'Wasn't That Special' Season Six Bonus Material
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 both 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, you will 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.
Below is the especially-spicy Season Six bonus notes section, with the clips coming next week.
So please help keep the podcast advertisement-free and upgrade to the Executive Producer level, which will keep these emails coming in the future.
Episode One: Elliott Gould
Scot: Much shorter sketches mean you need so many more ideas and then most of them stink, so ... Piscopo & Dillon seem to get how this show works.
New cast wakes up in bed with Gould - Gould tells drug stories - Denny Dillon gets LFNY.
Christian: One of the most disastrous sketches in the show's history - inviting people to compare them to the last cast? Insanity.
Scot: Describing new members as compared to old cast, just as Buck did in E20.
Highway Education commercial - books posted as billboards - brought to you by Petroleum Council.
Christian: First bit of inspiration.
Scot: Walter Wiliams film -- Honestly not bad at all.
Gail Matthius gives herself a breast exam - black box on screen
Scot: I mean, it was fine. Decent verbal gymnastics. I'm trying not to be too vicious in these scores right now.
Heart To Heart - two non-cast members in bed
Christian: Extra point for there at least being the seed of an idea here - that men don't notice changes in their partners. Maybe I am reading too much into it.
Scot: The joke is the relationship is different b/c the actresses literally change.
High school Valley girl (Gail) out on date with sophisticated older man (Gould).
Christian: Get it? The bonds hadn't reached maturity yet? GET IT?
Scot: Gail’s accent is ... rough, rough, rough. Laraine's was much better and it wasn't all that great. More black/race jokes.
Short Shot - Jonathan Demme "Gidgette Goes to Hell"
Christian: Say no to drugs, kids!
Scot: Just a music video, really.
Episode Two: Malcolm McDowell
Christian: If someone ever suggests I watch this episode again, remind me to schedule a vasectomy instead.
Scot: Fred Silverman was ready to fire Jean after this show. Brandon Tartikoff gave her more rope.
Wild Kingdom with Marlon Perkins (Rocket) "In Search of the Negro Republican"
Christian: With better writers, it had promise.
Scot: Like they're trying to break the record for saying "Negro" in a 3-minute span - Eddie Murphy’s debut (as guy on couch.)
Serf City - standing on Serfs, trying to keep balance
Christian: You see, it's funny because "serf" is the same as "surf."
Short Shot - Ken Friedman
Christian: Every TikTok video I have ever seen is better than this.
Charles Rocket on Weekend Update, where he interviews “John Lennon”
Scot: Stop making faces at me.
Christian: It's hard to play a smug asshole when you're so bad at your own job. John Lennon was killed 16 days later - on the bright side, he didn't have to watch the rest of this season.
Woman (Risley) enters bookstore, describes specific romantic desires, shop owner comes out as that guy
Scot: These one-joke sketches are really hard to watch.
Christian: These zero-joke sketches are really hard to watch.
Leather Weather Report - no jokes, just whipping Rocket who is suspended to a map
Christian: You seem it's funny because weather sounds like leather.
Scot: Dillon botches the first, titular line of the sketch - Is this where Stern got the idea?
Commie Hunting Season
Christian: Is it a coincidence that the worst season in history turned hard left?
Scot: "Shoot yourself a Jew or a N-----, chances are you're shooting a communist." Dead silence. "My friends in the KKK already have shot some and have been acquitted." The urban, blue-bubble sensibility so far this season would rival anything on today's show.
Rocket Report - pre-taped, Rocket on street
Christian: "Billy on the Street" with someone with zero talent. Asks a black guy if he's an American. What the hell is this?
Scot: Did they intentionally not edit out the bad takes? If so, why? - Rocket is bad at asking questions. He's bad at *everything*. How could anyone look and see "breakout star?"
Jack the Stripper --- there's some confusion over who "the real stripper" is?
Christian: You seem it's funny because ripper sounds like stripper.
Scot: Crowd doesn't care. The title of the sketch is the joke and nobody laughed at it. Downhill from there.
Someone Is Hiding In My Apartment
Christian: WHAT
Scot: It's his girlfriend. I don't get it. Why would he not know? Is he selfish? Self-absorbed? If so, why would she stay?
Dillon pitching American wines -- American foods like Baby Ruth demand American wines.
Christian: I enjoyed "Burgundy Helper."
Scot: Burgundy Extender (like Hamburger Helper) "Great for you poor people."
Episode Three: Ellyn Burstyn
Scot: Mason Williams (yes, the "Classical Gas" guy) brought in as script consultant/head writer ... butted heads with Jean immediately.
Christian: So many more bits, which is why it feels like they are so long. Seasons 1-5 usually came in at 10-12 bits counting musical acts and WU. Season Six is at 18.
Rocket as David Rockefeller - message to poor people from Reagan Admin - moving to co-op, have to kick people out
Christian: I'm fine with it having a lefty sensibility, but...have a joke.
Scot: Reagan had just won 44 freaking states. 44. Have a little self-awareness. Or at least be funnier.
What's It All About with Pinky and Leo -- Burstyn is a guest, they talk about their niece or something?
Christian: On a better season, this is a perfectly average sketch.
Scot: I can't believe they brought this back. -- There's some Emily Litella here in that no one understands what they're saying.
Video Dating - Piscopo debuts "Jersey Guy"
Christian: I...sort of liked it?
Scot: That was pretty much just annoying as all get-out, but at least some thought went into the character
Eddie Murphy makes his Weekend Update debut
Christian: And lo, like a bolt of lightning, God handed down Eddie Murphy.
Scot: Murphy just killed simply by showing some semblance of knowing how to work the crowd AND ROCKET IMMEDIATELY DESTROYS MOMENTUM WITH A ZERO-LAUGH JOKE.
Film by Leon Ichaso --- Pepe Gonzalez, NYC bullfighter (Gilbert)
Christian: Not funny, but some interesting visuals, and I liked the vibe.
Planned Parenthood - Vickie Valley Girl & friend (Dillon)
Christian: Matthius is doing a Miley Cyrus impersonation 30 years before its time.
Scot: Censors objected, Jean eventually toned it down - one of three sketches fought over this ep. - why bother fighting over this?
Dillon with tutor and sock puppet --- puppet is rude to everyone
Christian: A puppet in the hands of a master can be comedy gold: See Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Scot: Simply making a sock puppet mean doesn't lead to humor.
Blame the Kids - parents divorce
Christian: Was this written by a sock puppet?
Scot: Not just for divorce but for RFK killing, Vietnam - seed of an idea that is immediately stomped out.
Lonely Old Lady -- kid stops by selling tix for play
Scot: Gail sounds like Laraine's kid - story about cat meat is delivered well - what did happen to her son? - I'll be thinking about this one, which is more than I can say for anything else on the show.