January 13, 2018 – Sam Rockwell / Halsey (S43 E10)

by John

Before I get started, I just wanted to say I’m honored to be one of the reviewers carrying on Stooge’s project, and also wanted to say welcome to any other fans from his site—or any new fans checking this place out.

MORNING JOE
Morning Joe (ALM) – Michael Wolff (FRA) thanks source Steve Bannon (BIM)

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— Well, this is one way to ring in a New Year…
— I would rather watch a compilation of Carrot Top for 10 hours than sit through the real Joe and Mika, let alone these impressions, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.
— Once we get past the usual lazy bit of them being icky while others have to look on helplessly, the segment where Joe talks over a reporter (Chris Redd) while asking when victims of Trump’s racism will get to speak did amuse me.
— Alex is doing a good job. Kate is succeeding with some physical aspects of the performance before lapsing into mugging, but the voice is all wrong—at one point she seems to turn into Kellyanne Conway. Possibly another sign of her being stretched too thin.
— Yay, it’s Fred Armisen Cameo #84934, complete with a huge, extended applause break that drags this piece out even longer.
— Fred’s Wolff basically saying his book is BS but it’s what people want to hear so who cares is a rare good bit of non-Update political writing for this era.
— The return of the icky awkwardness; fortunately the performances and nauseated reactions are underplayed enough to work.
— Bill Murray!!!! 
— In the peak of SNL’s Trump-era ratings success, so many were vying for cameos, even Rosie O’Donnell briefly changed her Twitter image to a manipulated photo of herself as Steve Bannon. Considering the atmosphere at the time, it amuses me that instead of casting some random celeb, the cameo is played by an SNL legend, and one who basically just walks through the script.
— There’s a second at the start of Bill’s appearance where he seems to be using a modulator before we hear his real voice. I wonder if this was originally meant to be a “mystery” where they questioned him for a few moments before Bill then dropped the hood. If this idea was cut short, via malfunction or brevity, I am not complaining.
— Unfortunately, Bill’s Bannon amounts to a lot of unfocused rambling, and not the funny kind either, minus a few lines (“Cucks in Cars Getting Coffee”). When I first saw a clip of this I was still on my lengthy SNL hiatus, and watching it just made me feel sad. I don’t have quite as strong a view now, but it still gets to me a little, especially the part where he just about stops dead between lines. He and Fred also have no rapport in their banter, perhaps down to lack of rehearsal time together. 
— Hearing Bill Murray mention Logan Paul is weird as hell.
— This is, to date, the most recent cameo Bill has made (not counting the current opening credits).
— Our checklist writing style continues with Leslie Jones appearing to lampoon the “Oprah for President” phase of January 2018. At least she’s brought some energy back, even if this feels like setup for her Update appearance.
— And the sketch just… stops, with an awkward crowd into shot best summed up by Bill’s face. 
— Yeah. Well, it could have been worse, I guess.
STARS: ** 

MONOLOGUE
leading man host dances & fights ninjas to “A Little Less Conversation”

