Goths as a subculture are often associated with being counter-cultural, angsty, and punk rock. But what if someone is a goth and an extremely normal person? In this Please Don't Destroy sketch for Saturday Night Live, Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy imagine themselves as "Three Normal Goths." Following the form of a 90s sitcom intro, especially parodying Full House, this sketch introduces the three Please Don't Destroy guys as goths who are exceedingly normal.
Like most Please Don't Destroy sketches, the sketch starts in their writer's office at SNL, but this time the guys are dressed as over-the-top goths. The intro is accompanied by a saxophone riff, much like the transition music from a classic 90s sitcom. The three guys start talking about their extremely normal plans for the weekend, the first hint we get that these goths aren't like other goths.
It then cuts to a shot of a bridge where the title "Three Normal Goth Guys" pops up, a direct parody of the Full House opening credits. A voice sings about "three normal goth guys, not a single weird thing about them" over shots of the Please Don't Destroy guys going about their daily lives, just in full goth outfits. These three normal guys have completely conventional taste, such as their love of Marvel movies and Peter Griffin. They joke about "adulting" and wanting pizza more than abs. Sometimes "their jokes don't land" sings the theme song voice, after Marshall tries to joke about Spotify not having The Beatles.
This week's host, comedian Jerrod Carmichael, appears in the sketch, checking in on his three favorite co-workers at SNL. He wears a black sweater with a button up underneath, and a fedora, which is on all accounts a normal outfit, especially compared to the goths. After Carmichael leaves, the three goths make fun of his hat and pretend to call the fashion police. Meanwhile, one of the guys tattoos their eyeballs completely black. The sketch ends by showing their goth dogs, goth kids, and finally their love of the Disney parks as Disney adults.
While certainly funny, it isn't the best of Please Don't Destroy this season. Please Don't Destroy was formed in 2017 at NYU, where Marshall, Higgins, and Herlihy studied together. Both Higgins and Herihly are sons of past SNL writers, Higgins the son of Steve Higgins, a producer on SNL and Jimmy Fallon's sidekick on The Tonight Show, and Herihly the son of Tim Herihly, a frequent collaborator of Adam Sandler. This sketch isn't one of their best, especially as it was reminiscent of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein's running goth sketch on Portlandia. Still, it has its funny moments and is worth the watch.
Check the sketch out here: