S46.E05: John Mulaney / The Strokes

[Bitsy]

1 hour ago, rejnel said:

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. 

That joke didn't bother me.  Why?  He was not leading a political rally, he was hosting a comedy show and it was a joke.  A joke that was really about slumber parties.

Were you in danger of changing your whole political outlook and scrapping your plans to vote because you were exposed to a comedian's quip on SNL?  I'm guessing no.  There's no need to assume that anyone else is that stupid and impressionable either.

[Ottis]

11 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

It’s a sharp, incisive comment on how certain states have severely restricted the places where urban residents can vote and how there has been confusion about where one can vote.  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.

Thanks for that. I knew those sort of voting shenanigans were going on. At the same time, the skit didn't work for me, because the fact this is happening isn't a secret. Unless there was literally no way to look up which voter sites were open before heading there, there is no reason to assume they are still there. I mean, it's been four years, and a coronavirus. If I decided to just head out to restaurants I have been to four years ago and assumed they were all still there, I would be wrong a number of times. Now, if the skit had been solely about how long lines are, because there are so few locations, it might have worked for me.

[JZL]

11 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. 

 

5 hours 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.

Isn't his mother a Democrat?  The title of the one special, "The Comeback Kid," is largely a reference to the chunk therein about his mom meeting Clinton in college and then again later when he first ran for president, and how infatuated she was with him.  That doesn't for sure mean she's a dem, but I was left with that impression; that his mom was and his dad wasn't.  

[peeayebee]

15 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

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. 

This sketch was excellent...

8 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.

... but i agree with this. maybe they just couldn't think of a punchline.

overall, a good show.

[Robert Lynch]

Just now, JZL said:

 

Isn't his mother a Democrat?  The title of the one special, "The Comeback Kid," is largely a reference to the chunk therein about his mom meeting Clinton in college and then again later when he first ran for president, and how infatuated she was with him.  That doesn't for sure mean she's a dem, but I was left with that impression; that his mom was and his dad wasn't.  

You are right. It has been awhile since I saw that special! 

[theredhead77]

16 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

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)

 

 

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this cut sketch. I have been looking forward to an updated Midterm ad for weeks now and that fits the bill. I wish it had aired.

[Bitsy]

12 minutes ago, JZL said:

 

Isn't his mother a Democrat?  The title of the one special, "The Comeback Kid," is largely a reference to the chunk therein about his mom meeting Clinton in college and then again later when he first ran for president, and how infatuated she was with him.  That doesn't for sure mean she's a dem, but I was left with that impression; that his mom was and his dad wasn't.  

His mother is really religious (as is his father) and I think the Bill Clinton thing was just a one-off crush from college.   Mulaney's long line of Republican politician ancestors mentioned upthread are from his mother's side of the family.

[formerlyfreedom]

Episode please. Mulaney’s personal life and Netflix specials are not on topic. Thank you!

[Robert Lynch]

Well, when this nightmare is over...our grandchildren are going to say, "Really, Grandpa?" My response: "Stupid is as stupid does. And this is what I went through." Perfect response for my generation so far...

I hope  I live to tell the tale.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[ruby24]

I did not like or appreciate Mulaney's monologue. Very bad.

[Tachi Rocinante]

21 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

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

Mine was how overrated they are.  Critical darlings with minimal talent. 

[Pete Martell]

 

[Quickbeam]

On 10/31/2020 at 10:59 PM, Growsonwalls said:

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

I need Sudeikis to do Biden SO badly. He’s the only one who gets it just right. Full disclosure, went to the University of Delaware, Biden was my senator in the hair plugs era. 

[Phishbulb]

On 11/1/2020 at 12:11 AM, anna0852 said:

How did they get the Headless Horseman past Standards & Practice?

It's pretty much the same joke as a sketch that aired on the show 20 years ago, in the Tobey Maguire episode from 2000.

Where Will Ferrell takes a yoga class in order to be able to.....accomplish this goal 

https://streamable.com/w578u

 

[SoMuchTV]

On 11/1/2020 at 7:46 AM, Peace 47 said:

Silver actually got a decent amount of credit for giving Trump better odds to win  in 2016 than most others at the time.  Nate Silver’s model apparently gave Trump a 29% chance of winning the electoral college in 2016 in his final forecast, which was much better odds than some other organizations.  The roll of the dice in this particular sketch sent chills down my spine, though. However, I think, technically, Nate Silver is currently giving Trump a 1-in-10 chance now, not 1-in-6.

