April 11, 2020 – Tom Hanks / Chris Martin (At Home I) (S45 E16)

by Carson

Before we start, I just want to say I’m excited to be reviewing these highly unique, fitfully compelling episodes of SNL At Home. I know there was some debate on the old site about whether the three At Home episodes of SNL count as official episodes, so I’m glad we’ve come to this conclusion. Even if Frank Serpas III’s SNL episode guide, Saturday Net, doesn’t acknowledge these episodes with sketch recaps, I still fail to see how 90 minutes of fresh material, complete with a monologue, Weekend Update and musical guest, would be anything other than a proper SNL, even if it isn’t quite living up to the “L” part of the moniker. These three episodes are SNL in spirit and almost entirely in format. So yeah, to me, they’re canon.

AT HOME COLD OPEN
SNL castmembers assemble via Zoom

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— This is just a simple, table setting opening that lets us know the social distanced nature of the program. It’s short, sweet and establishes the sense of “well, here goes nothing.”
— I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Kenan, Aidy, Kate, Mikey, Michael, Pete and, I think, Colin are the only ones who are audible during this brief intro. It would seem the show’s hierarchy of perceived value remains intact in this new setting.
STARS: N/A

OPENING MONTAGE

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— Very cool how they updated the intro to reflect quarantine, complete with each member of the SNL Band shown playing from home.
— Love Beck’s goofy sitcom grin and belly flop into the pool.
— Mikey is shown playing with his son and living his family life, which I think is extremely sweet.
— Colin—looking somewhat jacked—is sporting a greying beard. He looks like a GQ model. I think I hate him now.
— Kate, Cecily, Ego and maybe even Alex are all looking very “at home.”
— Nice touch with Bowen recreating his wave from the regular montage.

MONOLOGUE
COVID-19 survivor Tom Hanks [real] talks about his coronavirus experience

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— After some piped in applause, Tom Hanks, looking disconcertingly bald (it’s for a movie), commences his monologue from his kitchen.
— Tom: “Hey all you cool cats and kittens.” Oh man, the Tiger King references already feel a million years old.
— Because I’ve been trained already by COVID-era comedy, I’m not thrown by the silent responses to Tom’s little one-liners. I might have been at the time I first watched this episode, but I actually enjoy the lack of vocal response. Now, if it were this silent in front of an actual audience that would be another thing. But we’ll get to the 2020-2021 season soon enough.
— Tom brings up his Coronavirus diagnosis and spins it into a pretty sharp late night monologue-style punchline.
— Tom runs down how the show was made, with the SNL cast filming themselves from their own homes.
— Tom starts a standard issue Q&A monologue, playing all the question askers. It’s a silly bit that Tom bails on the second it wears thin (about 30 seconds).
— Tom, tempering expectations for the upcoming episode: “Will it make you laugh? Eh, you know, it’s SNL. There’ll be some good stuff, maybe one or two stinkers. You know the drill.”
— Honestly, this was a really nice way to open the show. Nothing fancy, nothing over-the-top; just a modest, charming way of easing us into a low stakes show.
STARS: ****

DRAKE SONG
lyrics of PED’s pastiche rap involve missing an ex

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— We are fully at the point of Pete Davidson’s tenure that he understands that his celebrity combined with some sort of low-effort musical comedy equals mass relevance among a certain age bracket. Pete Davidson is the king of clout comedy.
— Hey, this DOES sound like a Drake song. How ‘bout that?
— Is…is this a sincere song? Like, is this Pete Davidson’s “Party All The Time”?
— No seriously, what’s the joke here? It’s not parody. It’s not a cover. It’s just a pastiche.
— I’m guessing Pete’s clout rating was off the charts after this one. Wish he brought some comedy with him, but I guess you can’t spell “Soundcloud” without “SNL.” At least it was short.
STARS: *

WORKING OUT AT HOME WITH RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (KAM) works out at home with diminutive equipment

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— Oof, SNL’s perception of what works is completely out of line with my own. This is giving me an existential crisis.
— Kate’s “SUPER DIVA!” sweater gets five YAS KWEENs out of five.
— Hey, at least this registers as comedy. It’s not my preferred brand of comedy, but it’s undeniably comedy unlike “Drake Song.”
— “Pee Is Normal.”
— Our first Gins-burn and my brain is going to take a quick sabbatical.
— Ginsburg working out with Q-tips and batteries is, once again, technically comedy. I appreciate the low-rent quality of this piece, actually.
— RBG’s political comedy is attempting to add some substance to this fluff, but the poor audio quality is kind of obscuring things. Or maybe my ears are just rejecting the material.
Please God, let this episode get better.
STARS: *½

HENRIETTE & NAN
technologically-illiterate Henriette & Nan flounder during office Zoom

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— A pretty accurate representation of business Zoom calls, especially in the early days of the pandemic. Heidi’s apology for her place is a smart touch.
— Henriette and Nan, two characters that were introduced a season prior in the Idris Elba episode make a bit of a surprise return. I remember being pretty ambivalent to the live incarnation of these characters, but I found my recent re-watch more favorable. This is a natural setting for these characters and the kind of subtle setting change that recurring sketches from this era don’t do often enough. I’m hopeful.
— Chris: “Does anyone else fully hate their kids?” An insightful line. Hell, this could be the impetus for an entirely new sketch.
— Kate and Aidy’s struggles with the Zoom call are already quite funny. I get that this may not be the most novel concept, but it’s working quite well.
Kate’s screen turning into a picture of Wayne Brady is actually a callback to the original version of this sketch.
— I love Kate and Aidy immediately becoming despondent.
— The fact that the setting is actually a Zoom tutorial is another aspect that makes this sketch already feel a million years old.
— Amazing part with Aidy bringing the Zoom into the bathroom and starting to take her clothes off.
— Kate: “I’m from hell!”
— I love that while Chris and Heidi are doing their token horrified reaction stinkfaces, Alex is just sitting there with a smug smile.
— “I used my license as toilet paper and now I don’t know my own birthday.”
— “I tried to clean my ass in the middle of the night with a hose in the driveway and I went – I went viral!” That weird stutter in Kate’s line is one of those small choices that is so impactful.
— Love how Alex’s character is responding to all of this.
— Here’s our first example of SNL leveraging its limitations to its benefit. These characters were solid, if unexceptional, in a standard live setting, but the Zoom setting proved an absolutely natural fit with excellent use of quick cuts and a tempered reliance on reaction shots.
STARS: ****½

A MESSAGE FROM BERNIE SANDERS
Bernie Sanders (Larry David) fields campaign & coronavirus questions

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— Even in quarantine, SNL still makes room for celebrity cameos. Oh well, I have more leeway for Larry David’s Bernie Sanders.
— Right off the top, Larry acknowledges the lack of wig.
— Toilet paper references! Feels like a million years ago.
— Solid ranting for Larry David here, though nothing particularly notable here outside of Bernie saying his plan was to finish his heart attack from earlier in the year.
— I’m not one to really get in a lather about the technical aspects of the show, but the sound is noticeably lo-fi here.
STARS: ***

MASTERCLASS QUARANTINE EDITION
Timothee Chalamet’s (CLF) MasterClass provides hoodie advice

Jojo Siwa’s (CLF) MasterClass gives you TikTok tips

Carole Baskin’s (CLF) MasterClass involves bike riding & murder denials

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— I feel like these were really considered a big moment for Chloe at the time. What I appreciate about this piece is how it really feels like a cast member’s singular vision, even if it feels like it’s in the nascent writing stages.
— Chloe’s Timothy Chalamet is a bit of fun, but this all feels like an audition tape.
— Jojo Siwa is a person I’m not aware of. Chloe’s energy is off the charts though.
— Aaaaaaaand here’s our second Tiger King reference of the night. At least I can fully gauge the quality of the impression—it’s fine.
— I don’t know, there’s something weirdly robotic and distant about Chloe’s impressions. I know a lot of people really see her as the future of SNL, but I can’t connect with her. This was a perfectly OK talent showcase, but it didn’t really scratch a comedy itch.
STARS: **½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Chris Martin [real] performs “Shelter From The Storm”

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— Blue:  I know it’s very easy to rip on Chris Martin (and Coldplay as a whole), but I remember finding this performance pleasantly comforting when it originally aired.
— The choice to shoot in black and white nicely differentiates this performance from the sketches.
— Good song choice, too. The lyrics are fitting for the quarantine situation.
— I love how Chris has put up hand-written signs on his wall to mimic SNL’s Grand Central Station stage set.
— The sound quality here is great, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that a professional recording artist would happen to have professional-level recording equipment in his house.
— As someone who’s used to seeing Chris Martin play piano, I’m really appreciating his guitar playing, even if it’s just strumming and nothing too technically proficient.
— This cover reminds me a little bit of Coldplay’s own song “‘Til Kingdom Come.”
— Chris’ little “whoo!” at the end cracked me up.
— Pretty forgettable in comparison to the original, but I doubt Chris was trying to impress anyone here.
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE HOME EDITION
via phone, Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) claims coronavirus success

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— Colin and Michael are doing their jokes with an entire Zoom audience. I think the desire for a live audience response makes sense, but they would drop it for the next two installments.
— I love that the jokes Colin and Michael are telling are not polished AT ALL. They feel very much like joke pitches.
— Colin: “It’s either Trump or Biden, which means we have comedy gold for the next four years.” That is an absolutely flabbergasting statement. Not simply with the hindsight of the 20-21 season (where the political comedy was decidedly NOT gold), but because we already know how hard the show struggled in the Trump era up to this point. Are the staff and writers in that much of a bubble that they think their handling of Trump was effective?

