April 7, 2018 – Chadwick Boseman / Cardi B (S43 E17)

by Kabir

OUTNUMBERED
Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) & Baltic leaders field reporters’ questions

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Good energy and demeanor from Leslie right from the top. She actually has to start over because of the applause.
— Funny line about “Outnumbered” being the name of her show, and also how she feels at Fox News.
— Now she’s referring to the talking heads at the network as “professional morons.” A good line whether you agree with Fox News or not.
— I will say, the tone of these alerts, which was funny in 2018, now just seems like standard fare from alt-right media.
— Here comes Alec Baldwin as Trump. His characterization seems looser than I remember. I doubt he’s ad-libbing lines like the mumbled “I hate this,” but he’s making them come off more natural. However, his facial expression is still far too exaggerated.
— The audience is not into this, aside from the line about expelling “Chinese billionaire P.F. Chang.”
— This is really turning into the Alec Baldwin show every week. Just a chance for his character to hurl insults—which are only occasionally well-written—at cast members. Now, we’re hearing his inner monologue while Kate plays it straight as a foreign leader.
— His calling the other leaders Balki or Borat is giving me flashbacks to the classic “Sinatra Group,” when he called Sinead O’Connor “Uncle Fester.” It worked then, but not as much now.
— This whole sketch is also kind of written like a middling ’80s sitcom, with Trump as the slacker-teen main character who is trying to pull a fast one. That’s not a compliment.
— Man, these jokes are TIRED. Maybe viewing this in hindsight, knowing it was just an average press conference for the time, is making it less funny to me. At least this was not another cameo-and-wild applause-festival.
STARS: **

MONOLOGUE
with SNL out of good Black Panther sketch ideas, host meets Panthro (KET)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Good energy from Chadwick.
— His jokes about hosting so long after “Black Panther” came out, and the bad sketch ideas, were kept to just the right length
— The audience loved the line about not wanting to be President, which he likens to a reality show. As with the cold open, though, this just feels like a history lesson.
— Rachel Dolezal joke! That was a 3-year-old scandal at this point, but it still worked because she had recently been in the news for welfare fraud.
— Now the monologue—which was moving along nicely—is interrupted by Kenan as Panthro.
— Chadwick is clearly getting a kick out of Kenan’s entire speech. I’m enjoying it, even though I know nothing about the MCU.
— Ha, Kenan exits after going meta and saying “15 seasons, baby!”
— Chadwick now treating the audience to some James Brown (a nod to his 2014 role in “Get On Up”). Again, great energy from him. Since we know he never gets to host again, I’m glad he was able to vamp at least once on SNL.
STARS: ****

NIKE PRO-CHILLER LEGGINGS
female couch potatoes (AIB) & (KAM) like Pro-Chiller Leggings from Nike

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Good concept of showing “active” wear for couch potatoes.
— Now I’m getting grossed out by the line about leggings being “pants, pajamas, and a napkin.” This whole thing is one joke.
— This plateaued until the line about “my Fitbit thinks I’m dead.”
STARS: **

BLACK JEOPARDY!
Black Jeopardy!- T’Challa (host) adapts to African-American perspective

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Just before the title graphic comes up, in the wide shot, for a split second I thought Chris was actually Kyle, doing a goofy dance. But now it turns out that Chris, Leslie, and Chadwick (as T’Challa) are the contestants. By the way, this is the second time (after Drake’s episode) without a white contestant.
— Good back-and-forth for everyone. This sketch is moving along well. T’Challa’s answer about honoring a grandmother was funny even if you don’t know much about his character (as I didn’t, until this review).
— Great line: “I died, you’re talking to a ghost.”
— Chadwick’s out-of-left-field responses are being used just enough that it’s not bogging down the sketch. Good reactions from Kenan.
— As T’Challa figures out the answer about potato salad, his interplay with Kenan is excellent. The two of them have a great rapport so far in this episode.
STARS: ****½

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH
pregnant man (MID) dreads repercussions of urethral delivery of triplets

