S46.E05: John Mulaney / The Strokes

[Crankybroad]

Where is Aidy???

[Robert Lynch]

38 minutes ago, ahisma said:

I was feeling Kool and the Gang and The Floaters!

Yeah, I was finding the whole thing funny until that horrifying ending.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the episode. The monologue just made me eager for the next Mulaney standup special—I could literally listen to him all night. And all the sketches were fun and Weekend Update was on fire.

The voting song reminded more of Fatback Band's Bus Stop.

 

[nickp1991]

Can we endure 4 years of Carrey as Biden?

[heatherchandler]

50 minutes ago, ahisma said:

The monologue just made me eager for the next Mulaney standup special—I could literally listen to him all night.

It was really funny.  I found myself wishing he would just do standup the whole show.

[Phebemarie]

I liked the cold open.  Jim Carrey as straight man, as someone mentioned upthread, was a big improvement.

I didn't like the generalization that 90 somethings are Trump lovers and need to stand down.  My mom is 97, watches MSNBC all day, and cast her ballot for Biden this week.  

Overall, for me this felt like the weakest of John Mulaney's SNL appearances.  Maya should have been the host.  

[kib]

If Lorne ever chooses to retire, the National Broadcasting Company would do well to ask Mulaney to consider stepping in as Executive Producer.

He delivers every damn time.

Edited November 1, 2020 by kib

[driver18]

10 hours ago, vb68 said:

And next year, he'll be a 5 Timer! He's on a glide path for that faster than anyone in recent memory.

Roll your clocks back guys! 🙂

Had it not been for Corona, Adam Driver probably would have hosted again this year thus making it his 4th time too (it would have been his 4th time in 4 years), with making next year his 5th as well. Also, Mulaney probably woudn't have hosted again now had it not been for Corona because other celebs would have projects to promote.

But it's Mulaney *and* Driver that are rare in how often, how quickly they have hosted. 

Edited November 1, 2020 by driver18

[Thumper]

I laughed a lot!  The girls slumber party but was so right on the mark and brought back memories.  Also loved the Cuomo Family bit. (Although I have to say that for many of us “out here” in other parts of the country, Cuomo brought us hope and was a tether to a sane response to the pandemic.)

Loved “The Stroll.”

Headless Horseman went on too long and I think I missed parts of it.  Guy humor.

I wasn’t sure if the NYC segment was going to be poking fun at itself or not.  To me, it was a little self-indulgent, but I loved the city the one time I visited, and it gave the cast an opportunity to do a sketch outside, which is safer.  (I love the views of the city in the beginning cast introductions!)

I miss Jason Sudeikis’s (sp?) Biden.  He had a folksiness and kindness that I think is missing in Carrey’s performance.

[Liamsmom617]

6 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I was very disappointed by John's last episode, as it felt like he was just dropped in rather than being able to show his comic style. I was still looking forward to him hosting again because I figured he could be a bit of comfort in a difficult time, which people need (and also some reliable laughs). The show still wasn't quite what I expected (his first two episodes managed to use most of the cast and had a lot of different types of sketches which you rarely get with SNL now, like slice-of-life pieces or that hilarious Toilet Death Ejector ad), but I did enjoy the episode more than the last he hosted. It was probably the first episode this season which felt consistent throughout, even if the back half wasn't as good as the top. John and a number of people in the cast felt a bit sloppy (I guess down to the musical rehearsal and then for the cast, doing 5 straight episodes), but the goofiness sort of added to the charm. While I'd rather see more of the some of the lesser used cast members, like Alex or Andrew, it was also nice to see how clearly happy Pete was to have his good friend there hosting. 

Cold open: Still clunky overall, but I thought it was better than any in a while, and mercifully several minutes shorter. I'm kind of over Kate vamping so much in these pieces, but Hillary returning made sense for the theme. Mikey was also a lot of fun as Nate Silver. This was the best Jim Carrey has been as Biden - I think being able to just have one-liners and also a few screwups early on helped him get over some of the tension. 

Monologue: This was very controversial in some quarters (although, for someone who is known for an old-fashioned appeal, this is his third straight controversial monologue). I can't say I disagreed with him, but I'm not sure SNL is the best place for these discussions. Still, it was a very confident piece and felt more properly sewn together than his last few. 

Cinema Classics: Reese De'What is a national treasure - he always, always makes me laugh whenever he appears. Kate and John had a nice comic chemistry together when they had the Bogie/Bacall spoof a few years ago, and they still do - the material was thin, but seeing them try not to break was not a bad way to pass a few minutes. 

Strollin' - My favorite piece in the episode. A great song and a biting concept, put together just right. I'm glad we are moving away from generic Pete Davidson raps. Kenan, Ego and Chris all work well together and Punkie Johnson is a great addition. I liked how this switched up tones so effectively. John was also put to good use as the middling-yet-vaguely-nefarious election worker. 

Headless Horseman - A one-note sex joke, enlivened by the performances. On the one hand, I'd rather SNL try something silly and crude than do more pandering and checklist posturing, and this at least had some life to it, but...seeing sketches end in rape jokes feels like something from the SNL of 15-25 years ago, not 2020.

New York - As much as Kate's vamping can sometimes wear me out, I appreciated this as a love letter to New York and its vibrancy and resilience. 

Update - Michael Che was the driving force here, as he has been most of the season, from his jibes about rappers endorsing Trump to his quiet disdain at Colin using a clip of Obama as a tag to voting for Biden. Colin did have his moments, especially the serial killer portion. I am a fan of Kyle's, but I didn't really need to see Baby Yoda again. Still, he did alright, and it was nice he got an audience response (more than he did the last time with this, I think).

NYC Musical - I won't lie, I didn't really enjoy last season's musical, for whatever reason. I still think these reached their peak with Bodega Bathroom, but this one had a certain rickety charm to it, like Waiting For Guffman. They clearly had not had much rehearsal time for their dancing, Chris and Pete kept cracking up, it seemed like there were a few cues missed, but the sheer goofy/bad/earnest nature was enough for me. I also liked seeing Pete try not to break when he had that line about his "modest bulge." Chloe was great in the Super Spreader solo, but Maya (who continues to charm me everywhere but the cold opens, although the one this week was OK) had the showstopper doing Elaine Stritch in Follies. I wonder how long John had been waiting to get to write something like that for her. 

(poor Lauren Holt - it took me to about halfway through to remember she wasn't Aidy) 

Uncle Meme - Considering how into this one John seemed the last time, I wasn't too shocked to see it return. I don't think it warranted a return, but I appreciate them trying for a different tone and ending. It felt very rushed, due to time constraints. The best part was likely not intended - the failed high-five with Pete and Chris. 

So overall this wasn't as strong in places for me as a few but was overall better throughout. I'd rank:

1) Rae

2) Burr

3) Mulaney

4) Adele

5) Rock (only this one  [sorry Chris] veered toward actually being bad for me)

Cut sketch. I suppose I can see why this was cut, as such a nihilistic sketch on top of the monologue and cold open may have been seen as too much, but I liked it. It captured my mood, anyway. (also poor Andrew Dismukes' only appearance of the week - he should have been in a sketch with John)

 

 

Oh hell yes!! Current mood for sure.

[Pete Martell]

4 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

The Strokes were pretty good, but as mentioned upthread they really didn't look like they wanted to be there.

That must just be their demeanor, as they actually rescheduled from last season (they were supposed to be on in April), and they seemed happy enough to goof off with Mulaney in the promo photos. 

My main takeaway from them was how much their second song sounded like "I'll Melt With You."

4 hours ago, Ottis said:

Is Mulaney a conservative? I didn't assume so, but his comments about "when coronavirus is over" while states are setting records for cases, and the "elderly man contest" which will result in nothing changing, made me wonder. Also, enough with the NY stuff.

Headless horseman .. loved the concept. Surprised they had no women.

Mulaney is definitely not a conservative, in today's version of the word anyway. His comments about nothing changing seemed to be coming from the left.

Somebody said Kate was in the dress version of the headless sketch.

[rwlevin]

I don't think Mulaney is eligible to be in the 5 timers club on account that he was a writer for the show. Are there any former staff members that are part of the club? 

 

Oh crazy lady in New York sketch. I could tell you about all the characters I used to see day in and day out when I lived in the village. There was the green lady, the white guy, the guy who wore his cat on his head, the hawk guy, the scary crazy homeless guy who would pretend to try to punch me, the other homeless dude who would panhandle so he could get enough money to go to Hawaii, the mariachi subway trio... so that sketch totally hit close to home. 

[LennieBriscoe]

Jim must read here (and Democratic Underground)!

No Fast-Gun Joe. No Brain-Addled Biden. No "Come on, man!"

Instead, we got a sharp (sharp enough to mention poetic license to "keep my rhyme scheme"!) yet avuncular (not overly "elderly," JOHN) Joe in a humorous sketch reminding us of how the last election was lost/stolen. So VOTE!

I really like the deeply weird Mulaney  "random filthy NYC bodega/store" skits that break into Broadway! 

I enjoyed the opener, too, but for me Mulaney can do (almost) no wrong.

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, Crankybroad said:

Where is Aidy???

