Things are heating up at Camp firewood, toxic waste dumping, repressed memories, rocky relationships and government espionage; this certainly is turning into a memorable first day of camp.
Episodes three and four of the Netflix prequel series of the cult comedy WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER are slower than the first two episodes with some more uneven jokes, however the show still retains its hilarious dedication to making no sense.
Following up from the dramatic conclusion of episode two where H. Jon Benjamin’s Camp director is drowning in toxic waste, Beth (Janeane Garofalo) and Greg (Jason Schwartzman) are left facing the impossible task of cracking the government code, meanwhile the dastardly Camp Tiger Claw plan to get their vengeance on Camp Firewood due to the actions of Andy (Paul Rudd), and things get more complicated as Susie (Amy Poehler) and Claude Dumet (John Slattery) hold auditions to find the leads for the nights performance of Electro City.
Having such a huge ensemble cast that deserves equal screen time is proving to be the biggest problem for WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: THE FIRST DAY OF CAMP. Obviously the story line with the most screen time is the Zenstar/U.S governments plan to destroy camp firewood with Beth and Greg trying to save it. This deserves the most screen time, as it’s the thread that holds the series together, however this leads to other side-stories to fall to the back of your mind (I had completely forgotten about Elizabeth Banks ‘Whats in the Cabin’ Story Line) and the will-they-wont-they relationship between Coop (Michael Showwalter) and Donna (Lake Bell) is starting to feel a little repetitive.
The guest stars continue to impress, the introduction of John Hamm’s The Falcon is, much like John Slattery’s Claude Dumet, proving to be one of the best new character in the show, in particular the gas station sequence where you really see The Falcons dastardly, if not absurd potential. Weird Al Yankovic also has a brief but cute role as a hypnotist that ends with one of the shows best out there moment and jokes (you call that running?).
Returning in episode four is David Hyde Pierce as the Astro Physics professor Henry Newman, the pre-opening credits sequence where we see his desperate attempt to get published is very strong with David Hyde Pierce raising the quality of the scene whilst the university setting proves to be welcome break from the camp giving us a great moment of melodrama in a otherwise silly show.
Things are starting to take shape for WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: THE FIRST DAY OF CAMP, but something still isn’t right. It’s missing its stand out sequence or sketch; hopefully something that as the conclusion draws closer will happen.
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