John Mulaney Sings, Shuffles, And Gets Slimed In A Superb Saturday Night Live

Ukraine – Before we get to the breakdown of each sketch, I wanted to take the time to acknowledge the beautiful yet somber opening of the show, with the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York performing the song “Prayer for Ukraine” in tribute to the people of the nation being needlessly invaded by Russia. This is an unjust war and we hope the outcome of this unfortunate conflict finds the people of Ukraine claiming victory over their oppressors.

Nickelodeon Show – As a Nickelodeon kid of the 1990s, I can’t tell you how much I loved this sketch. Tears streamed down my face as this faux retrospective looked back at the origin of the cable network’s famous slime. The reactions from the likes of Cecily Strong, John Mulaney, and Mikey Day are uproariously funny. On top of that, the host interludes with Chris Redd and Alex Moffat are equally as funny, from the reactions to the dated teen interactions to Redd’s mustache malfunction. Honestly, I’m not sure if that was a genuine make-up flub that Redd used to its full comedic potential, or if it was a scripted element of the silliness, because the mustache gag carried over to the point that Redd appeared to throw it at Moffat in one of the cutaways. 

Subway Churro – In previous “SNL” hosting stints, John Mulaney has given us “Diner Lobster,” “Bodega Bathroom,” and “Airport Sushi,” so everyone was waiting to see what New York City staple would get the musical treatment this time. Mulaney didn’t disappoint with “Subway Churro,” featuring variations on familiar songs from the likes of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Music Man,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Jesus Chris Superstar,” and a surprise with Evan Hansen belting the big ballad from “Dreamgirls.” If you’ve loved Mulaney’s previous musical efforts, this one does not disappoint, and it gets bonus points for having an impressive set with a moving subway train. It’s just great all around.

Please Don’t Destroy: Good Variant – After being somewhat disappointed with the last Please Don’t Destroy sketch (that made it to air), I’m happy to see them back with a vengeance this week. Initially, I wondered if this sketch was intended for Paul Rudd’s hosting stint, but didn’t make it to air in spite of being a pre-recorded sketch. That suspicion was only elevated when John Mulaney initially only popped up via television. But as soon as he showed up with a huge sandwich in Please Don’t Destroy’s office, it was clear that this was recorded much more recently. The appearance of Al Roker only makes things more ridiculous alongside all the positive symptoms of the good variant of coronavirus, and this is the kind of stuff you love to see from Please Don’t Destroy.