S47.E13: John Mulaney / LCD Soundsystem

[formerlyfreedom]

John Mulaney hosts Saturday Night Live on February 26, 2022 with musical guest LCD Soundsystem.

[formerlyfreedom]

 

[vb68]

It's probably not the weekend for excessive celebrations, but if they decide to do a 5 Timers sketch (and Mulaney does indeed deserve one), I hope they also acknowledge Paul Rudd and give him his due as well.

Edited February 26, 2022 by vb68

[formerlyfreedom]

We are starting right in the feels tonight. Bravo.

[ebk57]

Wow.  That opening was beautiful and I think I'm going to cry. 

[LADreamr]

Just now, ebk57 said:

Wow.  That opening was beautiful and I think I'm going to cry. 

Definitely crying.  Very classy decision.

[theredhead77]

That's the second time SNL has made me cry. Wow.

[formerlyfreedom]

2 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Wow.  That opening was beautiful and I think I'm going to cry. 

 

1 minute ago, LADreamr said:

Definitely crying.  Very classy decision.

Wait not just me? It’s dusty where you are too? 💚

[Dr.OO7]

1 minute ago, LADreamr said:

Definitely crying.  Very classy decision.

Absolutely. It continues to amaze me how a comedy show consistently hits the right notes when it comes to commemorating a tragedy.

[Fostersmom]

4 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Wow.  That opening was beautiful and I think I'm going to cry. 

I was crying like 2 seconds in. 

Reportedly, no Pete tonight. I read he's filming another movie. 

[LADreamr]

6 minutes ago, saoirse said:

 

Wait not just me? It’s dusty where you are too? 💚

I don't know WHERE all these cut up onions came from!

[JeanJean]

5 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

I was crying like 2 seconds in. 

Reportedly, no Pete tonight. I read he's filming another movie. 

Me, too! And then I  started again when JM was talking about Arvin wanting to keep him safe from street drugs. I was really touched. And then when he talked about the baby - there's something about hearing about a baby in the midst of what's going on...

Edited February 27, 2022 by JeanJean

[vb68]

That cold open definitely made the tears come. It's been a very hard few days.

I thought the monologue was terrific. I salute his honesty, too.

[meatball77]

How does SNL do so much better at understated tributes than literally anyone else.  That was beautiful, they didn't make it about themselves or preach.  Just used the power of music to say something.

 

[theredhead77]

31 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

That's the second time SNL has made me cry. Wow.

Third. Yay 5 timers club for Paul (and John)!

[ebk57]

The Five Timers!  With Candace!!

[formerlyfreedom]

Wooooo Five-Timers!!!!!

12 hours ago, vb68 said:

It's probably not the weekend for excessive celebrations, but if they decide to do a 5 Timers sketch (and Mulaney does indeed deserve one), I hope they also acknowledge Paul Rudd and give him his due as well.

You made it happen!

[anna0852]

Conan!!!!

Conan on NBC!

[JeanJean]

3 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

The Five Timers!  With Candace!!

I never really like it with they get too self-congratulatory but I love Candice Bergen (she was hilarious in the hilarious days of the show) and Eliot Gould.

[Dr.OO7]

Just now, anna0852 said:

Conan!!!!

Conan on NBC!

Jaw dropping

[ebk57]

That was quite the star-studded stage there.  And it was pretty hilarious.

[theredhead77]

I wonder if that was supposed to be the cold open. 

[LADreamr]

Poor Conan, tripping over his words.  He recovered great, though.  To quote Ray Romano, "It's like your mouth is falling down the stairs."

Edited February 27, 2022 by LADreamr

[formerlyfreedom]

I know we’re just hitting the halfway point of the show, but right now, I have found it to be pretty darn good.

[ebk57]

I honestly had no idea Elliot Gould hosted the show 5 times - actually 6 times, the last being in 1980.  My memories of 1980 are a little hazy...

[vb68]

Yeah, who had Conan O'Brien showing up on their bingo card tonight?

Excellent callback to the first 5 Timers Sketch.

The word is "sketch", Conan. 😄

And as I have said before, I love how Candice always shows up for these so consistently.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

The monologue was very good, but I didn't expect anything else.

How incredibly classy of SNL to give Paul Rudd his moment.  I'm so happy about that.

[Lantern7]

Conan. On SNL. I think most butthurt should only last for so long. Conan? Wouldn’t blame him if he still had trouble sitting down after how NBC worked him over.

And yeah, I remember he was in the first Five-Timers Club sketch.

40 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

Reportedly, no Pete tonight. I read he's filming another movie. 

Well. That should make the time after WU really interesting.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Lantern7

[JeanJean]

I wish they had brought the Ukrainian chorus back for the musical-guest spots.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Has Conan not hosted 5 times?

 

[LADreamr]

Was that the shortest WU ever?  I thought John would have some kind of character.

ETA: OK, I see. EVERYONE was getting ready for Broadway on the Subway.

Edited February 27, 2022 by LADreamr

[formerlyfreedom]

7 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Has Conan not hosted 5 times?

 

He wrote for the show but I don’t know if he ever hosted - and I’m 99.999% sure he never did 5 hosting gigs.

[Lantern7]

Just now, saoirse said:

He wrote for the show but I don’t know if he ever hosted - and I’m 99.999% sure he never did 5 hosting gigs.

One time.

Teaser has a newsstand, but no Pete. Should be interesting.

[vb68]

10 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Has Conan not hosted 5 times?

He was the waiter in the first sketch.

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, saoirse said:

He wrote for the show but I don’t know if he ever hosted - and I’m 99.999% sure he never did 5 hosting gigs.

He definitely hosted one time in the 90s that I know of offhand.  Immediately I can think of him doing an old timey boxer sketch.  Very Conan like humour.

Never mind, it was 2001:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694792/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

Summaries

Sketches include: A Message From the President of the United States, Conan O'Brien Monologue (with Max and Becky Weinberg cameos), Subshack, Cumberland Farms (with Ben Affleck cameo), Moleculo: The Molecular Man, Napster Hearings, Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey, Taint-less Ted, TV Funhouse: "Find the Black People at the Knicks Game", VH-1 Diva-thon, Democratic National Committee, Sports Century. Don Henley performs "Everything Is Different Now" and "The Heart of the Matter".

Edited February 27, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[ebk57]

2 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

 

Teaser has a newsstand, but no Pete. Should be interesting.

It's tonight's musical!

[JeanJean]

Maybe it's just me, but I always find the musicals they do when JM hosts really lame, mostly because the lyrics seem underworked. But it is so nice to see Cecily!

 

Serious question: Do people who don't live in NYC enjoy the NYC-specific material (like the musical sketch)?

Edited February 27, 2022 by JeanJean
put a "y" where it doesn't belong

[ebk57]

That number was all over the place, and so NYC focused.  I'm sure 90% of the country that never goes to theatre, or visits NY even got it.  I, however, loved it.

[vb68]

I thought the show absolutely rocked. Mulaney is a great host. Sure, it fell off some after Update, but the Cold Open and Monologue all the way to the 5 Timers Club (with Conan!!) made for a great show.

I do think I needed some release after a couple of days of horrific news coverage. 

Love the bumper with Baby Malcolm!

Edited February 27, 2022 by vb68

[Ms Blue Jay]

Look at how cute Paul Rudd is talking to the Ukrainian Choir.  I meaaaaaaaaaaan.  😍😍😍😍😍😍.  I met him in 2009 and I bet he is still as humble now as he was then.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Oh man, something dignified. I shed tears.

All the plants around the set were replaced by sunflowers this week. Just wanted to know if anyone else caught that.

Monologue: Yeah, follow THAT, John Mulaney! And follow it he did. It's nice to see him so candid about his drug problems and the rehab, but yeah...he really went through some things. I still don't like how he just dumped his wife for Olivia Munn and all that. At least he looks healthy now.

Monkey Judge: Now HERE'S the dumb premise sketch that Mulaney was made for. He (and Kenan) just made this work. I need to hear Kenan say "Monkey Judge" like twenty more times.

Blue River: I love how needlessly dramatic this was. This is how you work in product placement. IF YOU EVER WANT YOUR DOG TO WALK AGAIN, you buy this dog food.

Masks: Again, I love how needlessly dramatic everyone was being. I mean, Heidi Thanos snapped herself!

Please Don't Destroy: This was great. A new covid variant that makes you awesome, And gives you long hair. And makes Pokemon real. These guys finally figured out how to get their sketches on the air: add Paul Rudd and Al Roker.

Five Timers Club: Paul Rudd finally gets his proper Five Timers sketch. And it was great. Steve Martin and Tina Fey showing up were a given, but wasn't expecting Candice Bergen or Elliot Gould to show up. And OH MY GOD CONAN! They screwed up his entrance AND he broke. This whole thing was nuts, but I was expecting the sketch to build to them starting the Ten Timers Club since the Five Timers got too big, but I'll take Paul Rudd having to give up his jacket instead. I have the feeling that this was supposed to be the original opening.

WU: Of course they did all the Russia jokes here, and it was welcome. I always love a good Yo Mama joke, especially since it was what they ended on. I was surprised at how short this was. No guests! I bet because between the cold open, the Five Timers Sketch, and the inevitable Broadway sketch, they need all the time they could get.

Subway Churro: HERE'S the broadway sketch! Eating a filthy subway churro triggers Mole People and Orthodox Jews to stage a Fiddler number. That B&H Photo joke was very NY specific. Hell, this sketch nailed everything about the NYC subway. The mysterious singing puddle was probably my favorite detail. This was probably the best one since the original diner lobster sketch. This sketch had everyone in it. Most of them were the dancers in the Fiddler bit.

"Are you allowed to do South Pacific anymore?" and "I'm a grown, drunk man and I want a churro for the choo choo ride home" are gonna stick with me. How long have they been sitting on Kyle in a Dear Evan Hansen sketch? Him singing Dreamgirls was great.

You Can't Do That on Television: Finally, a sketch for ME! I didn't know anyone besides me remembered Nick Cannon was on All That. That was also not a good Marc Summers, but it's also the first time I've ever seen a Marc Summers impression. Yeah, some bits on YCDTOTV haven't aged well (which is why they showed the slime bit and not the one with the kids at the firing squad). I laughed so hard at the slime being shot in Mulaney and Sarah's faces. The Pete from Pete & Pete has to be Big Pete. No one really cares about him.

I was surprised that Kenan wasn't in this sketch, being Mr. Nickelodeon and all that. I think Nick Cannon was supposed to be him.

Robinson Family Reunion: YES! A sequel to the Cha Cha Slide sketch! I had no idea this song was called Cupid Shuffle and this version was silly.

All in all, great episode. Oscar Isaac hosts next week, with Charli XCX getting a second chance.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Galileo908

[formerlyfreedom]

Paul Rudd going over to the Ukrainian singers during the goodnights…the onions and the dust all over again, goddammit!

[Galileo908]

53 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I wonder if that was supposed to be the cold open. 

Conan still going through with "Live From New York" was the giveaway to me. There really wasn't any kind of ending besides that.

[JeanJean]

My takeaway:

Ukrainian chorus: Beautiful and heartbreaking

Mono: Funny and touching (but I couldn't help thinking of his wife)

Monkey sketch: Funny

Weekend U: Funny as always

In between first and last sketches - Eh. Not awful but not great. But Kate looks gorgeous with long hair.

Musical guests: First song ick, but second song fun  (even though fun is a little jarring right now because of the world). Second song very Talking Headsy to me.

Last sketch: Very fun, especially the random movement direction.

Next week: They never aired the hilarious "Scenes from a Marriage" sketch, which I think was on you tube, so I hope they do another one next week. 

Edited February 27, 2022 by JeanJean
adding something and "week" isn't spelled "wekk"

[Galileo908]

38 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Moleculo: The Molecular Man

THE MOLECULAR MAAAAAAN!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Just now, Galileo908 said:

THE MOLECULAR MAAAAAAN!

Memories!!!!!!!!! 😄😄😄😄

[SHD]

I love John Mulaney and he’s probably my favorite host. I was smiling throughout and I always adore the musical sketches.

[LADreamr]

17 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I was expecting the sketch to build to them starting the Ten Timers Club since the Five Timers got too big

That's a great idea, actually.

17 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

This sketch had everyone in it.

And yet, no Stefon.  And this really seemed like his kind of crowd.  It would have been fun to see him randomly show up in this sketch, if only just to hear the audience lose their minds.

16 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Paul Rudd going over to the Ukrainian singers during the goodnights…the onions and the dust all over again, goddammit!

It was lovely that he made a beeline for them, and not surprising at all.  They seemed touched by whatever he said to them.

Edited February 27, 2022 by LADreamr

[vb68]

2 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

And yet, no Stefon.  And this really seemed like his kind of crowd.

He did get indirectly referenced, though.

[Trini]

46 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

Serious question: Do people who don't live in NYC enjoy the NYC-specific material (like the musical sketch)?

16 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Subway Churro: HERE'S the broadway sketch! Eating a filthy subway churro triggers Mole People and Orthodox Jews to stage a Fiddler number. That B&H Photo joke was very NY specific. ...

Yeah, I cracked up at the B&H line, but then I wondered how many people outside NYC would get that.

Was not expecting a tribute to Ukraine, but it was done beautifully.