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

by Matt

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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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)

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— 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”

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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”

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— 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)

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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And last but not least,

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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

April 13, 2019 – Emma Stone / BTS (S44 E18)

by Matt

JAIL CELL
Julian Assange (Michael Keaton) & other celebrities share a cell

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— The weird MSNBC/Lockup opening graphic to this sketch feels really unnecessary.
— The obligatory nod towards the Lori Laughlin controversies going on at the time. Although the writing is pretty par for the course with how these cold opens tend to go, I like the other prisoners’ deconstruction of how insane it is for her to spend $500,000 to get her daughter into USC of all places, among other strange personal choices Laughlin made. Maybe that’s just the rush of getting a cold open that’s aiming to poke fun at pop culture more than politics… at least so far.
— Garry Richardson cameo! A small role here but I appreciate that he gets a laugh-line.
— The version I’m watching clearly must be from dress, because I recall during the live airing, the camera cut oddly to Pete as Michael Avenatti before he walks into the scene, causing the audience to scream out for him. Speaking of: Pete as Michael Avenatti. Why is the cold open extending its focus and muddling what its conceit is?
— And now Michael Keaton’s appearing as Julian Assange. As much as I adore his last hosting stint, he certainly doesn’t need to be here, nor is he adding anything to the cold open aside from doing that stupid little thing these political celebrity cameos do where they make a winking reference to the actor’s career (De Niro doing Meet the Parents, Matthew Broderick doing Ferris Bueller, or in this case, Michael paraphrasing from Batman). Further proof this is the dress recording of the cold open, though: Keaton absolutely BOMBED with the audience from the live show, which I recall being insanely tough across the rest of the episode. We’ll see how things continue.
— Woof at Michael’s “WikiLeaks” pun.
— Melissa marginally saves this with her brief walk-on as 6ix9ine, but overall, despite a decent start to the cold open, this thing fell apart as soon as the show took it as an opportunity to round up as many stray news stories as possible across the past week. This just felt overwrought.
STARS: ** 

MONOLOGUE
castmembers scramble to make host feel special during her 4th SNL gig

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— First thing about this monologue, Emma Stone “tests the sound levels” by announcing BTS as the musical guest, causing the audience to scream louder than an audience has probably ever screamed during SNL. Man, what a bad omen for the sort of crowd we’re dealing with tonight.
— A fun premise to this monologue, with Emma Stone trying to downplay her excitement that the cast could be planning something to commemorate her fourth time hosting, then dragging cast members on-stage who try tricking her into believing they’d done anything so she’s not disappointed.
— Decent use of Melissa, wheeling her out to do some on-the-spot impressions. (Ash Ketchum, though… not the most relevant.)
— I absolutely love the ending, with Emma getting excited that Kyle is on the show tonight. (She even continues that excitement by reaffirming that he’s here in the middle of the commercial break segue.) It does feel like a bit of a jab at how undervalued he is by the show at this point in his tenure, but Kyle sells it with that brand of awkward excitement that he’s so good at.
STARS: ***

POSTERS
Krissy Knox & other poster models get highschooler interested in history

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— A questionable sequel to a sketch from Emma’s last hosting gig.
— Ego getting to do her fun, African accent for the first time.
— The choice of Emma using a “long, fat garden hose” isn’t anywhere as fun as her hot dog from the last installment.
— The twist of Emma playing her original character’s twin sister isn’t working any more for me than this sketch was before. It also feels like this sketch is milking Emma’s mannerisms far more than the last one did, and it’s revealing how thin the characterization is.
— Meh, the exact same ending as before. I enjoyed the original, but there was no reason to bring this one back. It epitomizes the biggest problem with this current era’s efforts to establish recurring sketches: the writing tends to be a lot more concept-driven, meaning that bringing a character back almost always means that the scenario that they were originally involved in gets rehashed near-identically without distinct, new variables to suggest any sort of development. What’s the point of seeing the same sketch again, no matter how good the first one was?
STARS: *½

FASHION COWARD
Fashion Coward is the clothing store for inhibited, unadventurous women

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— A solid, relatable premise to this fake commercial, taking the form of a clothing store for women afraid of taking risks with their fashion sense. If there’s anything that I feel deserves a lot of praise of the current writing staff, it’s that they’re incredibly good at working with humor that’s universal to some specific, niche aspect of life and filling it with absurd but on-point details.
— I love Cecily’s description of their products as “clothes that suggest the general idea of a person.”
— Cecily detailing the traumatic nature of a Kohl’s fitting room (“where your mother said something so harmful it seared off the top layer of your brain”) has always been one of my personal highlights for this sketch.
— I also love the detail of the fitting rooms emitting a knock-out gas if a customer takes too long to make a decision, followed by them being carried out by a “big, strong man” who ambivalently picks out the rest of their clothes.
— “Fashion Coward: it’s just Ann Taylor.” Perfect out.
STARS: ****½

THE VIEW
anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy (host) rejoins the bellicose panel

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— One of two sketches this season where SNL briefly revives its parodies of The View. 
— Something that’s worth commenting on is how nice it is that we can finally have a sketch centered around The View where every panelist is played by a woman instead of including male cast members in drag. I recall Whoopi in particular singling out how long overdue it was that she could be played by another woman, Leslie, rather than Kenan.
— Aidy’s Meghan McCain is my favorite part of these sketches (and notably, Meghan McCain’s least favorite). I love her introducing herself as “the princess of Arizona,” which sets the precedent perfectly on how obnoxious McCain is.
— A funny turn with the intense staredown between Kate’s Joy Behar and Aidy.
— Leslie’s Whoopi: “We are not gonna do this. This is The View, we are five best friends with nothing in common.”
— Emma-as-Jenny McCarthy’s anti-vax comedy is a bit too predictable for me.
— Overall, despite some aforementioned highlights, this sketch was too listless and unstructured to work super well.
GRADE: **½

HOBBIES
after invading host’s dressing room, MEV raps about her many hobbies

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— It’s fun to see Melissa carry a sketch like this for once—she’s been having one of her strongest nights in general across this episode, actually—though I have fairly mixed feelings on it. Maybe I’ll have a different opinion of it this viewing.
— I loved Melissa entering and immediately telling Emma about how good she’s gotten at self-care. She’s able to sell the awkward confidence that line needs perfectly.
— This sketch features a few animated aspects, which reminds me that this particular point in the season experiments with animation here and there, most notably in the “Daria” segment from the preceding Kit Harrington episode. I remember that it made me think that the show would attempt to do more animated content in general within the show a la “TV Funhouse,” though aside from a handful of exceptions (“Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles”), that never fully comes to pass.
— Melissa: “Emma Stone? More like I’m-a Stone, ‘cuz stones don’t have feelings, and that’s you.”
— A cute turn, with Emma going into a hardcore rap about her own hobby of maintaining a model town, though I could personally do without Melissa’s uncertainty towards Emma’s hobby. I feel like that’s taking away from the wholesome nature of the piece a bit.
— Alright, so here’s the thing: I absolutely love Melissa. I think she’s such a distinct performer and a sweet, wholesome presence that makes the show stronger to have. But she’s also a performer who has constantly struggled to find writers who can channel her voice into strong material, and this sketch is, sadly, not much of an exception to that rule. It’s very cute, but it’s not that funny or well-written. More than anything else, it’s a fine display of Melissa’s charisma that she’s able to will the sketch into getting over, but it’s sadly a mediocre piece overall rather than the badass song declaring her adorable wackiness that it was probably intended to be.
STARS: ***

LADIES ROOM
“Meeting In The Ladies Room” mistakenly convenes in a fitting room

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— A spiritual successor to the “Raz P. Berry” sketch from last season’s Donald Glover episode, featuring a spoof on an equally-esoteric song from the ‘80s: Klymaxx’s “Meeting in the Ladies Room.”
— I like the very spot-on recreation of the music video’s setpieces.
— Not getting many laughs from Emma, Cecily, and Leslie’s lines, but the sketch has a naturally fun energy to it, and I like the appearance of Beck as Cecily’s brother in his “electric dancing chair.”
— The shaky camera zoom-ins are giving me flashbacks to the “Deep House Dish” sketches, which I believe had the same writers as this one: James Anderson and Kent Sublette.
— Kenan immediately scores the first big laugh of the piece in his reliably Kenan way of walking on and shouting, “Hey, what the hell is going on in here?!”
— I can’t help but feel that the reveal that this is “a fitting room at Limited Express” is a bit niche, though maybe I’m just exceptional in having no idea what a Limited Express is.
— The material in this sketch is a lot weaker than “Raz P. Berry” and has largely turned into bathroom humor, but Kenan and everyone else is selling the absurdity of the situation well enough.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Boy with Luv”

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— Blue: Lots of screaming after Emma’s introduction. 
— I’ve never delved into K-pop myself, but it’s very nice to see a K-pop band receive this level of exposure in America.
— Starting off with some cheeky choreography from all seven members of the group. 
— The first singer, Jimin, is very confident and smooth with his movements.
— The second singer, V, is let down by the sound engineer—his mic is too low in the mix.
— Speaking of which, the recorded vocals are drowning out the live vocals at times.
— Now that’s how you do a strong chorus! The choreography here is very tight and fun to watch. I also love how seamlessly the lead vocals are being traded among each group member.
— I especially love the moments where they jump into the air.
— Great raps from Suga and J-Hope.
— Wow, I am loving this. “Kinetic” is the word that springs to mind. 
— More screaming for RM’s rap.
— Overall, what a joy—so much confidence and sheer fun onstage.
— Interestingly enough, I recently found out that the recorded version of this song features Halsey. If she’d appeared to perform this song with BTS, that would have been her third appearance on SNL in one season, which is rare for a musical guest.
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE
Carrie Krum’s Spring Break travel recommendations have narrow appeal

a mercurial relationship pierces the lovey-dovey facade of Nico & Brie

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— Another nod to the frenzied, BTS audience that’s currently filling the studio.
— Colin: “This Monday is Tax Day, so if you haven’t paid any taxes yet, you’re Amazon.” Oh, so now you’re biting back at Amazon?
— Aidy reprises her Carrie Krum character. I enjoyed her first appearance, but she’s never worked too strongly for me outside of that.
— Yup. Aidy’s performance is really charming, but she’s not bringing anything new. I wonder if she was rolled out again because SNL thought it might click with the BTS audience watching tonight’s episode.
— Ha, quite the interesting news graphic visual of then-writer Andrew Dismukes sitting in an infant car seat (fourth screenshot).
— Continuing my theory about the Weekend Update correspondent choices being specific to the audience of this episode, we get the return of Mikey and Heidi’s passive-aggressive (or maybe just aggressive-aggressive) Instagram couple.
— The “#flatearth” joke in the picture of Nico and Brie’s Instagram post is something I don’t quite know how to feel about. On one hand, it’s kind of a lame, overdone joke to clue us in on how vapid the characters are, but at the same time, I like that this segment didn’t devolve into anyone over-explaining how weird that hashtag is, because it gets immediately glossed over. I guess I’ll choose to give credit for the latter since it feels rare to see that in Seiday’s pieces.
— Our third BTS reference of the evening.
— Honestly, these Nico and Brie bits work for me pretty well; while Mikey would continue to tap into this well of characters as his tenure continues in addition to working with Heidi on Update pieces more, this stands out to me as one of his most finely-realized character pieces, bringing a specific energy to the show that feels rare to see of this current era. Thankfully, this is the final reprisal of the characters, though, with them even breaking up at the end of the segment. I don’t know if they’d fare well being dredged up beyond this point.
STARS: ***

ROYAL BABY VIDEO
Prince Harry (MID) greets guests on video of the royal baby shower

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— The second and final installment of those Mikey-led royal family video sketches.
— As with the last variant of this sketch, Aidy plays a British celebrity in drag. This time she’s reusing her James Corden impression, one which works for me in spite of everything about it. 
— The return of Alex’s fun Prince William impression, though he sadly doesn’t get anywhere near as fun stuff to do here as he did in any of his previous uses.
— Emma’s appearance in this sketch is alright, though as with most everything else here, it feels inferior to Fey’s character in the original. She’s selling it well, though.
— Alright, one big laugh from me due to Pete’s incredibly brief cameo as Ringo Starr passing by the camera (“Peace and love.”). 
— A very odd choice to have Ego play Meghan Markle’s cousin and not the woman herself.
— Aidy’s Corden re-emerging made for a solid out.
STARS: **

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Mic Drop”

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— Blue: Whereas “Boy With Luv” was a pretty powerful pop performance, here we see BTS taking a more rap-focused approach.
— Not loving these outfits.
— Strong rap from J-Hope. I like his voice here.
— Love the choreography on the chorus.
— Is Jimin singing his part on the verse live at all? All I can hear is the recording.
— Come to think of it, there’s a LOT of “why not sing the pre-recorded vocals?” going on in this song. Although considering the energetic choreography, I think I know why they’re not singing all the pre-recorded vocals. 
— Really cool aggressive rap from RM.
— Man, the choreography on the breakdown is awesome.
— Ending with an actual mic drop… I see what you did there.
— I didn’t like this song as much as the other one, but it also made me feel nostalgic for the sort of stuff I’d hear on the radio in middle school, plus I loved the visuals, so this is getting an extra half-star.
STARS: ***½

THE ACTRESS
(host) takes her marginal porno role far too seriously

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— Ah, fuck yes, Julio’s swan song as an SNL writer (co-penned with Bowen) and one of his greatest works!
— A great reveal that Emma, after her self-serious set-up as an actress out to play fully-dimensional characters in film, is cast as “the woman who gets cheated on in the gay porn.”
— Beck’s director: “Go put on whatever you want from the ‘woman bin.’”
— Funny little moment where Emma’s character slips on the floor and says, “Hah! Lube!” That clip also appears in the season’s blooper video with some laughter afterwards, which leads me to believe it may not have been scripted.
— I love how you can detect the true, observational root of this idea for Julio: Emma’s method actress character taking the miscellaneous, filler props in the “woman bin” and attempting to construct a compelling, personal narrative out of them as “Deirdre.”  
— Fun little trivia note: the actor playing the grandson is a real porn actor, Ty Mitchell. In the spirit of supporting independent artists, enjoy the free publicity! And apologies if this sends a horde of obnoxious comedy snobs your way…
— Emma suddenly digging into the root of her character when she walks in on her fiancee having sex with her godson is a brilliant moment, weaving a narrative out of the props from her bin across her character’s life. My favorite has to be the repurposing of the two batteries in the box as a gift she gave her godson on his 18th birthday (“I know how much you like batteries.”). Having all of that emotional attachment, too, before her character forgives them per the porno script, is such a great way to return to the shallow reality of the shoot. 
— Another great flourish: Beck disinterestedly telling a crew member that they’ll edit out her tearful exoneration.
— Overall, one of my favorite pieces of the season, and of this era. It’s very poetic that Emma could take part in one of Julio’s first big pieces as well as his last as a staff writer. Despite popping up to make occasional contributions (“Sara Lee” in S45, the cut “Beanie Babies” sketch from S46), his unique brand of pathos is dearly missed.
STARS: *****

CHALMERS RESERVE EVENT WINE
Chalmers’ (KET) & (CES) Reserve Event Wine is low-quality & high-alcohol

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— <in Abraham H. Parnassus voice, stabbing through episode with a cane> And now we RETURN the show to earth!
— Kenan and Cecily paired up in the same sketch? Could it be any wonder who wrote this one?
— You can rather clearly make out a pipe sticking out behind Cecily’s shoulder through most of this sketch. Or maybe that’s just me, because I couldn’t be arsed to pay attention to what’s actually being said.
— Okay, I do guiltily enjoy Emma and Kyle’s maximum-ham Italian accents.
— This was a sketch that happened.
STARS: *½

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— This episode was two fantastic sketches away from being a strictly average episode for the season. As with her excellent hosting gigs in the past, Emma was given a lot to do and performed all of her material enthusiastically, though the writing just wasn’t quite there most of the night. The tough crowd didn’t do the episode any favors, either. 

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

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And I’m sorry, but…

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
The Actress
Fashion Coward
Ladies Room
Hobbies
Monologue
Weekend Update
The View
Royal Baby Video
Jail Cell
Chalmers Reserve Event Wine
Posters

TOMORROW
Adam Sandler makes his triumphant return to 8H, as covered by Anthony

March 30, 2019 – Sandra Oh / Tame Impala (S44 E16)

by Matt

THE MUELLER REPORT
Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) digs Robert Mueller’s (Robert De Niro) report

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— Welp… looks like it’s my turn to put up with Mueller.
— Something that always annoys me about how these sketches are directed nowadays: if De Niro’s Mueller is reading from a letter during this cold open, why is he staring into the distance at cue cards? Why can’t he just read from, y’know, the physical letter that has the words that he’s saying?
— I do somewhat appreciate the format of this cold open and how it’s trying something a bit different—cutting between Mueller, Trumpwin, and Aidy’s William Barr as they disseminate and interpret the same basic information—but no amount of changing presentation masks the weak, watery-ass writing at the heart of it.
— Oh, speaking of watery-ass writing: Trumpwin singing Smash Mouth’s “All Star” for no discernible reason besides… funny?
— De Niro has been reading his lines lifelessly but dutifully enough that this is probably one of his better live performances on the show. High praise for Bobby!
— For heaven’s sake, why has Kate-as-Giuliani come into this cold open? Admittedly, the line about him actually being Rumpelstiltskin would probably get a laugh out of me in Update, but I’m tired of this sort of joke delivery.
— Yeesh, a pretty lousy LFNY for this cold open, with only De Niro’s Mueller being properly mic’d up, Kate entering the frame later, and De Niro missing the first half of the chant entirely. Not a good way to get the energy up for the show like it’s supposed to, guys.
STARS: *½

MONOLOGUE
LEJ helps host overcome her Asian-Canadian self-deprecation propensity

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— “I’m Sandra Oh, and if you don’t know, ‘Oh’ in Korean means, ‘Huh.’”
— Not too much to say about this monologue, but Sandra is coming off very enthusiastic and excited—the show already feels like it’s in good hands for the night. Leslie offered a nice assist as well without feeling like back-up.
STARS: ***

DISCOVER
Red (EGN) is Adelaide’s (EGN) tether & her Discover Card operator

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— A really fun combination of those identical twin Discover card commercials and the concept behind the movie Us.
— It’s really refreshing to see Ego leading this commercial pretape off, and she’s doing a fantastic job portraying her Us variant. I remember being blown away by her acting in this sketch the first time I saw it, having been unfamiliar with her work prior to being hired by the show; it felt like a window into her capacity, and it makes me all the more happy that we get to see that every week all these years later.
— Shout-out to the cinematography as well, which is adding delightfully to the horror-fueled atmosphere of the piece.
STARS: ****

EMPIRE MEETING
Jussie Smollett (CRR) fabricates attack to avoid being fired from Empire

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— The return of Chris’ Jussie Smollett impression. 
— I love Jussie reacting in shock to his “discovery” that he’s holding a “bag of clues,” and the premise is enabling some fun, stupid visual gags, but there’s nothing too special or unpredictable about what this sketch is going for.
— If nothing else, this is a great display of Chris’ comedic face acting; he’s cracking me up more than the material is.
— Jussie: “Oh, a Telly-Tubby?? And it’s the gay one.”
— Sandra playing a strangely thankless role here.
STARS: **

THE DUEL
“The Duel”- suitors (BEB) & (PED) repeatedly shoot (host) by mistake

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— Ah, the latest of SNL’s gore fiestas. I’m usually not the biggest fan of these because I’m very squeamish at over-the-top gore, but while I haven’t revisited this one since the first time I saw it, I think I’ll like it more than usual given the other concepts surrounding the piece.
— I’m immediately a huge fan of the 19th-century flavor here, which the cinematography once again does a great job of capturing. Feels like a rare sort of visual style for SNL to utilize.
— Hmm, it seems like the focus of this piece is shifting around a lot. On one hand, you have the joke of Pete and Beck’s dueling suitors (refereed by Kenan) constantly trying to shoot each other, cheat each other, or accidentally firing their guns, all of which redirect violently onto Sandra, but you also have Sandra chastely accepting the pain inflicted on herself as being secondary to the pan her suitors feel, deflecting any autonomy over the situation as a “lady.” There’s a curious satirical element that occasionally props up throughout the scene, but the fact that it never fully devotes itself to that angle leaves me a bit curious about what sort of perspective I should walk away from the sketch with, if any perspective at all—maybe the violence is supposed to be the ultimate point. I’m enjoying the sketch’s attempts at something a bit different, at least.
— A particularly sick visual of Sandra’s leg detaching from underneath her dress as she limps out of frame.
— Not sure how to feel about the overly-cartoonish ending of Sandra shooting herself and her body flying into the distant lake but points for being unexpected.
STARS: ***½ 

FUTURE SELF
teen’s (MID) future selves (ALM) & (BEB) love middle-aged weirdo (host)

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— This is a very Seiday sort of piece for sure, featuring Mikey as the befuddled straight man and some crazy character, but it’s always worked for me better than most. A lot of that is just Sandra’s acting as Tishy, which is both insanely improbable and something that she executes perfectly.
— I like the revelation that Tishy met Mikey’s character the night he got beat up, and she was the person beating him up.
— Another good laugh from the fact that even twenty years in the future, Tishy’s arm is still broken.
— The ending that Tishy owns Samsung and is actually a billionaire is pretty abrupt, though I like that this sketch tried for an ending; I don’t think she works as well as a Kevin Roberts or a David S. Pumpkins in terms of being enhanced by their enigma.
STARS: ***

KREMLIN MEETING
lack of Trump collusion calls Vladimir Putin’s (BEB) clout into question

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— I’m just gonna say upfront: this sketch is pretty bleh for a number of reasons, and I doubt I’ll have a ton to say about it leading up to a very crucial and exciting moment towards the midpoint.
— The central premise of this sketch, with Putin’s aides reacting in disappointment and shock that Trump didn’t collude with Russia, is alright for a good laugh but it’s proven to be very aimless. It does feel somewhat interesting for SNL to basically admit to the erroneous nature of all of the jokes it’s made of Trump being a pawn for Putin, but it isn’t reading as particularly introspective of the show.
— A major moment: writer Bowen Yang walks on as Kim Jong-un!! It’s not uncommon to see writers appear in sketches here and there, but this is the first time in what feels like ages for a writer to step out and play a pivotal role in a sketch akin to a proper cast member instead of merely a glorified extra.
— Bowen is making an amazing impression, even if he’s just quietly uttering Korean that’s being translated by Sandra; the way he’s able to express his demeanor through the language and make catty faces is killing me. I believe Bowen also went on to say that he learned his lines in Korean with Sandra’s help, which is all the more impressive.
— Overall, a nothing-burger of a sketch saved by a star-making performance from Bowen. When I saw this, I instantly knew Bowen was gonna make the cast next season, and as an Asian person who’s always felt unrepresented by the media he enjoys, that filled my heart with joy. That he’s gone on to become one of the most regarded and loved current cast members is just the icing on the cake! I can’t wait to cover some of his highlights next season and beyond.
STARS: *** (at least * for Bowen)

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Patience”

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— Blue: Strong piano chords to open the song.
— The lighting here sure is eye-catching, though I can’t decide if I mean that as a compliment or not.
— Oh hell yeah at the introduction of the percussion… this sounds like something you’d hear in a 70’s/80’s dance club.
— I love the wash of colors saturating the stage.
— Kevin Parker sounds amazing live, just like he does on Tame Impala’s records, although I can’t be sure if he’s genuinely an excellent singer or if the heavy use of effects is exaggerating his talent. Either way, he’s doing a great job.
— I like when the percussion drops out at the end of the first verse, so the listeners’ ears don’t get used to it and tune it out.
— Nice to see an actual conga player in the back.
— That fat, squelchy synth coming in on the second half of the chorus is really hitting the spot.
— Love the bass’s reentrance after the first couple lines of the second verse.
— Kevin’s now picked up a guitar, but it’s barely audible. The keyboard is drowning it out. However, I love the eighth notes that the keyboardist is playing, down in the bass register. I wish the camera would pan out so I could see which keyboardist is playing.
— All the synth sounds colliding into each other is pure bliss for the eardrums. I’m absolutely vibing to this.
— Kind of an abrupt ending.
STARS: ****½

WEEKEND UPDATE
Trump exoneration narrative has Jeanine Pirro (CES) head over heels

astronaut Anne McClain (AIB) claims to be fine with spacesuit snafu

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— Colin, regarding the mass happiness on Fox News regarding the outcome of the Mueller Report: “I haven’t seen Fox News anchors smile like that since ICE agents pulled into a Home Depot parking lot.”
— Continuing tonight’s strange theme of trying to bounce back unscathed from how much SNL was banking on the Mueller Report, Michael is doing a bit on Update about white people’s “toxic optimism.”
— The debut of Cecily’s Jeanine Pirro on Update!
— “Mama’s got one volume, and it’s three Chardonnays deep at a crowded party!”
— Even though I’m absolutely burned out from this episode on its Mueller material, Cecily’s selling everything with her performance, which is far overpowering any of the politically-oriented things she’s saying.
— Every Pirro segment at Update finds some fun way for Cecily to overreact to a piece of news regarding the president, but the simplicity of her inaugural flopping out of the chair remains my absolute favorite. Cecily is crushing it.
— Aidy’s Update piece as Anne McClain, the female astronaut who couldn’t go on a space walk because there wasn’t another female-fitting spacesuit, is a lot more enjoyable than I was anticipating it would be. Aidy plays a lot of pitiful characters but her performance here feels very different from the sort we usually see from her; it’s reminding me a lot of how Heidi would play a character with the sorts of ticks that she has. 
— “To all the little girls out there, I just wanna say you can all become astronauts. Just, not at the same time!”
STARS: ***½

LOUISE’S BIRTHDAY
for her 85th birthday, (KAM) wants to watch co-workers kiss each other

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— Kate in extensive old woman prosthetics. We’ve hit that weird point where sketches are seemingly written as an excuse for Kate to just play dress-up and go ham.
— The central joke of Kate just telling multiple people to kiss is, um… not great? I don’t think this is dreadful but this is incredibly pointless, and not in some absurdist way. It relies on the goodwill that the audience has in Kate doing her thing, and while I’m sure a lot of people who don’t follow the show as religiously as me and a lot of other diehard fans do, this just feels like exploitation of that goodwill to create complacent, indulgent material rather than to challenge us or craft something more nuanced.
— The idea is at least escalating appropriately, but I remain generally unsold because the aspects that are being escalated, like Kate taking out a clipboard and dictating more elaborate and erotic instructions, aren’t really advancing things into a more engaging place.
— Kate’s character dying and the other characters deciding to kiss after all is an alright ending, but the lack of commitment on that, followed by the close-up of Kate winking (apparently alive again) weakens it significantly.
STARS: **

CHEQUES
cheques are the form of payment most suitable for illicit transactions

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— Ah fuck yeah, a Julio sketch! (Also co-penned by Bowen Yang; credit where credit’s due.)
— Cecily’s commercial voiceover shift from light-hearted to aloof and melodramatic when the sketch shifts into its primary focus, cheques, is perfect.
— The dialogue is so quintessentially Julio, lovingly-crafted and painfully specific with that air of sophistication, and Sandra and the female cast’s acting in it is fantastic; we rarely see sketches that allow them to shift into this mode of acting, and it’s something I’ve felt Kate, Aidy, and Cecily have always pulled off super well when granted the opportunity.
— Oh, I forgot Ego was in this one! Great to see her getting into the fun, too.
— Sandra breaking down the blank spaces on the cheque is something I’ve always remembered very vividly. (“Here, how much. Here, the same, but in letters.”)
— I love the out-of-context dramatic scenes carried out by the cast, with other cast members fading in and simply uttering, “Cheques.”
— This is probably one of Julio’s lesser-remembered works, but as is standard for him, it is excellent.
STARS: ****½

ROOTS OF ROCK
1966 footage shows (KET)’s endless encores preempting blues singer (LEJ)

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— Kyle playing a role that he’s always been strangely capable of: that weird old guy who knows a lot about music.
— Kenan is, to nobody’s surprise, fantastic, channeling every ounce of his infectious, Diondre Cole energy into his role in the sketch. It feels rare to see a sketch these days that’s just willed into working out of pure energy but hot damn is it working. 
— I love how you can hear the live band playing immediately try to quiet themselves whenever the camera cuts back from the “archival footage” to Kyle.
— A fantastic reveal of Kenan hiding in the jazz band and taking over Leslie’s performance.
— God, I love how this sketch even has Kenan running around the studio audience! It’s weird to say for a show that is usually 70% live, but it’s great how much this sketch is really feeding off of the benefits of being able to perform a sketch live; it’s so high-energy and silly that it feels like a legitimate spectacle.
— I could honestly go for another round of Kenan’s show-stealing but the ending, with him running out and continuing the song next to Kyle “15 years later” was a fun little button. For all I know my enjoyment of “Electric Shoes” might be an unpopular opinion because this sketch features a lot of Kenan mugging, but I feel like he’s one of only a few cast members who can pull that off with this current cast and be endearing rather than draining. Perhaps it’s because I find he’s usually a more generous performer, and cutting loose feels like a treat from him rather than a tired expectation.
— All in all, an underrated, forgotten little gem.
STARS: ****½ 

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Borderline”

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— Blue: Great choice of sound for the keys. It’s just a piano setting, but I love its tone.
— Hey, that’s the second time this season we’ve seen someone using a Hofner Beatle bass! 
— I like this chord progression.
— Interesting post-chorus, with every other line alternating between a high, ascending series of notes and a lower descending series of notes. There’s something hypnotic about the repetition. I feel like I’m being put into a trance.
— Could do with more of the fuzzy synth eighth notes that appear every four bars.
— Just like in the first song, I’m loving the texture of all the synth parts together. It’s creating a great soundscape.
— Okay, now the post-chorus is starting to sound overly repetitive.
STARS: ****

TEST PREP
high schoolers give lengthy & dramatic answers to SAT test prep questions

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— Although this sketch is held down by another pairing of Kate and Aidy, making things feel dangerously indulgent, I enjoy the premise at play, with Sandra’s class answering SAT 2 prep questions with deeply personal, teen drama-esque speeches. It really is a game of trying to supercede their performances with the writing, though.
— The extra behind Aidy is acting way too hard in this sketch and distracting me a bit…
— Kyle’s speech as a football player is fantastic, and he’s far and away the highlight of this sketch.
— Sandra’s substitute teacher doing an emotional speech is a predictable way for the sketch to escalate, but it’s fine, if nothing special. 
— Kyle: “Wow, I guess I learned a lot today. But the thing I learned the most… was each other.”
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

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CUT FOR TIME: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
college admissions board favors familial connections over hard-earned academia

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— This sketch is clearly based off of the Lori Laughlin college admissions scandal that was going on at the time.
 — The first reveal of this sketch with them discussing Lou Ferrigno’s son “Johnny Ferigno” as a candidate isn’t too funny, but we’re getting the wheels greased up.
— I like how the photo of “Jackie Keebler, heir to the Keebler Elves’ fortune” features a hand in the corner inexplicably holding several hundred-dollar bills.
— Another great reveal that Jackie Keebler’s sole extra-curricular was “snails.” The characterizations from everyone up to this point have been fairly one-note (if enjoyable enough), so a lot of the humor for me is coming in from the peppering in of those sorts of details.
— Alright, now things are getting pretty delightfully absurd with the whole discussion over if an applicant with the last name “Jeffries” has a relationship to Geoffrey, the Toys “R” Us mascot. (Cecily: “Well, Toys ‘R’ Us is currently bankrupt, so I would say a donation from their cartoon giraffe is highly unlikely.”)
— A strange joke about how the college’s current mascot is the “gay Redskin.” I get how it’s poking fun at poorly-aged mascots, but it feels like a bit of an indulgent jab that distracts from the sketch’s overall conceit.
— Heidi, regarding a picture of an applicant’s face poorly photoshopped onto Stephen Hawking’s body: “I know I’m not supposed to say this about the applicants, but… would bang.”
— All of the college admissions board turning on the first applicant, who lacked any family connections, is pretty funny. (Kenan: “Listen to her essay: ‘I would be the first person in my family to go to college.’—it’s not a race.”)
— Aidy’s walk-on as the coach of the women’s crew team is a bit on-the-nose with the Laughlin scandal, but she’s doing her usual good, low-key badass characterization. I love her declaration that a horse is a “land boat.”
— I’m amused by Kenan’s voice crack when saying “Is this a trap?” and his little, acknowledging smirk afterwards.
— A surprisingly solid ending to this piece, with Sandra revealing that she’s part of the “Admissions Police” and putting everyone under arrest. I love Chris’ ending line, too: “You mean this whole time she wasn’t really Asian? God…”
— This sketch is a bit too long, but I feel like with the right cuts being made, this could’ve been a lot leaner, and ultimately a good addition to the episode. It would’ve been a nice way to add to the overall ensemble feel a lot of the night had.
STARS: ***½

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A pretty alright S44 episode, if assisted by one great live and pretaped sketch that helps it stick the landing. Sandra was an energetic and game host, though I wish she was served more material that utilized her skills. 

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Cheques
Roots of Rock
Discover
Weekend Update
(CFT: College Admissions)
The Duel
Kremlin Meeting
Future Self
Test Prep
Monologue
Empire Meeting
Louise’s Birthday
The Mueller Report

TOMORROW
John rides out the last wave of Game of Thrones hype with Kit Harington

March 2, 2019 – John Mulaney / Thomas Rhett (S44 E14)

by Matt

COHEN HEARING
at House hearing, Michael Cohen (BES) testifies to Donald Trump’s faults

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— Ha, during the first shot of the cold open you can see tonight’s special guest ducking his head so that nobody recognizes him prematurely (first screencap). Too bad he has such a distinct forehead.
— Ben Stiller appears in the cold open of this episode, after making his debut as SNL’s Michael Cohen impersonator in Mulaney’s first hosting stint. I’ve always found him to be one of the more palatable, out-sourced political impressions (big praise, right?), and it’s nice that Ben Stiller, someone well-versed in sketch comedy, has very good comedic timing.
— Hell yeah, Bill Hader!! Good on him for not making too many return appearances after leaving the show; he’s always a welcome cameo. Bill mentioned in an interview that he was already in the building for a sketch later on in the night, but after the Michael Cohen hearings he was so perfect for Jim Jordan’s role that he got written into the cold open as well.
— If it’s any testament to how legendary Bill is as a sketch performer, he’s able to sell a line as lame on-paper as “I’m so angry I couldn’t even wear a JACKET today!” perfectly.
— A surprisingly fun conceit to this cold open, with the various congressmen yielding Bill their time so that he can keep humiliating himself with what he’s saying.
— Kyle as Paul Gosar is hilarious and the prototypical Kyle character. He’s probably the part of this cold open that I’ve remembered the most, Bill Hader cameo notwithstanding. 
— Kyle: “If you lie, pants are fire. If you troof, pants are goof.” Ben: “Do you need medical attention?”
— The first fully-enjoyable cold open from the show in a while! If I recall, next week’s non-political cold open is even better, too; too bad that hot streak is two episodes long.
STARS: ***½ 

MONOLOGUE
host does stand-up about subway announcements & police sirens

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— As always, an incredibly HOT crowd for John Mulaney. There’s a string of woops in the audience for almost ten seconds after he starts talking.
— Feels a bit weird to hear Mulaney talking about how he used to do cocaine in light of his recent relapse, but it’s certainly not a strike against the material.
— Mulaney’s entire run about how his parents want his Jewish then-wife to convert to Roman Catholicism is phenomenal (“Don’t Google us!”).
— Another great story/visual of Mulaney’s then-wife pushing their dog in a stroller and getting into a stare-off with Woody Allen and Sun-Yi Preven.
— Yet another highlight of this monologue: Mulaney’s bit about the male and female subway announcers, and then his dissection of the city’s new versus old police sirens.
— Mulaney: “I was watching this old movie on Turner Classic Movies—because I was not an athletic child…”
— I love Mulaney’s impression of an old-timey police siren and saying that it sounds like “an old gay cat was dying.” 
— Mulaney’s monologues are some of my favorite from this era of the show, and this one may be his best.
STARS: *****

