'Wasn't That Special' Season Two 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 Season Two bonus notes section, with the clips coming later this week. (You will see Christian and Scot didn’t have much to say about some of the episodes, but plenty to say about the others.)
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: Lily Tomlin
Scot: “Barely anything for the regular cast members. Tomlin swallows the whole show.”
Christian: “Yikes.”
Laurel Springs salesman -- vacation homes -- Tomlin character who is desperate for conversation
Christian: “Basically a one-woman show without any jokes, but I didn't hate it. Ends up being a punchline in Glengarry Glen Ross - the old woman who just likes talking to salesmen.”
Scot: “Oh, Lord, sooooo loooooooong and zero laughs.”
On the taped Danny & Lily sketch in which a mysterious sponsor asks woman to do odd things:
Christian: “Do we need to add a ‘best sketch incorporating floor wax’ award?”
Journals of Elma Sullivan --- Laraine writes banal diary entries:
Christian: “Had potential, but no.”
Scot: “Crowd has barely laughed all night.”
Film by Gary Weis -- guy who watches TV constantly
Scot: “This is the cat guy again???”
Christian: “YES! More Taylor Mead! (Star of ‘Taylor Mead's Ass.’)”
Episode Two: Norman Lear
Carter ad --- train stop --- sexual performance in the White House:
Christian: “He thinks admitting wearing women's clothing is a way to getting Democratic votes?”
Scot: “Quotes ‘California Girls’ -- lusting after women -- as your POTUS, I look forward to deeply satisfying every single one of you -- Rosie Schuster wrote this one.”
Weekend Update with Jane filling in -- Laraine at Times Square for Jewish new year:
Christian: “The jokes actually got better with Chevy gone.”
Scot: “‘Golden Shower’ got through b/c censors didn't know it -- Ford has a classic case of ‘peanuts envy’ --- Speedy Alka-Seltzer comes out of the medicine cabinet as a bicarbonate (after Elton bisexual story).”
Aykroyd introduces metric week system --- 100 hour days:
Christian: “If they wanted to go all-in on this sketch, they should have introduced the next week as ‘Saturthurs Night’ - love this version of sketch where they set a Rube Goldberg machine and show how it works.”
Scot: “Brings back Decabet idea -- Will this affect my sleeping habits? Yes, it will!”
Belushi as Kissinger --- negotiating Rhodesia w/ Prime Minister:
Christian: “Lorne owes me five minutes of my life back”
Scot: "’Getting to Know You’ ‘All You Need Is Love’ ‘Give Peace A Chance’ singing together -- really hard to understand what's at play here.”
Episode Three: Eric Idle
Christian: “Some very Python-esque touches in how sketches flow from one to the next, make references to each other.”
Joe Cocker sings "You Are So Beautiful:"
Christian: “Cocker living up to his namesake with how tight his pants are.”
A clip of the Rutles movie:
Christian: “Actual video from the Rutles movie, which Neil Innes said is the lowest-rated show ever recorded on broadcast television.”
Episode Four: Karen Black
Scot: “Weak episode. Strange writing. Better than E1, but that's not saying much.”
Cold open: Chevy returns in wheelchair -- Belushi dumps him out
Christian: “Has there ever been a show more honest about how much the cast members hated each other?”
High school classmates meet 10 years later at diner:
Scot: “Aykroyd super-annoying, remembering old times -- zero laughs to be found.”
Christian: “Yeah, nothing here. Future shades of Ed Grimley, though.”
Episode Five: Steve Martin
Scot: “Steve Martin brought sorely needed energy, but writing still seems off here.”
Christian: “Belushi all but invisible over the first five episodes - other than Cocker impression, just bit parts.”
Steve Martin monologue:
Christian: “Jokes! During a monologue! Unheard of!”
“Jeopardy 1999:”
Christian: “Everyone in 1999 will dress like they are in Star Trek and have gray afro wigs?”
Beatniks -- Chevy as awful flamenco guitar player --- Martin is poet -- Garrett plays blind blues -- Belushi is comic:
Christian: “Nothing much here, but at least we get to see cast members' talents. Belushi's bit as a beat comedian just dies.”
Scot: “Too long, too long, too long. Not funny enough. Seeing much longer sketches this year. Laraine is flexible!”
Looks at Books -- sex and sports:
Christian: “Had potential - Martin flubs his lines, it’s basically just a sports blooper reel.”
Dr. Kohne Weight Reduction -- Mysteries in Medicine:
Scot: "’Blog Diet’ -- sent to Siberia, ice fishing --- Char Fight /// actually has a Twilight Zone feel to it.”
Martin does more stand-up:
Christian: "I get a little sentimental every time the bicentennial rolls around."
Episode Six: Buck Henry (Chevy Chase’s last episode as a cast member)
Samurai stockbroker (the one in which Belushi cuts Buck Henry’s head with the sword.)
Christian: “I’m fascinated by Belushi's facial hair scheduling - he grows the beard during the week so the Samurai sketch has to be at the beginning of the show, then shaves for other skits.”
Parody of The Omen, Belushi as Damien:
Christian: “Probably would be hilarious if you saw The Omen in 1976 - Chase's last sketch as a cast member.”
Scot: “I haven't seen The Omen either.”
Episode Seven: Dick Cavett
Christian: “Gilda gets the first ‘Live From New York’ in the post-Chase era.”
Scot: “Just get the feeling they can't wait to bust out of Chevy's shadow.”
Bees immigrate to Ellis Island, face discrimination - stand in for Jews - held down by WASPS:
Christian: “Joke about being kept out of Harvard - topical!”
Scot: “Laraine sucking the nectar out of a flower as she's sad.”
Franken and Davis as doctors measuring laugh response from crowd with computer:
Christian: “Oof.”
Scot: “It's OK. A perfect 10-minutes-to-1am sketch.”
Episode Eight: Paul Simon
Baba Wawa At Large - With Belushi as Kissinger:
Christian: “As in 2023, so many jokes are just ‘hey, that person on this show is dressed like a famous person.’”
Scot: “Eh. I am tiring quickly of Baba Wawa and never liked it much to begin with.”
Twilite Zone - Aykroyd as Serling, Newman and Curtin and Radner at the Blaine Motel:
Christian: “The joke is that Serling lured them all there while drunk?”
Scot: “A wrong turn was taken --- the funnier way would have been Serling sets up these meeting because he needs content for the show.”
Weird bit of Simon riding a coin-op horse, cut to Indian reservation where Newman does Sherri, Radner sings while Aykroyd crushes ice cream cones - Belushi throws flour on Indians to make them white, Simon saves them:
Christian: “What an awful, overlong sketch.”
Scot: “I've already forgotten this started with Simon on a horse ---- ‘serve who I want to serve’ (timely) --- weird that this follows the ep with the bees as Jews? --- I don't know how this is thought to be humorous.”
Simon apologizes to O'Donoghue in the goodbyes, doesn't say why:
Scot: “Did Simon lose a bunch of hair since last year?? Four sketches all show?”
Episode Nine: Jodie Foster
Christian: “Jodie Foster was 14 at the time! Also, Pardo introduces the musical guest as ‘her special guest’ - like Jodie Foster called Brian Wilson and asked him to be the guest?”
Aykroyd tries going through metal detector at airport carrying tons of metal objects - Tin Woodsman goes through no problem:
Christian: “Brian Wilson as the TSA agent! Aykroyd really sucking it in when he takes his shirt off.”
Scot: “Think that's Zweibel as the tin woodsman -- ‘I love metal! I need metal!’"
Aykroyd - 50 years of Don Pardo - voices himself as a child, etc.
Christian: “Just dies.”
Scot: “Pardo is almost the 7th/8th cast member. They really make him a part of the show. -- It's not the worst idea in the world but, as usual, goes far, far too long.”
Episode Ten: Candice Bergen
Scot: “Nine eps in and it's been a real blah season. No high highs. Super long sketches are lows. Belushi kinda in the background? What do you remember that he's done? Lear and Martin eps highs.”
Bergen won't come out of her dressing room - call back to Lasser episode - Bergen is in love with Belushi - Curtin calls him "an animal" - Belushi emerges as Bogart:
Christian: “‘Cell-u-LEET?’ - she REALLY slaps him - ‘We still have Paris. And the Muppets.’"
Scot: “And Buck Henry being stopped by security -- one of Lorne's more unkempt hairstyles --- cinematic, well-directed.”
Aykroyd sells "Santi-wrap" to protect you from the germs of drunk Santas:
Christian: "Yes, those are Santa's helpers, and they are communicable"
Scot: “Feels like Laraine is a bigger part of this season --- You won't get one tick from jolly Saint Nick."
Weekend Update - Aykroyd does “Fallout Report:”
Christian: “Aykroyd's bits are always very tricky linguistically and very dense - and yet he rarely trips.”
Scot: “Aykroyd brings it every single time -- ‘if you have a lead suit, wear it.’"
Attack of the Killer Christmas Trees:
Christian: “Way too long - when an SNL skit has multiple scenes, RUN (Although it's actually not bad for a Christmas-themed sketch.)”
Scot: “Again, love Garrett singing, but ... nothing else for him to do? --- a lot of kids who expected a bicycle will get a pierced thorax --- for a multi-part long sketch, it's very good.”
Episode Eleven: Ralph Nader (Bill Murray’s first episode as a cast member)
Scot: “Really feels like a turning point --- fantastic show, didn't miss a beat without Belushi -- Murray Debuts --- Jim Downey's first episode --- great writing and sketch pacing.”
Bill Murray as old chess player - playing chess with grandson over phone - turns on grandson, who eventually calls and makes his weekly move:
Christian: “Pretty solid debut!”
Scot: “Outstanding -- unexpected twists and solid payoff.”
TV show - rehearsal for a televised execution:
Christian: “The electric chair model is the ‘Fry King.’”
Scot: “Aykroyd as warden looking at the wrong camera --- Murray arrives fully formed --- it's hard to see why he'd scuffle soon.”
Andy Kaufman - tells cringey penguin joke, does Carter impersonation, impersonates aunt Esther, does Elvis impersonation after full two minutes getting in character - good impression! Joke is that he returns to his immigrant voice:
Christian: “I want to do one of my biggest records for you, although they're all the same size" - Elvis died August of that year.
Scot: “Kaufman's Carter uses the same technique as Chase's Ford --- fun impression.”
Morris interviews Nader, who introduces him to sex dolls in his apartment - pours drinks on them:
Christian: “Nader is a good sport making fun of himself.”
Scot: “This is actually quite funny.”
Coneheads debut - Murray comes as Connie's date. Masterclass in sketch structure - introduce the hook, then provide exposition, then raise the stakes:
Christian: "’Maintain low tones.’ Probably not a 5 in 2023, but it had to be outrageous in 1977.”
Scot: “Danny and Tom Davis wrote these --- took a long time to gestate -- ‘our planet cut back on its space spending’ --- ring toss before dinner --- this still whips.”
Episode Twelve: Ruth Gordon
Scot: “Murray just about invisible in this episode; Gordon was 81 years old. Pretty weak episode.”
Cold open - Belushi can't go on, then comes to life when he says if he can't go on he can't get his drugs:
Christian: “In the documentary, Lorne says this is the time John started to ‘lose his balance a little.’ His knee healed, but he got hooked on painkillers. Lorne's prediction John was going to be trouble came to fruition. ‘He was testing all his boundaries at that point.’ He started going missing for long periods.”
Scot: “Ebersol advised Lorne to send Belushi to LA to keep him away from temptations. A week later, Ebersol tells Lorne who he's been hanging out with and Lorne says, ‘Dick, that's the biggest coke dealer on the west coast.’"
Weekend Update: Emily Litella calls Curtin a “bitch:”
Scot: “SNL fought with censors to get Emily to say ‘bitch’ --- can't waste the opportunities!”
Little old ladies of the night - Morris is pimp, Gordon is a prostitute:
Christian: “Only decent joke is Gordon calling Aykroyd as a cop ‘honky pig.’”
Scot: “Aykroyd screaming louder each time JOHNS TRICKS PIMPS”
E. Buzz Miller's World of Adventure - Aykroyd watches naked African women:
Christian: “Yikes.”
Scot: “Is Danny in every single sketch tonight? --- More naked breasts on SNL! And a penis?”
Episode Thirteen: Fran Tarkenton
Scot: “Fran was ... not good at all as a host. Two sub-par in a row…Belushi is just invisible. He's the coach. Great. Anything else? He's the big star? He wants to be Chase? Come on.”
Black Perspective - Morris hosts with Tarkenton - grills him on why there are no black QBs and Tarkenton says the stereotypes are true:
Christian: “Holy shit - not going on Tarkenton's career highlight reel.”
Scot: “Never ever could be done today.”
Murray and Curtin couple at home French restaurant where Aykroyd and Radner argue:
Christian: “Setup takes too long, but pays off - ‘Our daughter Francine will play the recorder’ - begs them for money.”
Scot: “Really close to being great --- good closing line, ‘Hey, now that's not bad!’ referring to check total.”
Radner and Rhonda Weiss talking to Curtin - Curtin does a voice! Try to one-up each other:
Christian: “The accents are the whole joke.”
Scot: “Predicting Linda Richman.”
Episode Fourteen: Steve Martin
Tomlin and the female cast members sing a song about being on Broadway:
Christian: “I was begging I suffered a fentanyl overdose during this.”
Scot: “What did Lily Tomlin do to have her every whim catered to?”
Morris as Alex Haley - gets paid $3 million for Roots II - Murray and Belushi play slaves with black lingo - Franken is in it - Becomes slave sale? But says it's whites? Aykroyd is slave seller:
Christian: “What is even happening here?”
Scot: “Yikes.”
Martin snubs Belushi of a handshake during goodnights and Belushi looks pissed.
Episode Fifteen: Sissy Spacek
Carter takes questions on air with Murray as Cronkite - Carter talks him down from taking acid - tells him to listen to Allman Brothers:
Christian: “Classic Aykroyd - one of his best sketches.”
Curtin - How Your Children Grow - Murray child psychologist who has "quintlexia" - only the ability to speak five words. Just keeps saying "that's true, you're absolutely right" - Curtin makes him answer things like "you sleep in a wedding gown:"
Christian: “Had more promise - Murray is having fun.”
Scot: “Why was Murray worried he wasn't ‘cutting it??’ He's all over, easy laughs --- this is very good, different inflection in answers.”
Belushi and Spacek discussing why he can't perform in bed - poor couple:
Christian: “Laugh-free and way too long, but Spacek really commits.”
Scot: “Belushi wants to be taken seriously as an actor --- this is just depressing.”
Episode Sixteen: Broderick Crawford
Christian: “Heavy Belushi presence - seems to be coming back”
Samurai hit man - Mafia don Aykroyd hires Belushi to kill Dons Cornelius and Kirschner - cooks them dinner first:
Scot: That is a hot plate and a sharp knife. It's a wonder more people weren't hurt on these things
Murray gives speech about how he's not making it on the show:
Christian: “Totally inaccurate, he's killing it.”
Scot: “‘It's not the material, it's me.’ --- Wilmette ‘a small mining town north of Chicago’ (I laughed).”
Radner as Lucille Ball and conveyor belt with nuclear warheads she has to put whipped cream and a cherry on?
Scot: “Think about how famous that one scene had to be to pull this off -- no YouTube or mass reruns.”
Episode Seventeen: Jack Burns
Christian: “Aside from Coneheads, this episode is an abomination.”
The Farbers Meet the Coneheads - Belushi and Radner have them over for dinner - they smash through front window, Radner and Belushi break:
Christian: “Disneyland - ‘a vast man made construction that duplicates human psycho sexual experiences through tension releasing fantasy mechanisms’ - who knew Ron DeSantis was writing for SNL?”
Scot: “Man the Coneheads get a POP from the crowd.”
"The squatters" - people who settled on land in the west, but in the sketch they actually squat. That's the joke:
Christian: “Pretty sure we could have written this sketch.”
