season 50, episode 5, John Mulaney

Lorne Michaels doesn’t like to express strong regrets in interviews. He seems to prefer something between calm and philosophical, meaning he is often aloof. Sometimes this means that his reflections on mistakes or triumphs – but especially mistakes – in history Saturday Night Live must be extracted from between the lines. We can infer that he thinks a particular hire was a mistake when he is fired (usually prematurely) after a season or two. And perhaps we can conclude that when he turns writers-turned-entertainers like Tina Fey or John Mulaney into near-permanent hosts in their graduates’ afterlives, he (dare to dream!) realizes that it would be wise to give they need more cameras. the time when they were at his usual disposal. It’s as if he has a chance to answer the usually hypothetical question: “If not now, then when?” and to create the illusion that in the show’s continuum, which is by definition limited in time, there is somehow time for corrections to be made. (What this says about his apparent desire to keep his cool with Shane Gillies is troubling.)

Then again, maybe he’s just redesigning these figures to make them more visible on camera so that as time goes on people can forget that they weren’t on screen that often when they actually worked there, and so that Michaels remains firmly in place embedded in their career narratives. (Kind of like the opposite of the Steve Martin effect, where he hosted so often that people later assumed he was an actor.) And, of course, Tina Fey was on camera; she was dynamite on Weekend Update. But she also seemed to set a precedent that at least one Update host was expected to avoid sketches whenever possible—which seemed odd to anyone who, say, regularly attended ASSSCAT’s Sunday night shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in early 2000s, where Fey excelled at improv comedy sketches and kept up with Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch. This will continue to seem strange since Fey starred in 30 Rockmade films and SNL visits and performances, most of her famous SNL something came after her six years on the show.

Mulaney, for his part, had a couple of on-air auditions when he was a writer; My point is that there were two Weekend Update articles, one (or only?) of which was about how his father was a spokesman for Rockport shoes, unbeknownst to anyone at Rockport. (As a Rockport enthusiast who wore them to every adult job I ever had until I gave up and wore regular sneakers, I found this very funny.) Apparently, despite my enthusiasm, no one saw it. as he performed particularly well, and Mulaney remained a writer – only to become such a frequent host, he reached the five-fold mark faster than anyone other than Steve Martin and Buck Henry. This week’s episode brought his tally to six – tying Fey (and Scarlett Johansson and Elliot Gould and Drew Barrymore, among others). Only seven people took part more times, and one of them is dead. Another thing is what happened to Chevy Chase.

However, Mulaney will likely never fully blend in and be mistaken for a former actor because his episodes, perhaps more than any other recurring host except for a few episodes with Martin, attract more writers. This does not mean that they are perfect, that they are immune to various SNL pitfalls, or that Mulaney is an inimitable visionary who writes next-level sketches exclusively. It has at least three repeating bits. (And besides, he certainly doesn’t single-handedly write every sketch just because he used to work there.) But this latest episode in particular feels confident in every single piece it presents, and in the fact that It puts Mulaney front and center, even if it meant not actually making as many pieces as usual. This is a long-winded way of pointing out that a total of three live sketches were performed this week (not counting the cold open, which always seems like something else).

Some of it is just luck. If you have a host who delivers a monologue standing up, you’ll get something more serious in a commercial that might otherwise be the most superficial of the evening, but it will also take up a little more time. If there is more than one guest on the update, as was the case this evening, a few more minutes will pass. Oh, what if the next President of the United States crosses his fingers at the end of his campaign, coldly opening up a candidacy that already feels obligated to include five different political visions? Honestly, it’s a wonder they even had time for any proper sketches. However, one of the best parts of this episode, besides the fact that nothing exploded in it, and another stroke of luck from Chappell Rohan performing a couple of sumptuous numbers that included a seemingly brand new song, was that the skits seemed , never ended suddenly. panic or excuses on a good premise or even a quick run through a bad one. Quite the contrary: Sometimes they patiently developed even if viewers had no idea why anyone would want to do a sketch about Little Richard ruining a family sitcom in the early ’90s. These sketches weren’t exactly slow, but their patience suited Mulaney’s performance style. His stand-up is built on specific explanations and clarifications and tonally precise turns of phrase, rather than quick punchlines.

