S43.E16: Bill Hader / Arcade Fire

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The show is hosted by Bill Hader, and the musical guest is Arcade Fire.

[VCRTracking]

Dang, Melissa!

[JZL]

Looking forward to this, but iirc, the last time he hosted it was the lowest rated episode for that season and maybe more.  It was a pretty good show, so if ya snooze ya lose.

[Fostersmom]

Poor Melvin

[pythonite]

On 3/14/2018 at 6:33 PM, JZL said:

Looking forward to this, but iirc, the last time he hosted it was the lowest rated episode for that season and maybe more.  It was a pretty good show, so if ya snooze ya lose.

I remember that. I think it was just some weird quirk. It was the 3rd show of a new season after cast shakeups, and the 2 shows that came right before it were pretty lackluster.

[JZL]

11 hours ago, pythonite said:

I remember that. I think it was just some weird quirk. It was the 3rd show of a new season after cast shakeups, and the 2 shows that came right before it were pretty lackluster.

 

Yeah, that sounds right.  I also think we in the SNL-fanboy-community may have over-estimated Hader's general popularity.  I sure can't think of anyone who's familiar with him who dislikes him, though.  He was kind of a spoiled preppy kid growing up but it was Tulsa [shrugs].  He's paid his dues.

[possibilities]

My guess is that shows with hosts that are famous for projects other than SNL drawn regular SNL viewers and also the fanbase of the host. Hosts that are mostly just known for SNL only draw the regular SNL base audience.

[jjj]

You all let me know how the show goes.  I'll be watching the cold open over and over for the next 90 minutes.  With special repeats of the T Rex impression. 

[prican58]

Nice cameos tonight. Would love to see Seth Meyers come and do a news update with Hader's Stefan. 

[formerlyfreedom]

OMG. I just want to hug Pete Davidson, and bake him something.

Which is saying a lot, as my kitchen skills are best described as boiling water and using the garbage disposal.

[ebk57]

Stefon!  In rare form... 

[Poohbear617]

Was that John mulaney with Stefan?

[Robert Lynch]

What is with Pete's fingernails? He looked like he burned them accidentally or something.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Robert Lynch

[ebk57]

2 minutes ago, Poohbear617 said:

Was that John mulaney with Stefan?

It was

They obviously couldn't pay Seth enough to show up...

Edited March 18, 2018 by ebk57

[27bored]

I started clapping when I realized they were going to bring out Stefan. I literally screamed with laughter when Stefon called Michael and Colin Moonlight and La La Land, respectively. If they had made him keep mentioning MTVs Dan Cortese, I might not have been able to breathe. Also great seeing John Mulaney, too. 

Whenever Colin smiles, I can’t help but to smile back.

Edited March 18, 2018 by 27bored

[vb68]

19 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

They obviously couldn't pay Seth enough to show up...

Or Seth, with one baby and another on the way, said Hey I don't stay up that late anymore!

For anyone who doesn't know, John Mulaney always wrote the Stefan bits and always hid the final drafts from Bill until the live shows.

Really enjoyed the show. Bill is just the best. I really do hope he wins an Emmy for this ep. Heck I even liked like The Californians and going straight from the monologue.

Four seasons in, Pete has really found his groove. Where has he been hiding that Adam Sandler impression?

Nice seeing John Goodman return as Tillerson.  

Edited March 18, 2018 by vb68

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Let's watch Kate as Jeff Sessions and John Goodman as Rex Tillerson! And they had to get Fred Armisen and The Mooch somehow. Getting all the cameos out of the way early, I see. I have no tears for the real Rex Tillerson, he decimated the State department.

Monologue: I love Bill Hader. He knew not to overstay his welcome, and hey, first time in a while where the monologue segued into a sketch. I was wondering if someone was gonna cameo when Bill brought it up. I was expecting James Carville.

The Californians: RIP Vanessa Bayer (that cut to her picture "reacting" was genius). I love how Pete shows up to call out everyone's accents. Making the sketch go meta is the equivalent of a celebrity showing up when someone is impersonating them.

