Ep 7. Trail Blazers

In Portlandia season 4 episode 7, titled "Trail Blazers," the quirky and absurd world of Portland, Oregon is front and center once again.

The episode opens with a sketch featuring Doug (played by Fred Armisen) and Claire (played by Carrie Brownstein), two aspiring documentary filmmakers who are trying to capture the essence of Portland's biking culture. They follow a group of bike messengers around the city, but quickly learn that their subjects are not exactly what they seem.

Meanwhile, another duo is on a mission of their own. Nina and Lance (played by Brownstein and Armisen, respectively) are trying to prove that they are "true Portlanders" by taking on the city's famous 40-Mile Loop hiking trail. Along the way, they encounter a series of obstacles and eccentric locals, including a pair of ghost hunters who are searching for the spirits of Oregon Trail pioneers.

As the episode progresses, we see a variety of other characters navigating the weirdness of Portland. A group of environmental activists stage a protest against a company that is allegedly polluting the local river, but their message is overshadowed by their misguided attempts at performance art. The owners of a dive bar try to attract a more upscale crowd by hosting a fancy cocktail party, but the event quickly devolves into chaos.

One of the highlights of the episode is a recurring sketch featuring a local artisan (played by Brownstein) who makes handmade birdhouses. She takes her craft very seriously and is constantly annoyed by the lack of interest from her potential customers. In a hilarious twist, it turns out that her birdhouses are actually incredibly dangerous and have been causing bird-related accidents all over the city.

Overall, "Trail Blazers" is a fun and energetic episode that showcases the absurdity of Portland's culture and inhabitants. The characters are all delightfully weird and the sketches are full of witty one-liners and unexpected twists. Fans of the show will not be disappointed by this outing, which manages to be both absurd and endearing at the same time.