The Mirror

Pop-ups (21 · 6 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Fans point here

   5:14

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 7 likes.

   But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Yeah, I wouldn't go that far, said Lorne Michaels, Meyers' boss at SNL. But he's good enough. But then the writer did something because I left something out the writer… — Seth

2. Fans point here

   11:27

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 31 likes.

   Beetlejuice had, had been on the air at SNL and things had been made right. Totally. This is post snap. Exactly. Hi, this is Nikayla Matthews-Oconee from Side Hustle Pro. This holiday, the difference between buyers… — Akiva

3. Fans point here

   13:57

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 46 likes.

   You know, I realize now we're really testing my premise. I talked to Big Game about how we came back from the strike. We did four shows in a row, and I remember these shorts really strongly and fondly. And then, you… — Seth

4. Hosts reach The Mirror on the rewatch

   14:19

   After a sketch they rate as merely a fun premise, the hosts move to The Mirror, which they remember fondly. It is the first of the two shorts they say they love most in this stretch of the rewatch.

   I really like these next two a lot. I remember them both really fondly

5. Akiva guesses The Mirror could be Criterion

   14:48

   Akiva says he did not remember the turns and was surprised how much he liked the short while watching it as a viewer. Criterion status is the top ranking in the podcast's glossary of Digital Short quality, and the hosts return to that question at the episode's end.

   it might be Criterion, which I never would have guessed.
   Criterion

6. A March short that plays like Halloween

   14:57

   Seth notes that The Mirror is a very good Halloween short, though it aired in March. He then points out that the podcast's current timing lines it up with its own topicality.

   it is a very good Halloween digital short.

7. Andy's real fear of bathroom mirrors

   15:43

   Andy says the short came from his genuine fear of someone appearing in the mirror while he was living alone. He and Akiva had just watched The Descent, which heightened his nerves before bed.

   this one was born of my real fear of that happening.

8. Turning fear into a goof

   16:21

   Andy explains that he decided to beat the mirror scare by making the idea silly. He brought the first beats to Akiva, and the two built the rest of the sketch together.

   I'm going to beat this thing by making it a goof.

9. Want to come with to the bathroom

   17:12

   Seth asks about the habit of inviting people along to the bathroom at SNL, and Andy says it was partly out of fear. Jorma would come along, and Andy would then turn off the lights in the hall to scare him.

   I had always assumed want to come with was for company.

10. Fans point here

    17:32

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 6 likes.

    All right, so Elliot Page is great in this short. Truly. Very natural the entire time. Yeah, no push. Wakes up, goes to the bathroom, puts the water on, opens up the medicine cabinet, closes it. A very quick shot of… — Seth

11. Elliot Page's natural performance

    17:34

    Seth praises Elliot Page's natural, unpushed performance throughout the short. The hosts agree that his quiet approach works for a sleeper character drawn into a mirror scare.

    Very natural the entire time.

12. Andy's goofy ghoul

    18:05

    Andy explains his character is not a bitten zombie but a goofy ghoul, bandaged and ashen. The hosts treat that label as the key to the short's tone.

    He's like a ghoul. Yeah. Like a goofy ghoul.

13. Akiva links the bandaged ghoul to Beetlejuice

    18:28

    Akiva says the blood stain on the bandage suggests head trauma and a death, drawing a comparison to Beetlejuice. The idea ties back to the Beetlejuice bit discussed earlier in the episode.

    Maybe you're almost in a Beetlejuice way.

14. The first scare lands for real

    18:49

    Andy and Akiva note that the audience reacts to the first jump scare with titters and laughs. The hosts say it works because the goofy ghoul is visible for only a split second.

    I think the first one genuinely scares the audience a little bit.

15. Akiva flags a Hotel Transylvania resemblance

    19:07

    Akiva points out that Andy's ghoul looks like his character from later Hotel Transylvania movies, when that character becomes a dragon-like figure. Andy says he will pull up a side-by-side for the show notes, which list a Hotel Transylvania image.

    you look a lot like your character from Hotel Transylvania

16. Monster in My Closet inspiration

    23:49

    Andy notes the Goofy Ghoul's expressions and storyline closely resemble the children's book Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer, which he read as a kid and again with his own kids.

    Monster in My Closet or something. And the expressions and the storyline here are actually very close.

17. The Mirror as Inception-style nesting

    27:29

    Akiva calls The Mirror the most Inception-like Digital Short, a dream within a dream. He compares it to Everyone's a Critic's Russian-doll ending.

    Is this the most Inception-y of any of the digital shorts?

18. Reader comment on Andy's zombie voice

    28:35

    A listener claims Andy's zombie voice in The Mirror is identical to the Beetlejuice impression he tried on the show the week before. The hosts push back, noting the Mirror predates those attempts.

    Andy's zombie voice is identical to the Beetlejuice impression he did last week.

19. Mulaney texts about the Beetlejuice gatekeeping

    29:45

    Seth jokes that Mulaney texted him that he'd lost the long fight to keep Andy's Beetlejuice off SNL, a running rivalry.

    I know you needed a victory after losing your years-long battle of keeping Andy's Beetlejuice off SNL.

20. Fans point here

    29:57

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 31 likes.

    I was a non-starter. You were a gatekeeping piece of shit. Never before has such a dear friend been such a vital enemy.

21. Fans point here

    31:49

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 46 likes.

    There's a sketch I really enjoyed in the L.A. show going back and watching again. Andy, you're really funny in it. Ooh. It's the College for Excellence. Do you remember anything about this? No, but I feel like if you… — Seth

22. Fred's heartfelt College for Excellence speech

    33:56

    Andy's character Fred delivers a sincere plea not to mock the commercial, a turn the hosts still find affecting.

    But, you know, this is a decent establishment, and it really helps some people, and I've seen it work.

23. Politicians on SNL: Clinton and Giuliani

    35:33

    Two real-life politicians appear in the show's history: Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, both running for president at the time of their appearances.

    It was Hillary Clinton who was running for president.

24. Melissa Etheridge concert sketch by Paula Pell

    36:27

    A sketch written by Paula Pell has Elliot returning from a Melissa Etheridge concert, realizing they were gay based on their enthusiasm, a bit the hosts praise for its specificity.

    There's also a wonderful sketch at the end of the show that Paula Pell wrote, where Elliot comes home from a Melissa Etheridge concert.

25. Criterion verdict for The Mirror

    37:37

    Seth rates The Mirror Criterion, a top tier for Digital Shorts, though the group notes it may be bumped depending on episode slots.

    And I will say, I'm going to put it Criterion.
    Criterion

26. Anne Golden Era weighting system

    38:00

    Seth introduces a weighted rating: the more members of the Anne Golden Era cast in a short, the better, and The Mirror has four.

    Plus four members of Anne Golden Era.

    Goes back to an golden era, Ep. 7, 31:52, Seth: And this is a very exciting time where it's early in our, you guys know, I call it a golden era.

    an golden era

27. Peter Pan pirates sketch with Simon Rich feel

    38:38

    Seth describes a Peter Pan sketch where Captain Hook grows exasperated as Peter keeps stealing treasure, a premise the group links to Simon Rich's writing style.

    And there's the most Simon Rich sketch, which is a Peter Pan sketch.