Tag: 2019-2020

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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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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”

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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

— 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 10th hosting appearance, Tom!

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

— 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


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.

Posted on

March 7, 2020 – Daniel Craig / The Weeknd (S45 E15)

by Anthony

THE INGRAHAM ANGLE: CORONAVIRUS 
Elizabeth Warren [real] savors her successes

— Another day, another 9 minute SNL open that tries to shove every news story of that week into its runtime in a series of thin walk-ons. In this one’s defense at least, hoo boy was there a lot of news to cover this particular week. This is also a Drezgate piece, so hopefully it has a bit more of a sense of purpose than your typical Jost written cold open mush. 
— Obviously it’s very strange in hindsight to go back to these early, pre-lockdown days of COVID. Also sad to see how little some people have changed their tune a year and change later, just with slightly different wording…
— I’m no fan of Ingraham but this still feels like a pretty facile, even pretentious take on her to me. Hard to explain exactly why but it just doesn’t work for me at all. For one thing, I’m a big believer in ‘show don’t tell’, and this sketch just had Ingraham outright tell us she’s a fearmonger who uses racist dog whistles. 
— Kate’s Ingraham is actually a bit of a reverse Stefon/Cathy Ann, in that her first appearance was on Update but has since only been in sketches. In the case of Cathy Ann that made for a big improvement. Here? Eh…
— Unlike Kate’s Ingraham, Cecily’s Judge Jeanine always tends to amuse me, though she’s not given any material to write home about here (she’s racist, loud and drinks a lot—bold takes!)
— Similarly, the Trump sons are a fun pair of characters given nothing new to work with here. Eric’s declaration of “I’m a father!” as their segment concluded made me chuckle at least (as did Alex’s physicality when trying to mirror Mikey as Don Jr’s mannerisms, something that always gets me with these two).
— SNL brings back Darrell’s Chris Matthews after the real life Matthews’ firing. On the one hand I get this move, as Matthews was one of Darrell’s more fun political impressions, though it is one I’m not sure how many non SNL die-hards even remember.
— I do like Matthews immediately coming on and thinking this is still Hardball.
— I remember Che being on Hardball and one of the first things Matthews asked him was “who was the funniest black guy?” because the real-life Matthews is already a sketch character. 
— Round 3 of “fun impression, meh material”. 
— White chocolate gets cheers from the audience?! First off, it’s not that good guys. More importantly, you’re here to respond to the comedy, not give me your snack takes.
— Real-life Warren appears here, fresh off of dropping out of the presidential race. I remember some Bernie supporters were upset she made the time to appear here when she hadn’t endorsed him yet, because this is post-2016 America and every goddamn thing needs to cause an argument. 
— The material here is pretty soft, but that’s par for the course with a politician playing themselves on SNL. When Kate played Warren on the other hand, some kind of take beyond “gee golly” or whatever they had would have been nice. 
— Omg, Kate plays Ingraham AND Warren here?! Yass qwern, go off! (I wanna fit in with the other people who review SNL online for once.)
— So what was the premise here? It started as a piece mocking the right’s response to the initial outbreak of COVID in the US, which, fair enough. We get Judge Jeanine and the Trump sons on The Ingraham Angle and they all say dumb right-wing talking points about COVID. Bada bing, you got your fine if disposable cold open. But we keep going from there, so that the premise becomes “famous right-wing celebrities mock the left’s response to COVID, and also Chris Matthews shows up and prattles on and also two Elizabeth Warrens gee golly together”. There’s no wonder I barely remembered this going in outside the Warren cameo—what the hell is there to grab onto here? Its lukewarm leftovers of more successful prior bits with a dash of Kate hero worship seasoning that’s supposed to add spice but just leaves the whole thing tasting a little funky. I thought it’d do in a pinch, but honestly I’m ready to toss it and just order some takeout instead.
STARS: **

MONOLOGUE
in No Time To Die, James Bond (host) is gleeful & goofy over craps wins

— As far as I can tell, this was originally a Seiday pretape set to air in the middle of the show as usual, then was turned into a monologue with help from Stephen Castillo (I can’t find out if there was a full monologue during dress or if this change was made pre-show). I can see why this move was made, as this piece does a lot to sell Craig’s goofy, affable presence as host. 
— Craig on SNL is a funny presence. He has that kinda dorky dad energy pioneered by Buck Henry back in the day, but there’s an extra, almost alien-like quality to his work on the show that really intrigues me. He always seems to be playing things “off” in a way that seems both intentional and unintentional at the same time, contradictory as that may be. I dig it.
— Bit of a weak premise, (plus, ‘guy in movie who typically looks cool revealed as dork’ is a Seiday trope we’ve seen before and since) but as I previously mentioned, Craig is doing a lot to sell it with his cornball energy.
— Since I’ll be mean to her later coming up, I’ll point out Kate’s pretty fun here as the feisty old lady. This type of mugging Kate role always works better as part of an ensemble than when it’s supposed to anchor a sketch.
— Ditto what I just said about Kate for Kenan honestly. Still, he’s a ton of fun here, especially when he just starts chanting “you!” to Craig.
— I like some of the different angles of Bond and the crowd here, especially the bird’s eye shots when he’s gloating to the whole group. 
— This plays out predictably, but Craig carries it there the whole way with me. This is just pure dumb fun. It’s very slight but you can’t help but get caught up in the energy, which is another reason it was a good choice to move this up top (especially after the typically overlong open did its work to drain us). 
— Nice touch with Kenan not only popping up in the iconic Bond bullet shot, but coming out on stage with the real Craig at the end of his monologue. 
STARS: ****

THE SANDS OF MODESTO 
social distancing impacts soap opera interactions

— Written by James Anderson and Bryan Tucker. 
— In a move sadly all too typical of late era Kate, she comes in basically already having broken character. 
— Pretty easy humor here, mining early COVID paranoia for “everyone’s scared of germs now!” jokes, along with your typical soap parody goofery, though it’s just silly enough here to mostly work for me.
— “But you were killed in that plane crash.” “That’s what I was told—but I’m alive!”
— Kate is smirking her way through this whole sketch in a way that’s actively bringing it down for me. This is melodramatic material with an absurd bent and needs to be performed as such to work. Frank Drebin isn’t funny if he knows he’s an idiot, ya know? I just think of the way Jan or Jane or even Kristen on the right night would have played this, as soap actresses too in their own world to even realize anything funny was going on, and I know the sketch would be much stronger for it.
— Or maybe the problem is the writer? Cecily’s a hair too broad here for me as well, and she’s definitely someone capable of giving the type of performance I’m talking about. Maybe cast members just see Anderson’s name on a script and think “oh got it, Southern accent, mug eyes”. 
— A fight between Cecily and Kate being portrayed by two Barbie dolls is a funny touch. The use of stock footage in general throughout this piece is solid.
— This is real goofy stuff, but it just about works for me, even with Kate’s sloppy performance. I feel like I’m going to be using the phrase “dumb fun” a lot in this review, but hey, the world was about to shut down and I can’t blame these guys for not working out the tightest material this week.  
STARS: ***½

ON THE COUCH 
(KET), (CRR), (musical guest) doghoused in music video

— I love Kenan and Chris, but I’m pretty much always lukewarm on them in songs (I know, I gave Come Back Barack a 4.5; if the sketch is strong enough I can look past it). I’m pretty lax with impressions but for some reason I’m really snobbish about comedy songs. If you’re gonna do it, it should sound like a real song, dammit!
— Eh, this is kind of a 90’s stand-up ass premise.
— Sleeping on the couch ain’t even that bad! I honestly do it by accident more than I care to admit.
— There’s a bit where they attempt to do a crescendo of “sleeping on the couch”s similar to the one in “Jizz In My Pants”, but with much less success. “Jizz” was also smart enough to save that move for towards the end of the song.
— Cute dog.
— Pretty predictable response verse from the girls.
— When Melissa is saying all the ways Chris wronged her, we at least get some typically amusing Chris Redd dumb guy reactions.
— Ah, there’s Daniel and his endearingly lame American accent at least. His bit outside with The Weeknd is fun.
STARS: **½  

THE DEIRDRE SHOW
piqued Cookie (EGN) huffs during cooking segment

— Written by Ego and Drezgate, inspired by this moment with Patti Labelle on Tyra Banks’ show. 
— Ego is always immediately charming in these types of diva roles. So far, however, this sketch is doing little beyond having her rotely recreate the type of reactions Patti gave the chef in the real life clip. If anything, this piece is less funny as it ignores the comedy in the real clip of the chef not realizing the joke is on her.
— As per usual with modern SNL, I’m finding these audience reaction scenes unnecessary. Yeah, they establish that the audience has turned on Daniel’s character, but some off screen boos would accomplish the same thing (with about the same amount of laughs).
— As always, Ego knows how to deliver the line “pissing me off” just the right way. If I ever text someone that phrase, her intonation there is the exact one I have in mind.
— The twist of Ego’s character going to eat a strip of gum and actually eating the foil is okay, helped by some really funny lines from Ego: “It’s just gum. You know, shiny, tastes like coins, sparks when you chew it.”
— There wasn’t much to this, and it certainly doesn’t compare to some of the great Ego pieces we’ll get next season, but it was amusing enough, carried pretty much entirely by Ego’s effortless charm.
— A sequel to this was cut from dress from Season 47’s Rami Malek episode. I can’t say I’m too broken up by not getting another one of these, especially as Ego is on more solid ground with the show by that point and doesn’t need any bit of airtime she can get. Although I’d still take it over the Prince sketch from that episode.
STARS: ***

DEBBIE DOWNER WEDDING RECEPTION
at a wedding reception, pandemic context has Debbie Downer (RAD) in her element

— Ah, Debbie Downer. Listen, I love Rachel as much as the next guy, and like everyone I think that first installment is a ton of fun. It’s a perfect example of the type of chaos the live element can bring to SNL, with Rachel breaking character so hard she literally can’t continue the scene. While breaking on SNL can sometimes feel manufactured, it works in that sketch because you can tell Rachel is just genuinely losing it, in a way that doesn’t feel in any way forced. So how do you repeat the success of a piece like that? Well, as our friend Kate showed us with her iconic breaking sketch, you bring back the character in a series of different locations/situations that are all really just variations of that first one, and shove in moments designed to make people crack. It’s perfect, like a delicious, creamy, rich cake being force fed down your throat. Mmm, that’s some good sketch comedy fun. (Comparing comedy to food a lot in this review. Maybe I’m just preparing myself for “Salad”). 
— Paula Pell came back to write this. At least this topical setting (bumming people about COVID) is fitting for this character. Gives this sketch an interesting, possibly unintentional twist too where Debbie’s totally within her right to freak out about what she’s going on about for once. 
— “They say to forgo masks”—goddamn, March of 2020 feels like a million years ago.
— It’s subtle, but I like Debbie sort of joining in on the Table 9 chant. She’s trying.
— The COVID stuff is a decent attempt to bring Debbie Downer into 2020, but the #MeToo bit was a big miss for me.
— He doesn’t really get anything to do (shocker) but I like Alex’s annoyed performance, playing someone who’s clearly dealt with Debbie many times and is in no mood for it on his wedding day. 
— Everyone doing a Debbie style reaction shot to the mention of Trump feels pretty easy, as does the extra joke with Aidy as the stereotypical older white woman who loves Trump. It’s not like I need harsh political digs in my Debbie Downer sketches, but if we are going to go there, more than a literal sad trombone of a joke would be appreciated. 
— Not the worst Debbie Downer, but still about as pointless as any of them past the original felt. 
STARS: **½ 

MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
host wins the internet with his emphatic introduction for musical guest


— Anthony: Haha, I guess I gotta talk about this now, huh? So Daniel’s intro for The Weeknd blew the fuck up in an entirely unexpected but very 2020 way. It really is kind of perfect for our modern times where you have to squint to even see what the zeitgeist could possibly be that an out of context intro for a musical guest became the thing from this season that the most people ended up seeing. I mean, there was a damn Times piece about it! I’ll link that here, since it goes in depth on the Twitter account/meme for those who have no clue what the hell I’m talking about. I’ll also link this Times piece, in which Craig charmingly learns of the meme’s existence (lot of plugs for struggling upstart The New York Times in this section of the review).

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Blinding Lights”

— Blue: Humorously enough, as I type this review, it is currently the weekend. Thanks for reminding me, Daniel. 
— This stage set, full of dozens of flashing lights, is very appropriate for this song’s title.
— A truly addictive synth riff opens this song. Despite its frequent airplay, this is why I can never get sick of this song—it’s impossible to feel sad when hearing that riff.
— Interesting theatrical outfit The Weeknd has chosen. I’m not sure as to the significance of the broken nose, but he looks great.
— Wow, The Weeknd’s voice sounds exactly like it does on the recorded version of this song.
— Nice display of versatility from the keyboardist on stage right, who is now playing guitar. I wish he and the other keyboardist on stage left weren’t so close to the back, though- I want a better view of them as they play.
— Incredible melismatic vocals from The Weeknd.
— The flashing lights, The Weeknd’s red jacket and the keyboardists’ glittery suits are really appealing to my aesthetic sensibilities, and fit the song’s 80’s synthpop style very well.
Stars: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE 
bag ban raises slippery slope fears for plastic expert Bottle Boi (BOY)

The Weeknd Update- musical guest coughs despite saying “I feel fine”

Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With prattles

— I see SNL continuing here to push the narrative that Bernie and Biden are basically the same, which no matter where you land on them feels misinformed at best.
— Oh man, speaking of shit that feels prehistoric now, we get jokes about Trump dry humping that flag.
— Che’s bringing back his nihilistic COVID influenced outlook from the previous Update, in a slightly more muted form here.
—  Bowen debuts a new character here, one with a very Sandler-esque Southern accent. Apparently this was cut from dress the previous week. 
— Bowen has a lot of energy here as usual but this material is super thin. There’s a couple laughs from the lines themselves (such as Bottle Boi wondering if we get rid of plastic, where will fish get their necklaces?) but for the most part any enjoyment I’m getting out of this is just from Bowen’s performance. 
— Okay, I did chuckle at “Greta ToonTown”.
— Interesting hearing a joke about the film the host is there to promote. In general, a bit eerie hearing all the stories this Update about things getting canceled due to COVID, knowing what was around the corner. 
— We get a return of the “Weeknd Update” bit from the last time he was on. It’s still cute, helped by knowing when to end.
— Cecily brings back GYWYHSACW (just give her a damn name, show) for the first time in almost 4 years.
— Right off the bat some fun interaction with Cecily and Che as she tries to force her hand down his throat.
— Really loved Colin “freak” Jost in his shades more than I probably should have.  
— This is nothing new for this character, but it’s working. It helps that it’s been so long since we’ve seen her, but all the normal elements (the Jost-style memorable one liners, the wonderfully dumb malaprops, Cecily’s perfectly keyed in annoying drunk girl performance) are working and in fine form here.
— The ending with Cecily donning a Momo mask was kind of dumb, but otherwise solid stuff here.
STARS: ***½ 

ACCENT COACH
host’s accent coach (BEB) wants Benoit Blanc to be cartoonishly southern

— Written by Beck with future cast member Andrew Dismukes. I remember this being a divisive piece (as a lot of vomit hose pieces can be), with me landing more on the side of being charmed by its goofiness than off put by it, though we’ll how true that remains this time around. 
— Fun premise, with Beck as the accent coach behind Craig’s, uh, eccentric southern accent in Knives Out.
— What is this look on Beck’s character? I guess it would make sense if he was being presented as some hick, but the character is clearly meant to be more sophisticated than that, so the outfit seems like a strange choice to me. You can say it’s his misinterpretation of what a Southerner would wear, but he establishes he doesn’t know what type of accent he’ll be doing before he enters. I don’t know, maybe I’m dumb and missing something, but the outfit doesn’t seem to have a purpose beyond “doesn’t Beck look funny like this?”
— Beck is an incredibly talented, funny guy, but he never got quite to the point where he could carry a sketch for me just on the basis of watching him goof around, which is about all this amounting to so far.
— Hooo boy, is this a lot more try-hard than I remembered…
— The “hot butt” stuff is another example of modern SNL thinking every line has to be a laugh line at the expense of the main premise (this is a bit of a problem with modern sketch in general; I had a real problem with it in Season 2 of I Think You Should Leave, for example).
—  Beck and Daniel start puking now for no discernable reason other than “comedy!” I’m an easy mark with the vomit hose, but c’mon now… 
— “You can PUKE on command?!” Mikey Day with his Mikey Day-ass lines….
— Yea, that was considerably worse than I remembered. I generally don’t have any issues with Beck on the show, but that felt like a really indulgent piece that did him no favors.
STARS: ** 

DEEP QUOTE GAME NIGHT
during a game night, (host) & (HEG) trade impossibly-obscure movie quotes

— Written by Heidi with Will Stephen. 
— Heidi’s amusing me right off the bat with her intense characterization here.
— The obvious building attraction between Heidi and Daniel is a lot of fun, though for the second time tonight Kate is actively dragging a sketch down by having such a loose performance. She’s supposed to be basically cuckolded here, and yet her choice of a reaction for her character is to smile and giggle at the whole thing? And I say choice, because, if these breaks aren’t intentional, they’re at the very least the result of a performer choosing to go into a scene without much commitment. Which is annoying enough in a sketch like “Sands of Modesto” that’s already centered around her, but even more so in a sketch like this, where the focal point is supposed to be another cast member (Heidi in this case) and not lil’ ol’ charming Kate. And Kate knows how much this piece means to Heidi, considering this was apparently a piece Heidi had had cut from numerous previous episodes, including Harbour and Driver. Getting this on was supposed to be entirely Heidi’s moment, and yet once again Kate had to make it about her. I do think some fans definitely do too much to vilify Kate, but stuff like this really annoys me.
— Kay, one more quick comment about Kate (I know, I know)—some may point out that Daniel breaks here too and I don’t give him as hard of a time, but A: he’s not a cast member on his 8th year (and one who’s frequently hailed as the best of the current cast, and a legend in the making) and B: he only breaks after his scene partner has been for basically the entirely of the scene already.
—  Not sure we needed two sets of couples here to react to Daniel and Heidi. They both seem to be getting the same type of lines. Their lines themselves are also a bit too of the “spelling out what’s weird here” variety y’all know I don’t care for. Still, they don’t distract too much from the meat of the sketch.
— Okay, I did get a laugh from Ego’s “yall, stop quoting Captain Phillips!” The girl can sell a line.
— I love that the quotes have expanded into other languages now, though again, could do without the Chris line spelling that out.
— Good “so wrong” laugh from Heidi’s clue of a cough being in reference to Philadelphia. 
— The pair kissing is a solid climax to this, though I can’t help but feel like we needed another beat or so. This was a very fun, sturdy little character sketch, but it felt a rewrite or two (and a much more locked in supporting performance from you-know-who) from being a true classic. 
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & Oneohtrix Point Never [real] perform “Scared To Live”

— Anthony: You know Craig sounds even more relieved to see The Weeknd here, and yet you never see this one. Strange.
— Blue: Another adherent to the “one upbeat song and one ballad” SNL format, I see.
— While “Blinding Lights” is clearly rooted in 80’s pop, and I’m hearing some of that in this song too, this also feels early 2000’s to me. There’s definitely a timelessness to it.
— I like the tone on that Juno-60 that Oneohtrix Point Never is playing.
— Another outstanding vocal performance from The Weeknd.
— Strong chorus, with The Weeknd singing in a higher register compared to the verses, and a second synth coming in to add some sweeping pads to the song.
— I love the synth noodling on the second verse. It feels a touch more modern than the rest of the song.
— Why not sing the pre-recorded vocals on the bridge? Is that because it’s (what appears to be) a sped-up sample from “Your Song” by Elton John?
— Great high notes from The Weeknd on the last chorus. The hints of vibrato in his voice, however, are bothering me- it’s not necessary for the song.
— Interesting tone overall to that song. The hopefulness of the music undercuts the sense of regret in the lyrics. It feels like a healthy way to look back on a relationship’s end, rather than another whiny moping breakup song.
STARS: ***

SALAD
sick-in-the-head Nadine (AIB) feeds her family inedible “overnight salad”

— A pretape I’ve always enjoyed, written by Aidy with Rob Klein. 
— The doo wop style melody to this is catchy. 
— Also really dig the set design. Yea, it’s pretty typical 50’s kitsch, but there’s something subtly off and claustrophobic about it (perhaps how it’s shot helps) that adds to the not-quite-right tone of the sketch before the reveal.
—  Delightfully nasty image as Aidy mashes her bare hands around in her gross salad concoction. 
— Obvious but still fun (and well-performed by Craig, even with his goofy American accent) reveal that the mess of a salad tastes terrible.
— Wonderfully dark bit where it’s revealed Aidy’s character has probably killed the family dog by feeding it her gnarly ass salad.
— Aidy’s performance here is perfectly off, and one of my favorites she’s given on the show. I’ve especially always loved her practically incomprehensible delivery of “maybe does he need a big scoop o’ mayo?”
— The ending felt a bit too abrupt, but otherwise, a very solid, dark pre tape.
STARS: ****½ 

GOODNIGHTS


IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A very loose show, as can be expected given what was going on in the world at the time. As such, I preferred it then, when I really needed some dumb goof-a-loofs (as opposed to now, when everything is going so awesome I simply don’t need to laugh anymore) but it’s still a show that moves along charmingly enough, aided by Craig’s lovably odd energy. And hey, no Regine, so it’s an automatic improvement over his last episode, at least.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Salad
Monologue
Deep Quote Game Night
Sands of Modesto
Weekend Update
The Deirdre Show
On the Couch
Debbie Downer Wedding Reception
Accent Coach
The Ingraham Angle: Coronavirus

TOMORROW
John Krasinski and Dula Peep stop by to the world as we know it gets put on temporary (?) hold, and the show has to adapt in a way it never has before. Carson’s the first of our reviewers to look at a not-live (and often not even from New York) SNL, as the show goes At Home.  




Posted on

February 1, 2020 – J. J. Watt / Luke Combs (S45 E12)

by Matt

THE TRIAL YOU WISH HAD HAPPENED
Judge Mathis (KET) rules in wished-for Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) trial

— Quite a bold fuckin’ title from SNL. I hesitate to call this preferable.
— I feel like this premise could be far better executed than it’s currently being played out, if not by this era. We have so much room to change variables around; we could construct some absurdist nonsense and just relish in those sorts of details! Instead, SNL’s doubling down on its usual brand of un-fun, dubiously-“satirical” nonsense, and it makes the baseline assumption that swapping out unremarkable variables has the power to create a remarkable difference. It doesn’t.
— It feels really weird to see Cecily participating in the show’s gender-swapping political impression parade, having a turn as John Bolton. It’s also somehow the most incomprehensible impression yet.
— Kenan, as Judge Matthis: “C’mon, don’t leave me on read, gimme some of that hot tea!” Ick. You’re not as young as you think you are, SNL.
— Pete comes in as Hunter Biden on a hoverboard, puffing a fat cloud. He’s adding a bit of energy to this cold open, but it’s still nothing special.
— Trumpwin (ugh) makes his entrance on a walker which, via some over-explanation, serves as a reference to Weinstein. Please, don’t make me talk about these cold opens anymore.
— Kyle makes a random walk-on as My Cousin Vinny, which I laughed at if only because of the boldness of SNL to wear its desperation for crowd response on its sleeve so clearly. Fresh reference, you guys!
— Beck’s Mitch has now broken into song, proving this cold open to be an amalgamation of disparate concepts that I’d like to define as “drug-fueled,” but that would also suggest that any of it’s been that fun.
STARS: *

MONOLOGUE
on Super Bowl Eve, host talks about growing up in a football family

— J.J. Watt sure is a giant man.
— These sports-centric jokes are a bit slight and cliched, but J.J.’s proving himself to be just charismatic enough for it to go off without a hitch. 
— I kind of like the joke of J.J.’s father being “Cletus, the Fox Sports robot.” I also liked the story of how his mother took care of him and his siblings growing up by throwing their SNES into the basement, blasting Metallica, and making them fight for it. (“That’s not a joke, guys.”)
— Another funny bit on how J.J. would most definitely drop this SNL hosting gig to be in the Superbowl.
STARS: **½

FROZEN II
Elsa (KAM) is gay & Kristoff (host) is woke in Frozen II deleted scenes

— I haven’t seen Frozen or its sequel, but I have seen this sketch before, so I don’t think I’m at the biggest loss.
— I like the set. Feels very atmospheric.
— Right off the bat, Kate-as-Elsa makes repeated, off-hand comments about being gay; in light of the sort of conversation around that time of the character’s sexuality, it feels like this casting has sort of written itself.
— Casting J.J. as Kristoff feels like another instance of, “This is too good to be true, we have to do this.” And I’ll give it to SNL—J.J. looks goofy as hell in that costume.
— All of Beck’s voiceover portions of this feel very unnecessary in how they’re calling attention to how weird the “deleted scenes” are.
— Alright, I do like the bit making fun of Frozen being “too white” with Kenan as a member of the king’s guard in 1840s rural Norway.
— Kate giggling and calling out the plot of the movie as “really bad” has always stuck out to me as a rather lazy jab. This entire sketch has been struggling with all of its random, meta observations, but that line specifically sort of paints this whole sketch out as crudely-conceived and rather mindlessly written.
— Mikey’s appearance as Olaf, now featuring a carrot dick for some reason, feels like a very unneeded bit that manages to pull the focus of the sketch even further away.
STARS: **

ROBBIE
(CRR)- (host) doesn’t want untalented underdog on football field

— A fairly predictable twist to this Rudy-esque pretape, with J.J. breaking the sentimental tone of the short to point out that Chris “fucking sucks at football.”
— Although all of J.J.’s dialogue is littered with bleeped expletives, the real enjoyment I’m getting out of this one are all of Chris’ insecure, awkward reaction shots.
— Kenan’s addition is alright, but this sketch is hammering the same joke in too many times for it to keep registering.
— Ultimately, another middling sketch despite some decent performances.
STARS: **

SEX TALK
teen (KYM) cringes when parents (host) & (AIB) overshare their sex life

— Already off to a pretty fun start, with JJ’s father character making it abundantly clear that he’s giving Kyle the talk because he just walked in on his parents having sex.
— Another funny moment with Kyle pointing out to J.J. that it’s his birthday.
— J.J. is staring right at the cue cards, but he’s actually giving a surprisingly impassioned performance. He’s doing a lot to sell this sketch, which has otherwise been hitting the same sort of beats over and over again.
— Aidy appears as Kyle’s mother to further the raunchy sex talk, as an Aidy does. 
— J.J., on the topic of Aidy’s good good: “We are talking medical-grade pure water, son. That type that make a good man kill himself.” Aidy: “And a worse man kill everybody.”
— Come to think of it, like the cold open, this sketch is getting into a very slang-y crawlspace, though I think that’s working quite a bit better here.
— The reveal of Kyle’s character being bisexual is a strange touch, but I suppose not a bad one…? I at least like that his parents, in their sexual openness, are accepting of him and celebrating it, even if it’s not an overly-funny way for the sketch to extend itself.
STARS: ***

OLAY EYE BLACK
Oil Of BrOlay eye black has both athletic & esthetic applications

— SNL always enjoys doing these beauty product ads for macho men, and they always end up being about the same: meh. 
— Beck: “This isn’t gay, right?” J.J.: “It’s just gay enough.” I feel like this sketch is trying to comment somewhat on the notion of toxic masculinity, but it’s refusing to take a definitive stance, and instead just becomes “Haha, men using beauty products!” which feels hacky to me.
— I like some of the details in the sketch, like the products smelling like “Jack Daniels, gasoline, and matcha extract,” but the means of delivery just isn’t doing much.
— A funny bit with Alex ripping a nose strap off of his broken, bloodied nose and screaming in pain.
STARS: **

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Lovin’ On You”

— Blue: I’m liking the fiery guitar opening. But man oh man, is it really necessary to have so many guitarists onstage?
— Luke’s got the type of voice that puts me off a lot of modern country music. I’ll try to power through for the sake of this review.
— I like how the second half of the chorus starts on a minor chord.
— I can’t stand when singers mime along to their guitarists’ solos. It always feels so attention-seeking. Funnily enough, this is the second country singer I’ve reviewed for this project who’s done that (Thomas Rhett being the first).
— The piano on the brief breakdown is pretty great.
— There’s definitely an audience for this. I’m not a part of that audience. But I did enjoy the instrumentation, at least, so I’ll give this performance an extra star. 
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE
Chen Biao puts a positive spin on China’s response to the coronavirus

Dr. Angie Hynes (EGN) highlights personal grudges for Black History Month

— Strange clip of Trump’s acquittal speech being a video of a guy break-dancing with Trump’s face poorly superimposed on it… this Update isn’t off to a blazing start.
— Che, on the acquittal: “What better way to start Black History Month than being failed by the justice system?”
— It feels very surreal to see the coronavirus referenced by the show pre-pandemic, as Che’s introduction to this Chen Biao segment is. I wonder how well the commentary itself has aged…
— Ah, this segment is pretty much just focused on how China was handling coronavirus rather than really pointing towards it becoming a global issue. 
— Solid bit from Chen Biao slamming American Airlines. The commentary as a whole hasn’t been doing as much for me as Chen’s first installment, but there’s still some fun to come out of Bowen’s cattiness.
— Ego gets her first Update piece as Dr. Angie Hynes.
— I love the initial reveal of what this segment is about, with Ego’s version of “Black history” being shots at former friends who are now history to her, but repeating that same joke over and over again is struggling to maintain that initial burst of energy. I feel bad that I don’t care more for this big role of hers.
— I got a mild laugh out of Ego calling Duane Reade “Black Walgreens.”
STARS: ***

PILOT HUNK
bachelorettes compete to impress burly aviator

— Feels weird to see the always-reliable, annual (until S46) Bachelor sketch turn up this late in the episode. There’s been some very strange sequencing with the running order in general.
— I’m not surprised that they’d save this premise for someone like J.J., who has some woodenness, considering these sketches almost always make their way into episodes with hosts the show isn’t fully comfortable with (Blake Shelton, Ronda Rousey, etc.). 
— J.J.’s impressively stiff, repeated delivery of “Haha, I love that.” to every off-putting thing the ladies say is a great little touch.
— Kate’s contestant: “I wrote you a letter. It’s a ‘T.’ I also know a couple others but I’m gonna play hard to get.”
— These sketches always have some gag where a contestant rules themselves out of contention, and I especially liked this sketch’s variant, with Melissa having a bag thrown over her head and being pulled out by dudes in cult-esque garb because she just turned 30.
— Another funny beat with how Ego’s character died, and then came back to life so that she could come back to the show, after which J.J. praises her for being vulnerable.
— Aidy: “I’m having a really hard time because the producers… they confiscated my vitamins and they gave me a knife.” J.J.: “Haha, I love that.”
— Another sketch tonight where Kate makes reference to being gay.
— I’d say this installment was just a touch better than these Bachelor sketches usually are, and it feels like every female cast member got a fun bit out of it even if screen time was, as usual, noticeably disproportionate.
STARS: ***½

MADDEN 21
host balks at unflattering dialogue during Madden 21 recording session

— Nice to see Ego landing a supporting role in this sketch; it helps keep this Seiday piece feeling just that bit fresher. She’s been having a pretty good night in general.
— J.J.’s submitting some fun work here as he gets increasingly perplexed by how inept at football the lines make him sound.
— Love the running thread in J.J.’s dialogue of him repeatedly slamming a kid in a wheelchair.
— “WOOO! I’m going to the Superbowl, baby! My wife’s company got tickets…??”
— Weak ending with the rendering of J.J.’s character sprite flossing, but a fun sketch overall.
STARS: ***½

FOOD DUDES
mannequins cover for individuals’ excessive meal orders

— This sketch was cut from the preceding Adam Driver episode.
— A very Beck/Kyle concept of mannequins you take to hotels so that it looks like you have company when you order a ton of food through room service for yourself.
— I loved the dramatic turn where Melissa sternly demands to see one of them eat.
— Lots of fun, weird details, like the microwave built into the mannequin’s asses and the mannequins being slightly overweight (and having robotic dialogue that hammers that point in).
— Mikey’s delivery guy saying “Have fun with your diverse friends!” very earnestly is hilarious.
— Kenan’s scene undoes the reality of the sketch being a commercial a little bit, but he sells it all as perfectly as a Kenan does.
— This is a sketch that I feel I’ve underrated in the past and considered a lesser entry into Kyle and Beck’s oeuvre, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it this go around. Although I don’t think it’s as strong as some of their other fake ads (“My Drunk Boyfriend,” “Undercover Office Potty”), it’s still tons of fun and sprinkled with brilliant details.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Beer Never Broke My Heart”

— Blue: Heck yeah, breaking out the banjo? That’s what I like to see. (Said… no one except me, probably.)
— Did Luke just cram every single country song stereotype into the first verse of this one?
— Kind of annoyed by “It takes one hand…” *holds up one hand* Sometimes miming out the lyrics works, sometimes it feels like the musician is taking your hand and guiding you through the song’s meaning, as if you wouldn’t understand it just from hearing the lyrics.
— With lyrics like that, I cannot take this chorus seriously.
— Great slide guitar solo.
— I also love the guitar riff on the chorus coming out of the solo, which the banjo is doubling.
— Literally pointing to the guitar when singing about a guitar… ugh.
STARS: **

MY FAIR BIGFOOT
otherwise-civilized Sasquatch has bathroom mishap

— A rather extravagant and pretty set for this sketch.
— Casting J.J. as Bigfoot feels like a given, doesn’t it? It’s weird that the show’s taken this long to really utilize his massive size in a sketch, considering that usually consists of half of an athletic host’s material.
— Haha, J.J. loses his dignified, British accent right after his first bit of dialogue.
— For some reason, Kenan’s use and delivery of the word “feculent” has always stuck with me. (Oh yeah, this is a poop sketch now by the way, at least in part.)
— I feel like I should admit that, although this is not a very good sketch, I am getting some guilty enjoyment out of it. Alex and especially Bowen are submitting fine performances on the side, and Kenan is willing all of his lines into working by the sheer power of his likability, even if that says nothing of the quality of the material he’s reading. I also appreciate that, despite having a scatological premise, it’s at least striking more of a unique tone with its setting and initial circumstances.
— An unintentional laugh from J.J.’s horrible fake harp-playing.
— I kinda like Bigfoot’s very florid manner of speaking.
STARS: **

BIG WILLIE’S PIZZA
delivery guy’s (host) porno plot fulfillment ruins pizza shop owner (KET)

— The set-up almost makes it seem like we’re about to get another of those “Aidy walking in on a porno shoot” sketches.
— A great initial laugh as we cut away from the porn scenario to Kenan wondering why his pizzeria’s not making any money. I can already tell he’s gonna kill with this performance.
— J.J. is perfectly cast here. He’s clearly having a lot of fun approximating a porno bro accent.
— The reveal of Kenan holding up a pizza box with a giant hole in the bottom is hurt a bit by the fact that we can see the prop sitting behind him the entire time, but I did like the nasty detail of him eating the leftover pizza.
— Kenan: “You smell like shellfish and karate class!” Perfect. Kenan is going full ham here and he’s selling it like crazy.
— J.J. misconstruing a favor Kenan’s asking of him for more sex is a bit hacky, but then again, this sketch is sort of relishing in that area. Plus, Kenan revealing that he just wanted J.J. to shoot his father got a solid laugh out of me.
— Overall, a really strong 10-to-1, with a concept I love and some fantastic performances. With the exception of the preceding Bigfoot sketch, it was nice to end this episode on an upswing.
STARS: ****

GOODNIGHTS

— A nice little tribute from J.J. to Kobe Bryant, who died earlier in the week.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Not a very strong episode. The second half was quite a bit stronger than the first and it was nice to see the show gathering more momentum, but it also seriously hurt the flow of the sketches.
— J.J. won’t enter the pantheon of great athlete hosts, but he was surprisingly enjoyable throughout the night, adding charisma to all of his parts and even scoring some solid laughs from his performances. Not the worst legacy for a one-time, non-actor host to leave behind.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Big Willie’s Pizza
Food Dudes
Madden 21
Pilot Hunk
Sex Talk
Weekend Update
Monologue
My Fair Bigfoot
Robbie
Frozen II
Olay Eye Black
The Trial You Wish Had Happened

TOMORROW
Kabir covers RuPaul

Posted on

December 21, 2019 – Eddie Murphy / Lizzo (S45 E10) 

by Carson

SIXTH DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
Joe Biden (JAS) challenges debate-crasher Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin)

— To introduce each of the candidates, we get extended audience applause breaks and a standard issue one-liner, which is about the most stilted way to kick this off. We’ve already had 37 of these sketches this season (give or take), the formula has worn completely thin.
— These complaints have been made before and made more eloquently, but the cavalcade of cameos is a bug, not a feature. I don’t care how good Larry David is as Bernie Sanders or how wonderful Dratch, Rudolph, Armisen, Sudeikis and Baldwin have been on SNL in the past. I take no pleasure in seeing them gobble up this much airtime, especially when this is preventing me from seeing the SNL great of all SNL greats.
— Maya Rudolph’s appearance, more than anyone else’s, is exceedingly insufferable. Like, Dratch is always fun and Sudeikis still pitches a fastball, but Rudolph’s Yas Kween routine is absolute death. Also, I don’t actually HATE Rudolph. She was great on The Good Place, Forever was pretty decent, and she had a couple really strong years as an SNL cast member (01-2 and 06-07 for those keeping score), but this approach to her Kamala Harris gives me unceasing waves of second-hand embarrassment.
— Baldwin’s Trump shows up and references Delirious and Raw, making me even more impatient for this sketch to end so we can finally start the comedy show.
— Kate does a quick change to appear as Nancy Pelosi and we’re an awkward group “LFNY” away from a blackout on the “Awful SNL Political Satire” Bingo card.
— Fuck me, Kate even does the stupid “Pelosi clap.”
— You’ll notice I did not reference any of the one-liners here. There’s a reason for that. None of them popped in any way.
— And there’s the Bingo card blackout.
— In a word: deplorable.
STARS: *

MONOLOGUE
EDM declines to use sketch ideas of TRM, CSR, Dave Chappelle [real]

— Absolutely huge chants of “EDDIE!” when Eddie comes out. People know this is a special evening.
— Eddie: “This is the last episode of 2019, but if you’re black, this is the first episode since I left back in 1984.” Wild to think that this is 35 years to the week that Eddie last appeared on the show.
— Eddie feels completely in his element riffing off jokes.
— The Bill Cosby joke was great, but it was Eddie’s jump into his Cosby impression that confirms that this will not be the aloof, low-energy Eddie Murphy that appeared at the 40th Anniversary Special. The real Eddie Murphy is HERE!
— Tracy Morgan cameo! I mean, Eddie doesn’t need the help, but I’m always happy to see Tracy.
— Chris Rock now! And now Chappelle. This is all very “modern SNL” to pile on unneeded cameos, but at least there’s a bit of a conceit with all these icons pitching Eddie sketch ideas.
— I especially love Eddie’s clearly facetious exclamation of “What a moment we’re having!” Goddamn, I forgot how effortlessly funny Eddie is.
— Chappelle: “Right now you’re looking at half of Netflix’s budget right here on this stage.” Tracy gets the topper though, saying he got all his millions getting hit by a truck.
— Beck makes a very “Beck” entrance (Tracy says it’s Joe Piscopo in the most “Tracy Morgan” voice he’s ever used) only to be quickly be supplanted by Kenan, who gets to stand shoulder to shoulder with giants. I’d say Kenan’s status is more of a result of attrition than genius. No offense.
— Great way to get the energy up after a completely tedious cold open. The cameos were not needed to make Eddie’s return seem any more special, but it was a ton of fun nonetheless. You can already tell Eddie is in his element.
STARS: ****½