Aidy is filming season 3 of her show Shrill. She and Cecily will probably be back in December (I'm guessing).

32 minutes ago, driver18 said:

Had it not been for Corona, Adam Driver probably would have hosted again this year thus making it his 4th time too (it would have been his 4th time in 4 years), with making next year his 5th as well. Also, Mulaney probably woudn't have hosted again now had it not been for Corona because other celebs would have projects to promote.

But it's Mulaney *and* Driver that are rare in how often, how quickly they have hosted. 

Driver hosted in season 41 and then seasons 43 and 45, so he tends to be on a two-year gap. 

I am still hoping he might host later in the season (if the show gets that far and doesn't have to shut down) as his last episode was just absolutely great. I saw a comment saying that he's SNL's current Buck Henry while Mulaney is their current Steve Martin. There are a lot of differences of course, but I could see it. 

1 hour ago, nickp1991 said:

Can we endure 4 years of Carrey as Biden?

I still don't know if he would want to do this for 4 years (unless he needs the money), but I could take the Biden we got last night, probably moreso than some of their past Presidents. Ideally the show would cut back on this stuff...at least having a 7-8 minute cold open instead of a 12-minute one was a step in the right direction. 

[cpcathy]

Agree on Adam Driver. He’s a fantastic host. He’s comfortable with the cast and his acting in sketches is brilliant and funny.

[MrWhyt]

4 hours ago, Ottis said:

I can't explain why some states have lines that take hours

voter suppression efforts

[SomeTameGazelle]

I would have liked to see better use of the whole cast -- it felt like Too Much Pete to me, with John as lead and Pete as second in the Ichabod Crane, Souvenir Underwear, and Uncle Meme sketches. I missed Cecily in the Souvenir Underwear musical (and was somewhat perplexed by the suggestion that what would be wrong with buying underwear from the souvenir store is that it would be pre-worn and dirty . . . that's not a thing, it just seemed like an excuse for scatalogical-ish humour).

Strolling to the Polls was my favourite, although I didn't like the "you have to be masked!!" punchline as it felt a little too both sides-y.

I frequently think I don't like Weekend Update and have been blaming Jost and Che, but I have seen more of the Vintage episodes lately which have made me feel that Update is better because Jost and Che have somewhat developed anchor characters (a step beyond news delivery vessels) but they're also not very interesting to me as characters.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, nickp1991 said:

Can we endure 4 years of Carrey as Biden?

Does Carrey even live in NY?  I think part of the reason Alec did Trump for four years is because he lives in the area.  If he were LA based, I doubt that would have happened. 

32 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I still don't know if he would want to do this for 4 years (unless he needs the money), but I could take the Biden we got last night, probably moreso than some of their past Presidents. Ideally the show would cut back on this stuff...at least having a 7-8 minute cold open instead of a 12-minute one was a step in the right direction. 

Yeah, I do think that was his best Biden.  Also, I think the writing was more clever and didn't rely on personality so much.

[rmontro]

Definitely not as good as the last John Mulaney episode.  The most interesting part was seeing how many sketches they could shoehorn Trump attacks into.  Comparing Trump to John Wayne Gacy is a new low for the show.  Congratulations, Colin.

[JZL]

5 hours ago, Ottis said:

Is Mulaney a conservative? I didn't assume so, but his comments about "when coronavirus is over" while states are setting records for cases, and the "elderly man contest" which will result in nothing changing, made me wonder. Also, enough with the NY stuff.

This sums up my sentiments.  The monologue wasn't funny until the very very end.  

Most of the show was good, even though it seemed to be a by New Yorkers for New Yorkers episode.  The musical number was boring.  I did, however, like the Central Park pre-taped sketch.

Now off to jam on some Ohio Players . . .

[Pete Martell]

27 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I would have liked to see better use of the whole cast -- it felt like Too Much Pete to me, with John as lead and Pete as second in the Ichabod Crane, Souvenir Underwear, and Uncle Meme sketches. I missed Cecily in the Souvenir Underwear musical (and was somewhat perplexed by the suggestion that what would be wrong with buying underwear from the souvenir store is that it would be pre-worn and dirty . . . that's not a thing, it just seemed like an excuse for scatalogical-ish humour).

On the one hand, it was nice to see Pete enjoying himself so much (you could really tell how close he and Mulaney are), but I wish they had given one or two of those roles to other cast members, like Andrew Dismukes who was completely shut out. That cast turnover is long overdue. 

[Thumper]

55 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

voter suppression efforts

Yes 

[saber5055]

WU had me laughing through practically the whole thing, and I could watch a whole hour of Baby Yoda, couldn't take my eyes off him.

