Last Thursday, Key & Peele aired its final episode, ending on a high note in their fifth season. Over the past five years, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have charmed audiences on Comedy Central with their endearing, hilarious, and truthful sketch show. Key & Peele’s abrupt end leaves the world deprived of their intelligent commentary on issues ranging from the mundane to the ridiculous to the oppressed; nothing was left off the table. If the topic was serious, they could make you laugh about it, but then think about it well after the program had ended.
Key & Peele’s show thrived on the dynamic relationship between Keegan and Jordan. Almost all of the sketches are built off of their ability to interact with each other, no matter the extreme circumstances and characters in their sketches. They have famously played substitute teachers, college football players, school bullies, Obama and his anger translator, pirates, warlords, thugs, and anything and everything in between. As African American men, they used their identities to seamlessly critique the mainstream media and America’s past and present racism. Because they are not white men, they used their experiences of oppression to make comedy that was diverse, funny, and unafraid to speak about important matters in an insightful way.
For example, one of their most popular sketches “Black Ice” features two white newscasters who repeatedly warn their viewers to watch out for black ice on the streets, which is pronounced and depicted as “black guys.” Key and Peele then play the weathermen who have to defend the merits of black ice over the course of the sketch. This piece brilliantly captures and hints at the institutionalized racism present within our society. At one point, the newscaster states, “It’s scary, tricky, ruthless stuff, that black ice. A perfectly safe neighborhood can be suddenly terrorized by the appearance of black ice,” Peele, the weatherman then responds, “Well, one must keep in mind that, just because black ice looks different than white ice, it doesn’t make it any more dangerous. Also, one must remember how hard it is for black ice to survive, what with the authorities trying to destroy it with the snow plows and salt trucks, but black ice perseveres.”
This sketch is playful and funny, but it is obvious they are discussing something serious and visible within our society. These types of racist narratives are often on our screens; they may not be as blatant, but they do exist, and are particularly apparent in how the media has covered Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and the events in Ferguson.
Ultimately, Key & Peele has been one of the best shows on television because it is able to subtly combine humor and deeper issues. And, every single sketch just happens to be laugh-out-loud funny. If you have the time, search on Youtube and peruse their top videos. I know I’ve spent many hours doing this exact thing, and I do not regret a single minute. Even though Jordan and Keegan are moving on to new and possibly even better projects, television and sketch comedy will simply not be the same without their presence.
So, goodbye Key & Peele. Thank you for enlightening your audience to perspectives both big and small, hilarious and serious, far and wide. Whether your sketches were about texting miscommunication, that “high on potenuse” joke, slap-ass, or continental breakfasts, your comedy will certainly be missed. Here’s to hoping that Key & Peele will spark and inspire others to create sketch comedy that is just as intelligent and entertaining.
