'Wasn't That Special' Season 40 Bonus Materials
As the Wasn’t That Special co-hosts watch each season of Saturday Night Live, they compare notes on each episode, chatting back and forth about popular and long-forgotten sketches. Some of the topics they discuss make it to the final podcast; others are left on the cutting room floor.
But for those of you who join at the Executive Producer level have access to Christian and Scot’s behind-the-scenes notes, as well as bonus materials the co-hosts used to prepare for the episode.
Please enjoy this free edition of the Season Forty bonus notes section, with the clips coming soon.
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Episode One: Chris Pratt
Christian: A total bomb right out of the gate - Pratt was substandard, and there was barely any Bayer or McKinnon. Not promising. Mike O'Brien and Tim Robinson are still in the writer's room, along with Leslie Jones, who was 47 at the time.
Scot: Additional sketch by Jim Downey? Which one?
NFL has problems with domestic abuse - Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson - Kenan is Ray Lewis and Pharoah is Shannon Sharpe, Aidy Bryant as Candy Crowley
Christian: Off to a bad start. I groaned when I saw Pharoah is still on the show - he's terrible here.
Scot: Dead from the get-go, Goodell cutaways are worthless.
Mooney's birthday wish comes true, He-Man, She-Ra come to life
Christian: This is awful. Mooney's staring down cue cards doesn't help.
Scot: Probably 32 writers on staff at this point and this disjointed mess leads off the season.
Girls night out - Aidy Bryant and Pratt flirt with each other by rapping
Christian: Bryant's first truly bad decision on the show.
Scot: A much dirtier, much worse version of the "Your Love" sketch from last year.
Episode Two: Sarah Silverman
Silverman sits on an audience member’s lap and takes questions from her younger self
Scot: This is a very Vince Vaughn-esque performance from his monologue. She's not as good at it, but the back half of this redeems the monologue.
Just-arrived Joan Rivers (Silverman) roasts other dead celebrities in heaven
Christian: This is like Pharoah doing Chris Rock - it's hard to do a comedian who is way funnier than you are.
Scot: Silverman is stumbling over all the punch lines which kinda kills this thing.
River Cruise - (Strong, Zamata, Silverman) do “Proud Mary” on a Nebraska steamboat
Christian: It's the female version of the song reminiscing guys and doesn't work at all.
Scot: Allegations out there that this was stolen almost verbatim from the Groundlings - Not sure why they would have bothered.
Vitamix commercial - Bayer's pricey Vitamix blender leads to fighting with a friend (Silverman)
Christian: Not for me.
Scot: Is this the only Bayer all night? - The crowd wasn't feeling this at all, but I liked it.
Episode Three: Bill Hader
Scot: Vacillates between things killed by poor writing and things saved by Hader's performance
Hollywood Game Night - Jane Lynch (McKinnon). Al Pacino (Hader), Kathie Lee Gifford (Wiig)
Christian: "Frankly my dear I don't give a prostitute my home address" bumps it a point for me.
Scot: These contestants sure are dumb!! - There is a *lot* of Wiig here.
Puppetry Class - Killam leads the class - Moynihan and Strong - Anthony Peter Coleman (Hader) returns with war stories
Christian: Contrast done just about as well as it can be done.
Scot: This seems like a bad idea - I was wrong. Slightly too close to the original to be a home run, but a solid triple. Multiple laugh lines.
Inside SoCal - Bennett and Mooney host, Davidson and Hader "help"
Christian: Might as well be five minutes of dead air.
Scot: This cannot be saved.
Episode Four: Jim Carrey
Ebola czar Ron Klain (Killam) & Al Sharpton (Kenan) address public health
Scot: Killam is stepping all over himself - Stretch of bad cold opens continues - Prescient: "Be safe. Brush your teeth with Purell." It's not quite bleach, but...
Carrey Family Reunion - Jeff Daniels & others (Killam, Moynihan, Strong, Mooney) are just like Carrey
Christian: Took exactly zero effort to write this and only shows that Carrey was once funny.