When I saw Fire Marshall Biden was the cold open, I was all, oh no, and pretty much stopped watching, although I gather it wasn't as dreck as Carrey's past performances. I just dislike him so much, it colors everything he does as Biden now.

Mulaney continues to be my favorite host, even if he isn't "perfectly funny" every time.

[Racj82]

21 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Strolling to the Polls was my favourite, although I didn't like the "you have to be masked!!" punchline as it felt a little too both sides-y.

Huh?

What both sides-y?

I'm missing what it means here. 

The whole time they were in line I was thinking they are not getting in without masks. That's the just reality right now, not political in any way. 

Man, I've never seen a state up its own butt as much as New York. All while most of the time pointing out how awful things can be there. Also, often putting down other states like Jersey. Get over yourselves already. That's all I feel when I watch the ny pride stuff.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Racj82

[Ms Blue Jay]

11 hours ago, freddi said:

In the monologue, the plot about the sleepover -- what was that from?  I know it, just can't place it.  

Re-watching the West Coast re-airing at 11:35, and it is holding up well!  "If I wasn't your grandmother, I wouldn't know who you are, sorry!"  

John is clever and he has some good jokes, but does anyone think he delivers them way too fast sometimes???  I hope it's not my age, since I'm John's age......  Maybe he has to do that to fit within the monologue time?

[Traveller519]

This year is a decade of Mulaney fandom for me. My first exposure to him was at The Melbourne comedy Festival in 2010.  I'm always happy to see him but this felt like your favorite band making a "nothing but the classics tour"

 

Not a lot new, but with how heavy the news cycle is lately, a little balm wasn't bad.

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

I didn't like the generalization that 90 somethings are Trump lovers and need to stand down.  My mom is 97, watches MSNBC all day, and cast her ballot for Biden this week. 

Also, the joke about how you don't order for the table when you're leaving the restaurant.  John is getting all sorts of credit for this joke.  But seriously?  Comics have been doing a variation of that type of joke for years and years!

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

Just as one example, two counties in Texas (homes to Houston and Austin) originally opened multiple ballot drop off locations because their land area and their populations are so large (and hard for some urban residents to get from one side of the county to the other, especially if you are concerned about public transportation during a pandemic).  But then the governor issued an order limiting it to just one location per county, and it went through a lot of litigation, which the governor just won.  So you may see why there is confusion about where you can vote (that the song addressed).  And lines are long in places like Texas because they don’t allow many people to absentee vote (unlike my state, which allows it for any reason or no reason).  I thought the sketch was very sharp social satire.

I agree with you that it was very sharp social satire, but would like to clarify about voting in Texas.  The ballot drop-off location thing isn't as important as it is in a lot of states because, as you point out, not everyone can vote absentee (by mail) in Texas.  People must vote in person unless they are 65 or older, disabled, or outside the county for the entire voting period (and the last group has to have the ballot mailed to an address outside the county), which as you pointed out causes long lines. 

The number of people possibly using a ballot drop-off box is relatively small, and is rarely mentioned in stories about the ballot drop-off box shenanigans.  And those voters can mail their ballots, so it's not like getting the to drop-off box is the only alternative for this relatively small portion of voters.

I love John Mulaney.  And that bird using a glass cutter to break into the telephone booth killed me.

ETA:

Quote

Also, the joke about how you don't order for the table when you're leaving the restaurant.  John is getting all sorts of credit for this joke.  But seriously?  Comics have been doing a variation of that type of joke for years and years!

I'm glad he did it because I'd never heard it before and thought it was hilarious. 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by StatisticalOutlier

[vb68]

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

My main takeaway from them was how much their second song sounded like "I'll Melt With You."

That's exactly what I thought it was at first, and I was scratching my head thinking "The Strokes do a version of that song?"

1 hour ago, rwlevin said:

I don't think Mulaney is eligible to be in the 5 timers club on account that he was a writer for the show. Are there any former staff members that are part of the club? 

 

He's eligible. Tina Fey was a member the last time they did a 5 Timers sketch with Jonah Hill. I can't imagine they would refuse Mulaney a 5 Timers monologue of all people.

I kept wanting Che to bring up how Baby Yoda looks so much cuter and younger on The Mandalorian. Must be the makeup! the best part of that is his feud with Baby Groot. 

I definitely agree the Musical was missing Cecily. She excelled in them. But I find I'm missing her a lot in general.

 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Strolling to the Polls was my favourite, although I didn't like the "you have to be masked!!" punchline as it felt a little too both sides-y.

