Jean-Ralphio Saperstein from Parks and Recreation is arguably one of the best TV characters of the 21st century. But, to use his term, he's also the woOoOrst. If Jean-Ralphio were a comic book character, he'd be an evil villain. And Ben Schwartz's The Afterparty character Yasper would be his good alter ego.
Yasper has a lot in common with Jean-Ralphio with his oversized dreams of fame. But Yasper manages to be somehow charming when he does his ridiculous antics. Renting a fancy sports car to impress his former classmates at his high school reunion? A total Jean-Ralphio move (who, for the record, had a pre-owned Acura Legend). But Yasper's desperate decision to look fancy is endearing rather than just totally pathetic. Maybe that's because Yasper draws the line at renting a car and not throwing his body in front of a Lexus for money.
In Yasper's mind, he's the star of his own musical... which doesn't seem entirely off-base to the life of luxury that Jean-Ralphio wants with Entertainment 720. (Schwartz talked to cleveland.com about how much Jean-Ralphio would be in his glory hanging at Xavier's house in The Afterparty.) But unlike Jean-Ralphio, Yasper knows how to end a rap with a rhyme. Yasper's delusional — as his song, "Yeah, Sure, Whatever" — proves and he is trying to use his old friend for some fame. But even when he's forcing the remix of, "How Great Is This Party?" on all the after-party attendees, he's somehow not as obnoxious as Jean-Ralphio. Perhaps because Yasper's not preying on every single living creature around him like the beloved Parks and Rec character.
As for other similarities, Jean-Ralphio would certainly approve of Jasper's name. (Way better than dumb Andy or Ben.) And they both drop "words of wisdom" or life advice when people don't want it, like when Yasper explains the four types of songs to Detective Danner. And similar to Jean-Ralphio and Tom Haverford, Yasper's got a ride-or-die with Aniq. But Yasper's affection for his friend seems just a bit more genuine. Yasper has all the makings to be a Grade A douche like Jean-Ralphio. But it's the little things like these that turn someone from a supervillain into a good alter ego.
Now, if you don't believe that Yasper could be Jean-Ralphio from an alternate universe, let me remind you that The Afterparty comes from the same people who were behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. So just like Jean-Ralphio is Steve Harington's dad, I've decided it's canon that Yasper is Jean-Ralphio from an alternate universe where he didn't turn out to be a total jerk.
With all this being said, if Yasper ends up being the person who murdered Xavier, then I guess he'd be the real supervillain. Would that make Jean-Ralphio... the good one?? Welp, for that reason alone, Yasper has to be innocent on The Afterparty.
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