S44.E14: John Mulaney / Thomas Rhett

[helenamonster]

I have never seen anybody so consistently at the top of their game as John Mulaney is. Every single joke he just knocks out of the park.

I really appreciated the Chad sketch for its attention to detail. The way it was shot/the lighting etc. were so pitch perfect to the ambiance of the Scream films that it felt like Wes Craven had come back from the dead to direct this bit himself.

I too was expecting a Stefon sketch with John and Bill both back in-studio. Ah well.

I said I didn't want a sequel to Lobster Diner, and I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. Bodega Bathroom was a revelation. I loved Alex as the guy who doesn't work there and just watches soccer on TV in the back.

Hot take: fire Colin, Michael, and whoever the other head writer dude is and bring John back to run this thing full time. It's no coincidence that the writing was miles ahead of what it's been all season when he shows up. I love Idris Elba but I'm not looking forward to the severe dip in quality we're guaranteed to return to next episode.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

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

They did it at least once before with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga in 2011. The kicker in that one was that Justin could not name his fellow *NSYNC bandmate Chris Kirkpatrick.

11 hours ago, Camille said:

What was with Kate and Aidy's corpsing?

It appears they used real meat for the bit and it stank something fierce.

[SomeTameGazelle]

11 hours ago, vb68 said:

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!

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.

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

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.  

1 hour ago, Princess Sparkle said:

Best episode of the season, by far, for me. You can tell how strong of a hand John Mulaney had in writing it.

I agree, it was the best episode in a long time. Lorne should have John Mulaney on retainer to consult on everything -- writing, producing, Pete-wrangling. I don't know if it's all down to Mulaney, but the sketches seemed to have more ingredients in them, twisted and blended in a satisfying way.

[rmontro]

This has to be one of the best episodes I can remember.  I'm looking at the list of sketches, and all of them (along with Mulaney's monologue) were good!  How often does that happen?  

Special mention to the bodega sketch, loved the music.  Probably the weakest for me was the cold open, but I'm not usually big on the political stuff.

Thomas Rhett was good, although it always seems odd to me to see a country artist on the show, seems a little out of place somehow.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

John seemed to be keeping up with the Cha Cha Slide dance moves better than Ego.

Right? I was impressed. John can get down with his bad self.

[Kimmmmmm]

13 hours ago, freddi said:

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

Yes! I actually look for his reactions quite often. 

[Growsonwalls]

Whyd they cut the Dianne Feinstein sketch? It was hilarious and totally on-point.

[Irlandesa]

I guess I really like dancing because, just like the bar fight skit in Cheadle's episode, the wedding dance delighted me so.  I also really loved "What's their name" largely for Bill Hader's reactions.

I could tell Bill was next to Keenan in the cold open even though he had his head down.  While these days, a lot of their political sketches just tend to almost lift what was said wordish-for-word, I liked how they sort of combined all the questions onto Bill's character and that everyone just kept throwing back to him.  I was surprised they didn't make fun of the questioner who was trying to make a dramatic statement but couldn't find the information they were looking for and ran out of time. 

I think he was used well and even though I do like Stefon, I'm okay that he wasn't brought out last night. 

I liked the second song by the musical performer.

[Dev F]

42 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

They did it at least once before with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga in 2011. The kicker in that one was that Justin could not name his fellow *NSYNC bandmate Chris Kirkpatrick.

I still think the funniest version was the first one with Paul Rudd:

The best part is Kenan as the cheerfully passive aggressive doorman: "I know your whole family! Your son Avi loves outer space! What's my name?" It's got the best kicker too, though I don't want to give it away for anyone who hasn't seen it.

[Dejana]

I was holding my breath during the Cha Cha Slide sketch, waiting for it to veer off some horrible path but thankfully it never did. Then I watched it again, it wasn't a funny ha ha sketch but it made me smile, reminding me of a lot of weddings/family gatherings I've attended. Compared to the 10:00 rerun, which started with Fred Armisen as Obama, SNL has really come a long way with African-American representation and it would be nice if they got there with other racial/ethnic groups as well.

I have always been kind of neutral on the Chad sketches but loved him being his bored self with the Scream-esque serial killer. Perfect ending with him slipping on the pizza and stabbing himself.