I think it was an inelegant end to an otherwise good segment.  I wonder if the joke they were going for was that these four voters put in a LOT of effort to get to the polls only to have their efforts thwarted because they didn't think to bring masks.

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 minute ago, Racj82 said:

Huh?

What both sides-y?

I'm missing what it means here. 

The whole time they were in line I was thinking they are not getting in without masks. That's the just reality right now, not political in any way. 

 

In the souvenir shop Pete and Chris weren't wearing masks either, but there was no in-story reason for that as far as I recall so I was willing to hand-wave it as being for performance reasons they had no masks but in "reality" they would have been masked. So in Strolling to the Polls for most of it the main characters were out on the street, and Mulaney was never masked at any point when he told them the polls were closed, so I looked at it in the same way. When they finally got in line Lauren was masked -- and then unmasked Mulaney appeared and told them they couldn't enter without masks, meaning that they should have been masked (but really so should he have been in that scenario). 

I guess since the voters were presented as just people who happened to have come out without their masks, it wasn't intended to suggest that these people we thought were victims of (likely Republican) voter-suppression tactics were actually virulent (likely Republican) anti-maskers, so my vague both-sides feeling may have been unjustified. But pivoting from the voter-suppression angle took away some of the impact of the satire for me.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Okay, I did like gangsta Baby Yoda threatening to kill Baby Groot. If Baby Groot don't know he better ask somebody. 😉

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I found the exact joke on Twitter from January.  It's a common complaint people have, and some want to lower the voting age.

This sentiment was huge around the time of Brexit, just for an example.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Pete Martell]

21 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I definitely agree the Musical was missing Cecily. She excelled in them. But I find I'm missing her a lot in general.

I sort of have mixed feelings. I miss her, but even last season, when she wasn't away, she didn't feel entirely there and missed several episodes (as it turns out she had a family tragedy, was also sick, etc.). A part of me feels like she has already left, but a part of me feels like she hasn't really had the goodbye I hope she gets. Ironically I think her extended absence this season has made her a lot more appreciated. 

It would probably help if they had used her absence and Aidy's absence to showcase some of the other women in the cast, but Maya sort of got those roles instead. I'm not complaining, as I have enjoyed most of Maya's cameos this season, but it sort of implies, fairly or not, they don't trust their female cast enough.

Just now, Ms Blue Jay said:

I found the exact joke on Twitter from January.  It's a common complaint people have, and some want to lower the voting age.

This sentiment was huge around the time of Brexit, just for an example.

It's definitely an old joke - I think even Mulaney has told it himself for years. Just the first time he said it on SNL. 

There's always a certain ageism in this type of material which can depend on the delivery. I feel like John has become, for lack of a better term, more radicalized (or less interested in restraint) the last year or so, and his tone in the material has changed as a result. 

[vb68]

26 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

It would probably help if they had used her absence and Aidy's absence to showcase some of the other women in the cast, but Maya sort of got those roles instead. I'm not complaining, as I have enjoyed most of Maya's cameos this season, but it sort of implies, fairly or not, they don't trust their female cast enough.

I feel like they have done that to some degree with Chloe. She had a good solo in the musical, and I feel like Ego has stepped up in general. (It was indeed nice to see her as the designated castmember in the promos. That's one way to tell someone's relative importance in the cast.)

And I understand what you mean about Cecily. I'm mainly seeing how difficult she is to replace.

Poor Lauren. it really is unfortunate, but I think she does need to find away to distinguish herself from Aidy. A breakout character or something.

Kate is doing more work than I was expecting. She was all over this episode.

Edited November 1, 2020 by vb68

[Dev F]

9 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

They clearly had not had much rehearsal time for their dancing, Chris and Pete kept cracking up, it seemed like there were a few cues missed, but the sheer goofy/bad/earnest nature was enough for me.

The NYC musicals have always been sort of a wild ride of big ambitions and big production flubs. People tend to forget that the version of Diner Lobster that became such a viral hit is actually the dress rehearsal version, because in the live version Cecily flubbed her entrance in the final song, which apparently knocked the bouncing-ball lyrics at the bottom of the screen way out of sync.

[Pete Martell]

15 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I feel like they have done that to some degree with Chloe. She had a good solo in the musical, and I feel like Ego has stepped up in general. (It was indeed nice to see her as the designated castmember in the promos. That's one way to tell someone's relative importance in the cast.)

And I understand what you mean about Cecily. I'm mainly seeing how difficult she is to replace.

Poor Lauren. it really is unfortunate, but I think she does need to find away to distinguish herself from Aidy. A breakout character or something.

Kate is doing more work than I was expecting. She was all over this episode.

They are definitely getting a lot out of Kate - I guess because she is going to be going soon to film her show. 

I agree about Ego and Chloe. Heidi at times too. I feel like Melissa could fill more of these roles, but there seems to be a lot of issues all around there and frankly sometimes I'm surprised she's still on the show. 

Lauren could probably use an Update piece (Andrew too). It's not fair of me but so many times I just see her as Aidy. They don't really make any attempts to differentiate them. She had such an Aidy role in the musical. I could swear Aidy even wore that dress before, although maybe that was Kate.

8 minutes ago, Dev F said:

The NYC musicals have always been sort of a wild ride of big ambitions and big production flubs. People tend to forget that the version of Diner Lobster that became such a viral hit is actually the dress rehearsal version, because in the live version Cecily flubbed her entrance in the final song, which apparently knocked the bouncing-ball lyrics at the bottom of the screen way out of sync.

You're right. I think the clunkiness is probably what makes them more endearing.

[Dev F]

1 minute ago, Pete Martell said:

You're right. I think the clunkiness is probably what makes them more endearing.

Definitely. The one I especially noticed this time, speaking of out-of-sync lyrics, was that at the end of the "One" parody, the singing mascots and the backing chorus didn't match up at all:

Chorus: "You. Would. Hafta be psychotic. / Or. Take. Some strong antibiotics. / Don't. Buy. Thoooose."
Mascots: "You. Would. Hafta be psychotic. / Or take. Some. Strong antibiotics. / Don't. Buy. Theeese."

[Racj82]

51 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

In the souvenir shop Pete and Chris weren't wearing masks either, but there was no in-story reason for that as far as I recall so I was willing to hand-wave it as being for performance reasons they had no masks but in "reality" they would have been masked. So in Strolling to the Polls for most of it the main characters were out on the street, and Mulaney was never masked at any point when he told them the polls were closed, so I looked at it in the same way. When they finally got in line Lauren was masked -- and then unmasked Mulaney appeared and told them they couldn't enter without masks, meaning that they should have been masked (but really so should he have been in that scenario). 

I guess since the voters were presented as just people who happened to have come out without their masks, it wasn't intended to suggest that these people we thought were victims of (likely Republican) voter-suppression tactics were actually virulent (likely Republican) anti-maskers, so my vague both-sides feeling may have been unjustified. But pivoting from the voter-suppression angle took away some of the impact of the satire for me.

Sometimes you see what you see I guess. All the ending was to me is a typical wah wah ending where irony hits the characters. They are prepared and ready to go but that forgot that one thing.  They highlighted a line full of people with masks to set up the joke. But, they aren't going to have masks on for every sketch so there is no hidden meaning every time they are or aren't there. Sometimes they use masks for humor purposes and sometimes they don't.

[driver18]

3 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Aidy is filming season 3 of her show Shrill. She and Cecily will probably be back in December (I'm guessing).

Driver hosted in season 41 and then seasons 43 and 45, so he tends to be on a two-year gap. 

I am still hoping he might host later in the season (if the show gets that far and doesn't have to shut down) as his last episode was just absolutely great. I saw a comment saying that he's SNL's current Buck Henry while Mulaney is their current Steve Martin. There are a lot of differences of course, but I could see it.

I think I got 2018 and 2019 confused because he was on in January 2020 which made me think he did those two years back to back (even if they were in different seasons), but yeah, definitely two year gaps all three times. So, yeah, Mulaney will definitely get there quicker than Driver (if he counts as a former writer), but I don't think anyone else will do it quicker than him or if so, it will be close in as short amount of time in recent years. I just checked the wiki history and since 2010, Melissa McCarthy is the only one who has done it quickly. She did it in 5 years. Tina Fey first hosing was in 2008 and it took her 7 years and she was a former castmate. ScarJo first hosted in 2006 and it took her 11. Timberlake in 2003 and it took him 9. So yeah.  Since 2010, I think that other than McCarthy, Mulaney and Driver are the only ones who have a shot at hitting it quickly.

[Bitsy]

6 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

 Mulaney's parents are Republicans. You could see him in his Netflix specials make references to his family's background all the time. 

Yes, but Mulaney himself is not conservative at all.  The jokes in his routine center around how different he and his wife are from his conservative Catholic parents.

[Thumper]

I’ve never heard that restaurant joke before, so I thought it was hilarious!

I love Maya, but it seems wrong to feature her so much when they have a lot of other women cast members they could use.  

[Robert Lynch]

44 minutes ago, Bitsy said:

Yes, but Mulaney himself is not conservative at all.  The jokes in his routine center around how different he and his wife are from his conservative Catholic parents.

That makes sense. I know that Mulaney's great-great grandfather is the Republican mayor of Salem, Massachusetts.

