The Curse

Pop-ups (69 · 6 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Vasectomy jokes and Jorma's ongoing bit

   0:53

   Jorma opens by asking Seth to pick him up after a vasectomy, a recurring bit where the hosts riff on medical procedures. The bit sets a playful, crude tone for the episode.

   Does it get harder? Oh, yeah. All right, we're off and running.

2. Fans point here

   1:08

   3 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 9 likes.

   Well, hey, John, if you're in town, you can come to. Fine. I'm you know, I've had I've had to enlist a lot of very unwilling participants to pick me up after my colonoscopies. Now, John, you always say you got to give… — Jorma

3. Akiva's Keeve type replacement

   1:54

   Akiva, absent this week, asked the hosts to replace him with a 'Keeve type,' and Jon Hamm was the only name on the list. Keeve and Kiva are nicknames for Akiva Schaffer.

   Akiva couldn't be here today, but he said, please replace me with what he called a Keeve type.

4. Jon Hamm as a Quaid Army member

   2:19

   Jon Hamm is acknowledged as a Quaid Army member in good standing, a long-time listener. Quaid is the fan name for listeners.

   At the, at the peak is you are a, you are a member of Quaid army and good standing.
   Quaid ArmyQuaid

5. Jon Hamm texts the show

   2:25

   The hosts say Jon sends them more texts than most Quaid Army members, cementing his status as a FOTS (friend of the show).

   We get more texts from this guy than, than most Quaid army.
   Quaid Army

6. FOTS friend of the show

   2:28

   Jon Hamm is called FOTS, friend of the show, a term for a regular supporter of the podcast.

   Yeah. FOTS friend of the show. I do. I do check in quite a bit.

7. Golden era praise

   3:21

   Seth calls Jon's first episode 'peak golden era,' a term for the Season 32-era SNL cast the hosts admire.

   This is peak golden era.
   an golden era

8. Foreshadowing as vasectomy

   3:30

   Seth jokes that foreshadowing is another word for a vasectomy, extending the hosts' long running medical-procedure riffing.

   That's another, foreshadowing is also another word for a vasectomy.

9. Jon's Bronx Beat cut

   4:38

   Jon recalls his Bronx Beat was cut when Elizabeth Moss came in to host, and the hosts joke that it should have been a one-person Bronx Beat.

   Elizabeth Moss had to come in. They cut my Bronx beat.

10. Jon's strong first episode

    5:09

    Jon's first episode, with Jeff Montgomery and A-holes, had home runs. Quaid Army members often cite the first episode as a standard for hosts.

    One detail here is not in the transcript.

    Yeah, we had some home runs on the first one, for sure.

11. Don't Make Me Sing

    5:54

    Jon's 'Don't Make Me Sing' sketch is a 1920s party with Wig Hater, in which a character keeps saying 'don't make me sing' while being terrible at singing.

    All right, so Wig, off the top, you have Wig doing Don't Make Me Sing.

12. Wig characters as bummer aunts

    7:12

    Andy says many Wig characters are someone's bummer aunt, a comedic type that the hosts find relatable.

    I feel like a lot of wig characters are unofficially, and some officially, are a person's bummer aunt.

13. Don't make me dance escalation

    8:20

    After Jon plays freeform jazz, the character escalates the bit with 'Don't make me dance,' a callback to 'Don't make me sing.'

    Oh, don't make me dance. Yeah, don't make me dance. An escalation.

14. January 30th: everyone was sick

    10:09

    The hosts note that January 30th shoots were freezing and everyone was sick, a recurring theme in SNL production stories.

    But that, when I think about a January 30th show, that is where everybody is sick.

15. Keeve's signed photo

    10:38

    Jon Hamm has a photo of Keeve in his home, signed by a key grip with the inscription 'thank you for giving me a second career.'

    John has a picture of him framed on his wall. Wait, is it from, who signed it for you?

16. Tim's blink-and-miss sax moment

    11:38

    The hosts note Tim Capello's sax shredding in The Lost Boys concert scene is brief, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that Akiva first pointed out.

    One detail here is not in the transcript.

    It's a little bit blink and you miss it.

