November 16, 2019 – Harry Styles (S45 E6)

by Kabir

DAYS OF OUR IMPEACHMENT
soap opera has Bill Taylor (Jon Hamm) & others

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— Wonderful to hear Steve Higgins’ mock-serious voiceover to start this off.
— And we get “Days of Our Impeachment”?  Is this a leftover sketch from Sonny & Cher? And yes, I’m aware that I’m mocking a dated reference with a different dated reference.
— Okay, some decent lines from the players, though the audience is giving only polite chuckles.
— Jon Hamm, where have you been? He fits into SNL magnificently. I wish he was more involved and we had less Robert De Niro cameos.
— Mikey is doing well as Jim Jordan.
— Man, this is surreal… but also kind of spot-on to reality.
— Nice fainting from Heidi. So broad and silly, which is perfect here.
— This has become blah. Like they simply took a bullet point of facts and tried writing dialogue around it.
— Decent lines regarding “not so fast,” but the audience is silent.
— Good Lord, some bad camera switches on top of the disjointed dialogue.
— Pete bringing a tiny bit of energy, killed immediately by the constant unsurprising revelations about President Trump’s affair.
— Even the attempt at absurdity with Kenan playing Myles Garrett isn’t getting any laughs.
STARS: *½

MONOLOGUE
host talks about life as a solo artist while pretending to play the piano

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— Nice energy from Harry Styles.
— The way he says “hosting for the first time” is almost as though he expects to become a regular. Yet he hasn’t appeared on the show since this episode.
— Nothing can top Zach Galifianakis’ 2010 monologue, which this feels very similar to, but Styles is doing well.
— Nice jokes revolving around whether Styles is actually playing or not.
— Wow, the cocaine bit seemed like it was going to be hacky but then was pretty good.
— This was far better than I would have expected, and Styles did a great job.
STARS: ***½

POPEYE’S
intern (host) unwisely plans to try buying 15 Popeyes chicken sandwiches

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— The twist about the Popeye’s chicken sandwiches was quite good. Twenty years from now, when Stooge, Jr., is reviewing “the McKinnon years,” I’m sure this reference will be baffling. But it’s a nice time capsule moment for me (something I can’t say about the numerous other “history lessons” we’ve gotten from 2010’s SNL).
— The escalating overconfidence from Harry—combined with the increasing horror from Kenan and Ego—is really selling this.
— This felt short, though I liked the added joke at the end about the intern’s name. Still, I wanted to see him actually try to get the sandwiches, or to have a very dark ending.
STARS: ***½

JOAN
dog owner (AIB) imagines chat with anthropomorphized pooch (host)

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— Excellent production design in this.
— Aidy’s restrained performance is a side of her I feel like we don’t see enough.
— This is very sweet so far, though not saccharine, thanks to some funny lines (such as Aidy reassuring us she’s not sleeping with the dog).
— I thought this was about to end and then there’s the twist with the dog turning into Harry Styles.
— “Who said that?” “God, and his friends.”
— Aidy’s singing voice is perfect for this, too.
— What a sweet ending. I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this, too, but I felt this was very well done and just the right length.
STARS: ****½

CHILDBIRTH CLASS
In childbirth class, Icelandic (HEG) & (host) evince smooth sailing

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— I’m getting a season-20-combined-with-season 30 vibe. Not good.
— I was right: here’s basically a couple knock-offs of the Fred Armisen/Maya Rudolph Nuni characters.
— The line about the lip-synching visas was good.
— I feel like this is a showcase for Heidi, and she’s giving it a good effort, but the material is letting her down.
— This is getting desperate.
— Weak. The best parts of this were Harry briefly breaking, Ego’s various looks of annoyance, and the announcement of next week’s show following the sketch… which I mis-heard as having musical guest “King Crimson” and got super excited. (It was King Princess, by the way).
STARS: *½

JETBLUE INTERCOM
sloppy intercom use of pilots (host) & (MID) offends & alarms passengers

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— Nice use of the “pilot voice” from Mikey and especially Harry. It’s kind of a standard trope about pilots, but they’re pulling it off well.
— The joke of them leaving the intercom on is decent, but the visual cut to the cabin made it funnier.
— Ha—”a very old plane.”
— This sketch is somewhat low energy, but Bowen is stealing it. “I am an air liaison.”
— Aidy’s “not as much as me” was lame. Is this an ’80s sitcom with a sassy granny?
— This is trying to escalate, but it’s just laying there.
— Wow, a lot of this (like Kenan’s comments) are also seemingly from a lame sitcom.
— Okay, these last comments from Harry and Mikey are improving a little.
— And then it just ended. Wasted potential.
STARS: **½

THAT’S THE GAME
drug empire usurper (CRR) is unprepared to manage

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— Excellent production design for this, too.
— Wow, Kenan dropping a “goddam.” Norm Macdonald would be proud.
— Chris is selling this really well, but the joke is wearing out.
— Kenan is doing well as the straight man.  His and Chris’s performances are making the most of some thin material.
— Okay, the entire financial section was quite good.
— This teetered on the edge of being lame, but came out well.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host performs “Lights On”

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— Blue: Lovely piano intro to this song.
— Love to see a man in a glittery suit.
— I’m enjoying the reverb on the backing vocalists’ voices, and how perfectly their harmonies support Harry’s lead vocals. They’re almost showing him up…
— Very interesting melody. I wasn’t expecting each phrase on the chorus (“lights up and you know who you are”) to end on a major chord that’s out of the key.
— Love the addition of a trumpet on the bridge! Harry’s singing well here too.
— Lol @ Harry’s awkward dancing on the break.
— Well, that was a nice song but a little underwhelming for the first song of the night.
STARS: ***½