[LizDC]

16 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Jim Carrey's Joe Biden continues to be painfully unfunny. 

True, but I thought it was slightly less bad this episode. I didn’t see as much Fire Marshall Bill and The Mask this time around.

[Thalia]

16 hours ago, vb68 said:

This was a fairly typical John Mulaney episode, meaning it was pretty good and had some creative choices. Not sure it was my favorite Mulaney ep, but it was still fun. And next year, he'll be a 5 Timer! He's on a glide path for that faster than anyone in recent memory.

given that's he's early in the season this year, I'd be up for the first single season two-time host in history.  I put this 4th out of his 4 episodes, but I still love him and would like to see him back in an episode where it doesn't feel like a third of the cast is missing. 

[Racj82]

14 minutes ago, LizDC said:

True, but I thought it was slightly less bad this episode. I didn’t see as much Fire Marshall Bill and The Mask this time around.

I just skip it in the way I do almost all cold opens. I don't care about their political humor or their endless cameos. I go right to the monologues.

[Fostersmom]

5 hours ago, rwlevin said:

I don't think Mulaney is eligible to be in the 5 timers club on account that he was a writer for the show. Are there any former staff members that are part of the club? 

If former cast members can host and qualify for the 5 timers club, he should be eligible. 

 

9 hours ago, Ottis said:

I enjoyed the tune, but didn't get "Strollin to the Vote." Was it a statement of some kind? It seems like you should be able to look up which polling stations are open, and then take a mask. I can't explain why some states have lines that take hours. My state allows mail in voting, I haven't stood in a line for 20 years. I have a cousin who had to wait in line for 3 hours in Indiana. Seems dumb.

Sadly, a lot of polling places have suddenly been closed for no apparent reason this election, so voters will be having to find their new locations on Election Day. Obviously, it wouldn't be to the extent of the sketch, but it's going to happen.

[rejnel]

Mulaney's saying it doesn't matter who you vote for was reprehensible. He doesn't have to endorse a candidate, but why actively discourage people from voting?

I suppose not much will change for HIM, either way. 

[helenamonster]

I agree this wasn't the strongest of John's episodes, but there's something about his presence I find comforting. He seems like a genuinely good guy and his standup material consistently hits it out of the park. 

Loved The Birds ("They set a gas station on fire!" "H o w ?") but I did involuntarily cringe at Kate and John stuffed into that phone booth together. I know they've both had their noses swabbed a dozen times this week but the pandemic habits are becoming second nature to me now.

Strollin' was incredibly catchy. "I'm Michelle. Just Michelle."

Dave Chappelle next week is a good bookend to 4 years ago. Guess they haven't locked down a musical guest yet.

6 hours ago, rwlevin said:

I don't think Mulaney is eligible to be in the 5 timers club on account that he was a writer for the show. Are there any former staff members that are part of the club? 

Yep, former staff/cast members are eligible. Current alumni 5-Timers are Chevy Chase, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Bill Murray.

[Galileo908]

19 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Is John Mulaney the second guest to host twice in a calendar year after Chris Hemsworth? That's company more exclusive than the Five-Timers Club. Now I'm wondering what John would play in a MCU movie. Spider-Ham was hilarious, but it doesn't count here.

The following have hosted more than once in the same calendar year:

John Mulaney (February/October 2020)
Chris Hemsworth (March/December 2015)
John Hamm (January/October 2010)
Phil Hartman (March/November 1996)
Tom Arnold (February [paired with Roseanne]/December 1992)
Bill Murray (March/December 1981)
Billy Crystal (March/May 1984)
Edwin Newman (February/May 1984)
Don Novello (January/May 1984)
(All three hosted the May 12, 1984 show)
Elliott Gould (February/November 1980)
Michael Palin (January/May 1979)
Steve Martin (February/September 1977, April/November 1978)
Buck Henry (January/May/October 1976, May/November 1977, May/November 1978, May/November 1979)
Dick Cavett (January/November 1976)

And thanks to scrolling through Reddit, Strollin' was specifically parodying the music video for "Keep on Lovin' Me" by The Whispers

 

 

8 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I still don't know if he would want to do this for 4 years (unless he needs the money), but I could take the Biden we got last night, probably moreso than some of their past Presidents. Ideally the show would cut back on this stuff...at least having a 7-8 minute cold open instead of a 12-minute one was a step in the right direction. 

