# Probably the saddest comedy sketch I've ever seen. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455 "2013-12-16T11:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/21 "2013-12-18T00:31:13Z")
The end of the fifth book of the Hitch Hiker’s trilogy was kind of a downer for me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/22 "2013-12-18T00:43:51Z")
One word: _Seymour_. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/23 "2013-12-18T00:59:27Z")
Jam - [Symptomless Coma](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKxM4ToLLR8) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/24 "2013-12-18T02:36:20Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Why did you find _Idiocracy_’s ending sad? And did you watch the movie all the way to the end? (There’s a very cool bonus scene after the credits…) Not the ending, the whole movie. I just found it to be a cry of despair. And yeah, I saw the entire thing. Doesn’t help that I seem to keep seeing near-duplicates of “Ow My Balls” all the time on TV. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/25 "2013-12-18T03:28:08Z")
Not a sketch, but the final scene in **City Lights** is incredibly sad. A little background: Chaplin had raised money so that the blind flower girl can see again. He goes to jail for it, and the scene take place some time later, after Chaplin has been released and as the girl is wondering who her benefactor is. [Their meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_vqnySNhQ0) is one of the great moments of all film. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/26 "2013-12-18T04:09:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The “I Remember You” episode of _Adventure Time_. This episode is one of the most emotionally impactful things I’ve watched in years. In one fell swoop, they turned the Ice King from a simple buffoonish villain into one of the most tragic characters I’ve ever seen. Completely unexpected, and wonderfully executed. And great music, too. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/27 "2013-12-18T04:26:36Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) > > Do not watch if you don’t want to burst into tears. A Chinaman costume is worn, but it is tastefully done. > > :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(☹ That sketch was fucking brilliant. Seriously, seriously fucking brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/28 "2013-12-18T04:41:19Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I can’t find the classic Steve Martin and Gilda Radner fantasy dance number [Steve Martin & Gilda Radner in _Dancing In The Dark_](http://videolog.tv/451266). I even found [the script for it.](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77rdancing.phtml) > [@Zebra](#): > > , but that, and the film of John Belushi as an old man looking at the graves of his SNL cast mates are my two additions to the list. Good on you for correctly identifying it as a short film; it’s called _Don’t Look Back In Anger_ and I am unable to find a copy online at the moment (it was on Hulu a couple of years ago, I know). It aired in the 3rd season of SNL (show #59). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/29 "2013-12-18T19:29:29Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) > > Do not watch if you don’t want to burst into tears. A Chinaman costume is worn, but it is tastefully done. > > :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(☹ Never heard of them before. That was very well acted and produced. Touching. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/30 "2013-12-18T20:40:08Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) A short, well-written blog article about that sketch [here.](http://www.serialoptimist.com/reviews/old-holmes-9979.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/31 "2013-12-18T20:50:30Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > …Good on you for correctly identifying it as a short film; it’s called _Don’t Look Back In Anger_ and I am unable to find a copy online at the moment (it was on Hulu a couple of years ago, I know). It aired in the 3rd season of SNL (show #59). Available [here](http://classicajays.tumblr.com/post/25797495876/this-is-the-schillers-reel-dont-look-back-in). Surreal as hell. Especially the parts where Belushi says that they all thought he was the “live fast, die young” type. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/32 "2013-12-19T01:13:18Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) > > Do not watch if you don’t want to burst into tears. A Chinaman costume is worn, but it is tastefully done. > > :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(☹ That was excellent and very tough to watch.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/33 "2013-12-19T13:01:32Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) The caption under the video says “I know that the serious part of this sketch is still taking the piss…”, which I take to mean that the actors are still intending to be comedic during Holmes’ moment of clarity, but I can’t find the comedy in that moment. Can someone else point it out? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/34 "2013-12-19T13:11:41Z")
I don’t see it either. “Watson’s” facial expression when he first comes into Holmes’s room is exactly the facial expression worn by all friends and family of old people when entering that very situation. It’s a wonderfully acted sketch demonstrating both gentleman’s acting talents beyond just telling jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/35 "2013-12-19T13:46:02Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The caption under the video says “I know that the serious part of this sketch is still taking the piss…”, which I take to mean that the actors are still intending to be comedic during Holmes’ moment of clarity, but I can’t find the comedy in that moment. Can someone else point it out? Explained earlier in the thread. The show had earlier mocked Blackadder for turning all maudlin at the last fwe minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/36 "2013-12-19T14:05:12Z")
It’s “still taking the piss” because the previous episode had been devoted to taking the piss out of Sudden Genre Shifts meant to tug the viewers’ heart strings in cheap or unexpected ways. So after having spent a whole episode mocking other shows who did it, and did it in facile fashion to boot (like _Black Adder_) they did it themselves partly to show them how it’s done _right_ ; and partly out of ironic, self-aware self-deprecation which is a big part of Mitchell & Webb’s repertoire. IOW, the piss taking of the “serious” bit takes place at a more meta- level rather than within the sketch itself. And in that way, the ending becomes funny \*because \*it’s tragic and gut wrenching and no laughing matter at all - the people who’ve seen the previous bits expect them to drop a punchline or blow a raspberry that never comes. Instead you get punched straight in the gut. Ha ha ! Which itself is of course contrasted with the whole “Dementia is funny ! Old people do weird stuff and forget things all the time, isn’t it funny ?” tone of the beginning of the sketch - which would \*actually \*be quitetragic if you removed the laugh track. When you think about it from a non-comedic PoV, the great Holmes searching for the slipper that’s on his foot and Watson just pretending along isn’t funny, it’s pretty fucking bleak and sad. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/37 "2013-12-19T14:34:26Z")
Futurama episiode “[Jurassic Bark](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI6DK9SZH34)” is a tear jerker for the dog lovers out there. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/38 "2013-12-19T14:58:48Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > It’s “still taking the piss” because the previous episode had been devoted to taking the piss out of Sudden Genre Shifts meant to tug the viewers’ heart strings in cheap or unexpected ways. > > So after having spent a whole episode mocking other shows who did it, and did it in facile fashion to boot (like _Black Adder_) they did it themselves partly to show them how it’s done _right_ ; and partly out of ironic, self-aware self-deprecation which is a big part of Mitchell & Webb’s repertoire. > IOW, the piss taking of the “serious” bit takes place at a more meta- level rather than within the sketch itself. Ah, now I get the connection to Blackadder that was mentioned earlier. Thanks for the detailed explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/39 "2013-12-22T18:35:22Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Never heard of them before. > That was very well acted and produced. > Touching. Two of my favourite sketches: [Are we the baddies?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKcmnrE5oY) and [I’m looking for a gift for my aunt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFtl2XXnUc) ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/40 "2013-12-22T20:17:47Z")
This is my favourite, football, football, football. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MusyO7J2inM/maxresdefault.jpg "Watch the Football! ⚽ | That Mitchell and Webb Look - BBC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MusyO7J2inM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455.md?page=3)