We’re rolling through every episode of Key and Peele on Pop Thruster. Here we go with “Little Homie,” Season 4 Episode 2. Follow along on the journey!
Also: check out ALL 351 Key & Peele Sketches Ranked (In Painstakingly Funny Detail)!
Violence As Sport
“Well, that’s it for sports.” – Cooper Hurtsmith
In this super short episode opener, Cooper Hurtsmith (Key) is a news anchor detailing a few horrific stories about men assaulting women, before we understand that this is a “sports” segment. This misdirect tying to the many stories of domestic abuse of women by professional athletes is cute but in more of a painful cute than funny cute way, if you can dig.
Key & Peele On the Road: Part Two
“Just got the pun right now.” – Key
K&P are back on the road out west, chitchatting away about all manner of things as an interstitial between sketches during the fourth and fifth seasons. Topics include ventriloquists, puns, favorite actors of all time, the subtleties of performing, down doggy playing, and bip bip bip bipping, you know.
Little Homie
“Hey man, I ain’t trying to talk to no puppet, man.” – Clive “Double Down” Ruggins
I was only kind of into this one, where we have Clive “Double Down” Ruggins (Key) being forced to talk to the puppet, the titular Little Homie, by his parole officer-meets-ventriloquist, Daniel Tate (Peele), until Little Homie pulls a very real gun on his puppet master while trying to force (extort?) Ruggins into smoking “that s— man or I’ll smoke that bitch right here.” The best sketches can propel a huge, shocking laugh out of the ether.
That’s My Rocky
“Why isn’t he coming, mommy?” – Brandon
This one is both super short and super funny. A mother and her little boy, Brandon, excitedly rush to the front door as the man of the house (Key) pulls up in a taxi, clearly just back from serving in the military. It’s a joyous scene as their dog Rocky is the first to run to Key to greet him. And then… the visual punchline hits as well as any I can recall.
Playing Dead
“I’m assuming you have a better Hitler story?” – Col. Hans Muller
This one is chockfull of callbacks and silly misdirects, all adding to the fun. First of all, Ty Burell returns as Colonel Hans Muller of the S.S., triumphant after capturing a town or some such in the midst of World War II. Peele is his subordinate, who tries to hang with the Commandant regaling the squad with a story, but there’s an American soldier lying on the ground (Key) who is clearly not as dead as he seems. Bonus points for Muller bringing back “insubordinate and churlish” a la Mr. Garvey, Substitute Teacher’s classic line.
Head Braces
“I’m gonna see you on the dancefloor, girl.” – Key
There are some sketches where you start laughing immediately from the absurd premise. Case in point: Key walks into a bar wearing a flamboyant shirt with a dragon emblazoned on it, but more importantly he’s also wearing some kind of head brace that could double for a medieval torture device. It’s so dumb and so ridiculously funny before anyone says a word… or before Key tries to go for his wallet.
Going Steampunk
“I live in a clock now – umbrellas and blimps.” – Peele
This one is on the more bizarre side of K&P’s comedic stylings, and I absolutely love it. Peele shows up (an hour and ten minutes late) to meet his friend (Cedrick, played by Key) under a bridge, and has decided (for “reasons,” we take it) to become a steampunk. The comedy comes in both Cedrick’s exasperated reactions (“Why the hell are you dressed like this, and what you do with your bike?”… “You’re wearing a top hat with a door in it!”) and from Peele’s ludicrous outfit, ornately outfitted bicycle, and entirely bizarro vibes.
Some stats and info about Key & Peele, “Little Homie”
TV SHOW – Key and Peele
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 2
AIRED ON – October 1st, 2014
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Comedy Central/Hulu
GENRE – Comedy, Sketch Comedy
CREATED BY – Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele