We’re rolling through every episode of Key and Peele on Pop Thruster. Here we go with “Bobby McFerrin vs. Michael Winslow,” Season 1 Episode 7. Follow along on the journey!
Also: check out ALL 351 Key & Peele Sketches Ranked (In Painstakingly Funny Detail)!
Going in the Wrong Way
“I’m a lefty, so…” – Peele
K&P say goodbye to a few friends, each doing a different version of the dudes who are good friends farewell move. They then go in for each other… but each picks the “wrong side,” and things get awkward. A super quick episode opener bit that’s more clever than funny.
Mama Sugabanks
“Donkey teeth… straight out a donkey’s mouth.” – Peele
Key and Peele are in a soul food restaurant together, and while ordering, slide into an escalating competition to “out soul food” one another. Peele starts off reasonably enough (Chicken Fried Steak With Gravy and a Cola) while Key opts for the Baked Beef Short Ribs with Collard Greens and Cornbread. However, things go off the rails from there, with the boys opting for things as… let’s say as far out there as four pounds of grits and a Dixie cup of lard. Oh, and don’t forget the human foot.
The Infiltration
“You just got her number, huh?” – Key
K&P are at a bar, when they both spot an attractive woman across the way. Key expresses that she’s fine, Peele responds that she’s merely ahhight, before abruptly heading over and quickly picking up her digits. Then, the same exact thing happens again with another woman – this time with Peele moving with superhuman speed. To Key’s horror, Peele is all up over every aspect of his life… even when he looks in the bathroom mirror. This is cute horror/comedy shtick that previews the massive leap Jordan Peele will later take as a horror film auteur.
Pet Shop Puppy
“I feel like I have to wrap his face in a towel and then beat it with an iron.” – Key
K&P are Lady Key and Lady Peele in this one, and the two spy the cutest little puppy in a pet shop window. Their over-the-top expressions of cute overload quickly go off the rails. This is an improv riff fest that very much works (with a horror movie kicker).
The Kings of Mouth Noise: Bobby McFerrin and Michael Winslow
“I tell you though, we wouldn’t have this audience without Winslow. Lucky for you, huh?” – Backstage Guy
This one kind of writes itself, in the most hilarious way: Bobby McFerrin (Peele), the “Don’t Worry Be Happy” acapella singer of lore, is performing with Michael Winslow, the “funny noises guy from the Police Academy movies,” as The Kings of Mouth Noise, and let’s just say it ain’t going so well for the guy who should ostensibly not be worrying. This one is a masterclass in physical comedy.
The Tea Party Candidate
“Show off your gun again!” – Press conference attendee
K&P, two regular dudes, lament their tax situation, when Key says the wrong thing at the wrong time: “Look at how much I lost in taxes. Might as well join the Tea Party.” Cut to Rob Delaney whisking him off into a whirlwind of press coverage and adulation as the “Tea Party candidate” and next President of the United States. There are cute and clever ideas at play here and it’s well executed, but a lot of the edge comes off this one from the vantage point of the Trump 2.0 era.
Morning Photo / Nighttime Fantasy
“Delete the picture, motherf—er.” – Peele’s girlfriend
This is a play in two quick acts. In the first, Peele makes the wrong choice when he thinks he’s being a little silly by taking a photo of his sleeping girlfriend (Michelle Buteau). And in the second, his wife attempts to apologize by encouraging him to reveal his wildest fantasy, and he says the really wrong thing.
Recruiting at the Club
“How y’all doing?” – Sgt. Crandall
Sgt. Crandall (Key), United States Army Recruiter, is getting down at the dance club. We know his name and job because he announces it to his fellow dancers at the dance club. Peele is his “associate,” “Sergeant Graham Packs,” who notes, “In case you haven’t heard, we’re asking and you’re telling…” about your future in the U.S. military! And, ah yes, these boys are dancing with other boys, as it’s a gay club, and this sketch comes to us in the wake of the Obama era rescinding of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. This one is fun just to witness Key and Peele having such a good time on the dance floor.
Some stats and info about Key & Peele, “Bobby McFerrin vs. Michael Winslow”
TV SHOW – Key and Peele
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 1, Episode 7
AIRED ON – March 13th, 2012
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Comedy Central/Hulu
GENRE – Comedy, Sketch Comedy
CREATED BY – Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele