The Wet Hot American Summer franchise, consisting of a film and two Netflix series, follows a group of counselors and other employees throughout their summer at camp. The comedic approach is introduced in the original movie and stays absurdist throughout the rest of the franchise.
Due to the absurdist comedy approach, the plot of the original film didn't need any explanation, but the Netflix series, both the prequel First Day of Camp and the sequel Ten Years Later, provide the backstory of characters and explanation of jokes. Here are some of the jokes made throughout the film that the Netflix series capitalized on and explained.
10 Chef Gene's Descent Into Madness
The original film doesn't allude to any time before Chef Gene was insane, but the Netflix prequel series gives viewers a glimpse into a very different type of Chef Gene.
In the past, he was named Jonas and he was getting ready to marry art teacher Gail at the camp. Unfortunately, Mitch, the vegetable can, goes to him, says a special code, and he turns into Gene, the Vietnam war veteran.
9 Mitch The Can
The film makes the talking vegetable can, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, seem like a hallucination of Chef Gene's, but the Netflix series tells a different story. In the first episode of the First Day of Camp Netflix series, H. Jon Benjamin appears as the camp as himself, not voicing a can of mixed vegetables.
He is eating out of a can of mixed vegetables and falls into a puddle of toxic waste deep in the woods. The only thing that emerges is the can of mixed vegetables with Benjamin's voice.
8 Camp Tiger Claw
Camp Tiger Claw is mentioned in the original film, but the audience never gets to see them. The campers are about to play a softball game against the rival camp when the bus arrives.
However, they hilariously turn back around when Camp Firewood just decides they want to play. In the Netflix series, any question about the posh camp is answered when the audience is shown Camp Tiger Claw.
7 Ben And McKinley's Backstory
Ben (Bradley Cooper) and McKinley have an established relationship in the original film and have a marriage ceremony as well. Although their story didn't need its beginnings, the Netflix series showed the audience the start of their relationship in an adorable meet-cute between the two.
Ben and Susie were dating until Ben met McKinley at theater rehearsals and shared a zoot suit costume for their musical number.
6 Building Lindsay's Backstory
Lindsay's (Elizabeth Banks) story in the original film basically had her make-out with Andy for half the movie without learning much of anything about her.
In comparison, the Netflix series gives her a complete background and shows the audience how she ended up at Camp Firewood. In the prequel, Lindsay is a twenty-something reporter who chooses to go undercover at the camp to investigate a reclusive musician.
5 Meeting Ten Years Later
In the original film, Ben suggests that they all make a pact to meet ten years later at the camp and see how they've all grown up. The film takes a while with this joke as they try to talk about a time to meet and McKinley brings up that he has plans later that day.
The Ten Years Later Netflix series capitalizes on this joke and centers the entire series on it as they all meet up ten years later.
4 Significance Of Camp Firewood
In the original film, a rocket almost explodes at Camp Firewood in a random act that seems like another outrageous plot in line with the rest of its comedic approach, but the prequel Netflix series gives an explanation.
In the first Netflix series, the government has been hiding vats of toxic waste at the campgrounds and President Ronald Reagan tries to destroy the camp. This background allows the film plot point to make more sense.
3 Abby Growing Up
In the film, Abby seems to be more grown-up than the rest of the campers, at least sexually, and this didn't need any explanation. Still, the prequel Netflix series gave a hilarious explanation for it.
Abby started out as a camper, not a camp counselor in the series, and is played by a teenage girl until she gets her first period and comes out of the bathroom as the decades older actress from the film.
2 Origins Of Higher And Higher Song
This song is featured in the film during a montage as Gene helps Coop to train and try to ask Katie out officially. The song didn't need an explanation, but the audience was treated to the hilarious origins of the song.
During the climax in the finale of First Day of Camp, Camp Tiger Claw and Camp Firewood are about to have an all-out brawl with each other until Chris Pine's character shows up on the roof and pleads for peace by performing the new song he's written.
1 Short Term Relationships
The camp counselors in the franchise are always switching romantic partners and this can be explained by the fact that they're teenagers at camp and away from home.
The Netflix prequel leaned into this by again switching everyone's partners. Coop is vying for Katie in the film, but none of this is in the prequel as he tries to go after Donna.
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