S44.E14: John Mulaney / Thomas Rhett

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Host: John Mulaney; Musical Guest: Thomas Rhett

Airing Saturday, March 2, 2019.

[VCRTracking]

[Dejana]

Wondering if the Cohen testimony will finally make the writers recalibrate their depiction as of Donald Jr. as the smart son. Maybe playing it contrary to reality is supposed to be humorous in some way? I can never get into sketches with the Trump Sons for that reason.

Thomas Rhett, the country purists won't be pleased. 

Maybe the show won't want to bring out the Lady Gaga impression three episodes in a row, but I think you kind of have to this week.

Edited February 27, 2019 by Dejana

[cpcathy]

Mikey's Don Jr. being "smart" doesn't bother me, he doesn't really even come off as all that smart to me. "I'm Eric" is the point of the sketches, and they are freaking hilarious. I do quibble with Kelly Anne or Sarah Sanders as portrayed as sympathetic, even forced to do something against their will. I don't believe that for a minute.

[Pete Martell]

That John Mulaney promo is...well it's just adorable (and isn't he wearing Dan Aykroyd's audition outfit for the '75 part...which somehow works on him)? I also love that they sort of recreated the stages of those eras (and the one that was pre-stages). Given the state of the writing this season I am probably not going to watch live and will just tune back if I hear there was some good stuff, but I hope it goes as well for him as the episode last season did. 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Pete Martell

[helenamonster]

The tea is that Barbra Streisand doing the Jaws theme is a legit great joke.

[Pete Martell]

[Princess Sparkle]

"We don't need whatever it is you are"; I'm dying. I'm excited already; John Mulaney is comedy gold.

[lovinbob]

I'd love it if one of the regular cast would play Michael Cohen. Ben Stiller is just not that great.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Having recently watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I wonder if they will include any bits about that movie since John Mulaney was the voice of Spider-Ham.

[vb68]

-N/A-

Edited March 6, 2019 by vb68

[formerlyfreedom]

Just a reminder that discussion is to relate to the show contents, as per the pinned mod note in the main SNL forum. Discussion should NOT be about what has been happening in the news, what the show should or should have covered, or personal politics; posts will be removed if they violate this guideline, and sanctions may be incurred. Please stick to discussing the show, and thanks!

[freddi]

Excellent monologue— and my favorite part was the saxophone player behind Mulaney’s left shoulder, who seemed delighted throughout.  

[MarquisDeCarabas]

They topped the diner lobster sketch. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by MarquisDeCarabas

[ebk57]

Just now, MarquisDeCarabas said:

They topped the lobster dinner sketch. 

I was just saying they almost topped Diner Lobster, but not quite.  Still, I'm thoroughly enjoying the show tonight. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yeah, Mulaney can do no wrong. Can't wait till his next stand up!

Yay Bill Hader! 

For some reason seeing that Ridiculousness was on the TV during the Chad sketch cracked me up way too much.

Thomas Rhett was a welcome relief from all the typical mumbling rap musical guests.

OMG YES, a musical-themed bodega bathroom sketch. I didn't know I needed this until I watched it. It can't beat Diner Lobster, but it came close. The middle Oompa Loompa looked like Andy Samberg, but it was probably Kyle Mooney, right? 

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: You're watching C-Span? Yeah, I keep forgetting Ben Stiller is Michael Cohen. Yeah, once again, the news is just too weird to satirize. And Bill Hader is here! and that means Stefon is coming in Update. Hader just brought an energy these sketches have sorely been lacking.

Monologue: And now for John Mulaney to host, like he does every week! Of course, his monologue didn't disappoint. The siren bit, and the subway bit had me dying. I'd be just fine if this monologue lasted the remaining hour and fifteen minutes. 

What's That Name?: Wow, it's been a while since we've seen this one. But this was the best one by far. "I roll with a crew of problematic bachelors. We call ourselves 'The Squad.'" the best.

Toilet Death Ejector: This was so weird and dark, but oh my god I loved it. They just made old people deaths SO FUNNY. It's old people (and dummies) being launched off of a toilet and hitting beds. Repeatedly. But it got better every time!

Shark Tank: Legal Edition: Celino & Barnes, Robert Kraft, Jussie Smollett on Shark Tank with celeb lawyers. Oh my god it's amazing. Michael Avenetti, Jeannie Pirro, Allan Dershowitz, and Rudy Giuliani are the sharks? Genius. I loved every second of this.

The Unknown Caller: Chad in Scream! This is everything!

"What's your biggest fear?"
"Dickfallsoff."

Cousin's Wedding: Oh thank god this sketch was just about the Cha Cha Slide, and Mulaney knowing people. Mulaney trying to dance to it was amazing. I loved it.

WU: Again, the news is just too dang weird. I seriously thought clip of Trump groping the flag I've been seeing was from the LAST time he did that, not earlier today. The Meat ladies were so weird. I liked this Update, but why have Bill Hader if they weren't gonna do Stefon?!

Bodega Bathroom: In place of Stefon on Update, we have a sequel to the Diner Lobster/Les Mis sketch, but now it's a Bodga Bathroom sketch with Cats. And Willie Wonka. and Little Shop of Horrors. Then back to Willie Wonka. And then Rent. This just kept going, but it never let up! Damn, I liked this one.

Cinema Classics: Kate trying to whistle. Yes. John and Kate were great in this.

Well, that was great, if a little cut short. That cold open and monologue HAD to take forever, didn't they?! I feel like most of the cast decided to take the week off, the heavy lifting was mostly Mulaney and the guests. I liked what we got, but maybe get a new person in charge of timing next week? I needed more Mulaney and Hader in my life, not less.

Idris Elba hosts next week!

Edited March 3, 2019 by Galileo908

[biakbiak]

How do you have Heder and Mulaney and no Stefan sketch!!!

[MVFrostsMyPie]

This was like the first episode in a long time that I didn't want to end and could have watched more of. 

[Lantern7]

That was fun. I find Mulaney funny on XM stations, and he did not disappoint tonight.

The "What's My Name?" sketch isn't new, is it? Let me guess . . . John's concept from when he was a writer?

It's hard to measure Le Mis Diner and Bodega against each other. If John comes back, I don't need another bizarre musical sketch started by Pete going against social norms (ordering a lobster in a diner, asking to use a bodega restroom), and starring Kenan in an elaborate animal costume. My fear is that would lose its funniness over time.

5 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

How do you have Heder and Mulaney and no Stefan sketch!!!

If Bill hosts, we get Stefan. Bill just popped up to help, so Stefan stayed on the shelf.

I'm guessing Kate and Aidy hawking meat made from problem animals was the closest shout-out we'd get to Spider-Ham.

21 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

For some reason seeing that Ridiculousness was on the TV during the Chad sketch cracked me up way too much.

I post on a Facebook group based on The Challenge, and a lot of people there get irritated Ridiculousness gets run all the time. My defense is that you don't feel grimy watching it, unlike most of MTV's other original programming. That said . . . yeah, Chad would like that. Why he'd go Pooh Bear while watching? That's another story.

[BigPaul25]

Mulaney is incredible. Windering why they didn’t use fake meat during WU aa Kate and Aidy were so trying to hold it together in the midst of the meat stench. Hader + Mulaney should have = Stephon! The musical number described every bodega I’ve been to.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I thought that it was weird that we didn't see the thank-yous at the end -- it just went to commercial.  Maybe that was just my feed.

I loved that end of Michael Cohen's opening statement was mostly the lyrics from Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn'.

Mulaney didn't disappoint -- funny monologue, funny taped bit (that toilet death ejector commercial was awesome), funny sketches -- well done all around.

Thomas Rhett was really good too.

Edited March 3, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[opus]

Add me to the list of expecting Mulaney to write a new Stefon.

Everything else was fine. (My favorite update joke was the one that bombed, about the guy in prison).

[Dr.OO7]

Wow.

That was. . . funny.

Not all of it, but most of it.

What was with Kate and Aidy's corpsing?

[possibilities]

4 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I thought that it was weird that we didn't see the thank-yous at the end -- it just went to commercial.  Maybe that was just my feed.

That was what I got, too. I think it's because they went over time, and the affiliates cut them off?

Great show. WRITING is what makes it work.

[Peace 47]

I’ve been having a rough couple of months, and that show tonight was exactly what I needed to cheer me up a bit.  I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

First Diner Lobster, now Bodega Bathroom.  The perfect concept to become a miniseries.  I wonder if the next one will be something subway-related to continue with the NYC iconography.

Speaking of recurring stuff, I love how they keep finding new uses for “Chad”.  Every sketch has a new direction.  

I loved “Beyoncé 1” and “Beyoncé 2” during cha cha slide.  John’s monologue was great, too.  “Killing a waiter in the state of New York is a class A felony.  I’ll get you some bread.”  Haha.

[vb68]

Did anybody get the goodbyes?  Good grief, it's 1 am. Who cares if they go over by a minute or so.

Easily the best show of the season. I loved it so much. In fact, the cold open through What's that Name? and the toilet commercial was the strongest the show has been consistently in the first half hour in forever.  It was all completely solid.

Man, when the show is firing on all cylinders, it's just fantastic!

I think they did surpass the lobster sketch. It was completely epic. I lost it when John  started singing "Who can sell ya condoms" to the tune of The Candy Man and never recovered.

I knew Update would be rushed though when it didn't even start until 12:25. They fooled me, too. I fully expected to see Stefon. I guess they thought they had already used Bill enough.  BTW I could tell that was Bill in the Cold Open keeping his head down trying not to be noticed.

Even the music was better than I was expecting, and I'm not particularly a country fan at all.

John, it's gonna be a rule that you have to come back every year. It was that good, and the writing was sharper than it's been for some time.

Edited March 3, 2019 by vb68

[Peace 47]

They showed the goodbyes in my area.  Nothing remarkable about them for anyone who didn’t get them.

[formerlyfreedom]

Saw the goodbyes here - they were pretty basic. John thanked the musical guest, Ben Stiller, and Bill Hader (all were on stage) as well as the cast and crew.

Really enjoyed the show tonight. Definitely a step up overall. The music was fine, not really my cup of tea, but it seldom is, so often the musical acts are my bathroom breaks.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Very good episode.

Edit: I got the goodbyes here in Canada, nothing to write home about.  But John DID say it's the best place on Earth or something like that.  VERY quick goodbye message.

34 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Idris Elba hosts next week!

I swear, SNL always tweets "Who do you want to host next?" and SNL has taken about 5 of my suggestions so far.  It's crazy.  I feel like Aladdin.  I'm so fucking excited.

Suggestions I made that SNL immediately or eventually took:  Dave Chappelle, Larry David, Jason Momoa, Idris Elba.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Pete Martell]

It figures that one of the few SNLs I watched (sort of) live in ages and ages, and wanted to see the goodnights to, didn't have any goodnights. It would be nice if they were posted online but I guess they don't do that?

Oh good - they did.

I thought that John Mulaney hosting so soon after his first time might be a mistake, especially with some of the writing issues, but he so clearly just did his own thing, with wonderful support from the cast. I'm not sure if repeating the lobster diner sketch from last year was the best idea, but I respect that it was so obviously for them and not really an attempt to cash in on something that got praise last season. 

This is also pretty cool:

Gym Jordan is odious beyond measure, but he did one good thing in his life - bringing Bill Hader back to SNL. Bill was a hoot and sadly not even really playing the material over the top. 

He was also wonderful in the game show sketch. I'm talking classic (76-80 to 86-91 or so) wonderful. 

