Portlandia: “Ecoterrorists” (Episode 4.02)

The IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia is at its best when it riffs on contemporary American culture, adding just enough odd to the mix to allow the audience to laugh at the scenario—and at themselves. Many of the sketches in this week’s episode hit their marks, proving that the indie darling, now in its fourth season, still has street cred.
Even before the opening credits, the show proves it has its finger on the collective pulse as Bryce Shivers (Fred Armisen) and Lisa Eversman (Carrie Brownstein) recount how they’d fallen on tough times, but found economic relief by renting everything out—from extra shelf space in their fridge to their cars (poking fun at the Lyft and Uber craze). Lisa has one of the best lines of the episode when she non-ironically declares, from the front seat of her car, “He’s a total stranger. I feel completely safe.”
Another winning sketch involves Brownstein’s Kath character battling insomnia. She complains to Dave that she’s surviving on one-to-two hours a night. “I read all these articles. If you lose sleep, you die.” Dave tries his best to read or sing her to sleep, but to no avail. She finally remembers, though, what puts her to sleep: “Dave, that’s when I get tired … when I’m driving.”
The scene ends with Carrie nodding off behind the wheel and Dave trying to steer from the passenger side. A few mailboxes end up as casualties in her fight for sleep. The sketch is horrifyingly funny because it hits close to home for members of the plugged-in generation.
One of the more politically charged skits—by Portlandia’s standards anyway—involves Fred’s cramming of hip-hop history before a Jay Z concert. Fred feels like a poser in going to the show without a basic grasp of hip hop, so Carrie gives him a tutorial.
Fred is almost a hopeless cause, asking questions like, “Is this a fad, or is this here to stay?” and “What’s a Suge Knight?” or “Was Sir-Mix-a Lot in the Wu-Tang Clang?” An exasperated Carrie reminds him, “Clan! There’s no ‘g’….” When she asks him what ODB stands for, Fred guesses, “Old dirty Black man?” Ouch.