There has been no shortage of creativity in Portlandia this season, but “Bed and Breakfast Soft Opening” leans on the inability of Peter and Nancy to be reliable hosts for the majority of the laughs in the episode. Stu and Donald (Stu’s Stews) and an elderly Black couple are the B&B’s first guests. That helps move along when some of the episodes other skits fail to stick. Peter and Nancy make a mess of the opening of their B&B but you have to give them credit for sticking to their all-inclusive brochure. Having to rub down Stu and Donald with oil makes Peter a trooper. We’re confident they will improve their B&B skills in future episodes. “When you look at the North Star remember us!” I’ve tried to stay away from using superlatives, but the opening skit of the episode was easily one of the most random in the series. A little boy named Matthew devises this massive mousetrap like game utilizing trash from his garage. When his big brother comes home to seal the deal with his lady friend, he picks up Matthew and accidentally sets off the contraption called the Rube Goldberg Machine. It has nothing to do with the rest of the episode but Matthew is adorable and his calculations proved to be impressive. The little guy is indeed an underrated talent. What embodies a real man these days? Anyone can grow a fearsome beard but gone are the days were men busted out the tools and built furniture from scratch for their women. Portland Monthly looks for a real man to grace the cover of their “man” issue and they find Caleb, who is revered by the women of Portland for his handiwork.