— Oh my gosh, they really don’t know, do they?
— Uh-oh, Trumpwin alert.
— Alec calls Michael “Lebron.” SNL absolutely LOVES the joke where someone misidentifies a black person. I would be interested to see how often they pull that one out of the woodwork. I bet it’s like three times a season since 2000.
— Trump on his alternative nicknames for the “China Virus”: “Stephen Miller came up with ‘Yellow Fever’ but that’s already a thing. It’s when a white dude is horny for an Asian chick.” I appreciate the bluntness.
— Another Tiger King reference! Followed by a “Pence is gay” joke. Jesus.
— Michael’s Twinkies cereal joke is golden.
— Another Tiger King joke! OK, we’re overdue for a drinking game.
— Ha, the gerbil joke was predictable, but I love it.
— Michael brings up losing his grandma to COVID as an excuse to kick off a joke swap and my God, was Colin’s joke a doozy.
— Michael then admits that his grandma never watches the show.
— “For Weekend Update, I’m Martha’s grandbaby!”
— Some killer jokes among a series of half baked mediocrities and Alec’s Trump commentary was a big nothing, but I enjoyed the overall energy.
STARS: ***

BAILEY AT THE MOVIES
Bailey Gismert’s reviews of home-screened movies highlight awkwardness

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— Another recurring character that just might be a natural fit for this new format.
— Although I really tire of all the vocal fry, I love how Heidi always pushes this character into unsettling territory, especially her mentioning the V her dad is developing from all the push-ups he’s been doing.
— Despite an overuse of the word “awkward,” I enjoyed Heidi’s analysis of Emma.
— Classic Bailey Gismert moment with her deflecting about her crush on the Invisible Man by having a small emotional breakdown.
— One of the odder quirks of this character is Bailey’s insistence on wrapping her segment up by expressing a problematic opinion. Here, she endorses the new Louis CK special.
— Short and sweet.
STARS: ***½

MIDDLE AGED MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
adult concerns weigh down the quartet

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— Despite having a different animation style, this has very strong TV Funhouse energy.
— Seems that SNL had this one in the hopper and finally found the perfect episode to pad out.
— Pretty solid reveal of the premise.
— “All of them are just in…Under Armor.”
— Amazing scene with Donatello getting the results from the doctor about the lump on his spine.
— I love how low-key these scenes are playing out. Just an excellent job of tapping into the existential despair of a has-been group of friends.
— Another short and sweet piece.
STARS: ****½

CAM PLAYZ DAT
Call Of Duty Warzone deaths abound in Twitch session

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— Another solid opportunity to parody Twitch streams.
— The joke of this sketch is classic “Day-Seidell Sketch Comedy 101,” but I’m not hating it. It’s something I could show my kids at least.
— It’s so weird to see a guy like Mikey playing a young person. He’s a youthful looking guy, but there’s some weird uncanny valley business when he actually has to play young.
— Decent conclusion with Mikey failing at Super Mario Bros and falling into a moment of despair.
— Overall, this was super slight, but effectively done.
STARS: ***½

SKY SPORT REPORT
homebound Sky Sports announcer Bob Tisdale (ALM) calls invented sports

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— I feel so excited to see an Alex feature piece.
— I know this is a direct parody of something, but I can’t remember what.
— I love how incredibly homemade this is, complete with Alex using a spatula as a mic.
— This is all very slight and silly, but this is the kind of material that I feel really shines with this format. It reminds me of early Conan.
— Alex on the popcorn competition: “Ooh, top right, there’s some action—tossing and turning, but lo, no bursting.”
— Loving all these small pieces.
STARS: ****

WHAT YOU JAMMIN’ ON?
via FaceTime, BEB, KYM, FRA turn writer’s block into a musical creation

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— A Beck and Kyle piece! I can get behind this.
— I find the stupid voices they use with each other to be very infectious.
— OK, there’s literally nothing here. It’s more of a rhythm piece where the humor is just in the absurdity of inanity.
— Beck’s big idea: “Maybe something like…dinosaur bones?”
— Fred Armisen cameo. Hey, at least there’s no applause break.
— This was almost aggressively stupid. I actually kind of appreciate it.
STARS: ***

VISUALIZATIONS WITH AIDY
AIB’s pleasant stock-video visualizations are invaded by bad thoughts

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— I love that this show is basically just a compilation of solo performance pieces from the cast.
— Hilarious commentary from Aidy on the weirdly asexual nature of the romantic stock footage.
— A great moment with Aidy’s red carpet existential crisis.
— This is a really great mix of Aidy playing up her anxieties and goofing on the silliness of the stock footage.
— A very personal piece that was a perfect mix of absurd and silly.
STARS: ****½

HOW LOW WILL YOU GO
game show contestants (EGN), (HEG), (AIB) are horny

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— Beck with a beard!
— Only our second real ensemble piece of the show.
— “I’m your host Alex Burpee. That’s right, my dad invented lying down and getting up really quick.”
— Quarantine horniness is the theme of this sketch and a running theme through a couple sketches in later episodes.
— Love Beck complaining about having to stay at home with his kids despite being the dad.
— Ego: “The last warm thing I touched was sourdough.” Another reference that feels a million years old.
— I will never not be horrified by watching Pete do Family Guy impersonations. I know he’s playing an undesirable character, but I come from the generation where Family Guy references are an absolute comedy killer.
— Aidy: “I got it. First time’s for you; second time’s for me. Tale as old as time.”
— Fun performance from Kenan.
— Pretty lame closing line from Beck.
STARS: ***½

MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH EGO
Crayola markers are the sole product used during (EGN)’s makeup tutorial

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— Another premise-less solo piece, but I’m really into the DIY aesthetic of the show and this might be the quintessential quarantine piece.
— Ego looks wild after filling in her eyebrows.
— Not a ton to say, but this was a perfect get-in/get-out piece that really highlights this episode’s “anything goes” quality.
STARS: ***½

I GOT $2,000
rapper (PED) prominently displays $2,000 during music video

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— Good Lord, ANOTHER Pete video???
— OK, credit where it’s due, at least there’s a discernible joke here. And it’s decently funny to boot.
— Another thing that needs to be pointed out: Pete absolutely stinks at rapping. Like, at least the Lonely Island guys could approximate bars. Pete is rapping at a very cautious pace. I think Pete’s a funny stand-up and is generally OK on the show, but this, despite popular opinion, is not his forte.
— That said, the joke was solid and it didn’t go on forever, so I can’t really be too mad. But it probably could have been fleshed out even more if an actual writer had helped.
STARS: **½

HAL WILLNER TRIBUTE
castmembers mark the passing of SNL music producer Hal Willner

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— A very detailed and loving tribute to Hal Willner, the SNL Music Supervisor who died from COVID the week of this episode.
— Everyone is chipping in here, including Armisen, Hader, Mulaney and Sandler.
— A sweet musical tribute of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” performed by Fey, Gasteyer, Dratch, Poehler, Shannon, Spivey and Pell.
— A very sad, moving tribute.
STARS: N/A

GOODNIGHTS

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— Hanks, who was MIA outside of the monologue and the musical guest intro, signs off. It’s not much of a hosting appearance, but it kind of feels consistent with some of the Ebersol era hosts, so I’ll give it a pass. Congratulations on your 10^th hosting appearance, Tom!

CUT FOR TIME: ELMER’S EASTER ADVENTURE AUDITIONS
Bruce Chandling (KYM) auditions for Elmer’s Easter Adventure

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— Here’s a fun setting for Kyle’s underrated and oft-cut for time Bruce Chandling character.
— The patented VHS tracking effect that Kyle would put to good use on his Saturday Morning All Star Hits.
— Kyle dropping a very hacky “Have you heard about this?” after he mentions that Christ came back to life at Easter is a brilliant little touch.
— OMG, that “Res-erection” joke was absolutely awful! I’m deeply impressed.
— The standard Chandling pathos moment feels a little perfunctory here, but I am enjoying the ambivalence of the off-camera casting director. And the callback to Chandling’s first joke worked well enough.
— It’s always fun to see a good character put into a new setting. The familiar beats were fine but predictable. The best parts of the Bruce Chandling character appear in the margins. I think this piece got the ax because the Bailey Gismert piece was doing similar work and played a wee bit better with the At Home framework.
STARS: ***½

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A really fun, but wildly scattershot experiment. SNL would, I think, simultaneously fix some of the problems of this episode and undercut some of the qualities in later episodes. I appreciated how some characters were able to find a welcome home in this new setting and also loved the “throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks” energy it all had. Some of the pieces really stuck well and some were absolutely terrible. Weirdly, the show decided to frontload the least comedically effective pieces.
— Cecily, Melissa and Bowen were all notably absent.

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Henriette & Nan
Visualizations With Aidy
Middle Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles
Sky Sport Report
Monologue
Bailey At The Movies
Makeup Tutorial With Ego
(CFT: Elmer’s Easter Adventure Auditions)
Cam Playz Dat
How Low Will You Go
Weekend Update Home Edition
What You Jammin’ On?
A Message From Bernie Sanders
Masterclass Quarantine Edition
I Got $2,000
Working Out At Home With RBG
Drake Song

TOMORROW
John goes deep on our second SNL At Home.