S46.E06: Dave Chappelle / The Foo Fighters

[ebk57]

Update is on fire!

[Brn2bwild]

By the video game sketch, I'm starting to wonder why I was so eager to tune in.  Please let this be the worst sketch of the night.

Edited November 8, 2020 by Brn2bwild

[Irlandesa]

26 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Dave is racking up those fines that Lorne is more than willing to pay. 

If you're talking about language, SNL airs too late for that rule to apply.  I don't even know if those get charged any longer as I think a network sued that it was a violation of the first amendment and won.

[Lantern7]

1 minute ago, Brn2bwild said:

By the video game sketch, I'm starting to wonder why I was so eager to tune in.

Foo Fighters, Update, Kate as a familiar character . . . 😈😈😈

[txhorns79]

1 minute ago, Brn2bwild said:

By the video game sketch, I'm starting to wonder why I was so eager to tune in.

It really was terrible.  I was honestly surprised it made it on air.  It was essentially one joke, and the joke was not funny.

[xaxat]

I really like that Captain Marvel sweater Ego wore in her sketch.

[Galileo908]

CRAP, this ate my original post that had everything up to Update. Gonna recap as best to my memory.

Cold Open: Election WEEK with Wolf Blitzer was a MOOD. I saw the Daily Show the day after the 2008 election and I'm sure the energy in the audience was about the same, if not more. Who else called Trump repeating the Hallelujah cold open from 2016?! Super sad "Macho Man" was way better. You could just feel how relieved everyone is.

Monologue: Dave gave the perfect amount of fucks right now: Zero. This was what I wanted to see in 2016: Catharsis.

"I can't tell anything true without a punchline behind it." The most true thing he ever said.

Well, that was a great show, everyone. Hell of a special.

...wait, there's sketches after this?! That wasn't the whole show?! Okay!

Aunt Jemima & Uncle Ben: This was 100% a Chappelle's Show sketch. I loved this so much, it went in a direction I totally wasn't expecting. Dave Chappelle as the Allstate Guy was genius (and he was breaking! You would too if that was the first time you heard that voice), but then came Pete as Count Chocula. I wondered if Dave calling out Pete's lips was an ad lib or part of the sketch? I also loved to see Maya and Alec Baldwin in sketches outside of the political ones.

Mario: This also went in a direction I wasn't expecting. I was hoping for Mario jokes...and then it turned into a story about Kyle Mooney popping his own balls. ...I don't think Target was around in 1985. Or Kyle Mooney and Mikey Day for that matter. Bleh.

Take Me Back: This was great, and kept getting better. "You're 18 NOW?!" was just great.

WU: You know what, all this "never forgive Trump's enablers" talk should really include SNL, too. They're just gonna pretend that episode never happened, right? Personally, I intentionally skipped that episode, and it was thanks to a friend's birthday party I had an excuse. I love that Che was still able to drink, and also gave zero fucks.

Gotta love Kate showing up as Rudy Giuliani. No lie, instead of giving a press conference at a Four Seasons, it was a landscaping center that was, and I kid you not, between a crematorium and a sex shop. This was yet another week where they let the actual news do the heavy lifting, as this day alone was weird enough.

Hailstorm: Nothing really happened until the end.

DC Morning: Ha, Trump fleeing the White House in a White Bronco with Don Jr driving. This was also something out of Chappelle's Show. I can't believe it was so short.

I honestly thought this show really SHOULD have ended after the monologue, or at least the Aunt Jemima sketch. This was the 6th show in a row, delayed by football, and after a REALLY crazy week, you could tell everyone was tired and wanted this to END.

Next week is Chris Rock...thank god it's a rerun.

[ebk57]

I love Kate's mask during the goodnights.

[txhorns79]

2 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

..I don't think Target was around in 1985.

Target has been in existence since the early 1960s.

[ebk57]

I thought the Mario sketch was terrible.  And the weather sketch was almost terrible.  But the rest of it was pretty good.  And the political stuff was quite fabulous. Loved Aunt Jemima/Uncle Ben sketch, and the white Ford Bronco was hilarious. And Foo Fighters, of course. 

I felt like the show was really short or had lots of down time/commercials.  Maybe that was because the timing was off with the delayed start, but I was really surprised when they showed up for the goodnights. 

A fine week.  And ready for a few weeks off. Rest up everyone!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Did the smoking during the monologue bother anyone?  At least the audience is masked. Not a good look on network tv, though.

[Lantern7]

How long will the show be on break? After six weeks, I'd say they earned it.

Weird episode on account of college football (that's still a thing?) running long. I kept trying to remember how many minutes past 11:29 the show started. Given this past week, I don't blame things for being off-kilter. Epic cold open to start, then Dave Chappelle does what could be the longest monologue in the show's history, pausing to light cigarettes on his body. Next thing I know, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are getting canned, and Pete Davison is dressed as Count Chocula. With this year, you just roll with it.

Mario Bros: yeah, I understand the hate. It's funny that I have my own fond memories. I competed in a tournament that Nintendo had at Javits Center in Manhattan, and I wound up with a $10 coupon. Wound up only paying $39.99 for SMB3. And I didn't have my groin sanded down, which was also good.

I'm hoping Kate won't have to play any characters from the Trump administration. ever again She's put in her time. There should be an exhibit like a museum, with mannequins lined up and wearing her costumes for Kellyanne Conway, Jeff Sessions, Giuliani, etc. Oh, her Giuliani.

ETA: Had to rewind on the Bronco sketch to get the quote down: “He could unleash an army of Proud Boys and flag-waving trucks. He’s like Aquaman, but instead of fish, he can summon the entire parking lot of a Cracker Barrel.” Dave Chappelle, with the straight fire.

Edited November 8, 2020 by Lantern7

[Irlandesa]

I actually liked the weather sketch.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for love?
 

1 minute ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Did the smoking during the monologue bother anyone?  At least the audience is masked. Not a good look on network tv, though.

Since I'm not sharing a space with him, not really.  I was confused by it, though.  He seemed tentative with it and I feel like it was a bit I didn't get.  I don't even know if he actually inhaled. 

Overall, the episode was a lot of fun.  I think I liked how punchy everyone was in the Aunt Jemima/Uncle Ben skit. 

And I just knew the Foo Fighters would sing the song they sang as their second song.

[Phebemarie]

52 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

If you're talking about language, SNL airs too late for that rule to apply.  I don't even know if those get charged any longer as I think a network sued that it was a violation of the first amendment and won.

It's shown live on the West Coast during prime time. 

I'm a prude:  the language, the smoking, and the Mario skit bothered me.  

[Irlandesa]

2 minutes ago, Phebemarie said:

It's shown live on the West Coast during prime time. 

Be that as it may, now that I've seen the whole show, I can't remember hearing him swear. 

One final thing, I've decided I need a gif of Chappelle white people dancing.  That was such an accurate depiction of dancing in 60s movies.

 

[vb68]

I mostly really enjoyed this one even though the tape delay messed things up for me. (It stopped recording at the regular time even though I had tried to extend it.)

Anyway I was distracted, but liked it. I agree the video game sketch was weak, but it was pretty minor in everyway.

I also enjoyed all the political stuff, and Jim Carrey was fine this week. (Though if I'm being really honest, I wish they would have had some fun with Kornacki, who got a ton of press this week- Hi Leslie- and he's so very easy to mock. Hell they could had had him run out and say he had new updates....Heh. I digress.)

I appreciate the way Chappelle's monologue just goes for it with a no fucks style. Wish more people had the confidence to do that. I think the smoking was just a prop for him to be all " look at me being so badass on network tv."

Loved Chappelle busting on Pete.

I related to Che tonight so much. Today was a really good day. Best in a long, long time.

I laughed more at the White Bronco gag than I probably needed to, but I loved the analogy.

Pretty sure they are off until December, but that's cool. They deserve a break.

Was Alec's "You're Welcome" sign in the goodbyes for playing Trump for 4 plus years?   I guess?

Edited November 8, 2020 by vb68

[possibilities]

21 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Did the smoking during the monologue bother anyone?  At least the audience is masked. Not a good look on network tv, though.

Yeah, I didn't like that.

I always give Dave Chappelle mixed reviews. Sometimes he's brilliant, other times he's just a garden variety prick.

Sad macho man was the only time I've found Alec B's DJT (or that song) enjoyable. 

I'm glad this is, hopefully, the end of an era.

There was some kind of technical glitch here at the beginning of the hailstorm sketch, so I missed the beginning. And thus, at first, I thought it was another of the alien abduction sketches. And that made the whole thing super funny to me, not because of anything other than the pivot inside my very late night exhausted brain as it tried to adjust and catch up to the actual story and was kind of grafting half of one into the middle of the other.

 

[Katmai]

2 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I'm glad this is, hopefully, the end of an era.

Or as I like to say, the end of an error.

[Ms Blue Jay]

36 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Did the smoking during the monologue bother anyone?  At least the audience is masked. Not a good look on network tv, though.

That's the only way Chappelle's going to agree to do anything.  I saw him smoke on stage in every Toronto show he's done.  Why would it bother me?  

[OutOfTheQuestion]

It's an amazing slow burn joke of wondering why Jim Carrey was cast as Biden for six weeks, then realizing it was only so he could bust out the old LOOOOOOOSER bit once the election was in the books.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm finding it unbelievable that Carrey would really want to do this for 4 years.  Is that their plan?

[freddi]

10 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm finding it unbelievable that Carrey would really want to do this for 4 years.  Is that their plan?

No. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 minute ago, freddi said:

No. 

Ok, so do you know what it is?  And, if you do, could you reveal it?

Edited November 8, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Peace 47]

25 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

I thought the Mario sketch was terrible.  And the weather sketch was almost terrible.  But the rest of it was pretty good.  And the political stuff was quite fabulous. Loved Aunt Jemima/Uncle Ben sketch, and the white Ford Bronco was hilarious. And Foo Fighters, of course. 

I felt like the show was really short or had lots of down time/commercials.  Maybe that was because the timing was off with the delayed start, but I was really surprised when they showed up for the goodnights. 

A fine week.  And ready for a few weeks off. Rest up everyone!

I loved the energy right at the start of the Aunt Jemima/ Uncle Ben sketch.  Dave doing a Chappelle-show style intro to it, Alec and Heidi telling someone they are fired, and then Maya saying, “But I’m Aunt Jemima” as the crowd loses it.  Great surprise there, great payoff. The sketch actually glides downward from that high, but still good momentum through to the end.

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I actually liked the weather sketch.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for love?
 

Since I'm not sharing a space with him, not really.  I was confused by it, though.  He seemed tentative with it and I feel like it was a bit I didn't get.  I don't even know if he actually inhaled. 

I was on the weather sketch train, too, until they noted that Kenna’s character’s wife was killed in the storm, and then I was like, aw man, they tanked the sweet and innocent vibe they had going.

Regarding the smoking, I’ve seen Dave smoke during many of his specials, and I assume it’s a crutch for him and something for his nerves, but yeah, for better or worse, network TV is a different animal than other venues and it’s a jarring look this day and age.  It looks like it belongs in the 1980s when you see it on network.

Regarding the stand-up set and some of the comments on his language:  Dave reclaims and uses the n-word all over his act.  As a white person, I really don’t have (nor would I want) any judgment on that, but I’ve listened to most or all of his specials, so it didn’t phase me at all.  I’ve watched a ton of Dave’s standup, and I think he makes extremely incisive observations on race in America.  But I think that he can be significantly off on his observations on gender and especially sexuality (so I was glad he didn’t go there with sexuality on this set).  But regarding the former and his comment about Dr. Birx just sitting there while Trump suggested ingesting disinfectant and that is why women make half of what men do:  it’s a provocative thing to say, I know his fans will eat that up.  But I guess I would say that Fauci made his compromises, too, when he was still carrying water for Trump, and so was that joke as incisive as say, his bitterness about not getting paid for Chappelle Show being on HBO Max?  And Chappelle just complained about the audience being too woke when a dicey un-PC joke didn’t do well, instead of thinking that the problem could be the joke.  But the one thing you can’t accuse the monologue of is being safe, and I respect that when there’s the talent to back that up.

Really enjoyed Update.  They really shot off fireworks in London?  Hilarious.  Liked Jost’s run talking about NY, then the rest of the country, then the world.

My local affiliate cut off the beginning of everything that came after Update, so that was a little annoying.

[sheetmoss]

17 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm finding it unbelievable that Carrey would really want to do this for 4 years.  Is that their plan?

Hopefully not if the Biden admin was anything like  the Obama one - there will be no there there to make fun of or to do satire about

  Refresh my memory, couldn't all of the   Obama skits be counted on one had--or single fingers?

I'll bet there's more of a chance Alec will be back as Trump in absentia for the next 4yrs though

  

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by sheetmoss

[Jody]

3 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

BREAKING: Football (COLLEGE football at that!) is gonna delay the episode. Because OF COURSE, 2020.

 

         They DID Have The Entire Show !

 

[ruby24]

25 minutes ago, sheetmoss said:

Hopefully not if the Biden admin was anything like  the Obama one - there will be no there there to make fun of or to do satire about

  Refresh my memory, couldn't all of the   Obama skits be counted on one had--or single fingers?

I'll bet there's more of a chance Alec will be back as Trump in absentia for the next 4yrs though

  

 

I doubt it because Biden's easier to make fun of and caricature than Obama was, with his gaffes and his aw shucksiness- I mean, even during the Obama years they liked doing Biden more, with Jason (who's still the best). I don't think Carrey should continue with him though, but the LOSER line probably made it all worth it.

[Jody]

1 hour ago, freddi said:

No. 

 

         I don't Understand ! Do You Mean that Jason would come Back ?

[Pete Martell]

27 minutes ago, sheetmoss said:

Hopefully not if the Biden admin was anything like  the Obama one - there will be no there there to make fun of or to do satire about

  Refresh my memory, couldn't all of the   Obama skits be counted on one had--or single fingers?

I'll bet there's more of a chance Alec will be back as Trump in absentia for the next 4yrs though

Fred Armisen made quite a few appearances as Obama, often in long, boring talk-to-camera cold opens. Once Jay Pharoah took over, his appearances were significantly curtailed. 

I do wonder whether Carrey will want to appear very often. It's notable that he hasn't been in any other sketches, the way Maya and tonight even Alec were. And we got the "L-AHOOSER!" tonight that would be a natural end to his time in the role. I guess we'll see. Other than that bit his impression does remind me of current Biden, but just nothing that worthwhile. 

I took Alec's appearance in the brands sketch as telling viewers he will still pop into the show, just not as Trump, ever again.

[Pete Martell]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I actually liked the weather sketch.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for love?

Since I'm not sharing a space with him, not really.  I was confused by it, though.  He seemed tentative with it and I feel like it was a bit I didn't get.  I don't even know if he actually inhaled. 

Overall, the episode was a lot of fun.  I think I liked how punchy everyone was in the Aunt Jemima/Uncle Ben skit. 

And I just knew the Foo Fighters would sing the song they sang as their second song.

I also liked the weather sketch. I thought it was going to be another rehash where the joke would be the characters being named "IP Freeley," or whatever. The slow-building romance, capped off by the ending with Alex and Ego, was a nice change of pace, and well-performed. The news part maybe could have been removed or changed but overall I enjoyed how different this felt to the usual stuff. I also liked the car chase sketch for not feeling typical to the show. 

Dave has had past comedy routines about smoking onstage, and how it's a power move for him. It did seem tentative, but then the whole set did - I guess because he was workshopping new material.

[vb68]

Did anybody clock Chappelle's monologue? It felt like it could have been about 20 minutes, but I wasn't sure.

[Pete Martell]

18 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Did anybody clock Chappelle's monologue? It felt like it could have been about 20 minutes, but I wasn't sure.

I saw someone say 16 minutes.

[grawlix]

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

Did anybody clock Chappelle's monologue? It felt like it could have been about 20 minutes, but I wasn't sure.

The YouTube video of Chappelle's monologue is 16:36 in length.

[Psychobunny]

I was underwhelmed by the political stuff. Not a huge fan of the cold open. I thought that the loser line was an easy cop out. They could have done so much more. I get that Chapelle is controversial but he lost me with the sexism. The smoking was jarring and I did note the length of the monologue which is not necessarily a good thing. WU was still pretty much on fire and I liked both the hailstorm and Ford. Bronco skits. 
My end thoughts:

I am not Chapelle’s target audience 

Still hate Carrey as Biden

They should be using the actual cast more instead of relying on guest stars

The political content was as expected and not at all creative or inspired 

Ego was MVP by a mile

Why was everyone in black at the goodnights? They looked like they were all in mourning.

Foo Fighters we’re awesome.

 

 

 

[Peghiggie]

8 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I thought Fred Armisen was doing a cameo, but no, it was a Cadillac commercial.

Ha, me too.  What an odd choice to be a Cadillac spokesman

[cambridgeguy]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm hoping Kate won't have to play any characters from the Trump administration. ever again She's put in her time. There should be an exhibit like a museum, with mannequins lined up and wearing her costumes for Kellyanne Conway, Jeff Sessions, Giuliani, etc. Oh, her Giuliani.

Unless SNL is off until the end of January she's probably not done yet.  They still have 2+ months to do all sorts of things, and Giuliani's going to be front and center.  Speaking of whom, remember when Rudy was respected and the favorite for the 2008 nomination?  My god, how things have changed.

[ahisma]

Alec going to the piano was perfect! I laughed with a catharsis breaking the grief I’ve felt since Kate went to the piano four years ago. We did it, kids!

That and the white Bronco and Rudy on WU update were what I needed. I didn’t even care that Kate and Colin kept breaking, because Rudy and this administration have been non-stop clownery in real life for four plus years and now we can just laugh at them. They’re going, going, gone.

[nickp1991]

The CNN part with Wolf Blitzer and John King was great! 

[mikem]

When Maya Rudolph said how Kamala Harris was the first Black/female/Indian-American/biracial Vice-President, it looked like she (Maya, not the character) was really moved by the amount of audience cheering.  

The cast did not seem to have their concentration laser-focused on the show at times, with a looseness that felt like part of the moment but threw off the timing in spots.  I think that's part of the reason why there were character breaks and the show fell flat in multiple places.  But that's part of the historical moment, when the election gets announced 12 hours before the show airs.

Is the 16 minute, 39 second length of Chapelle's monologue a new record for length of a single SNL segment?  The opening after the first debate was 13 minutes, 41 seconds.  The Kavanaugh sketch was 13 minutes, 5 seconds.

 

[nickp1991]

congratulate the world for winning 4 years of seeing Maya Rudolph play Kamala Harris on SNL

[VCRTracking]

Che's analogies are the best. 

[blueray]

So I  just watch the cold opening and weekend update. Maybe I'll check out the monologue later. I couldn't stay awake long enough to watch it as it was delayed. 

Anyhow, the cold opening:  My husband and I were joking as we were watch CNN (a lot) that they have to do something on this on SNL. So happy to report they did exactly what we said they should, so good job show. Wolf Blitzer and John King was awesome and funny especially having watched the CNN cover of the election. I loved the stuff with Biden and Kamala, I didn't realize it was Jim Carey until he did the loser part which was good. And of course the great call back to 2016 with the sad Trump playing monco man on the piano. I'm sure Alec is glad to be done with this role. 

weekend update: I agree with others (not sure if it was this site) but I'm sure the one guy was drunk. But good for him :). I also couldn't help but be reminded of Star Wars when they showed all the cities celebrating. It put a smile to my face as did the real coverage :).  

