“Portlandia” (Season 1, Episode 1-3, “Farm,” “A Song for Portland” and “Aimee,” IFC)
Portrayed as a world of tribal tattoos, fixed gear bikes and residents obsessed with organic farming, “Portlandia”’s Portland is, as said by Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein, almost like an alternate universe. It’s a place “where young people go to retire” and the “dream of the 90s” is still alive. While every scene is based in reality—a library, a restaurant, the actual streets of Portland—the show takes everything to new level with the caricatures presented by creators and stars Brownstein and Fred Armisen.
IFC’s newest jab at original programming presents a satire whose humor is based not in distaste but affection. The attitude of the sketch comedy set-up gives off a “we’re-laughing-with-you-not-at-you” vibe with short glimpses of life in every facet of Portland. It’s entertaining on its own for outsiders to enjoy and speculate on how much is based in truth, with enough inside nods to make Portlanders feel a special connection and superiority while watching.
Even the least outrageous of scenes bring a whimsy. Going in and out of character, a mainstay for each episode is the actual Fred and Carrie, exploring their new found wonderland. In the second episode, as they’re settling in, they visit the mayor to appeal for a citywide “Bring Your Guitar to School or Work Day.” While we might like to think Portland’s actual mayor, Sam Adams, bikes through his office, sits on an exercise ball behind his desk and has a deep-rooted hatred for Seattle, this is most likely just an exaggeration for the sake of humor. Then again, Sam Adams himself is a main supporter of the scene, running in and out as the assistant to Kyle MacLachlan’s mayor, so it may be rooted in more truth than expected.
The support of guest stars, such as Mayor Adams and Kyle MacLachlan, in the first three episodes alone brings an authority to each sketch. In the first episode, Steve Buscemi appears as a patron of a the Women and Women First bookstore, ridiculed by the feminists who own it for not buying anything only to be locked in the store when they leave to get change for his eventual purchase from the bank. In a running gag in the third episode, Aimee Mann plays herself as Fred and Carrie’s cleaning lady, a reflection of the declining music business.
Armisen and Brownstein seamlessly transition from character to character in each sketch, whether they be crafters obsessed with putting birds on things, a couple with a struggling sex life in which Armisen and Brownstein swap genders or scripted portrayals of themselves, the two complement each other’s mannerisms in every scene. Brownstein shines through as a pleasant surprise, holding back no inhibitions and showing no signs that she is a musician first, comedienne second.
Though the scope is narrowed in on Portland, Armisen and Brownstein have already proven that the possibilities are endless, making the smallest details of the city’s landscape—a food truck selling crepes, laws protecting bicyclists, dumpster diving—into an entertaining glimpse at another world.
Some of the ideas in Portlandia are very extreme. The Women and Women First store shows how much they really hate the customer played Steve Buscemi and threaten that if he leaves they'll call the authorities. However in the next episode, when the young girl comes in and steals a book, they don't do anything. I guess it's because they're suppose to be feminists, but it just don't match up. The "did this chicken have a good life?" sketch is hilarious however, but once again they took it to the extreme by spending five years on the farm. You are definitely right in saying it's another world, the comedy extremes aren't effective enough.
ReplyDelete(P.S. this is a post because apparently Jim says it is necessary.)