There was a time when all of us wished we could have been slimed on Nickelodeon, and now Saturday Night Live may have just killed that dream. John Mulaney came back to host the show he was a writer on for the fifth time and, in doing so, had some great sketches that brought the nostalgia — both for his past episodes and our childhoods as children of the Nickelodeon era. We're talking slime.
In a sketch about the behind-the-scenes look at the journey of slime on the network, we get a glimpse into plenty of slime-induced mishaps from SNL versions of Nick Cannon (Chris Redd) and Marc Summers (Alex Moffat), and still, somehow, I want to be slimed? Even if it comes with a bucket falling on my head because they haven't quite figured out the right consistency yet.
For those unaware, being slimed was a time-honored tradition on Nickelodeon that sort of still exists, but not to the same level it did in the 80s and 90s. The green goo was dropped on many a soul on the network across an array of variety and game shows, and so it makes sense that there would be a journey to figure out how slime would work. But what's great about this sketch at the "journey" of slime is that it is also a journey into the 80s and how bad some television was back then (meaning that the jokes were incredibly offensive).
Redd as Cannon keeps reminding the audience that this is the 80s after nearly every sketch because someone says something rude by today's standards, and finally, Summers tells him that we know at this point. But the sketch itself is funny because you're watching Saturday Night Live cast members getting slimed by various green goos similar to the one we know and love that are all just slightly off.
Mulaney and newer cast member Sarah Sherman have the best segment because they just keep getting slimed for reasons unknown. The two are completely covered in green slime by the end, and Mulaney can't stop laughing to try and finish out the sketch.
It's great fun, a look back at the television that made many of us, and a reminder to us all that there were decades when we longed to be covered in green goo on national television, and maybe that was the best time — minus all the offensive jokes.
You can watch the sketch from John Mulaney's fifth SNL episode down below.