Edited November 8, 2020 by blueray

[madpsych78]

Is it me or was Chappelle not in all of the sketches last night? I don't remember seeing him in Mario, the Beck/Ego sketch, or the hailstorm sketch.

[rejnel]

9 hours ago, possibilities said:

I always give Dave Chappelle mixed reviews. Sometimes he's brilliant, other times he's just a garden variety prick.

Bless you. I've been feeling like I'm the only one who doesn't find him funny. Not funny, no particular talent in any area, just somehow famous. "Garden variety prick" sums it up nicely.

Hopefully, his 15 minutes are almost over.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

That's the only way Chappelle's going to agree to do anything.  I saw him smoke on stage in every Toronto show he's done.  Why would it bother me?  

I don't like it when somebody gets to break health and safety rules just because they're famous. And Lorne, etc., are complicit because they want him on the show.

37 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Is it me or was Chappelle not in all of the sketches last night? I don't remember seeing him in Mario, the Beck/Ego sketch, or the hailstorm sketch.

Why would he be in everything?  I don't think that's typical.  John Mulaney might be an exception because his history's so entwined with the show.

Edited November 8, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[wknt3]

7 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I took Alec's appearance in the brands sketch as telling viewers he will still pop into the show, just not as Trump, ever again.

 

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Unless SNL is off until the end of January she's probably not done yet.  They still have 2+ months to do all sorts of things, and Giuliani's going to be front and center.

 

1 hour ago, ahisma said:

Alec going to the piano was perfect! I laughed with a catharsis breaking the grief I’ve felt since Kate went to the piano four years ago. We did it, kids!

As far as Alec Baldwin as Trump is concerned, I have to agree with @cambridgeguy that it is not done yet, no matter how much he (and we) might wish. I was hoping that we would get an engaged Alec Baldwin performance which we did, even if not all of the writing was quite as sharp as we might hope for. He can still be brilliant as Trump when he is pissed off instead of depressed by POTUS's antics and I was hoping that the glee at the election results and his disgust at Trump's actions wouldn't be overcome by the fact that this just about everyone was predicting what he did for some time now. It also helps when the writers come up with something good and the bit at the piano was a great idea. And as far as Alec Baldwin appearing in a sketch is concerned it usually means he really wants to work with a particular host just like him appearing as the pilot in the Sully sketch with Tom Hanks.

[MrWhyt]

15 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Why would he be in everything?  I don't think that's typical.

I think it happens more often than not, but it's not mandatory to have the host be in every sketch. When Rhonda Rousey hosted there was one sketch where she was a background character and didn't have any lines.

this episode: felt off. Though probably because of the football delay.

[ahisma]

25 minutes ago, rejnel said:

I've been feeling like I'm the only one who doesn't find him funny. Not funny, no particular talent in any area, just somehow famous. "Garden variety prick" sums it up nicely.

I don’t mind his observations about Black/White relations. But he can keep any mention of women and gay people out of his mouth.

[Thumper]

I must be one of few people in America who didn’t “get” the “Loo-oooozer” bit in the open!  I haven’t seen all of Carrey’s movies.

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, rejnel said:

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

I always give Dave Chappelle mixed reviews. Sometimes he's brilliant, other times he's just a garden variety prick.

Bless you. I've been feeling like I'm the only one who doesn't find him funny. Not funny, no particular talent in any area, just somehow famous. "Garden variety prick" sums it up nicely.

Hopefully, his 15 minutes are almost over. 

I mean, I'm not his biggest fan either, but I don't think he falls into the "15 minutes of fame" category. Guy's been around a long time.

I tend to agree that Alec's appearance in the Aunt Jemima sketch was a way of saying "I'm back to just being Alec Baldwin now" and he won't reappear as Trump. But time will tell.