WHAT’S THAT NAME?
What’s That Name?- female acquaintances cause contestants to draw a blank

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— The return of a series of underrated recurring sketches from Mulaney’s time as a writer, co-written with Simon Rich and Marika Sawyer.
— As expected, Bill is killing it as Vince Blake. I love the devilish deadpan with which he goes from handing out $5 for correct answers to $250,000.
— Unrelated as it is, I love how Mulaney’s incorrect name guess of “Missy” sounds coming from his weird, old-timey Chicago voice.
— After Mulaney apologizes to Mikey for getting his wife’s name wrong, I love Vince Blake pointing out that he apologized to him and not her: “Guess you just don’t consider her a human being.”
— Aidy’s miffed delivery of “But Lil Xan you know” is strangely similar to Kristen Wiig’s delivery of “But Steve Zahn you know” from the very first iteration of the sketch (Xan/Zahn). I wonder if there was something about the way those lines sound that spoke to Mulaney.
— Vince Blake’s aside about how he rolls with “a crew of problematic bachelors” called “The Squad” is hilarious, and it feels like it could’ve been a last-minute addition to the script (in true Mulaney fashion) to trip Bill up based on how he almost breaks.
— Another killer digression in this sketch when Vince Blake criticizes Mulaney’s message to young girls watching, and then delivers his own to uproarious applause. I’m loving how much this “What’s That Name?” is deviating from the formula; it really feels like the definitive, end-all be-all version of the sketch.
— Vince Blake: “No, you’re not seeing double. There’s three women up there.”
— Another great twist on this sketch’s formula with Vince Blake giving Mulaney all the letters to someone’s name except for the first (_ A R A), leading to him shouting off a series of potential -ara names (“JARA?!”), only for her name to be one that he said but doesn’t get points for because he didn’t really know it.
— Vince Blake’s climactic announcement that the point of the game is “In a word: chaos” is the perfect, epic closer to a perfect sketch. 
STARS: *****

TOILET DEATH EJECTOR
Toilet Death Ejector gives elderly a questionably more dignified demise

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— I believe this was either originally a cut Mulaney/Rich/Sawyer piece, or one that never made it past the table read. It’s always a delight to see him dredge up his old favorites, even though I don’t believe that tradition has persisted beyond his first two hosting stints.
— Mulaney’s weird outfit is a far funnier visual than it has any right to be.
— I love the 0-to-100 visual of Mikey’s old man being violently flung by the toilet into his bed.
— A great gag of a “smart book” falling from the ceiling to imply wisdom. I especially love Kyle’s tearful delivery of “She was so wise.” after seeing a copy of Thoreau’s Walden on his dead mother (Heidi).
— Another fantastically-horrifying visual of several inaccurate, violent body launches.
STARS: ****

SHARK TANK: LEGAL EDITION
Shark Tank: Legal Edition- scandalous celebrities seek representation

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— Bleh. If I recall this is the one bad sketch of the night, but at least the good cold open up top sort of balances it out (even if this brings the episode’s hot streak to a screeching halt).
— The debut of Pete’s Michael Avenatti impression which I have no real opinions on.
— Oh yay! Kate’s insufferable Guliani impression! Great way to round this already-iffy sketch out.
— Chris’ appearance as Jussie Smollett is alright; I like Cecily’s Jeanine Pirro saying that she’s written Fox News fanfiction about “a gay black man lying about an attack.” He’ll go on to repeat the role in a sketch more centered around Jussie two episodes from now.
— Only two walk-ons for this sketch? Feels like it was majorly cut down, not that I have any complaints about that.
— I feel like this was set up to be a recurring sketch, but I’m glad that it ultimately never returned. It’s at least a touch better than the show’s usual political material, though it still equates to a lazy round-up of that week’s events.
STARS: **

THE UNKNOWN CALLER
“The Unknown Caller”- (host) menaces unfazeable pool boy Chad a la Scream

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— Another Chad sketch.
— Mulaney’s casting as a Scream-esque villain is unexpected but surprisingly fitting. There’s inevitably a lot you can do with that distinctive voice, which makes it a bit curious that Mulaney’s next two stints nail him down with a lot of olden day/classic movie sketches.
— Mulaney: “Tell me, Chad, what’s your biggest fear?” Chad: “Dick falls off.”
— A nicely gruesome visual of Mikey’s pizza man being slashed in the chest.
— While there’s only a certain height that a Chad sketch can reach and only so much that can be said, I think this is the most well-executed and interesting variant on the formula. I’m a bit bummed that future installments have stopped finding ways of topping the character, at least until his final appearance. 
STARS: ***½ 

CHA CHA SLIDE
(EGN)’s beau (host) fits right in at African American wedding reception

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— Something I really like about these first two Mulaney episodes is how much he seemed to make a deliberate effort to highlight the show’s newest cast members, what with how last episode spotlighted Heidi and especially Luke (even if his biggest piece of the night, and his entire tenure got cut), and with this sketch highlighting Ego. Unfortunately, that tradition doesn’t carry over noticeably to his next two hosting stints.
— I love the structure of this sketch, alternating between Mulaney interacting with his girlfriend’s extended family and dancing to the increasingly-absurd directions of the 12” club remix.
— Ha, you can see a church fan fall out of one of the background extras’ pockets early, though he saves it well. 
— A funny reveal that Mulaney and Chris were fraternity buds at Howard University.
— Leslie is a ton of fun as Ego’s aunt, and I love their conversation about the Starz network and her foot.
— A perfect out for the scene, with the wedding DJ giving a shout-out to Mulaney for producing his first mixtape.
— When I originally saw this sketch, I remember wishing that it focused more on the surreal changes to the “Cha Cha Slide,” but as I’ve watched it more, I’ve fallen in love with the slice-of-life feel to it and how much character work and commentary there is in the piece with Mulaney’s knowledgeable and respectful understanding of the Black culture he’s surrounded by. Sketches like this are an amazing reflection of how far SNL has come with both its representation and its ability to pen sketches about race that feel insightful and sweet instead of hacky. (All of the GIFs this sketch gave to excitable Mulaney stans are merely a nice benefit.)
STARS: *****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Look What God Gave Her”

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— Matt: Possibly the most uncharacteristic musical guest for a Mulaney episode we’ve ever gotten. I think it’s cute that they invited a church camp counselor to hang out for the week, though… if not cute enough to make this song not give me a headache.
— Blue: I remember being very confused, the first (and only) time I saw this performance, as to how Thomas Rhett is classified, musically speaking. The lyrics to this are reminiscent of a country song, but the instrumentation is pretty pop-y, and Thomas looks like he’s trying to pull off an alt-rocker look. I know now that he’s officially classified as a country artist, but I still feel confused.
— Catchy beat here.
— Tight harmonies on the second half of the chorus.
— I really love the diamond-shaped laser lights. Pretty much the only thing about this performance that I’m feeling very strongly about.
— Okay, I also love the rhythm guitarist’s sparkly red instrument. Can’t really hear what’s coming out of it, though…
— I had next to nothing to say about that. So bland.
STARS: **

WEEKEND UPDATE
clips of Donald Trump’s CPAC speech document his strange behavior

animals at Starkie sisters’ (KAM) & (AIB) meat farm are unsympathetic

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— After a warmed-over start from Colin, I really love how Michael is addressing the Cohen hearings by complaining about Cohen’s feigned vulnerability in comparison to Trump’s continued insanity. (“At least Donald Trump has the decency to slowly fall apart until he’s dragged off in handcuffs, like a boss. I mean, that’s how I wanna leave SNL.”)
— I liked Colin referring to Trump cringily hugging that American flag at the CPAC convention as a “patriotic #MeToo moment.”
— Ah, the debut of Kate and Aidy’s recurring Smokery Farms Update pieces. This was just before SNL got revved up with pairing the two in very indulgent sketches, and the novelty feels a bit odd to look back on when you know what lies ahead for the next two seasons.
— The premise of these bits, of Smokery Farms products only featuring animals that are “individually stupid and bad,” is good fun, and I love the listing of the various slaughtered animals’ misdemeanors. 
— So much of the greatness of this Update piece is the fact that the meat basket used for the bit, made with real meat, was left out between dress and air, causing it to smell absolutely rank. I don’t think there’s a better example of SNL’s aborted attempts to recapture the magic of something, though, than them choosing to rehash this bit two more times with that just becoming a deliberate part of the segments. This one works wonderfully because it’s truly unexpected, but when you make that a part of the game, the magic is completely lost, and everything becomes annoyingly indulgent all over again.
— The detail of one of their meat samples being from a duck “that could spell, but the only word it spelled was the r-word, and when corrected, it doubled down hard” has stuck with me.
— Michael: “R. Kelly has faced a string of financial problems including unpaid child support, although for R. Kelly, unpaid child support is also alimony.”
— An incredibly short but good Update.
STARS: ***½ 

BIG NICK’S BODEGA
(PED)’s pursuit of a gross bodega bathroom spurs educational theatrics

