Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later: Softball
August 6, 2017 12:12 PM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe
Mark's been keeping secrets from JJ! You can't do that to JJ! Also, Beth wants to sell the camp, there just might be a willing buyer, and Katie almost turns apostate. Batter up!
WASHINGTON, DC: Blueblood Jungle, Home of the Bullets, the Liar Patch. Whatever you call it, it's where we are. As we stare down the barrel of the self-same Monument, President George Herbert Walker Bush fills us and whoever he's talking to in on the state of geo-politics. Reagan's out, Bush is in, and everybody better get used to it. Some aides bring in a video-cassette from a "Mr. Bojangles." The name might scare Bush a little bit, but he ain't chicken, and so they watch the tape: A silverback gorilla of a man in a hell of a suit, blastin' some sweet sax all over a local tv soundstage. The president takes his motorcade to see this "Mr. Bojangles," but instead finds former-president Reagan himself, and he's got a thing or two to say about chopping wood.
CREDITS!
THE LAKE: JJ and Abby pass a joint around as Mark and Claire bring some t-shirts that she made and he paid for. Abby promises to "flashdance" hers and comes through on her promise like she always does. JJ shows adequate enthusiasm about the shirts. They foursome wonders idly about Andy but then Beth comes by to drop a much bigger mystery in their laps: she's selling the camp!
While they try to come to terms with this, we find Katie and Coop on a friendly platonic walk down the path. Coop is impressed that she's a VP of Marketing for a major cosmetics company at only 26, and Katie tries to play off like she's not a total imposter. She's saved by a fearsome log that Coop helps her over, as the two lock wholesome respectful eyes at one another.
McKinley teaches Renata the finer points of stroller-pushing just the way Ashley likes it, and Renata really opens up about how perfect and beautiful McKinley's family unit is, before they stop to appreciate some late-summer crow-caws.
Claire, Susie and Abby sit on the Bunk Eight steps talking about JJ and Claire's friendship and how it's just that with room for something more if there were fewer Mark-shaped complications in the way. In Susie's storyline, she and Garth MacArthur may be hoppin' on the good foot and doin' the bad thing, which is great, but she's not naïve enough to fall in love with him, though he sure is cute and demonstrably better at archery than either Mark or JJ.
Speaking of Mark and JJ, somebody's been keeping secrets about sleeping with everyone in his Lehman Bros. office behind Claire's back, and it's not the one who works at Kim's Video. JJ is as hurt as anyone would be to have not heard any of this before now, but for Garth's part, he just wishes Susie could feel about him how he feels about her: which is to say everything.
ANDY'S HERE! Andy's doing donuts! And doing donuts! He's got some business to attend to so has one of the valets take his bags, but damned if he isn't still charming as all giddy-up! Coop and Katie discuss Hunan cuisine, and Katie is so rapt that she commits what may be the last mistake she ever gets the chance to make: disregarding the Spirit of Camp Firewood. Coop helps her rectify things, but God knows whether it will be enough.
The Beekeeper buzzes us into the mid-morning stretch and the big Softball Game, where the crowd is cheering on a young champion named "Deegs" who repays their adulation with some choice baseball-bat prop-work. Everyone is impressed with Deegs, save for Andy, who doesn't see it, and doesn't see it hard. Up in the stands, McKinley feels nervous about Renata, but CLaire explains that's just because she's pretty definitely a psycho killer. In that context, Renata's baby talk starts to sound a little more worrisome.
Under a tree, Katie and Coop discuss fennel funnels and how they both have things in their life left painfully unfinished, when Nurse Nancy reminds Katie that not everyone in her life is so easily distracted Katie. Faced with a dilemma, Katie chooses to go snowjob the people at her office who still know how to get work done and hopefully catch up with Coop later for major life moments.
At the Softball game, Deegs hits a deep base hit that he really could have pulled out into a double if he weren't showboating, but there's entertainment value in that as well. Still, Andy's complaint is that Deegs is ruining the flow of the game. Deeg's complaint about Andy is different, but has much the same cadence. Andy steps in to take over first base and get Deegs tagged out as he attempts to steal second. They banter about the stuff of dreams and while there is certainly a rivalry there, the two might actually share a lot of traits in common. Andy's ploy, meanwhile, fails repeatedly as Deegs manages to step by step steal home from first base. A Softball aficionado might note that the pitcher has some degree of blame in this as well, as his toss home doesn't even leave his hand before Deegs has scored. Oh well.