This episode proves the show desperately needs better writers.

Thomas Rhett's father was/is also a country singer, Rhett Akins, the son has majorly eclipsed his fame, though. He's definitely more on the pop side of things, the second song wasn't even kind of country.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Dejana

[spaceghostess]

This was so much fun! Two good eps in a row? I was happy.

The monologue kicked things off to a great start and the sketches didn't really peter out by the end like they often do. "What's My (formerly "That") Name?" has always been a favorite, especially Hader's smug, agent-of-chaos host. Re: the ads, Chad's my favorite thing that Pete Davidson does and the Scream notes were pitch perfect, yay!

Meh, I know the goodbyes are a tradition, but I've always found them kind of excruciatingly awkward to watch so I'd be fine with them being dispensed with in exchange for an extra sketch. Fully aware this will never happen, of course.

Edited March 3, 2019 by spaceghostess

[nickp1991]

Ben Stiller did a pretty good job playing Michael Cohen

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I guess I really like dancing because, just like the bar fight skit in Cheadle's episode, the wedding dance delighted me so. 

I was impressed with the way they multi-tasked on that one, delivering their lines and going back into the dance routines.

1 hour ago, Dejana said:

Thomas Rhett's father was/is also a country singer, Rhett Akins, the son has majorly eclipsed his fame, though. He's definitely more on the pop side of things, the second song wasn't even kind of country.

It did mention alcohol and partying though, which is consistent with country songs.  And of course, a lot of country songs these days sound more like pop than traditional country.

[SHD]

14 hours ago, opus said:

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

That joke sounded like it would’ve been perfect for when Norm MacDonald was doing WU. To me, it totally had a Norm vibe/sensibility to it.

[cpcathy]

Best episode of the season so far. Just on target all the way through. Bill Hader is such a super talent, it’s always fun to see him show up.

My favorite sketch was Cha Cha Slide, it was fun, funky and had a nice point of view. When I need a pick me up, I sometimes watch Rap Song, Survelliance and I will be adding Cha Cha Slide to that list.

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, Dejana said:

Thomas Rhett's father was/is also a country singer, Rhett Akins, the son has majorly eclipsed his fame, though. He's definitely more on the pop side of things, the second song wasn't even kind of country.

I had never heard of Thomas Rhett before and was quite surprised to get a false positive when I shazamed the first song and got the result "Ahora Me Llama" by Bad Bunny & Karol G (whoever they are).

[JZL]

I think this will go down as a classic and here's why:

The CO was solid and you knew Hader was there with his head down and something was going to happen, and it did when people started rebounding their time to him.  And the Cohen, "Yur motha" quip was a nice twist.  That was one cool set the way it arrayed most of the cast as congresspeople.

What's That Name?  It just caught me at the right time in the right way, but when asked why, Hader answered "Chaos!" I laughed harder than for any other line or sketch in years.  The last time I laughed that hard was at the starship chicken sketch with the microwave.  (Yes, I'm one of those).  Hader was almost pre-breaking at that one.

Toilet Death Ejector.  This one just wasn't fair, a shining example of repetition itself being funny if done correctly.  Watching this one, I (and likely most people) winced at first, but by the time old bodies were careening off backboards I was laughing my ass off.

Cousin's Wedding.  A one-off, but at least they tried.  Kudos to all the dancers, including Mulaney.

WU.  Were the meat ladies funny because Kate is a vegan in rl and was nearly gagging at all that raw meat? 

Bodega Bathroom.  Again, the set-- Emmy-worthy.  This was a solid sketch in its own right and then they slathered it with awesomeness.

Cinema Classics.  It would have been hard to mess up McKinnon and Mulaney as Bogart and Becall plus whistling.

And a side note-- after all these years Keenan is the alpha?

Edited March 3, 2019 by JZL

[duddley]

3 minutes ago, JZL said:

Toilet Death Ejector.  This one just wasn't fair, a shining example of repetition itself being funny if done correctly.  Watching this one, I (and likely most people) winced at first, but by the time old bodies were careening off backboards I was laughing my ass off.

Same!  I was in tears at the end.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

The toilet seat ejector is even funnier the third or fourth time around of watching it. Can't believe it was rejected twice. "Mostly accurate!"

