What Happens When You Invite Aimee Mann and Sarah McLachlan to Your House in Portland?

(Photo: IFC)

Well, in Aimee Mannʻs case, sheʻs hired to clean your house, be accused of stealing your jewelry, and asked to serenade you after itʻs all said and done. In Sarah McLachlanʻs case, sheʻs hired to garden and her likeness is turned into a piñata to prove to Aimee Mann that youʻll always like her more. If you havenʻt seen this weekʻs episode of Portlandia, then that is just a snippet of what you missed. Also, please be aware that if you havenʻt seen it, there will be spoilers.

Aimee Mann is always great, but her part in Portlandia was amusing, because she was hired as a maid for Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisenʻs house in SE Portland. At first they werenʻt sure it was her, then all giddiness abounded when they realized it was. They proceeded to show their devotion while constantly pointing out the flaws in her cleaning ability. From trashing their own house to accusing her of theft, Aimee is finally pushed to her limit when Carrie and Fred show her a piñata that they had made in Sarah McLachlanʻs likeness. After storming out of the house, Sarah is shown in the bushes, thanking Aimee for “sticking up for me.” Later, Aimee returns to serenade Carrie and Fred. When they applaud and encourage her to give them an encore, she goes home. They clap and clap until a phone call from the duo reminds her to come back and give them one more song.

It was nice to see Aimee Mann in this, because sheʻs not only an excellent musician, but her deadpan expressions are humorous as well. I really enjoyed seeing Sarah McLachlan in a role that didnʻt consist of her sitting on a couch, with a slide show of depressed animals accompanying her sad tunes. I think it would be interesting to see them back again, though I wonder if they would decide to have Sarah perform also. Aside from the piñata, the part I found most funny in this particular sketch was when Fred told Aimee she shrunk his sweater. When she asked how he knew it wouldnʻt fit if he didnʻt try it on, he replied “because I can tell by holding it up against my body.” This is only humorous when you realize that the sweater Fred is holding is seemingly smaller than the smallest item Baby Gap has in stock.

All in all, I found this weekʻs episode to be wonderful. Since this isnʻt a complete review, I wonʻt go into too much detail about the other sketches. I did enjoy seeing the throw back to last weekʻs sketch, and I hope they continue to do those. They really help the show feel more cohesive, so itʻs good that those are mixed in with newer sketches.

What were your thoughts on this weekʻs episode? Did you enjoy the parts that Aimee Mann and Sarah McLachlan had?

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