Saturday Night Live: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Twenty One Pilots

October 9, 2016 12:31 AM - Season 42, Episode 2

Host: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Musical Guest: Twenty One Pilots

• Vice Presidential Debate - Melissa Villaseñor, Mikey Day, Beck Bennet, Cecily Strong, Alex Baldwin, Kate McKinnon
• Opening Monologue - Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Campfire Songs - Cecily Strong, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vanessa Bayer, Kyle Mooney
• Crucible Cast Party - Kyle Mooney, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Melisaa Villaseñor
• Substitute Teacher - Leslie Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, Pete Davidson, Sasheer Zamata, Melisaa Villaseñor
• A Dayoff with Kellyanne Conway - Kate McKinon, Alex Moffat, Beck Bennet, Sasheer Zamata, Melissa Villaseñor
• Twenty One Pilots - Heathens
• Weekend Update - Michael Che, Colin Jost
  • Resident Young Person - Pete Davidson
  • Undecided Voters - Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon


• The Music Man - Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, Bobby Moynihan, Cecily Strong, Sasheer Zamata, Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pete Davidson, Melissa Villaseñor


• Call from North Dakota - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alex Moffat, Vanessa Bayer


• Stranger Things - Kyle Mooney, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sasheer Zamata, Leslie Jones, Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinon, Beck Bennet


• Twenty One Pilots - Ride


• Melania Moments - Cecily Strong


• WW2 Foxhole Confession - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pete Davidson, Kenan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan, Mikey Day

posted by DizzyOnBugSpray (42 comments total)

A Dayoff with Kellyanne Conway just killed me. I thought McKinnon nailed it. Favorite of the night, though, was Stranger Things.
posted by komara at 7:52 AM on October 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

I thought it was disappointingly weak, given how game LMM would be for anythign. The Stranger Things skit was the standout for me after the cold open/LMM's intro song.

Fallon was terrible and I wish they'd stop inviting him back.
posted by TwoStride at 8:10 AM on October 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Normally I am not in favor of the host breaking into song during the opening monologue, but I'll allow it this time.

The campfire songs sketch felt like it should have more, especially since it got the showcase slot right after the monologue. Not sure of all of the logistics but I think the substitute teacher sketch would have been better there. Foxhole confession was a good overly-long-last-dying-words gag, although it seemed like it had some production issues (in addition to begging for an introduction by Reese D'What).

Of course Kate McKinon continues to shine, especially in Kellyanne Conway's day off.

Overall a pretty good but not great episode. The only really terrible part was Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon which I'm not sure what that bit was even supposed to do.
posted by ckape at 8:34 AM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm just on the monologue and it is bringing me such joy. "This piece of..."
posted by c'mon sea legs at 8:49 AM on October 9, 2016 [6 favorites]

Great job! 👏👏
posted by yellowbinder at 9:10 AM on October 9, 2016 [7 favorites]

I thought it was enjoyable enough episode. Some of the standouts for me were the monologue, A Day Off with Kellyanne Conway, and the Crucible Cast Party. The joint musical numbers, especially the ones featuring the female cast members, are pretty reliably good, and throwing in Lin-Manuel Miranda made it even better. I also thought Stranger Things was quite funny (even though I haven't seen the actual Stranger Things show). I liked Weekend Update, including the Tina Fey/Jimmy Fallon part, although it probably would have been better if Amy Poehler was there instead of Fallon.

However, there were also some skits that were just kind of lacking. In particular, Campfire Songs and Substitute Teacher both had some promise, but I felt like I was still waiting for the big punchline and instead, they just kind of ended. It's like they were holding back, which is a shame with someone like LMM as the host. Foxhole Confessions and The Music Man were also kind of funny, but again, not as good as I feel like they could have been.

Oh, and of course the cold open was another good one. I wasn't sure how Baldwin would do as the new Trump, but based on these first two episodes he's actually been great. It's almost scary how good his imitation of Trump is.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:11 AM on October 9, 2016

I made it as far as Weekend Update last night, not sure if I'll finish the rest.

I used to record the show to watch on Sunday mornings, but I quit when they chose to have Trump host. Aside from being angry that NBC and Lorne Michaels would give him such a platform, I was disappointed that the nobody in the cast seemed to be speaking out -- remembering how Nora Dunn had boycotted back when Dice Clay hosted. I know not everyone has enough 'fuck you' money to publicly criticize their employers, but, still. The idea of watching made me feel like I was condoning it too.

I didn't watch last week, but after seeing the cold open from links in the election megathread, and seeing everyone getting so excited about LMM, decided to give it a try. But it still mostly left me feeling like the mockery is too self-serving. Like, for as nice as it is to have LMM singing 'never gonna be president now' at Trump's autographed photo on the wall, all I could think was -- is that photo there every week? Will it still be there after the episode wraps, and how does it feel for the women who work there to have to pass by it every day?

The only really terrible part was Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon which I'm not sure what that bit was even supposed to do.

I guess that was supposed to appease people angry about the Trump Fallon appearance. Didn't do it for me.

Sigh. Sorry to be Debbie Downer. I have a lot of love for McKinnon and Jones, and even though the balance of funny to boring was mostly on the boring side for me, it's still kind of a bummer to lose a show. Guess I'll just be seeing the clips that go viral from now on.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:14 AM on October 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Petition to ban Jimmy Fallon from SNL.
posted by c'mon sea legs at 9:20 AM on October 9, 2016 [9 favorites]

Damn edit window. I mean: petition to ban Jimmy Fallon, period.
posted by c'mon sea legs at 9:27 AM on October 9, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yeah, the Jimmy Fallon part was awful. Tina Fey was at least making actual jokes, Fallon was just bringing up the hoagies over and over again as if the accent was the point of the bit. He talked over her joke setup at one point just to say "hoagies" some more.

I'm really happy they didn't overdo the Hamilton thing, but still had a musical theater thread running through the episode. Pretty enjoyable show, overall.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 9:46 AM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh also I love this post format, DizzyOnBugSpray! It's nice to have all of that info in one place.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 9:49 AM on October 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

"it probably would have been better if Amy Poehler was there instead of Fallon"

Applies to all situations in life.
posted by komara at 9:51 AM on October 9, 2016 [10 favorites]

Jimmy Fallon seemed like he was doing that thing that comedians do when they reach a certain age and they're not in to kidding around anymore but they haven't told anyone that. Like when an older comedian goes on a talk show and they're completely humorless. It's ok if that's where you're at, but you have to tell someone you don't want to do this stuff anymore. He just seemed really offended when Tina brought up the hair tousling. It was like having someone in a comedy sketch who hates comedy and was also totally unprepared. Basically strikes me as the type of person who only likes jokes when he's in the drivers seat, otherwise he's instant stone face.

And also Tina, every single one of her cameos lately revolves around her "lady with suburban Philly accent" character. Or Palin. Both of which are just "this lady talks slightly different " humor. Oh my god please give us something else. If you're gonna stick with one premise for the rest of your career at least give us Liz Lemon back!

Lots of parts of the episode made me laugh which means I count this one as a good one.

The Wells Fargo sketch was just bad though, this is why they should stay away from topical humor. As a culture they aren't smart enough to make that kind of joke. Not everyone can be the Onion.
posted by bleep at 10:03 AM on October 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Is there a word for when a character is named to make a point or fit into a joke, and if so, props to Lin's parents, because "My name is Lin-Manuel, I'm hosting SNL" is awesome.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:56 AM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

And also Tina, every single one of her cameos lately revolves around her "lady with suburban Philly accent" character.

She grew up in Upper Darby so she's one of the few people in Hollywood who can legitimately pull off a Philly accent. Witness Jimmy Fallon falling back on "hoagie" over & over & not even getting that right.
posted by scalefree at 11:54 AM on October 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Also the Hooters almost played my high school prom, props to Tina for maximum Philly references.
posted by scalefree at 11:59 AM on October 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

I mean yeah I get that that's her thing, but I mean I think she's capable of more & better than that and she just trots it out every single time.
posted by bleep at 12:08 PM on October 9, 2016

It's a novelty. Everybody's trying to learn it from her so she feels obligated. Plus, hometown pride. We Phillufians don't get much respect or recognition.
posted by scalefree at 12:21 PM on October 9, 2016

This was probably only in the NYC area, but the commercials during this episode were wall-to-wall ads for Broadway shows.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:03 PM on October 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed LMM. Thought the campire thing was a bit weak/shoulda been in the last 5 minutes, but I did like turning "Wells Fargo Wagon" into something else.* The "we're sick of inspirational rapping teachers" is a good point. The political stuff was a delight, the "never gonna be president now" is a delight.

