Saturday Night Live: John Mulaney, Jack White
April 15, 2018 12:38 AM - Season 43, Episode 20 - Subscribe
Host: John Mulaney, Musical Guest: Jack White
- Meet the Parents - Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett, Heidi Gardner, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro
- Opening Monologue - John Mulaney
- Drag Brunch - Alex Moffat, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Cecily Strong, John Mulaney
- National School Walkout - Kenan Thompson, John Mulaney, Melissa Villaseñor, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, Luke Null, Kate McKinnon, Hiedi Gardner, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Leslie Jones
- Wild Wild Country - Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Nasim Pedrad, Alex Moffatt, Melissa Villaseñor, Pete Davidson
- Diner Lobster - John Mulaney, Chris Redd, Pete Davidson, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon
- Jack White - Over and Over and Over
- Weekend Update - Michael Che, Colin Jost
- Laura Ingraham - Kate McKinnon
- LeVar Ball - Kenan Thompson
- Switcheroo - Cecily Strong, John Mulaney, Beck Bennett, Heidi Garder
- Horns - John Mulaney, Luke Null, Heidi Gardner
- Jack White - Connected By Love
- Real Intros of Reality Hills - Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, Melissa Villaseñor, Aidy Bryant, Heidi Gardner, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day, Leslie Jones, John Mulaney, Pete Davidson
The best underplayed joke of the night was the notion that the horrible incestuous Switcheroo show from the 1980s originally aired Saturdays at 10am. Good god, Lemon.
posted by Servo5678 at 5:43 AM on April 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Servo5678 at 5:43 AM on April 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Rob Corddry in a Halloween wig."
Damn you.
I hate Ben Stiller and thus I hated that cold open.
But I love John Mulaney, so once past that, all was well. I wasn't entirely sure why he was hosting, but then I checked and saw that he has a new standup special coming on Netflix, so hooray for Mulaney!
posted by elsietheeel at 8:19 AM on April 15, 2018
Damn you.
I hate Ben Stiller and thus I hated that cold open.
But I love John Mulaney, so once past that, all was well. I wasn't entirely sure why he was hosting, but then I checked and saw that he has a new standup special coming on Netflix, so hooray for Mulaney!
posted by elsietheeel at 8:19 AM on April 15, 2018
I'm increasingly getting the feeling that this is Kenan's last season and it's making me sad. Ok, I'm going to push that thought deep down now and Les Miz lobster whaaat! I loved that so much. I loved that Mulaney got to work his love for Les Miz into an absurd skit. I loved how happy everyone seemed last night. I love that Mulaney had to reschedule his Foxwoods appearance last week because the mister forgot to get tickets, so when I mentioned SNL yesterday the mister remembered to get tickets. (The comped John Oliver tickets, where Brooks Wheelan! was the opener, were front row, so fingers crossed!)
I love that Luke Null got his own sketch! I was once behind The Lizardman in line at the Cabo airport, and I feel like if you're going to have hardcore visible body bods, it's either all in or nothing.
posted by Ruki at 8:37 AM on April 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
I love that Luke Null got his own sketch! I was once behind The Lizardman in line at the Cabo airport, and I feel like if you're going to have hardcore visible body bods, it's either all in or nothing.
posted by Ruki at 8:37 AM on April 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Ruki I've been feeling the same way about Kenan and also trying not to freak out about it. In good news, there was a LOT of Pete this week! I hope that means he's feeling a lot better. Him losing it at the start of the lobster sketch killed me.
Mulaney tweeted at 3:24am: Colin Jost and I wrote Lobster Diner in 2010. Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer and I wrote Switcheroo in 2009. Neither went past the table. Both made it to air tonight. Thanks @nbcsnl for letting us bring back those beloved orphans.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:42 AM on April 15, 2018 [8 favorites]
Mulaney tweeted at 3:24am: Colin Jost and I wrote Lobster Diner in 2010. Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer and I wrote Switcheroo in 2009. Neither went past the table. Both made it to air tonight. Thanks @nbcsnl for letting us bring back those beloved orphans.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:42 AM on April 15, 2018 [8 favorites]
The joke that got not a single laugh from the audience was that they were unable to get this person, a member of the original cast, as he had left the business.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on April 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on April 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best ep of the season, hands down. Loved it all from cold open to WU, Jack White & every single sketch. Even Pete Davidson's breaks were funny. Sometimes it all gels.
posted by scalefree at 11:42 AM on April 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by scalefree at 11:42 AM on April 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
The joke that got not a single laugh from the audience was that they were unable to get this person, a member of the original cast, as he had left the business.
Yeah that's just a wee bit dark, plus most people have forgotten his name. A couple WU bits were unusually dark too. It was interesting to hear the gasps over the Ivanka line.
posted by scalefree at 11:52 AM on April 15, 2018
Yeah that's just a wee bit dark, plus most people have forgotten his name. A couple WU bits were unusually dark too. It was interesting to hear the gasps over the Ivanka line.
posted by scalefree at 11:52 AM on April 15, 2018
So, could they not get Henry Winkler, or were they just so set on doing a gag for a 18 year old movie? De Niro didn't even do his famous line, "You're gonna meet me."
Between Wild Wild Country and that Lobster, Kenan was killing it this episode.
I think Mulaney's best performance of the night was underselling all of the various horrors of Switcheroo production.
Kinda disappointed in anything about Ingraham that doesn't mention that one time she gave a Nazi salute live on TV.
posted by ckape at 2:59 PM on April 15, 2018
Between Wild Wild Country and that Lobster, Kenan was killing it this episode.
I think Mulaney's best performance of the night was underselling all of the various horrors of Switcheroo production.
Kinda disappointed in anything about Ingraham that doesn't mention that one time she gave a Nazi salute live on TV.
posted by ckape at 2:59 PM on April 15, 2018
Luke Null got his own sketch!
He was pretty good, too - but I think Gardner really carried the skit.
Diner Lobster was great, I especially liked Redd's "This diner has incredible set design!" as they wheel in the barricades.
Good call ckape - Winkler would have made a much better Cohen (I, also, have a personal distaste for Stiller).
Love the prostheses (Mueller's jaw on DeNiro, obv. Null's horns) they've been using over the last couple of seasons (all of McKinnon's, especially the neck ones).
posted by porpoise at 3:13 PM on April 15, 2018
He was pretty good, too - but I think Gardner really carried the skit.
Diner Lobster was great, I especially liked Redd's "This diner has incredible set design!" as they wheel in the barricades.
Good call ckape - Winkler would have made a much better Cohen (I, also, have a personal distaste for Stiller).
Love the prostheses (Mueller's jaw on DeNiro, obv. Null's horns) they've been using over the last couple of seasons (all of McKinnon's, especially the neck ones).
posted by porpoise at 3:13 PM on April 15, 2018
I wasn't too crazy about the cult thing, although Thompson was really good in it. Every season seems like it may be his last, but at the same time he still seems to be having fun there and I don't think anybody's eager to see him go. Frankly, where's he gonna go after this? He's so good at broad sketch comedy, and this is really the best venue for that. If he leaves he'd probably just end up playing the dad on some boring sitcom, and nobody wants that!
The horn guy thing was Luke Null's biggest sketch so far, and he was fine but not great. But if he had a hand in writing it, he scored a win there.
I was surprised to see Nasim Pedrad pop up in the cult sketch, in a fairly straight role too. It was more than a cameo, but not really a showcase part either. Maybe she and Mulaney are still pals from Mulaney, and she happened to be hanging around...
Finding out Mulaney used this as a chance to resurrect his favorite rejected bits is funny all by itself. It's like that Second Chance Theater thing Seth Myers does, but actually on SNL! It takes a lot of confidence to dig out the same bits that tanked at the table read and say, No, this stuff WILL work, but Mulaney's instincts were good.
I wonder if they just put McKinnon's Mueller prosthetics onto De Niro. I also wonder if the audience was clued in De Niro would be appearing. They went nuts when he showed up, but he looked so different I'm not sure people would have recognized him without some sort of tip-off.
For once the "cut for time" bits weren't the best part of the show, although both were good. Cecily Strong singing and being all sultry in that wedding dress made me feel things.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:42 PM on April 15, 2018
The horn guy thing was Luke Null's biggest sketch so far, and he was fine but not great. But if he had a hand in writing it, he scored a win there.
I was surprised to see Nasim Pedrad pop up in the cult sketch, in a fairly straight role too. It was more than a cameo, but not really a showcase part either. Maybe she and Mulaney are still pals from Mulaney, and she happened to be hanging around...
Finding out Mulaney used this as a chance to resurrect his favorite rejected bits is funny all by itself. It's like that Second Chance Theater thing Seth Myers does, but actually on SNL! It takes a lot of confidence to dig out the same bits that tanked at the table read and say, No, this stuff WILL work, but Mulaney's instincts were good.
I wonder if they just put McKinnon's Mueller prosthetics onto De Niro. I also wonder if the audience was clued in De Niro would be appearing. They went nuts when he showed up, but he looked so different I'm not sure people would have recognized him without some sort of tip-off.
For once the "cut for time" bits weren't the best part of the show, although both were good. Cecily Strong singing and being all sultry in that wedding dress made me feel things.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:42 PM on April 15, 2018
Too bad he got cut off doing the thank yous at the end, that was a sweet moment we lost there.
They tweeted it out if anyone missed it.
Colin Jost and I wrote Lobster Diner in 2010. Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer and I wrote Switcheroo in 2009. Neither went past the table. Both made it to air tonight.
The moment they wheeled out the Kenan in the lobster costume I guessed this was Mulaney's version of "Jenjamin Franklin". (I can only find it on archive.org, but it was a Will Forte sketch that was repeatedly cut and finally they performed it on Seth Meyers' show). I guess hosting is a good way to force their hand and let you do the sketch.
posted by Gary at 7:58 PM on April 15, 2018
They tweeted it out if anyone missed it.
Colin Jost and I wrote Lobster Diner in 2010. Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer and I wrote Switcheroo in 2009. Neither went past the table. Both made it to air tonight.
The moment they wheeled out the Kenan in the lobster costume I guessed this was Mulaney's version of "Jenjamin Franklin". (I can only find it on archive.org, but it was a Will Forte sketch that was repeatedly cut and finally they performed it on Seth Meyers' show). I guess hosting is a good way to force their hand and let you do the sketch.
posted by Gary at 7:58 PM on April 15, 2018
this was a good weekend for Nasim Pedrad fans!
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:20 PM on April 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:20 PM on April 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
MULVANEY! For a couple of weeks before this show aired, I kept thinking, "Other than having been a writer for this show, and some standup chops, and producing a failed sitcom which stripped SNL of its best actor (Nasim), is John Mulaney really this famous to be hosting? Not that I mind!" I liked him a lot with Nick Kroll in Oh, Hello, too. But SNL-hostworthy?
Well, I think he pulled it off well, and was in his milieu, and would be a much better cast member than a host. And I thought that this was definitely one of the top five shows of the season. It's been a rocky season, but they've had some excellent episodes.
They kept the sketches short and to-the-point, for the most part.
Jokes that went over my head: Didn't know that Nasim's cameo was a reference to the woman who cooked Rajneesh's books and formulated voting fraud scams and the salmonella outbreak in 1984ish. Now THAT's some seriously deep referencing there. Hell, referencing the Rajneesh at all if you're under fifty and didn't grow up on Bloom County is a risk, I think.
I also didn't understand most of the Meet The Parents references because I'd never seen the movie. It was only a few minutes into that when I said, "Oh yeah, they were in those movies together!"
I was VERY glad to see Luke Null in the horn implants sketch, and even happier (kinda) to see him carrying a cut-for-time sketch. They shoulda replaced the five-hour boner sketch (School Walkout Day) with this. (Even though it was understandably cut because Jack White really seemed noticeably off his game all night. Maybe Jack White really has died and Rob Corddry really is taking his place.)
There was so much Pete, and I didn't mind that he was cracking up at everything because he (unlike Fallon & Sanz) is good at making that not about him. So: Luke and Pete? And some Chris Redd? That was good. Lots of Melissa too. And Leslie didn't flub her lines, did she? YAHOOOOOO LESLIEEEE!
Mikey and Alex were left behind, which I don't mind; they've been crowding things lately, even though they are TALENT. And there was plenty of Beck. What I missed a lot of was Kyle. Where's he been?
But Kenan could be in every sketch and I would never tire of him. Even when he's carrying a character like LeVar Ball. (Or even Ol' Willie for that matter.)
Diner sketch killed. VERY long but it held, and it had a punchline. I had no idea it was a Les Miz parody until the middle of it. It's great when the steches are funny, even when they're referencing something I had no idea existed. (I just found out that Netflix has some retelling of the Rajneesh thing on now, so maybe not so risky to reference it after all.)
Switcheroo - so uncomfortable.
And the Fish King? That was a beautiful sketch, why did it get cut for time!
That said, I am very happy we can see cut-for-time sketches online. The future is awesome.
Me and my sweetie came away from this episode feeling sated. I can't wait to see Donald Glover. I just heard Childish Gambino for the first time and I am hooked.
posted by not_on_display at 7:44 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, I think he pulled it off well, and was in his milieu, and would be a much better cast member than a host. And I thought that this was definitely one of the top five shows of the season. It's been a rocky season, but they've had some excellent episodes.
They kept the sketches short and to-the-point, for the most part.
Jokes that went over my head: Didn't know that Nasim's cameo was a reference to the woman who cooked Rajneesh's books and formulated voting fraud scams and the salmonella outbreak in 1984ish. Now THAT's some seriously deep referencing there. Hell, referencing the Rajneesh at all if you're under fifty and didn't grow up on Bloom County is a risk, I think.
I also didn't understand most of the Meet The Parents references because I'd never seen the movie. It was only a few minutes into that when I said, "Oh yeah, they were in those movies together!"
I was VERY glad to see Luke Null in the horn implants sketch, and even happier (kinda) to see him carrying a cut-for-time sketch. They shoulda replaced the five-hour boner sketch (School Walkout Day) with this. (Even though it was understandably cut because Jack White really seemed noticeably off his game all night. Maybe Jack White really has died and Rob Corddry really is taking his place.)
There was so much Pete, and I didn't mind that he was cracking up at everything because he (unlike Fallon & Sanz) is good at making that not about him. So: Luke and Pete? And some Chris Redd? That was good. Lots of Melissa too. And Leslie didn't flub her lines, did she? YAHOOOOOO LESLIEEEE!
Mikey and Alex were left behind, which I don't mind; they've been crowding things lately, even though they are TALENT. And there was plenty of Beck. What I missed a lot of was Kyle. Where's he been?
But Kenan could be in every sketch and I would never tire of him. Even when he's carrying a character like LeVar Ball. (Or even Ol' Willie for that matter.)
Diner sketch killed. VERY long but it held, and it had a punchline. I had no idea it was a Les Miz parody until the middle of it. It's great when the steches are funny, even when they're referencing something I had no idea existed. (I just found out that Netflix has some retelling of the Rajneesh thing on now, so maybe not so risky to reference it after all.)
Switcheroo - so uncomfortable.
And the Fish King? That was a beautiful sketch, why did it get cut for time!
That said, I am very happy we can see cut-for-time sketches online. The future is awesome.
Me and my sweetie came away from this episode feeling sated. I can't wait to see Donald Glover. I just heard Childish Gambino for the first time and I am hooked.
posted by not_on_display at 7:44 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
(I just found out that Netflix has some retelling of the Rajneesh thing on now, so maybe not so risky to reference it after all.)
Yeah the whole sketch was a spoof on the Netflix doc. Pretty well done, too. The live audience seemed to recognize it, they had a strong reaction when Nasim first appeared.
posted by scalefree at 9:12 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah the whole sketch was a spoof on the Netflix doc. Pretty well done, too. The live audience seemed to recognize it, they had a strong reaction when Nasim first appeared.
posted by scalefree at 9:12 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm going tonight to see Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, and Luke Null perform. On the off chance I get the opportunity to speak to Null himself, any words of encouragement you want me to pass on? Like "FANFARE IS ROOTING FOR YOU, LUKE!"?
posted by komara at 2:59 PM on April 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by komara at 2:59 PM on April 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Well, there was no post-show meet'n'greet so I didn't get a chance to tell Luke anything. Very sad.
A quick recap:
- Luke sang four or five original songs while playing guitar. He's surprisingly good at both. I enjoyed his set.
- I love Mikey and I say this with a lot of respect: his set was a good illustration of how someone can be very very funny but not particularly good at standup. It was kind of weird to process, considering how often he makes me laugh out loud while watching the show.
- Pete just plain killed it. He gave a long, effortless, hazy and apathetic set that had us hanging on his every word. I've liked his standup appearances on Weekend Update but I had no idea how charismatic he could be. I was a fan of his before but I'm a big fan now.
posted by komara at 7:53 PM on April 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
A quick recap:
- Luke sang four or five original songs while playing guitar. He's surprisingly good at both. I enjoyed his set.
- I love Mikey and I say this with a lot of respect: his set was a good illustration of how someone can be very very funny but not particularly good at standup. It was kind of weird to process, considering how often he makes me laugh out loud while watching the show.
- Pete just plain killed it. He gave a long, effortless, hazy and apathetic set that had us hanging on his every word. I've liked his standup appearances on Weekend Update but I had no idea how charismatic he could be. I was a fan of his before but I'm a big fan now.
posted by komara at 7:53 PM on April 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
I love Mikey and I say this with a lot of respect: his set was a good illustration of how someone can be very very funny but not particularly good at standup. It was kind of weird to process, considering how often he makes me laugh out loud while watching the show.
Kinda like some people are very very good at comedy but should never be given their own sitcom?
On an entirely unrelated note, I'm seeing John Mulaney tonight! I am a bit disappointed to learn that part of monologue came directly from his current tour, which I learned by trying to find out who his opener is. Sadly, I'm not getting another surprise Brooks Wheelan.
posted by Ruki at 7:50 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Kinda like some people are very very good at comedy but should never be given their own sitcom?
On an entirely unrelated note, I'm seeing John Mulaney tonight! I am a bit disappointed to learn that part of monologue came directly from his current tour, which I learned by trying to find out who his opener is. Sadly, I'm not getting another surprise Brooks Wheelan.
posted by Ruki at 7:50 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
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John Mulaney is always great, Mulaney aside. Too bad he got cut off doing the thank yous at the end, that was a sweet moment we lost there. He's one of those people who looks like he might look good in drag, but then you see him and it's a no. (Although, I guess he wasn't actually trying to look good.)
The makeup in the cold open was maybe a little... too much? I was thinking Ben Stiller had aged about 15 years since I saw him last, but then I saw him during the goodnights and he looked like Ben Stiller again. I didn't recognize De Niro for a second, and thought Sam Waterson had gotten a little chubby. Making it a Meet the Fockers parody was kind of strained and weird, especially all these years later. I had to explain to my girlfriend what they were even referencing with the stuff about milking cats and all that, and she was like, "Are they pushing that movie 'cause it's coming out on blu ray or something?" That made me chuckle more than the sketch did.
My girlfriend also had a line about Jack White that fucking killed me, but I warn you that if you keep reading you might never be able to watch White perform again without thinking of this...
"Rob Corddry in a Halloween wig."
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:24 AM on April 15, 2018 [5 favorites]