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— Sam bounding down the steps and across the stage gives a big energy boost right out of the gate.
— As Sam references at the start of his monologue, this was his big year, as he was in the midst of winning a number of Supporting Actor gongs (culminating a month or two later at the Oscars).
— For me, Sam typifies the celebrity who would have been a great host even decades before he got the call, but never caught the eye of the booking people until he got near the gold statue.
— Some pleasant enough comments about suddenly being a “big-ass” star to segue into our dance number.
— Capitalizing on the viral videos of Sam dancing was a great idea, but this routine immediately faces the hurdle of how “dead” the show’s presentation has become by this point. Why is the camera completely static on his upper half as he just sort of gyrates in place? Did they decide to go fully into an Elvis tribute by recreating some of his above-the-waist-only variety show appearances? I try to cut back my Grumpy Old Man mindset with modern SNL, but monologues like Rick Moranis’ had much crisper direction than the awkwardness this one starts out with.
— The ninja-fighting portion is fine, but I mostly appreciate the fuller shots that finally let us see his feet.
— Some fun individual appearances from Cecily, Leslie and Kate, each looking gorgeous in evening wear. Kate, being the main star of this era, also gets a reminder that she’s a big deal, along with some fight choreography. I like that we continue to see Kate stage-fighting the ninjas as the shot moves away from her, rather than just everyone dropping character.
— Colin, also looking gorgeous but not in evening wear, steals the show while being kicked through a door (a “we did this for you, Twitter” moment done right).
— This gets a bit grander in theme with Sam jumping on the camera crane and giving us a wide view of the surroundings.
— As I watch this again, I realize one of my problems with the number is I don’t think “A Little Less Conversation” works well in this format, or with Sam occasionally throwing in a few “come on come on” bits as an afterthought.
— Nice end with Sam briefly strutting his stuff while surrounded by flashy extras.
— Honestly, this has some positives, but I would have preferred seeing Sam just let loose on the bare stage for a few minutes, or letting someone in the cast who was a good dancer have an improv dance with him, similar to what he did on Jimmy Fallon’s show. Still, it has some bright spots and helps open the main show on an upbeat note.
STARS: ***

SCIENCE ROOM
dumb kids (MID) & (CES) irritate Mr. Science (host) in 1990

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— Oh I bet you’ve heard about THIS sketch, haven’t you?
— Another SNL science show that seems vaguely reminiscent of Mr. Wizard, which gets me right in the nostalgia. Oddly, Sam’s look and at times delivery here also reminds me of the late, great Tom Davis, even though that is definitely not Tom’s hair color.
— This sketch has an interesting soft focus filmic effect that doesn’t match what shows like these had at the time, but adds a certain warm glow of yesterday. I appreciate that extra touch. The font used for the onscreen text also reminds me a bit of the Dallas opening credits of this time period.
— Good work from Cecily and Mikey as the dumb kids, especially since Cecily doesn’t play these parts too often.
— A cheap laugh from Cecily’s response when asked what the Science Room’s #1 rule is, “Don’t touch me under my clothes?” Sam’s startled reaction to her is pretty funny in of itself.
— Sam is doing a fantastic job slowly escalating the frustration of his character. He isn’t overdoing it at all.
— I got another laugh out of, “The oil is…” “False.”
— This true/false bit leads to Sam, who has by this point clearly gotten very into character, blurting out “You kids can’t be this fucking stupid,” much to the shock and delight of the audience. He is thus forever included on the “Was __ banned from SNL?” clickbait hellscape, although Kristen Stewart hosting again a few years after dropping an f-bomb in her monologue presumably made it clear to people this type of ‘banning’ is mostly an urban legend.
— Sam handles his flub like the pro he is, not letting it derail his performance. For a first-time host that’s beyond impressive. Cecily and Mikey could have easily collapsed into giggles, or tried to get cute and mug, “THAT’S A BAD WORD!!!” into the camera, but they also handle this incredibly well, believably playing it off with flustered reactions and then letting the sketch move on.
— Thankfully, the tension of Sam’s teacher character has not been punctured by the screw-up, and we get a great moment where he shoves the glass off the table when the kids keep saying “Back to the Future.”
— I don’t love the end where Sam punches Mikey (it just feels too obvious).
— Amazingly, this sketch is reprised a few years later with Adam Driver. Even more amazingly, Adam, helped by a better ending and his trademark intensity, makes it work, but you can’t top what we get here.
STARS: ****½ (extra half-star for the best fucking damage control ever)

TUCCI GANG
Lil Pump (PED) & host celebrate character actor Stanley Tucci via song