WEEKEND UPDATE
U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Sessions (KAM) grovels for Trump approval

upset milk industry exec (KYM) spreads fake news about non-dairy drinks

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— As usual, this is a history lesson, but the jokes are still pretty good.
— Che’s editorial on Trump being guilty didn’t quite land with the audience, maybe because he had such an unusual delivery—which was actually a more natural delivery than we usually see from him. Or maybe the audience of Harry Styles fans wasn’t interested.
— Che did better with the also-unusual riff on Colin’s appearance relative to Stephen Miller.
— Kate as Jeff Sessions. I hope this is not an excuse for a string of countrified one-liners.
— This commentary is better than usual, but still not great. Kate is giving a fine performance, though.
— Some lackluster jokes after the commentary.
— This will sound strange, but Kyle’s appearance and delivery are reminding me a lot of Richard Kline, today. (That’s right: I recently saw a clip from a 2014 interview with Larry from Three’s Company.)
— Kyle’s increasing desperation is good, and the material is decent, but this just isn’t landing for me.
— This ended better than I expected as Kyle’s dialogue gets more insane/paranoid. I think that bumped this WU up by one star.
STARS: ***

IN MEMORIAM
a photo of NBC executive Rick Ludwin marks his passing

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— A card in memory of NBC executive Rick Ludwin comes up after the applause. He helped make NBC’s late night programs dominant from the mid-1990s until he left in 2012 (following the Leno/Conan debacle, in which he backed Conan). He was also key in the development of Seinfeld, and even appeared on SNL in the season 25 premiere (in the “…And a Pizza Place” sketch).

SARA LEE INSTAGRAM
account manager (host) is posting about his sex life

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— This has a nice, low-key, bizarre energy.
— Oh, it’s just sexy instagram comments. Still good.
— Cecily’s got the cranky HR voice down pat.
— The format here is very similar to the “Barbie Instagram” sketches, co-written by Julio Torres (who guest-wrote here). This was originally cut from last season’s John Mulaney episode; Torres is also the “random fashion twink” from the second round of Sara Lee comments.
— Nice twist with Bowen also posting.
STARS: ***½

BABY FAYE
stage act of 45 year-old former child star (CES) & her dancers is pitiful

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— Nice production design and Steve Higgins voiceover.
— I think Mikey missed a line but impressively jumped in with the last word.
— Funny lines as they reintroduce Baby Faye. “The woman we’re all looking at…”
— Is this a reference to something I’m unfamiliar with? Or maybe parodying Rose Marie (who maintained a respectable career)?
— This is just kind of falling apart after Aidy entered. Matt reminds me that this is similar to the HSN sketch from Claire Foy’s episode, which is from the same writers. And I should have remembered that, since I wrote the review (which all of you LOVED, admit it)!
— This isn’t bad enough to be good; it’s just bad.
— Abrupt ending. I guess they needed to get to Harry’s second song.
STARS: *½

MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
Jon Hamm [real] introduces host

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MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host performs “Watermelon Sugar”

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— Hey, I know this one! I’m surprised to now learn that “Lights Up” was the lead single from the album Harry’s promoting here, since I’d never heard that and “Watermelon Sugar” seems to have made more of an impact.
— Harry’s flat on the line “breathe me in.” It sounded like he was straining for that note. The next time he hit that note, he sounded more relaxed.
— Love that the horn parts are being played live!
— The acoustic guitarist in Harry’s band looks like she’s having so much fun. I can’t take my eyes off her. Shame I can hardly hear what she’s playing, though…
— Harry sounds stronger using his higher register the second time the pre-chorus comes around.
— This whole time, Harry has seemed sort of checked out, not registering much emotion on his face. This worked for the first song since that was on the slower, more introspective side, but it’s not serving this song very well.
— The return of the awkward dance moves… I guess Harry is feeling the song, but it was hard to tell from his blank stare.
STARS: ***

DJ CASKET TWINS
deejays (host) & (CRR) brashly perform at funeral of (BEB)’s elderly mom

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— This is so dumb but it’s making me laugh. Harry and Chris’ energy (essentially LMFAO) is outstanding.
— Chris is killing it with his delivery and lines.
— “She’s in heaven smoking blunts.”
— Another great line: “Do these guys look like liars?”
— I should mention that Beck’s doing a great job here, too.
— Great twists at the end with the tearaway pants as well as Beck’s last line.
STARS: ****

GOODNIGHTS

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CUT FOR TIME: JASON
bullied older brother (KYM) raps about his much cooler younger brother, Jason (host)

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— A 1990s-looking high school plus Kyle? I think we’re in for a treat.  Which, of course, is why it was cut for time (eye roll).
— This has great production design and it’s well-written, but it’s not different enough from “Dad” in the season premiere with Woody Harrelson. Pretty much everything I said about that would also apply here. 
— This has even taken the same turn as “Dad,” with Chris Redd breaking it down, and then the target of the rap (host) transporting into the video.
— Okay, nice little twist with Chris Redd coming back and then the milkshake.
STARS: ***

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— I was expecting a Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey-style disaster going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised. They played well to Harry Styles’ strengths and, while there were several weak sketches, none of that was his fault.

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Joan
DJ Casket Twins
Sara Lee Instagram
Popeye’s
Monologue
That’s the Game
Weekend Update
Jetblue Intercom
Childbirth Class
Baby Faye
Days of Our Impeachment

TOMORROW
Will Ferrell joins the Five-Timers Club, as reviewed by Tony and a special guest