The 2007 Saturday Night Live sketch ‘Dear Sister’ is arguably one of the greatest pieces of comedy to come out of SNL.
Sparking the absolute piss-take that forms the basis of millennial humour, ‘Dear Sister’ is a homage to televisions most dramatic scene ever: The Season 2 finale of The O.C.
In the SNL Digital Short, a whole lot of gunfire and dramatic slow motion looks to camera occur.
Keith (Andy Samberg) shoots Dave (Bill Hader) who shoots Eric (Shia LaBeouf), then all three fire at Keith’s sister (Kristen Wiig) multiple times. Then two cops (Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen) arrive at the crime scene and end up shooting each other after reading a letter titled ‘Dear Sister’, which details the exact events that unfolded. Related
OK, maybe writing that out doesn’t sound all that funny. But it’s the melodrama of the scene coupled with ‘Hide and Seek‘ by Imogen Heap replaying on each gunshot that really makes it.
~ Digital Media Composition Search:
Begins with clapping, clapping fades out as short begins
Begins with Keith writing a letter when Dave comes in and sits on the couch
Dave: hey man whatcha doin
Kieth: Nothing, just uhh writing a letter to my sister
Dave: cool nods head
Keith: ya it’s crazy I uhh havn’t seen her in years. Its weird because—
Dave shoots Keith, “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays”
Keith brings up hand, there’s blood on it then looks back at Dave, then falls to the ground.
Dave: gasping, breathing hard, shaking
Keith then shoots Dave with the last of his energy “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays
Dave looks at hands and they are covered in blood, then looks back at Keith on ground, Dave then falls to the ground.
Keith falls back down, presumably dead. Drops gun.
Camera pans to both Dave and Keith on the ground, eyes open, unmoving.
Eric walks in, smiling and laughing
Eric: Haha guys I just though of the funniest thing—
Dave then shoots Eric. “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays
Eric looks down, is holding stomach with both hands, blood is leaking out. Eric then falls to his knees, and then the ground.
Dave falls back to the ground and drops gun, presumably dead.
Kristen Wiig then walks into room with luggage, gasps. She then walks over to the coffee table and pick up notebook and reads the letter that the man was originally writing.
Letter says, “Dear sister, by the time you read this-
Kristen wig looks back and then gets shot by Dave. She then hunches over in pain.
Then Keith shoots Kristen wiig, who is presumably his sister. She hunches over in pain even more.
Eric shoots her again, then Keith, then Dave. Then Eric, then another shot, then Dave shoots her. Then Keith shoots her. Then Eric, then Keith. Then Eric. Then Dave, then Keith. Eric shoots again. Then a final shot occurs before Kristen wig falls to the ground.
Each time the gun is fired, hide and seek by Imogen Heap plays.
Sirens wail, and then scene turns into a crime scene.
Cop: *whistles, got ourselves a blood bath.
Other cop: Hey Sarge, listen to this. He begins to read letter.
Dear sister, by the time you read this, I’ll be dead. This is how I think it will happen. Dave will shoot me, then I’ll shoot dave, Then Eric will enter and get shot by Dave, then you will walk in and get shot by Eric, Dave and I multiple times. Love, your brother, Keith.
Other cop laughs and shakes head, continues reading
P.S: Then two cops will read this letter and shoot eachother.
Other cop: Now isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever—
Sargent then shoots other cop. “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays.
Other cop shoots Sargent. “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays.
They both continue to shoot eachother, look back at eachother, look down at their hands, and then fall too the ground. “hide and seek by Imogen heap plays for each cop, so it sounds kind of doubled over but not exactly matching.
“Mmm watcha say” plays for the last time.
The Scene Andy Samberg Just Couldn’t Shake
Two years after the original scene from The O.C., ‘Dear Sister’ aired on SNL.
When speaking to EW, The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer) explained they were all “obsessed with the O.C.” Andy said that after hearing ‘Hide and Seek’ in the finale, they “all became somewhat obsessed with that song.”
“It’s a classic moment, and we love doing digital shorts about movie and TV tropes,” Andy continued. “The ‘Gunshot That Happens Off-Camera, and Then Everything Cranks Into Slo-mo and Someone Realises They Have Blood on Their Hands When They Look Up’ is a move done a bunch of times, and we always really loved it.”
So, inspired and ready, Andy took the idea to his castmates, filmed until 4am, and managed to produced one of the greatest scenes in television history.
“Emotions run high in this loose homage to the final moment of the season 2 finale of The O.C. Featuring Shia LaBeouf.” – via the skit’s official YouTube video bio
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