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"Diner Lobster"
Episode no.Season 43
Episode 18
Written byJohn Mulaney and Colin Jost
Original air dateApril 4, 2018 (2018-04-04)

"Diner Lobster" is a comedy sketch that aired on Saturday Night Live on April 14th, 2018.

Background

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"Diner Lobster" was written in 2010 by John Mulaney and Colin Jost, both writers at the time.[1] The sketch was written for an episode hosted by Zach Galifianakis,[2] and would have featured him as the Jean Valjean-esque lobster in the sketch, eventually played by Kenan Thompson.[3] The sketch never made it past the table read for that week's episode. Jost would later say of the original table read, "The read-through is usually around 40 sketches. You can sometimes have a sketch and it's just in a weird place in the read-through, where maybe the sketch before had something strange in it that threw the room off. Or it's late in the read-through and people are tired. [Diner Lobster] never ignited people. It just didn't work as a sketch at the table read."[4]

When Mulaney returned to host the show in 2018, a revised version of the sketch was produced for the episode,[4] alongside another sketch he wrote during his tenure as an SNL writer ("Switcheroo", written alongside Simon Rich and Marika Sawyer.)[5]

Synopsis

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Two men sit down in a New York City diner, where a waiter (played by Mulaney) begins to take the customers' orders. One of the men (played by Pete Davidson) shocks both his friend (played by Chris Redd) and the waiter by deciding to order the lobster off the menu. After his friend and the waiter try and fail to persuade him to order something else, the waiter calls in the order. The back of the set opens to reveal a lobster dressed as Jean Valjean from the musical Les Misérables (played by Kenan Thompson) in a water tank. The lobster begins to sing a parody of "Who Am I," lamenting his fate of being eaten, eventually being accompanied by the waiter and a waitress (played by Cecily Strong.) Clawsette (a crustacean version of Cosette, played by Kate McKinnon) enters and begins to sing a parody of "Castle on a Cloud," mourning the loss of her father. After Davidson's character refuses to change his order, the waiter and waitress make a call to, "form the barricade!" An elaborate barricade set piece is moved onto the set, causing Davidson's character to remark that the diner has, "incredible set design." The waiter, waitress, and lobster make one last plea for the lobster's life, leading a small ensemble in a parody of "Do You Hear the People Sing?". This causes Davidson's character to change his mind and order the veal instead.

Sequels

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Mulaney returned as a host In "Bodega Bathroom", starring the same cast, Pete Davidson's character asks if he can use the restroom at a bodega, leading to songs from Rent, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Cats, and Little Shop of Horrors (Kenan Thompson plays a bodega cat).

Mulaney's stints as an SNL host turned these sketches into a semi-regular tradition, each new sketch following the same basic structure as the first: two men are in a classic New York City setting that is both loved and hated when one attempts to do something locals know is inconceivable and unsanitary for that institution, leading to big parodies of several Broadway musical numbers.[1][2][6]

In "Airport Sushi", Pete Davidson's character tries to purchase sushi (raw seafood) at LaGuardia Airport, leading to not only parodies of Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, and Annie (Kenan Thompson plays the "Phantom of LaGuardia"), but also David Byrne of the Talking Heads parodying the group's single, "Road to Nowhere".

"New York Musical" mixes the conventional setting with a message on the upcoming 2020 United States presidential election amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, praising New York City and rejecting then-President Donald Trump's characterization of it as a "ghost town". In this setting, Pete Davidson attempts to buy a pair of "I Love New York" underpants from Times Square, leading to parodies of A Chorus Line, Fiddler on the Roof, and (among other musicals) Les Misérables again.[7][8]

In the latest installment, "Subway Churro", Andrew Dismukes plays the protagonist as he attempts to buy a churro in a subway station. LCD Soundsystem makes an appearance as the Guardian Angels, and the cast performs a parody of "Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar.[9]

Reception and legacy

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Reception for "Diner Lobster" was generally positive, with reviewers praising its absurdity, ambitious production choices, and musical theater knowledge. Joe Reid noted in Primetimer that the sketch was written before, and aired five years after, the release of the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, giving it a niche appeal to Broadway fans as opposed to contemporary pop culture reliance. David Sims of The Atlantic expressed nostalgia for the earlier generation of SNL the sketch came from, writing that "there's a sad irony... to the fact that two of last weekend’s best sketches were written almost a decade ago".[5] Reid agreed, arguing the sketch could have been better if it starred SNL alumni such as Andy Samberg or Kristen Wiig.[2] Sims and Martin Garrett of Paste also laughingly noted the relatively small core observation of the sketch compared to the massive production value meant to emphasize it.[5][10] Reviewers for Paste, Vulture, and The Washington Post ranked "Diner Lobster" as the best SNL sketch of the year;[11][12][13] reviewers for Mashable ranked it fifth.[14]

The sequels were also received positively, although less so. Travis M. Andrews of The Washington Post positively reviewed the Mulaney tradition as a whole, saying that its infrequency and absurdity made it stand out compared to what he criticized as the show's routine cold open.[1] David Sims likewise referred to "Airport Sushi" as "the best Saturday Night Live has been this season".[6] Joe Reid and Martin Garrett, however, both noted "Bodega Bathroom"'s similarities to "Diner Lobster", but criticized it for scattering the songs across multiple musicals, arguing that it sapped some of the focus and absurdity.[10]

Kenan Thompson used the episode containing "Diner Lobster" as his submission for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018; he also participated in another sketch in the episode, a parody on Wild Wild Country. Thompson received a nomination, but the award went to Henry Winkler.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Andrews, Travis M. (March 2, 2020). "John Mulaney brings out the best in SNL with a recurring sketch that has nothing to do with politics". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Reid, Joe (February 28, 2020). "Please SNL, give us another John Mulaney "Diner Lobster" sketch". Primetimer. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  3. ^ Chavez, Danette (April 30, 2018). "John Mulaney on the origins of 'Lobster Diner', his new walk, and bringing Kid Gorgeous to Netflix". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Sanchez, Omar (July 14, 2020). "Colin Jost on how SNL's Diner Lobster sketch avoided disaster, twice". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Sims, David (April 17, 2018). "Consider the 'Diner Lobster'". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Sims, David (March 1, 2020). "The 'Airport Sushi' musical is an instant SNL classic". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  7. ^ Valby, Karen (November 2, 2020). "SNL signs off before the election, with a middle finger and a dash of hope". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Romain, Lindsey (November 2, 2020). "John Mulaney's "New York Musical" is a love letter to New York City". Nerdist. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  9. ^ Qureshi, Arusa (February 28, 2022). "Watch LCD Soundsystem become Guardian Angels for Saturday Night Live". NME. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Martin, Garrett (March 4, 2019). "'Bodega Bathroom' Is SNL and John Mulaney's unofficial sequel to 'Diner Lobster'". Paste. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Martin, Garrett (December 28, 2018). "The 10 best Saturday Night Live sketches of 2018". Paste. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  12. ^ Love, Matthew (December 20, 2018). "The 10 best Saturday Night Live sketches of 2018". Vulture. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  13. ^ Butler, Bethonie (December 29, 2018). "The 10 most wonderfully weird SNL sketches from 2018, ranked". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  14. ^ Khosla, Proma; Rosenberg, Adam (December 20, 2018). "The 10 best Saturday Night Live sketches of 2018". Mashable. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Supporting actor, comedy". Variety. August 7, 2018. ProQuest 2093212808.
  16. ^ Goldstein, Joelle (September 17, 2018). "Henry Winkler, 72, wins his first Emmy and recites speech he 'wrote 43 years ago': 'Daddy won!'". People. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
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Category:Saturday Night Live sketches Category:Saturday Night Live in the 2010s

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