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Murder Mystery Dinner
The setup
The premise
Here’s the bit.
Jim Parsons plays Matt, who joins his partner (Cecily Strong) and two friends (Beck Bennett and Sasheer Zamata) at Hillhurst Mansion's murder mystery dinner for her birthday. The others happily take on a reporter, a retired army captain and a socialite, but Matt's envelope makes him Simply Dudley, a lecherous oddball with no further explanation, and he keeps asking how anyone is meant to play that. Taran Killam's butler host pushes the game along with action cards that make Matt drop his pants, crack a tasteless joke after Kate McKinnon's maid is found dead, and wield a feather tickler. When his attempt drifts toward the corpse, the actors scold him, he trades characters with the captain, and the captain's next card turns out to be just as crude, so Matt quits.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 6
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
He's a harmless, oversexed nutball.
Well, lucky for me, I date dead girls.
Simply Dudley goes to town.
Script
Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.
- 00:01
Pretend Reporter
This is so much fun, you guys. I've always wanted to do one of these murder mystery dinners. Thank you again, sweetheart.
- 00:09
Simply Dudley
Oh, of course. Happy birthday, baby. I would have loved a heads up on their website about the $18 parking charge, though.
- 00:15
Pretend Reporter
Stop it.
- 00:16
I hope I don't get killed.
- 00:19
Pretend Socialite
The actor's getting killed. We had to solve the murder.
- 00:23
Butler
Good evening and welcome to Hillhurst Mansion's murder mystery experience and dinner. I am your butler car, Michael. Dinner will be sure... Excuse me, dinner will be served shortly. And I assure you, it will be to die for.
- 00:42
Oh, I didn't hear that.
- 00:44
Butler
Inside the envelopes you've received are your character kits. Slice into your envelopes to discover who you are.
- 00:51
Pretend Reporter
Oh, my... This is fun. Oh, you guys. Okay. I'm Daphne Rose, a reporter in search of her next big story.
- 00:59
Pretend Captain
Captain Thomas Fisk, retired army officer with friends in very high places.
- 01:05
Hi there, Thomas.
- 01:07
Pretend Captain
That's Captain Fisk to you.
- 01:08
Pretend Socialite
Oh, wow. Lydia Guthrie, millionaire socialite with a mysterious past. Watch out, you guys.
- 01:16
Simply Dudley
Um... My character is Simply Dudley. He's a harmless, oversexed nutball.
- 01:26
Pretend Reporter
That's fun, babe.
- 01:27
Simply Dudley
What is that? What is a harmless oversexed nutball?
- 01:32
Pretend Reporter
Can you just try to have fun tonight?
- 01:33
Simply Dudley
I want to, I just don't know what that is. Sir, what is a harmless oversexed nutball?
- 01:40
Butler
The description is merely a guideline. You bring the character to life.
- 01:44
Simply Dudley
Okay, but this is just a little vague. Can't I be a movie star or a corrupt politician? I paid $365 for this thing.
- 01:55
Butler
Ah, the clock tells me it's time to refer to your first yellow action card to find out what your character does next.
- 02:03
Oh, I disconnect the phone.
- 02:05
Pretend Reporter
Oh. Okay, oh, you guys, I see a bloody fingerprint on this book.
- 02:12
Simply Dudley
No, no, I'd rather not do this.
- 02:14
Butler
Sir, each action bleeds into the next. You can't skip a card.
- 02:18
Simply Dudley
Okay, but this is simply Dudley drops his pants, and he says oopsie ladies must have been the wind
- 02:25
Pretend Captain
that's exactly what an over sex nutball would do
- 02:29
Simply Dudley
what do you want to trade people then you seem to understand simply Dudley's deal but can I be the army man
- 02:35
Pretend Reporter
hey Matt why does my birthday always have to be about you
- 02:38
Simply Dudley
okay you know what fine here I am participating there oopsie ladies must have to bend the wind.
- 02:44
Oh, great. Simply Dudley.
- 02:46
Pretend Reporter
Good job, honey.
- 02:47
Maid
The silverware won't be polished this evening. I've been murdered.
- 02:57
Butler
The murderer has struck. Quick, consult your purple action cards for what your character does next.
- 03:03
This is fun.
- 03:04
Simply Dudley
OK, no, again, my action card frustrates me.
- 03:07
Pretend Reporter
Honey, just do it. My thing says I can't go until the Simply Dudley character goes.
- 03:11
Simply Dudley
Honey, my card says Simply Dudley breaks the tension like only he can. Yeah, what? What, am I supposed to write this thing now?
- 03:20
Pretend Socialite
Matt, it's easy. What would a harmless, over-sexed nutball say after the maid is murdered?
- 03:26
Simply Dudley
Well, lucky for me, I date dead girls.
- 03:30
Pretend Reporter
Oh, Matt, no!
- 03:30
Pretend Captain
Come on, man, this was a blast, all right?
- 03:32
Simply Dudley
Wait, is that not what an over-sexed nutball would say?
- 03:37
Pretend Captain
Harmless, over-sexed nutball, okay? Not offensive, he's a nutball, man.
- 03:41
Simply Dudley
I am aware of that.
- 03:43
Butler
Ah, now please refer to your red clue card to find a piece of evidence that pertains to your character.
- 03:52
Pretend Captain
Ooh, the captain's trusty revolver.
- 03:56
I've got a lethal length of rope, a suspiciously sharp letter opener.
- 04:02
Simply Dudley
What? Simply Dudley's fabulous fanny tickler. Who the hell is this guy?
- 04:13
Butler
Quickly, on the back of the evidence tag is an action to move the story forward. You first, sir.
- 04:20
Simply Dudley
Simply Dudley goes to town. What the hell does that mean?
- 04:28
Pretend Captain
Hurry, man, go to town.
- 04:29
Simply Dudley
How do I go to town?
- 04:31
Butler
Perhaps the evidence may be of use.
- 04:34
Man, go.
- 04:35
Simply Dudley
Do I tickle someone?
- 04:37
Pretend Reporter
Just do something.
- 04:38
Simply Dudley
Who do I tickle? The maid?
- 04:44
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- 04:45
Butler
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Bro, rule number one, do not touch the actors.
- 04:50
Simply Dudley
Okay, what do you people want me to do?
- 04:52
Pretend Reporter
Not tickle a dead woman's ass!
- 04:54
Pretend Captain
You're an over-sexed nutball, not a horny doofus!
- 04:58
Simply Dudley
Alright, can I please trade characters?
- 05:01
Pretend Captain
Fine, fine, let's trade. You wanna be the captain? Take the captain.
- 05:03
Simply Dudley
Thank you.
- 05:04
Butler
Wonderful. Now please, refer to your next action card.
- 05:10
Simply Dudley
The captain goes to town on the maid.
- 05:13
Oh, that's gross!
- 05:15
Simply Dudley
You know what? That is it. I am out.
- 05:17
Time to play the game.
The rabbit hole continues
One more couldn’t hurt.
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