Scot: Variation of the Walken Family Reunion sketch from S33 - Killam is pretty dead-on - Predictable in a way, but very likable.
Graveyard Song - Paul (Killam) & Phil (Carrey) haunt a graveyard on Halloween
Scot: It's a dry run for David S. Pumpkins.
Christian: Oh, this is 100% the David S. Pumpkins precursor.
Ghosts: Fact or Fiction - (Jones) gets spooked during paranormal search
Christian: Saw what was coming from the second it started, but it still paid off.
Carrey and McKinnon dance a la Sia’s “Chandelier” video
Scot: Partially the Forte basketball sketch, partially the old Martin/Radner dance.
Geoff’s (Carrey) Halloween Emporium proprietor is possessed by a demon
Scot: It's a bizarre Ex-Porn Stars sketch, is what it is.
Episode Five: Chris Rock
Christian: The lack of Bayer so far this season has been criminal.
Scot: There's been a higher number of flubs early on. Residue of doing so many taped pieces?
How 2 Dance With Janelle - Teen vlogger Janelle (Zamata) is confronted by her dad (Rock)
Scot: Mooney is totally unnecessary to this sketch.
Shark Tank - Investors (Killam, McKinnon, Kenan, Bennett) consider a pitch from members of ISIS (Rock, Mooney)
Scot: McKinnon's impression is dead-on - surprised they "went there" with this on, but it's generally good.
Swiftamine commercial - fights vertigo caused by Taylor Swift fan cognitive dissonance
Scot: A great commercial. Semi-prescient in predicting Swift's ability to attract everyone and anyone's ears (see recent tour).
Christian: Fully prescient.
An old couple (Rock) & (Jones) argues while preparing for an anniversary outing
Christian: It's not great, but I thought there was some decent stuff here.
Scot: Jones is completely lost, blows a scene, and then blows a line. Two weak sketch performers paired up alone result in a mess.
Women in the Workplace - (Strong, McKinnon) 1990s training video talks about diversity
Christian: Love the added seasoning of weirdness.
Scot: Prescient: We weren't talking about "intersectionality" in 2014, but here it is on display.
Episode Six: Woody Harrelson
Christian: A great episode that also perfectly predicts the world in ten years. The whole episode is prescient!
Scot: What's this? A great episode? Not an all-timer, but the most consistent thing we've seen in a long, long time. Great host, very good writing, excellent Weekend Update.
The Dudleys - viewer feedback leads to PC changes on a sitcom; Uzo Aduba cameo
Christian: I think we have a winner in the prescient sweepstakes.
Match'd - Horny contestants (Bennett, Killam, Mooney) deal with bachelorette’s (Strong) dad/host (Harrelson)
Christian: This might be a "one they wouldn't do today" because the male contestants probably wouldn't even consider being polite?
Scot: "Can't shake hands with a ghost" is a killer line - Lota stuff working here, couldn't quite nail the landing.
New Marijuana Policy - end of pot possession arrests sends NYC stoners out-of-doors
Christian: Also prescient - NYC smells like weed on every street now.
Campfire Song - Harrelson can’t get friends to help with apple song at a campfire singalong
Christian: I liked it just fine. "Cock of the walk" is a More Cowbell callback.
Scot: James Anderson/Kent Sublette wrote it.
Episode Seven: Cameron Diaz
Christian: At season's end, I am going to do a separate calculation to see what the season grade would be without Kyle Mooney pre-tapes. This cast has the idea of recurring characters backward - they think the character is the endpoint, when it should just be the beginning. The character has to do funny things, not just use a voice or physical movements (see: Bayer's poetry teacher, Bennett's Baby Boss, and Mooney's mumbly films.)
Scot: It was a good episode right up until the moment it stopped being good and decided to suck. Dennis McNicholas is back to produce WU.
Schoolhouse Rock! - How does a bill (Kenan) become law? Obama (Pharoah) uses Executive Order (Moynihan) instead
Christian: Someone should write a whole column about this in a national magazine! OH WAIT.
Scot: One of the sharper satire sticks they've used in a while.
Back Home Ballers - home for Thanksgiving, women enjoy parents’ largesse
Christian: Jones' disquisition on bowls pushes this higher.
Scot: I appreciate that they bring neighbor Jean back, who was name-checked in Twin Bed - Not as good, but well-produced and decent.
Baby Boss - Kenan has dinner at Mr. Patterson’s (Bennett) house
Christian: Eh, I'm pretty much done with this.
Scot: A badly needed change of scenery.
Poetry Class - Miss Meadows’ (Bayer) friend (Diaz) reads a poem about the UPS Man
Christian: It's pretty much just a voice?
Scot: A step back. Still like Bayer here!
Night Murmurs phone chatters (Strong, Diaz, McKinnon) have some favors to ask
Christian: Might have rated it higher if it was maybe a minute shorter. Needed an editor.
Scot: A very specific tone/feel to many recent 10-to-1s. This one didn't work.
Episode Eight: James Franco
Christian: All over the place - two "1s" and two "4s" for me. Franco remains a bad host.
Scot: A dud. Zero McKinnon? How do you let that happen?
Peter Pan Live - Tonkerbell (Bryant) contends with Captain Hook (Franco)
Christian: I don't know if Franco told them he could do Walken, but if he did, they should sue him.
Scot: Ugh, this is a total mess.
Jingle Ballerz - Davidson hosts - Hip Hop Nativity features Kanye West (Pharoah) as Jesus
Christian: Appalling.
Scot: Third straight impression workout - Hated it.
Grow-A- Guy - friendless (O'Brien) germinates a companion (Franco) - "A Mike O'Brien picture"
Christian: I REALLY liked this. Total Black Mirror vibe.
Magic Bridge - Bridge troll (Franco) gets a kiss from (Mooney) instead of a riddle solution
Christian: See above comment on recurring characters at the end of last episode. An accent is not a sketch. I actually don't hate this character, but she's best behind the Weekend Update desk.
Scot: Debut of Strong's Cathy Ann character - Absolute silence from the crowd.
Episode Nine: Martin Freeman
Scot: Do I know this person (Martin Freeman)?? Love Actually?
Christian: The original Office? Any of the Hobbit movies? The BBC Sherlock Holmes series? Black Panther?
Scot: I've never seen any of these things. Killam is everywhere tonight. Haven't had a show like that in a while with one person up front.
Everyone at the wedding of a weird couple (Freeman & Jones) has an objection
Christian: I've said it before, but the great McKinnon bit is straight out of the Forte playbook.
Scot: McKinnon, fresh off the bench, nothing but net.
The Office: Middle Earth - Bilbo (Freeman) & Gollum (Killam) are paper salesmen
Christian: Pretty dead-on, at least from the British Office side.
Scot: Might be great, might be awful. I literally have no idea.
Right Side of the Bed with Gracelynn (Strong) and Cory (Killam) - Hosts keep teasing winterizing tips with Freeman
Scot: Yikes. Never close to entertaining. James Anderson & Kent Sublette wrote.
Christian: I did sort of like the cutaways to Freeman.
St. Joseph's Christmas Mass Spectacular commercial
Christian: Nice to see a sketch about religion that isn't just making fun of it.
Assembly Line - Gordon (Killam) can't figure out a ketchup assembly line
Christian: Maybe I just thought this because Freeman is there, but this feels very much like the traditional British comedy duo bit, like Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
Scot: Decent verbal acrobatics but there's no "there" there.
Holiday Gig - Sax player’s (Freeman) conflict becomes part of singer Treece Henderson’s (Kenan) gig
Christian: Wigs are not a sketch.
Waterbed Warehouse owner (Freeman) gives his wife (Bryant) a role in commercials
Christian: I kind of want a waterbed now.
Scot: I might regret this grade, but kinda feel this is one that will stick in my brain.
Episode Ten: Amy Adams
Monologue: Adams sings “We Need A Little Christmas” joined by Kristen Wiig
Christian: I actually enjoyed Wiig's involvement here.
Scot: We can't miss Wiig if she won't go away.
Asian American Dolls commercial - doll tries to avoid stereotypes
Christian: Really poking a lot of holes in PC culture this year.
Scot: "It's your funeral!"
Tenderfield Christmas 2014 - Video Xmas card recounts the bad year (Killam, Adams)
Christian: Lampooning the Holderness Family's "Christmas Jammies," which has 18 million views.
Serial - Sarah Koenig’s (Strong) podcast investigates Kris Kringle (Mooney)
Christian: Worried more about being a dead-on parody than being funny.
Scot: This tried to grab traction in a bunch of different ways and nothing took.
Office Christmas Party - a pre-tape song with Davidson
Christian: This is a lot of what the Pete Davidson era will be - pre-taped rap songs about mundane topics. There is an almost identical music video about office Christmas parties in the Chris Rock episode in S50.
Scot: The song sucks. Hard. And what they're trying to do isn't very funny anyway.
A Magical Christmas - Raccoons (McKinnon), (Adams), (Strong) wish to be human nightclub singers
Christian: Give this one extra credit for creativity and the "where the hell did that come from" factor.
Episode Eleven: Kevin Hart
Scot: Hart is a problem as a host, man. Just terribly limited.
Monologue: Hart stand-up about fearing wild animals in his neighborhood
Christian: Everyone has a coworker who thinks they tell hilarious stories by moving their hands around a lot and yelling things.
Scot: You might have said this previously, but there are no jokes. It's a sweat act.
Why'd You Post That - Hart critiques bad Instagram posters (Bayer, Bryant, Mooney)
Christian: Eh, I thought it was fine.
Scot: The tone seems way off on this thing. Weird, stiff, and uncomfortable.
Bushwick, Brooklyn 2015 - Bushwick thugs (Kenan), (Hart), (Pharoah) in gentrified part of town
Christian: Not only have we seen this before, but 10 years later, this already seems way out of date.
Scot: How many pure contrast pre-tapes like this do we really need?
Get On Up - During a 1971 performance, James Brown (Hart) has conversations with the band
Christian: A distant relative of More Cowbell - taking a part of a song (James Brown doing call-and-response with his band) and examining it fully.
Bayer gets different walk-on music than the rest of a soap opera reunion cast
Scot: It's dumb enough, only debating whether it's bad enough to earn a "1" - Yeah, the concept stinks.
Christian: Oh, this isn't THAT bad.
The Journey - everyone in the kingdom sings instead of acting, Hart calls them out
Christian: Also, more contrast - "What if we put a fast-talking black guy in a historical drama?"
Scot: Warmed over version of those couple of old Norm sketches.
Sia - “Chandelier”
Christian: This is actually an incredible vocal performance.
Rapper (Hart) performs song for his crew that reveals their secrets
Christian: Finally, a sketch that utilizes Hart's energy in the right way.
Scot: Grew on me. The gummy thing was really good. Shaky ending.
Episode Twelve: Blake Shelton
Christian: Two limited hosts in a row.
Scot: Beck Bennett has utterly disappeared.
Wishin' Boot - McKinnon, Bryant, and Shelton sing about magical country shoe
Christian: You're telling me this couldn't have been a hit on modern country radio?
Scot: It's more pastiche than humorous? Like,"Hey, nice job replicating the style/tone of current country hits!"
Topeka Today - widower (Killam) wrote a bitter song about 70-year marriage to McKinnon
Christian: Obvious where this was headed, then it was four minutes of tedium.
Scot: The song isn't what you expect it might be!
Formerly-skeptical audience member (Shelton) asks magician (Killam) for powers
Scot: Should've been a lot better. As is, “I wanna be a black guy just for one day” and “Guns for hands!” made me chuckle.