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— The second in Mulaney’s fan-favorite or controversial series of New York-centric musical sketches, depending on who you ask. I’m actually a sucker for these, even if I acknowledge some of the faults of the future installments (the lessened focus compared to the original, instant-classic “Diner Lobster” sketch), and even if I wish that these were kept as a trilogy without the souvenir shop variant from his S46 episode.
— I love all of the elaborate set-pieces here, and I’m a sucker for the bodega walls rotating to reveal the bathroom (a gigantic toilet flanked by Melissa and Cecily as singing roaches). Mulaney also mentioned in an interview with Conan that his bowtie falls off at one point in this sketch, and he has to lean over to pick it up to keep it from jamming the rotating floors, which you can see happen pretty quick.
— I’m surprised that this sketch uses such elaborate, timing specific word effects for the Oompa Loompa sequence given how much they biffed the timing on the sing-along ending of “Diner Lobster” in the live airing of the sketch. 
— It feels really odd to see Beck joining into the sketch-closing sing-along, even though he voiced the bodega bathroom toilet, considering he never makes an in-person appearance prior.
— I liked the cutaway to Alex as “the guy who doesn’t work here, just sitting and watching soccer.”
— Hell yes! Closing out the sketch with everyone walking off set is always an epic closer!
— Controversial as my opinion may be, while I don’t think this comes close to topping the simple brilliance of “Diner Lobster,” I feel like this is a worthy sequel. I’m not too bothered by its extended scope, and I feel like even though it eventually becomes about more than just the titular bodega bathroom, turning it into Pete becoming the owner of the bodega is a solid and fun turn for the sketch that helps it retain that epic feel.
STARS: ****

CINEMA CLASSICS
Cinema Classics- awkwardness followed Lauren Bacall’s (KAM) whistle flirt

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— Kenan’s Reese D’What is as much of a joy as always. 
— I got a good laugh from Mulaney and Kate’s incredibly stiff kissing.
— The conceit of this sketch being Lauren Bacall’s character from To Have and Have Not not knowing how to whistle and failing several ways is a very flat premise, and the idea of a sketch becoming a Kate mugfest is also something worthy of a certain level of dread, but against all odds, this is a sketch that’s always worked for me. I feel like I couldn’t begin to explain why, but something about Mulaney’s straight man work and the number of ways that Kate fails to whistle, and how they escalate, keeps the piece feeling energized and silly at every step in an overwhelmingly good way.
— Something about Kate re-entering the scene and saying “Hi it’s me again, just from before” kills me. 
— I’m usually not the biggest fan of sketches with Kate having a random, uncharacteristic bit of reality subtext acknowledge Kate being gay, but I thoroughly enjoyed it in this instance as well. God, the baffling comedic alchemy of this sketch for me!
— Kate: “I just wanted to tell you that… you’re a little stinker, and if you want a little stink, you know where to find me. You just follow that nose all the way down to that stink… I should go to school.”
STARS: ****½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time”

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— Blue: Ugh, those opening lyrics…
— Having a brass section onstage shows some promise. I can’t wait to hear them.
— The backing vocals and the organ are really lifting up the chorus. And of course, the brass is a welcome addition to the song! They could be mixed a little higher, though.
— Nice spotlight on the first backing vocalist, as she steps forward to sing part of the second verse. I don’t like that the other backing vocalist is still harmonizing with her, though. 
— After the chorus, the second backing vocalist comes forward to duet with Thomas on the bridge. Not sure why, but while the interaction with the first backing vocalist felt natural, this rom-com-dialogue-esque duet feels cheesy to me. She looks like she’s really enjoying herself, though.
— Thomas hanging onto his lead guitarist and miming the guitar strums during the solo is giving me a good laugh.
— The ending looks a little weird, with Thomas putting his arm around the first backing vocalist while all of them sing the final line. He should have come up behind them and positioned himself between them, as it oddly looks like he’s cutting the second backing vocalist out of the shot. 
— An improvement over the first song—I probably wouldn’t listen to this on my own, but I would definitely dance to it if it came on at a bar.
STARS: ***

IN MEMORIAM
a photo of SNL wardrober Margaret Karolyi marks her passing

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GOODNIGHTS

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— Aww, seeing Mulaney, Kenan, and Bill huddled together makes me feel so warm.

CUT FOR TIME: DIANNE FEINSTEIN MESSAGE
Dianne Feinstein (CES) is nonplussed by young climate activists and their teacher (HEG)

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— This sketch is a riff on a then-recent, infamous video of Dianne Feinstein providing a very prickly, combative response to young climate activists trying to get her to vote yes on the Green New Deal. While I tend to question SNL’s insistence on directly parodying something this specific, I’m going into this one with a bit more optimism, thanks in no small part to my review buddy John talking this one up—it feels like it could have more bite than usual.
— I think the little girl featured prominently at the start of this pretape would go onto play Stephanie Giannopolous in “Weird Little Flute” from Carey Mulligan’s S46 episode. I don’t think I’ve seen her in any other pretapes, though.
— I really like Cecily’s hunched-over body language as Dianne Feinstein. Maybe it’s just being so predisposed to seeing SNL just slap prosthetics onto her, Kate, and Aidy instead of doing legitimate impression work, but I dig how much it feels like she’s inhibiting the character here.
— Cecily’s excessively patronizing attitude is offering a lot of laughs, as well as her immediately asking for a do-over after she realizes she’s set herself up again.
— I don’t know why Melissa was cast as one of the kids in this pretape. I’m happy to see her getting any work on the show as always, but it feels a bit jarring given how much this sketch has been emphasizing the use of real kids, which I think is playing a huge part in how much it’s working.
— Little kid: “You’re mean!” Cecily: “Yeah? Well your dad wishes you were bullied more. Toughen you up a little bit.”
— The beat with Cecily interrogating Heidi, the kids’ teacher, was solid. These bits aren’t really escalating, but it’s also granting the sketch a fun, almost-improvisational vibe, and Cecily is selling every line perfectly.
— In an era where SNL’s political material is something to be dreaded, this was a sturdy, stealthy little sketch. I get why it would be cut from this specific episode even if it’s up to par with or better than a lot of the other material, but it would’ve deserved to be a part of any other episode. (The Mulaney focus of the night just steals the spotlight away too much from something like this.) SNL rarely goes after Democratic politicians this scathingly, but that also helps make this piece so great; you can tell that it’s not being met by the sort of blanket indifference that defines your average, obligated cold open. There’s actually a fiery passion to it that, combined with Cecily’s strong performance (no pun intended there), turns this sketch into a fine piece of character assassination.
STARS: ****

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A fantastic episode, and a quintessential one for this era of the show. It’s hard to say if this one’s highs reach the highs of his first, but this outing is more consistent, and yet again, Mulaney’s presence brings out the best of the show. Aside from “Legal Shark Tank,” I enjoyed every sketch from this episode and awarded very high rankings to at least half of the written material. Maybe that just makes me the easy critic around these parts, but dammit, I’ll stand by this episode’s strengths!

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
What’s That Name?
Monologue
Cha Cha Slide
Cinema Classics
Bodega Bathroom
(CFT: Dianne Feinstein Message)
Toilet Death Ejector
Weekend Update
The Unknown Caller
Cohen Hearing
Shark Tank: Legal Edition

TOMORROW
John covers Idris Elba

November 17, 2018 – Steve Carell / Ella Mai (S44 E6)

by Matt

THE INGRAHAM ANGLE
The Ingraham (KAM) Angle- Mark Zuckerberg (ALM) downplays Facebook abuse

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— Our second Ingraham Angle cold open within the past three episodes. I don’t mind them a ton, though; they at least feel a bit more lively than the usual Trumpwin recitations or cameo-fests because they have to generate their own material.
— Like the last Ingraham Angle cold open, Cecily reappears as Jeanine Pirro, which I’ve always found to be one of her more enjoyable, frequent impressions for these late seasons of her tenure. I think she works far better in Update correspondent pieces, though.
— Not a huge fan of these cold opens’ use of comically-incorrect footage or media to describe political events. Feels tacky to me.
— The return of Alex’s robotic Mark Zuckerberg impression, which I liked at the Update desk but haven’t found a lot of value in since.
— Leslie as Marcia Fudge’s commentary slowly turning into a stand-up act feels like an idea that should work on-paper, but the intentionally hacky things she’s saying are sorta compounding onto the already-hacky nature of some bits of the cold open in general.
— Pete vapes on-camera. I dunno what to say about his part of this cold open but that feels notable.
— Overall, this was another characteristically-long cold open for this era, but at least it was inoffensive and had some laughs. That feels a bit sad to settle for, huh?
STARS: **½

MONOLOGUE
NAW, Ellie Kemper, Ed Helms, Jenna Fischer [real] want The Office reboot