So basically John Mulaney should win the Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Done. No need to debate about it. 

[vb68]

51 minutes ago, JZL said:

The CO was solid and you knew Hader was there with his head down and something was going to happen

I so wanted to tell him, "You don't have to keep your head down, Bill! We know it's you!"

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

The toilet seat ejector is even funnier the third or fourth time around of watching it. Can't believe it was rejected twice. "Mostly accurate!" 

It makes me wonder what you're supposed to do if your toilet doesn't face a door and your bedroom.

[LuvMyShows]

What is up with Mikey Day getting sooo skinny?  I've been noticing it for weeks now.

[Galileo908]

17 hours ago, BigPaul25 said:

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

I think you answered your own question, there. Using real meat that was sitting out for a few hours HAD to be part of the joke. Must've been Mulaney's idea (not unlike switching out the cue cards for Stefon).

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Whyd they cut the Dianne Feinstein sketch? It was hilarious and totally on-point.

I wish I could see it in Canada.  If anyone knows a link that works for non Americans please let us know.

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

Probably the weakest for me was the cold open, but I'm not usually big on the political stuff.

Hard to pick a weakest one since they ranged from good to great, but my least favorite was probably the Shark Tank one.

Such a fun ep. John Mulaney was perfect thruout. His monologue was so funny. I love his delivery. I admit I haven't watched any of his standups yet. I need to rectify that pronto.

What's That Name was great. Cecily was fine, but all I wanted was Mulaney and Hader.

The Toilet Ejector was also great, esp when we see the old people being launched into the footboards.

The Unknown Caller with Chad was yet another good one. I'm amazed at how much I love the Chad sketches.

And then the Wedding Reception! Wow. I don't know how this worked, but it did. I loved it. Funny and kinda sweet.

The best was the Bodega Bathroom. I think I enjoyed this more than the Lobster sketch. The lyrics were so good:

"Come with me… and you'll be… in a world of zero sanitation. Close your eyes… and avoid… inhalation! If you want to view parasites, take a look around and view them. All the sticky stuff is fluid."

Cinema Classics was wonderful with Kate as Bacall just being a weirdo dolt trying to do simple things. 

I enjoyed the music. I had no idea he was a country singer.

[ljenkins782]

6 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

The toilet seat ejector is even funnier the third or fourth time around of watching it. Can't believe it was rejected twice. "Mostly accurate!"

So basically John Mulaney should win the Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Done. No need to debate about it. 

I work from home and have daytime TV on in the background (shows like Murder She Wrote) and the ad breaks are all old people products and services. The structure of that commercial was absolutely accurate, the narrator in that bland outfit with the monotone interspersed between the scenarios, all perfect.

The whole show was excellent, but the bodega sketch was my favorite by far. 

[GoldenGirl90]

On 3/3/2019 at 1:01 AM, Galileo908 said:

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.

Yep. They really don’t have to change much of what actually took place to turn it into a skit. They satirized the Cohen testimony perfectly. 

[Trini]

There were several NYC-specific jokes/sketches, which worked for me; I just hope the rest of the country were able to enjoy them too.

[ladymon]

I've seen John talk about how he would change a couple of Stefon's lines without telling Bill just to make him break on camera.  I'm certain he did that again when Bill had to say the line about his Bachelor Squad in "What's My Name".  Just an excellent episode all around!

Edited March 4, 2019 by ladymon

[xander874]

23 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

The Pete/John friendship delights me

Pete seemed to be in more sketches in this episode so maybe that played a part. Honestly, I think Pete needs to go after this season. I know he has issues but he's never been that strong of a cast member to me. He has his moments, but I wouldn't miss him. 

Pleasantly surprised at Thomas Rhett. I actually listened to both his songs. I didn't really get country from him but I guess that's what he is. He also is kinda hot, so that helped...

[MVFrostsMyPie]

11 hours ago, Trini said:

There were several NYC-specific jokes/sketches, which worked for me; I just hope the rest of the country were able to enjoy them too.

While I’m a Californian, I used to live on the east coast and visit NY every year, so they made sense to me, but that’s a good point. Which reminds me that they need to bring some sort of version of the Californians back.

[helenamonster]

On 3/3/2019 at 1:02 PM, rmontro said:

Thomas Rhett was good, although it always seems odd to me to see a country artist on the show, seems a little out of place somehow.

That's interesting, cuz it always felt to me that they have a country artist on every other week. But I guess as somebody who generally doesn't like country (Thomas Rhett was ok--I liked the tune of both songs but the lyrics slipped too often into the old standbys of partying/girls/etc. for my taste.)

On 3/3/2019 at 1:29 PM, Growsonwalls said:

Whyd they cut the Dianne Feinstein sketch? It was hilarious and totally on-point.

I'm sure they would have included it if there was time, but they were severely behind schedule this episode.

On 3/3/2019 at 1:45 PM, Dev F said:

I still think the funniest version was the first one with Paul Rudd:

The best part is Kenan as the cheerfully passive aggressive doorman: "I know your whole family! Your son Avi loves outer space! What's my name?" It's got the best kicker too, though I don't want to give it away for anyone who hasn't seen it.

That is a good one! Remember when a Jared Fogle mention was innocuous?

It's been said before, but it's amazing what Bill was/is able to do with the gameshow host archetype. I would love somebody to write a black comedy movie about the heyday of gameshows for him to star in--think a bizarro Quiz Show.

[BTBAM310]

Mulaney's monologue was gold - I've watched it at least 5 times already and laugh just as much as I did the first time. Same with The Toilet Seat Ejector.

[ebk57]

Seth's podcast today is a 45ish minute chat with John.  Check it out - it's marvelous. 

https://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/exclusives/lnsm-podcast

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, helenamonster said:

That's interesting, cuz it always felt to me that they have a country artist on every other week.

I can pretty much guarantee that isn't the case.  Maybe once or twice a season sounds closer to the truth.

But the vibe seems strange next to the "hip, liberal New York" tone the rest of the show has.

[Grammaeryn]

My roommate and I figured out why this episode was so good aside from John Mulaney being great. None of the sketches went on too long. No punchlines beaten to death. Just setting, twist, laugh, absurder twist, and laugh, done.

[Pete Martell]

6 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Seth's podcast today is a 45ish minute chat with John.  Check it out - it's marvelous. 

https://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/exclusives/lnsm-podcast

Thanks. It was nice to hear them talk some about the backstage process, and telling all the Lorne stories. 

[lou ann b]

have to confess. .after the Cha Cha sketch,I'm now I'm love with  Mulaney.Didn't  get  him until last night.

[callmebetty]

I love this is the second time John has created a character and sketch about a former bullied person getting revenge on someone.  First it was the waitress in the diner and now with Chad, but that didn't work out for the bullied character in that one.

[proserpina65]

I was underwhelmed by Mulaney's monologue.  It was moderately amusing but nothing special.

However, most of the rest of the show was gold.  I particularly loved the game show skit.

I really knew nothing about Thomas Rhett, but he was good.

 

On 3/4/2019 at 1:32 AM, Trini said:

There were several NYC-specific jokes/sketches, which worked for me; I just hope the rest of the country were able to enjoy them too.

Some were funny, others sort of funny.

[rmontro]

On 3/5/2019 at 1:31 PM, lou ann b said:

have to confess. .after the Cha Cha sketch,I'm now I'm love with  Mulaney.Didn't  get  him until last night.

Ha, reminds me of me with Maya Rudolph.  I never liked her or even found her at all appealing until one night on the show, she did this little hip shaking dance.  I've been strangely attracted to her ever since.   🙂

[theredhead77]

Too bad the What's My Name sketch wasn't next week 

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/trump-called-tim-cook-tim-apple

[Pete Martell]

There's a very good new interview out with John Mulaney, and, happily, they ask him a number of questions about his last SNL hosting gig. He also mentions who wrote the Cha Cha Slide sketch (Brian Tucker and Sam Jay). I loved that sketch - it was like the SNL that made me a fan all those years ago - so seeing him single it out was a nice moment. 

https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/interview-john-mulaney-on-snl-broadway-dave-becky.html

This also made me laugh:

I only noticed there were two toilet sketches on Wednesday when they were both in the read-through. I mean, you know, they’ve shown us multiple sketches about Trump every week, and toilets make people far happier than Donald Trump ever did.

[jschoolgirl]

Was that William Devane sitting behind Stiller?