Video Dec 17, 2010 at 7:27 am

Watch a Clip From Portlandia

Ezra Ace Caraeff
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Comments

1
I beg to differ. If you live in Beaverton, this is hilarious and true.
tallperson on December 17, 2010 at 7:51 AM Report this
2
Well, not funny "HaHa"
Patrick A. Coleman on December 17, 2010 at 8:03 AM Report this
3
"Where young people go to retire." Brilliant.
marteeee on December 17, 2010 at 8:20 AM Report this
4
Yeah I definitely loved some of the lines, like the one marteeee already quoted. I also loved "in Portland you can put a bird on something and call it art". I think this might come off as funnier if you have lived most of your life in other cities. And yes, it's true that a couple of the lines were yawn worthy, like you said, the bit about the glasses.
BruceWang on December 17, 2010 at 8:36 AM Report this
5
Wow...your sense of humor certainly tried up fast on this effort. It NAILS Portland, including the glasses on women.
joaniehateschachi on December 17, 2010 at 8:38 AM Report this
6
Ezra successfully lowered my expectations to the point where I enjoyed this. (I do the same thing every week right before I watch Glee.)

p.s. Confidential to Fred & Carrie: The bird on the clothes joke was old, and no one from anywhere else will get it. Cut it.
Wm. Steven Humphrey on December 17, 2010 at 8:59 AM Mercury Staff
7
This was way better then I expected.
meanrepeater on December 17, 2010 at 9:04 AM Report this
8
This looks great.
The Guilty Carnivore on December 17, 2010 at 9:07 AM Report this
9
Did anyone expect it to be funny? I didn't, and my reaction to this was appropriately ho-hum.

I give it half a season.
($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on December 17, 2010 at 9:10 AM Report this
10
That clip nailed it. And when I say "it," I mean my expectations for the show. Kinda cute, kinda funny, kinda stupid, and utterly meaningless to anyone who's never been to Portland.
Courtney Ferguson on December 17, 2010 at 9:17 AM Report this
11
Oregometry: That would put it at around 6 episodes, which, conveniently, is the exact number of episodes that were produced.
The Guilty Carnivore on December 17, 2010 at 9:22 AM Report this
12
I thought it was funny, mostly because my friend once described Portland as a liberal arts college campus from the early 90s.
eldepeche on December 17, 2010 at 9:34 AM Report this
13
One more vote in favor of the great "Portland is a city where young people go to retire" line. I definitely enjoyed this more than ol' grumpums Ezra, but I want it to be meaner.
Erik Henriksen on December 17, 2010 at 9:37 AM Mercury Staff
14
Not entirely unfunny is the best way to describe this. Unless the funny's peaked like in a movie trailer, in which case the rest will be awful. Nevertheless, a few good lines. I'll mostly watch to go "oh, I recognize that chick/dude."

I'm with Erik: screw gentle ribbings. Be nasty or GTFO.
TSW on December 17, 2010 at 9:46 AM Report this
15
I think for me to find the show funny as a parody of Portland, because I've lived here for a while, it would have to be a lot more pointed and insightful than this is. BUT if I let go of the idea that Portlandia's going to offer humor that reflects my actual experience as a Portlander and just let it kinda be a silly comedy show... then I liked this clip more than I thought I would, and definitely more than the Thunder Ant stuff I've seen.
Alison Hallett on December 17, 2010 at 9:48 AM Report this
16
Too many clowns, not enough homeless people.
Todd Mecklem on December 17, 2010 at 10:05 AM Report this
17
this is better than thunderant but still not funny.
bp baggins on December 17, 2010 at 10:14 AM Report this
18
CoFerg nailed the gist of my comment.
Commenty Colin on December 17, 2010 at 10:25 AM Report this
19
Not really 'HaHa' funny but more just meh/shrug.
grady on December 17, 2010 at 10:27 AM Report this
20
The best comedy is both funny and insightful. With the exception of the line "where young people go to retire," this clip is neither.

Also Todd nailed it re: clowns and homeless.
Joe Streckert on December 17, 2010 at 10:45 AM Report this
21
I agree with several of these comments that amount to this show needing to really get into the heart of stuff you actually see here, but it's mostly just a shallow interpretation of retread stereotypes. It's like a mashup of all the NYT style and living section articles about Portland from the last ten years.

But what do I know? I rode my fixie from my nonprofit job to get a drink at Central yesterday.
($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on December 17, 2010 at 10:56 AM Report this
22
Pretty catchy song.
ROM on December 17, 2010 at 10:56 AM Report this
23
The song is uninspired. The joke is an excruciatingly drawn-out misfire. This poorly-written article bringing our attention to it was a waste of everyone's time. This hateful comment on that article also displeases me. My day is ruined.
Hydrargyria on December 17, 2010 at 10:57 AM Report this
24
My only gripe is that by poking fun at Portland stereotypes, it encourages them.