Nate Silver (and his Fivethirtyeight colleagues) commented on his "cameo" on their podcast - I think it was Sunday's.  He didn't seem especially annoyed by it.  I guess he's heard every possible version of "Nate Silver was wrong" by now.

[Crashcourse]

I had to look up John Mulaney because I didn't know who he was.  His voice is annoying as hell.  

[Cornhusker12]

3 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I need Sudeikis to do Biden SO badly. He’s the only one who gets it just right. Full disclosure, went to the University of Delaware, Biden was my senator in the hair plugs era. 

I used to think I wanted a different Biden but after rewatching some of his sketches I totally agree. He could tone down his characterization to fit with the 2020 Biden and still nail it much better than Woody or Jim Carrey.

[possibilities]

On 11/1/2020 at 1:44 AM, Lantern7 said:

Kenan didn't get stuck in an elaborate animal costume

But we did get Kate as shrimp. Has there been a crustacean in every Mulaney musical? 

 

On 11/1/2020 at 1:18 AM, Robert Lynch said:

I love that Jared Kushner joke! 

I think he looks like a dressed up child corpse, not just a child attending someone else's funeral. I hope that's what they meant.

 

On 11/1/2020 at 3:09 PM, Thumper said:

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.  

She's acting more like a member of the ensemble than as a stunt cast to play the VP candidate. I'm not her biggest fan, and I'd definitely like to see more of the new cast members, but at the same time I also really appreciate some of what she's doing. Her lady Liberty will forevermore have me imagining LL sounding like Ethel Merman, and for that I will be ever grateful and ever amused.

[Pete Martell]

17 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Nate Silver (and his Fivethirtyeight colleagues) commented on his "cameo" on their podcast - I think it was Sunday's.  He didn't seem especially annoyed by it.  I guess he's heard every possible version of "Nate Silver was wrong" by now.

Nate's trolled on Twitter pretty much every day, so I'm glad this didn't seem to bother him (and I guess there are much worse things in life than being played by Mikey Day...).

19 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

It's pretty much the same joke as a sketch that aired on the show 20 years ago, in the Tobey Maguire episode from 2000.

Where Will Ferrell takes a yoga class in order to be able to.....accomplish this goal 

https://streamable.com/w578u

Those types of jokes are such old bro-type humor. I guess this one just went with the Headless Horseman angle for an easier hook. 

22 hours ago, Cornhusker12 said:

I used to think I wanted a different Biden but after rewatching some of his sketches I totally agree. He could tone down his characterization to fit with the 2020 Biden and still nail it much better than Woody or Jim Carrey.

The main problem for me is I just don't enjoy these long political cold opens most of the time, whoever plays them. If he could come back and also play in other sketches, like Maya, then I'd be happier. 

9 hours ago, possibilities said:

She's acting more like a member of the ensemble than as a stunt cast to play the VP candidate. I'm not her biggest fan, and I'd definitely like to see more of the new cast members, but at the same time I also really appreciate some of what she's doing. Her lady Liberty will forevermore have me imagining LL sounding like Ethel Merman, and for that I will be ever grateful and ever amused.

I can see why people tire of her appearing in other parts of the night, but unlike some cast members who return and are just dumped into sketches, I think most of the time she's had stuff that suits her and only she could play. It's just a Band-Aid while Aidy and Cecily are away and it's probably not fair to the other women in the cast (especially Melissa as she seems to be shut out most weeks), but I really have enjoyed these appearances, much more than the Kamala stuff to be honest. It's like when, many years ago, Jan Hooks returned for appearances and mostly felt natural rather than a showhog. 

[cambridgeguy]

On 11/2/2020 at 9:19 AM, Quickbeam said:

I need Sudeikis to do Biden SO badly. He’s the only one who gets it just right. Full disclosure, went to the University of Delaware, Biden was my senator in the hair plugs era. 

What they need is for one of the current cast to get the gig.  Having old cast members come back for the occasional sketch is fine but if something is wrong if you can't find a single person in your bloated cast to do a passable impression.  It's not like they haven't been OK with mediocre attempts before (see Armisen's Obama).

[Gimmick Genius]

On 11/2/2020 at 9:19 AM, Quickbeam said:

I need Sudeikis to do Biden SO badly. He’s the only one who gets it just right. Full disclosure, went to the University of Delaware, Biden was my senator in the hair plugs era. 

Don't forget, SNL's first Biden was Kevin Nealon in the Anita Hill (Ellen Cleghorne) / Clarence Thomas (Tim Meadows) sketches. With Phil Hartman as Ted Kennedy, Dana Carvey as Strom Thurmond and Al Franken as Sen. Paul Simon. Special appearance by Chris Rock as Long Dong Silver. 

 

That was definitely the hair-plugs era.

[SomeTameGazelle]

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

[Maya]'s acting more like a member of the ensemble than as a stunt cast to play the VP candidate. I'm not her biggest fan, and I'd definitely like to see more of the new cast members, but at the same time I also really appreciate some of what she's doing. Her lady Liberty will forevermore have me imagining LL sounding like Ethel Merman, and for that I will be ever grateful and ever amused.

I think it was more Elaine Stritch than Merman. 

 

[Scout Finch]

On 11/2/2020 at 9:35 AM, Crashcourse said:

I had to look up John Mulaney because I didn't know who he was.  His voice is annoying as hell.  

Nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't get the Mulaney love. I even ~gasp~ fast-forwarded past his latest musical. I normally love absurd, off-beat humor but for some reason don't find him very funny.

[Robert Lynch]

Well, he created the Stefan character for Bill Hader. I'll give him credit for that...

[Pete Martell]

John tweeted out a few behind the scenes shots yesterday, including the always rare, always compelling moment of the host behind the door, waiting for his call.

 

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

Nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't get the Mulaney love. I even ~gasp~ fast-forwarded past his latest musical. I normally love absurd, off-beat humor but for some reason don't find him very funny.

I would suggest, if you have Netflix, watch one or two of his stand ups. I think you will either change or confirm your opinion based on that. But the older ones- not the bag lunch one. 

[Guest]

On 11/1/2020 at 2:14 PM, Pete Martell said:

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. 

Yeah, I really wonder about Melissa. During the Uncle Meme sketch she did not have a single line except for the collective shocked saying of his name at the end. The whole time I was expecting her to have a twist reaction at the end, as she has had before (e.g. her loving Kit Harington's stripper routine during the bachelorette party, and then revealing that she was his sister) - but nope. She was just an extra. They couldn't have given one of Chloe's lines to her? (And I love Chloe.)

And Maya's great, but I really find myself picturing Cecily in all of her roles (except Kamala Harris).

[Scout Finch]

7 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Yeah, I really wonder about Melissa. During the Uncle Meme sketch she did not have a single line except for the collective shocked saying of his name at the end. The whole time I was expecting her to have a twist reaction at the end, as she has had before (e.g. her loving Kit Harington's stripper routine during the bachelorette party, and then revealing that she was his sister) - but nope. She was just an extra. They couldn't have given one of Chloe's lines to her? (And I love Chloe.)

And Maya's great, but I really find myself picturing Cecily in all of her roles (except Kamala Harris).

I've gotten into Melissa's podcasts and was really looking forward to seeing her in the new season but so far... 😥

[Phishbulb]

On 11/3/2020 at 1:10 AM, possibilities said:

I think he looks like a dressed up child corpse, not just a child attending someone else's funeral. I hope that's what they meant.

He looks like "The Boy" from the movie of the same name. 

[Scout Finch]

3 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

He looks like "The Boy" from the movie of the same name. 

I thought the same!

In addition to my celebrity girl crushes Krysten Ritter and Alison Tolman, I recently added Melissa. She's adorable!

Edited November 4, 2020 by Scout Finch

[heatherchandler]

On 11/3/2020 at 12:17 PM, Gimmick Genius said:

Don't forget, SNL's first Biden was Kevin Nealon in the Anita Hill (Ellen Cleghorne) / Clarence Thomas (Tim Meadows) sketches. With Phil Hartman as Ted Kennedy, Dana Carvey as Strom Thurmond and Al Franken as Sen. Paul Simon. Special appearance by Chris Rock as Long Dong Silver. 

 

 

Phil Hartman as Ted Kennedy was the BEST!  I remember those episodes.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Was Beck really singing "Dongshaker, Dongshaker" instead of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker"?  Yikes.

[LuvMyShows]

On 11/1/2020 at 7:04 PM, Bitsy said:

That joke didn't bother me.  Why?  He was not leading a political rally, he was hosting a comedy show and it was a joke.  A joke that was really about slumber parties.

Were you in danger of changing your whole political outlook and scrapping your plans to vote because you were exposed to a comedian's quip on SNL?  I'm guessing no.  There's no need to assume that anyone else is that stupid and impressionable either.

Unfortunately, just look around and take in what has occurred in 2020.  There's a reason for the saying that "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people".

[Pete Martell]

Mulaney recently clarified some of his monologue comments, and also talked about the reaction to his previous monologue.

 

[Jody]

On 11/1/2020 at 12:00 AM, Galileo908 said:

Cold Open: Thank god, no more debates! Now a solo Jim Carrey sketch. Quoth The Clinton: "We've lost before!" Maybe we ARE haunted, America was built on a Native American burial ground. And I'll take any opportunity to rag on Mitch McConnell (his gross hands!) and Nate Silver (he was wrong and nobody trusts him anymore). Way better than the debate sketches. Shoehorning in Kamala Harris was actually natural.

Monologue: I am loving all the New York talk (since I am one). That whole Cuomo talk was something I had with my great aunt (yes, Italian). Yes, vote in the Elderly Man Contest on the Third (I voted for my Elderly Man last Saturday). Once again he killed it. I'm, uhh, not too enthusiastic that NOTHING will change if we get a new Elderly Man. Yes, the rich will still get richer, the rest of us are still screwed, but one Elderly Man was clearly better than the other one. (Ugh, this reminds me of when I saw Oh, Hello and he and Nick Kroll ended the show with a fundraiser meant to cater to all the rich people in the front)

The Birds: Seems like a sketch similar to Sound of Music, their take on a classic film. But this one had bloody, dead bird puppets. So of course this was fun. Loved when the turtles showed up. One was flying on its own!

Strollin': Yeah...DAMN, voter suppression sucks. Kudos for actually going where they did. Lost it at "JUST MICHELLE."

Sleepy Hollow: Mulaney teased Hamilton-style costumes tonight, and here's what they were for. It's all about Ichabod Crane wondering if the Headless Horseman goes down on himself. Genius. I wonder how true it was that Lorne wrote it? I thought Mulaney made for a good Ichabod Crane.

New York Strong: "Kate does something weird" continues to be a winner. Makes me happy to be a New Yorker. We're our own special brand of weird.

Of course The Strokes were great.

WU: An audience open to booing the president! Update was going for blood tonight, and the audience was all for it. Jared Kushner ALWAYS looks like a child dressed as a funeral. And that's Kyle as Baby Yoda, right? I couldn't take my eyes off him, didn't really pay much attention to what he was saying. 

Times Square Gift Shop: Looks like we're in for a musical sketch with creepy Times Square mascots. Kenan was the best choice to play the Minion. We got Guys & Dolls, A Chorus Line, and "Send in The Clowns" for the Bubba Gump Shrimp. I appreciate any excuse for Maya to sing. This is somehow more New York than the NY Strong sketch earlier or the LaGuardia sketch from the last Mulaney show. Well I loved it. But sorry, there's no beating David Byrne, and Jake Gylenhaal flying on strings.

The Strokes were once again awesome.

Uncle Meme: Oh man, bringing back Tyler and the memes! And here I thought Uncle Ron was married.

Well...the February show had a really high bar. And Holy crap, they got Dave Chappelle as the post-election show again. I honestly hope this time goes better.

 

       Hello Galileo. I AM So Happy that you Finally Saw John Mulaney Last February ! I Wish Stooge Would Also see that ,But He Probably Never Will ! Galileo, Was Beck The Headless Horseman ? I Could Not Tell Who That Was !

On 11/1/2020 at 12:08 AM, 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.

Roll your clocks back guys! 🙂

          Hello VB68. My Favorite John Mulaney Episode Is Last February Where He Promoted March ! I LOVED The Monologue, The Musical Group And Airport Sushi ! ! !

On 11/1/2020 at 5:47 AM, ottoDbusdriver said:

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

And the mix was terrible again, you could barely hear the lead singer at times.

No musical guest for next week's show with Dave Chappelle ??

           Next Week's Musical Guest Is Foo Fighters !

On 11/1/2020 at 1:54 PM, driver18 said:

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.

      IF You Are Saying That Adam Driver Hosted In January 2020, Then, I Think That Is NOT Correct ! He Was In That Movie About Marriage With Scarlet And They Were Always Arguing ! Scarlet Was In That Movie With Rabbit In The Title And The Little Boy Wanted To Be With Hitler ! I Think That Was In 2019 And NOT January 2020 ! Adam Driver Was Very Intense In ALL His Sketches Because Of That Marriage Movie He Was In ! Another Thing Is That I Think Adam Driver Was On First And Then Eddie Was In December 18 I Think In 2019 And Then John Mulaney Was On February 29 Which Was Leap Year ! He Was There To Promote March ! Last Night, John Mulaney Was On The Halloween Episode And IT Was Actually On Halloween !