Plus Biden wouldn't hog the news cycle 24/7 like Trump does. They could lay off him for a week or two.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Galileo908

[Jody]

14 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I was very disappointed by John's last episode, as it felt like he was just dropped in rather than being able to show his comic style. I was still looking forward to him hosting again because I figured he could be a bit of comfort in a difficult time, which people need (and also some reliable laughs). The show still wasn't quite what I expected (his first two episodes managed to use most of the cast and had a lot of different types of sketches which you rarely get with SNL now, like slice-of-life pieces or that hilarious Toilet Death Ejector ad), but I did enjoy the episode more than the last he hosted. It was probably the first episode this season which felt consistent throughout, even if the back half wasn't as good as the top. John and a number of people in the cast felt a bit sloppy (I guess down to the musical rehearsal and then for the cast, doing 5 straight episodes), but the goofiness sort of added to the charm. While I'd rather see more of the some of the lesser used cast members, like Alex or Andrew, it was also nice to see how clearly happy Pete was to have his good friend there hosting. 

Cold open: Still clunky overall, but I thought it was better than any in a while, and mercifully several minutes shorter. I'm kind of over Kate vamping so much in these pieces, but Hillary returning made sense for the theme. Mikey was also a lot of fun as Nate Silver. This was the best Jim Carrey has been as Biden - I think being able to just have one-liners and also a few screwups early on helped him get over some of the tension. 

Monologue: This was very controversial in some quarters (although, for someone who is known for an old-fashioned appeal, this is his third straight controversial monologue). I can't say I disagreed with him, but I'm not sure SNL is the best place for these discussions. Still, it was a very confident piece and felt more properly sewn together than his last few. 

Cinema Classics: Reese De'What is a national treasure - he always, always makes me laugh whenever he appears. Kate and John had a nice comic chemistry together when they had the Bogie/Bacall spoof a few years ago, and they still do - the material was thin, but seeing them try not to break was not a bad way to pass a few minutes. 

Strollin' - My favorite piece in the episode. A great song and a biting concept, put together just right. I'm glad we are moving away from generic Pete Davidson raps. Kenan, Ego and Chris all work well together and Punkie Johnson is a great addition. I liked how this switched up tones so effectively. John was also put to good use as the middling-yet-vaguely-nefarious election worker. 

Headless Horseman - A one-note sex joke, enlivened by the performances. On the one hand, I'd rather SNL try something silly and crude than do more pandering and checklist posturing, and this at least had some life to it, but...seeing sketches end in rape jokes feels like something from the SNL of 15-25 years ago, not 2020.

New York - As much as Kate's vamping can sometimes wear me out, I appreciated this as a love letter to New York and its vibrancy and resilience. 

Update - Michael Che was the driving force here, as he has been most of the season, from his jibes about rappers endorsing Trump to his quiet disdain at Colin using a clip of Obama as a tag to voting for Biden. Colin did have his moments, especially the serial killer portion. I am a fan of Kyle's, but I didn't really need to see Baby Yoda again. Still, he did alright, and it was nice he got an audience response (more than he did the last time with this, I think).

NYC Musical - I won't lie, I didn't really enjoy last season's musical, for whatever reason. I still think these reached their peak with Bodega Bathroom, but this one had a certain rickety charm to it, like Waiting For Guffman. They clearly had not had much rehearsal time for their dancing, Chris and Pete kept cracking up, it seemed like there were a few cues missed, but the sheer goofy/bad/earnest nature was enough for me. I also liked seeing Pete try not to break when he had that line about his "modest bulge." Chloe was great in the Super Spreader solo, but Maya (who continues to charm me everywhere but the cold opens, although the one this week was OK) had the showstopper doing Elaine Stritch in Follies. I wonder how long John had been waiting to get to write something like that for her. 

(poor Lauren Holt - it took me to about halfway through to remember she wasn't Aidy) 

Uncle Meme - Considering how into this one John seemed the last time, I wasn't too shocked to see it return. I don't think it warranted a return, but I appreciate them trying for a different tone and ending. It felt very rushed, due to time constraints. The best part was likely not intended - the failed high-five with Pete and Chris. 

So overall this wasn't as strong in places for me as a few but was overall better throughout. I'd rank:

1) Rae

2) Burr

3) Mulaney

4) Adele

5) Rock (only this one  [sorry Chris] veered toward actually being bad for me)

Cut sketch. I suppose I can see why this was cut, as such a nihilistic sketch on top of the monologue and cold open may have been seen as too much, but I liked it. It captured my mood, anyway. (also poor Andrew Dismukes' only appearance of the week - he should have been in a sketch with John)

 

 

     I Would Put Burr, Maybe Adele, Mulaney, I Think Issa ! She IS A Beautiful Woman ! I Know I Should Not Go By Her Looks ! Last, Chris Rock ! This Is Best To The Worst !