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Interesting premise, but I have a feeling this will not have aged well in just three years.
— This is kind of feeling like a low-energy version of something you’d see on a ’70s primetime variety show.
— I had low hopes for this sketch, and of course it’s totally predictable.
— Okay, some good lines about “tulip-ing” and Elmer Fudd.
— Chadwick’s glee at announcing the triplets was good, as was his quick ending.
STARS: *½

AIDY B & CARDI B
mild-mannered AIB takes attitudinal inspiration from musical guest

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— “I need to be more like Cardi B.” Gee, I wonder if this is going to be yet another sketch where Aidy is rapping the entire time sketch (eye roll).
— Ha, Beck and Kyle as clueless bros. Always good. I believe this is Kyle’s only appearance tonight outside of the cold open.
— This scene with Aidy smacking down Chadwick and Chris is better than I expected.
— Writer Sudi Green makes a cameo, asking Aidy to record an Instagram message.
— This is the first time I’m hearing Cardi B’s conversational voice. Not sure if this is how she really speaks, or if it’s just for the sketch, but she’s entertaining.
— Matt points out that you can see the sketch/cast breakdown for this episode during the scene with Cardi B, including sketches which were cut.
— The structure for this totally made the piece, or it would have been just another rehash. Impressive and just the right length.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Bodak Yellow” & “Bartier Cardi”

• 

• 

— Kabir: Interesting she starts off with the same song that was used throughout the previous short film.
— Blue: It feels like a lifetime ago when Cardi B first became popular. Hard to believe it’s only been three years.
— Believe it or not, since I’m a left-of-the-dial type of music listener, I’ve only heard one Cardi B song before. Which leads me to wonder if this is a medley or just a super dramatic transition in the song.
— Cardi B is rapping very well, but the backup dancers are the ones holding my attention. Love their outfits, and there’s something so powerful about their choreography.
— I am very impressed by Cardi B’s ability to spit out these verses without gasping for air.
— I feel a little bad that the two hip hop artists I’ve reviewed so far (the other one being Migos) also received the lowest scores for this season so far, but this performance really just washed over me.
STARS: **

WEEKEND UPDATE
inhuman Mark Zuckerberg (ALM) is unsympathetic to Facebook privacy fears

archetypal movie boxer’s girlfriend Angel is fed up with her situation

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— I’ve said this before of shows from this season, but this sadly just this feels like a history lesson. And I could be reading too much into it, but Che’s delivery again seems muted—possibly from the toll all of this has taken on him. Seems to be affecting Colin, too.
— The better jokes tonight are ones that take a bizarre turn (Monster energy drink, dry nuts, etc.). The Fucci joke was good but the audience seemed to miss it.
— Alex’s immature, robotic characterization of Mark Zuckerberg is as disturbing as it is funny. The audience seems a little unsettled.
— The first joke after the commentary, about students with guns, got no response. Maybe it was too real for the audience, since the following non-political jokes did better?
— Angel—every boxer’s girlfriend—is back for her second appearance (the first being the Larry David episode earlier this season). Heidi’s acting is intense, and she’s doing an excellent job, but I’m not sure where else they can take this character.
— Good turn with the global warming and “Frasier” bits. This bumped up WU by a half-star. To date, Angel has appeared once more, in the season 44 Christmas show hosted by Matt Damon. I do not recall enjoying that installment as much, but we’ll see.
STARS: ***

MAGIC MIRROR
at Disneyland, R. Kelly (host) appears to (LEJ) in the Magic Mirror

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— I should warn everyone: I am a sucker for sketches that poke fun at DisneyWorld/Disneyland… from the “Small World” piece in season 9 to the cut-for-time “John Smith” piece with Blake Shelton in season 40, and everything in between (like Debbie Downer).
— Aidy and Melissa already seem like they are starting to break, and the sketch just started. I hope that’s a good sign.
— Chadwick is doing a good, creepy job as R. Kelly, and I assume this is referencing the “closet” series of videos. Whether this is referencing specific things in those videos, I can’t recall.
— Decent callback with Beck assuming that Chadwick is playing a Mulan character. This felt a little short, especially considering how elaborate the set is.
STARS: ***