17. Tim Capello, The Lost Boys

    11:55

    Tim Capello is a saxophonist known for supporting Tina Turner and his cameo in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys. The short's saxophonist curse is based on him.

    Tim Capello, also credited as Timmy Capello. is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist.

18. Tim Capello Wikipedia overview

    11:55

    Seth reads Tim Capello's Wikipedia overview: a multi-instrumentalist and composer known for supporting Tina Turner in the 80s and 90s.

    Tim Capello, also credited as Timmy Capello. is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist.

19. Fans point here

    14:06

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 2 likes.

    I mean, especially growing up in the Bay and being super into rap and being like, what is this? but noticing tim capello in lost boys like this was an early way to signal people that you sort of had like comedy nerd… — Andy

20. Fans point here

    15:27

    3 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 16 likes.

    All right. I'm pretty sure that Andy's right. Quest for fire. Keep going. Keep going. Oh, it might be in the Twilight Zone movie and it's one of a bunch of vignettes. I don't know. Yes. All right. While you guys Google.

21. The dog story and Tim Capello

    16:32

    Jon recounts that the vet who helped his dog pass had been a roadie for Tina Turner and Journey, and she knew Tim Capello.

    I used to be a roadie for Tim Capello... I was a roadie for uh tina turner and journey

22. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

    17:10

    The Curse's Twilight Zone-style structure echoes the 1990 anthology film Tales from the Darkside, specifically the Lover's Vow segment about a gargoyle.

    It was Tales from the Dark Side, the movie.

23. A terrifying ending

    18:47

    Seth notes The Curse has the most story structure of the shorts and a very terrifying ending.

    this one does have the most story structure and, to be honest, a very terrifying ending.

24. Solo outing while others were busy

    21:55

    The Curse was Andy's solo outing because Jorma was on MacGruber and Akiva was in L.A. working on a movie that never got made.

    Like, cause this is a predominantly Kreisel and Andy, because I don't remember this at all either.

25. MacGruber edit down the street

    22:06

    Jorma recalls being deep in the MacGruber edit at the Brill Building, another SNL office, while The Curse was made.

    we were deep in the edit of MacGruber, which was down the street. At the Brill Building, which is another SNL office.

26. Quaid Army counts the 'not there' jokes

    23:30

    A listener counted how many times Jorm and Akiva said they weren't there, claiming it was a million times. The hosts say the mentions are to avoid credit.

    I thought you guys might be interested in how many times Keeve or Jorm mentioned how many times they weren't there this week.
    Quaid Army

27. Not there to avoid credit

    23:46

    Seth explains that Jorm and Akiva point out their absence to avoid credit, a self-deprecating bit about the Quaid community.

    I think one of the reasons that Yoram and Keeve point out why they weren't there is to get out of the way of any credit

28. Akiva's voice note critique

    24:21

    Akiva sent a voice note with critiques of The Curse, which the hosts say was nitpicking since he wasn't there.

    One of the only times ever with Kiefer, I was like, come on, man.

29. Jump-cut push-in critique

    26:47

    Jorma notes a jump cut push-in move that Akiva would object to as not part of their visual vocabulary.

    is the jump cut push-in as we pull back and then there's a...

30. Jorma and the dog's medication

    27:30

    The hosts joke about Jorma's painkillers after a fall and that Seth's dog is on similar gabapentin, a light riff on medication.

    I love that Jorma and my 15-pound terrier are on the same medication.

31. Same setup as Like a Boss

    28:10

    The Curse's business meeting setup reuses the same format and stock footage as Like a Boss, the ice cream sales digital short.

    I think this is the exact same setup as Like a Boss.

32. Digital shorts crew in the cold

    30:26

    Jon describes filming on a stage in a cold location at 2am, with gel and an unreed sax that made him nearly pass out.

    we're on some, what are we on like ninth floor... it's probably, you know, two in the morning and it's freezing cold

33. Fans point here

    32:00

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 6 likes.

    It's very good. Very nice work with what she's given by Jenny Slate in this short. Also, that moves pretty fast, that beat. Quick beat. Totally. Yeah. Now it's gaining momentum. That's what helped with that one. Now we…

34. Five years later

    35:11

    The Curse jumps five years forward with Andy in glasses and a sweater vest, a time jump that surprises the audience.

    Five years later. That was great. All right.

35. Efficient storytelling

    36:49

    The hosts praise the short's economy of storytelling, packing a full story into about 345 seconds.

    You guys are tremendous at the economy of storytelling.

36. Horse mouth open sob

    38:01

    Andy's signature distressed face, the horse mouth open sob, is named here by Jorma and Seth and is used after the saxophonist breaks through the wall.

    Horse mouth open sob. Yeah, horse mouth open sob is a very good way. HMOS.
    horse mouth open sob

37. Audience goes insane at the delivery room

    39:12

    Andy recalls the audience reacting strongly to the final delivery room scene, which he felt meant the short worked.

    Because the audience goes fucking insane on that moment.

38. Lauren Likes It pre-tape

    39:26

    The Curse was the first pre-tape digital short in the rundown, aired in the Lauren Likes It segment.

    Yeah, it was the first pre-tape. It was the Lauren Likes It digital shorts.

39. Sergio as the button

    39:38

    Jon says each beat ends with him saying 'Sergio' to the camera, a neat ending device that ties the whole short together.

    how nice a piece of writing it is that John buttoned each beat by saying Sergio to the camera.

40. The Curse from Don't Make Me Sing

    40:20

    Seth connects The Curse to Don't Make Me Sing, noting the two sketches came from the same structure.

    Yeah, so this came right out of Don't Make Me Sing.

41. Seth's impeachable praise for Jon Hamm

    40:35

    Seth argues Jon Hamm's Sergio performance is near the best ever on SNL, and the room jokes about the word 'impeachably.' The exchange is a quick gag on how emphatically the hosts rate the sketch.

    I'm sorry, that's impeachably great. You can't, you can have ones as good, but I don't think you can have a better actor than that.
    Criterion

42. Do actors talk to editors?

    41:05

    Jorma poses an acting question to Andy and Hamm about whether they ever speak to the editor directly, since editors spend so much time on their faces. Andy recounts telling a Brooklyn Nine-Nine editor to use a particular take.

    Do you ever look at the camera and actually say anything?

43. Akiva's voice note critiques The Curse

    42:15

    Akiva, absent this week, sends a recorded voice note on The Curse's filmmaking. He lists eyeline breaks, the wine-pouring setup, and a yellowed color grade. The hosts joke about the 'Keeved' outburst that follows.

    What's up, guys? It's Akiva, Quaid Army, big fan, love the pod. Jon Hamm, so sorry to miss you.
    Quaid Army

44. Shots fired

    46:18

    Akiva's voice note ends with 'shots fired,' a phrase the hosts repeat as a playful jab at each other. It is a recurring way of signaling a hot take.

    Yeah. Shots fired. And I know the Quaids are going to agree with me on this one.

    Goes back to gun holstered, Ep. 51, 27:03: Gun holstered. As opposed to shots fired? Oh, yeah, because it's the opposite.

    gun holstered

45. Fans point here

    46:31

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 85 likes.

    Love the pod. Love everything you do. Later, Arnold. Later, Quaid. No! You're not allowed to do that. No, you want to end the show there. Which is a great way to end it. But here's the reason that that voice note gives…

46. Jorma's MacGruber editing memory

    46:47

    Jorma recalls Akiva calling him during MacGruber's edit, pressuring him to take charge while The Curse aired. The story shows the pressure of the three solo projects running at the same time.

    I remember Keeve calling me and complaining and being like, what are you doing?

47. Sergio breaks the eyeline on purpose?

    47:45

    The hosts debate whether the eyeline breaks are a deliberate disorienting choice, with Andy noting the joke about the guy through the wall. Seth says he no longer likes the short.

    Now it's like, are we now in Sergio world where you break the line on purpose to disorient people?

48. Getting Keeved

    47:59

    'Keeved' is the hosts' term for being criticized or dressed down by Akiva. The bit recurs as a playful verb whenever someone is roasted.

    You got Keeved, brother. I got Keeved. You got straight up Keeved.

49. Andy's wedding Keeve speech

    48:11

    Andy jokes that Akiva is the reason he is still married, since Akiva approves of his wife, and mentions Akiva's wedding speech. The hosts laugh at the impression of a strict best friend.

    I'm still together with my wife because he likes her. Otherwise, if he didn't, we wouldn't be together.

50. Akiva's note: a re-edit with flipped negs

    48:40

    Andy suggests Akiva take another pass with flipped negatives and a new color timing, then they'll compare the two versions side by side. The bit is a light joke about how seriously Akiva takes these notes.

    I think he's got to take another pass at this, flip a few negs and color time it to his satisfaction.

51. Frappers and rap names

    50:19

    A quick bit has Seth ask about a rap name, with Andy and Jorma reeling off silly variants of 'Rick Meticulous.' The rap-name riffing echoes the group's frapper roots.

    Ridiculously differently meticulous. Arith meticulous. Okay.
    frapper

52. Andy credits Akiva for better editing

    50:27

    Andy says he got better at editing from Akiva and their writing collaboration, and that they all learned from each other. It gives credit to Akiva even while the group joke about him.

    I'm so much better at editing because of Akiva and writing all the things.

53. The digital short logo flag

    50:41

    Jorma says the Digital Short logo was a point of pride, with what goes in the opening logo carefully controlled. The hosts joke that the flag must not touch the ground.

    I will say the SNL digital short logo was a point of pride and that is part of it.

54. Andy's pride after The Curse aired

    51:20

    Andy recalls the feeling watching The Curse air with Hamm and Kreisel, and the happiness at the after-party despite Hamm and Andy being sick and cold. It is a fond memory that counters the notes.

    That pride I felt of having pulled one off with neither of them there.

55. Horse face at the end of Sergio

    52:00

    Seth recalls Andy making the same horse face at the end of Sergio that the Horse Mouth Open Sob describes. The reference links to the HMOS signature expression.

    Then you hung up the phone and you made the same horse face that you made at the end of Sergio, right?
    horse mouth open sob

56. The Curse as Criterion

    54:51

    The hosts agree The Curse is Criterion, the highest ranking for a Digital Short, with Seth giving 100% and Jorma citing its place in the 100th Digital Short. The ranking is a standing badge of quality on the show.

    100%, no hesitation at all.
    Criterion

57. Sergio becomes a street catchphrase

    56:10

    Jon Hamm says people yell 'Sergio' at him on the street years later, often bringing up the jumping-the-line error. The show's catchphrases become a memory of the era.

    a lot a lot a lot you know especially you know in the in the what you said this was 2010 yeah

58. Greg is definitely an alien

    57:51

    The Game Time with Randy and Greg sketch is a sports-talk spot where Greg is not an alien. The sketch was followed by a multiplying-alien variation with Michael Bryan and Brian Tucker dressed as Greg.

    Greg is definitely an alien. He was definitely an alien.

59. Seth's Corner begins

    59:07

    Seth's Corner is the segment where Seth talks about what he wrote that week. In this episode Seth presents Ham and Bubbly and the Closet Organizer, the pre-tape that completed his three-sketch argument.

    Here's the part of the show that Seth talks about what he did that week.
    Seth's Corner

60. Seth sang the Buble part

    1:00:19

    Seth explains he had to sing the Michael Buble part at the table read, since Sudeikis would have died to do it. He admits the scansion of the jokes was the main worry.

    We all know I can't sing, and I had to sing the Michael Buble part at the table read on Wednesday.

61. Closet Organizer pre-tape

    1:03:11

    Closet Organizer is a late-night TV ad pre-tape in which Will Forte, in a blue bodysuit, organizes a closet while people throw items at him. The item list escalates into absurd pies and water.

    Your closet is an absolute mess? Are you way too stupid to keep your closet clean?

62. The Court Stenographer sketch

    ~1:03:54

    Fred Armisen plays a stenographer who types with a typewriter, and the sketch riffs on his recurring 'can't find my crackers' bit. The sketch is credited to James Anderson's writing.

    Seth: But then we go to the third of this hat trick is Fred's stenographer character, Alinda Nade.

63. Prophetic courtroom line

    1:06:57

    The hosts note the stenographer sketch's line about no one being good at their job feels prophetic. Seth says the world has caught up to the sketch's logic about deciding who goes to jail.

    We're just figuring out if people go to jail or not.

64. Tarky Fensington and Resden Bonair

    1:10:02

    The Forte and Solomon bar scene culminates in two sketch names, Tarky Fensington and Resden Bonair, reveals that Jon Hamm's character was the closet organizer. The names are a highlight the hosts call among the greatest.

    I have a name, actually. Oh, God, I'm sorry. All right.

65. The meta reveal laugh

    1:13:06

    Seth says the reveal in this sketch gets the same edifying laugh as the ending of The Curse, because the audience appreciates the self-referencing structure. The moment is praised as a classic self-reference.

    There is a big laugh when it's revealed.

66. Credit for the weird L sketch

    1:13:41

    Seth clarifies that Kenward and Jost wrote the impenetrable weird L sketch, so credit goes where it is due. It is housekeeping about the sketch's writers.

    Kenward and Jost wrote the weird L. I want to make sure Kenward also gets credit for that impenetrable sketch.

67. Avatar and Sigourney Weaver comic

    1:14:14

    Seth shares a comic about Akiva organizing a screening of Way of Water without remembering Sigourney Weaver was in the first film. Andy, who disliked Avatar, says he cannot deny others' experiences.

    Keeve organizing a special screening of Way of Water, but also not remembering that Sigourney Weaver was in the first movie

68. Writers say the podcast teaches SNL

    1:15:16

    Seth says young SNL writers told him the podcast explained how the show works better than anything the show told them. The hosts take the compliment with humor.

    A bunch of them said this podcast was more helpful in telling them how the show worked than anything anybody at the show has told them.

69. Hamm on his SNL week

    1:15:47

    Jon Hamm says the week was not the usual terror, since he had a template from earlier hosts, and the five-hour table was jam-packed. He came back the same calendar year, which he calls even more fun.

    So I at least had a template of what I kind of thought might happen.

70. Hamm too cold to hook up

    1:16:31

    Seth and Andy joke that Hamm and Seth never hooked up that week, with Hamm saying he was too cold. The bit ties the chilly-host gag to the week's memories.

    I remember Ham just kept saying he was too cold to hook up that week.

71. Hamm: Don Draper meta

    1:16:46

    Hamm suggests John and Will wrote the Closet Organizer's last act as a comment on how difficult it was to be Don Draper in the world. Seth agrees it is the meta layer of the whole sketch.

    I think that John and Will wrote that closet organizer, the last act of the closet organizer, as a comment on how difficult it was to be Don Draper in the world.

72. Golden host from an golden era

    1:17:08

    Seth calls Jon Hamm a golden host from a golden era, a term tied to the Season 32 cast. The praise connects Hamm's hosting to the show's peak years.

    I say this with no exaggeration. Jon Hamm, you are an golden host from an golden era.
    an golden era

73. Spelling Bee clean and Queen Bee

    1:18:17

    The Spelling Bee results are read out, with Andy claiming a Queen Bee clean and the others trading near misses. The bee is a recurring sign-off segment the hosts treat as a competition.

    I got motherfucking queen bee clean.

    Goes back to Queen Bee, Ep. 8, 18:30, Seth: By the way, I also got, he didn't tell me to check my phone, but he also got Queen Bee on the spelling bee, which he texted me right before this started.

    cleanQueen Beesqueaky clean

74. Later, Quaids sign-off

    1:19:28

    The episode closes with the 'Later, Quaids' sign-off, and the hosts joke that someone stole the line. The phrase is the show's official parting words, recorded by Schwarzenegger at Seth's request.

    Later, Arnold. Later, Quades. Son of a bitch stole my line.
    later, Quaids

75. Fans point here

    1:19:29

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 4 likes.

    Love you, buddies. Later, Arnold. Later, Quades. Son of a bitch stole my line. Hi, this is Nikayla Matthews-Oconee from Side Hustle Pro. This holiday, the difference between buyers just checking things out and checking…