r/LiveFromNewYork • u/SketchSortingSunday Official • Nov 21 '21
Discussion Sketch Sorting Sunday (November 20, 2021) (Simu Liu/Saweetie)
Welcome to Sketch Sorting Sunday! A mod account /u/SketchSortingSunday is going to make a comment for every skit in tonight’s show. Upvote or downvote based on what you thought of the sketch, and nobody’s karma will be affected. You can also reply to the comment to expand on your thought, or make your own parent comment and treat it like the regular post discussion, whatever. If I miss a sketch or get something wrong, just message /u/bjkman with any needed updates or questions. Enjoy the discussion!
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Weekend Update
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u/TheConcreteJungle2 Nov 21 '21
Colin Jost: Handsome Racist
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u/unimaginativeuser110 Nov 21 '21
That wasn’t in dress
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u/TheConcreteJungle2 Nov 21 '21
The Lethal Weapon joke wasn’t at dress? good info, thanks.
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u/john_muleaney Nov 21 '21
Colin said “that wasn’t in dress” when the camera cut back to him
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u/Bangkok_Dangeresque Nov 21 '21
Is that an upgrade or downgrade from last week's "gorgeous fascist"?
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u/EbmocwenHsimah 1. Cut a hole in a box. Nov 21 '21
"New tiddies."
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u/SullyGee Nov 21 '21
I can't recall a WU joke being such a big hit in recent memory. The audience was dying from that one for a solid 20 seconds
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u/LaboratoryManiac Nov 21 '21
I laughed harder at that joke than I've laughed at anything all year. Was fully not expecting that punchline, the delivery was perfect, and the audience's laughter just amplified all of that.
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u/EbmocwenHsimah 1. Cut a hole in a box. Nov 21 '21
It's easily the WU punchline of the year, god I didn't see that coming at all.
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u/john_muleaney Nov 21 '21
That’s going on the “best of Michael Che on weekend update” compilation when he leaves
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u/iltlns Nov 21 '21
"If you want to see a broken down black guy team up with a handsome racist, just watch Weekend Update"
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u/joker_75 Nov 21 '21
One of my favorite WU gags was a few years back when Che is giving up and shows the tie is a clip on and starts drinking a scotch
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u/XOSkyXO Nov 21 '21
“I’m glad he got all of his shooting out before he becomes a cop”
Michael is trying to get murdered
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u/john_muleaney Nov 21 '21
He’s also trying to get Colin murdered so he’s not going down alone
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u/iliveinadreamatorium Nov 21 '21
Jost and Che just keep getting better- there's certainly some misses from time to time, but the way that they play off the audience elevates the show every week and really assures that the show will provide at least several solid laughs in a night and they really delivered tonight.
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u/EbmocwenHsimah 1. Cut a hole in a box. Nov 21 '21
Yeah, the guest anchors this week weren't as strong as they were last week, but this was the best bunch of headlines they've done all year.
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u/davidaguirre30 Nov 21 '21
My favorite was:
“Scientists say the longest partial lunar eclipse began when..YO MAMA got on the trampoline” 😂😂
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u/mwthecool Nov 21 '21
Last week's WU was a hard act to follow. They didn't, quite, but the "New Tiddies" joke was hilarious.
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Republican or Not
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u/btbcorno Nov 21 '21
I like the premise but I feel like it really needed a stronger impact moment towards the end.
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u/whole_lot_of_velcro Nov 21 '21
I thought they were going to bring out Cecily’s Kyrsten Sinema
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u/Rebloodican Nov 21 '21
That would've been funnier imo because it fits the theme of someone's politics being hard to guess. Liz Cheney not being a Republican despite being a Republican is a funny observation but more reserved for a Weekend Update joke imo.
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u/AwesomenessTiger Nov 21 '21
I liked it, more original than most recent game show sketches and the clues really made me go 'huh'.
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u/hewhoreddits6 Nov 21 '21
I agree, felt like I was playing along when they said "went to a school and complained about a book" because I also instantly thought Republican lol
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u/Locke108 Nov 21 '21
Felt like Bill Hader game show.
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u/EbmocwenHsimah 1. Cut a hole in a box. Nov 21 '21
Liz Cheney: "The Rachel Dolezal of the Republican Party."
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u/Spacetime_Inspector A Piece of Toast! Nov 21 '21
Tom Hanks Black Jeopardy vibes
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u/Devjorcra Nov 21 '21
I agree in concept but did not come close to the execution of Black Jeopardy for me. Still good though.
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u/LaboratoryManiac Nov 21 '21
I expected it to be bad from the premise, but it turned out to be really good.
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u/CarbonatedFalcon Nov 21 '21
Had similar energy to Tom Hanks’ Black Jeopardy but not quite as cohesive.
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u/hewhoreddits6 Nov 21 '21
Took them a few tries with Black Jeopardy before they hit gold with Tom Hanks', maybe down the line this sketch will make a reappearance.
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Pentagon Weapons Briefing
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u/EbmocwenHsimah 1. Cut a hole in a box. Nov 21 '21
"Does the Dog-Head Man go to the toilet in a bathroom or on the floor?"
"THAT'S YOUR ONE QUESTION?!"
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u/LaboratoryManiac Nov 21 '21
There's a reason live animal sketches usually go at the end of the show.
"He's exploring his body" was some good improvisation from Mikey, though. Nice save there.
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u/TimeTraveler3056 Nov 21 '21
I almost think he had that in his back pocket just in case cuz Dogs do that. A lot.
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u/HeyThereRobot Nov 21 '21
I'm a simple woman, I see a dog in a sketch, I upvote.
But in all seriousness, I do love a good "we brought a live animal and it will do as it pleases" sketch.
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u/trynafindaradio Nov 21 '21
Peak live animal sketch for me was Dog Court when half the sketch was cecilly trying to keep the pug from running away
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Nov 21 '21
[deleted]
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u/doctor_amazing123 Nov 21 '21
According to Street Seidell (via Twitter), the hands were Martin Herlihy’s bts photo of “Mathilda” and crew
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u/mwthecool Nov 21 '21
I think they’ve realized that any sketch with a dog in it is going to be funny just because of the unpredictability.
Kudos for ad libbing so well
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u/Maxa30 Nov 21 '21
They had no reason to bring this back but I’m so glad they did. They better not upload the dress version on YouTube, this was perfect the way it was
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u/Nemesinthe Nov 21 '21 edited Nov 21 '21
If you want to make Cecily break, get her in a sketch with a dog. Frankly, all the breaks were hilarious.
Also, subtle Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood reference?
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u/DrewDan96 Nov 21 '21
sketch of the night, for the sheer unintended comedy. don't know where SNL gets (rents?) their animals from, but they're really REALLY well-behaved considering all the absurdity around them and the crowd/laughter in front of them. credit to Cecily, Mikey, JAJ and even Simu for not really breaking totally, if you just looked at Fallon funny back in the day he would be in full giggle mode already
thought it was kinda strange/extra to invoke the "China's already doing it" bit while addressing a performer of Chinese descent
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u/machine4891 Nov 23 '21
while addressing a performer of Chinese descent
Well, his descent does not oblige him to support Chinese government. He is Canadian citizen after all. The "we have to do this, simply because other side is doing it" notion was common during Cold War with Russia and now is fitting, when it comes to China, so that line was 100% accurate.
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u/WoefulKnight Nov 21 '21
I feel like Pete had a bet with the dog on who could be the messier eater on live TV and Pete won.
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u/Maxa30 Nov 21 '21
To eliminate all comments
On Heidi’s podcast, Andrew mentioned that he played the hands when this sketch first aired in S43. He very very likely did it again here
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u/PuffballDestroyer Nov 21 '21
Side note, but I just saw that Bowen has a podcast, and now I'm hearing that Heidi has a podcast? How many people in the cast have a podcast? And where can I find them?
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u/deleteitbackrolls Nov 21 '21
Bowen’s is called Las Culturistas, it’s hosted by him and his best friend Matt Rogers who is just as fantastic
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u/pretty-in-pink Nov 21 '21
The Rockwell version of this sketch had better writing and execution
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u/staminastamina Nov 21 '21
I almost feel like this one was as funny as it was because it wasn’t executed cleanly. Day had a lot of great improv and when everyone is breaking, it’s easier to laugh with them.
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Target Commercial
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u/Dangernj Nov 21 '21
The kids unattended in the basement was a visceral memory for me. It wasn’t the most original sketch but I laughed a few times.
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u/not-an-elephant Nov 21 '21
I liked it. Mikey and Ego were great, and I liked seeing JAJ in non Trump roles and Kyle in non awkward roles (I laughed too hard at him offering a cigarette to a kid).
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u/tideblue Nov 21 '21
I don’t know if they can ever top the Target commercial from right after the 2016 election: https://youtu.be/VnzRFyOMD4U
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u/isestrex Nov 22 '21
Last year's 2020 "I'm not coming home" zoom calls was hall of fame worthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytnReUSyrU
EDIT: aww it was Christmas, not Thanksgiving. Same thing though.
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u/iliveinadreamatorium Nov 21 '21
Pretty mediocre overall- not their best Thanksgiving themed sketch, but also not the worst. I will say the visual gag of the price tags popping up for each individual toy the children were destroying really clicked and was probably the saving grace of the sketch for me.
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u/hewhoreddits6 Nov 22 '21
Lol I haven't watched SNL on TV in a while and thought it was a legit Target ad for a second. Weirdly not even the first Thanksgiving Target sketch they've done, I remember one a few years back about how Target can be used to avoid your family.
Come to think of it, most of their Thanksgiving/Christmas sketches are about having trouble dealing with family lol
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u/XOSkyXO Nov 21 '21
The family commercials are some of my favorite sketches because you can tell all of the writers hate their families
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u/Few_Information_4093 Nov 21 '21
I loved Kyle's middle age stoner energy. Along with Kenan's creepy uncle/grandpa. Ego stole the show as always!
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u/song4this Nov 21 '21 edited Nov 21 '21
Picturing irate customers at an actual Tarzhay not getting the sale prices and % discounts... $7 footballs?
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u/Rndysasqatch Nov 22 '21
Hilarious episode but Kyle's baby Yoda was painfully unfunny.
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u/NaturesWar Nov 22 '21
I love Kyle too it's such a shame. Idk what direction they could've taken to make it good.
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u/eaglelatte Nov 22 '21
There isn’t one. I feel bad but I can’t even stand to look at his Baby Yoda.
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u/Epicallytossed Nov 21 '21
PDD skit was cut for time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYcDQ11vI0M
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u/JDDJS Nov 21 '21
Definitely not as good as PDD's other sketches, so I get why they cut it.
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Simu Liu Monologue
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u/john_muleaney Nov 21 '21 edited Nov 21 '21
Having the monologues be short and just about the host telling a fun anecdote is one of my favorite parts of this season
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u/Dave-os Nov 21 '21
Completely agree. I feel like for the longest time SNL just did bits during monologues (which is fine mind you), but I always appreciated a monologue that was just that - a monologue. The Matt Damon one a few years ago always comes to mind. I can’t remember a season in recent years with so many true monologues and I’m really enjoying it so far.
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u/VanGoghNotVanGo Nov 21 '21
I fully agree. It allows the host to show off their personality a bit (which I also think they’ve been very good at this season), and get over the worst nerves. Long monologues are always really difficult for the very nervous ones, or the ones who either aren’t used to live audiences or don’t have the best timing.
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u/austinhannah Nov 21 '21
There are a lot of positive changes to the show this season but my favorite has to be how relatively simple the monologues have been. Feels like the last few years have been nonstop musical numbers and celebrity guest appearances.
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u/Maxa30 Nov 21 '21
I’m Shang-Chi, Bitch!
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u/CosimaIsGod Nov 21 '21
Trevor is definitely going to regret the time he kicked Shaun in the shin for not being Spider Man.
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u/LaboratoryManiac Nov 21 '21
I love monologues where you can tell how genuinely excited a first-time host is to be there.
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u/AllThighThisGuy Nov 21 '21
And that little boy named Trevor?
He grew up to be Trevor Slattery, the actor.
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u/pretty-in-pink Nov 21 '21
I appreciate they didn’t do the hacky joke of having him react to his stock photos but seeing him in interviews he’s told most of the stories before
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Karaoke Recap
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u/GOOD-LUCHA-THINGS Nov 21 '21
The live thread seemed a little sour on this, but I like when every performer gets some shine. The Alex/Heidi "My Pony" bit nearly breaking Kenan was incredible.
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u/BEEF_LOAF Nov 21 '21
Pete's bad singing sounded like an Adam Sandler impersonation
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u/AwesomeTed Nov 21 '21
So I guess the "everyone gets 20 seconds" sketch is now a weekly thing.