I wonder if Bill Hader just didn't want to do Stefon again - the character had his time, and any future appearances are going to be diminishing returns. 

I laughed way more at the death toilet seat ejector than I should have. It was that gonzo SNL humor.

Kate and Aidy on WU was one of the first times in a while I've enjoyed one of Kate's pieces. It was just good goofy fun, even if it ran a little too long. And I had to laugh when Aidy asked Colin if he was a "big meat boy." My finding Colin attractive is probably the only reason I can tolerate some of his WU stint, so...I did appreciate that line. 

So anyway, I'm glad that I was wrong to think Mulaney couldn't do it again, and I thank him for reminding me why I love this show. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I got the goodbyes in my feed (CA). 

I'm going to watch the show again tomorrow. What a fresh breath of air!

John seemed to be keeping up with the Cha Cha Slide dance moves better than Ego. Loved "Beyonce 1" and "Beyonce 2".

Found myself grooving to the second song by Thomas Rhett. Someone said he's country? Cause if so, don't tell anyone I accidentally grooved to a country song. It didn't mention a pick-up truck, beer, 'Merica or a chick in cowboy boots, and no twang, so he passed my test.

Seriously John, do a national tour and come to SF. Thanks.

[MrWhyt]

I Love Bill Hader. Solid episode, consistently funny which is something that hasn't happened for a long time.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Also, I kind of love that John had his wife on his shirt in the goodbyes. LOL.

[ottoDbusdriver]

14 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

It figures that one of the few SNLs I watched (sort of) live in ages and ages, and wanted to see the goodnights to, didn't have any goodnights. It would be nice if they were posted online but I guess they don't do that?

Oh good - they did.

Thanks for that link @Pete Martell

[MarquisDeCarabas]

51 minutes ago, Camille said:

Wow.

That was. . . funny.

Not all of it, but most of it.

What was with Kate and Aidy's corpsing?

Not sure about Aidy but Kate’s a vegan, so I’m sure that was part of her reaction

[Jody]

        I Think That They Did Not Have Stefon Because Stefon Had Already Married Anderson Cooper Until Seth Stopped That Wedding And Then Stefon Announced That He Was Pregnant ! ! I Think There Was Nothing Else For Stefon To Do ! They Could Have Had John Mulaney Come And Have The Baby And He Could Hand The Baby To Stefon And Colin Would be Adoring That Baby ! Maybe Michael Che Could Say That IS A Cute Baby ! Jody

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Anyone else think about John's stand-up bit about being teased by 13-year-olds about his feminine hips, during the cha cha slide sketch?

"HAHAHAHA look at that high-waisted man, he got feminine hips!"
"Nooo, that's the thing I'm sensitive about!"

[futurechemist]

1 hour ago, Camille said:

What was with Kate and Aidy's corpsing?

They and Colin mentioned the smell. It looked like real meat. I'm guessing raw meat on a stage for hours wouldn't be pleasant.

Was a "1255" sketch cut? On the West coast after the 2nd song, it went to commercial, then showed a bumper as if the show was back. Then abruptly went to more commercials. Then the goodbyes, but the credits were cut off.  Wouldn't want a SNL rerun to start late because of an episode of SNL I guess.

If the wonderful bodega medley meant we lost a 1255 sketch, I think that was a good trade.

I'm also amused by the 10pm rerun disclaiming it originially aired at a later hour so be cautious. When on the West coast it came right after the live show.

[freddi]

This picture is Mulaney as Simon Sawyer (Stephen Sondheim), in this week’s “Documentary Now: Co-op”.  It was great.

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

This is also pretty cool:

[biakbiak]

52 minutes ago, freddi said:

This picture is Mulaney as Simon Sawyer (Stephen Sondheim), in this week’s “Documentary Now: Co-op”.  It was great.

No that’s a picture of John as Patti Smith from her album Horses.

Edited March 3, 2019 by biakbiak

[VCRTracking]

Favorite moment was the way Bill Hader said "Chaos." when John asked his game show host character what his purpose was!

