We’re rolling through every episode of Key and Peele on Pop Thruster. Here we go with “Manly Tears,” Season 2 Episode 8. Follow along on the journey!
Also: check out ALL 351 Key & Peele Sketches Ranked (In Painstakingly Funny Detail)!
Any Questions?
“There’s no dumb questions, okay guys?” – Key
A group of cops is about to storm into a house. Key, the team leader, really wants everyone to be on the same page, but when they finally go in, well… it turns out they weren’t, to say the least. A short/sweet opening sketch with a nice little silly payoff.
Twigs
“Back in the day, we used to pretend the sofa cushions was a fort.” – Carvell
A bunch of tough dudes gather round in the wake of the body of their boy Twigs getting pulled out of river. Key asks a visibly shaken Carvell (Peele) to say a few words, and Carvell goes deep on his childhood memories with his now deceased friend. What I just described could have been played entirely as drama, but in the hands of K&P it turns into a funny and striking exploration of how dudes deal with and express their feelings. Oh! And you may want to stick around to the end, which ends with a bang.
Ankle Cleavage
“Dude, did you see the bridge on that nose?” – Jahari
Jahari (Key) and Kareen (Peele) are just two dudes in what seems to be the Middle East checking out the ladies… who are covered head to toe in burkas and other religious Muslim garb. But these, uh, amorous fellas will take what they can get. “Holy garbanzo beans!” as they might say. Oh, and the final kicker is a great shout out to Monty Python’s legendary nudge nudge wink wink sketch.
Darius Rucker (sans The Blowfish)
“Hootie! Hootie!” – Crowd members
Peele is Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame, performing solo with an acoustic guitar before a lively crowd… except the lively crowd is there to hear Hootie songs. Things come to a screeching halt when Rucker has to explain to the audience that he’s not actually Hootie and there are no people actually called The Blowfish. Toad the Wet Sprocket and Hoobastank also get named dropped, so this one gets some points on the back of ‘90s musical time capsule stuff alone.
Mr. Nostrand
“I don’t play.” – Mr. Nostrand
A rowdy class settles down as Mr. Nostrand (Peele), the substitute teacher, walks in. He writes his name of the chalkboard, announces that his name might as well be “Mr. No Nonsense,” and then accidentally drops his chalk. As he bends over to pick it up, he farts. Then there’s a long pause, and Mr. Nostrand picks up his bag and skedaddles out of the room as the class erupts in laughter. Sometimes in high school – as in life – there’s no escaping high school.
Breaking Math
“Oh, you mean count it, count it? That’s a good idea.” – Peele
Key and Peele are gangsters meeting another group of guys in the desert a la a scene out of Breaking Bad. And in fact, Dean Norris – Hank Schraeder himself – is there to do a deal with the boys, replete with a ridiculous mustachio and spouting an even more ludicrous Mexican accent to match. The problem – and by problem I mean the hilarious problem – reveals itself as K&P try to figure out how to count the enormous amount of cash in the briefcase that they’re set to receive in exchange for the drugs. A glorious riff fest commences.
Just Stay for the Night
“Please unlock this door…” – Peele
In an old timey movie called Just Stay for the Night, Peele is the dolled-up lady and Key the dapper gent playing out a musical satire of an old standard, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” But in this satire, it becomes a satisfying revenge fantasy.
Some stats and info about Key & Peele, “Manly Tears”
TV SHOW – Key and Peele
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 8
AIRED ON – November 14th, 2012
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Comedy Central/Hulu
GENRE – Comedy, Sketch Comedy
CREATED BY – Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele