Photo courtesy of Dominick D, Flickr
I can easily say that John Mulaney is my favorite comedian. I have countlessly watched all of his stand-up comedy specials, as well as “Oh Hello: On Broadway,” performed and created alongside comedian Nick Kroll. The former “Saturday Night Live” writer has now hosted “SNL” four times, just one more hosting gig away from joining the coveted “Five Timers Club.”
As a fan of John Mulaney, I always love when he hosts the show. But, in all honesty, the episodes he hosts are never the best.
This past Saturday night, Mulaney, along with musical guest The Strokes, helped “SNL” celebrate Halloween night with spooky skits — the scariest being about the election. Many of the skits were well-anticipated, as Mulaney has created a pattern when he hosts.
There is always the musical themed sketch that Mulaney stars in with cast member duo Pete Davidson and Chris Redd, and I personally love those ones; I always think that they hit the mark. However, some of the other sketches are close in quality, but never quite compare.
This episode had a bunch of great sketches. I personally loved the “New York PSA” sketch as I thought it was hilarious. I also enjoyed the “Democracy PSA” sketch, because this embodied the fear we are all feeling in light of the election.
One sketch that stood out to me was the “New York Musical” sketch. This sketch was quite comical because it answered the question so many people are asking: where did the Time Square mascot characters go, and how are they handling COVID-19?
Mulaney has this sense of humor that I have not seen in any other comedian, and when he tells his stories in his comedy specials, I could die of laughter. I think that is what is missing when he hosts “SNL.” His talents lie in independent storytelling, not so much acting. The part of this episode of “SNL” that I laughed at the most was his opening monologue, because he got to shine by telling the audience the interesting and wacky stories he either truly experiences or makes up.
I really appreciated how Mulaney brought up the election in his monologue. He said that on Nov. 3 there will be an “elderly man contest” rather than saying the election is on Tuesday — quite literally one of the best descriptions of the 2020 election.
I was really hoping that this episode would be different and better than his previous episodes, but it fit right in with the first three times. Again, I enjoyed each episode where Mulaney hosted, but my expectations were not met. I am hoping that the next time he hosts “SNL,” they utilize his monologue skills and use more of the types of stories he tells in his comedy specials, or “SNL” could do sketches that follow those same plots. I think if “SNL” does this, the episodes could be some of the best ones filmed.
I hope that Mulaney will continue to host “SNL,” as I, along with plenty of other dedicated fans, always look forward to his episodes. Although his acting may not be the strongest, just having new Mulaney content, like his incredible promo photos, is something that never disappoints.
John Mulaney has been and continues to be one of my favorite comedians, his stories are always both intriguing and hilarious. He never fails to make me laugh, except sometimes when he is on “SNL,” but I would love to see him improve. His talent is unmatched in my eyes, and I cannot wait to see him host “SNL” again, when he can join the greatly desired “Five Timers Club.”
agiampag@ramapo.edu