MISTER ROBINSON’S NEIGHBORHOOD
gentrification has provided opportunities

— Here we go! The return of a classic character.
— Already love the conceit of Mister Robinson now living in a gentrified neighborhood.
— Honestly, other than Eddie being beefier than he was 35 years ago, it’s like he didn’t miss a beat. This is as keyed in as any of Eddie’s performances in the early 80s.
— The classic “WHO IS IT?” gag.
— “Damian and Nika are my new neighbors. They paid $1.2 million for an apartment where Mr. Robinson’s friend Frankie used to cook crack.”
— I love Eddie’s hard stares to the camera.
— Funny seeing Mikey and Heidi playing roles that, decades earlier, would have likely belonged to Tim Kazurinsky and Robin Duke. Mikey and Heidi are strong performers, but it already feels like Eddie renders the other performers kind of useless. His charisma and magnetism are really strong. It just confirms how hard it must have been for the talented performers of the 80s to compete with Eddie’s confidence and irrepressible energy.
— I know some critics, namely AVClub scold Dennis Perkins, expressed hesitancy for this sketch, noting that it “continues to suggest that a black, inner city Mister Rogers would be a shifty, no-account petty crook and deadbeat” and that Murphy didn’t seem that into it. I would debate the validity of the first comment – Mr. Robinson is a composite of a very rough and dangerous early 80s New York – and absolutely scoff at the suggestion of the second – Murphy is clearly having a blast here.
— Great reveal of Mr. Robinson having the big screen TV after all, especially with him using it to call his neighbors racist.
— Classic turn to the camera when Chris Redd tells Eddie he’s his long-lost son.
— I love that this sketch followed the classic structure while seamlessly incorporating all the necessary updates. It didn’t feel like a relic at all (the way a lot of “bringing the classics out of the mothballs” sketches can). Fabulous job by the writers and more proof that Eddie hasn’t lost a thing.
STARS: *****

HOLIDAY BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP
bad cakes are based on characters kids love

— A return of the Nailed It! parody from the Don Cheadle episode. I found the original sloppy, but hilarious. This doesn’t seem like an ideal use of Eddie Murphy, but we will see.
— Is it just me, or does Cecily’s botched Elsa cake look like Donatella Versace? Too mean?
— I love Eddie’s corny delivery of “Hi guys, I can’t believe I’m here.” It’s really an amazing feat to be able to extract a sense of actual silliness from the show’s humorless exposition dialogue.
— Nice reveal of Eddie’s Sonic The Hedgehog cake. Of course, this is following the exact template of the previous installment, but I can forgive it.
— Aidy: “Why is it brown, Mitch?” Eddie: “I don’t know. Why is anything brown?”
— I do still get a kick out of the judges totally glossing over Heidi’s completely sufficient cake design.
— Kyle’s wig, tiny head shake and line (“My favorite Christmas memory is Cinderella”) make for a hilarious combination.
— The reveal of Kyle’s penis cake is the one element of this sketch that lacks the impact of the original..
— Eddie says “We can still win this shit” and then covers his mouth. Pretty funny way to wrap up the sketch.
— It’s still a scattershot sketch with a lot to laugh at. I don’t begrudge SNL returning to this well, but it did suffer without the element of surprise.
STARS: ***½

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
(EDM)’s dinner toast leaves out family conflicts

— Another instance of SNL returning to the well. These pieces always play out predictably, but effectively. In fact, the last time this sketch format was used was in the previous season’s Matt Damon episode, which, weirdly, was the SNL Vintage the night this episode aired. 
— Basically this is everything you would expect this to be, but the added elements of Kenan’s grandpa character and Mikey’s fiance character are a nice touch.
— Ego: “Why can’t I marry him? Because he’s white?” Eddie: “YES!”
— Ah, the hell of sleeping on an air mattress.
— Really enjoy the montage of Kenan sleeping (and then farting and giggling) through the festivities.
— Eddie’s wince when Mikey calls him dad… so perfect.
— Of course, there’s the needlessly treacly Hallmark ending that always kills the buzz of a solid piece of normie comedy.
STARS: ****

THE MASKED SINGER
after his identity is revealed, Buckwheat sings

— I can already tell that Bowen does a rock solid Ken Jeong.
— Immediately we know that it’s Buckwheat under the corn on the cob costume. I enjoy that they’re bringing him back in what is basically his original context. But this character went on to become one of the richest recurring pieces in SNL history. It would be nice if they would have tapped into that richness. I mean, my God, at least acknowledge Buckwheat’s assassination.
— Not unlike his Mister Robinson, Eddie still has a strong handle on the Buckwheat. His medley is terrific.
— Melissa’s short, sincere speech to Buckwheat was actually quite moving.
— It’s a delight to see Eddie in his most iconic role again and he was as delightful as expected. I just wish the writers had given him more to work with. I enjoyed it, but it was undeniably undercooked.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Truth Hurts”

— Blue: Cool tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe right at the start of this performance—Lizzo’s guitarist is dressed to resemble her.
— Right away, from Lizzo’s eye roll and laugh after delivering the first line a cappella, it’s obvious that she’s having fun.
— Good choice to add some space to the song by having the guitar and drum hits on the first beat of the first couple measures.
— Not loving the dancer’s outfits, but their choreography is well-done and compliments Lizzo without getting in her way.
— I like the string accents on the verse—it almost sounds like a violin being plucked along to the main synth riff. Of course, the violin itself is probably a synth.
— Every time I watch Lizzo perform, I’m blown away by her sheer positive energy and confidence, and this time is no different.
— The keyboard is definitely mixed too loudly, as the synth hits are now slightly drowning out Lizzo’s voice.
— Love when Lizzo adds that grunt/growl to her voice. Not sure if she’s had professional vocal training but I wouldn’t be surprised—she’s staying on pitch and conserving her breath remarkably well.
— Seeing Lizzo and her guitarist cut loose with huge smiles on their faces brings a huge smile to my own face.
— Very impressive vocal run from Lizzo at the end, where she drops from her head voice into a lower chest voice, before belting out the last note in her mixed register and staying perfectly in tune. Even more impressive considering that Lizzo was supposedly ill with a sore throat the week of this performance. Great recovery on her part!
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE
Gumby is upset that he hasn’t been given proper credit for saving SNL

PED compares the public’s perception of his life with how COJ is viewed

surprising news items cause drunk Jeanine Pirro (CES) to spew wine on COJ

— The use of video footage is a far more effective way of skewering Trump.
— Oh shit, early on, Gumby interrupts the proceedings (like Colin was literally mid-joke)!
— Overwhelming energy from Murphy as he rants about how he saved SNL.
— I love that Eddie calls Colin “trailer boy” and Michael a “black bastard.”
— Classic moment when Eddie temporarily breaks and then sternly shouts down the audience for laughing at him. Shades of his George Washington Carver rant from 35 years earlier.
— Ha, now he called Colin “head shot.”
— This is loose as hell, but it’s a riot.
— It gets even better with Eddie refusing to leave when his segment wraps. Colin and Michael seemed really tickled by this. I am too.
— Michael’s pronoun joke was very in keeping with his online persona. It wasn’t a laugh riot, but in terms of palatable jokes about gender pronouns, I think it remained a fair ball.
— I like the fake out of Pete saying he’s going to do a political commentary.
— Pete points out that it’s hard to follow Gumby: “I can’t believe you guys let me do this during the Eddie Murphy episode. So many fans being reminded why they stopped watching.”
— Colin points out that Pete is the youngest cast member to join the cast since Eddie Murphy. I will not stand for this Anthony Michael Hall erasure.
— Pete’s dig at Daniel Tosh wasn’t hilarious, but I like that Pete is willing to say “I don’t like that guy.”
— A rambling, yet amiable commentary from Pete.
— Wow, we’re already transitioning to the joke swap. They’re not wasting time here.
— A funny series of joke swap gags, but probably the least memorable this duo has done. The absurd cue card thing was pretty wild, however (“Merry Christmas homeboy. You’re fired.”).
— Cecily’s Jeanine Pirro is *possibly* her finest character. Always happy to see her show up.
— Cecily: “To my Christian friends, I wanna say ‘Merry Christmas!’ And to all you Jewish and Muslim folks out there: I SAID ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS!’”
— Ha, hilarious twist on Jeanine throwing wine on Colin by having her puke the wine instead. In the history of sketch comedy guilty pleasures, the puke hose is my all-time favorite. No apologies.
— Colin: “It’s in my mouth.”
— The opening run of jokes were OK and Pete’s commentary was just fine, but between Gumby, the always-reliable (if more subdued this time) joke swap and Cecily’s always riotous Pirro, this was a highly memorable Update.
STARS: ****½

BLACK JEOPARDY
Velvet Jones’ ho tutorials vie with modern sensibilities

— Now it’s Velvet Jones’ turn for a modern update. This is not necessarily a favorite Eddie Murphy of many, but I always enjoyed well enough.
— Weird delay from Kenan when introducing the categories.
— Eddie is a little sloppier here, but he’s still doing a good job with this classic character.
— The fact that Velvet Jones is sort of a man out of time is a pretty good concept, though I’m not sure Black Jeopardy is the right format for this to thrive.
— Kenan: “Velvet, you know about #MeToo, right?” Eddie: “Of course! You like hos? Me too!”
— The fake sponsor for “Put Some Water In It” is really funny, but that doesn’t strike me as a particularly black stereotype. My family does that shit all the time.
— The “How To Be An Instagram Ho” seems like a decent out for this sketch.
— Unlike the Buckwheat sketch from earlier tonight, I appreciate that the writers were able to effectively frame this character within a measurable comedic concept. I’m not sure if they completely pulled it off the way they did with Mister Robinson, but it was an enjoyable attempt nonetheless.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Good As Hell”

— Blue: I really love the backup dancers’ outfits here, made to look like ribbons on wrapped Christmas presents.
— Incredible how close Lizzo’s vocals sound to the recorded version of this song.
— Oh yesss, the backup dancers are swinging on candy-cane-striped poles—so fun to watch!
— The synth’s entrance on the second verse is overwhelmingly loud.
— This dance breakdown is awesome, especially seeing Lizzo join the choreography.
— WOW, that glittery backless suit reveal! The sound engineer must have turned the audience’s mics off, because I can’t imagine no one cheered for that.
— Flawless held note from Lizzo—the transition between registers was seamless.
— Precious to see Lizzo jumping up and down in excitement at the end.
STARS: ****

NORTH POLE NEWS REPORT
manic elf witness (EDM) describes polar bear attack on Santa’s workshop

— A kind of middling setup is completely saved by a full throttle Eddie Murphy.
— “It don’t matter what my name is!!”
— A classic scream by Eddie as he exits his first scene.
— Great bit with Eddie explaining that the polar bear situation has gotten so bad that a white teenage elf girl would approach an older black elf in sweatpants for help.
— Ha, Eddie about the Tooth Fairy’s “Thoughts & Prayers” Instagram post: “That bitch sounds crazy!”
— “Listen to this sexy-ass elf right here!”
— Honestly, this sketch is a 90/10 performance to writing split. There’s almost nothing on the page here, but Eddie proves that he still has a superhuman ability to elevate the material he is given. That is the hallmark of a star. Most performers are confined by the material they’re given. Eddie absolutely explodes through the screen and throttles the audience into laughter.
STARS: ****½

GOODNIGHTS


CUT FOR TIME: HOLIDAY GIG
keytarist (EDM)’s medical condition derails Treece Henderson holiday gig


— Ah, one of those “Kenan is a silly scatman who becomes obsessed with some embarrassing minutiae, thus derailing his band’s performance” sketches.
— Kenan’s Jergen’s request is not quite “delightfully odd,” but more “discursively mirth-ish.”
— Watching Eddie have to pantomime a key-tar solo while Kenan kind of vamps and giggles is like having Jimi Hendrix stuck playing rhythm guitar (or some similar reference but more, you know… contemporary!).
— Kyle is a secular humanist, Eddie is Kenan’s roommate – so many details in search of a joke!
— Finally we get to the comedic meat of the sketch: Eddie’s character has some weird disease or discharge issue that Kenan repeatedly tries to discuss on stage to everyone else’s chagrin (it finally comes over two minutes into the sketch). When I meant “comedic meat,” I was referring to tofurkey.
— There are so many nearly funny lines being delivered here. The rhythm of everything seems about right, but I’m not hearing any discernible laugh lines.
— Eddie forgoes pantomiming one of his solos in favor of tucking his cell phone back in his pocket. I figure if this sketch would have made the cut (which would have been a baffling decision), that would have been a detail Lorne would have sniffed out.
— It’s one thing that this sketch is so poorly written (if adequately performed), but the real reason this one never made it to air is because it underserves Eddie. I think the dress rehearsal edits are largely made with deference to the host. Eddie is present and active here, but with very little to work with. Classic “Cut For Time” fodder. Absolute filler.
STARS: **

AIDY BIZZO & LIZZO
empowered (AIB) imitates new bestie (musical guest)


— A sequel to the Aidy B sketch from the Chadwick Boseman episode. Kabir dug that one, let’s see how this one goes.
— Kate: “Lizzo (embraces her raw sexual power) because she knows she’s 100% that bitch.” Just an absolutely chill-inducing line.
— Beck, looking beefier than I remember him and oozing with white boy smugness: “You girls talking about Lizzo again? Why can’t we just talk about rock n’ roll?”
— As the music kicks in and Aidy begins to do her hyper-sexualized rap lady whatever, it dawns on me that there is no audience track here. It’s really glaring.
— An interesting backstage with Aidy, Bowen and Eddie. It’s interesting to see Bowen being utilized in the “modest newcomer” role, but that’s all that I can really say about this portion. But Eddie sincerely thanking God for Aidy’s ass was a funny little bit.
— Aidy: “I’m going to sit on your dick so hard that you die.” Gadzooks!
— The smash cut from Aidy and Lizzo grinding in a music video to Aidy quietly humping on top of the NBC page’s desk is probably the comedic conceit that would have best held this sketch up over its four minutes.
— Chloe’s playing herself in a backstage segment. Worth noting if only for the fact that I don’t think I know what Chloe’s personality is.
— I’m not offended by the overabundance of the word “bitch” in this sketch. I just find it supremely cheesy.
— Aidy: “Is it me or are we best friends?” Lizzo: “Yeah… I mean, I’m definitely your best friend.”
— Aidy walking out of Lizzo’s dressing room bare-assed caught me by surprise. Kudos.
— Tactically speaking, giving a feature spot to the musical guest is a pretty surefire bet to make it to air. But this isn’t just any episode. Another sketch to largely overlook such a powerhouse host leaves this one destined for the scrap heap. And I’m not sure it deserved to be in the show on merit either. Eye-rolling at Yas Kween sketches is maybe becoming a cliche in its own right, but this one seemed to revel in all the most tedious elements of that vibe. Some funny moments though.
STARS: **½

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A rising tide lifts all boats and Eddie Murphy is exactly that rising tide. He was on fire from the jump and brought his infectious energy to every live performance just in case anyone thought he wasn’t a master. A fabulous episode of SNL, even if the show was largely committed to bringing back Eddie’s classic bits and plunking him into some pre-fabbed sketches as well. Shame the show couldn’t get out of its own way with the cold open. In another era (in ANY other era), the show would have likely done a meta bit about Eddie’s return to the show. A lack of creativity on the writers’ part probably prevented what could have been a perfect episode.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood
North Pole News Report
Weekend Update
Monologue
Home For The Holidays
Holiday Baking Championship
Black Jeopardy
The Masked Singer
(CFT: Aidy Bizzo & Lizzo)
(CFT: Holiday Gig)
Sixth Democratic Debate

Want more Eddie Murphy content? Check out our breakdown of his Best Of special here.

TOMORROW
The Eddie Murphy of SNL reviewers, Matt, takes on our first episode of 2020 with Adam Driver/Halsey.

Posted on

December 14, 2019 – Scarlett Johansson / Niall Horan (S45 E9)

by Vax Novier

AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS
Trump drives family dinner talk in San Francisco, Charleston, Atlanta

— A nice change of pace from the usual cold opens of this era, even if it’s still centered around politics.
— Interesting concept with the difference in Trump discussion between different families.
— A funny line about Michael Jackson music not being considered okay to play, only for Jackson 5 to be acceptable.
— The execution is a bit clumsy for the most part, but there’s some decent bits scattered throughout, like when Cecily starts commenting on her Tweet before the sound effect comes in, which causes her to break.
— This would actually work as the opening for the upcoming Christmas show, but there’s a presidential debate that week, meaning the show will have to cover it, of course, and make it yet another cameo-fest.
— The wraparounds with Aidy are pretty unnecessary, as if they thought the audience wouldn’t connect with the material unless a familiar face in a wacky costume was there to explain everything, though I did like her speech about how none of it matters in the end.
— Kate’s walk-on as Greta Thunberg is very forced and disconnected from the rest of the sketch. Apparently we can’t go a week this season without getting a dose of Kate and Aidy dicking around.
STARS: ***

MONOLOGUE
host finds PED using the Infinity Gauntlet to snap away SNL castmembers

— A quick change for Aidy into an Elf on the Shelf bit that appears to be their way of addressing numerous controversies tied to Scarlett. Thankfully, this hacky lead-in is only a set-up for the actual premise.
— Always nice to have a backstage monologue, especially when it involves meta jokes such as pointing out how some people (like myself several times during their first half-season in the fall of 2016) can’t tell Mikey and Alex apart.
— Some funny mentions of how out-of-date spoofing Infinity War is, with Beck asking if it was a backup from the last time she hosted.
— Beck, as he gets dusted: “You need me! Who’s going to play the dumb idioooooot??”
— Funny scene with Bowen.
— Kenan’s Nick Fury voice sounds nothing like the character, but that just may be part of the bit about how poorly the Avengers parody is put together.
— Pete, in his only appearance of the night, makes a blatant, tongue-in-cheek promotion for Peacock. What is this, the 30 Rock quarantine special?
— Interesting details for Pete’s “dressing room” such as the Update cue card on his bulletin board and the desk with liquor bottles on it.
— What just happened during the un-snapping bit? If that was meant to be a masturbation joke, it didn’t come across very well. And whatever it was causes Pete and Scarlett to break for the rest of their scene.
— An amusing exchange between Kenan and Pete, with Pete explaining how he can skip a couple episodes because of how long he’s been on, followed by Kenan’s exasperated response of “that’s GOOD TO KNOW!”, alluding to his own longevity on the show. This statement becomes less funny nowadays since it basically describes Lorne’s business model for the senior cast members. Pete would also go on to share, in his controversial Charlamagne interview, how these types of jokes contributed to his dissolution with the show during this period.
— Melissa can be seen in the background with the rest of the cast when everyone is on stage. She actually had a scene in dress rehearsal, doing her impression of last week’s host, Jennifer Lopez, before getting dusted. This is evident by released photos that show her in costume at the end. At least they felt the need to still include Melissa, even if she didn’t get to do anything.
— Speaking of, the only cast member absent from this monologue is Kate, who doesn’t make another live appearance until near the end of the night.
— A lot of fans going in were probably wondering how they were going to address her relationship with Colin Jost, I think they ended up providing a decent balance of Colin bashing and loving moments, to satisfy the masses.
STARS: ****