Kiss Me I'm Irish: Bill is NOT the game show host?! And here's the requisite chance for Irish impressions (loved Kate's). Everyone but Aidy being related was such a great twist.

Horace: Heidi AND Melissa in the same sketch?! This sketch was amazing, and I'm gonna assume they're doing this sketch in place of Herb Welch. But man was this amazing. Bill was just trolling everyone with his wheelchair and I loved every minute of it. EVERYONE broke and it was amazing.

Jurassic Park Screen Tests: Nice to see Bill's Alan Alda and Al Pacino impressions again. "I'm 90's Ellen!" This Pee-Wee Herman impression. Oh my god. And Leslie Jones as Whoopi Goldberg, Kate as Jodie Foster, Kenan as OJ Simpson, and Pete as Adam Sandler were amazing.

Space Pants: Oh wait, it's just Arcade Fire. Gotta love the keytar, though. There should've been a trigger warning for those strobe lights. I don't have epilepsy, but that wouldn't have helped.

WU: I can't believe I'm saying "Hang on, Jeff Sessions." And Betsy DeVos is a terrible, terrible person, but Kate is so great at this. Seriously, how many members of Trump's cabinet does she play? Plus Robert Mueller? And Rex Tillerson as Sam The Eagle was great. 

"Love Eric age 34" Even when AND I'M ERIC isn't on screen, he's still the best.

And it wouldn't be Update on a Bill Hader show without Stefon! And he did NOT disappoint. "Sexy form of asbestos" is just a delightful turn of phrase. And I'm gonna assume Roman J. Israel Esquire is the new MTV's Dan Cortese. Loved seeing John Mulaney, as brief as it was. (EDIT: It's a Denzel Washington movie)

Spirit Quest Lodge: It's a "Bill Hader talks funny" sketch and I'm here for every minute of it. "FERLS!" There was talk of alien abduction and Kate McKinnon wasn't involved?

Thomas Logan: The Canadian Me Too movement, everyone's too polite and they talk like Edie McClurg. And hey, now we have Canadian accents. "Mooses on the 9." Apparently this was cut from last week?

Loved Dave: The Dave Thomas Story (starring Dave Foley)

Casino Ad: Oh wait, it's Arcade Fire again. There was no intro, so it took me by surprise.

Undercover Office Potty: Update ran late, let's run a Good Neighbor sketch! This was so amazing, I just died when Beck spilled them. "Smells like regular lamps in here!" Gotta love Beck getting fired for using the products be the selling point of the ad.

1 hour ago, jjj said:

You all let me know how the show goes.  I'll be watching the cold open over and over for the next 90 minutes.  With special repeats of the T Rex impression. 

John Goodman needs to host again. Roseanne is back, that's a good enough excuse.

This was a fantastic episode. We return April 7th with Chadwick Boseman! I smell another sketch with Black Panther's Uncle coming.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Galileo908

[Peace 47]

PTV’s hottest thread is the Bill Hader/ Arcade Fire thread.  It’s got everything—posts, likes—Roman J. Israel, Esq.

I may be in love with John Mulaney (who writes Stefon for anyone who didn’t know).  “A CVS that became a Chase Bank that turned back into a CVS.”

That Hader fellow isn’t bad, either.

“Drums.”  Haha.

[ebk57]

Loved this show!  I know The Californians isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but I've always enjoyed it, and tonight was no exception.  Update was great because, let's face it, Stefon is perfect. And I love the John Mulaney played a role on camera.  (Saw him at the Letterman Mark Twain awards and he was fabulous!).  I loved the game show and was actually sorry we didn't see who won :-).  Even like Arcade Fire, although the second number came on a little abruptly.   The only sketch that didn't quite fall for me was the aliens at the lodge.  Didn't hate it, but...eh.

Does anyone know who the person Bill called up on stage during the goodnights was (wearing a cap)?  