Christian: I liked it!
Episode Thirteen: J.K. Simmons
Christian: Neither Killam nor Moynihan are legendary cast members, but they are both perfectly capable of some really good moments. High-level utility guys.
Scot: Holy moly, three minutes of "goodnights" - Did Simmons do the Dennis Miller move in rhythm with the song? Solid episode post-open. O'Brien is running circles around Mooney when it comes to short films. We have arrived at the Black Lives Matter period.
Miss Trash 2015 - Bryant, Strong, and McKinnon compete in a pageant, hosted by Simmons
Christian: I chuckled a couple of times.
Microsoft Office animation Pushie (Moynihan) irritates computer user (Simmons)
Scot: Someone's gotta explain why Moynihan isn't pushed more through the season.
The Jay Z Story - 100% accurate biopic stars O'Brien, Sudeikis cameo
Christian: Second O'Brien film I really liked this year.
Scot: Enjoyed this the whole way through; lots of great little touches - Now that I mentioned the Dave Foley comparison, I can't unsee/hear it.
Simmons tells schoolkids about being a Japanese “messy boy” at Career Day
Scot: Simmons is perfect here.
40th Anniversary Special - February 15, 2015
Episode Fourteen: Dakota Johnson
Christian: With one exception, an appalling episode from front to back.
Scot: This was a wild ride! Johnson was generally weak in most roles.
Rudy Giuliani (Killam) has hard times post-9/11 glory days, Birdman (Bennett)
Christian: This is abysmal - there are no jokes, and Killam's impression isn't even an impression. Given your grade and the fact that I am sick, I thought I might be missing something, so I watched it again. But nope, sticking with my grade.
Scot: Falls pretty dead on the crowd, but this is on-point, accurate, biting/cutting in its own way (at the time), prescient, all that stuff - It's a writer's piece, I suppose.
ISIS commercial - Father (Killam) says goodbye to his daughter (Johnson) as she joins ISIS
Scot: Perfect tone/feel on this one.
Say What You Wanna Say - women (Strong, Bryant, Jones) tell the truth
Christian: Meh.
Scot: McKinnon's bathroom scene is outstanding - a pleasant surprise.
Young reporter (Mooney) quizzes Johnson at Fifty Shades Of Grey press junket
Scot: Good character from Mooney. The headline end is totally unnecessary. No, it's not a breakout, but it's better than most things Mooney has done.
Christian: You think THIS is Mooney's breakout character? It was obvious where this was going from the start.
Emergency Room - Patient (Killam) dies while surgeon (Kenan) explains why he’s dressed as Worf from Star Trek
Scot: I dunno. It had just enough weird charm to keep me engaged.
Episode Fifteen: Chris Hemsworth
Scot: Now Bryant is nowhere on the show.
A Message From Hillary Clinton - Hillary Clinton (McKinnon) is unconcerned about the email scandal threat
Christian: "This is not how Hillary Clinton goes down." It's kind of why she went down.
Scot: First real McKinnon as Clinton (she did a small role previously) - boy, she's good here.
Brother 2 Brother - twins Marky (Killam) & Matty (Hemsworth) are easy to identify
Christian: This might be the only time I say this in my life, but this might have been funnier if Mooney played the other brother.
The Iggy Azalea Show - Iggy Azalea’s (McKinnon) rap appropriation bugs Azealia Banks (Zamata)
Christian: I didn't think McKinnon could be in a sketch this bad, but here it is.
Scot: These types of sketches (more hip-hop/urban music culture) have a terrible success rate.
Reality House - reality show manufactures conflict among housemates (Mooney), (Bennett), (Hemsworth)
Christian: At least there's an observation here about reality shows that generate drama from nothing, but it's still substandard.
Scot: Yes, your point exactly.