SINGING ELVES
at a mall, dance music done by (KET) & (host) has naughty holiday lyrics

— So this is the sketch that will most likely appear on the next edition of the Kenan/Scarlett highlights. Not too sure having this as the leadoff is a good decision.
— Getting some of the usual Anderson quirks like the intentionally funny-sounding names and emphasis of phrases such as “enterTAINTers”.
— Normally, the “straight guy explaining how weird the concept is” part of these sketches backtracks the material, though Beck has some funny moments with being into the performance and naming artists his character wouldn’t appear to know about.
— Heidi: “We know all the same people.” Beck (smugly): “Maybe you do.”
— This ended up being a little better than I remembered, it still shouldn’t have been in the lead-off spot.
STARS: **½

MACY’S
Macy’s has uncomfortable & vexing holiday clothes your kids will hate

— I like how this has the look of a real clothing commercial, which gives this a more authentic touch.
— A good turn with the kids complaining about their outfits.
— Mikey’s son makes an appearance as one of the kids in a scene with his dad.
— Kid: “My shoes hurt.” Kate: “Welcome to being a woman.”
— Loving the cuts to the domestic strife between Mikey and Heidi, halting the commercial in the process.
— Funny rundown of the specific types of clothes the kids will hate, complete with a perfect Bowen reaction to the smelly diaper of Aidy’s kid from a few feet away.
— A fun ad that captures different engaging sensibilities.
STARS: *****

OFFICE APOLOGY
co-worker reaction to inappropriate (host) & ribald Charlie diverges

— A sequel to the “Sexual Harassment Charlie” sketch back in season 43 when James Franco hosted, an episode I previously covered (I swear, this was not intentional). We even have all the same actors playing their characters from last time, apart from Leslie who is replaced by Bowen.
— Kenan has been all over the episode so far, though this ends up being his last appearance of the night.
— An odd decision to bring this back considering the original aged poorly afterwards due to Franco’s involvement. Although Carson has pointed out that putting a woman in the role of the easily-offendable employee gives the premise a more satirical edge than before.
— It won’t do any good dissecting the logic of this sketch, but the workplace rehired Charlie only for him to commit the same offenses and get fired again?
— They’re really overdoing Charlie’s “Do a little dance.” remarks.
— A funny line from Beck on how he tried everything to “Just fire Linda” followed by Scarlett’s reaction.
— Even the reasons Charlie gets fired are just a retread of last time.
STARS: **½

A CONWAY MARRIAGE STORY
George (BEB) & Kellyanne (KAM) are at odds

— The obligatory Marriage Story spoof, in the form of a movie parody starring Kate’s Kelleyanne Conway. This is the first appearance of these films in a long while.
— Beck takes over the role of Kellyanne’s husband after a brief appearance played by Alex in the “A Day Off” short.
— It feels like we’ve seen the “Kellyanne Babble” routine plenty of times by now, but Alex manages to make it refreshing, as he sheepishly tries to interject and get a word in edgewise.
— I like the detail with the critic awards, of the film not only winning at TIFF, but also the Breitbart Film Festival and the Deep State Medal of Freedom.
— The portrayal of Kellyanne is coming off a bit more nuanced than usual, while retaining the psychotic characterization that defines these pieces.
— A funny turn with George and Kellyanne revealing they were under the impression that the therapy session was an interview.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Nice To Meet Ya”

— Blue: If I didn’t know anything about Niall Horan, I would have guessed he’s American from his singing style. He’s got a nice alt-rock sensibility.
— Strong piano chords to open the song. 
— I like the slow build, adding in the drums and bass one by one, and then the guitar on the chorus.
— Really appreciate the random French in the second verse (“j’adore la mer”).
— The switch from the piano into the electronic synth to signal the chorus’ approach is so good. It’s the kind of little thing that my mind is prone to latch onto and replay over and over.
— I can’t see the keyboardist or the guitarist during the “I’m gonna love you” part, so they could be singing along, but if not, that’s a painfully glaring instance of “why not sing the pre-recorded vocals?,” especially since four of the five musicians have vocal mics…
— Clever songwriting choice to expand on the “Nice to meet ya” part that followed the first verse, and having all but the rhythm section drop out during it.
— Really strong bridge, especially when the piano kicks back in.
— Okay, I see now that the “I’m gonna love you” part is pre-recorded, to which I ask… why… 
— Wow, clearly Niall was wasted on One Direction. I can definitely see myself replaying this song. There was nothing overly special about the performance, but what a great tune.
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE
Chen Biao is confident China is winning its trade war with the USA

streetwise Baby Yoda (KYM) is capitalizing on his moment in the spotlight

— One thing you notice during the item about yet another Trump tweet that made headlines, the way so many have over the years, is how the tone of Weekend Update has really changed in regards to Trump, with the usual pandering, “Resistance” clapter-bait diminished in favor of a justified, cynical outlook. Calling out the inevitable decline of the impeachment hearings is one of the rare instances of SNL making the correct call on a Trump story. Even when the eventual outcome turns out to be positive at times, the hopeless resignation usually holds up a lot better.
— A standout line about Trump reclassifying Judiasim as a race so he can claim that Ivanka and Jared Kushner are an interracial marriage.
— Hilarious bit with Che commenting on the Washington/Trump comparison by comparing Colin to Bill Cosby, even pushing to show a split-screen graphic in order to make it sink in.
— Bowen’s breakout character, Chen Biao, has become recurring.
— I like the back-and-forth with him specifically targeting Ainsley.
— The material is lacking for the most part, but Bowen carries it with his performance.
— A good string of jokes between the commentaries.
— The debut of Kyle’s Baby Yoda characterization, after being cut from last week’s Update.
— I will say the makeup job is impressive, even if it peters toward the uncanny valley, and the douchebag persona is an interesting, yet cliched angle to take.
— This worked as an oddball one-off, but it definitely didn’t need to become recurring.
STARS: ***½

HOT TUB CHRISTMAS
strip club ghosts (host), (CES), (musical guest) sing about hot tub tomb

— A good turn with the stripper ghosts singing about their deaths.
— I’m liking the soft rock, Carpenter-esque vibe to the song. The tune is very catchy and Cecily and Scarlett’s vocals provide a good harmony.
— And now Niall gets involved, as the aforementioned Big Jim.
— The chroma key used is visibly off-center in the wide shots when it’s clear only their top half is being covered.
— Funny reveal that they’re all rotting in Hell, their dense attitude throughout the sketch helps the bit.
— A sweet ending. It may be a little corny, but the feel-good vibes going on make it work.
— A nice low-key sketch, overall, even with the outrageous inclusions, and a much better Cecily/Scarlett pairing than their previous team-up (Dino Bones).
STARS: ****½

A WINTER BOYFRIEND FOR HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS
single (host) faces holiday marriage tropes on Hallmark Channel game show

— Feels a bit late in the night for a gameshow sketch. Maybe this should’ve been switched out with Singing Elves. Then again, changing the rundown to have three musical sketches in a row could have lessened the effect of the two pieces in the back half.
— A fun conceit of a dating game show based entirely around traits of a typical Hallmark movie.
— Aidy, when introducing Scarlett: “She’s a New York 6 and a Buffalo 10…”
— Funny bit with Chris as the Hallmark black guy who doesn’t have any defined character traits.
— Another standout Aidy line: “If you haven’t chosen someone to marry by [Christmas], Christmas is canceled and the killer goes free.” which barely got a reaction from the audience.
— An odd blooper just now, when Scarlett asks the contestants what the Menorah is, as Alex guesses “Santa’s trident” only to get a correct answer ding. You can briefly see a look of confusion from Alex while this happens.
— I loved Beck’s spot-on douchebag delivery as he says “I won! I won.”
— This has begun to die down by the end, but Aidy’s line about how “The true reason for Christmas is husband.” was a fitting capper.
— Aidy signs off by saying, “You stay straight out there.”, a subtle reference to the recent controversy over Hallmark pulling a lesbian-themed ad.
STARS: ***½

I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS
the song expands into a cuckold fantasy scenario

— Oh, this one is a classic!
— Cecily is perfect for this type of role. In fact, the entire wholesome “Rockwellian” aesthetic of the sketch really works to its advantage.
— The turn of the dad actually sitting in the corner is executed well, complete with a priceless shot of Mikey getting turned on while watching the two of them kiss.
— Good reveal with the situation turning out to be kinky foreplay between Santa and the parents.
— I like the minor specific details throughout the piece, such as the ad posted on Craigslist and the fact that Santa came in a Nissan (complete with a callback at the end).
— I’m loving all the visuals throughout of Cecily spying, especially the last one.
— A nice final beat where Cecily ends up learning something about herself from the experience.
— A fantastic piece that I’ve always enjoyed! Definitely one of, if not the highlight of Cecily’s later years. Probably the only musical short from this era, in my opinion, that has ever reached the greatness of Twin Bed. It’s such a standout that I go back and listen to it all year round.
STARS: *****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Put A Little Love On Me”

— Blue: Let me guess, this is going to be a ballad.
— I was right.
— The Christmassy lights onstage are very nice.
— This sounds more typical of what I’d expect from Niall Horan than the first song did. Sounds like a song to drive his fangirls wild.
— That shift from the major chord to the minor at the end of the chorus is really cool and keeps the song interesting.
— Niall is in fine voice. I can’t decide if I prefer hearing him sing in this style or in the alt-rock style from the first song. He seems a bit more adept at singing ballads, though.
— Pretty charming song. Nothing more to say here.
STARS: ***

CELEBRITY SIGHTING
kitchen workers are big fans of models (BOY) & (host) from choking poster

— Lots of Bowen tonight, which is great to see considering his appearances are usually only limited to standout pieces or niche roles most of the time.
— Good reveal that Scarlett and Bowen are the models of a choking poster seen on the wall. This character was actually part of Bowen’s SNL audition so it’s nice to see him get it on-air.
— I like the attitude of overestimating their celebrity status, only to show they really are famous to the waitstaff.
— Funny bit with Bowen recording a voicemail for Mikey that includes choking sounds.
— Some questionable camera blocking right now with the bar counter taking up the foreground and most of the castmembers mixed in with the crowd being barely visible. I’d have to guess this sketch got cut down for the live show and they had bigger parts in dress.
— A semi-predictable turn with Bowen starting to choke and Kate having to save him because he and Scarlett are only models.
STARS: ****

PET TRANSLATOR
Trump impeachment hasn’t swayed thoughts-vocalizing device creator’s dog

— Another unnecessary sequel to a one-off sketch as we get the return of the dog translator sketch from the last time Scarlett hosted.
— On a side note, I have to mention how incredibly lazy the online titles for these direct sequels are; Another Translator, Another Brothers, Another Close Encounter, Another Uncle Meme, etc.
— The problem with bringing back a standalone premise and giving it little to no variety is that it can’t work again if you already know the concept going in.
— At least there’s continuity this time around as they mention the previous failed test and supposedly fixing all the glitches.
— Last time, the thing that made it stand out was the unintentional mishap with the dog removing the helmet and Scarlett quickly covering up the mishap. There’s nothing to find in this edition that makes it stand out.
— A slight deviation to the end with a pig being used as the test subject, explaining the squealing noise that was heard earlier.
STARS: **

GOODNIGHTS

— During her closing speech, Scarlett makes an out-of-left-field shoutout to the “men and women of the armed forces who risk their lives every day so we don’t have to.”

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— We finally got a Scarjo-hosted episode that can be considered above-average (6th time the charm, I guess), continuing the on-off result for recent seasons of the pre-Christmas show being an unexpected pleasure! The week provided several classics and there was an all-around cohesive feeling for this cast-only show.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Macy’s
Hot Tub Christmas
Monologue
Celebrity Sighting
A Winter Boyfriend For Holiday Christmas
A Conway Marriage Story
Weekend Update
American Households
Office Apology
Singing Elves
Pet Translator

TOMORROW:
Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited return to SNL after 35 years, reviewed by the one and only Carson!

Posted on

December 7, 2019 – Jennifer Lopez / DaBaby (S45 E8)

by Anthony

NATO CAFETERIA 
Justin Trudeau (JIF) & others bully Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) at NATO

— For those wondering, this open lasts 42 seconds before Fallon and Rudd walk in. Next week the cast might get a whole minute up top before some celebrity comes in to scoop up the spotlight.
— It’s somewhat ironic to have Rudd, a guy I’ve seen be funny but never really on SNL, paired with Fallon, a guy I’ve only seen be funny on SNL. 
— And then we get James Corden. I know the proper internet response here would be some mouth-foaming, Doug Walker-esque all-caps rant, but honestly Corden’s a guy I always found more simply lame than infuriating. Him and Fallon represent a whole lot of what I hate about current late night, but outside their talk shows the most they tend to inspire out of me is generally indifference. I did also like Corden in Doctor Who and Gavin & Stacey, which helps. 
— It should also be noted Corden actually acquits himself to the material pretty well here as well, coming off the most natural of the three. I particularly like when he tries to imitate Rudd and Fallon’s hair tussle. 
— Liked Mikey’s lame compliment of “I love your economies”.  
— Corden telling Mikey to “Brexit out of here” and Fallon responding by saying he’s being “so cringe” are both meant to be lame, and shit do they achieve that. 
— Trump comes in with a big tray of hamberders, cus hur hur hur.
— So the joke here is that Trump is like the loser kid in high school. Not the worst premise, but certainly not the best. Let’s see if we get some decent one liners at least, like these pieces can be occasionally good for.
— I like Alex’s quirky Latvian president.
— There’s a side bit going on here with Boris just barely fitting into the cool group. Normally I’d complain this feels like a hat on a hat, but honestly the Boris bits are all funnier than the Trump ones.
— Boy if that ain’t fitting that Kate gets to sit at the “cool kids’ table” with the celebrity cameos.  
— Kate’s Merkel is pretty much giving us the same shtick as always, down to the Obama crush 3 years after he left office. At least this isn’t one of her more insufferable political impressions (though your mileage may vary there). 
— Big fuckin’ eye roll at the “Impeach Me” sign gag (complete with 3 exclamation points to really hammer the desperation home).
— So this whole thing turns out to be an anti-bullying PSA from Melania, which in turn turns out to be a parody of a Peloton Ad? What are you trying to say, show?!
— Yea, we got a lot of the worst Trumpwin offenders here. Hack punchlines, pointless cameos, incoherent satire and “activism” that amounted to going “hey, isn’t this guy bad? Applaud us!!” Not a great sign when the highlight of your sketch is James Corden.
— Looking at my scheduled reviews for the next 2 seasons, this is actually my final episode with an appearance from Trumpwin. I can’t say I’m too sad to see him go. Baldwin was involved in a lot of iconic material from the show over the years, and was always a host who gave 100%, so its definitely unfortunate to see his time with the show end (I have to assume he’s not coming back any time soon, do to recent tragedies that neither I nor anyone in the comments are gonna talk about) with him giving such routinely lazy performances in service of such routinely lazy material. I don’t mean to harp on it too much in these reviews, but my beef with Trumpwin is basically my beef with Trump himself, just on a much smaller scale. For four years he was the face of an institution that, although deeply flawed, is one I care deeply about, and he spent that whole time making it look bad. Good riddance to both.
STARS: *½ 

MONOLOGUE
50 year-old host kicks with The Rockettes & wears her green Versace dress

— Jennifer Lopez is hot. You can pretty much skip the next 4 pieces since that’s about all they’ll give you (okay, that’s unfair to one of them, though we’ll get to that). 
— Obligatory mention of how the host is no longer with the person they mention to be their significant other in their monologue, which is so awkward since we’re all 16.
— There’s no real conceit to this other than J Lo bragging about how well things are going for her. The show tries to turn that into a comedic conceit, culminating in that dumbass moment where Beck’s head explodes because J Lo says she’s 50, but it just feels like the show blowing smoke up her ass (which I’m sure she’d want me to mention is a very famous ass) under the thin veil of irony. 
— Also, I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but J Lo’s insistence on mentioning that she’s 50 makes her sound like some kinda Sexy Sally O’Malley.
— Now Lopez kicks off a rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, complete with Rockette backing, building to a grand finale where it’s revealed she’s been wearing her iconic green Grammy’s dress under her tuxedo. It’s decent fluff, I suppose—certainly more tolerable than the first half of her monologue. 
STARS: **

SURPRISE HOME MAKEOVER 
home makeover program visits Matt Schatt & out-of-his-league wife (host)

— Here we get a return of a sketch from Mikey’s very first episode. I enjoyed that sketch, especially as an intro to Mikey, but it’s not one I needed to see returned to all these years later. It’s also never a good sign when the first real sketch of the night is a repeat of a one off from three years ago….
— Kenan’s character is named Becker Cheeks. Either commit to a joke name or don’t, guys.
— Bit of confusing chronology here as well, as Kenan is playing a different reporter than he did in the last sketch, and Mikey, while playing the same character, makes no mention of his previous marriage (other details, such as him having no penis and only testicles in the last sketch, are contradicted here as well).
— Thanks to John and Matt (not Schatt) for letting me know we did find out what happened to Margot Robbie’s character, but only in the form of a tweet from Mikey.
— Mikey: “I can not believe this is happening, I never get lucky like this”. Audience laughs. Kenan: “Oh, I’d say you get very lucky.” Audience murmurs. See Seiday, even the crowd is telling you you don’t need to explain these jokes to them! 
— Matt being really into Smurfs is kinda funny, though it feels like it could have been any random beat in the last sketch but it meant to be one of the bigger jokes of this piece.
— One thing I do prefer about this to the first sketch is the lack of a character like Cecily was playing in that one. She got some good straight man reactions there, but the fun of this piece is in everyone’s outsized reactions to the couple, so it doesn’t feel necessary to include a character who’s there to try and keep everyone on track. 
—  I did like the small joke of Mikey calling his rollerblades his “sports stuff”.
— Continuing my point from earlier, the Smurf Life tattoo feels like it’s meant to be the centerpiece gag of the sketch, and that just feels to me like it has so much less weight than his wife being a Kennedy or him having no genitalia. 
— Luckily we get Bowen here to add some excitement. Bowen can’t quite bring the energy as high as Leslie did in her fantastic intro from the first piece (“I got TWO THEORIES”) but he makes the proceedings a lot more fun, for sure.
— Bowen lunging at Mikey’s dick is certainly exciting, though as mentioned “average sized penis” just doesn’t feel like as consequential a beat as “no penis”.
— Like a lot of Seiday sketches from the past couple years this is hard to grade as it was a functional, well performed piece with some solid laugh lines that nevertheless gave off a very tired and frankly lazy feel. I’m just gonna stick the grade at the halfway point and call it a day.
STARS: **½ 

CHAD & JLO
host is unfathomably drawn toward pool boy Chad; Alex Rodriguez cameo

— Our first Chad of the season. I don’t hate this character (though I certainly never need to see him again) but I recall really not caring for his two Season 45 appearances. Let’s see if I’m warmer to this this time around. 
— Seiday get a lot of shit in certain fan circles, and while I think some of it is unfair, episodes like this, where they get the two sketches up top to repackage old sketches of theirs in slightly different colored wrapping, remind you those complaints do come from somewhere.
— This is giving me very little to talk about. Sometimes bad sketches can be fun to bash but this is just bad in such an uninteresting way. J Lo & especially Pete seem to be sleepwalking here, and the writing isn’t anything we haven’t already seen a million times in these Chads before.
— Amazing how unnatural A Rod can make only 5 words sound.
— The weakest Chad in my opinion. This one took the exact approach you’d expect out of this character and only got more predictable the longer it went on.
STARS: *½ 

THE CORPORAL 
knockout’s (host) sisters’ (KAM) & (AIB) schemes backfire in a 1955 movie

— Ah yes! This is easily one of my favorite sketches the team of Drezen/Gates/McKinnon/Bryant would ever do. 
— Great bit right off the bat as Kate and Aidy shout down J Lo to return to the attic. 
— At first glance, this is just another “isn’t J Lo hot??” sketch, but the writing is sharp enough here that I can look past that. 
— Similarly, these are the type of broad, chummy Kate and Aidy performances I tend to really not care for, but for whatever reason they work for me here. I guess the sort of vaudevillian nature of this piece allows them to go broader without it annoying me.  
— Love the runner with Kate and Aidy trying to kill each other with poorly disguised weapons (“Why, that’s a shotgun!” “Oh! So it is, I thought it was a Q-tip.”)
— The runner with Kate and Aidy trying and failing to make J Lo look ugly isn’t quite as strong but is still really fun.
— Nice little twist on the usual Kate shtick with Aidy being the one to get the “tee hee, this character is secretly into girls!” line.
— The lobster part is a nice bit of absurdity. Especially love Kate’s line to J Lo explaining this is how men look: “Yes, they’re small and they’re lobsters.”
— Another great bit of absurdity with Kate’s gunshots only succeeding in making J Lo’s dress strapless. 
— Beck comes in at the end here, getting what has to be one of the all-time great one-word roles on the show.  
— A very fun sketch that has always stood as one my favorite Kate/Aidy pairings. This isn’t high art by any means but it does exactly what it wants to do and does it with infectious energy. 
STARS: *****

THEM TRUMPS: RALLY 
at a rally, white audience turns on black First Family

— Continuing tonight’s trend of “shit we didn’t need to come back”, we get our third and final Them Trumps. 
— This one especially feels pointless to bring back—not only because it’s such a one-note sketch but also because Leslie, one of the sketch’s major players, isn’t even on the show anymore. 
— The background music for the intro is pretty well produced; I especially like the Travis Scott style autotuned “ooooh, them Trumps”. 
— Kenan’s Trump is acting all cocky in the face of danger, but ol’ Tony suspects there’s a big sneaky stinky subversion coming our way. Something in my gut.
— These sketches always feel halfway caught between being an Empire parody and a genuine attempt at satire, and never end up feeling like they hit their marks with either. The first one still managed to work since it had the element of surprise on its side, but by this third sketch, as alluded to above, I know the tricks. Rotely repeating them in a slightly different setting ain’t gonna cut it.
— I will say Kenan is always really fun in this role, at least. Also enjoy Chris as the Don Jr stand-in.
— “Make America Swag Again”—yeef.
— I thought we’d maybe get some kind of subversion of the subversion, but no—it was just the same sketch we saw the last 2 times.
STARS: **

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “BOP”

— Anthony: Oh DaBaby, you truly ended up being as dumb as your name. I actually didn’t mind this guy for a while, as at least he’s one of the modern pop rappers who doesn’t sound like he’s falling asleep on the mic. Throw him on in the gym or the car and close your eyes (always advisable when driving) and you’ve got a decent B-tier Ludacris. Luckily, that type of raving endorsement makes it easy to dispose of the guy when he turns out to be a total shithead. 
— Blue: A couple bars in, and I can say…I don’t think I’m going to like this.
— I feel so thrown off listening to the hype man while the camera is on DaBaby. Wish they’d pan out to show who’s talking.
— Not a fan of DaBaby’s deep, raspy voice. 
— “My girl got good kitty.” …No comment.
— DaBaby pretending to grab a phone from one of his backup dancers and then throwing it while saying “what the—” made me laugh.
— Speaking of the backup dancers, they’re doing a great job!
— Unexpected backflip and handsprings from one of the dancers! I think I can hear an audience member shouting “whoa!” at that (or it could be part of the recorded track).
— Now here comes a backup dancer walking on her hands… and twerking up a storm. Gotta admit… I genuinely find this impressive (not that I particularly enjoy seeing it).
— “What’s that? DaBaby brought the Jabbawockeez?” Yes, I guess he did bring the Jabbawockeez. Not that I’m familiar with them.
— The Jabbawockeez are not adding much to the choreography besides an interesting visual aesthetic, but I appreciate the hype man’s enthusiasm for them.
— Abrupt ending.
— Lol @ the big smiles on DaBaby and his hype man’s faces.
STARS: *½ (the song did nothing for me but the choreography was enjoyable)


WEEKEND UPDATE
Nancy Pelosi (KAM) offers passive-aggressive prayers for Donald Trump

when it comes to the holidays, Jules (BEB) sees things a little differently

— Nice, biting Catholic Church line from Jost. Pedophile priest jokes are so tacky at this point, but a good hearty “fuck you” to the church is always appreciated.
— Che’s food stamps rant was strong, and is one of those nice moments from him where you feel like he’s bringing something you’d wouldn’t have seen with any previous anchor.
— Kate does a bit as her Pelosi. She calls Jost “Breitbart Ryan Seacrest”, talks about how bad Trump is, makes a pee tape joke, and hopes Linday Graham has a black, gay baby. It was truly a revolutionary moment in comedy.
— Jules is a fun enough character, though it feels like a shade of Beck I’ve seen enough of that I’m not exactly going to praise him.
— Okay, Jules’ Black Friday/Friday line made me laugh more than it should have.
— The usual from Jules, but this character can at least provide enough solid lines that that’s not the worst thing.
— A good enough update overall, though I wasn’t exactly blown away by the correspondents—Pelosi particularly.
STARS: ***

HIP HOP CAROLERS 
(host) & other hip-hop carolers distract while musical guest robs family

— Hmm, the premise of a bunch of adults who do hip-hop carols doesn’t sound like it’ll do much for me, but let’s see.
— Ha, that has to be the first City High reference on network TV in about 20 years.
— Haha, wait, they’re taking the City High reference further with a full on Christmas themed parody of “What Would You Do?”?? I’ve always liked that song, so I appreciate this on some level, but no one remembers it.
— Ok, so the premise is they’re carolers who sing rap songs, and also the rap songs have had their lyrics changed to be about Christmas themed movies? This doesn’t even sound like the basis for a good Tweet, let alone a sketch. 
— Our next song parody is Pras’ “Ghetto Superstar”, which does feel more remembered than the City High song, at least. Too bad these lyrics are still doing nothing for me.
— Oh wait, the raps are just about Christmas now, not Christmas movies. Although we still get a throwaway mention of Home Alone, which the last song was a parody of. Not entirely sure what’s happening right now, to be honest.
— Ending with “Tha Crossroads”, a song I’d genuinely call one people remember. What a journey to get there. Once again though, the lyrics/performance do nothing for me. The joke with this one is how sloppy the performance itself gets, but at that point it just feels like what are we even doing here?
— Also, I know it’s not my job to pitch on these things, but I feel like replacing the “bone bone bone” intro with “ho ho ho” would work better than “pole pole pole”. I mean maybe the joke is meant to be how little the whole thing works, but then again I ask: what are we even doing here?
— The “I miss my Uncle Charles” part is so specific it makes me think that was just a backstage bit Kenan and Chris would do that’s been made into a sketch.
— DaBaby shows up to reveal he’s been robbing the family the whole time, a reveal that did a whole lotta nothing for me! And woof at that Robin Hood line.
— Speaking of “whole lotta nothing”, that would be a fitting subtitle for that sketch. Next. 
STARS: *

HOOPS 
(host) & (MEV) hawk large, round, golden, versatile earrings

— Yay, a rare Melissa showcase!
— Ha, these women’s names being “Gino’s Girlfriend” and “Her Cousin” are good ways of identifying their values.  
— As is typical for Drezgate affairs, lot of great one-liners here. Even in the initial spiel you get “made from 100% metal” and “will turn your ears the color of money”.
— Would cut out the part where they show all the words you can get inside your hoops. We just got a long list and that one had funnier details. 
— Enjoy Alex’s sleazy mob character. 
— This role isn’t exactly a stretch for Lopez, which is perhaps why this feels the most committed we’ve seen her all night. 
— Like Lopez describing babies as “very grabby people”. 
— Melissa co-wrote this with the Drezgate team, now responsible for my second above-average rating of the night. This feels typical of a lot of the two-hander, direct-to-camera sketches Kate & Aidy would do with that team around this time period. However, working with different performers here not only allows for fresher feeling central performances, it also allows Drezgate’s typically strong one-liners to pop even more since they’re not being held down by the weight of McKinnant’s indulgence.
STARS: ****½

POTTY PM
device lets (KYM) pee from bed, but female urination is a mystery

— My proud tradition of reviewing Kyle sketches with “potty” in their title continues. 
— Kyle’s voice is already naturally funny in a TV spokesman setting.
— Pretty fun visuals showing how the PottyPM will work. 
— Great turn with Kyle awkwardly unsure how his product would work with women, and gradually revealing he’s not very sure how women work in general.
— J Lo is really selling her increasing levels of discomfort well. I’d say this pre-tape and the live sketch before this stand as some of her best work on SNL.
— The visual of the PottyPM trying and failing to find an entry way into a woman’s body is really funny. I would have cut the visual off there though, before getting into the “Filipino tube” stuff. 
— J Lo’s smiley but stilted delivery of “yea, it’s fine” is especially strong.
— This feels a bit typical for Kyle, but it was well written enough, and really elevated by the work from Kyle and especially J Lo.
STARS: ****

WISCONSIN WOMEN
wild child (CLF) battles a bear outside a Wisconsin hardware store

— I remember absolutely hating this when it aired, but I feel like my SNL tastes have changed significantly since then and the stuff I end up hating the most now is the excessively bland stuff rather than the excessively weird, so we’ll see how I feel this time around.
— Bit of a direction mishap, as the camera awkwardly zooms in on Cecily, Kate & J Lo when Heidi is first talking at the top of the scene.
— Someone from Wisconsin or the general Midwest can attest to the strength of the ladies’ Wisconsin accents, but they don’t sound great to me.
— Hmm, about a minute in and this is doing very little for me. The audience seems to agree. There isn’t really a premise so far, other than Kate and Cecily (and J Lo) getting to be “weird”.
— Really not sure what to make of Chloe’s character.
— Chloe’s character is now getting tossed around the stage like a doll (and in fact, is literally now a doll), which feels less like a culmination of anything that happened in the sketch and more like something crazy happening because The Big Book of How To Make Air said that’s what you need at the end of a sketch.
— Another total dud tonight. That just felt like watching these 3 ladies fuck around for 3 minutes before a Chloe doll got slammed into a wall in a desperate attempt to make it seem like any of this had a point.
STARS: *

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Suge”

— Blue: This track sounds more exciting than the one from the first performance.
— Already I’m thinking “why not sing the pre-recorded vocals?” but the vocals that DaBaby isn’t covering sound live… hm…
— Ahh, and now DaBaby’s hype man has appeared to show that he’s the one doing the vocals.
— Watching two of the Jabbawockeez mess around with the dude behind DaBaby while he’s rapping, is proving to be 1. Very distracting and 2. More entertaining than DaBaby’s rapping.
— Really, they had to bring the twerking hand-stander back only for DaBaby to do the EXACT SAME clapping gestures around her?
— It looks like DaBaby might be having trouble getting his headset mic to stay on.
— I like the dance-off that’s now occurring to the side of the stage. Looks like a bunch of friends hanging out..
— As for the song: forgettable. At least the dancing was slightly entertaining, although not as much as in the first performance.
STARS: *

BARRY’S BOOTCAMP
hyper (BOY), (host), (CES), (BEB), (HEG) try out to be boot camp trainers

— Interesting to see this brought back so soon after the Harbour episode. Considering, however, that these are co-written by Bowen, it makes sense he’d want to capitalize on something from his first set of episodes that did so well.
— There’s also another connection here to the Harbour sketch, as his SoulCycle instructor there mentions he was cut out of Hustlers. 
— These are one of those line-arama sketches that I could never describe in glowing terms but are always a chance for some memorable quotes and performances.
— Bowen makes an OJ joke, surely making Norm proud. 
— I like J Lo’s “obstacles” she had to overcome just being that she was once a baby.
— Ego is playing them well, but not sure if I need these asides with her being disgusted with Mikey’s character. It seems like yet another case of modern SNL trying to cram jokes into every corner of a sketch, which always just makes them seem less confident in their core idea. 
— Apparently Mikey had the role opposite Ego in the first installment of this, but it went to Alex when he lost his voice. Considering Alex and Ego’s chemistry I’d have kept him in this installment over Mikey. 
— Cecily’s performance here is another case of “this is fine, but I’ve seen you do it so many times”. Same for Beck. 
— Lame dyslexia joke.
— I do kinda like Heidi as a woman fully ok with her lack of agency. 
— Bowen’s fun here, but nowhere is he stealing the scene for me like he did with “gay racism” rant last time.
— Just like last time I didn’t really care for the ending. 
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

— DaBaby being such a goober here would be appreciated if he wasn’t such a genuine goober. 

IMMEDIATE POST SHOW THOUGHTS
— While not without its highlights, this was a week that found the show mostly spinning its wheels and delivering a series of sketches that looked a whole lot like a bunch of other sketches we’ve gotten over the years. While that isn’t inherently a bad thing (the beats of The Corporal and PottyPM both felt familiar to their leads and managed to make things work), so much of the material tonight just ended up feeling warmed over and tired (think of how often I used a variation on the phrase “we’ve seen this before”). Don’t be fooled by the rocks that it got, this is the same SNL from the block (that block being Rockefeller Plaza).

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
The Corporal 
Hoops
PottyPM
Weekend Update
Barry’s Bootcamp
Surprise Home Makeover
Them Trumps
Monologue 
NATO Cafeteria 
Chad & JLO
Wisconsin Women
Hip Hop Carolers 

TOMORROW
From J Lo to ScarJo, as Vax Novier covers what I’d consider Scarlett Johansson’s best episode (not that it had much competition).

Posted on

October 26, 2019 – Chance the Rapper (S45 E4)

by Vax Novier

TRUMP RALLY
impeached Bill Clinton (DAH) speaks at Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) rally

— A lousy start so far with yet another lame Trumpwin malaproper.
— Even though it’s just a sketch, it still feels a bit disturbing to have all those extras in the background portraying proud Trump supporters.
— Relating to the point above, the response to Aidy’s “white lord” line got a bigger reaction than it really should’ve.
— Pete’s walk-on gets a round of applause, which is slightly justified considering it’s only the second episode he’s appeared in this season.
— A lot of this is reminding me of the season 39 premiere cold open where different speakers got the spotlight during an Obama press conference. The problem with reusing that premise here is that having Trump as the straight man is a misguided approach.
— Darrell Hammond makes his first onscreen appearance in years. Interesting to see him next to Baldwin’s Trump considering his bitterness over losing the role.
— Fred Armisen makes his 10 millionth unnecessary cameo, and the first of MANY in this season alone!
STARS: *½

MONOLOGUE
KYM & Chicago native host rap how they like things deemed second-best

— Chance brings up the Chicago teacher’s strike going on at the time (the union is referenced on his shirt), and addresses his support.
— Good premise with Chance giving praise to the second best of different things.
— Funny aside between Chance and Kyle over justifying the inclusion of an isthmus as the second best to islands.
— Although it’s just a silent, background part, Heidi and Melissa are making the most of their role.
— An energetic monologue carried by Chance, making it a slight step up from his first one.
STARS: ***½

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
befuddled Lazlo Holmes doesn’t know what to make of an esports tournament

— The return of Chance’s clueless sports correspondent, Lazlo Holmes, who appeared the last time he hosted, even getting moved up from post-Update to the opening sketch. Around the same time, Chance had recorded multiple interviews with NHL players that were shown throughout the month during intermissions of hockey games. 
— Future cast member-Andrew Dismukes makes a photographic cameo as the event’s regular correspondent (third screencap above).
— Chance makes himself break as he delivers the line about “white and Asian kids doing [E-Sports] while black kids were inventing hip-hop.”
— Some funny comments from Chance when trying to decipher the game clip.
— Chance, in response to an online chat comment: “That means nothing to me.”
— This is following the same beats as the last installment (confusion over the sport, refusing to pronounce a player’s name), but Chance is still carrying the material.
— Good bit with Chance’s stunned reaction and response to all the fangirls for Bowen’s character.
STARS: ***

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COURT
(host) summarily judges (Jason Momoa) & others

— The concept of Chance as a decisive judge has some good potential.
— So far, while the content may be entertaining on paper, it’s almost coming across as “Haha, isn’t it funny that black people who dress bizarrely are criminals?!”
— Okay, now this sketch is starting to take off with Kyle as the plaintiff immediately ruled guilty for bringing on a puppet, as it prevents the material from feeling too repetitive and diminishes any racial undertones that were present.
— Another break from Chance during Bowen’s walk-on.
— Kate gets some scattered applause just for entering the scene, which is immediately followed by a random Jason Momoa cameo to keep the crowd going.
— A bit of a troubling start, but this ended up working just as well as the execution could make it.
STARS: ***

TASTY TOASTER TARTS
(host) & fellow kids can eat Tasty Toaster Tarts thanks to his parricide

— I like the natural buildup with the long list of snacks Chance has in the pantry.
— A good twist when it’s revealed Chance seemingly murdered his strict parents.
— Tons of standout moments between Chance’s excessive denial over his missing parents, coupled with the drawn out rattling of all the snack names.
— Great ending with the mood turning sinister when it appears the ruse is up, only to become cheerful again after presenting the toaster tarts.
— A short and sweet piece that managed to pack a lot in!
STARS: ****½

GRAVEYARD GHOSTS
on Halloween, ghost (host) reluctantly shares embarrassing cause of death

— This is definitely a patented Day/Seidell concept, as it feels reminiscent to the graveyard sketch from Jim Carrey’s season 40 episode (Paul and Phil), but there’s still potential to go in a different direction.
— Funny shift with Chance simply going “We can skip me!” when it’s his turn to share his death.
— I’m liking the different ways Chance attempts to avoid talking about his death by leaving out details during his song, then claiming, “A ghost never tells.”
— Some well-timed chyron effects in the background while the stories are presented. Same goes for the animatronic owl and skeleton.
— And now the reveal of Chance’s death being that he stuck a pole up his ass and got struck by lightning for a reaction. What makes this tale land is Chance feeling compelled to justify his actions and explain certain aspects along with the details on how he was torn apart by the strike.
— Chance, while justifying his humiliating death: “I was a kid. Kids do weird stuff.” Aidy: “You died in your 20s.”
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
host introduces himself as Kensli Bennett [real] sings “Impossible”


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host introduces himself as Kensli Bennett [real] sings “Impossible”

host performs “Zanies & Fools”

— Blue: Haha, Chance’s self-introduction was hilarious.
— Very cute home video of Chance’s daughter singing a song from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The strings in the background are giving it a major old-school Disney vibe.
— Right off the bat, excellent rapping from Chance.
— Love the drumline in the background, especially the glitter flying up from their drum heads! Very cool visual effect, and their sound is satisfyingly heavy..
— Also love that the string parts are being performed live.
— Tasteful black and pink color scheme from the performers..
— Love how much the dancers are adding to the performance instead of being the sole thing that keeps it interesting.
— Chance is stumbling a bit on the higher notes in the second chorus/break.
— Very impressed by Chance’s rapping on the long phrase that opens the third verse.
— The pre-recorded backing vocals sound so heavenly on the third verse.
— Oof, that last “it’s possible!” was painfully flat.
— That was a very joyous, uplifting performance. So great!
STARS: ****½

WEEKEND UPDATE
Donald Jr. (MID) & Eric (ALM) back pa Trump’s Biden nepotism allegation

— This week’s appearance comparison refers to Matt Gaetz as “live action Quagmire”. What was once a cheap burn, became more relevant by the time Pete would go on to play Gaetz in one of the Britney Spears cold opens next season and incorporate some forced Quagmire traits into the impression.
— A technical gaffe just now, as an intended film clip that doesn’t start right away, causing extended silence. Colin makes a noticeable reaction to the delay just as the clip finally begins. This is fixed in reruns.
— A good breakdown from Michael over the downfall of Giuliani. I especially like his line about how he “went from the mayor of 9/11 to the 9/11 of mayors!”
— Che’s Bernie joke gets some applause at the mention of his endorsement and then a ton of groans after the punchline.
— The Trump brothers return to Update for the first time in over a year. After frequent appearances at the desk, these commentaries have become an annual offering for the remainder of Trump’s presidency.
— Mikey’s Don starts out by making reference to the last couple of Bernie jokes saying, “Can you believe they made fun of a Democrat?” in what sounds like a thinly-veiled response towards criticism of the show’s political content being too biased. Having it come out of a reviled Trump family member has to be their (potentially) misguided way of claiming the upper hand.
— A barely audible fart noise can be heard while Colin is talking. The fact that no one commented on it has me to believe it wasn’t intentional.
— We get the usual funny bits from Alex, such as awkwardly holding Mikey’s hand when he reaches over, and this edition’s distraction as he plays with a pin toy.
— Che has a solid tangent about the state of Kanye, followed by Colin’s reaction when he ends it shortly after comparing him to Bruce Jenner.
— A funny line about how Kavanaugh is the best known Supreme Court justice, the same way Jared Fogle is the best known sandwich mascot. Che‘s follow-up response is just icing on the cake.
— Colin’s last joke causes him to crack up during their sign off.
— Two commentaries were cut from this Update after dress rehearsal. One featuring Ego as Che’s intrusive aunt, and the other with Cecily as Faye Dunaway that involved an antsy monkey puppet and a walk-on from Bowen as her assistant. Ego would probably have a better chance of getting her character on air in the present day, and Cecily’s seemed to go off the rails based off the description. If it meant a certain sketch later in the night got cut for time (though they probably would’ve cut a different one since it stars Kate and Aidy), I wouldn’t have minded seeing either of these pieces make it to the episode.
STARS: ***½

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
love-at-first-sight leads (host) & (CES) to literally float on air

— Off to an amusing start with Chance’s stilted delivery of “I’m nice, but I’m also shy.” when introducing himself.
— Cecily: “Do they have dancing here?” Chance: “I don’t care. If they don’t like it, they can kill us.”
— Beck is only now making his first appearance, in the post-Update half of the night. (He did have a part in the cold open as a Giuliani associate that got cut after dress.) I remember at the time it felt like he was being phased out during the first couple months of this season while people like Alex were getting a bit more to do. This only lasted until December, unfortunately, as the established hierarchy was put back into place. Unless we hear otherwise in an interview down the line, it’s likely that Beck was planning on leaving after this season until the pandemic delayed his departure to the following year.
— Now they’re starting to say Chance’s character is a psycho, yet the progression of the sketch hasn’t really warranted the need for that detail.
— This already charming sketch is raised (no pun intended) by the two flying, or “low hovering”, with the use of wires to display their love.
— I’m loving the exchanges between Chance and Cecily, respectively, such as “They’re just jealous of me.” “And me, too.” “Sure.” followed by “Have you ever had champagne?” “No, what is it?”
— Yet another segment with a lot of breaking. In this case, though, it adds to the delight I’m having watching this.
— I like Chloe’s deadpan response after they mess up her seafood platter.
— Great turn with Chance immediately rejecting Cecily, sinking to the ground after they kiss, and her subsequently begging him to “come back up here where all the love is.”
— Yes! I’m getting the live version where it took a while to apply the wires onto Beck and they’re forced to extend the bit with Cecily grabbing her purse in midair as Heidi and Ego try to console her. The three of them are doing a good job stalling for time with their little ad-libs. Even though this bit is removed in reruns, it doesn’t detract from the quality of this sketch. 
— A fantastic sketch, overall, that I loved just about every bit of! Written by James Anderson and Kent Sublette along with Cecily, this is one of the better outputs of the duo.
STARS: *****

SPACE MISTAKES
fatal flubs doom astronauts (host), (BEB), (KYM) in film

— It feels a bit odd seeing something like this so late in the night, compared to when these types of pre-tapes are usually placed.
— This is a funny take on the trope of disasters in space movies.
— I enjoyed Kyle dramatically addressing his mistake before bursting on impact.
— A great rapid montage of different mistakes taking place, especially Bowen spilling a coffee cup in the control room and exclaiming “No, a mistake!”
— The scenes with Ego really standout, as she’s providing an exceptional performance.
STARS: ***½

DAZZLE DESIGNS
(AIB) & (KAM) peddle unattractive show choir attire

— Has every episode this season so far featured a sketch starring Kate and Aidy that gives them free rein to do whatever the hell they want!?
— This one, in particular, feels too similar to their Apple Picking sketch from only three episodes ago.
— The only laughs I’m getting out of this are the cutaways to Chance, Chris, and Pete as the choir boy models.
— I’ve got nothing else to say about the piece. It’s all just template Kaidy material by this point.
STARS: **

MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
Jason Momoa (real) introduces host


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Jason Momoa (real) introduces host

host & Megan Thee Stallion [real] perform “Handsome”

— Blue: Jason Momoa! Hello!
— The opening to this song sounds more rooted in R&B than Chance’s previous offering.
— I like the stage’s blue lighting.
— Mildly amused by Chance skipping a word to take a very noticeable breath.
— I find Chance’s singing less interesting than his rapping, but his energy makes up for it.
— Digging this song’s rhythm section. The melodic bass runs are particularly great.
— Megan Thee Stallion! Yessss! Nice to see her make a sort of cameo before she went on to perform in the opening episode of season 46.
— Megan’s rap is so sick, I love it. So much power in her voice.
STARS: ***½

DANCE REHEARSAL
in a dance studio, instructor (KET) poorly hides werewolf transformation

— According to Matt, this was cut from the Jennifer Lopez episode way back in S35 with J-Lo playing the instructor. I can only imagine what that version of this sketch looked like, knowing in retrospect that they could’ve waited four more episodes and revived it with her.
— There’s Kenan’s first utterance of “OHHH THE MOON!!!” He makes it work so well, I just can’t help but laugh.
— It looks like the wrong camera was cut to just now since we get a profile shot of Chance while he’s talking.
— A hilarious response from Heidi towards Chance mentioning he got a fax, playing with the 90’s setting of the piece.
— This has a similar premise (I’m saying that about a lot in this review. After 45 years, you’re bound to have frequently repeated material) to the werewolf sketch with Christan Slater when he hosted in 1991. In fact, this episode aired exactly 28 years later to the day as that one (October 26).
— I know some people may despise the repetition, but for me, the execution, carried by Kenan’s commitment, is so dumb that it works. Between this and the flying sketch, Anderlette is providing rare, strong material tonight.
— And Chance is breaking yet again. At this point, it would be easier to list the segments where he doesn’t break.
— Chris is supplying a couple of excellent straight man moments.
— Interesting delivery from Chloe for her one line.
— A funny beat to end on. Not only because of the final bit, but for the detail of both Chance and Chris staying behind after the incident.
STARS: ****

GOODNIGHTS

— Chicago residents in the cast can be seen wearing Chance’s shirt from the monologue, showing their support towards the teachers’ strike.

CUT FOR TIME: 80’S DRUG PSA
an anti-drug public service announcement goes off the rails

— I’m getting some laughs from the presentation for the intentionally cheesy PSA.
— A good turn with Kenan going against their anti-drug message and getting hooked after being told some of the advantages.
— Parts of this almost feel like a precursor to That’s The Game, and other similar shorts starring Chris Redd, where the straightlaced character slowly reveals their lack of insight and devolves into incompetency.
— The premise was pretty one-note and predictable for the most part, but the performances were likeable.
STARS: ***

OTHER DRESS REHEARSAL SKETCHES
— Shoutout to the Reddit poster for putting together these dress rehearsal reports, and to Matt for sharing the links to them.
— Bowen, Heidi, Melissa, Kyle, and Chance perform at a hipster coffee house for an open mic. Chance come on and mentions reading an article about feminism so now he knows everything. He performs a rap about women and one about poor people later in the sketch. This would be cut from dress during Kristen Stewart’s episode the following week with that version being posted online. John will go into more detail about the sketch, but Chance’s character is replaced by Kate and Kristen as a singing duo.
— Beck, Aidy, Chance, and Kate are parents in the bleachers of a high school football game who comment on the game they’re watching and engage in small talk between each other. Ego makes a walk-on as Chance’s girlfriend after it’s revealed he’s cheating on his wife. 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Another standout episode hosted by Chance! There was a lot to like throughout the night, including the endearing breaking. Getting him back for a second time during the outskirts of his peak turned out to be perfect timing, although it would be nice if he ever returned to host in the future.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Love At First Sight
Tasty Toaster Tarts
Dance Rehearsal
Monologue
Graveyard Ghosts
Weekend Update
Space Mistakes
CFT: 80’s Drug PSA
First Impressions Court
League of Legends World Championship
Dazzle Designs
Trump Rally

TOMORROW:
John takes a look at Kristen Stewart’s return to the show, disproving the notion that dropping the f-bomb is an instant ban.

Posted on

October 12, 2019 – David Harbour / Camila Cabello (S45 E3)

by John 

EQUALITY TOWN HALL
Julian Castro (Lin-Manuel Miranda) at LGBTQ town hall; Billy Porter cameo


— Written by Fran Gillespie and Sudi Green. One of the few cold opens this season we know the credits for.
— Nice to see Alex Moffat in a key role as Anderson Cooper, even if there is little for him to work with beyond his own charm. Given the backlash Jon Rudnitsky got for playing Cooper as if he were from The Birdcage, I’m not surprised the show has since been so straitlaced with the portrayal.
— Right out of the gate, Billy Porter (who in another universe likely had a hosting stint under his belt) makes himself known. He’s a tad grating, but still adds some energy in a period when cold opens feel consistently lifeless. 
— Kenan played Billy’s role in dress rehearsal.
— Interesting to see Chris Redd as Cory Booker after recently watching his turn as Eric Adams, which got a much more positive audience response. Chris’ performance skills in live sketch have come on leaps and bounds from where he is here, but the negative response he got from some overinvested Twitter quarters (and an op-ed, since I guess political impressions still mean that much, or generate clicks…) was out of proportion to a forgettable impression. 
— Colin Jost in his second appearance as Pete Buttigieg. Jost bore a resemblance to him, and as mentioned at the time, went to Harvard with him. As Jost would later tell Buttigieg, it was Lorne who suggested he play the role. These are still the early stages of an impression I am guessing no one at SNL thought would last as long as it did. Otherwise Jost, clearly not a sketch comic or an impressionist, likely would not have been cast in the role (insert de Niro Mueller joke here). 
— The highlight of this appearance is Buttigieg asking why he isn’t winning, less because of comedic brilliance and more because it sums up how the show never quite seemed to know how to tackle his portrayal. I would say they were trying to drum up viewer support for him, but the writing tended to lean more toward a few other candidates, like…
— I’m going to have more to say about Kate’s take on Elizabeth Warren in my next review, so I will just leave it at this: I understand the complaints about this impression (mainly that it’s much more about preaching than having an incisive comedic portrayal), but I still think it’s one of Kate’s stronger takes in what has been, frankly, a terrible political run from her over the last 5 years. 
— Kate’s whole routine here is based on real comments from Warren at the equality town hall, although the wig-ripping was added on as a reference to a Drag Race moment with Sasha Velour. I had no idea what the reference was, but I still thought this was a fun bit. 
— Next up is Lin-Manuel Miranda, and another anguished backstory. The show had gotten—yet again—Twitter backlash over Julian Castro not appearing in the first debate cold open, with Miranda tweeting that he would be happy to play the role. Usually these Twitter begs don’t go anywhere (ask Rosie O’Donnell and Zach Braff… or don’t), but given that Miranda had a recent relationship with the show and has a high-profile career, I’m not surprised they took him up on the offer. 
— You might ask yourself, why didn’t they just have Melissa Villasenor dress as Castro, since they love to do this with Aidy, Kate, and Cecily? Oh wait, you wouldn’t, because if you are reading this, you know they don’t care about Melissa. Instead, she gets thrown a bone in yet another straight role, asking a question. The image of her appearing in a non-role right after Miranda gets several comic moments makes me a bit sad, honestly.
— The (funny) moment where Castro apologizes for being straight reminds me of the comments that SNL’s writers are more comfortable skewering the left, possibly because many of them are on the left so they know what works. 
— Miranda is an appropriate fit for ‘10s SNL (a theater kid, overly earnest, hated by some for being ‘neoliberal’ for being tone deaf on racial matters), and he does fine with what he has here. Not great writing, but the quality picks up as it goes along, especially when Cooper calls him out just as he’s about to break into a Hamilton number. 
— Now we’re up to Biden, reprised by Woody Harrelson.
— While the writing is just a warmed-over version of what was already done with Biden in the premiere, and also suffers from the I’m-telling-you-the-joke disease of modern SNL, I do enjoy this overall, particularly when he asks the audience who is scared about what he’s going to say, and everyone, including Cooper, raises their hand. 
— Of the 6 (!) actors who have played Biden since 2019, I still enjoy Woody’s portrayal the most. Woody brings a sense of glee to the impression, but unlike the affability of Jason Sudeikis’ portrayal, there is a genuine unease built into Woody’s take. You never know what you’re going to get—you just know you don’t want any of it. The wistful, muted take on Biden from several impersonators since Woody is probably more accurate, but SNL political impressions have never been popular due to accuracy. 
— Another awkward group LFNY—looked like Jost didn’t finish at the right time as everyone else and was swallowing gum or something at the end.
— While this certainly has its flaws, it gets the night off on a good, energetic start, and is my favorite cold open of the season—faint as that praise may be.
STARS: ***

MONOLOGUE
Stranger Things star (host) enters SNL’s Upside Down, where KET bosses LOM


— Physically, David Harbour reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix in this period. That will come in handy later in the episode…
— Right off the bat, Harbour is very natural, especially for a first-time host. His reaction to some of the audience applauding his recent flop Hellboy is absolutely perfect. 
— Per a dress report, David had a line describing Stranger Things as being about “a middle-aged single man trying to find love.”
— When I first watched this episode, the moment the monologue went backstage felt like such a nostalgic surprise. I believe this was their first since season 42 (Melissa McCarthy).
— How much can Kate mug in just one quick appearance? 
— The design team does a great job of making the “Upside Down” look atmospheric, without going so far that all you notice is the high quality work (which often happened in season 20).
— Beck, showing up for his usual turn as the prick, is fun, but this encounter is more memorable for me now because of Beck playing Harbour in that tedious theme songs pre-tape a season later. 
— Nice to see that the llama, always a staple of these sequences, managed to make the trip to the Upside Down.
— Pete, back from a two-episode absence for filming Suicide Squad, gets a big response for… showing up to work. This is the start of a very odd, demoralizing, and highly-publicized pattern for Pete this season.
— The exchange between Pete and Harbour starts to get very leaden when they try to talk about the Stranger Things cliffhanger. The audience also doesn’t seem to be into it. 
— Lorne cameo! For a long time I thought this might be his last live cameo, but he pops up again in the Will Forte episode. 
— As is often the case with modern SNL, the scene with Harbour, Kenan and Lorne is poorly blocked—the first two keep staring away from Lorne to read their lines, even though they are supposed to be having a conversation with him. 
— I have mixed feelings about the Kenan-secretly-runs-the-show jokes, because I think they play up unrealistic expectations about Kenan taking over when Lorne retires, and I think Lorne has just become far too powerful in the industry for this type of coyness, but there is some humor involved, and Lorne’s comic timing is still in good form.
— I enjoyed this monologue more the first time I watched, but it’s still a decent way to keep momentum going through the rest of the night. 
STARS: **½

LITTLE MISS TEACHER’S FRIEND
pageant contestants are student suck-ups


— Written by Aidy Bryant, Anna Drezen, and Alison Gates. 
— David is great as the principal. Sometimes you can feel hosts trying too hard in their performances, but he fits right in.
— Bowen is perfectly used in his small role as the student whose cheers infuriate the principal. David bellowing “NOO!!!!” cracks me up every time I watch this.
— I don’t always love Aidy in these cutesy child roles, but one benefit of her being in them is she often plays them with a certain off-kilter energy.
— I feel like Leslie might have had the teacher role if she hadn’t left the previous season. Ego plays the part with a resigned, yet still pleading response to the antics of her students, which helps make this sketch feel less stilted.
— Kate, Melissa and Chloe have the usual roles in these that live or die based on how you feel about Drezen’s oh-so-quirky-and-relatable details. There are a number of bits I like here, especially Kate’s anecdote of jumping out of a moving bus to tattle, and the mention that Melissa “knows a lot of saints.” 
— This is one of the first major roles Chloe has on the show. At the time I watched and wondered where it would lead her. Now I can say… not very far (at least not on SNL). 
— The conclusion, with Ego announcing her maternity leave and the girls sobbing, followed by one last outburst from Bowen and David, manages to get the tone just right. 
— This type of sketch is more difficult to put together than it seems, because one wrong line reading or clunky piece of dialogue can tank the whole thing (not even getting into the usual haphazard direction). None of that really happens here, fortunately—this is, overall, a lot of fun, with few of the issues that tend to pop up with Kate/Aidy/Drezen material. 
STARS: ****

GROUCH
film depicts origin of Oscar (host), the Joker of Sesame Street


— Written by Streeter Seidell and Mikey Day, based on an idea from Harbour and his partner, Lily Allen. (I’d say that is the second most surprising Lily Allen trivia note—the first being this Game of Thrones-related moment of cringe) 
— This has the last behind-the-scenes feature on a sketch before COVID made those much more difficult to put together, and, sadly, what may also be the final on-camera appearance of the wonderful Hal Willner.
— As they mention in the video, the moment where the audience clicks in with the concept is exciting—really adds to the atmosphere.
— Atmosphere is the key word here. I don’t think anyone would claim edgy takes on Sesame Street or Joker parodies were anything new, but SNL manages to make it their own, and, more importantly, not fall into the dreaded doing-this-because-it’s-a-current-story trap they so often fall into. 
— Something else I appreciate is how they manage to spoof two different properties, yet both are naturally woven together. Again, this isn’t something modern SNL is great at doing. The best is when they have Bowen as Guy Smiley at station ABCDEFG, reporting on the dangerous streets of Sesame.
— Some great individual moments here, like Heidi as a loopy, dirty Big Bird. Mikey and Alex as Bert and Ernie are the standouts. 
— As is often the case with pre-tapes of recent years, I think several moments should have been trimmed (namely, the bits with Melissa as Elmo and Beck as Count Count), but they don’t seriously hurt the other material.
— Some fans used to claim that Seiday were better at pre-tapes than live sketches. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but this pre-tape is certainly one of their writing peaks. 
— You have to be impressed not only at how good and charismatic Harbour’s performance is, but also how he dominates this pre-tape even though he is a first-time host. And this was a brand new role for him, unlike, say, Adam Driver’s superb work in the Kylo Ren pre-tapes. One of the only other hosts I can think of to be this integral to a pre-tape is Emma Stone in “The Actress”, and that was on her fourth hosting stint.
— I’m not as big a fan of this piece as some people are, but I have to appreciate the design, the commitment, and above all else, the ability to make this seem like more than just a corporate husk—the more recent Urkel pre-tape from Ariana DeBose’s episode has reminded me how difficult that can be. So this will be a mix of my personal taste grade (which would probably be a half-star or star lower) and what was accomplished.
STARS: *****