[Dee]

Weekend Update was hilarious.

I howled at Rex Tillerson as Sam The Eagle.

[opus]

5 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

The only sketch that didn't quite fall for me was the aliens at the lodge.  Didn't hate it, but...eh.

Pretty much sums up the ep for me.

A 95% successful show.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yay The Californians! I've always loved the Californians.

Loved Horace and him backing up his wheelchair into the women. The Jurassic Park audition impressions were spot on. And made me miss the 90s. 

I wasn't paying attention to the commercials so when Jesus Christ Superstar came up, I thought it was an SNL parody. Especially with Alice Cooper's expression.

"Love Eric, age 34". Bwahahahaha. 

(For a nanosecond that 'Skittles Freeze' from Taco Bell actually sounded kind of appetizing.)

Looooved every bit of the Stefan part.

1 hour ago, 27bored said:

Whenever Colin smiles, I can’t help but to smile back.

Me too!

[Spartan Girl]

SNL hasn't been the same without Bill Hader. From the moment John Goodman came on as Rex Tillerson and Bill as THE MOOCH, this show was on fire. Too bad they didn't have Melissa join in as Spicy, that would have been magic.

The Horace skit was worth it just to watch them break.

And STEFON! 'Nough said.

Too bad we have to wait til April for Chadwick Boseman but I'm still psyched. WAKANDA!

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Thomas Logan: The Canadian Me Too movement, everyone's too polite and they talk like Edie McClurg. And hey, now we have Canadian accents. "Mooses on the 9." Apparently this was cut from last week?

I wish this was cut from all the shows.  What a bad idea.

[Ottis]

I will never understand the love for Stefan. I have tried to watch that character a half dozen times over the years. It isn’t funny. What is funny about saying a Chase bank was a CVS and then a Chase bank? And talking about seizure inducing Malaysian music? It’s just random comments. Is it a NYC thing?

Everyone seemed way out of practice doing The Californians. The accents were all over the place. 

Did love Horace and the crazy wheelchair, and then the breaking. 

I should like Arcade Fire. They have that sort of 80s vibe I like. But I don’t. They seem only half committed or something. 

Now I have to look up these Walmart robot bees. 

Edited March 18, 2018 by Ottis

[Spartan Girl]

Forgot to add what I thought was the line of the night: "If you're Irish, or just white and violent..."

[nowandlater]

8 hours ago, vb68 said:

Or Seth, with one baby and another on the way, said Hey I don't stay up that late anymore!

For anyone who doesn't know, John Mulaney always wrote the Stefan bits and always hid the final drafts from Bill until the live shows.

Really enjoyed the show. Bill is just the best. I really do hope he wins an Emmy for this ep. Heck I even liked like The Californians and going straight from the monologue.

Four seasons in, Pete has really found his groove. Where has he been hiding that Adam Sandler impression?

Nice seeing John Goodman return as Tillerson.  

 

And Seth probably works 12-hour days on his talk show, five days a week (yes, even Fridays). So to spend another day and late-night at SNL would be too much.

[absnow54]

9 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Does anyone know who the person Bill called up on stage during the goodnights was (wearing a cap)?  

I thought it was John Hamm, which makes me wonder if we missed out on a Vincent Price sketch. 

 

Re: Seth. Didn't he pick Stefon up from Update the last time Hader hosted (or am I totally making this up)? Maybe they didn't feel like redoing the gag. 

Edited March 18, 2018 by absnow54

[madpsych78]

10 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Space Pants: Oh wait, it's just Arcade Fire. Gotta love the keytar, though. There should've been a trigger warning for those strobe lights. I don't have epilepsy, but that wouldn't have helped.

I liked the 80s....in the 1980s. Back when this sort of act was novel. It's one thing to reminisce about a past decade (i.e., the Jurassic Park sketch, which was great), but this group is a 2010s group trying to be the 80s. 

Also, I wondered if John Goodman cameo and the mention of 90s Roseanne was because of the upcoming Roseanne revival.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

I will never understand the love for Stefan. I have tried to watch that character a half dozen times over the years. It isn’t funny. What is funny about saying a Chase bank was a CVS and then a Chase bank? And talking about seizure inducing Malaysian music? It’s just random comments. Is it a NYC thing?

*raises hand*  I'm with you on this one.  I never thought Stefon was funny, but I do like Bill Hader in other stuff.  

[Gemma Violet]

Count me in as not liking Stefon, but I love Bill Hader.

I can't stand The Californians.

[TiredMe]

This was a solid episode. I think Bill Hader can get a bit redundant but the show was fun. I enjoy Stefon. 

The MeToo Canadian sketch was the worst IMO, followed but the strange alien one. 

The less said about the musical act, the better. 

[LuvMyShows]

I understand the appeal of Stefon, and a few of the things he says are cute, but he just doesn't appeal to me overall, and neither do most of the characters that they have Hader play.  Aside from the Californians, which I enjoy because the whole premise and all the characters are just inane/insane, the other characters they write for Hader are just too OTT.  They seem stereotypical in a not clever/not subtle way, like an average college comedy troupe.  And I will never understand the appeal of breaking.  Aside from the extremely rare case when a cast member genuinely does something completely different from rehearsal and the true shock/humor causes the others to crack up, the rest of the time it cannot possibly be genuine (in spite of what they say!).  These are trained professionals, they've rehearsed the skit at least once and maybe up to 5 times (SWAG guess), and they could easily control themselves.  But they know that (most of) the audience will get a kick out of it, and it can 'save' a failing sketch.  (And yes, I do believe it was faked on the Carol Burnett Show as well!)

[ahisma]

Stefon is my favorite. I'm so happy that in SNL land he and Seth are still together!

this was a great show, all around.

Cut for time, a sketch that I'm okay with being cut for time.

Random "make fun of Irish" absurdity that had its moments but was not the best sketch of the night.

[AriAu]

Quote

I will never understand the love for Stefan. I have tried to watch that character a half dozen times over the years. It isn’t funny. What is funny about saying a Chase bank was a CVS and then a Chase bank? And talking about seizure inducing Malaysian music? It’s just random comments. Is it a NYC thing?

It's a funny thing-the whole shtick with the accents and tone and absurdity are just funny to me...as long as it is just every so often since I agree it can get to be too much.

On the other hand, I am not a fan of the Californians. It just goes no where and I did not laugh other than the picture of Vanessa stunt.

I loved the Horace sketch-it is classic SNL and Hader's use of the chair clearly made them crack -up. If Melissa's "break" wasn't genuine, I don't know what is. I am amazed that Cecilly didn't break

Best update in awhile-they were very sharp on Trump and everything else

[lovinbob]

3 hours ago, Ottis said:

I will never understand the love for Stefan. I have tried to watch that character a half dozen times over the years. It isn’t funny. What is funny about saying a Chase bank was a CVS and then a Chase bank? And talking about seizure inducing Malaysian music? It’s just random comments. Is it a NYC thing?

Funny you should say that. I was thinking earlier that Stefan is funny for me because it's an original way of doing the Seinfeld observational humor. Having watched Delis become Chase banks and then become florists and then become a bank again ... I laughed. 

I don't love making Bill break just to make him break. That has jumped the shark for me.

Did Kate's Sessions look particularly rodent-like last night? 

[potatoradio]

The line that will stay with me: Hader as Mooch saying "I'm the fidget spinner of the White House." Hilarious and scarily accurate.

Except for WU, I was kinda bored, which was really disappointing and will teach me to get my expectations up. I like Hader - his personality and humor remind me of the goofy/geeky style of Carrey and Ackroyd, and I have a real soft spot for that so I forgive a lot, but I wasn't laughing as hard as I thought I would be. Though I will say, I am not a "shipper" at all, so it was always so weird that I found myself "shipping" Seth and Stefon and had a moment of "oh, they got together and that kind of ruined it." So I sort of hoped for a Colin (who has a similarly reserved personality) and a Stefon flirtation, but of course...there's no upsetting that ship! 

I'm also not a huge fan of breaking as comedy. A little goes a long way. After a while, it just starts to seem like I've stumbled across a bunch of friends giggling at an inside joke and not a show. 

The californians can never happen again, thanks.

An open, honest Pete Davidson is a treasure. It's hard to be both empathetic and funny and he's really found his stride.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

45 minutes ago, AriAu said:

I loved the Horace sketch-it is classic SNL and Hader's use of the chair clearly made them crack -up. If Melissa's "break" wasn't genuine, I don't know what is. I am amazed that Cecilly didn't break

That's weird, I saw Cecily breaking a lot towards the end but I completely missed seeing Melissa break at all.

Heidi was really conventionally attractive in that sketch.  I didn't realize she looks like that to the point where I was distracted by it!

To the person upset that Arcade Fire seemed 80s - music, television, movies, and fashion will continue to consume things from 20 years-40 ago until we all die.  I grew up in the 90s, which was all about the 60s, and it was weird to me then.  There's nothing new about reconsuming the 80s, IMO I see it everywhere.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, ahisma said:

Stefon is my favorite. I'm so happy that in SNL land he and Seth are still together!

this was a great show, all around.

Cut for time, a sketch that I'm okay with being cut for time.

Random "make fun of Irish" absurdity that had its moments but was not the best sketch of the night.

I can see why it was cut, but the Guinness joke made me chuckle.

[theredhead77]

I love The Californians and this weeks episode was pure gold. I do wonder if the people who really love The Californians are Californians or people who have spent quite a bit of time there. If you don't know the freeways and streets the whole premise doesn't make sense. I have the Waze vs Google discussion all the time (I hate Waze, GFL!)

[teebax]

I hate The Californians so much, but I love Stefan. I didn't like the musical guest, but I can't remember the last musical guest I did like. 

Overall it was a solid episode for me, but I liked last week much more. 

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, potatoradio said:

An open, honest Pete Davidson is a treasure. It's hard to be both empathetic and funny and he's really found his stride.  

Seriously, I am loving him nowadays. His bit, and Leslie's Whoopi Goldberg impression, were the highlights of the show for me.

I was surprised by how little I enjoyed this episode. I hated the Irish game show, the wheelchair demolition, and I thought the monologue was ridiculously phoned in and disingenuous and just not funny. And I was looking forward to it, because I remember liking Hader a lot and being sad when he left the show. But eh. I find the Californians and the Aliens At The Tourist Attraction boring. I just wasn't really feeling the writing on much of anything all night.

Edited March 18, 2018 by possibilities

[Peace 47]

20 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I do wonder if the people who really love The Californians are Californians or people who have spent quite a bit of time there. If you don't know the freeways and streets the whole premise doesn't make sense.

I’ve spent almost no time in SoCal, but years of pop culture consumption have instilled in me that the LA set’s lack of access to reliable mass transit and exposure to huge traffic headaches have made them mildly obsessed with finding the quickest routes.  Maybe because I get stressed when traffic adds just 10 min to my route to work, I relate hard.  That said, I had thought that the concept had been totally played. 

Last night’s really worked for me the best of any since the first ones, though.  Yes, there were the traffic route jokes, but also some good concepts:  not a housekeeper but “an estate manager from Marina Del Rey”; the sparkling Sonoma Rose; “ath-leisure wear”; Waze vs. Google Maps (which I feel is a debate that takes place at all corners of the country); and Pete calling them out on their pretentious SoCal “accents.”

I love some things that Arcade Fire does.  “Ready to Start” is probably one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time, any genre.  (I’m for sure getting old because I feel like I’m getting to the point of saying all the best music stopped after 2012).  Maybe “Deep Blue” is in my Top 10, too.  Some of their songs are so repetitive and grating to me, though, that I just leap for the “skip” button if they come up.  That second one last night would fall into that category.  And that weird background screen flashing money was not edgy or cool.  For all his problems, I still think Kanye makes the best use of light screens on SNL performances.

Arcade Fire is obviously super-game to participate in sketches, though, and seem to be favorites of the show.  Remember the SNL sketch from a few years back:  “New Cast Member or Arcade Fire?”  I think Kyle was in that one.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, potatoradio said:

The line that will stay with me: Hader as Mooch saying "I'm the fidget spinner of the White House." Hilarious and scarily accurate. 

I loved that line, too. 

 

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

That's weird, I saw Cecily breaking a lot towards the end but I completely missed seeing Melissa break at all.

 

Cecily was near breaking at the very start. I think Melissa came close after Bill pushed her with his scooter.

I loved the show. The only skit I didn't like was the Spirt Quest Lodge one. Not funny at all, even with Bill's accent.

The CO was good. I think Fred Armisen as Michael Wolff is great. Answering an important question by shrugging and saying, "Sure," cracks me up.

I've always liked the Californians. I'm from California, and am back living here, so it's pretty funny hearing them talk all the time about the best way to drive from one place to another. I'm also very amused by the accents.

I liked the Irish dating show sketch. I was fascinated by the accents. Is it a thing (true or a joke) that Irish people date their cousins? Or was that made up for the show?

Horace. Man, that was funny. I lost it when he was slowly going backwards and kept pushing Melissa in her chair. 

LOVED all the impressions in the Jurassic Park screen tests. Hader's Alan Alda is the best wow. I was also very impressed by Leslie's Whoopi Goldberg. Has she done it before? Mikey Day does a great Pee Wee Herman. Just so much fun, all of them.

It was wonderful seeing Stefon again. I'm a fan. I can't explain why I find the whole bit funny. I guess it's the completely nonsensical things. I also enjoy Hader losing it. Makes him seem like such a nice person and fun to be around.

I hadn't heard about Snuggie being accused of deceptive Buy-1-Get-1-Free ads. Does that mean you DON'T get a promised second one? Or is it that while the second one is free, the S&H is greatly inflated? If so, there are a lot more products in infomercials that do the same thing.

I thought the Canadian Me Too bit was amusing. 

I loved the Undercover Office Potty sketch. It was funny at first, but it just got better and better. Fantastic.

I'm not an Arcade Fire fan. As they played their first song, I googled to find out what their most popular songs were, to remind myself of what they've done. I listened to a top-10 list, but I hadn't heard a single one before. I've certainly heard of Arcade Fire, but I'm surprised I don't know any of their songs. I FF'd thru the second song.

Edited March 18, 2018 by peeayebee

[Ceindreadh]

8 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

 

 

I liked the Irish dating show sketch. I was fascinated by the accents. Is it a thing (true or a joke) that Irish people date their cousins? Or was that made up for the show?

 

 

I don't think 'Irish people dating their cousins' is a thing as such.  I mean, it's not illegal and there's no particular taboo against it.  I think the Catholic Church requires you to get a dispensation if you want to marry a first cousin but that's about it.  I think though it would have been more common among non-Catholic Irish people as their dating pool was considerably more limited.

I was wondering if the joke in that sketch was supposed to be against the Irish people for not having a problem with dating their cousins or against the American contestant for having a problem with it. 

[opus]

23 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

Arcade Fire is obviously super-game to participate in sketches, though, and seem to be favorites of the show.  Remember the SNL sketch from a few years back:  “New Cast Member or Arcade Fire?”  I think Kyle was in that one.

My fave Arcade Fire moment has to be when they (with Mick Jagger) serenaded Kristen Wiig  at the end of her last show.

[SomeTameGazelle]

40 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Cecily was near breaking at the very start. I think Melissa came close after Bill pushed her with his scooter.

When Horace backed up his scooter he pushed Melissa's chair and I think the table some distance. It sounded like Melissa said something but I couldn't make out what it was and whether it was a line or an ad-libbed comment in reaction to being pushed. And then it seemed like Heidi and Melissa had to scramble to get into position in order for the last bit to be shot correctly.

Quote

I thought the Canadian Me Too bit was amusing. 

It's the kind of parody that's funny only if you know nothing about the subject -- or if the joke is the ignorance of the parody-maker. The Drake "Black Jeopardy" sketch in the 10pm repeat slot was funnier to me because it directly played on both ignorance and knowledge at the same time. (I did laugh a little at the part in this sketch where the HR person also quit though.)

[helenamonster]

I liked the concept of the monologue transitioning right into the first sketch, but why oh why did it have to be the goddamn motherfucking Californians? Genuine question, if I was from SoCal or familiar with it at all would I find this sketch funny? I just. Don't. Get it.

Bill in the wheelchair had me rolling. Cecily is such a good sport. And on a shallow note, Heidi is really really really attractive.

During Arcade Fire's first song I thought to myself "this is just noise" and in that moment I turned into my father.

7 hours ago, Ottis said:

I will never understand the love for Stefan. I have tried to watch that character a half dozen times over the years. It isn’t funny. What is funny about saying a Chase bank was a CVS and then a Chase bank? And talking about seizure inducing Malaysian music? It’s just random comments. Is it a NYC thing?

I'm realizing now that Stefon might be to other people what The Californians is to me. There is something very inside-baseball NYC-specific that makes him work. The Chase Bank into a CVS and back into a Chase Bank joke seemed like a way to make the common New Yorker complaint that there's a Citi Bank and a Duane Reade at every intersection more accessible to non-tristaters. For his random comments about the different clubs...John Mulaney said he based the Stefon character on a couple people, including a barista that he knew that used to talk about all these weird-ass clubs he'd go to on weekends. New York nightlife is constantly trying to outdo itself, so it's not uncommon to have a friend who will say something like, "Have you heard about that new club out in Greenpoint? They only play '80s new wave music and you need to shotgun a Natty Lite before they let you in." Also the locations he gives for the clubs are a riff on on NYC is constantly making up new neighborhoods for no reason whatsoever.

1 hour ago, Ceindreadh said:

I don't think 'Irish people dating their cousins' is a thing as such.  I mean, it's not illegal and there's no particular taboo against it.  I think the Catholic Church requires you to get a dispensation if you want to marry a first cousin but that's about it.  I think though it would have been more common among non-Catholic Irish people as their dating pool was considerably more limited.

I was wondering if the joke in that sketch was supposed to be against the Irish people for not having a problem with dating their cousins or against the American contestant for having a problem with it. 

I thought the joke was that Irish Catholics breed like rabbits so you shouldn't be too picky about dating someone with your DNA, because you're probably somehow related to everybody in town anyway.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I love The Californians and this weeks episode was pure gold. I do wonder if the people who really love The Californians are Californians or people who have spent quite a bit of time there. If you don't know the freeways and streets the whole premise doesn't make sense. I have the Waze vs Google discussion all the time (I hate Waze, GFL!)

 

Yeah, I wonder if I just like The Californians because I'm a Californian. I guess it's more funny when you know the highways, streets, cities, etc. Lol @ ""Sonoma rich California sparkling rosé"" and taking the exit to the aquarium in Fresno. There's a reason they call it Fresno and not Fresyes! I guess if there was a "The Minnesotans" sketch, it might not be as entertaining to me.

ETA: Waze all the way! :P (My friends and I like to call it "Wah-zay", I would have loved it if Fred Armisen pronounced it that way too).

Edited March 18, 2018 by MVFrostsMyPie

[Peace 47]

38 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

ETA: Waze all the way! :P

Hard pass.  My feelings are best summed up from the “Lazy Sunday” lyrics:

Quote

Well, let’s hit up Yahoo! Maps to find the dopest route
I prefer MapQuest; that’s a good one, too
Google Maps is the best; true that; double true!