LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[Victor the Crab]

First time for me to see the revamped opening and...it was weird to say the least. The panoramic shots of New York made sense after Stephen opened with a bit of a monologue and announced his guest lineup. But using it as a cold opening felt kind of disjoined. And not having his "one more thing" was disappointing because it was a carryover from TCR.

 

I like Bailey's and I like Lucky Charms. But combining the two of them? No thanks! That's going over the top.

[zxy556575]

I am not alone in this, but I enjoy Tom Hanks a ton. So bright, articulate, and prepared. I loved the acting class bit.

 

Tom should totally do that Bob Hope/Tonight Show thing where he wanders onto talk shows just because he was driving by.

[ABay]

The Bailey's and Lucky Charms reminded me of the best milkshake I ever had: Bailey's, chocolate gelato, and a like whole milk. 

[Milburn Stone]

It's hard to know if I would have this perception if I didn't know about the new show runner sent in to rescue the show, but last night I did seem to pick up on a certain lack of confidence/cockiness coming from Colbert compared to before. Not in the opening behind-the-desk bit about Reince Priebus, which was stellar, but in the monologue and in the first segment of the interview with Tom Hanks (which was as much as I watched).

 

Kind of like, "I thought I was going to take the world by storm with this show, but maybe that's not happening." I hope he regains his mojo, because I still think he's the best. Again, hard to distinguish between how much is really there, and what we think we perceive because of what we know.

 

Agree that it seemed like no one screened Jon Batiste's Prince anecdote before he said it on air. That was...ill-considered. (I do think Batiste and his band are fantastic musicians, though.)

Edited April 22, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[SomeTameGazelle]

And not having his "one more thing" was disappointing because it was a carryover from TCR.

I don't think so. At least, not as part of his opening to identify his last joke before the title theme.

[mtlchick]

I haven't watched the show in a while so the Tom Hanks ep was the first I've seen since the changes.  Yay to no more chanting.  But meh on nixing the cold open before the credits.  I actually enjoyed his random musings on one topic...it wasn't as detailed and storylike like Craig Ferguson, but it was in the same vein.

 

That, I have to look into this "Irish Continental Breakfast." 

 

Tom Hanks.  Even his movies that suck are better than most actors that put their "best" work.  He makes any talk show better.  

[Gemma Violet]

 

Tom should totally do that Bob Hope/Tonight Show thing where he wanders onto talk shows just because he was driving by.

 

No, I hated when Bob Hope did that.  You have some actor sitting there on the couch, maybe his first time on the Tonight Show, excited to be there, family watching from home... and then Bob Hope walks on, and said actor has to slide down the couch, because Big Star Bob Hope was passing by or in the building, and, on a whim, decided to walk onstage in the middle of the show and have a seat next to Johnny.  To me, that showed a lack of respect  for his fellow artists.

 

As a long-time fan of The Colbert Report, for the first three months of the new show, I watched every bit of it (except the musical performances).  Then, I stopped watching the interviews because of the frequent interruptions by Stephen.  Then I stopped watching the monologues because they weren't making me laugh.  Now, I just watch the first comedy segment at the desk.  Sometimes it's brilliant like the old show, and sometimes it's not.  I'll watch an interview now and then if it's someone I like (Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Kevin Spacey etc.).  Otherwise, he's almost lost me as a viewer. 

 

Speaking of Kevin Spacey, Stephen couldn't let him shine in the trumpet bit.  Stephen had earlier shown how he could imitate a trumpet with his voice.  That was a cute bit.  Later, in the Spacey interview, he (Spacey) showed his own imitation of a trumpet.  Instead of letting him do a solo, Stephen had to jump in and start doing his own trumpet.  Heaven forbid, he would let the guest have a moment.  Jimmy Fallon does the same thing.  A host's top priority should be to make the guest look good.  Instead, the top priority seems to be to get in their own joke or bit to the detriment of the guest.

 

I'm hoping the new show runner will turn things around and draw me back in.  Here's what I'd like to see changed:

 

1) If you must keep the music director, stop all interaction with him.  He's not a comedian.

2) Have the band do some music that people recognize.  (I haven't listened to them lately, so maybe this has been rectified.)

3) Have Stephen quit interrupting.  (On the few interviews I've seen lately, he seems to do it less, so that's good.)

4) Have musical guests on that I know.  I've never heard of 90 percent of the musical guests.  How about some current pop singers, or even current country singers (and I don't even like country).

5) Get rid of the Big Hat segment, the Confessions segment, and the News on the Big Wheel segment, among others.  I love the Hungry for Power Games, but there won't be many more of those.  I like Friday Night Fights, so keep that.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Gemma Violet

[CaliCheeseSucks]

1) If you must keep the music director, stop all interaction with him.  He's not a comedian.

2) Have the band do some music that people recognize.  (I haven't listened to them lately, so maybe this has been rectified.)

3) Have Stephen quit interrupting.  (On the few interviews I've seen lately, he seems to do it less, so that's good.)

4) Have musical guests on that I know.  I've never heard of 90 percent of the musical guests.  How about some current pop singers, or even current country singers (and I don't even like country).

5) Get rid of the Big Hat segment, the Confessions segment, and the News on the Big Wheel segment, among others.  I love the Hungry for Power Games, but there won't be many more of those.  I like Friday Night Fights, so keep that.

Agree wholeheartedly on #s 1 and 3. I actually don't mind the music and unknown musical guests - I don't want Colbert being like Fallon and regurgitating whatever's simply popular. It's a very small part of the show and isn't going to make or break the ratings.

 

As far as segments to kill: Big Hat, Friday Night Fights, and the Donald Trump cartoon for sure. Keep Confessions but never, ever farm it out to Twitter again, as they did on Friday night's show. Hungry for Power Games will of course have to evolve when the final three candidates are gone, since it primarily exists as a tool for saying farewell to the ones who have dropped out. Road to the White House is usually reliably good but isn't nightly.

[roseha]

I think the quality of the band and the variety of the musical guests is one of the strong points of the show.  I also hope they keep the new cold opens, as a way to grab the audience and put Stephen's performing/improv skills to good use right off the bat.  If they keep doing that I can live with the opening film intro being shortened, great as it is.

I think Midnight Confessions and Friday Night Fights are both entertaining, and Wheel of News, which I think they've only done maybe three times, has been a good way to work in humor about various subjects as they might have done on the old show.  I've enjoyed it.  I hope they keep the "surprise guest" element going also.

I suppose in terms of things to reduce, I would suggest at least sometimes a fewer number of guests, so they have more time for taped pieces down the road.  I think they may be moving in that direction already.  I would hope that would include all kinds of guests though as they've brought on at times before - including authors, astronomers, etc.  The Brian Greene and Space Archeologist (sorry I forget her name) segments have been two of the most memorable so far.

Edited April 24, 2016 by roseha

[Miss Dee]

It's apparent that for every single bit one group complains he ought to kill, another group is going to insist he ought to keep, all threatening to quit the show if they don't get their way. So my advice to Stephen is: do what makes you happy. Do what you feel passionate about. Do what you think are quality bits. Do it your way. You can't please everybody, so please yourself as much as you can (acknowledging that you have to bow to the corporate overlords now and again to keep the show at all). Your best chance at getting people to stick around is if we see you having the time of your life and want to ride along.

That's not to say there's no worth to listening to advice and keeping an open mind on other people's opinions - of course there is - but you don't want to be such a slave to ratings and trying to make the "perfect" show that you end up with something rote and soulless. So figure out what kind of show you want to do and ride or die on it. At least you'll be able to look back and be proud of your work.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Miss Dee

[Clanstarling]

I never cared much for Stephen's musical guests - even back in the Colbert Report days. I don't mind - if I don't like them, I fast forward through. And on occasion, I've been introduced to musicians I really liked but had never heard of.

I dislike a few of the bits and groan when they come on, but others make me howl with laughter. We're a pretty broad audience, few of us are going to like every single thing he does.

For me the bottom line is, Stephen makes me smile more often than not.

[zxy556575]

Welp. When I watch my recordings, I 4X fast-forward to the start of the monologue (ideally after the applause has died down). So basically I didn't realize there were cold opens!

[Muffyn]

The bits are a mixed bag for me.  I love the confessions, but, then again, I was raised Catholic.  I FF through animated Donald Trump.  It's always going to be that way.  What one person likes another dislikes.  I'm sure they're still doing research to see what people prefer.  Sometimes each of loses to the will of the people (or the people who come into these panels). 