SOULCYCLE 
hyper (BOY), (host), (HEG), (KAM) audition to be SoulCycle instructors


— Written by Gillespie, Green, Bowen Yang.
— At this point, Mikey was dominant enough as a cast member that it was a surprise to not see him pop up somewhere (beyond his brief role in the pre-tape). As it turns out, he lost his voice not long before the live show, and appears in no live material. Alex takes his role here. 
— Bowen is fantastic. This was only his third episode as a cast member, and on top of that, he had to deal with so much pressure most new players don’t face, yet he is effortless here—a smooth, very funny performance, with some classic lines (“My name is Flint—like the water.”). This is also a great commentary on a specific brand of idiot which I feel like Bowen has lost along the way, as his tenure has become more and more about camp (which isn’t always a bad thing… but never great when it’s all you have).
— David is also just right for his role—energy, physical aggression, and good comic timing. “I have an addiction to pushing myself… and cocaine,” alone gets me. 
— At the time this sketch aired, there was some fan praise for the rapport between Alex and Ego, even suggestions for them to take over Update at a point when there was a belief Che and Jost were leaving. While I would have been fine with that (then or now), the Alex and Ego portion doesn’t work for me. They are simultaneously reacting to the crazy instructors as she reacts to him hitting on her. This could have made sense with more fine-tuning, but the result here is overwritten and distracting.
— Heidi is wonderful as yet another delusional instructor. What I appreciate the most in her work is that she actually does slow down her performance along with the music and the cooldown aspect of this part of the sketch. And, again, some great lines—the “They called me ‘Model Girl’ or ‘Hey, model.’ But I wasn’t a model… yet.” This is all a sendup on the then-controversial Netflix romcom Tall Girl, but is also funny in its own right.
— I do like the part where, when Heidi asks, “How do you think that makes me feel?” Alex confusedly replies, “…Good?” 
— David going out into the crowd with Ego and Alex doesn’t quite work, although his delivery of, “You have sad eyes,” is a keeper.
— The entire part with Kate could have been cut. I tend to wonder if this would have gotten on the air if Kate did not have a role in it…
— After another fun appearance by Bowen (“I Googled racism and it bummed me out… I Googled gay racism and that was even worse.”), we get to another peak with David, where he just nonsensically shouts about how he lost a leg and grew it back. 
— The ending doesn’t really work… not that that’s unusual for SNL.
— SoulCycle will return twice over the season, which is unusual for modern SNL, although one was pandemic-induced. 
— I am not sure how to rank this sketch. There are parts I love, but this is also the epitome of what some fans have criticized this period for—good dialogue being used to paper over a shakily-constructed piece. Seeing just how shaky this one gets at times reminds me that I do feel the structure issue has improved (somewhat) over the last few years, yet I also can’t deny that I still go back to the good parts of this sketch more often than I do some pieces that are better put together. 
STARS: ***½ 

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Cry For Me”


— Blue: Wow, really interesting staging with the French nobility outfits. This feels a lot more like I’m watching a Broadway play than an SNL musical performance.
— Camila’s vocals are strong from the start, and her facial expressions are involved and engaging.
— Another performance that I’m seriously questioning whether it’s live or lip-synced. Camila is KILLING IT with her vocals and effortlessly nailing the choreography.
— I really appreciate the extras/backup dancers for all that they’re doing to make this performance look as good as it does (moving the table out of the way, etc.)
— Great moment in the second verse when a synth blast comes out of nowhere, then Camila sings the next line unaccompanied.
— Camila’s vocal run on “you’re probably sleeping…” is incredible! All while the dancers are moving her around, too.
— I really like the choreography with the fans.
— Great impassioned vocals on the bridge, which utilize Camila’s higher register. Capping it off with a high A sung in her head voice is a great choice.
— The staging at the end, with everyone holding their poses while Camila is reaching out towards the couple on stage right, is a very fitting and showy way to end the performance.
— I’ll admit, the costumes didn’t do much for me here. Maybe it’s just not an aesthetic that appeals to me. But I love the way this performance was conceptualized, and how it felt like watching a scene in a play, or like watching a whole music video. It reminds me of a more focused version of what Halsey and G-Eazy were doing two seasons prior.
— Also, outstanding vocal performance from Camila. I don’t know if it was lip-synced or not (knowing SNL, I’d assume it wasn’t), but either way, she killed it.
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE
movie reviews reveal that Bailey Gismert has a thing for the Joker

PED doesn’t think sexually-transmitted diseases are worth worrying about


— Oh boy, impeachment time… such memories…
— “It’s definitely about to get worse for Trump because—” Hahahaha. Who said Trump comedy wasn’t funny?
— The use of “The Boys Are Back In Town” for a Trump-related montage has left this part of the news segment off Youtube, which is probably a kindness for people who don’t want to relive this particular hellscape.
— “I know these are easy jokes…” No kidding.
— I’m not trying to single Jost and Che or their writers out here; it just so happens that I am reviewing this show, and not (thank goodness) Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, the Daily Show and its equally hollow spinoffs, etc. The material was slightly more passable at the time because we were living through it, but, even though we are still living through it, there’s no real nostalgia value… the only positive to find is that Che and Jost have a smooth, sincere delivery and never become too serious.
— I like Jost using the bit about a Trump rally to lampshade his earlier cold open appearance.
— Che’s rambling about wanting a year’s break from a President is a good palate cleanser between all of the Trump material. 
— Rough trio of jokes (Trump = Nazi, Biden dementia, gay Lincoln), although at least the first is framed well. 
— Time for Bailey Gismert.
— I’m just going to get this out of the way quickly. Bailey only worked for me as a one-time character. While most recurring Update features are guilty of beating the same points and catchphrases into the ground, some can still keep their charm over multiple appearances. Bailey, on the other hand, feels increasingly forced to me each time. Heidi retired her other two Update recurrers during season 44, and I wish she’d done the same with Bailey. I know that a big point of these is that they are intentionally performative, because she’s a parody of a teenage girl, but I still think this had more impact with only one use.
— With that said, Bailey has only made two appearances since this episode, one of which was an At Home appearance which had no choice but to change format, and is probably my favorite. 
— The most interesting part of this commentary is Bailey’s brief mention of Leslie Jones no longer being on the show. This is, I believe, the only mention of Leslie since her departure, and I’m guessing it will remain the only one for quite some time.
— The next set of jokes aren’t worth focusing on, but I did laugh more than I should have at “Crocodile Cosby” and the accompanying graphic. 
— Time for Pete. 
— Pete’s material is often sold based on his demeanor. This appearance, unfortunately, is very lethargic, giving the vibe of the show only wanting him to do a commentary because he was actually back in the building for the week. 
— Pete’s rapport with Jost is always enjoyable, and there are a few good passages (like his bringing up that gonorrhea and Rambo returned in the same year), but I don’t enjoy watching this; to be honest I just feel kind of uncomfortable sitting through it. I’m glad Pete has come a long way since this period.
STARS: ** (probably the lowest I will ever be giving a Jost/Che Update) 

PETER, PAULA & MURRAY
 in 1962, trio (host), (KAM), (AIB) quantifies pathos


— Written by Bryant, Drezen, Gates, Kate McKinnon.
— Very smooth intro from Alex as a vintage host. Many times I feel like Alex, who has so much natural talent and poise, seems to veer more toward a default smug role which limits his capabilities. This is a good example of him managing to thread the needle with a more subtle take. 
— Good harmonies with David, Kate and Aidy. They all seem very believable as a long-running, psychologically scarred folk duo.
— Normally I have some problems with period pieces that are framed in a perspective of much more modern times, but I’m fine with it here. One of the reasons is probably because this sketch has none of the winking and nodding or artificial nostalgia you often get in these instances. 
— You can always count on Drezen sketches for fast, witty wordplay, and this sketch is no exception. There are so many, it’s almost difficult to keep track. 
— One I enjoy is when Kate and Aidy talk about how often they think of the kiss they shared, and, after a beat, David adds, “Me too.” 
— This sketch is around 5 minutes long, which is often well past the point of dragging, but the shifts and pauses tend to make this flow well for me. The sketch reminds me at times of something from SCTV (just more “inside”), which often did a good job at longer sketches and at getting the mood for a period piece right.
— Similarly, there are many tics for Aidy and particularly Kate that annoy me elsewhere, but fit in fine in this format. 
— The aside from David about how many members of the group have left for cults amuses me.
— I also like the awkward pause from everyone after David sings about wanting a threesome with his bandmates. 
— David has a few slips, but he does a phenomenal job in this sketch—honestly, I’d say better than a number of cast members would have managed. Not only does he keep up with Aidy and Kate, he also effortlessly delivers some of the more poignant and jarring moments, like when he sings about contemplating suicide. This is one of my favorite host performances in SNL’s 47 seasons. 
— I had a very high opinion of this sketch the first time I watched it. I haven’t gone back a lot since, as I didn’t want to ruin my positive memories. Fortunately, my opinion has not changed. 
— I often feel like, intentionally or not, the impression given with many Aidy and Kate sketches, and particularly their collabs with Drezen in their last 3-4-5 years as cast members, is that we are meant to be honored to get to watch them and the hosts are meant to be honored to even participate; there is less effort to meet us halfway, get us to invest. That is not the case here. I feel like everyone involved is making a genuine effort at getting each beat and layer right, in a sketch that runs the gamut between sweet, sleazy, weird, and oddly touching.
— It’s difficult sometimes to talk about a sketch you enjoy compared to one you don’t—it’s easier to rip something up than to praise what is more special to you. So I feel like I may not have adequately gotten across why I think so highly of the sketch. All I can say is that it takes so many stylized moments and pairings of cast and writers that I normally have limited patience for, and makes them sing—literally and figuratively. If I ever had to make a Best Of for Aidy or Kate, this would be near the top.
STARS: *****

FATHER-SON PODCASTING MICROPHONE
the Father-Son Podcasting Microphone brings (host) & (KYM) together


— No writing credit for this one, but I’d be surprised if Kyle was not heavily involved.
— David looks eerily like Peter Krause here.
— Something I appreciate here is that while we are told the premise, we are also shown the premise, through the terrific work of Kyle and David, and judicious filming choices. The hesitant conversations, the glances away from each other… all are done just right.
— I also appreciate the restraint in this piece. They could have easily gone OTT with voiceovers, or with shouting and hysterics. More subdued moments like the “family secrets” segment on a vasectomy that didn’t take are far more successful.
— The solemn pause forced into an awkward Squarespace plug is a hoot. 
— I’m reminded while watching this of how underrated Beck was as a voiceover artist. 
— Kyle gets a lot of stick for being one-note, but, as I’ve said in previous reviews, I do not care as much about being one note as long as you are able to excel in that range. Both this and the “Dad” pre-tape from the Woody Harrelson premiere could be lumped into “daddy issues,” but they both hit their marks in very different, very effective ways. 
— The ending, watching Kyle grow up, good-naturedly saying HGH is why he’s now nearly as tall as his father, and the father trying to hide his pride, is oddly affecting. 
— From the very popular “Serial” pre-tape to The Poddys to this, you can sense a certain respect and genuine interest in podcasts from the various writers. As if I didn’t need yet another indication of how so much has become even more polarized and diminished in the last few years, I can’t help comparing these to the recent John Mulaney pre-tape, which has its moments, but is so much cruder, and full of rage about what the genre is now identified with. 
— Comparing now and then reminds me of how I feel the pre-tapes have lost their way in the last few seasons (especially last season, before the arrival of Please Don’t Destroy). They weren’t perfect then either, but this episode, Kristen Stewart, and Will Ferrell all have flawless pre-tapes that I have gone back to watch a number of times. There’s just a professionalism and clarity and a quiet confidence and intelligence in pieces like this one that I miss.
STARS: *****

SAUCE
amatory (host) & (KAM) creep out their grandkids while making pasta sauce


— Written by James Anderson and Alison Gates. You can see how adept Gates was by this point in shaping her skills around different writers. 
— Cecily makes her first appearance of the night—another example of how unique this episode was at the time for heavy-hitters being sidelined. (Cecily was ill.)
— When I first saw this sketch, I compared it to something from ‘90s SNL, due to the goofy physical comedy and a man being in drag. This was the first time in a while—and, I believe, the last—that a male cast member or host has played a female role, aside from RuPaul, who, of course, has some experience with drag. 
— David’s wig and glasses remind me of Barry Humphries/Dame Edna Everage, though Edna would never be caught dead in that apron.
— If we are going to get more of the oh-so-daring-if-this-were-1933 imagery of Kate in drag, it’s a fun idea to contrast her by having a man in drag as her partner. Unfortunately, we get far more focus on Kate mugging than we should, which undercuts everyone else in the sketch.
— It’s rare to see Cecily, Kyle and Melissa grouped together. Melissa’s flat line readings are nothing new, but Kyle’s are more difficult to gauge—I actually think some of them are good, but they feel out of step with his scene partners. Cecily is the best of the three, possibly because she has always been better at picking up Anderson’s voice than most others in the cast who aren’t named Kenan. 
— I’m torn on Kate trying to make hosts break. Sometimes I think it’s unprofessional. In sketches like this, which don’t rely on staying in character, it doesn’t bother me as much. 
— At first I thought she surprised David by trying to stick her finger in his mouth during the live show, but apparently they also did this in dress. 
— Once we get to the part where there’s a lot of horsing around with Kate and David, with David’s physicality put to good use, the sketch is much more entertaining, and seems to have a reason for existing. I wish it had not taken so long to get there. This sketch is about 5 minutes long when 3 or 3 and a half would have been fine.
— I do like the ending (Kate’s character, after all that buildup, saying he still can’t get hard). 
STARS: ** (I want to rate this a little higher, and I might have done so on the high of the original airing, but I think this is about right.)

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Easy”


— Blue: I like this song’s rhythm, though it didn’t really come together for me until the drummer started playing.
— Once again, Camila’s vocals sound great. I would love to know all about her vocal training. 
— Ah, now the stage is lightening up to show that Camila isn’t so alone after all.
— The rhythm changes slightly on the chorus and I’m not sure I’m digging it.
— Also not sure I’m digging the back half of the chorus, with the sudden rushing of the lyrics, and the way it goes back into the verse feels abrupt.
— Camila sounds so beautiful when she sings in head voice.
— Speaking of abrupt, I felt like the ending could have gone on for another few bars.
STARS: ***

DOG COURT
(CES) adjudicates disputes involving canines & their owners


— Written by Gillespie, Green, and Kent Sublette. 
— If you were around for early season 45 (and, most likely, you were), you will remember the heavy focus on dogs, and the discourse over how cheap it is to rely on dogs in lieu of proper writing. I have somewhat mixed feelings—I don’t mind dog sketches as long as I don’t have to see dogs in close-up, cowering in fear (which is the whole basis of at least one recurring sketch in SNL’s past). I do, however, think they can keep more experimental material from getting on the air, and certain brands of pandering do bother me.
— I am not one of those fans who gets much out of intros for sketches—sometimes they work, but this one just feels like padding. 
— This sketch’s appeal may rest on how much you enjoy Kate and Cecily wheeling out each of their stock ‘comedy voices.’ Kate’s voice in particular feels overly familiar—just a few steps away from Guiliani. I would have liked seeing someone else given a shot in this part. 
— The only part of the dog use here that annoys me is when they have a close-up of one dog, with glasses no less, as we hear a “huh???” type noise on the soundtrack. Just too far into the realm of corniness. 
— I got a laugh out of the dog looking away from the camera before we could see his “dead eyes,” which means we end up focusing on a shot of David’s crotch.
— The moment where Cecily is barely able to keep the pug in place reminds me of the story and dress clip she shared—that she had been sick most of the week, and the pug licking her face and being excited felt like it was trying to show her love and telling her to feel better. This feels even more touching in retrospect knowing some of what Cecily was going through. 
— I like Cecily responding to the drawing looking very little like her (oddly, it looks more like Heidi) by saying what can you expect with a dog drawing it.
— Good to see Melissa in a rare character part. 
— The end of this sketch, as we watch a dog jury condemn a man to death, is the type of ridiculousness I would have enjoyed more of, with a bit less of the part with Kate and David. 
STARS: **

GOODNIGHTS


— One of the parts of this episode I remember most is the little celebratory dance David and Camila Cabello do after he says his goodbyes to the camera. At this time, I often felt like the show was choking from political expectations it would never be able to meet (made worse by the 50000 debate sketches) as well as an increasingly fatigued cast lineup. This moment of pure joy, knowing SNL was still capable of making the people involved—and us—feel that joy,  is exactly what I wanted and needed.

CUT FOR TIME: GIULIANI & ASSOCIATES
A commercial advertises the legal services of Giuliani (KAM) & Associates (host) (BEB)


— Written by Colin Jost.
— Given the show’s love for Kate, and for her Rudy impression, I’m still amazed this was cut. 
— A big night for Barry Humphries, as Beck looks like his non-Edna central character, the shameful, shameful Sir Les Patterson. (The clip is from 1982, so… be warned) 
— Not for the first time tonight, David, looking like a cousin to Charles Grodin and a certain I Think You Should Leave character, is providing most of my enjoyment, even with silly lines like calling Rudy, “Googlyiani.”
— Probably Kate’s best-ever line as Rudy: “We may not have passed the bar, but we definitely lowered it!” 
— The more this goes on the more any humor drains away, although Chloe does a good job with her part (and is not just doing her Ooli accent). 
— The part with Kenan is especially aimless. 
— As someone who grew up on those Sally Struthers commercials, the TV/VCR repair line amused me.
— As this deservedly excised piece peters away, David’s energy provides me with one last happy moment: “If you don’t…I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
STARS: *½

OTHER DRESS REHEARSAL SKETCHES
— Thank you to the writer of the dress rehearsal report I’m summarizing, as well as another writer, who goes into a bit more detail.
— The movie quote game sketch that would go through Adam Driver and finally make it to air with Daniel Craig.
— An NBA press conference regarding Daryl Morey’s tweets about China, with Melissa and Chloe as reporters, Alex as Adam Silver, David as Morey, Ego as James Harden, Bowen (on stilts) as Yao Ming.
— A Beck and Kyle-centric sketch where they ruin a lunch meeting between David and two Harley Davidson reps (Kenan and Chloe), ending in a shirtless Kyle holding a pizza and having coffee thrown at him. 
— An engagement dinner sketch with Chris and Chloe as the couple, and David as her father, who looks racist because he does a Powerpoint presentation with the wrong men (like Gary Coleman) in place of Chris.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— When I first watched this episode, I described it as reminding me of episodes I grew up watching in the early ‘90s. I would still say that is true. The main reason for the comparison is because I thought this was a consistently solid installment, with no real dead spots, no cold open to dread, no real need to chop the episode into pieces and wring my hands over what should have worked and why it didn’t. The Grouch pre-tape also had the same knack for tapping into pop culture that SNL was so much better at in the early ‘90s.
— This episode also serves as an example of how much season 45 tended to rest on the strength of the host. Similar to another season with a very large, clearly in flux cast (20), a charismatic lead is needed to carry the burden. When a host struggles with that burden, the episode is more likely to fall apart, because the writing and use of cast aren’t strong enough on their own. 
— I would absolutely love to see David host again, but as of two and a half years later, he hasn’t even made a cameo. We’ll live in hope.

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


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Father-Son Podcasting Microphone
Peter, Paula & Murray
Grouch
Little Miss Teacher’s Friend
SoulCycle
Equality Forum
Monologue
Dog Court
Sauce
Weekend Update
(CFT: Giuliani & Associates)

TOMORROW
The always-sterling Vax Novier takes a chance on Chance the Rapper, the first double-duty host of the season.

