There are few comedy shows that showcase as small a small niche as "Portlandia" (2011-present), and even fewer that satisfy the comedic desires of such a particular target audience. The humor does not just revolve around lampooning hipster stereotypes, but is specifically focused on the hipster stereotypes of one particular city - but then again, that's something Portland, Ore. is in no short supply of. The brainchild of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, "Portlandia" returned for a new season on Feb. 27, and the show is doling out more ironic humor than ever - now with more poignant issues at stake. Six episodes in, the fourth season is more than halfway finished, and has consistently delivered the show's best episodes thus far.
There are several reasons for this. For one, the show is truly hitting its stride in terms of reoccurring gags. It seems like watching two people star in terrible adoption commercials for a dog shelter would get old after a few times, but Armisen and Brownstein, as the staff of Portland Pet Haven, somehow manage to keep it funny. They've ratcheted up the number of short skits in the show and scaled back the central plot of each episode. This increased variety is a welcome shift, especially for a show that relies heavily on improvised, deadpan humor.
This new season has seen "Portlandia" avoid pitfalls like the hour-long "Brunch" special that ended their second season - a finale that was so indulgent and drawn-out, it killed most of the humor the show usually excels at. Rather, the new episodes' centralized plotlines feel more polished and complete, such as Steve Buscemi playing a corporate vegetable executive who attempts to increase celery consumption, only to become embroiled in a noire-style cop drama framed within a John Grisham novel.
A lot of the topics feel more universal as well. In the premiere, Dave (Armisen) and Kath (Brownstein) search for somewhere to park downtown, only to find that the only place available that doesn't cost money to stay in is a 15-minute-parking space. The eternal torment of finding good parking is an issue any urban resident can relate to, and what's great about "Portlandia" is that it acknowledges this kind of trivial topic and then carries it out to its logical absurdity: Dave and Kath skim an art exhibit, pay an obligatory visit to see a newborn baby, eat at a molecular gastronomy restaurant and visit their friend at a hospital - all in under 15 minutes, and with just enough time to hook up in the back of the car at the end of it all.
At the same time, the show tackles issues relevant to today's cultural sensitivities. Overwhelmed by the number of social responsibilities she has to carry out via various social media sites, Brownstein declares "social bankruptcy" and purges herself of all virtual identities. Later in the sketch, however she's unable to cope with the loneliness of being disconnected from the people she wanted to get away from in the first place and wants back in - only to find that nobody can even acknowledge her existence anymore. The humor of the skit is deft, but beneath it is an extremely tactful satire about disappearing social platforms and the awkward gulf between wanting to be free of superficial online interactions and needing them to interact in a technology-saturated world.
And what would "Portlandia" be without its cameos and references to hip indie bands? Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio appears in the first episode, though only appears to confirm, during a post-date fact checking service, that he does not, in fact, know Armisen's character. Anne Clarke (better known as St. Vincent) also appears several times. There's really nothing less to expect from a show that had No Doubt appear in a hot air balloon for hardly any reason at all. The cameos are fine - if anything it's nice to see "Portlandia" owning the fact that it's the only show that can pull these sorts of gags and get away with it.
Simply put, the new season of "Portlandia" has everything you'd expect from it. The show has only improved with time, and, what's better, it continues to focus on its strengths and unabashed status as the show everybody watched before it was cool. "Portlandia" has already been renewed for a fifth season which, if this season is any indication, could end up being the best yet.