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— First-season writer Alison Gates makes her first (and to my recollection only) on-screen appearance at the start of this Q&A monologue. 
— I liked the joke of Steve asking Kenan if he was playing a fake audience member, and Kenan responding, “Believe me, dude, if I was acting, you would know it.” I also always enjoy a mention of his old work on Nickelodeon, which I’m glad he’s lightened up on more in recent years.
— The concept of a bunch of Steve’s old Office co-stars (Elle Kemper, Ed Helms, and Jenna Fischer) prodding at him about a potential reboot is just okay and quite pandering; it definitely feels like a premise designed more for the room than the audiences back home with how cameo-heavy it is, and the beats it’s hitting are becoming repetitive.
— NANCY WALLS! I completely forgot she made an appearance in this monologue, and I’m always happy to see her appear on the show as she did in Steve’s last episode. Interesting to see Steve’s kids, too. Feels like we rarely actually see hosts’ kids when they’re in attendance.
— Alison Gates walking on-stage when Steve calls for his cast mates gave me a solid laugh.
— A nice touch with the SNL band playing into the commercial break with the theme from The Office.
STARS: **½

DUMB DAD
kids of dumb (host) fail to clue him in on their family’s dissolution

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— If I recall correctly, this is the first of basically an entire night of Steve playing dumb dads in very indifferently-written material.
— There’s a theoretically-interesting idea in Steve’s kids revealing that his wife divorced him, but both the framing of that idea with the extensive, over-explanatory dialogue amongst his kids, and the fact that said joke eventually gets diverted to Steve just being generally stupid, keeps the premise from really becoming a strong character piece.
— They couldn’t have put make-up over Pete’s heavily-tattooed fingers (third screencap)?
— Yep, this sketch feels like there’s a lot of missed potential.
STARS: **

A MESSAGE FROM JEFF BEZOS
Jeff Bezos (host) repeatedly trolls Donald Trump via Amazon initiatives

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— God, I really don’t like this premise of SNL using Jeff Bezos to dunk on Trump as if he’s some supremely better figure, though I guess they’re exercising the same warped reflexes that would lead to them deciding to allow another billionaire, Elon Musk, to host two seasons later.
— Yeah, I’m really not liking this at all. Steve is doing fine with the material, and it’s interesting to see a sketch with the host as the only performer, but all of the jokes are incredibly questionable and feel like they’re on the absolute wrong side of history.
— What’s the joke of Steve’s Bezos walking past photos of him being besties with Kanye West, Kim Jong-Un, and Putin?? I get the idea of a slam being that he’s closer to them than Trump is, but if that’s the case, why is this sketch still trying to hammer Bezos forward as some sort of hero?
STARS: *

THANKSGIVING SONG
(host) & (CES) sing odd & obscure Turkey Day song at Thanksgiving meal

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— The fourth installment of Anderlette’s “What is that song? Stop playing that song. We don’t know that song. Oh wait, we do know that song! Let’s sing that song!” sketches. I don’t loathe these as much as a lot of other people do, but I also don’t know why the formula has been used so many goddamn times.
— This is also coincidentally the second Thanksgiving episode in a row where someone has mentioned, and attempted to rectify, the lack of any Thanksgiving songs (last season’s Chance episode being the first).
— When Steve pulls a synthesizer out of the closet and Kenan says it probably doesn’t have any batteries, Cecily mentions that she has new AA batteries for it, but can never be seen ‘putting them in.’ Why even make a point of mentioning that sort of specific beat in the sketch?
— The sexual lyrics in the song feel a bit desperate.
— I at least like Kenan’s weird, Jean Valjean-esque singing of the Thanksgiving song, even if the sketch, so far, is as formulaic as they come, and I’m indeed starting to feel the crushing fatigue of this idea.
— Honestly, maybe I have terrible takes, but this sketch is salvaging itself somewhat with the weird flourishes it has towards its ending; I really liked Steve’s delivery of “She was the love of my life,” and the detail of Beck being stabbed by Cecily. With that being said, it’s not doing nearly enough to make up for how by-the-numbers the rest of this was. Really not looking forward to reviewing the latest reiteration of this idea (in Dan Levy’s S46 episode).
STARS: **

RBG
rappers (PED) & (CRR) live & ride for resolute Ruth Bader Ginsburg (KAM)

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— The third Pete/Chris music video sketch this season.
— A very meh conceit to this music video, and another instance of this era’s tendency for painting RBG out as some badass figure. It’s at least interesting to see a sketch where Pete and Kate are interacting heavily with each other, though, which feels like such a rarity.
— A very what-the-fuck visual of RBG having a muscular, tattooed chest (fifth screencap).
— I’ve always found Pete and Chris’ songs to be pretty hit-and-miss with their joke lyrics, especially in comparison to both the Lonely Island’s work or Kelly/Schenider’s more recent musical pretapes, but this one feels especially iffy. The lines feel very fillery and most of the audience’s laughs are coming more from the visuals than anything else.
STARS: *½

NASA TV
space station accident makes NASA broadcast to schoolkids traumatizing

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— Some fun mime work from Chris, Leslie, and Mikey pretending to be in the International Space Station.
— Ego makes her only appearance of the night as the first caller in this sketch, a role with no room for comic interpretation. It feels weird to reflect on her humbler beginnings considering how much she’s grown to become a reliable player in the show.
— Ha, a hilarious initial reveal of the dark, main conceit of this sketch, with a freeze-dried monkey floating across the screen and Mikey tentatively grabbing it and hiding it with an aghast facial expression.
— Another horrific laugh from Steve snapping another monkey’s arm off. 
— The execution of the cat’s face reveal is such a unique sketch beat for this era; I really love the slow build to the reveal of its sucked-in face during a brief intermission. It sort of asks for patience from the audience, something the rest of tonight’s sketches have been lacking.
— I’m usually pretty hard on Leslie as a performer, but she’s really working for me here. Her acting here is so contained but simultaneously keys into her shtick perfectly with the sort of baffled facial expressions and one-liners she deploys.
— The escalation to this sketch is both great and being wonderfully-executed by everyone involved! After such a mediocre run of underbaked and questionable sketches, this one feels so refreshing. Unfortunately, it also goes on to be the only real gem of the night, if my memory serves me.
STARS: ****½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Boo’d Up”

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— Blue: I really love Ella’s look, with the big hair and the silver jacket.
— Those vibey soul synths are always a good addition to any song.
— I love the texture that the cymbals are adding to the intro.
— Ella’s voice is smooth and her sense of pitch is great.
— The piano chords supporting the vocals are a nice touch.
— Ella’s vocal runs in the second verse could have been stronger.
— I love the synths leading up to the second chorus.
— Surprised to see the backing vocalists onstage, as their vocals sounded pre-recorded.
— Our third instance this season of “why not sing the pre-recorded vocals?”
— Fantastic drumming at the end.
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE
congressman-elect Denver Riggleman (MID) reads from his Bigfoot erotica

boasting LaVar Ball (KET) thinks he should be the coach of the Lakers

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— Eesh, carrying over from the Jeff Bezos sketch from earlier, Colin’s takes on the Amazon HQ opening in Queens are absolutely terrible. I like his and Michael’s work at the desk a lot and consider it to be the most reliable aspect of the show for the most part in these seasons, but this is definitely the sort of material that makes me get the distaste some people have for Colin, with his comments about how only New Yorkers would complain about 25,000 new jobs at Amazon coming across as super disconnected and privileged.
— I’m loving Mikey’s correspondent piece as Denver Riggleman, an elected congressman who got in the news for publicly posting Bigfoot erotica. I get how some people would consider the premise rather hacky and thin, but Mikey is selling it really well, and I like all of the weird nuance he’s imposing onto his work as defense for his actions.
— A really fun turn to the commentary when the set is basked in mood lighting, piano music plays, and suggestive imagery pops up on screen as Mikey reads his erotica. I also love his occasional interruptions as he gets in the moment and tells Michael about how good it’s getting.
— Kenan makes another appearance at the Update desk as LaVar Ball, an impression that I find pretty enjoyable, even if I don’t have a ton to say about it. I feel like it suffers from how by-the-numbers his commentaries are, but Kenan sells it with his energy, and it can be a nice shot in the arm if an episode is struggling.
STARS: **½ 

SLUMBER PARTY
teen dropout’s (HEG) friend’s (AIB) dad (host) is guardian angel crooner

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— Steve in his second dad role of the night.
— I like the very off-kilter set-up to this sketch already. It’s definitely one of those ideas that has you scratching your head wondering how it even came into fruition, but not in a bad way so much as a “writer’s absurd pet project” way.
— Aidy’s baffled straight man work is something that she could do in her sleep by this point in her tenure, but it’s working well here. The premise risks being one of those sketches that just deconstructs some weird trope, but there’s enough character details as she interrogates her father (Steve) about his whereabouts that it’s hitting for me.
— Kate: “What’s happening?” Aidy: “Oh, my dumbass dad tried to sing at Sammy, it SUCKS.”
— Aidy: “Who the hell are these women?!” Steve: “They’re nice ladies that I’ve met!” Aidy: “Wow, that is such a bad answer.” 
— I love Steve offering Aidy the gun in his car if she stays quiet about his living situation to her mother.
— Overall, this isn’t a well-remembered sketch at all, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Trip”

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— Blue: Theatrical staging here, with a chain-link fence separating Ella from her band, and a park bench set up in front of it.
— Another great vocal performance from Ella. I haven’t heard the recorded version of this song but I can imagine she sounds just the same on the record.
— As for the backing vocalists, though, I don’t really like the effects on their voices.
— More fantastic drumming after the second chorus.
— The drums and the synth are meshing very well.
— While that song didn’t grab me enough to want to seek it out and listen to it, I certainly wouldn’t change the station if it came on the radio.
STARS: ***

