S1 E23: State Legislatures, ALEC & New Zealand's Flag: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Season 1, Episode 23, November 2nd, 2014. John Oliver discusses the impact a group called ALEC has on state legislatures, a very pressing issue regarding New Zealand's flag, protests in Hungary, and robots at Lowe's. Yes, robots at Lowe's.
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[@dx5soundlabs939]

The let my people go guy had a very legitimate grievance..as I recall he was upset about being given bills over 1000 pages long to read with less than an hour before the vote..which is patently ABSURD...

[@anava7030]

Thanks for fact checking it’s one of my pet peeves when people show footage of someone looking ridiculous and don’t give context

[@dx5soundlabs939]

@@anava7030 same!

[@voverfield1987]

@@anava7030 sometimes being ridiculous is warranted.

[@lolipedofin]

It's not about whether his rant and grievance were warranted or not, it's about the fact the sight of him losing it is legitimately hilarious.

[@wendyroberts2693]

Why did he say "Let my people go"?

[@crabcakeenthusiast692]

I'm glad they uploaded these in full to youtube, I've been watching them on youtube since around 2017, but I've never seen the full episodes, only the "main stories", not the portion of the beginning of the episode where he actually recaps the events of the last week, which is where the show gets his name.

[@charlie_claire_comedy]

These uploads are taking me back to my heavy depressive episode a few years back when I was binge watching the “our main story tonight” clips. Crazy how much I was missing!

[@staceywarncke6915]

How do you type memem

[@staceywarncke6915]

Not to mention, Stephen Root is the man. That's why the genius of the Coen brothers is all that is good😊

[@ruekurei88]

You could find full episodes online before. They were usually uploaded within a couple hours of the show airing but they had a bunch of weird workarounds for content ID like reversing the video, zooming in really close, playing music on top of it etc, and they sometimes wouldn’t stay up that long anyway. I’m glad those days are over.

[@beths1154]

At about minute 12:40 he starts talking about how Congress is shaping up to be the least productive in history. Well 2023/2024 has them beat.

[@bobross4449]

Was hoping someone else would point that out

[@Ford_prefect_42]

I came to say the same thing 🤣 well put

[@SacredMilkOG]

The LWT team and John have updated those views along the way consistently... it's funny but unfortunate, really.

[@sashakucher261]

This was like 2015. Everyone in the US was hopeful.

[@IneedanewScreenName]

Came to the comments section to find this. Was not disappointed

[@JALNIN66]

The Home Depot skit was great!

[@agiar2000]

The husband's voice is SO FAMILIAR. I think he's a voice actor for some cartoon, but I just can't place him. EDIT: I figured it out! He is Harry Jon Benjamin, voice of Bob Belcher of "Bob's Burgers"!

[@Coren999]

@@agiar2000 You mean it's Archer, the world's greatest spy?

[@kats873]

As a former HomeDepot employee, it is not so accurate I am more likely to scan products for contractors.

[@VanillaLoaf]

Anything with Nick Offerman's laugh in it is worthwhile.

[@kisaragi-hiu]

29:27 they actually credited ALEC as "Associate Producet of Creating Horrifying Things For Us To Talk About" lol

[@JediMobius]

I just assumed there was the appropriate follow-through on the bit, but it's nice to have verification.

[@devon7359]

“how could our daughter be asian 🤷‍♂️” that entire conversation is so extremely Archer in all the best ways

[@Joshua_Shadow_Manriguez]

The dude sounded like Sterling Archer, too.

[@toastyblues06]

@@Joshua_Shadow_Manriguez That IS Sterling Archer himself, H. Jon Benjamin.

[@devon7359]

@@toastyblues06 thank you..i was at a loss for words with that one

[@Joshua_Shadow_Manriguez]

@@toastyblues06 I just knew he sounded like Archer.

[@mudmann10121]

Swanson laughing should be the national anthem

[@johnchessant3012]

S1 E23 (aired November 2, 2014)

[@poulthomas469]

Archer undercover at a Home Depot was unexpected.

[@Alcorsu]

This young kid is pretty funny. He also has a passing resemblance to John Oliver.

[@jenelaina5665]

I think of the "windowless committee room in Lansing Michigan" line multiple times a year. Pretty much everytime I need to go to Lansing, and sometimes just randomly at breakfast or something.

[@kconway2263]

Estonia has free internet, but the US (supposed greatest country on earth) does not. They also have free school lunch. We have lots of billionaires, unhoused people, and a giant military. I think that shows some of our priorities.

[@beth12svist]

"Let's catch up to Estonia" shows John / the writers of the show were quite out of the loop on Europe because at least when it comes to the internet and doing things on the computer, that's been the motto for quite a while.

[@baharinkamarul3389]

Only americans say america is the greatest country in the world. For the rest of the world.. pfffftt!!

[@ItAlIHappenedSoFast]

@@beth12svist People are out of the loop on Estonia also, they're working hard to be nordic instead of baltic.

[@beth12svist]

@@ItAlIHappenedSoFast Well, yes, obviously; as a European on an American channel, I wrapped that up under "being out of the loop on Europe". 😆

[@beth12svist]

@@ItAlIHappenedSoFast P.S. But also I think it's a bit like "Estonia and Latvia are both working rather hard on turning 'Baltic' into 'Nordic'."

[@firstaidowl]

When he talked about how the local gov was passing tons of laws... oh john... its gotten worse.

[@Outsider_98]

I love that they actually put Alec in the credits. 29:29 😂😂😂John Oliver is just legend.

[@joink25]

Of all of John Oliver's various accents, I think his New Zealand accent is the best.

[@ultimatehawkeyefangirl]

In case anyone is wondering, the ALEC credit is the very last one listed

[@robertw1962]

ALEC, part of the Heritage Foundation family.

[@davidfuentes9957]

Yes, thank you. Thank you for pointing out the obvious thing that everyone else refuses to see. This is like the Emperor new clothes and they say it’s fine, except it’s an elephant in a room and they still say it’s empty and it’s fine. That elephant: the GOP machine apparatus.

[@catbusinthecity]

2014; "the least productive Congress in history..." 2024; "Hold my beer..."

[@brenndend.colbert2358]

9:11 is that the voice of “Bob” from Bob’s Burgers?

[@Izandaia]

Sure is. Also Archer from Archer.

[@narr482]

And the Void

[@clayjr86]

10:39 pure Archer

[@PalKia002]

the lowes ad is amazing

[@feralscream]

I love that the music playing in the background during the start of the ALEC piece at 24:54 is the theme music from The Thing. Very appropos!

[@NatalieBall-mw5nz]

As an Australian I can confirm that yes, it is very funny

[@victoriaeads6126]

Passed 185 laws? If ONLY the current Congress was that productive 😐

[@tarab4617]

“Let’s catch up with Estonian” yeah, well, Estonian has allowed online voting for decades 👀

[@PkonradW]

I’m so mad that this is how I learned what the voice actor for archer looks.

[@atalbrecht]

There's a reason he plays Bob Belcher now 😄

[@patrickblakethesaint]

H. Jon Benjamin is a national treasure

[@davidpaulmoore5146]

Glad to see HBO has finally realized we like to see the entire episode…

[@jasondavenport5577]

Thank You

[@maryfields1382]

I absolutely love the "Let my people go!" guy.

[@420feend]

10 years seems like a different universe.

[@yyyy-uv3po]

Does it though? It's basically the same shit, that followed a predictable yet unaltered trajectory to become even worse.

[@someguywithaphone5921]

Thanks for putting this up.

[@YoshiBae]

lol the Home Depot skit

[@studiosandi]

Thank you john oliver for keeping us informed.

[@mudtaintmcgee3791]

Was the man in that clip at home Depot H John Benjamin??

[@Kill3rwasp]

It is indeed Archer from that show Archer and Bob from that show Bob’s Burgers.

[@bradleybarnett9545]

​@@Kill3rwaspFrom that show, Family Guy!

[@BeakerButch420]

​@@bradleybarnett9545Weird way to spell Venture Bros

[@sashasargent4096]

The husband in the skit sounds just like Jordan Klepper.

[@pendragonfan42]

"One of the most important elections in American history!" Nobody can truly appreciate how much I wish that were true.

[@kelandryyemrot1387]

I love seeing these old episodes and I knew current hot topics were far from new.... but it's a tad depressing to see the same things in these old episodes that are currently hot topics. Still love watching these old videos though

[@MX-oz5rx]

It's nice to see they were able to get Ron Swanson for the Home Depot advert.

[@petrichor6562]

The fact that they didn't include the Laser Kiwi flag is just horrifying

[@JustAGun_]

18:17 you forgot to highlight the UP lol

[@studiosandi]

love John Oliver ❤❤❤

[@troyallen8223]

Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow. 🤷🏼👀🤣🤣🤣

[@natewalt8480]

So proud at 26:20 to see my cousin getting called out for lying about a thinktank’s bill being his 😆

[@jalynelliott2520]

My husband and I met at Dave & Busters so he gets to say it all the time 😂

[@qienna6677]

Honestly, I was sooooooo glad our flag didn't change.

[@nstark1066]

If Hostus Mostus is your genus, then I insist Humerous Maximus be your species, John.😆

[@daewonshaun1]

wow i remember watching this, it's crazy how long it's been.

[@jamesdominguez7685]

Why did the news item talking about ALEC sound like it was using the soundtrack from John Carpenter's The Thing?

[@kristijancavic]

"You're not supposed to say *incident* 'cause it implies there was one" :D

[@PaulShivery]

Sorry the well-deserved applause didn't extend to anyone but Nick.

[@janiceleonard2812]

John you are the coolest…. 😊

[@corbinpeacock8722]

9:04 it's Bob Belcher's VA. That is not what I pictured him looking like.

[@thinktricks5191]

That Home Depot husband sounds exactly like bob from bobs burgers

[@shivercool]

Cuz it is

[@darren.mcauliffe]

A tax on the internet sounds weird. I'm already paying it. Isn't the ISP paying taxes on their income?

[@enikata7349]

This is an alternate version of a design for the New Zealand flag. Google laser kiwi and behind its magnificence :)

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

12:37 wait til they see the 118th Congress

[@Sonichero151]

I'll be honest..... a Home Depot with its own Ron Swanson associate would probably be the most successful store location of all time as well as the number 1 location for saving marriages.

[@Ktwitch88]

"The eucalyptis is for koalas and pacifists." Classic

[@studiosandi]

This stuff makes me so angry. It's so hard to listen to and yet so important to know about.

[@Imhexed]

Home Depot owes you so much more than money

[@mhick3333]

Love the phrase bill mill

[@lordfarquad229]

The fact that most of these episodes from a decade ago still seem so relevant is horrifying. Guess there were no takeaways

[@WBSlashH]

14:17 they did a crappy job censoring this lol

[@letitiajeavons6333]

Watching this in 2024. How long has Victor Orban been PM of Hungary?

[@artist91fb]

The abortion ban segment was prophetic

[@Weskimo501]

Seriously, the ARCTIC chill from the dude next to him at 16:45. Buddy is out there throwing Egypt and slavery around and his colleague next door is just like "I guess this shit is happening. When do i need to do my thing and press a button?" Just wow

[@DeadSezSo]

The flag proposed I actually kind of liked with the blue and red

[@DragonToothlessTwitch]

And then the current Congress said to the Congress from 2013-2014 with regards to the Do Nothing status... "Hold my beer."

[@lenaeospeixinhos]

Yikes to the spanking guy...