Ex Porn Stars endorse Dolce & Gabbana
Scot: "That doesn't mean we can't smell a great deal when we snort it off a mirror." - This was a good one
Episode Sixteen: Dwayne Johnson
The Rock Obama - First Couple turns into The Rock Obama (Johnson) & She Rock Obama (Jones)
Christian: It took longer to perform this than it did to write it.
Scot: Oh, that's right, Obama still is POTUS - Wonder if Mooney's arm will be pulled off??
Pep Boys - Taking a cue from Starbucks, Pep Boys discusses gender & sexual identity with customers
Christian: Again, taking shots at political correctness is a big theme this season.
Wrestlemania Promo - Koko WatchOut (Johsnon) attacks Trashyard Mutt (Moynihan) during a promo
Christian: I honestly believe this crosses the line into "all-timer" status. Moynihan is so good.
Scot: Johnson really gets some good openings to shine here - upgraded because it really it nonstop escalation; no drop-off at all.
Dinner Date - boorish (Johnson) & girlfriend Gemma (Strong) crash (Kenan) & (Bayer) dinner date
Christian: Again, a recurring character is just the beginning of the sketch, not the end.
Scot: Strong is having character problems. As in, no idea how to develop one past the most basic outline.
Improv Show - Troupe (Bryant, Mooney, Davidson) draws inspiration from the creepy life of Robert Durst (McKinnon)
Christian: What?
Bayer and Johnson use good-cop odd-cop interrogation technique with (Killam)
Christian: Almost like one of Kenan's "scared straight" bits?
The Circus with Kyle - Mooney has difficulty finding worthwhile interview subjects
Christian: Watch SNL's worst cast member scare and confuse children!
Episode Seventeen: Michael Keaton
Christian: A perfectly solid episode until it collapsed at the end.
O'Brien film - high school student (O'Brien) asks teacher (Keaton) to be his prom date
Scot: Solid, but nothing unexpected. Bayer does wonders with 15 seconds of screen time.
Christian: Yep, very good, not great. Second your point about Bayer. She slays this with just a glance.
Ad Agency - Boss (Keaton) adds racy and base suggestions to pitches
Christian: Probably one of the last ones of these before #MeToo.
An Easter Message - Keaton presents his Easter basket contents with Portia (McKinnon) & Jordan (Moynihan)
Christian: Brutal.
Scot: Poor decisions all around - I know it's from the Walken/Buscemi tree, but something's way off.
Episode Eighteen: Taraji P. Henson
Christian: HUGE McKinnon episode.
Scot: I was going to mention this a couple of episodes ago, but McKinnon's domination is underway. Bryant and Bayer are hardest hit. This will be right at the bottom of the season. Real writing problems throughout.
Hillary Clinton (McKinnon) announces she's running for president, and tries to be relatable on social media, Bill Clinton (Hammond) crashes the video
Scot: McKinnon *gets* Clinton in a way that really puts the impression over.
McKinnon sells the 3-way poncho on QVC, can't think of the third way to wear it
Scot: Bryant reduced to a wordless model to get some time - pretty much nothing here.
South Centros - black Game of Thrones spinoff
Christian: This is like the least possible they could do with this?
How 2 Dance with Janelle returns
Christian: Almost note for note the same as the Chris Rock version.
Cookie from Empire joins Sesame Street
Christian: Contrast. Again, the least possible they could do with this.
Cinema Classics - A League of One's Own doesn't allow black player
Scot: So many one-joke-only sketches this year.
Episode Nineteen: Scarlett Johansson
Christian: The show is now finding all new ways to be abysmal.
Scot: Killam is in every freaking sketch. And is Bennett still alive? The focus on specialists (Davidson, Pharoah, Mooney, Che, Jost, Jones) is hamstringing the living crap out of this show.
NBC "simulcasts" Floyd Mayweather (Pharoah) vs. Manny Pacquiao (Bryant) fight
Christian: I cannot believe anyone thought this was worthwhile.
Scot: Brutally unfunny from the beginning of the extra-long crawl read to the very end.