WAREHOUSE FIRE
fireman (host) wants to leave blaze to work on mannequin-for-dogs idea

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Another elaborate set with good fire effects. I don’t think people comment on this very often, but the crew should be commended for building something so complex (and striking it so quickly after the last sketch). I’m sure that’s just routine in 8H over the past 46 years, though.
— This feels very 10-to-1, but they’re taking a while to get to the joke.
— Good commitment from Chadwick, but the material is letting him down.
— Beck getting in a couple decent lines about sex dolls.
— This was weak. It felt like a season 6 or 7 sketch which suddenly had a big chunk cut out, 30 seconds before going to air. I’m giving one-third-star each for Chadwick’s commitment, for the set, and for the cute dog.
STARS: *

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Be Careful”

• 

• 

• 

— Blue: At first I almost thought the backing vocals were being sung by Cardi B, and my jaw was about to drop over her vocal versatility, but then the camera panned over to the actual singer.
— Cardi B’s singing would be better here if she had better breath support.
— I’m digging the percussion section.
— Nice baby bump reveal, Cardi! That was some clever camerawork keeping it from being visible. The audience went wild at that. I now feel I should cut her some slack re: breath support, as it’s not easy to sing when pregnant (so I’ve heard).
— Cardi B hit the last note a little flat.
— Another song that did very little for me.
STARS: **

RESTAURANT COMPLAINT
diners (KAM), (CES), (host), (KET) jazzily lodge a complaint via song

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Wow, pretty elaborate hair and makeup on the diners in this. I just realized that I’m probably noticing stuff like that, and the sets, because the energy has really dropped off since Black Jeopardy.
— I know musical sketches aren’t a favorite around here, but this song is at least catchy.  The melody is actually reminiscent of the controversial season 23 “Schoolhouse Rock!” parody.
— Chadwick’s Louis Armstrong-like “Oh yeah” got a nice response, but his gravelly voice is occasionally obscuring what he says.
— A lot of theater kid energy in this. I can totally picture Molly Shannon in this.
— The audience is baffled, but I’m enjoying how bizarre this is.
— “Why did I need to be here for this?” “For the acoustics.”
— Chadwick seems like he’s not thrilled doing this, but it grew on me. I’m sure my fellow reviewers will flame me for this rating.
— The visual at the end with Chadwick and Melissa was very sweet.
STARS: ***½

THE GAME OF LIFE: DACA EDITION
The Game Of Life, DACA Edition has unfair rules for Dreamers like (MEV)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— This commercial is very well-produced, but it’s veering from parody to “heartbreaking yet true.”
— The “expansion pack” joke was nicely revealed, as was the deportation catapult.
— Nice tag at the end from Chris. Compared to the “Welcome Video” from season 42’s Kristen Stewart episode, this feels like a less manic (and more sobering) take on immigration.
— Written by Julio Torres. Reviewer Matt says this must have been a very personal, cathartic piece for Torres. I agree.
STARS: ***½

WAKANDA FOREVER
white appropriation of Wakanda salute discomfits (LEJ), (CRR), (host)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

— Ha, Pete’s version of the salute is so goofy when combined with the pelvic thrust.
— Funny pronunciation from Beck of “Wakanda.”
— Leslie: “We know your history; you don’t give stuff back.”
— This ended better than I expected. It also felt short and probably got truncated for time.
STARS: ***½

GOODNIGHTS

• 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Good commitment from Chadwick in many of the sketches, but most of the show had a low energy vibe (outside of the monologue), possibly reflecting everyone’s real-life general malaise due to world affairs. At least this episode was largely free of politics aside from Weekend Update and the cold open.

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

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Black Jeopardy!
Restaurant Complaint
The Game of Life: DACA Edition
Aidy B & Cardi B
Wakanda Forever
Monologue
Magic Mirror
Weekend Update
Nike Pro-Chiller Leggings
Outnumbered
Medical Breakthrough
Warehouse Fire

TOMORROW
Former SNL writer John Mulaney makes his hosting debut, covered by current OneSNLaDay writer John (not-Mulaney)