I was surprised how much John looked like Humphrey Bogart. He doesn't do as good a vocal impression as JK Simmons did in the Casablanca sketch but he made up with it in his greadually getting annoyed with Kate's Bacall whereas Simmons played it straight.

Like most sequel sketches, the Bodego musical wasn't as good as the now classic "Lobster Les Miz." but the song parodies were good.

[Pete Martell]

I forgot to say that I really liked the wedding reception sketch - I always like the more sedate, character-based sketches that aren't as focused on getting laughs. It reminded me of many they would have done in the '70s. The whole idea of the white guy who fits in so well with a group of black people could have been cringey but instead seemed somewhat sweet. It had a delicate touch. I'm glad they didn't go for the easy, crass laughs. 

Anyway, John mentioned the sketches that were previously rejected (the toilet seat ad and What's My Name? - well, that one wasn't rejected, they just brought it back out of mothballs). It must be so strange when you get to come back and finally get to do your old rejected sketches. It must be a real sense of power...

Edited March 3, 2019 by Pete Martell

[Pete Martell]

[Ottis]

You know, SNL, if you switched the women’s names for men’s names in the “What’s That Name” skit, it works just as well and it happens the same way. I know I am an equal opportunity name forgetter. Yeah  I saw you included s woman in the game... and hardly asked her anything. You’re becoming the TV version of Yahoo “news.”

I’ve actually thought about what happens if you die on the toilet. 

Hey, you finally addressed the Jussie situation. Barely, and with kid gloves, but you acknowledged it. 

Until the Chad skit, I never realized how much John Mulaney looks like Agent Smith. 

Thank you. Thank you. Finally, a skit about a white man who has no issues getting along with people who are not white. It ain’t that hard. 

Wasn’t that musical guest in The Hangover? Or that Philadelphia show? 

What was up with the huge ovation for the meat sisters? Have those two characters been on WU before? That was just two cast members, right? Usually new characters are met with tepid applause. Funny they used real meat. And Colin is a meatboy, heh. 

Showing Jussie as part of that last WU joke was exactly what a lot of people were thinking at the time... and the audience groaned like it was somehow wrong. Jeez. 

So those little stores in cities are all called bodegas? With bodega candles? And they are run by nerdy white males? Something seems off there. I did enjoy the pop cultureness of the skit.

Were there fewer skits in this episode? It felt like it. Some very weird and short cuts at the end. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Ottis

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I forgot to say that I really liked the wedding reception sketch - I always like the more sedate, character-based sketches that aren't as focused on getting laughs. It reminded me of many they would have done in the '70s. The whole idea of the white guy who fits in so well with a group of black people could have been cringey but instead seemed somewhat sweet. It had a delicate touch. I'm glad they didn't go for the easy, crass laughs. 

I really liked it too. 

[freddi]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

No that’s a picture of John as Patti Smith from her album Horses.

Oh, how stupid of me!  Thank you!  

[Melina22]

That was the most uniformly funny and enjoyable episode that I can remember. I laughed out loud multiple times, giggled a lot, and even liked the musical guest, which never happens. John Mulvaney can come back as often as he wants. 

[hendersonrocks]

The show was really, really good because of John Mulaney (and my forever fave, Bill Hader), but also because of the absence of Alec Baldwin’s Trump. It just sucks the air out of the proverbial studio.

[Princess Sparkle]

9 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Also, I kind of love that John had his wife on his shirt in the goodbyes. LOL.

She also made one for Pete too, he was wearing one as well. The Pete/John friendship delights me. 

Best episode of the season, by far, for me. You can tell how strong of a hand John Mulaney had in writing it. “What’s That Name” is definitely the sequel of the sketch he wrote previously for Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake, where they had to name people close to them and Justin couldn’t name his *NSYNC bandmate. 

The Bodega Bathroom sketch killed me though. That was perfection.