But yeah, I'd love much more nasty humor.
cat & beard on December 17, 2010 at 10:57 AM Report this
25
I did just wake up...
smapdi on December 17, 2010 at 11:00 AM Report this
26
Not funny.
Lonely At The Movies on December 17, 2010 at 11:14 AM Report this
27
One more thing: you just know that for every ten people that watch an episode of this, there's one (probably between the ages of 21-26, living in California, New Mexico, New Jersey or North Carolina, probably with a bachelor's degree in photography or ceramics) thinks to him/herself, "wow, is Portland really like that? I should really move there to start my career in photography/ceramics/graphic design/starvation."
($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on December 17, 2010 at 11:25 AM Report this
28
Yes, the "Where young people go to retire" line was pretty good, but the rest was... I don't wanna say awful, but six episodes sounds about right. I'm not really all that wild about Fred and Carrie's comedy formula, but more power to 'em for getting out there and doing something, I suppose.
Tommy on December 17, 2010 at 11:26 AM Report this
29
I liked it because I didn't feel like I had just watched the trailer for Police Academy LXVI. It was a bit different than all those tired articles/tumblr blogs/youtube videos complaining about the dreaded h-word.

humanclock on December 17, 2010 at 11:35 AM Report this
30
Ecchh... Now I've got that song stuck in my head. And Oregometry is probably right. I can see this fueling further migration. Not that I'm a "last one in close the door" sort, you can't really blame folks for leaving less interesting places, but we need more out of work graphic designers like we need peritonitis.
Tommy on December 17, 2010 at 11:37 AM Report this
31
I hope they do a bit on the show about apathetic internet comments at a local alternative weekly.
Čẖüñđƴ on December 17, 2010 at 11:47 AM Report this
32
I think if you take Carrie out of the equation, things instantly get much better.
Lonely At The Movies on December 17, 2010 at 11:51 AM Report this
33
@Oregometry: That's exactly what I was getting at.

A similar situation occured in Olympia, Wa in the 1990s. People who bought K records and the early KRS comps would move there thinking it was this magical twee wonderland as represented in zines and on the back of screenprinted 12" sleeves.
cat & beard on December 17, 2010 at 11:51 AM Report this
34
My expectations for the show were low, and now they've gone through the floor. I imagine that it will be suffering from satire's worst friend: obligatory laughter at the familiar, and tone-deaf takes on what's actually being discussed.
on December 17, 2010 at 11:55 AM Report this
35
@C&B Exactly. It was also the response to Gov. McCall's famous "come visit but then get the hell out" attitude in the 70s. Everyone thought, "what's he protecting? That must be something awesome!" and then they hopped in their patchouli-soaked minibuses and crashed the border.
($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on December 17, 2010 at 11:55 AM Report this
36
The dismissive comments here are very similar in spirit to those made by self-described Juggalos to that SNL ICP Miracles skit on Youtube, just with less impassioned pleas for people to choke on their own dicks.
The Guilty Carnivore on December 17, 2010 at 12:24 PM Report this
37
Are we supposed to believe that 22nd and Flanders is Los Angeles? Pshaw.
Rob on December 17, 2010 at 12:32 PM Report this
38
Carnivore - 10/10 A++++
Wubbles on December 17, 2010 at 12:35 PM Report this
39
Awww, I enjoyed it.

But I have low expectations for most everything, which typically works out well for me (need to work on this before I go watch Tron).
catbot on December 17, 2010 at 12:56 PM Report this
40
I enjoyed it, but mostly it made me want to move back to LA where people have to have jobs and goals to survive. And I never thought anything would make me want to move back to LA.
rangerhunter on December 17, 2010 at 1:29 PM Report this
41
What a surprise. The targets of the satire don't find the satire funny.
Steve R. on December 17, 2010 at 2:18 PM Report this
42
It's just a poor attempt at satire. The idea is right on, but the execution is not.
Lonely At The Movies on December 17, 2010 at 2:25 PM Report this
43
Yucksville, daddy-o.
El Dulce on December 17, 2010 at 2:28 PM Report this
44
I thought it was pretty entertaining. Lighten up, folks. It's just television.
jim on December 17, 2010 at 3:10 PM Mercury Staff
45
I think the Mercury has created/distributed so much of the satire surrounding this city that it's no surprise it comes off as stale.
maranda on December 17, 2010 at 4:22 PM Report this
46
EPICALLY BORING.
mel on December 17, 2010 at 5:11 PM Report this
47
Um, I'm not a target of the satire, and I still find it unfunny. Does that fuck with your assessment at all? And..."come on, it's television"? In what way is that a fucking argument?

Let's be clear: poorly-observed satire is stupid, and just because something is brought to me by a medium that generally sucks doesn't mean that my own standards for what I like have to go down any. Try reasoning better.
on December 17, 2010 at 6:56 PM Report this
48
Hmm, why do so many people dislike this video? You should all be proud to live here! The comedy isn't entirely amusing, but the sightseeing definitely makes up for it!
Weslai on December 20, 2010 at 3:53 PM Report this
49
It looks dumb and I hate Sleater-Kinney but at least I got some money out of being an extra. The show needed more interesting/crazy homeless people.
TageSavage on January 1, 2011 at 9:50 PM Report this
50
shallow..pretentious...spoiled...snarky...self assured posers... pick the clip or the whiners? Just using the name calling method so popularized by the dismissive crowd with too much time on their hands. How is retirement?
Deleted on January 2, 2011 at 7:33 AM Report this
51
the whole episode is up on hulu. it sucks.
steve davidson on January 14, 2011 at 3:07 PM Report this

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