Scot: “My name is Dredd Squat.”
Sherri as secretary - writes suicide note for boss - Burns blows jumping out of the window, cast breaks character, all complain about him
Christian: “Meh.”
Scot: “Am I misjudging Sherri? Should I give her another shot? --- Laraine blows her line as she admonishes Burns for missing his jump.”
Episode Eighteen: Julian Bond
Dr. X Family Counsellor - Aykroyd wears metal mask - Belushi is son, Murray abusive dad, Radner never speaks - Dr. X has freak outs:
Christian: “Barely gets any applause.”
Scot: “Actively unfunny.”
Male cast members night club singers - Bond says something wrong, white cast members speak back to him like black guys:
Christian: “Exit question: Does Julian Bond's participation in this make it non-racist?”
Scot: “Garrett is leading the singers yet still is the least-important person in the sketch --- Was this funny then? Should it have been?”
Gary Weis film with Patti Smith - complains about being censored on S1 SNL appearance:
Christian: “This is just rambling nonsense.”
Episode Nineteen: Elliott Gould
Scot: “Gould and Henry really are the gold standard of hosts.”
Episode Twenty: Eric Idle
For his monologue, Idle brings queen of England impersonator - clear the crowd thinks she's real - "first time a real queen has been on the show, with the exception of some of the musicians." Says Americans have money, wants to hold telethon for England. Americans have been using words they invented without paying royalties:
Christian: “Best monologue of the season. Famous person smell-alike contest. Kick a Canadian event. Queen kicks Aykroyd dressed as mountie in crotch.”
"Heavy Wit Championship" from MSG - Idle vs Belushi - hit each other with pies:
Christian: "My mother in law's got no nose - how does she smell?" Same joke as a classic Python sketch.”
Scot: “I wish this were better”
Bill Murray offers to chug quart of grape juice to raise money for England - can't finish it:
Scot: “‘I can't finish it.’ -- That line delivery made me LOL.”
Episode Twenty-One: Shelley Duvall
Scot: “Abysmal episode.”
"Video vixens" performance:
Christian: “Huh?”
Scot: "’Go down on you! Go down on you!’ -- are they so out of synch that 's hard to make out the lyrics?”
Belushi as Elvis - and that's the only joke?
Christian: “I completely tuned out of this one.”
Scot: “Same set-up as Montelban sketch? --- I don't know what's happening here.”
Baba Wawa at Large - Murray as Richard Burton:
Christian: “In the battle of Barbara Walters vs. Baba Wawa, Walters wins going away.”
Scot: “Murray doing the same Richard Burton he would do in SCROOGED!”
Video: "Brides:"
Christian: “I liked it! Whimsically silly”
Scot: “It's OK -- has the feel of what they hoped Brooks' films might be.”
Bad Ballet - Aykroyd - Entire cast performs "Swan:"
Christian: “Probably took as long to write as it did to perform? Long line of SNL sketches where something to be funny because it is so bad. Much easier than writing something very good.”
Scot: “I don't know why they keep bringing this thing back!”
Episode Twenty-Two: Buck Henry
Scot: “Wheezing to the finish line of the season…Henry would host the last show because everyone loved him and he’d do material other hosts vetoed.”
Samurai Big Man on campus - Morris - black college student demands black student union, etc. Their group seized the old building, university building new building - has to tell Belushi he's not graduating - in the same fraternity:
Christian: “Belushi gets almost the same speech he gets in Animal House - ‘You failed Asian studies.’"
Scot: Looooong set-up for Samurai entrance --- the Samurai is a Young Republican.”
Murray sings in Shower, Radner joins him, bring in Henry, man his wife is having an affair with:
Scot: “Murray wrote this w/ Gilda ... had soap at home (gift from Belushi) --- thought of as the big turn for Murray into acceptance.”
Rhonda Weiss bridal shower:
Christian: “Nice to have an all-woman sketch, but I remember none of this.”
Scot: “New Jane voice --- Rosie Schuster one of the women in the party --- it just kind of exists.”