10 Thoughts on Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of CampActivities

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And we’re back! Today’s episode is Activities! We got a whole lot going on with this one. Blake sees Andy hitting on Katie and is none too happy about it. Beth gets help from somewhere you might not expect. And Coop is disappointed when Donna keeps giving gifts to other people (who aren’t her boyfriend!).

That’s all pretty vague isn’t it? The plot of this series so far is pretty fractured, so giving basic recaps isn’t going to be that illuminating. It’s all about the moments on this show. So here we go. Ten thoughts on tonights episode of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp! 

I should probably start abbreviating that…

1. Annnnnnd that’s how we get a talking can

Mitch (H. Jon Benjamin) has fallen into the puddle of toxic goo left by that weird corporation while holding a can of soup! In his dying moments, he tells Beth and Greg (Janeane Garofalo and Jason Shwartzman) to save the camp, saying cryptic things like “Get the code!” and “Follow the money!” The use of bright green goo is absolutely hilarious and speaks to the wacky nature of this show. I can only assume that somehow the sludge will turn him into some kind of sentient can, merging his mind into the body of tin. It sounds like something out of a really bad B-movie and I hope to god I’m right.

2. “Wow, that’s such a weird way to wrap a present.”

“Yeah, it’s just easier for multiple takes.” Donna (Lake Bell) is giving Coop (Michael Showalter) a gift and when he is surprised by the bizarre way she wrapped it, her response is that it’s easier for continuity. Guys, this is why I love this show.  You will not find a joke like that on Mr. Robinson. I’m just generally a sucker for self-referential jokes, especially when there is no way that it also fits into the actual story. By the way, the relationship between Donna and Coop is getting so interesting. Does she actually like him? She’s sending so many mixed signals! If I was Coop, I’d be losing my mind!

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3. Is everyone in this world a moron?

I’m not complaining. I just want some clarification. When an angry group of parents want to know where Mitch is, Beth panics and tells them that that’s him on the other side of the lawn. She points to a pumpkin scarecrow and the parents swarm demanding answers. Greg commends her on her quick thinking, but she says they only have an hour, maybe two, before they realize it’s not Mitch. And with that, we have my first laugh out loud moment of the episode. Will this stuff ever not be surprising?

4. Blake is wearing three polo shirts. All three collars are popped. 

Blake (Josh Charles), Katie’s jealous boyfriend from Camp Tiger Claw and a straight-up bourgeoisie nightmare, is wearing three polo shirts layered over each other and all three of the collars are popped. I don’t know if I just missed it during the last two episodes, or if this is a new development. I will give you more information as I receive it.

5. I like how being in the military means you’re able to hack into government servers

With nowhere else to turn, Beth and Greg go to Jonas (Christopher Meloni) to ask him to hack into the government mainframe, even though he doesn’t “know a mainframe from a picture frame.” But Beth knows he was in the military, and proves it by trying to hit him with a stick, which he ably evades. I’d like to take this opportunity to say that Christopher Meloni is a god of deadpan comedy and why has no one given this man his own show? Seriously, talk about range. Watch him on Law and Order: SVU. That show might actually be the exact opposite of this one. I got that Meloni bug, guys. Watch this show and you will too. I promise.

6. Yup. I was right. Mitch is now the can.

And I was wrong. It was not a soup can. It was a can of mixed vegetables. Inside Pulse regrets this unfortunate error.

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7. Oh, no! Poor Coop!

Just when he thought things were square with Donna after receiving a very nice Jewish horn of some kind as a gift, he finds out she’s giving them away like candy to all the other campers! That’s so frustrating! I love this storyline so much because it perfectly articulates how confusing it is to be young and “in love.” We’ve all had that experience of being so completely enamored of someone at that age and wanting to pull our hair out when they don’t notice you or flirt with other people or refuse to say they’re your girlfriend! …No? Just me? Well, I’m sorry. You try growing up as the only kid in your class with red hair. That shit gets brutal really fast…

8. Is there a class war coming? I really hope there’s a class war coming

Blake shows up in Katie’s room after spotting Andy putting the moves on her and he is pissed. After reading her diary, he disparages her fellow campers in a way that upsets here pretty badly. “Do you want to hang out with the future leaders of America or spend your whole day with a bunch of sunburned jews?” Thems sounds like fightin’ words to me. Could the show perhaps be setting the stage for a confrontation between Camp Firewood and Camp Tiger Claw? Sort of a West Side Story situation? Will Blake lead the charge and try to reclaim his beloved Katie?

9. And now we have some Rock n’ Roll intrigue 

Courtesy of Chris Pine. The campers tell Lindsay (an undercover Elizabeth banks) about a mystery musician who lives on the property of camp who went insane after he couldn’t finish a song. Now we know what Lindsay will be writing about for her undercover, gonzo journalism piece. Also, how many storylines can this show fit? I feel like I could name six off the top of my head. Are we going to get more? HOW CAN I KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THEM???

10. Michael Showalter is Ronald Reagan

I… I just have no words. The leader of the free world gets wind of what’s going on with the toxic goo at Camp Firewood and activates “Falcon” to… clean up the situation. Who is Falcon? Why, it’s none other than Mr. Jon Hamm. This show is about to get a million times better.

 

Check out older reviews of Wet Hot American Summer!

10 Thoughts on Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp – Campers Arrive & Lunch

Colin is a writer and actor based in Brooklyn, NY.