Posted on

October 5, 2019 – Phoebe Waller-Bridge / Taylor Swift (S45 E2)

by Matt

IMPEACHMENT STRATEGY
Mike Pompeo (Matthew Broderick) & others plot impeachment strategy

— A lot of my peers don’t like how cold opens always begin with an applause break, and while I’m pretty ambivalent to it, that concept plays off very awkwardly here considering that the first line of the sketch is very long. Feels like Beck didn’t stop talking at the right time for it, as he pauses mid-line and ad-libs a facepalm while he waits for it to pass.
— Kate’s Giuliani continues to be an irritating presence shuffling through the same lame jokes as always.
— Beck’s Pence: “I’m supposed to be seeing the new Judy Garland movie with mother!” Did you guys know that Mike Pence is gay?! Hahahahahaha.
— Matthew Broderick is here as Mike Pompeo for… reasons. Look, I have nothing against the guy, and he’s certainly a more capable performer than De Niro, but there is literally no reason for him to be a part of this sketch. What cultural cache does he even have by this point? Seriously, who is this for?
— Ah, so apparently he was here to assist in the delivery of a limply-executed Ferris Bueller joke. The visual of that mannequin is haunting, if that’s at all to this cold open’s credit.
— Kenan debuts his seldom-seen Ben Carson impression. It’s nowhere near as memorable as Jay’s, but he’s trying.
— Oh, and he’s already gone. That was some pointless padding.
— Beck’s Pence makes a conversion therapy joke that Matthew’s Pompeo doesn’t even respond to. Solid writing as always with these cold opens.
— Another Ferris Bueller line from Matthew. Sorry, I can’t really find the will to actually say things about this sketch beyond what’s happening, which I already barely have the will for.
— Stephen Miller being represented by a snake puppet in a basket?? Is SNL actively trying to disrupt the illusion that it’s satirical?
— Oh my god, Kate’s Guliani is back in Joker make-up. I’m so tired.
— In a word: no.
STARS: *

MONOLOGUE
host explores how Fleabag & Killing Eve reflect her personal life

— I wanna get out of the way now that my God, I love Phoebe Waller-Bridge. As someone who was a huge fan of Fleabag, I was super excited when she got announced to host the show; it feels so rare to see a proper British comedian hosting the show rather than just whatever actor is attached to some big project, and her comedic/writerly instincts are on fine display here. She’s owning this monologue effortlessly.
— A fantastic run of jokes about how much psychopaths are “having a moment” right now.
— I love how quiet the room gets when Phoebe is talking about her and Andrew Scott’s efforts to find out why his “Hot Priest” character created “such a horn-storm.” While dead silence during monologues usually feels uneasy, there’s this outstanding sense that she has the entire audience’s full attention, which speaks to how compelling of a story-teller she is. I suppose this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though, given that Fleabag started as a one-woman show and was, in effect, a very long monologue piece.
— “Back in the day, horny women were to be feared, and now they’re given Emmys.”
— Phoebe’s entire bit about how genitals are often just patiently sitting around and not being interacted with is absolutely perfect. (“Think about how many of them are in this room right now. Just think about all the genitals, all across America, sat on couches, right now.”)
— Overall, a fantastic monologue. Phoebe must’ve written this. I have to wonder how many new fans she made based off of this segment alone.
STARS: *****

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
What’s Wrong With This Picture- contestants impute absurd backstories

— The return of this game show sketch from last season’s finale. While I can never give these sketches too much credit for originality, there’s something about their premise that feels very reliable; it’s the ideal sort of recurring sketch for this concept-driven era in that you can change all the variables while maintaining the same framework and the jokes can still land very effectively. (I get similar vibes from another recurring sketch in tonight’s show… but we’ll get to that.)
— Aidy and Kyle’s character intros are great; I especially like Kyle saying that he’s “armed and ready to play,” causing Kenan to deliver a very Kenan-esque, “Armed?”
— Another charming thing about the host being a British comedian without classical acting training? Phoebe’s American accent is, uh, not great. 
— All of the contestant’s responses are providing me with good laughs. This era’s always been good with one-liners.
— For some reason, the image with the saw in the fridge features another mistake: the bacon package is labelled “Bacoan.”
— Kyle: “Someone’s talking to her about evolution, so she’s closing her ears. I didn’t come from no chimp! I’m God’s little guy!”
— Funny little ending callback to Phoebe thinking that this is a dating show with Kyle.
STARS: ***½

LOVE ISLAND
Love Island- United Kingdom reality show oddballs feud & hook up

— Phoebe hosting in the midst of the Love Island craze feels like it pencils such a sketch into the show a bit, doesn’t it?
— All of the character intros are great, as they tend to be with these sorts of sketches. Some of my favorites: Phoebe saying her dad is a boxer and her mother is a pub, Alex being from “Murder-Suicide, England,” and Chloe being “from the part of Ireland where the soil is bones.”
— Oh, this sketch is also our first chance to see Chloe doing some fun accent work, which she always excels at. The audience is a bit hesitant to laugh, but she’s making a nice splash as the sketch’s newbie player.
— “You’ve heard an English accent! You’ve heard an Irish accent! Now hear all the little weirdies in between!”
— The strange visual of Aidy’s character being a thumb with googly eyes when she wipes her make-up off is maybe a bit too absurd for this sketch, but y’know, points for unpredictability I suppose.
— Man, there are a lot of cast members in this, and while I’m having my fun with the piece, it feels like a lot of them are being rather ill-served. Both Chris and especially Alex feel like they’re barely in this.
— This sketch was pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be, but I always enjoy this era skewering trash reality television.
STARS: ***½

MID-DAY NEWS
anchors keep a racial scorecard of crimes reported during their newscast

— A legendary sketch right here, folks! 
— After the very professional set-up, Kenan and Ego celebrating the suspect in an armed robbery story being white gets a big laugh. 
— Ego, someone who’s been by and large floating in the ether up to this point in her tenure, is absolutely killing it here with her funny interjections while Alex details a Ponzi scheme-related arrest. She and him have a great rapport, which is nice to see given how infrequently we’ve gotten to see either of them getting a chance at meaty work from the show at this point.
— The structure of this sketch is particularly great. I love the sort of domino effect at play with the news anchors slowly becoming more and more invested in treating their news stories as something of a competition in hopes that their race will end up with less reported crimes in the daily stories. Phoebe and Alex play comparatively straight roles here by design, but we already get a nice, early crack from Alex’s character here with his restrained cockiness over the reveal that a white-collar criminal was Black. With that, the game gets cookin’.
— Great inclusion from Chris as the weatherman, declaring that the incoming “Hurricane Chet” has a white name.
— I have no idea why Alex has become the cast member that the show seems intent on getting to dab or floss, but he sure knows how to accentuate his whiteness when he does it.
— The audience is getting really into this, and how could they not? This sketch really felt like a classic as it was airing, which is just about the most intoxicating buzz an SNL episode can give.
— A solid bait and switch when Phoebe’s story about a woman complaining about her welfare card turns out to be white, causing her to yell “Dammit!”
— Another classic bit where Alex and Ego mutually decide to veto a story about a Latino man.
— Kenan, exasperated by a news story: “A LaQuan?? Rock-climbing?? In Utah??”
— The ending bit with the last criminal being arrested “dressed as the Joker” is a bit aged by now, but given how evergreen everything else about this sketch is, I can’t complain. Also a great touch with everyone shaking hands amidst Kenan and Ego’s celebration; as incisive as this sketch is, I like how much it also prioritizes a sense of sportsmanship. There’s a nice, fun-loving energy that keeps things electric.
— One of the best sketches of this era, and a crucial turning point for Ego’s tenure.
STARS: *****

THE WAR IN WORDS
The War In Words- wife’s (host) cryptic letters concern WWII pilot (MID)

— Perhaps a controversial take, but as with “What’s Wrong With This Picture?”, I’ve found “The War in Words” to be an incredibly reliable recurring piece. It’s also the perfect sort of premise for Mikey’s exasperated straight man performance.
— While the first beat of these sketches is always the same by design, I still got a good laugh out of Phoebe’s brief “Thank you” letter to Mikey.
— A funny, dumb gag of Phoebe sending Mikey a “vast amount” of her hair when he asked for a lock. I also love how she spends the rest of the sketch with a very short, crudely-cut wig.
— Phoebe, after Mikey writes to her about a nurse tending to his deceased friend: “William: So who’s this French bitch you’re talkin’ to?! Your wife, Lydia.”
— Another great reveal when Phoebe sends Mikey a film of her hanging out with Adolf Hitler “as if [she’s] one of the gang.”
— An even better bit with Phoebe letting slip that Mikey’s father has passed away. Holy hell, this sketch is on a roll.
— And NOW it’s revealed that his father died from a broken heart due to the death of his mother! So fucking good.
— A cute touch with Mikey featuring his actual son as his character’s son that Phoebe sent to him.
— Of all the hosts to do this sketch so far (Claire Foy before her, and Carey Mulligan after), Phoebe is the most natural; it’s great to see this sketch handed to someone with defined comic instincts. That’s always made me feel like this was the definitive “The War in Words” installment.
STARS: ****½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Lover”

— Matt: By default, the better of this season’s two musical performances performed against an inconspicuously green backdrop.
— Blue: I really like said green backdrop, and Taylor’s complementary outfit.
— Always an interesting choice to start the set with a ballad.
— The occasional breathiness of Taylor’s voice is irritating me a little.
— …Yeah, I had zero thoughts on that. Despite the unnecessary breathy delivery of some notes, Taylor was in fine voice. Her pitch was fine and she engaged well with the audience. Her playing was fine as well. The song itself was a decent love ballad, nothing that I find too memorable.
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE
Elizabeth Warren (KAM) highlights fundraising success & personal outreach

China government official Chen Biao (BOY) revels in his trade war role

Mort Fellner’s feel-good elderly stories turn out to be obituaries

— Colin takes a dunk on Trump suggesting he’ll be forced to leave the office. We know how that paid off, of course—always makes watching these Updates weird once you exit the vacuum they were created in.
— A classic Che bit asking if, in light of his proposal to add a crocodile moat to the border wall, it’s okay to make fun of Trump: “You ever read Of Mice and Men? Remember how Lennie was really… strong? What if Trump is really strong?” (Of course, the idea that he’d withhold from making an edgy joke on a topic he has no place to talk about is laughable in and of itself… but we can pretend.)
— Also love how when Colin talks about how Twitter deleted a Biden Nickelback meme that Trump posted, Che interjects, “See? He’s strong!” to keep the bit going.
— Seeing Kate as Elizabeth Warren on Update is making me realize how strange it is that she’s only popped up so far here and up top the show to do political impressions. She feels very much displaced from the rest of the show despite often being seen as SNL’s big “star.” Given how successful this episode has been without her presence, it’s making me wish that we could see more of what SNL looks like without Kate altogether (which we at least got a nice taste of in the first half of S47)—not that she hasn’t done good work, but I want to see the show relinquished to people like Ego, or Alex, or Chris, all of whom have really made their presences known across the episode in ways that don’t feel common enough even now.
— Either way, Kate’s Elizabeth Warren is fine. It’s probably one of her most tolerable, well-performed characters; I like how the impression encourages her to be more soft-spoken, which adds a nice bit of dimensionality that we don’t often get when she’s playing the likes of Jeff Sessions or Rudy.
— I can’t tell if Warren saying that she likes BDSM—“bank destroyin’ and savin’ Medicare”—is supposed to be earnestly funny or deliberately lame, but it did tickle me.
— Alright, Che getting a call from Warren for donating $10,000 because he liked the story that she just deconstructed across her Update piece of having kinky sex with a young marine was pretty good. Always love those sorts of meta breaks on Update.
— Colin: “A new study finds that cats actually bond with people like dogs do, but they’re too aloof to show it, which is why I named my cat ‘Dad.’”
— The debut of Bowen’s Chen Biao trade daddy character!
— The fact that Bowen can start off this segment speaking fluent Chinese as a casual flex/power move shows how valuable it is to finally have an Asian cast member. It’s a minor thing, but man, that feels good.
— Bowen has already fully won over the audience less than a minute into his Update piece. How often do you see a cast member so fully-formed right out the gate, and with the crowd eating up everything they’re doing?
— Chen Biao: “We just waved our tariff on American soybeans, so save some of your tempeh for us, McKenzie.” Che: “Who’s McKenzie?” Chen: “I dunno, probably some sophomore at Vassar who, like, drinks out of a metal straw and it’s such a performance.”
— And just like that, Bowen became the show’s next big star. 
— Colin makes a joke referencing Pete’s absence from the show these first two weeks, which wouldn’t be notable if not for Pete going on-record about how betrayed he felt by the show making cracks at his expense. Pretty benign stuff though, really.
— Mikey’s supercentenarian character returns, having last appeared in the Don Cheadle episode.
— While this bit didn’t work that well for me on its first go-around, I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying it this time. The joke is always the same, so it stops being about surprise and moreso the ingenuity with which Mikey can find distinct ways of reiterating the same joke, and he’s surprisingly great at that here. There’s a nice tug and pull with him and the audience in the direction of his jokes; it feels like he’s letting the spirit of Kazurinsky course his veins, and while he’s perhaps not that vicious, Mikey leans into it well. We rarely see him perform like this, so it’s a treat.
— Some fun physical comedy from Mikey’s random, delicate jabs at Colin.
— A particularly great joke run from Mikey regarding a supercentenarian who played with the Angels… baseball team, threw out a pitch and the umpire called… 911, but he’s alive and well… in our hearts. Whip ‘em around, Mikey!
— Another jab at Pete’s absence from Mikey as Update closes.
STARS: ****

ROYAL ROMANCE
Royal Romance- duchess (host) & Thunderstick (KET) were a ’70s odd couple

— This sketch feels very similar to the “Wild Wild Country” sketch from S43’s Mulaney episode, what with Kenan’s skeevy character.
— Kate’s performance feels unnecessarily hammy.
— I got a guilty laugh out of Kenan’s blaxploitation movie poster for “Bitch, I Will Shoot You Right in the Face.” It’s also fun seeing Kenan do shitty karate a la a blaxploitation film.
— I’m not finding too much of the written material to be neither overwhelmingly good nor bad. It’s offering some laughs with its visuals and pretape content, and it’s certainly a more interesting vehicle for royal-related humor than those Prince Harry home video pieces, but I’m finding it to be merely okay with sparks of intrigue.
— Another funny clip of Kenan demonstrating how he would have sex with the women in the royal family on an ottoman.
— I suppose this sketch was too good of an opportunity not to make the joke of Kenan knighting Sir Mix-a-Lot.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & Lenny Pickett [real] perform “False God”

— Matt: Lenny Pickett! Hell yeah!
— Blue: Lenny Pickett providing an intro on saxophone! Awesome. 
— Lenny’s little additions throughout are adding a lot to this song. The beat, though basic, is nice too. (And surprisingly, it’s being played by a real drummer.)
— Once again, Taylor’s singing is spot-on.
— Another performance which I have very little to say about, except that this song feels atypical of Taylor Swift, and I didn’t really care for it.
STARS: ***

STATE LINE BAR
tough-acting barflies (KAM), (AIB), (CES), (host) still pine for (BEB)

— Seems like we’re ending the night with a piece firmly built around the show’s veteran female cast, which I suppose is fair enough; even if I can be worn rather thin easily by late-stage Kate, Aidy, and Cecily, they’re the women that run the show, and it was a bit overdue for them to get a more indulgent piece with someone like Phoebe hosting.
— To answer the question, “Can Phoebe do a white trash accent better than a proper American one?”—absolutely not, lol.
— Cecily’s voice sounds very similar to her Cathy Anne characterization.
— Up until Beck’s entrance as all of their exes, this sketch has been incredibly meandering, but I like the direction it’s taking with all of them approaching him to secretly plea for his love in between aggressive actions.
— Great delivery from Aidy, anxiously asking Beck if he’s checked her emails.
— I feel like this sketch shouldn’t be working for me, and indeed, some of my fellow writers expressed skepticism about my enjoyment of this piece…which I think is totally fair. But even if it’s not a sketch that’s super tightly-written, I think there’s a lot of fun in the loose, chaotic energy of it all; I’m usually not too big on Kate, Aidy, and Cecily chewing scenery, but this is so silly that it starts to gel for me.
— I got a big, guilty laugh out of Cecily sloppily smacking that guitar into Beck. Screw it, this one’s fun.
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

— Continuing the tradition of cast members pointing out featured players who get their big, breakthrough moment, Mikey points at Bowen during the goodnights. Aw.

CUT FOR TIME: TAMPAX SECRETS
Tampax: Secrets hide (host) from the embarrassing reality of female hygiene

— There’s a pretty good satirical element to this piece—the idea that being caught with any array of gross or controversial items is better than being seen with a Tampon—but for some reason the delivery isn’t quite selling it for me.
— Oh look, it’s Melissa in a nothing role! Good to know that even in cut material she’s given very little to do…
— For some reason, a lot of the best gags in this sketch are blink-it-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of moments. I suppose that means it’s better to see it online where you can pause the sketch more easily rather than being broadcast on television, but it still feels like a strange decision not to highlight them further.
— I did get a laugh from Phoebe’s character announcing, “I better take this piece of dog poop to the bathroom!”
— Speaking of good, barely-visible gags: Aidy holding a box set of The Cosby Show.
— An alright ending with Phoebe asking why the unmasked Tampon was blurred in the commercial.
— This sketch was fine, and it wouldn’t have hurt the show to include, but it wasn’t anything too special. Feels like it could’ve popped with a bit more revision, or dare I say over-explanation.
STARS: ***

CUT FOR TIME: NEW PLAY
(KYM)’s new play is derailed by British (CES) and (host’s) performances

— Mm, not sure about Kenan’s unnecessarily hostile reaction to Kyle’s enthusiasm towards the project that he’s explicitly there doing auditions for. I think John spoke on SNL’s tendency to do this sort of thing in his Sam Rockwell review regarding that episode’s “dog head guy” sketch; it’s a strange diversion in hopes of getting a cheap laugh apropos of whatever else the sketch has going on.
— Cecily and Phoebe seem like a fun duo, so I can see how this sketch would’ve come together, but uh, the content itself… not doing it for me much. Silly accents are good for a quick laugh but this whole sketch being built around it smacks of the expectation that wacky performance can override shoddy writing, which is pretty much never the case. It just brings to my attention the dichotomy between how much fun something can be to make or perform, but how that doesn’t necessarily transfer to an audience that doesn’t exist within that vacuum.
— Alright, fine, I was tickled by Phoebe’s delivery of “You even remember that day or were you too hee-igh on meth?”
— Kenan’s lines make it clear that this sketch is supposed to be skewering how British actors sometimes have unconvincing American accents, perhaps something of an inside joke at Phoebe, but you can’t explore that concept entirely through a sketch that’s just silly talking. Even though I’m not finding it to be tortuous, it’s just… not strong, either. This piece deserved to be cut.
STARS: **

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A rather strong episode that I’ve always been very partial to! Aside from the dreadful cold open, I liked everything on display. Phoebe acquits herself nicely to the show, and you can tell that she’s having a great time, providing a lot of confident performances and excellent comedic timing. This episode is also heavily bolstered by how much it invites the show’s more underused or new cast members in on the fun: Alex, Chris, Ego, and Bowen all get some fantastic highlights here. It feels like an episode that points towards the success of a new era of the show, if only the old guard could finally let it go…

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


And last but not least,


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Mid Day News
Monologue
The War In Words
Weekend Update
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Love Island
Royal Romance
State Line Bar
(CFT: Tampax Secrets)
(CFT: New Play)
Impeachment Strategy

TOMORROW
John takes on some stranger things, with David Harbour

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