[@aaronmatthews1939]

Is there any reason you guys aren't adding the original air date of these re-releases? Y'all seem so on it in every other aspect of.. everything 🤷 Also, to HBO, having to wait until Thursday to watch a new episode is cruel and unusual punishment. 🤙🤙🤙

[@gracelloyd3758]

I love bob.

[@gracelloyd3758]

And Ron

[@cooperjames4736]

Holy Crap!! Protest Actually Works

[@Whalebarf79]

Does Hollister smell good or something? lol

[@December954]

I'm glad we have mandatory voting here in Australia. Never heard of any unopposed officials running ever because everyone is acutely aware of who and how many are running. Each person who is running provides a brief statement about their objectives and beliefs and these are provided by our governments in the polling stations with the voting papers whether it's the local council, state, or federal level. And we have preferential voting which is just an awesome system that every country should have - look it up if you don't know it (better than me shoddily explaining it)

[@kazthehero5053]

Ron Swanson job before the parks and rec gig

[@josefmanga]

Why is Archer buying ferns?

[@mhick3333]

2014 show shown as a couple days ago

[@silversolitaire1519]

Remember when Tucker Carlson was on Fox?

[@richardhall1667]

Little did he know we’d smash that “least productive Congress ever” record less than a decade later…

[@Amystic-ery]

Bob's new wife isn't cool. And home depot suits Beef

[@e_o_zoca]

Holy shit, h. Jon Benjamin and Ron swanson

[@tuomasmattila283]

where internet is free?

[@acemiller101]

H. John Benjamin!!!😂😂😂😂

[@elainebelzDetroit]

I totally expected him to have a divorce lawyer's card among the paint samples.

[@bradleybarnett9545]

@12:42 I love this guy, love his show but, as I get older, I hate jokes about jazz more & more.

[@December954]

I like that red and blue NZ flag - it looks pretty

[@kumbaya69421]

@15:40 is she wrong though?

[@Memories420]

The black flag with a leaf on it looks nothing like Isis flag that’s like saying the American prisoner of war flag looks like that Isis flag😂

[@JoelDombek]

SEASON 1 not new ep they mention 2015 a few times...and John's hair is noticeably much less grey

[@jlev1028]

No shit, Sherlock.

[@iyeetsecurity922]

Joel Dombek learned from the best. His sleuthing skills are unmatched.

[@Sam-Cain]

What do you think "S1 E23" means?

[@racool911]

You can tell by the name of the video lmao

[@lizabethhampton4537]

As Alecs go, i vastly prefer Trevelyan

[@jaydaniel4666]

how did i never notice the guy from the home depot skit is fucking archer!

[@jakethewatersnake]

This part about the 2014 election for the Senate not being the most important aged really poorly

[@ethzero]

LWT: Does a piece on native advertising, S1E13 LWT 10 episodes later: Runs a 3 minute -native ad- sketch for a DIY store. 😒

[@jeremyt8955]

She taught school for 20 years. Maybe she knows what she’s talking about.

[@RandomFandomDragon]

Roflmao... watching these ten years later, things just have an extra layer of funny, or sadness, depending. Like "This congress is shaping up to be the least productive...". 118th Congress has called, they said hold our magat beers.

[@staceywarncke6915]

John Oliver will never know how much I love him. You're married I'm not stalker but I love you

[@anonymustly7818]

I know who all of mine are.

[@ulawan5]

no way in hell I'm ACTUALLY the first person here 20 seconds after posting

[@Kimberedkey]

Yeah no kidding, I was definitely expecting more traffic

[@user-fs6cs1qk1n]

@@Kimberedkey well its 11pm in america

[@elebenty5709]

It's only 8:30 on the West Coast. Enough videos dropped at once, it raised their chances to get first comment on this one, ​@user-fs6cs1qk1n

[@kevincgrabb]

Americans aren't seeing this posted. Just international. I love this show but Indians aren't exactly clamouring to watch John Oliver. Signed, a Canadian in South Korea.

[@JoelDombek]

SEASON 1

[@lackofsubtlety6688]

Bob!