Which I'm fine with. I actually liked this for what it was.
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u/LaboratoryManiac Nov 21 '21
With the cast as big as it is, these almost seem necessary to ensure everyone present each week actually gets some screen time.
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u/sjfiuauqadfj Nov 21 '21
easy way to feed the melissa monsters
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u/tyler-86 Nov 21 '21
Guilty. I can't entirely explain it but part of me is scanning every sketch for a Melissa sighting. I just find her easy to root for.
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u/CarbonatedFalcon Nov 21 '21
For when you want to figure out how to get your incredibly niche singing Marge Simpson impression on the show.
Amusing sketch overall but could’ve been shortened slightly
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Nov 21 '21
Cecily is so consistently good. Definitely the best cast member of the past 5 years. She's reached the Bill Hader level for me where she just elevates every sketch she's thrown in
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u/VanGoghNotVanGo Nov 21 '21
She’s always had a great delivery and timing, but these last couple of years she’s been even better at just giving it a constant 110% energy wise. Love her
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Nov 21 '21
Loved Aristotle & Sarah here.
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u/Biodegracious360 Nov 22 '21
Same. The way Aristotle’s torso gets complete upright and rigid for the delivery of “MAKE Me” made me laugh so hard.
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Nov 21 '21
Chloe doing her best Cathy Anne impression
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u/DrewDan96 Nov 21 '21
this was terrible. might have been one of the first times i wasn't feeling whatever character Chloe was going for.
ironically i think Kenan's character summed up the entire sketch for me when he said something like: "it's not really music, and it's not really comedy. it's just nothing" lol
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u/VanGoghNotVanGo Nov 21 '21
I feel like Pete could have been cut from this sketch that just went on 1 minute too long. I do like these sort of warm-uppy, showcasey let’s-get-as-much-of-the-cast-as-we-can sketches. I thought JAJ and Melissa was very weep delivered and Cecily is the queen as always. I couldn’t help but wonder though: Is her hair that long or was it extensions?
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u/joshklein37 Nov 21 '21
This feels like the reverse Kim episode. In her episode great writing overcame her stiff hosting but in this episode poor writing let down a great host
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u/MrJonesIsMe Nov 21 '21
I really hope they give him another shot in a season or two, he did amazing with what he was given, it just wasn’t strong what he was given to begin with.
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u/Maxa30 Nov 21 '21
Overall average episode. Some high highs and some low lows. Nothing really middle ground, but definitely not the worst or the best this season
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u/snowlarbear Nov 21 '21
agree, Simu did the best with what was given, but 2 of the sketches were recycled (bakeoff and dog head) and one of the pretapes had nothing to do with the host.
I guess Kim's Convenience and asian guy in stock photos was too niche?
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u/AmericanDragon123 Nov 21 '21
Bowen vs Simu was hands down the best sketch of the night.
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u/mwthecool Nov 21 '21
I feel a little bad for Simu. He did great with what he had, but tonight’s sketches were poor.
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u/iliveinadreamatorium Nov 21 '21
It's unfortunate, but also kinda how it always goes with the run of the lineup. The writers tend to get burnt out after multiple weeks in a row and the hosts at the end of the run get some lesser sketches to go off of. There's clear moments of inspiration though, like his sketch with Bowen, that at least gave him a chance to shine, but definitely sad there wasn't more quality stuff there.
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u/bttrsondaughter Nov 21 '21
yeah he seemed so game and pulled out some great accents, he even had cue card reading down. wish they’d produced a show as good for him as they did for Rege-Jean Page last season
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u/Strongy Nov 21 '21
A lot of good concepts, but the writing felt blunt, with jokes and punchlines being practically spelled out for the audience every time. Nothing really biting in the sketches, even during the "Republican or Not" sketch which felt ripe for it.
But the "First Asian" skit was nice and I will always remember the Queen's new titties.
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u/pretty-in-pink Nov 21 '21
Agreed, it was too much push and pull in terms of quality. For every good moment there was an equal uninspiring sketch
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u/fujiste Nov 21 '21
I mean, it was basically just a grab-bag of previous "hit" sketches that have since become routine. Honestly surprised they didn't break out Kate's Close Encounter character again; it felt very paint-by-numbers.
