After building a following of loyal hipsters through the Independent Film Channel and Netflix, “Portlandia”’s third season is fully underway and is as mockingly beautiful as ever.
Starring Fred Armisen, a “Saturday Night Live” cast member, and Carrie Brownstein, lead singer and guitarist of Wild Flag, “Portlandia” aims to take cheap shots at everything that makes Portland, Ore., such an incredibly bizarre and bizarrely incredible place.
And what is it that Portland is made of you ask? According to the first episode of season one, Portland is the place where the dream of the 1990s is alive and well. The people of Portland still get weird body piercings and tribal tattoos, they sing about saving the planet and forming bands. Fred Armisen puts it simply: Portland is a place where “young people go to retire.”
In the beautiful mockery that is “Portlandia,” Armisen and Brownstein synchronize their quirky personalities to make fun of every stereotype that you would expect to find in Portland in the form of multiple comedy sketches per episode. Although each skit features different characters, primarily Armisen and Brownstein assuming the various roles, the plot is loosely tied together. Having little restriction in plot development and character continuity, Armisen and Brownstein can move about Portland, poking fun at various stereotypes as they please. And they leave no one untouched.
From bike hooligans to vegan health nuts, feminist bookstore owners to technology addicts, “Portlandia” delivers every sarcasm-drenched line with impeccable timing. The show’s timing, arguably its greatest strength, comes from a mixture of quick-cut editing, camera angle changes and hilarious acting.
On top of mocking the stereotypes and the way of life in Portland, Armisen and Brownstein must simultaneously make fun of themselves because they are in fact Portland stereotypes. Let’s take Brownstein for example.
Carrie Brownstein rose to fame as lead guitarist and singer of Sleater-Kinney, an alt-rock band of all females based out of Portland. Formed in 1994, Sleater-Kinney received a great amount of acclaim during the late 1990s and early 2000s for their raw punk rock sound and the free ideals expressed through their lyrics.
Now fast-forward to season two of “Portlandia”, where you can find Armisen and Brownstein trying to come up with a new, unique idea for a band. They decide that making their cat, Kevin, an official member of the band is the best way to gain popularity. Kevin is so popular that Kristen Wiig, Armisen’s costar on “Saturday Night Live,” kidnaps the band and holds them hostage so they can never leave Portland and gain fame.
The show’s honest and unique take on life in Portland ushers in a new era of mockumentary television shows that satirizes ideas and people behind the city of Portland. With the incessant surfacing of new stereotypes, not just in Portland but in pop culture in general, “Portlandia” looks to continue reloading on sketch material until it can’t be made weird anymore. With Armisen and Brownstein at the helm of “Portlandia,” keeping things weird will never be a problem.
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
Creative co-op to showcase student gallery in Lloyd