McKinley does the responsible thing and calls up the service about Renata's credentials. Of which there are none. The woman at the service says "bye," as if to drive home the point, and McKinley rushes in to confront Ben. There is no Renata Murphy. There was never a Renata Murphy!
Well, okay, there was once a Renata Murphy, before she got married and changed her name to Devecchio, but now recently divorced, Renata hasn't changed it back in their files yet. It's such a painfully sympathetic and innocent explanation than McKinley is super-embarrassed. Plus, he's embarrassed that he misjudged Renata. Egg on his face indeed.
Mark, Claire, and JJ confront Beth about selling the camp, begging the question about where the hell Abby is now, and the truth of it is that while there might be a lot of specialized camps now in 1991, really she just doesn't feel the presence of the Spirit of Camp Firewood anymore. Inconsolable, the three former counselors grant her their leave.
Finally, back at Casa Bojangles, Reagan explains his - and Bush's - predicaments. Bush needs to get re-elected, and this fancylad out of Arkansas isn't gonna make that easy. Reagan will help, but it's strictly quid-pro-quo over here, and Reagan has some unfinished business. Unfinished business with a camp named Firewood. And a stolen nuke and secret bunker and team of military elites hidden under that camp and ready to blow. Ms. Burkhart, Reagan's lawyer, explains the complexities of the intersection of tort and property law, and they settle on a strategy to purchase the preperty by hook or by crook. Just as Beth puts up the FOR SALE sign!
Random Notes: Sharp-eyed viewers might notice that Cameron Crowe appears to have stolen Andy's look for Matt Dillon's character in Singles. I hope Wain sues.
WASHINGTON, DC: Blueblood Jungle, Home of the Bullets, the Liar Patch. Whatever you call it, it's where we are. As we stare down the barrel of the self-same Monument, President George Herbert Walker Bush fills us and whoever he's talking to in on the state of geo-politics. Reagan's out, Bush is in, and everybody better get used to it. Some aides bring in a video-cassette from a "Mr. Bojangles." The name might scare Bush a little bit, but he ain't chicken, and so they watch the tape: A silverback gorilla of a man in a hell of a suit, blastin' some sweet sax all over a local tv soundstage. The president takes his motorcade to see this "Mr. Bojangles," but instead finds former-president Reagan himself, and he's got a thing or two to say about chopping wood.
CREDITS!
THE LAKE: JJ and Abby pass a joint around as Mark and Claire bring some t-shirts that she made and he paid for. Abby promises to "flashdance" hers and comes through on her promise like she always does. JJ shows adequate enthusiasm about the shirts. They foursome wonders idly about Andy but then Beth comes by to drop a much bigger mystery in their laps: she's selling the camp!
While they try to come to terms with this, we find Katie and Coop on a friendly platonic walk down the path. Coop is impressed that she's a VP of Marketing for a major cosmetics company at only 26, and Katie tries to play off like she's not a total imposter. She's saved by a fearsome log that Coop helps her over, as the two lock wholesome respectful eyes at one another.
McKinley teaches Renata the finer points of stroller-pushing just the way Ashley likes it, and Renata really opens up about how perfect and beautiful McKinley's family unit is, before they stop to appreciate some late-summer crow-caws.
Claire, Susie and Abby sit on the Bunk Eight steps talking about JJ and Claire's friendship and how it's just that with room for something more if there were fewer Mark-shaped complications in the way. In Susie's storyline, she and Garth MacArthur may be hoppin' on the good foot and doin' the bad thing, which is great, but she's not naïve enough to fall in love with him, though he sure is cute and demonstrably better at archery than either Mark or JJ.
Speaking of Mark and JJ, somebody's been keeping secrets about sleeping with everyone in his Lehman Bros. office behind Claire's back, and it's not the one who works at Kim's Video. JJ is as hurt as anyone would be to have not heard any of this before now, but for Garth's part, he just wishes Susie could feel about him how he feels about her: which is to say everything.