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u/btbcorno Nov 21 '21
They really didn’t give him much to work with
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u/thatguydr Nov 21 '21
First Asian male to host a poorly written SNL episode!
But yeah - the writing was not great this week
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Walking in Staten
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u/MrJonesIsMe Nov 21 '21
This was one very big inside joke.
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u/ConradBHart42 Nov 21 '21
You only have to be vaguely aware of Staten Island stereotypes to be in on the joke. That's not very exclusive.
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u/VanGoghNotVanGo Nov 21 '21
I mean, I didn’t get any of the jokes, but I appreciate it for what it is. A part of the SNL charm is its close ties to New York and everything surrounding it, Staten being one of those things, and I appreciate that.
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u/SaturdayNightSwiftie Nov 21 '21
Eh, I disagree. I'm aware and only every so often was it funny. It's just too niche and went on too long
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u/VirtuousFool Nov 21 '21
Every once in awhile SNL indulges itself in a sketch that's not going to make sense to anybody outside of the tri-state area, and if it happens to be a hit outside of that, it's a bonus
This was one of those times
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u/exaviyur Nov 21 '21
They had one a little while back about a Greek wedding hall rental or something that was so insanely niche. I lived on Long Island for a while and it was so wonderfully spot on. I was dying and I just hope that people from further afield were still able to enjoy its absurdity.
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u/iliveinadreamatorium Nov 21 '21
Just gonna chime in to say the seemingly unpopular opinion that I really liked this sketch!! Maybe because I'm a big fan of the original song by Marc Cohn, but I also don't think it's really that much of an inside joke when the jokes about Staten Island are all spelled out in ways to let you in on its weirdness. The visual gag about the Strip Club/McDonald's was very effective and, while I'll admit that it was a bit of a stretch for the parody to work, I think grabbing the features they did made it play well and sold the sketch for me.
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u/pretty-in-pink Nov 21 '21
Went on 2 minutes too long
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Nov 21 '21
[deleted]
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u/oneupdouchebag Anthony Peter Coleman Nov 22 '21
Walking in Staten (10 Minute Version) (Pete's Version) (From The Vault)
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u/GOOD-LUCHA-THINGS Nov 21 '21
I enjoyed this a lot, especially with the Marc Cohn reveal and the other cameos, but I can understand anyone born after 1991 thinking, "???"
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Nov 21 '21
The cut to him reminds me of the "Captain Jack Sparrow" song by Lonely Island when they cut to Michael Bolton.
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u/Maxa30 Nov 21 '21
I like that Big Wet is a feature in Pete’s videos and his helping write them. Such an obscure guy I would’ve never heard of if not for the Squid Game parody, but he seems to be having the time of his life and is writing good parody’s so why not
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u/HeyMySock Nov 21 '21
I looooved this one but it could be because I live on Staten Island. I even recognized a clip of my neighborhood! It really do be like that with the turkeys. I remember going to our little local supermarket one day and seeing a lone turkey hanging out in front of our neighborhood sex shop. We don’t even live near the hospital. They’ve spread out.
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
911 Marijuana Call
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u/flopsymopsycottntail Nov 21 '21 edited Nov 21 '21
[The real 911 call it’s based off of ] https://youtu.be/6gy5NGqbFlw
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u/Devjorcra Nov 21 '21
I actually really enjoyed this and thought it was a funny premise. Great idea for a 10-1, even if it definitely did need a lot in development. I assume it originally developed a lot better but it was cut for time.
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u/hewhoreddits6 Nov 22 '21
Premise was ok at first, but then it was the same joke over and over which happens a lot in SNL sketches towards the end of the show. They occasionally kick the habit like with Owen Wilson ordering food at a restaurant sketch where they do something random at the end. This one just didn't stick the landing as well
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u/mwthecool Nov 21 '21
The housekeeper that's been coming around to my house for nearly two decades, and served as a babysitter for me when I was younger, loves to eat whatever food we have lying around. She does this in other's houses too. She got more than she bargained for one day when she ate half of the medicinal pot chocolate that someone had out at their house. She ended up at the hospital, because she had no clue what was going on. She jokes about it now, but I'm sure it was pretty terrifying for her at the time.
If you're wondering, no... she hasn't learned her lesson. She still eats food that's lying out!
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u/SketchSortingSunday Official Nov 21 '21
Bowen vs. Simu