I don't pay much attention to the regular network late night hosts, but is Fallon the one that somehow gets injured a lot and people think he has a drinking problem? If that's the guy, I can see why after that. Geez, dude.

* Seriously, sketching involving The Music Man seems to be A Thing of late, at least where I live. Hell, I wrote one for a sketchwriting class last week where I sent a small child off to be tortured for his lack of singing ability by watching "Shipoopi" on repeat.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:51 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Basically strikes me as the type of person who only likes jokes when he's in the drivers seat, otherwise he's instant stone face.

Recall that when he was on SNL full-time, Fallon corpsed so much (particularly when he was in the background) that Tracy Morgan publicly threatened to kick the shit out of him on more than one occasion, and no one else on the show ever came to Fallon's defense.
posted by Etrigan at 2:09 PM on October 9, 2016 [5 favorites]

Political was the best, though - does anyone else find themself getting unexpectedly entranced by Kate McKinnon?
posted by corb at 2:27 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

"Fallon was just bringing up the hoagies over and over again as if the accent was the point of the bit. He talked over her joke setup at one point just to say "hoagies" some more. "

No, Fallon kept losing the accent and "hoagies" was his key word to get himself back into it. That's why Fey was razzing him (with the ad lib about vacation) and Jost was laughing every time Fallon offered him the hoagies again.

(I thought the energy this episode was a tiny bit manic with more than a few people breaking or flubbing, which doesn't bother me, that's the fun of live comedy, but it did seem noticeably over-revved in places .)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:38 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I quit when they chose to have Trump host

Maybe they did that so they could have Clinton on and not seem to be giving unequal exposure?
posted by amtho at 4:33 PM on October 9, 2016

Recall that when he was on SNL full-time, Fallon corpsed so much (particularly when he was in the background) that Tracy Morgan publicly threatened to kick the shit out of him on more than one occasion, and no one else on the show ever came to Fallon's defense.

Hell, he would regularly (like, at least once an episode) break into laughter while he was delivering his Weekend Update lines. He was a pretty terrible WU host, saved only by his co-hosts, and I was surprised when they gave him the Tonight Show. He is pretty charming, and the gimmicks he does with celebs on his show are amusing, so I don't think he's actually a bad host, but he generally seems like a bit of a mess.

I thought this episode was pretty mixed, but that's always the way with SNL. Lin's monologue was one of the best I can remember, if only for the "piece of sh... never gonna be president now ..." bit which was insanely cathartic.

(I thought the energy this episode was a tiny bit manic with more than a few people breaking or flubbing, which doesn't bother me, that's the fun of live comedy, but it did seem noticeably over-revved in places .)

I wonder if that had to do with the fact that they had to deal with all these last-minute Trump revelations and the uncertainty of an evolving situation.

Lin's phone-booth sketch was sweet and funny but seemed tonally like it belonged in another show. Is that a spoof of something else?
posted by lunasol at 4:48 PM on October 9, 2016

Let's talk about the Wells Fargo sketch! That was TOO HILARIOUSLY APROPOS that there was the Music Man song AND it was Lin-Manuel's week!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:43 PM on October 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

Let's talk about the Wells Fargo sketch!