ANDY'S HERE! Andy's doing donuts! And doing donuts! He's got some business to attend to so has one of the valets take his bags, but damned if he isn't still charming as all giddy-up! Coop and Katie discuss Hunan cuisine, and Katie is so rapt that she commits what may be the last mistake she ever gets the chance to make: disregarding the Spirit of Camp Firewood. Coop helps her rectify things, but God knows whether it will be enough.
The Beekeeper buzzes us into the mid-morning stretch and the big Softball Game, where the crowd is cheering on a young champion named "Deegs" who repays their adulation with some choice baseball-bat prop-work. Everyone is impressed with Deegs, save for Andy, who doesn't see it, and doesn't see it hard. Up in the stands, McKinley feels nervous about Renata, but CLaire explains that's just because she's pretty definitely a psycho killer. In that context, Renata's baby talk starts to sound a little more worrisome.
Under a tree, Katie and Coop discuss fennel funnels and how they both have things in their life left painfully unfinished, when Nurse Nancy reminds Katie that not everyone in her life is so easily distracted Katie. Faced with a dilemma, Katie chooses to go snowjob the people at her office who still know how to get work done and hopefully catch up with Coop later for major life moments.
At the Softball game, Deegs hits a deep base hit that he really could have pulled out into a double if he weren't showboating, but there's entertainment value in that as well. Still, Andy's complaint is that Deegs is ruining the flow of the game. Deeg's complaint about Andy is different, but has much the same cadence. Andy steps in to take over first base and get Deegs tagged out as he attempts to steal second. They banter about the stuff of dreams and while there is certainly a rivalry there, the two might actually share a lot of traits in common. Andy's ploy, meanwhile, fails repeatedly as Deegs manages to step by step steal home from first base. A Softball aficionado might note that the pitcher has some degree of blame in this as well, as his toss home doesn't even leave his hand before Deegs has scored. Oh well.
McKinley does the responsible thing and calls up the service about Renata's credentials. Of which there are none. The woman at the service says "bye," as if to drive home the point, and McKinley rushes in to confront Ben. There is no Renata Murphy. There was never a Renata Murphy!
Well, okay, there was once a Renata Murphy, before she got married and changed her name to Devecchio, but now recently divorced, Renata hasn't changed it back in their files yet. It's such a painfully sympathetic and innocent explanation than McKinley is super-embarrassed. Plus, he's embarrassed that he misjudged Renata. Egg on his face indeed.
Mark, Claire, and JJ confront Beth about selling the camp, begging the question about where the hell Abby is now, and the truth of it is that while there might be a lot of specialized camps now in 1991, really she just doesn't feel the presence of the Spirit of Camp Firewood anymore. Inconsolable, the three former counselors grant her their leave.
Finally, back at Casa Bojangles, Reagan explains his - and Bush's - predicaments. Bush needs to get re-elected, and this fancylad out of Arkansas isn't gonna make that easy. Reagan will help, but it's strictly quid-pro-quo over here, and Reagan has some unfinished business. Unfinished business with a camp named Firewood. And a stolen nuke and secret bunker and team of military elites hidden under that camp and ready to blow. Ms. Burkhart, Reagan's lawyer, explains the complexities of the intersection of tort and property law, and they settle on a strategy to purchase the preperty by hook or by crook. Just as Beth puts up the FOR SALE sign!
Random Notes: Sharp-eyed viewers might notice that Cameron Crowe appears to have stolen Andy's look for Matt Dillon's character in Singles. I hope Wain sues.
This show makes me laugh out loud more often than just about anything else.
posted by h00py at 8:01 PM on August 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by h00py at 8:01 PM on August 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
The changing monuments behind President Bush are just too gigglesome.
posted by Faintdreams at 5:10 PM on September 17, 2017
posted by Faintdreams at 5:10 PM on September 17, 2017
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The ridiculous look on his face, the length of the shot, the fact that we've barely ever even seen McKinley and Andy interact before...All of it was so completely absurd. It took me a few minutes to recover.
Then the "He's doing donuts!" thing knocked me right over again.
posted by doctornecessiter at 5:23 AM on August 7, 2017 [4 favorites]