TV 11 News Baltimore - Unrest in Baltimore leads to a game without fans; Killam and Kenan broadcast from the booth
Christian: Prescient given the fan-free COVID games a few years later.
Scot: I remember watching this game (it really happened, O's vs. White Sox). It was seriously weird.
Black Widow: Age of Me - The Marvel cinematic universe adds a chick flick starring Black Widow (Johansson)
Christian: Of course, the real Black Widow movie came in 2021.
Scot: Neat little twist by implying the only girl plot Marvel could think of is a RomCom - other than that, standard-issue movie trailer they've been running into the ground.
Johansson and Strong annoy museumgoers with random remarks at dinosaur exhibit
Christian: Just the worst. Why try to launch a recurring character with two people doing the same character? And what is Killam doing with his hair? Absolute dreck.
Scot: Gotta be an Anderson/Sublette - Strong went from "Better than I remember!" to "OMG stop her already" very quickly.
Jingle Writers - Bryant and Johansson pitch tonally wrong Pampers jingles full of desert animals
Christian: We've seen this before?
Episode Twenty: Reese Witherspoon
Christian: The terrible-sketch-to-Cecily-Strong ratio is alarmingly high.
Southern Republican Leadership Conference - Mike Huckabee (Bennett), Ben Carson (Kenan), Ted Cruz (Moynihan), Carly Fiorina (McKinnon), Rand Paul (Mooney), Marco Rubio (Killam)
Christian: "Won't it be fun to watch all these guys lose to Jeb Bush?"
Scot: Really pointless. They have nothing to say about any of the candidates.
The scene in LA - talk show hosted by Witherspoon and Strong, Davidson is a guest, Strong needs urinary pads
Scot: Unbelievably lazy to use the exact same joke twice here.
Picture Perfect - contestant (Moynihan) refuses to draw The Prophet Muhammad
Scot: Strong allegations this one was plagiarized from a Canadian show.
Student Theater Showcase lays the social commentary on thick
Scot: Don't know how many more will work, but the tone is still right and the vignettes are pretty decent.
Waterpark employees (Bennett), (Mooney) ignore sliders, talk to Witherspoon
Christian: Would love to see what DIDN'T make the show this week. (Scratch that, I wouldn’t.)
Scot: What is going on here?
Whiskers R' We - Barbara & latest girlfriend (Johansson) profile adoptable cats
Scot: Involuntary audible "Oh, no!" when this one began.
Christian: I don't know, I guess I'm not tired of these yet.
Episode Twenty One: Louis C.K.
Christian: For 95 percent of the people that host the show, they likely don't want to do anything that could harm their acting careers. But for guys like CK and Galifianakis, SNL IS their career - it's the top of the mountain. So why not go for it?
Monologue: C.K. does stand-up about mild racism, Middle East strife, child molesters
Scot: Couldn't this be the whole show? - Every segment works and some real risk-taking here. Loved it.
Christian: Not EVERY bit works, but yes, enjoy the danger involved. Especially interesting given what happens to C.K. a year from then - I guess some sexual things ARE really good!
Sprint Store - to avoid angering the boss (Jones), C.K. is stuck with a sassy black accent
Christian: This is GREAT.
Scot: I think it's good. Again, the type of risk they only seem comfortable taking with C.K. hosting.
Couples Retreat - Gemma (Strong) & her new overbearing boyfriend (C.K.) order champagne & shrimp
Scot: Zero patience for a beat-for-beat replication of a terrible character sketch. There's nothing funny here.
Actors in a police lineup give dramatic readings of lines (Kenan, Davidson)
Christian: One joke over and over and over.
Scot: Prescient C.K.: "I think gender is fluid"
Forgotten TV Gems - "Whoops! I Married a Lesbian" - Lesbian housewife (McKinnon) welcomes home husband (C.K.)
Christian: I actually really liked this. Another in a line of hosts and cast members trying to tell us something about themselves.