This was both the inspiration and the curse of Mulaney’s signature hosting gig: staging a full-blown musical parody of some New York nastiness. For the first time, the realization came that for some reason this would be an escalating series Les Miserables the riffs on diners inexplicably putting lobster on the menu were great. But in later versions this sense of wonder was not simply lost; they also scaled back the conceptual discipline in favor of a more revue-like approach, mixing and matching songs from various Broadway shows and, more annoyingly, several movie musicals.

The ship sailed according to this sketch, more strictly adhering to a number of rules that, I admit, many may not seem particularly important. But this episode, which began with Pete Davidson buying a gallon of milk at the Port Authority outpost in Duane Reade, somehow seemed more affirmative: about a new round of New York troubles; about the joys of showing truly stupid Broadway skits to even a suspicious audience (yes, a few lightweight Disney tunes, but also: Andy Samberg performing at the beginning Hamilton like a dead bear); about Mulaney’s undying love for this routine in general. It lasted eight minutes, and I immediately felt stupid for thinking that the Dan Bulla-directed (very funny) space monkey story might have gone on a little longer than expected. That’s what Mulaney episodes are really for, right? Works of writing that contain more jokes and odd notes than are conceptually necessary—where a primate puppet character named Beppo mercilessly explodes and returns to Earth with surprising charm. It is believed that Little Richard actually shot and killed a dog on the set of the comedy series. Where Sarah Sherman stands on set for several minutes just for Margaret Atwood’s topper. If not now, then when?

What was on

Besides the aforementioned space monkey, the episode managed to bring back “What’s That Name?” for an election-themed episode edgier than anything in the show’s political humor section.

On the other hand, looking at the upcoming election on a more granular level, the fake ad for a New York Assemblyman unfortunately named Harvey Epstein was completely absurd but perfectly placed on the live stream, at least where I live . , about 80% featured political ads that focused on who could do the best job of securing the Nassau County border. (I wish I was joking.)

What was turned off

I haven’t talked much about Weekend Update in these reviews so far because there’s not much to say about a ten-year tenure as the team’s host that really should end this season since “three years ago” is no longer an option. But in an episode that was mostly good, the shrug-worthy upgrade jokes stood out more than usual. As for the big cold open, well, maybe I’m taking it a little easier, knowing that no matter what happens on Tuesday, we’re unlikely to see many of those impressive five-to-one sketches again, whereas Jost and Che will be here until at least May and possibly 2035. As for Kamala Harris’ actual cameo, there’s almost nothing the show can do with the material that isn’t met with a lot of ridicule. It was wonderful. A little cute, a little goofy.

Most Valuable Player (who may not be ready for prime time)

Michael Longfellow has a very specific deadpan demeanor, and he perfectly turned it into menace as the host of What’s It’s Name? (and it’s not easy to follow Bill Hader in a Mulaney-centric sketch). It may seem like a small thing to hang the MVP title on, but in fact most of the cast (with the possible exception of Kenan as Little Richard and Heidi Gardner as Reba) were in supporting mode this week, to good effect .

Next time

I don’t usually feel one way or the other about Bill Burr, but I felt a wave of relief when I learned that he had replaced Dave Chappelle as the host chosen to help us through any potentially tough times that may lie ahead. (Or, more likely, Chappelle turned down Lorne?)

Random Observations

• • Literally dozens, if not hundreds, perhaps thousands of people joked that the series, hosted by John Mulaney and featuring music by Chappell Roane, would inspire record levels of normal behavior online. Some twisted part of me wishes that one or both of them would do something else that would drive their parasocial networks crazy. But “make a solid episode” is probably the best choice in this regard.
• • I like Chappell Rohan, but “Pink Pony Club” sounds like it could fit in Rock of Ages and that doesn’t suit me! However, recording a non-album track (apparently called “The Giver”) for the second song is a bold decision.
• • The part of “News” with Marcello and Jane as a couple who can’t be believed to be together, plays into whatever stereotypes might have been held about each performer: Marcello is very loud and Jane is very recessive. But he bent over so much that he started working again.
• • Where the hell was…? Here’s the part of the recap where I ask where the hell this or that cast member was. Where the hell is Ego Nwodim? Again?! She wasn’t completely absent, but she could have been used more this season overall.