shows how she’s suppressed her rebellious inner personality for years. When she got to the reunion party and was being wooed by Xavier, she seemed to let her defiant side out for the night and seriously considered being with him. When they got to his balcony and were alone together, maybe something went totally wrong and she pushed him down? We already know he was not above being predatory himself.

The only reason Zoe doesn’t top this list is Maggie. She wouldn’t want to abandon her young daughter after all, right? Right?

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1. Yasper

The Afterparty has positioned Aniq as the quasi-hero of the show. It makes sense for the emotional value that the killer is someone he’s attached to, which also narrows down the suspect list to his love interest Zoe and BFF Yasper (Schwartz).

Honestly, there’s a good chance the killer is Zoe, but the stronger bet is Yasper. Ever since it was revealed Xavier’s former ska band member installed all the security cameras in his house, the suspicious light was cast. He knows the ins and outs of the mansion, that’s why no one spotted him going up the stairs. He probably knows about a secret doorway or stairwell leading up to Xavier’s room. Plus, Yasper has eagerly helped Aniq spy on all of Danner’s interrogations. Far too eagerly.

Yasper’s motivation is rock solid. He should’ve been the successful musician of the two, it’s why he ditched Xavier in school. What doesn’t track is why Yasper would reveal to Aniq that Xavier’s room had a secret spycam. Then again, all the footage is deleted so his information is of no use. Schwartz has played Yasper as an earnest dude, but it’s possible a more sinister, smarmy person is hidden underneath.

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