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— Pete Davidson Raps!
— A sendup of the recent hit Gucci Gang, which I’m not going to link to because I don’t hate you.
— Pete’s screeching to start the rap gives me a good laugh every time I watch this.
— Fun summary of Stanley Tucci’s life and career, mixed with a beat that will not leave your head.
— Sam is put to great use here, with the kind of inventive physicality I was hoping for in the monologue.
— The image of Sam on that fake tiger is one to remember.
— Cute cameo from the man himself. (He talks about that here.)
— The end with Pete discouraging Sam from beatboxing manages to be amusing instead of deflating.
— This pre-tape spawns a series of similar rap videos, with Pete declaring his admiration for everyone from RBG to Danny Trejo. I have no real use for any of those, but Tucci Gang remains one of Pete’s best rapping excursions, bursting with creativity and energy and staying to a modest run-time (under 2 minutes).
STARS: ****

THE LOOK
Time’s Up wokeness neutralizes red carpet fashion critiques

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— This is a true time capsule piece, taking us back to when one of the industry’s biggest crises was actresses who were tired of talking about pedicures on the red carpet.
— Sam looks a bit like a lost Thunderbirds character.
— Cecily and Sam play Rochelle Koontz and Dean Swizz—I don’t actually know who wrote this sketch, but, along with Kenan playing a gay stereotype (named Angelo Dolphintuna no less), that’s as Anderlette as you can get.
— The bit with Cecily and Sam calling out their salaries in unison only to reveal the huge pay disparity is clever.
— Sam’s delivery of the “someone should provide women” line when he cuts off Melissa’s speech about her battered women’s shelter is, again, very impressive for a first-time host.
— Melissa’s delivery of “The show is called The Look,” when reminded not to judge based on looks is one of many examples of how valuable her quirky deadpan is to sketches, when she actually gets a chance to use it.
— Another clever section where they boo the idea of Eva Longoria having a boy until Melissa objects—then they decide maybe he’ll be gay.
— Kenan is lumbered with the worst material of the four main players, but he makes it work.
— Kate, debuting her Frances McDormand impression (Frances was in Three Billboards with Sam, of course, but this won’t be her final appearance), is a good physical match, but again doesn’t get the voice, and her involvement feels pointless. Initially I wondered if they were hoping the real Frances would pop in, but I can’t see that ever happening.
— Melissa brings the sketch back into focus with her delivery of “My house for battered women?”.
— Cecily’s closing line (“Fat Whores of Miami Beach”) reminds me of an outro used in a pre-tape this season (I believe it was “Powerful Sluts of Miami” in the Gal Gadot episode), but it still works.
— Overall this managed to tackle a topical issue in a much more concise and less desperate way than one might expect.
STARS: ***½

MY DRUNK BOYFRIEND
“My Drunk Boyfriend” lets women experience life with an inebriated dummy

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— Beck, one of the show’s most reliable pre-tape actors, is endearing as the stupid, drunk boyfriend
— Oh hey, Luke Null, rocking that thankless role as the guy Beck almost fights.
— I have no idea who is providing the female voiceover. If anyone does, let me know.
— The makeup people do a fantastic job styling Kyle and Sam into some weird mix of Brawny paper towel men and those terrifying Duracell ads—I didn’t even recognize Sam at first.
— There are a number of fans who will tell you Kyle isn’t funny, or was only funny when able to be “free” on Youtube. I would show them his work here as just one example of how hilarious he can be. His honking delivery of “My uncle…my uncle…” is one of my all-time favorite things he’s done on SNL. It looks like even Cecily (what a rare pairing) nearly loses it.
— The ridiculous side products, like the charred pizza, give an extra flair and remind me of the whimsical late ‘80s/early ‘90s fake ads.
— Another rare pair, and a terrific capper, with Heidi as a drunk girlfriend, followed by Alex sending us off with an utterly perfect line delivery and toothy grin straight into the camera.
— A real sleeper, but I like this commercial a great deal and it’s one that I feel holds up on multiple viewings. My Drunk Boyfriend should always have a space on a ‘best of’ reel for fake ads.
STARS: *****

MUSICAL GUEST
musical guest performs “Bad at Love”