Like @clanstarling, Stephen makes me smile more often than not. 

[Jaded]

I hated that Stephen's interview with David Tennant shorter so they could do that stupid and dull "fake sponsors" bit.

[nowandlater]

Holy shit!

Colbert started off with 3 members of The Good Wife cast:

 

Then he interviewed Hank Azaria:

 

Then he did a segment with Isaac Mizrahi:

 

Then he interviewed Nike founder Phil Knight.

 

 

Woah, woah, woah: Just because you could cram all these guests into a single one-hour show doesn't mean it's a good idea. Geez.

[Milburn Stone]

To my mind, the single best thing he does every night is the post-monologue behind-the-desk bit. (And then sometimes the prepared bit he'll do later in the show, if I've DVR'ed the show and can zap to it.) I felt the same way about Carson, to tell the truth. The indispensable, "appointment television" parts of Carson every night were the monologue and the following behind-the-desk bit (Carnac or what-have-you). The interviews? Not so much.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[formerlyfreedom]

A reminder that this is the topic for discussion of current episodes. Posts discussing the differences in late night hosting techniques were moved to the Small Talk topic. If your post isn't primarily about an episode, this is not the spot to post it. Thanks!

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, saoirse said:

A reminder that this is the topic for discussion of current episodes. Posts discussing the differences in late night hosting techniques were moved to the Small Talk topic. If your post isn't primarily about an episode, this is not the spot to post it. Thanks!

Could we have a compare/contrast topic to other Talk Shows perhaps?  Something like "LSSC vs. Other Talk Shows"? It's been my impression, perhaps incorrectly, that nothing relating to the show should be in Small Talk--and while the comparison between hosts isn't about specific things that happened in any episode, it does kind of seem like it's about the show in a more general comparative way. If Small Talk IS the place though, I'll go there.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Kromm

[Jaded]

3 hours ago, Kromm said:

Could we have a compare/contrast topic to other Talk Shows perhaps?  Something like "LSSC vs. Other Talk Shows"? 

Members can start topics too. I'll start one with the name you quoted if you don't want to.

[formerlyfreedom]

6 hours ago, Kromm said:

Could we have a compare/contrast topic to other Talk Shows perhaps?  Something like "LSSC vs. Other Talk Shows"? It's been my impression, perhaps incorrectly, that nothing relating to the show should be in Small Talk--and while the comparison between hosts isn't about specific things that happened in any episode, it does kind of seem like it's about the show in a more general comparative way. If Small Talk IS the place though, I'll go there.

 

3 hours ago, Jaded said:

Members can start topics too. I'll start one with the name you quoted if you don't want to.

Yes, this is fine, with the caveat that if the topic is just a handful of posts after a few months, it may be rolled into another topic.

[Gemma Violet]

Well, I watched an interview segment tonight.  Hadn't seen an interview in a while due to Stephen's annoying interruptions...was just sticking to the opening comedy bits.  The guest was Bill O'Reilly.  I can't stand O'Reilly but I wanted to see if there would be any friction between the two.  Within a couple of minutes, Stephen had me again exasperated that he wouldn't let his guest finish a thought.  And his guest was someone I don't like!  And so I'm back to skipping the interviews. 

[futurechemist]

Recently I've fallen into a groove where I'd watch The Nightly Show until the first commercial break or when Larry threw to a correspondent, whichever came first.  Then I'd switch over to Colbert, usually in time to catch the end of the monologue or the middle of the credits.  Larry WIlmore's satire is much sharper than Colbert's now, and I never really found Colbert's pre-credits bits that funny.

Until I saw people mention it on here, I assumed Colbert deleted the openings entirely.  Once the novelty of the camerawork wore off, the credits were redundant.  Did we really need to hear Colbert say "on tonight's show, we have X, Y, and a performance by Z" immediately followed by a perky announcer saying the exact same thing?

But if the new cold opens are funny, I might have to rethink things.  As it is, neither show is funny enough to me to warrant DVR or watching at work the next day.

[Hanahope]

Hunger Games!!  Hunger Games!!  Probably the last time, but we thought that when Rubio dropped out.  Maybe we'll get one more if Sanders drops out after California gives its delegates to Hillary.

[Victor the Crab]

3 hours ago, Hanahope said:

Hunger Games!!  Hunger Games!!  Probably the last time, but we thought that when Rubio dropped out.  Maybe we'll get one more if Sanders drops out after California gives its delegates to Hillary.

Don't hold your breath. Sanders seems determined to take it all the way to Philadelphia this summer.

[Hanahope]

Ok, I could only watch the beginning of the interview with the 50 shades girl.  Wow, so dense.  

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

Ok, I could only watch the beginning of the interview with the 50 shades girl.  Wow, so dense.  

Go watch old interviews with her Mom. You'll see where she gets it from.

To remind you, her Mom is Melanie Griffith (and her Dad Don Johnson, who's a little swifter, but I think Mom's genetics won out). Oh, and not that it matters to this, but Grandma is Tippi Hedren--you know, the one from The Birds, who Alfred Hitchcock had a thing for. Not sure if Tippi had the ditz gene too (my memory is not), but Melanie and Dakota sure share it. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by Kromm

[Hanahope]

Oh, that makes perfect sense Kromm, of course the apple didn't fall far from the tree.  I like the new H50 series for its eye candy (both actors and scenery), but man I cringe every time Danno's mother shows up.

[Fisher King]

Dakota Johnson's acting is terrible as well.

Always enjoy Rob Reiner. I can't believe he grabbed Mary Tyler Moore's ass on the set of Dick Van Dyke Show when he was 14. I think it's so cool his dad & Mel Brooks hang out every day. They are probably what keeps each other alive.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Fisher King

[Kromm]

2 hours ago, Fisher King said:

Dakota Johnson's acting is terrible as well.

Lets be honest. Despite technically being a one-time Academy Award nominee, her mother's acting is pretty bad too. I know people love "Working Girl", but it certainly was amazing that she got nominated for that.

[Fisher King]

All true about Melanie. Never seemed Oscar-worthy at all. I did enjoy her in "Something Wild" w/Jeff Daniels. Maybe that's because I accidentally wound up on a set where they were filming part of the movie.

[LADreamr]

I like Rob Reiner, but I didn't find that Mary Tyler Moore story charming, at all.  I'm glad it finally got through that that is not OK for men to do that to women.  Keep your effing hands to yourselves!

Edited May 6, 2016 by LADreamr

[nowandlater]

10 hours ago, LADreamr said:

I like Rob Reiner, but I didn't find that Mary Tyler Moore story charming, at all.  I'm glad it finally got through that that is not OK for men to do that to women.  Keep your effing hands to yourselves!

I listen to Marc Maron's WTF podcast and the Howard Stern show.

Last Thursday, on Maron's podcast, he said that story, line for line.

Then Tuesday, he repeated that story on Howard Stern, line for line.

I'm so glad to stop hearing that story.

[Delwyn]

The last thing I ever expected to see on this show was a parody of TDS Colbert's banana/buckingham palace gossip piece, actually performed by a man dressed as a banana. Kudos to the show for embracing that meta moment. 

[kib]

I've been more than a little lukewarm about the program but credit given when credit due. Last night's 'Writer's Segment' was mostly brilliant. I put the emphasis on 'writer's' because, while the copy was as good as anything that has been aired to date, Colbert just can't let off the throttle when the material is working.  The Stephen re-creating Trump's duck face/shoveling was great in the singular, it lost me the third or fourth time he did it.

The other odd thing I can't quite figure out is for someone with an inprov background and as previously mention a tendency to push it one step too far, why was Cobert so reluctant to volley it back and forth a little more with Brian Stack as the miner?  Stack was clearly in a mood to embellish the bit and is more than capable to spark things up but Colbert was having none of it.

BTW - Dan Savage sure got shut down when it looked like he was about to go off on the GOP.  I suspect the new EP was behind that. (Good company man)

Guess I should be happy I got of a couple of solid LOL's out of the show. It's been awhile.

Edited May 10, 2016 by kib

[zxy556575]

Now I had to look it up -- Jon Batiste is 29.

Stephen did look younger with the Saran Wrap! Creepy, but no wrinkles.

This also got a snort out of me: "The breakthrough in second skin comes from Dr. Buffalo Bill at the University of Silent Lambs."

