SNL star Michael Che directed himself for this, his third Netflix stand-up special in a decade, filmed at the famed First Avenue in Minneapolis.
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Che → direct → Minneapolis
Despite the provocative title, however, you’re not going to hear him talk much about the political chaos that has rocked Minnesota over the past couple of years.
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that → go → years
But you will glean a bit more insight into the comedian himself.
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you → glean → comedian
At this point, Che has served as Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor longer than anyone save for the man sitting to his right at the desk, Colin Jost.
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Che → serve → desk
Outside of 30 Rock, he’s presented his own brand of stand-up comedy through hour-long specials coming at a clip of one every five years, starting with 2016’s Michael Che Matters, then 2021’s Michael Che: Shame the Devil, and now this hour.
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he → present → Devil
He also starred in and produced two seasons of his own series featuring sketches from his point of view on HBO Max, That Damn Michael Che.
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He → star → Max
For someone whose career is built upon writing and reading jokes about the headlines, Che opens by wanting us to believe he had no idea who Charlie Kirk was before his murder, spending a few minutes riffing off the premise: “I thought they were talking about the dude from Star Trek.”
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they → build → Trek
Che also wants to let us know he has no qualms about using the word “retarded.”
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he → want → word
“I know you shouldn’t use that word, but I do,” he says.
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he → know → word
“It’s because I still see them…
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I → ’ → them
I’ll stop saying it when I stop seeing them.”
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I → stop → them
And yes, he has heard complaints from audience members about it.
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he → hear → it
But he makes fun of the woman who said she had a special-needs son, and asked him how he’d feel if she used the N-word.
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she → make → word
“Like, I feel like you just did.”
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you → feel → ?
Che’s argument is that getting rid of the R-word has allowed the people we called that word to take over the world.
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we → rid → world
“We didn’t have a word to call him, and he kept getting stronger and stronger.”
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he → have → him
And his hats are for those people, he says.
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he → say → people
His only other politically charged routine suggests imagining the president as a kindergarten teacher, and an off-handed remark referencing a brouhaha over Minnesota daycares.
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routine → suggest → daycares
Otherwise, Che opens up about himself.
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Che → open → himself
He jokes about realizing he’s getting older, “trying to slow down my drinking, so I don’t have to quit.”
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I → joke → drinking
As the trailer hints, he’s not happy comparing his love life to that of his co-worker Jost, who is somehow trying to act normal about the fact that he’s married to ScarJo?
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he → hint → ScarJo
In one of Che’s best bits, he imagines weddings would be both more enjoyable and more effective if they were held at the end of a marriage, with all of the proceedings held in reverse.
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all → imagine → reverse
A bit less imaginative involves exploring why “happy endings” are misnomers, and why they exist in the first place.
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they → involve → place
In the end, Che admits he’s happy to remain single, not only for avoiding awkward gift-giving practices throughout the year, but also for not having to face the irony of working hard so his kids won’t have to struggle, only to wind up with kids who never know what it means to struggle.
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it → admit → what
Che’s famous enough that people buy him drinks even though he earns enough to buy rounds on the house for everyone.
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he → ’ → everyone
In one bit, he jokingly recalls a gay man in the Midwest offering to liquor him up in the false hopes of bedding him.
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he → recall → him
What could turn out to be a problematic routine ends up harmless.
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turn → turn → ?
“My point is I think people are too uptight about sexuality in this nation,” he says, after noting that straight people hate gay people the way poor people hate the rich.
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people → think → rich
His first Netflix special was stellar, his second felt more pedestrian and this third one finds him closer to the first — whether that’s because he put more effort into it, or with time and fame, it’s just more refreshing to get more insight into his point of view, more than a few years separated from his HBO Max series.
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it → feel → series
Our Call: If you still wonder what Che is really like when he’s not hampered by NBC network standards and practices, then you best STREAM IT.
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you → wonder → IT
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat.
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McCarthy → work → beat
He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
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Comic → podcast → Things
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