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— John: I have no strong opinion of these performances, but they are notable in introducing SNL viewers to Halsey, who would go on to become a reliable presence over the next few seasons.
— Blue: This is not what I expected Halsey to sound like, having only heard one other song by her.
— The choreography is a little awkward, and I’m not digging the color scheme.
— The first part of the chorus, belted in Halsey’s upper register, sounds really great. There’s a raw, passionate feel to it that contrasts with her laid-back, breathy approach on the verse.
— I like the choreography with the women better than with the men. Looks a little more natural.
— Nothing about this song besides the chorus really held my attention, and the presentation didn’t fully work for me.
STARS: **

WEEKEND UPDATE
Stedman Graham (CRR) supports potential president Oprah Winfrey (LEJ)

accommodating AIB wishes men would be more proactive about pay equity

LaVar Ball (KET) exported his self-promotional know-how to Lithuania

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— Colin exhibits a mischievous streak in both defying NBC censors by saying “shithole” and snickering with his head down at the audience reaction to his joke about what Trump might say before Passover. Yet he also shows some real anger at the latest Trump…story, which makes this feel less like clapter.
— Che’s response to the “shithole” story, frankly detailing his experiences with racism and laying out Western exploitation of Africa, is one of the bluntest you will ever find on Update. Jost and Che aren’t as in sync here as they have been or will be on some Update stories, but their segments still show just how much they each offer the Update desk and how invaluable they were to SNL in the brutally-impossible-for-a-comedy-show Trump era.
— Not much to say about the litany of Trump catnip, but Colin’s gag about Trump saying “no collusion” the way frat boys say “no homo” was worth a chuckle.
— Che: “Can’t we just have a boring, regular white dude President who shapeshifts into a lizard at night?” Che predicting 2020 election discourse…
— For the second consecutive episode, Leslie has an impression which shows up in both cold open and Update.
— Leslie’s Oprah doesn’t progress very far beyond classy bellowing, but after all the years of SNL never casting a woman who bore much resemblance to her (when they even bothered to have a woman in the role), there’s something notable in seeing Leslie play this particular part.
— Jokes about Stedman being under Oprah’s thumb were already old by the time Chris was starting elementary school, but Chris (in his first real Update appearance) brings much-needed personality and a sense of fun to his part.
— This feels like it was written 5 minutes before air, but the considerable likeability of both Chris and Leslie fills in the gaps the writing doesn’t manage to fill, and as they only shared two seasons in the cast, it serves as a rare glimpse at seeing their comic styles together.
— I found Colin’s “pretty Korean lady” joke about Jared Kushner funnier than I probably should have.
— A real change of pace for Aidy on Update, doing a commentary as herself.
— She’d mentioned the Spider-Man 2 part before (when Andrew Garfield hosted, I think), but does anyone know the movie role she mentioned turning down?
— Not much humor in here, but it’s an unusual piece in going from self-deprecating to tough industry criticism, and serves as a reminder of the tonal changes of society and SNL through this decade. About ten years before this episode aired, Mark Wahlberg was being gently mocked by Andy Samberg. Let’s just say we didn’t get any “comedy” segment of Mark showing up at the studio to confront Aidy.
— This also serves as something of a dividing line moment for Aidy, who had begun to firmly establish herself as a veteran cast member and was just about to start on her show Shrill. The increasing level of confidence is on display here in her choice to tackle material that could have easily lost the audience. In the last few years, I have become annoyed by some of Aidy’s sketches or performances, as well as how long she’s stayed in the cast, but seeing her so vulnerable here reminds me of just how far she’s come over these 9 seasons.
— Che seemed to know he’d half-assed that joke about Columbus statues. Good recovery with Colin in the back-and-forth about the new toilets.
— LaVar Ball is one of those impressions Kenan brings over with sheer energy—absolutely infectious. That Che can’t keep himself together is icing on the cake. My favorite part is either “Beets by LaVar” or saying he told his kids the F from the Better Business Bureau stood for “Fenomenal.”
STARS: ***½

