Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later Season 1 Episode 2 Lunch

As the title suggests, the second episode of Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, "Lunch," centers around the characters' mealtime antics. The episode opens with a nostalgic montage of the counselors at Camp Firewood enjoying past lunches, showcasing the show's trademark absurdist humor. The montage concludes with a fifteen-year-old lunch that ended in disaster, leaving the counselors scarred and traumatized.

Fast forward to the present, ten years after the previous Wet Hot American Summer series. We find our favorite characters all grown up and dispersed throughout the world. Katie (Marguerite Moreau) is living in New York City, working as a waitress and gossiping with her best friend, Susie (Amy Poehler). Ben (Bradley Cooper) is a successful lawyer, living in Israel with his husband (played by Zak Orth).

Meanwhile, at Camp Firewood, the staff is preparing for a gala that will honor the memory of "the Stud," a former counselor who died saving a young camper. The camp's director, Mitch (H. Jon Benjamin), orders his bumbling maintenance worker, Mark (Mark Feuerstein), to dig up the Stud's time capsule for the gala. Mark ends up excavating a time capsule from the wrong year, which sets off a series of ridiculous events.

The main plotline of the episode revolves around Lindsay (Elizabeth Banks) and Mark's ill-fated attempt to rekindle their past romance. Lindsay, who is now a famous New York journalist, arrives at camp with her new boss, who is interested in doing a story on the Stud. When Lindsay sees Mark, she's transported back to her teenage years, and the two begin to flirt and reminisce.

As the episode progresses, their flirtation gets more and more absurd and cringe-worthy. Each time they're about to kiss, something interrupts them, whether it's a group of campers singing "Kumbaya" or a rogue squirrel attacking Mark. The chemistry between Elizabeth Banks and Mark Feuerstein is hysterical, and their awkwardness with each other is spot-on.

Meanwhile, other characters at camp are dealing with their own lunchtime dramas. Coop (Michael Showalter) is attempting to hunt down an elusive sandwich that he's been craving for years. Andy (Paul Rudd) and Counselor Nancy (Nina Hellman) have a comically tense standoff over the last hamburger, with Nancy using her yoga skills to defend it. And George (Michael Ian Black) is having a crisis of confidence over his decision to become a chef.

The episode's climax takes place at the gala, where Lindsay and Mark's dalliance reaches its peak. Their antics are intercut with shots of other characters at the gala, including a hilarious musical performance from Abby (Marisa Ryan) and her band. The Stud's time capsule is finally opened, and the contents are revealed to be both ridiculous and touching.

Overall, "Lunch" is a classic Wet Hot American Summer episode, full of absurdity, nostalgia, and heart. Fans of the original series will appreciate the return of the beloved characters and the show's irreverent sense of humor. The episode sets the stage for more shenanigans to come in future episodes.