That sketch was one of my favorites of the night! I'm not sure how well it's going to age (I mean, I hope no one forgets that Wells Fargo opened a ton of fraudulent accounts! But it's not the big story it could be, given literally everything else going on), but it was delightful.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 7:38 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Not just the Wells Fargo sketch, but the general musical-ness of the entire episode. I usually don't watch SNL, although I love Kate McKinnon, in part because I'd probably just be frustrated when she either wasn't on or the sketch wasn't centered on her, but I was with my aunt and uncle and they usually do, and I lucked out last night. And I howled when the opening sketch cut to Hillary's campaign headquarters and they were in full party-down mode.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:49 PM on October 9, 2016

I'd be shocked if it happened, but I'd love to see Lin back as often as Justin Timberlake.
posted by drezdn at 5:46 AM on October 10, 2016 [3 favorites]

Not just the Wells Fargo sketch, but the general musical-ness of the entire episode. I usually don't watch SNL, although I love Kate McKinnon, in part because I'd probably just be frustrated when she either wasn't on or the sketch wasn't centered on her

You might as well start watching again. It's the Kate McKinnon Show in all but name these days.
posted by Etrigan at 5:56 AM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]

It's a little quirk of mine that I really enjoy the final scene, where the host gives thanks and everyone hugs. As LMM goes off to hug people, you can see Tyler Joseph, the singer from Twenty One Pilots wander around the stage with his arms out. When the camera cuts back to him, he very enthusiastically has his arms around Kyle Mooney. Tyler then makes Kyle hug his bandmate. It was kinda charming. Poor kids just really wanted some hugs.
posted by Ruki at 6:00 AM on October 10, 2016 [7 favorites]

Crucible Cast Party hit wayyyyy too close to home
posted by infinitewindow at 10:10 AM on October 10, 2016 [15 favorites]

I'm just on the monologue and it is bringing me such joy. "This piece of..."

"Never gonna be president now, never gonna be president now..."

Crucible Cast Party hit wayyyyy too close to home

That link went all over the facebook feeds of all my high school drama club homies and all my theater colleagues. I usually was the one in the old age makeup at the cast parties, but was not that prone to busting out choreography.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:49 PM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]

As a former theater/choir nerd, I was laughing so hard at Crucible Cast Party. I started actually crying with laughter at the "massage train" and I said to my husband (who was NOT a theater nerd) after, "Man, that was so dead-on, especially the massage train" and he was like, "That's a real thing?!?!!" and he was so appalled and it set me off cracking up again.
posted by Aquifer at 7:19 PM on October 10, 2016 [6 favorites]

The competing song endings got me. I was part of that once, and not the most polite part.
posted by amtho at 8:15 PM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]

I loved the phone booth (Call From North Dakota) sketch and it reminded me of the audiobook the LMM voiced of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
posted by soelo at 2:10 PM on October 11, 2016

Overall this show was passable, and my first exposure to Lin-Manuel Miranda. I love Pete Davidson; Melissa Villaseñor so far reminds me of the best qualities of Nasim Pedrad; and Leslie Jones can play Leslie Jones forever for all I give a shit.

I am, however, disturbed by the product placements in the sketches. During the break, instead of me and my sweetie talking about the sketch itself, if I find myself counting how many product placements were in the previous sketch while my sweetie counts how many ads they're playing in between, then something is wrong.

Plus, it still seems like there are a zillion ads, but they're just 30-second ads instead of a minute. THAT'S MORE ADS, NOT FEWER, SHEEPLE!!!
posted by not_on_display at 9:43 PM on October 11, 2016

I thought this was better than last week's. Crucible Cast Party was the best, but you gotta love Fallon dropping by to stink up the place. I also thought Baldwin slept through his Trump this week.
posted by rhizome at 1:31 AM on October 12, 2016

Someday, I want inside dish on what Fey thinks of Fallon. After all, there is the rumor that Josh from 30 Rock was based on him.
posted by drezdn at 4:54 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

Have you read Bossypants? There is a story about Amy Poehler making a face he didn't like and Jimmy whining about it. Tina talks about how proud she is of Amy's reaction to his hissy fit. Basically her eyes go dark and she tells him, "I don't care if you like it!"
posted by soelo at 7:10 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

It's worse than that. It's him whining about swearing and ladylike blah blah whatever,
posted by phearlez at 8:11 PM on October 13, 2016 [2 favorites]

Have you read Bossypants? There is a story about Amy Poehler making a face he didn't like and Jimmy whining about it. Tina talks about how proud she is of Amy's reaction to his hissy fit. Basically her eyes go dark and she tells him, "I don't care if you like it!"

"I don't fucking care if you like it"! I know because I use it as a "serenity now!"-esque internal mantra on the reg.
posted by telegraph at 11:26 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]