CAPTAIN HOOK
(host) reassesses the optics of adding Lost Boys to his crew

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— A pirate ship sketch. That will end well…
— Beck reminds me of Larry David here, mostly in how he’s styled.
— Sam is trying his best with the material.
— That accent from Kyle is…something.
— Kenan throwing himself into the ocean is the first time I got much reaction out of this.
— Um, it’s nice to see Luke get some lines?
— Kate’s entrance as Peter Pan gets as much reaction, or more, as a big celebrity cameo probably would have.
— I have little to no use for these types of sketches. When a standup goes on a rant about something weird in a film or TV show, the audience is responding based on their level of trust in the comedian, more than the material. There’s nothing that fresh or hilarious in pointing out the bizarre dynamics of Back to the Future, but John Mulaney makes it seem fresh. In contrast, a sketch like this just throws out an idea, says, “That’s weird! Isn’t that weird?” and doesn’t bother with anything else—not even actual jokes.
STARS: * (being generous)

ATM
after being unfairly stereotyped as a robber, (KET) gets robbed

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— Always good to see the occasional SNL quasi-dramatic pieces filmed at night.
— At this time, Sam’s movie (Three Billboards) had faced criticism over whether his racist character was meant to be seen sympathetically; seeing him in a piece about racism sort of serves as a bookend, intentional or not.
— Commendable, understated work from Sam all through this pre-tape.
— Kenan doesn’t usually play dramatic roles, so I appreciate seeing this turn from him. He’s especially good in the scene where Kenan pretends to hold Sam up. I just wish the interplay between Sam and Kenan had been developed more.
— Michael Che co-wrote this sketch (with Gary Richardson), which helps explain the incoherent, nihilistic messaging. Everyone’s racist…but then sometimes it’s right to be racist…? I’m not going to get on a high horse about whether this type of material is or isn’t appropriate—that isn’t my place, and I do think Che has written some fantastic material for the show. (And this also has its moments.) I’ll just say that in spite of the work from Kenan and Chris, I think the onscreen result falls into Che’s worst habits of trying to say something and nothing at the same time.
— I did laugh at the “I would’ve helped you rob him!” line from Kenan.
— I want to say that the whole side plot with Kate as Sam’s girlfriend/not-girlfriend is unnecessary, but to be honest, it is more compelling to watch than the main story, as well as being one of the few times by this point that Kate is cast against type and has to dig a little deeper.
STARS: **½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & G-Eazy [real] perform “Him & I”

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— John: Nothing to say here either (other than “G-Eazy” sounding like a mascot who would sell refrigerators with Betty Furness), and you may want to watch this just to compare to her season 44 performance which was reportedly very much about him.
— Blue: A romantic, old Hollywood-style opening shot through a fake window of G-Eazy caressing Halsey, bathed in a rosy light.
—The momentum that I felt the song was building up just ended with G-Eazy’s rap verse. I don’t think he’s a bad rapper but it’s not very exciting.
— I like the cutesy giggle from Halsey at the censored line.
— I can see why Halsey later went on to host SNL. Her facial expressions reveal a love for acting.
— Is Halsey doubling pre-taped vocals on the “ooh” part? It doesn’t sound doubled but it also doesn’t sound live.
— I much prefer this choreography to that of the first performance. Very romantic and theatrical.
— Halsey has a beautiful smile.
— Despite liking the visuals, this song didn’t do much for me either. Guess I’m not a Halsey fan.
STARS: **½ (half star for the presentation)

MARCUS COMES TO DINNER
(host) blurts out that he recognizes son’s (ALM) pornstar boyfriend (CRR)

