Key & Peele: “Sex Addict Wendall”
Episode 4.10

I hate to say it, but this week’s episode of Key & Peele feels like a midseason offering. That’s not to imply that it’s subpar, but there’s something subtly clunky about this episode. Its transitions don’t run as smoothly and the disjointed feel of the sketch selection slows the pace down to an unusually relaxed rate. That considered, the episode has its fair share of hysterical moments-not to mention the return of one of Key & Peele’s most ridiculous characters.
The Great
My favorite bits from Key & Peele are the ones that find the nexus of sidesplitting humor and social commentary. This episode’s opening sketch, in which Key and Peele play African men requesting aid from a white American diplomat, fits the bill beautifully. Although it is short, it is memorable and punchy, and takes a fine jab at the ulterior motives of United States’ foreign affairs. It isn’t subtle, either. “The American government supports you in every possible way,” the American agent says. It’s punctuated with a breathier, “ideologically, of course.”
But the best sketch of the week is undeniably “Sex Addict Wendall,” which brings back the fan-favorite character. Here, Wendall takes a seat in an addiction group therapy session. When his time comes to share, his story digresses into a declaration of food lust-and, not so subtly, a attempt to woo female members of the support group. Peele’s Wendall is, as always, humorously vain and awkward. His delicate southern drawl clashes wildly with his blatant plea for affection, his vulgar lies regarding his sex life, and his grotesquely intimate recollection of eating a large pizza. There’s no denying that Wendall is morally bankrupt (after all, he’s fishing for a sex partner in a sex addiction therapy group), and the slow zoom that frames his face acts as a nice technical illustration of that.
The Good