Edited May 11, 2016 by lordonia

[Grommet]

I mostly just watch the monologue and the desk segment, but I tried to watch the Russell Crowe/Ryan Gosling interview. Uncomfortable! I had to hit the delete button after a minute.

[ABay]

I thought it was funny and it was nice to see Crowe so relaxed. 

[Jaded]

I thought the Russell Crowe/Ryan Gosling interview was fun. I admit to laughing when Ryan got up and kept saying "Bye" as he walked around and then off the stage to reappear not much later. 
 
One thing that's driving me nuts that I don't think has been mentioned is these computer generated backgrounds they put behind comics that appear on the show. Not long ago it was computerized red curtains and tonight it was NY City I think.

[kib]

19 hours ago, Jaded said:

One thing that's driving me nuts that I don't think has been mentioned is these computer generated backgrounds they put behind comics that appear on the show. Not long ago it was computerized red curtains and tonight it was NY City I think.

But it's cool and edgy...  yea, not much of a fan of it myself. I suspect it's some manner of a "Jumbotron" device in the background but to my eyes it looks like they're performing in front a ChromaKey green screen like your local weather forecaster.  Heck, why not just shut down the Ed and do the entire show on a green screen stage in Long Island?  Think of all the cash saved not having designers craft scrims and stagehands fly the curtains and such like every other house on Broadway.

Edited May 14, 2016 by kib

[galaxygirl76]

I'm a little behind but Matt Bomer is just ridiculously pretty.

[zxy556575]

Stephen's picture book See Ralph Run was funny but made me very nervous. It has happened before!

This bothered me when it was on Black-ish, but that wordless gesture of recognition is not a nod. It's a chin jut. Otherwise, I thought Anthony Edwards and Stephen played off each other well during the interview.

Edited May 19, 2016 by lordonia

[teddysmom]

On 5/11/2016 at 4:14 AM, lordonia said:

Stephen did look younger with the Saran Wrap! Creepy, but no wrinkles.

This also got a snort out of me: "The breakthrough in second skin comes from Dr. Buffalo Bill at the University of Silent Lambs."

I died when he wrapped the Saran Wrap around his face. Reminded me of stuff he'd do on Report. 

How are we feeling about the changes since Chris Licht took over exec producing?  I don't know about the cold open, majority of them have not been funny, IMO.  Maybe Chris suggested that he get back to commenting on politics, current events, etc.   I'd love to see him do more stuff like the little kids talking about the candidates. OMG remember Better Know a District?  God those were hilarious.  He's great when he's just out talking to people and riffing on stuff. 

 I know he doesn't want to do a rip off of Colbert Report, but he could do that stuff without playing the conservative doofus. 

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

I liked the show before the changes and I like it now. Things that bothered others - dancing, chanting Stephen's name, John Batiste - never fazed me. But I will say this: I am sick unto death of all Trump * almost * all the time, even as I understand Stephen is performing a true public service eviscerating that hateful clown night after night after night. (I have never hated a candidate more). Also, as a Hillary supporter, I was not pleased to see the roomful of little ones give Bernie's photo the rock star treatment while Hillary's pic earned confused faces and dead silence, lol. It's going to be a long, hot summer.

[BookThief]

They showed a clip on Facebook (and probably everywhere) of Weird Al on accordian vs. Jon Batiste on melodica. I liked Jon in that because they are showcasing what he is good at! No one asked, but here are my 70something-year-old mom's thoughts on the show: the new skits he's doing aren't working and he's terrible at interviewing. My mom says there is no real rapport and that it's obvious people are only on to promote something. I know what she means. Obviously that's the reason they're on but on but she says Letterman had a way of connecting with the people that Colbert isn't doing (didn't watch Letterman so I can't agree/disagree). She thought the Josh Gad interview was going well and then it was just over. And she thinks Jason Sudeikis was high.

[kib]

On 5/21/2016 at 10:35 AM, BookThief said:

They showed a clip on Facebook (and probably everywhere) of Weird Al on accordian vs. Jon Batiste on melodica. I liked Jon in that because they are showcasing what he is good at! No one asked, but here are my 70something-year-old mom's thoughts on the show: the new skits he's doing aren't working and he's terrible at interviewing. My mom says there is no real rapport and that it's obvious people are only on to promote something. I know what she means. Obviously that's the reason they're on but on but she says Letterman had a way of connecting with the people that Colbert isn't doing (didn't watch Letterman so I can't agree/disagree). She thought the Josh Gad interview was going well and then it was just over. And she thinks Jason Sudeikis was high.

I think your Mom could be a very successful television producer.

[Grommet]

I totally agree with Book Thief's  mom. I would watch Dave interview just about anybody (except vapid supermodels) but I only watch Stephen interview people I find interesting, because he brings so little as an interviewer. He seems too scripted so maybe it's a question of becoming more comfortable with it.

I loved the See Ralph Run bit, though it also made me feel a bit nauseous. The political bits are his best work, I think.

[kib]

3 hours ago, Grommet said:

I totally agree with Book Thief's  mom. I would watch Dave interview just about anybody (except vapid supermodels) but I only watch Stephen interview people I find interesting, because he brings so little as an interviewer. He seems too scripted so maybe it's a question of becoming more comfortable with it.

I loved the See Ralph Run bit, though it also made me feel a bit nauseous. The political bits are his best work, I think.

I guess there are a number of ways you could look at that.  If he believes the interviews matter, he either needs to figure out a way to get more comfortable or figure out a way to do the show without them as currently presented. Conversely, if they aren't important to him, don't do them at all and run the risk of losing (or at least upending) the entire show or just be Leno and skate by hoping you get a Hugh Grant moment every decade or so...

[teddysmom]

Quote

 Also, as a Hillary supporter, I was not pleased to see the roomful of little ones give Bernie's photo the rock star treatment while Hillary's pic earned confused faces and dead silence, lol. It's going to be a long, hot summer.

I hear ya.   The show also could have edited it to appear that way for laughs.  

I don't think Stephen connects with his guests unless they are people he knows or is interested in, I never really cared that much for his interviews on Report either.   TBS Joe Biden interview was amazing.   I'm sure it's just the pains of figuring out what works and what doesn't, and I don't mind the Trump stuff so much as he is doing a public service to remind everyone how insane Trump is.  I'm praying they're not going to do that cartoon Trump anymore.  And I do wish they could figure out how to do "The Word" again.  Seth Myers has switched it up and does more of a news type segment instead of a monologue and they're pretty funny.   I guess I'll just have to get my political humor from Sam Bee, which is fine with me. She is killing it. 

I follow one of his writers on Twitter, he was a college roommate of a friend of mine.  He is insanely funny, but sometimes I wonder if inside the writers room stuff seems funny and maybe it plays with the audience in the theater better than on tv.  I went to a taping of Fallon when he was here for Super Bowl week and the energy and excitement of being there finds you laughing at stuff you might not normally laugh at. 

[Muffyn]

I agree Stephen's interviews can be hit or miss.  He still does his best with politicos.  He hasn't yet gotten down how to make an interview with yet another actor shilling yet another TV show/movie/whatever.  On TCR, the interviews often ran over and were available on line.  When Stephen did his first Late Shows he kept running over and they had to edit the show down to fit the hour.  I wonder if he is still having some problems with time management since some of the interviews fell like they have been edited in a choppy way. 

On any talk show there are interviews I watch, interviews I leave on in the background and ones that I skip.  Part of the problem is I watch too many night time shows - The Daily Show, The Nightly Show, The Late Show - and the same people make the rounds.  For example, I like Anthony Anderson (had a major crush on him for years!) but he was on all three shows in five days.  He is actually a good interview because he has more to say than just watch my show.  However, I would rather not see him every night. 

I still find Stephen very enjoyable.  I feel like Jon Batiste is better blended into the show now.  He interjects sometimes without being too much.   He's not a natural side man, but I enjoy his energy.  They seem to be developing more of a rapport.  I fast forward through cartoon Trump.   However, I love midnight confessions (brings out the former catholic in me).  Also Stephen doing the bachelors on the bachelorette was made of win.  He absolutely had the patter and actions down.     

[kib]

10 hours ago, teddysmom said:

I went to a taping of Fallon when he was here for Super Bowl week and the energy and excitement of being there finds you laughing at stuff you might not normally laugh at. 

Oh that was just the Nitrous oxide they were pumping in the ventilation system....