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— You can’t keep Aidy away from those Southern mom roles.
— Another very lived-in performance from Sam, right from our first glimpse of him. Even the way he acts with the belt and hiked-up pants is notable.
— I think I read that Gary Richardson co-wrote this sketch…if true, that explains why it has the slice-of-life feel modern SNL often lacks.
— One difference between past years and now with slice-of-life moments is not having room to breathe. This sketch needed a little more time introducing us to both the parents and Marcus and his boyfriend in order for us to invest in what’s going on.
— We also go too quickly to Sam recognizing Chris. I wonder how much this sketch may have been truncated to cram into the last 15 minutes of the episode.
— The beat with Chris seeming to realize where Sam knows him from adds another layer, but as with the rest, there’s no time given to further explore.
— The part where Sam is so excited and relieved to remember where he knows Chris from that he just keeps rambling on and on to his family is a real highlight.
— Sam hurriedly dumping his family and then rushing back in to take his laptop is nearly as good.
— I’m not sure how to feel about Aidy’s last lines. They aren’t bad, but they feel too on-the-nose and take me out of the sketch.
— Every time I watch this sketch I want to like it more than I do. As much as I do enjoy certain aspects and dearly want to see more of this type of piece on the show more often, that hasn’t really changed.
STARS: ***½

GENETICS LAB
genetic engineers (host), (MID), (MEV) combined dog head with human body

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— Beck’s very rude “Ya think?” aside after Cecily jokes that she’s done a lot of talking is one of those attempts at using aggression as a shortcut for characterization in sketches where all the characters are clearly cutouts. As is often the case, it doesn’t quite work, but Beck’s work, along with Cecily’s uneasy attempt to continue on after his dig, reminds of what talented dramatic actors they both are when given the chance.
— SNL has faced its share of criticism over the last few years for using animals as a cutesy way to avoid working harder to improve the show’s quality, but premises like this—a dog’s head on a human body and who even knows why—are joyfully dumb without feeling exploitive.
— Sam is doing a good job playing a guy who seems normal on the surface but is actually a complete disaster area.
— Now we get to the highlight, with Mikey just about completely losing it while trying to talk with Sam as the dog eats a sandwich in the background. Mikey rarely breaks, even now, so this continues to feel special 4 seasons later.
— Melissa has a nothing role but kudos to her for trying to match the goofy tone of the sketch in her few lines.
— The end with the funding people telling Cecily that yes, they are shutting the project down doesn’t work for me—I actually think the sketch as a whole would have been better if these characters had been removed entirely and we’d just seen Sam, Mikey, Melissa, and then maybe Cecily being shown around.
STARS: *** (extra ⅓ for the fun breaking)

CHANTIX
testimonial offered by (CES), who’s not an actress, to her dismay

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— 4 pre-tapes airing in a night always surprises me for some reason.
— The theme of Cecily as a highly-strung actress reminds me of the 24-Hour Energy pre-tape from season 39. Apparently Chantix sat on the shelf since early season 40 (Sarah Silverman), so that is a similar period in Cecily’s performance style.
— I don’t usually associate Kate with voiceovers, but her Portal-esque taunting and degrading of Cecily is given just the right edge in her performance.
— I love the very specific and aggressive way Kate’s voiceover digs into Cecily about her just being in “community theater” and the production only winning an award for costumes. The silence afterward is just the right touch.
— A part of me wants to say that they amped up the aggressiveness too quickly, but as we hit each beat, it still works every time.
— The ending with a broken Cecily puffing away (in a stop-smoking commercial!) as she tells us she WILL do full nudity is absolutely perfect.
— After I thought it couldn’t get any better, Cecily coming back in post-voiceover with, “I’m talking full bush,” somehow manages to make it even better.
— Another forgotten gem for SNL fake ads. A masterwork for Cecily Strong—so much of what I just adore about her as a cast member—from her nuance to her ability to lean so far into hysteria you’re surprised she doesn’t fall over—is packed into these few minutes.
STARS: ****½ or ***** (I can’t decide—let me know your thoughts in the comments)

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A very good, mostly consistent episode, even with a slight post-Update slump. Good mix of topical and timeless material. Sam Rockwell was a first-rate debut host and his performance impresses me more each time I watch this episode. I hope he hosts again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the one-and-done type.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
My Drunk Boyfriend
Chantix
Science Room
Tucci Gang
Marcus Comes to Dinner
The Look
Weekend Update
Genetics Lab
Monologue
ATM
Cold Open
Captain Hook

TOMORROW
Jessica Chastain hosts and Troye Sivan is musical guest, in an episode reviewed by Kabir.