RV LIFE
(host)’s wife (HEG) eventually admits she hates their new RV lifestyle

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— Steve’s third dad role of the night.
— Very unsure of how to feel about this divisive sketch. I feel like it’s going for a slice-of-life vibe which should be admirable, but it’s not really clicking. As much as I think Heidi is an amazing performer, too, I’m finding her acting here to be far too ticky, especially against everyone else’s very grounded performances.
— There are a few laughs from Heidi’s neglect, and I liked her line about how dogs can punch you, but it also feels like it’s almost too much of a bummer premise to work with.
— Yeah, the turn with Heidi confessing that she’s miserable and hates her new living arrangement feels way too uneasy, even if it’s a theoretically good note for this sketch to end on.
STARS: **

SPACE THANKSGIVING
sentient cornel of kern (PED) complicates outer space Thanksgiving meal

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— Hoo boy, time for an infamous, confusing trainwreck of a sketch. Hopefully I can try to break down how this derails.
— Immediately, something goes strangely wrong, with a prop gun falling from somewhere below the table when Kenan and Melissa enter, causing them to stifle laughter. The sketch plays out as it’s supposed to (I’m assuming) for the next few minutes, though that snafu causes some… issues later.
— On the topic of the sketch itself: good GOD, this is deathly. I feel like in some distant reality I can get the appeal of it, and I can see it killing at table read for being as inane as it is, but none of that transfers into the live performance AT ALL. For all of the weirdness on display, none of it registers as particularly funny so much as tryhard and needlessly convoluted.
— Alright, NOW things get legitimately baffling. Steve and the others huddle together, seemingly to agree on executing some plan to save the “Kern”… but then the scene loses that angle entirely when they decide to just continue eating the kern instead. (As soon as Steve announces that they’re going to eat the kern, Melissa suddenly looks very lost [third from last screencap], leading me to believe his “HELL YES!” was improvised.) This also prompts a clearly unscripted cut to Pete’s face as the Kern without a chroma key effect on it (second from last screencap), causing everyone to break. THEN, Kenan says a clearly unscripted “Bye bye” before everyone proceeds to eat the kern, where the sketch abruptly ends. So what does SNL do to rectify this weird, aborted ending to the sketch for its official upload to YouTube? It fixes the chroma key error and NOTHING ELSE! I’ve read from people who attended the dress rehearsal that the gun which fell at the very start of the sketch was supposed to come into play with Steve using it to shoot off the alien “Klergs” and save the Kern, but if that’s the case, why was there literally no attempt at picking up the prop given that it was so close to the performers and there would have been multiple opportunities to retrieve it?! It’s also been theorized that this sketch was heavily edited down during the live show because it was running long by the writer (presumably James Anderson), but whatever changes got lost in translation on top of the gun prop fuckery.
— That confounding, aborted ending is basically the only thing that makes this sketch something of a curiosity; it feels so rare to see a sketch cave in on itself so badly that it’s hard to tell what exactly went wrong and how. With that being said, that was also ironically the best thing that could’ve happened here, because if this sketch played out seamlessly, it would’ve been even more of a fucking doozy.
STARS: *

GPYASS!
GPYass!- navigation is drag-themed; Peppermint & Jiggly Caliente cameos

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— The second sketch tonight featuring Steve and Heidi as a married couple.
— Hmm, I’m not super into this sketch, though I do think there is something strangely endearing about Steve and Heidi’s characters here in their very wholesome engagement with queer lingo. Curiously, of all the pieces from this week’s episode, this one was given an oral history in the form of a Vulture article featuring James Anderson and Bowen Yang. While that granted me a newfound conceptual appreciation, I feel that the sketch as a whole still isn’t anything too special in its execution. I wish I could get into this more.
— Speaking of: what’s with James Anderson writing so much of this episode? He apparently had a hand in “Thanksgiving Song,” “RV Life,” “Space Thanksgiving,” and this sketch. Unsurprisingly, too, all of those are sub-par at best and disastrous at worst.
— This piece also bears some interesting, historical significance as the first sketch on the show to feature openly transgender performers in its cameos from drag queens Peppermint and Jiggy Caliente.
STARS: **½ 

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— I’m not gonna lie: I feel like I’ll never have as much fun writing about an episode as I did trying to dissect this one. Not only is this an uncharacteristically rough outing for the show, but it’s got a strangely compelling energy to itself in spite of that; every sketch is very conceptual to some extent (whether or not it succeeds), there’s some iffy corporate brown-nosing, and there’s a classic disaster sketch to round the evening out. None of these factor into a good episode by any means, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a fascinating one. 
— Although Steve stuck in the same mode throughout most of the sketches he appeared in, he was a solid host reigning over some shaky material. I wish that he got some better episodes given his comedy experience as I feel like he’s never gotten one fully solid outing in his three hosting gigs, but you play with the cards you’re dealt.

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
NASA TV
Slumber Party
Monologue
Weekend Update
GPYass!
The Ingraham Angle
Dumb Dad
RV Life
Thanksgiving Song
RBG
Space Thanksgiving
A Message from Jeff Bezos

TOMORROW
Kabir covers Claire Foy

October 6, 2018 – Awkwafina / Travis Scott (S44 E2)

by Matt

BRETT KAVANAUGH POST-GAME
victorious GOP locker room celebrates Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation

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— It feels refreshing, as always, to see a cold open without any cameos in these seasons of the show. Bonus points to SNL for finding something of a unique premise with the subject matter as well, reporting from the Republican “locker room” post-nomination instead of one of its usual cold open formats.
— The debut of Beck’s doughy-faced Mitch McConnell impression. While I enjoy his appearance here well enough, all of his subsequent appearances (especially once SNL starts grasping at jokes about him being a turtle) will probably play out to diminishing returns.
— An extended applause break for Kate’s returning (and very meh) Lindsey Graham impression.
— Cecily debuts her occasionally-recurring Susan Collins, one of her more solid impressions in these later seasons. I also love Kyle loudly celebrating her being their only “girl.”
— Aidy additionally reprises her Rachel Mitchell impression; given how much it feels like this cold open is pulling from the cast of last week’s, I’m very much enjoying how different the context feels. Even if it’s still just an okay cold open, that’s leagues above where my expectations are set with this stuff, and there’s some decent bite to this piece.
— Fun, brief appearance from Alex’s Chuck Schumer getting a nut tap from Joe Manchin (the one Democrat who voted yes on Kavanaugh).
— A very inspired background detail of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” playing in the locker room.
STARS: ***

MONOLOGUE
Asian but not-rich host thanks Lucy Liu for inspiring her

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— Awkwafina: “I was gonna come out dressed like a water bottle, but… apparently someone did that last week.”
— This is the first of this season’s many solo monologues, a trend that will continue into present day to occasionally mixed effect. Awkwafina is coming off incredibly charming here, though, and I enjoy the conversational, comfortable tone she’s bringing to the material. This also notably marks the first bit of then-writer and future cast member Bowen Yang’s material to make it into the live show.
— A cute moment when Awkwafina acknowledges one audience member laughing particularly hard at one of her jokes.
— I feel like at this point I should mention why I was so eager to immediately jump at the chance to review this episode, especially considering its relatively low standing among fans of the show. This is an incredibly meaningful episode to me because it was an episode that I was fortunate enough to attend the live taping of through the standby line, and you can even see me in the audience here:

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— But the reason I went to see this show in the first place is because, as a Chinese-American, I felt like I had to be there for the first time I could see someone like me host the show since Lucy Liu almost 18 years before. I also couldn’t help but be struck by Awkwafina’s heartfelt recounting of how, when Liu hosted, she waited outside of 30 Rock just to be near the building when it happened. The fact that I could do the same for her, and that I actually got into the episode, was an experience that I will never forget; most poignantly, I remember tearing up a bit when that first photo bumper of her appeared before the post-monologue sketch, and how everything hit me at that moment. With that being said, for however deep my nostalgia for this episode is, I’ll try to evaluate it fairly, and while I have my biases, I hope to justify them intelligently. 
STARS: ***½

LATE NIGHT BATTLE
(host)’s squad wins dance battle by busting moves to game show themes

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— Kate seems to be making an interesting character choice as “Baby Tooth” in basically emulating Kyle’s voice and physicality, but it’s coming across as pretty fun and I like her lines.
— Kenan, as always, is able to sell any weird bit of dialogue, and I’m particularly tickled by his digression of their dance being served with a side of “amuse-bouche.”
— I find the conceit of the sketch, with Awkwafina’s dance crew dancing to classic game show themes, to be amusing but fairly one-note. I can’t help but feel like the material would work better if there was more organized choreography, because it feels like the stage directions lack the sort of commitment to make this one land as hard as it theoretically could. Some of the individual performances are offering laughs, though, especially Chris’, Kenan’s, and Leslie’s.
— Travis Scott makes a cameo at the end of this sketch, and against all odds, he manages to elevate everything significantly by being unfathomably committed, especially his amusing, erm, T-rex arm dance during the Match Game theme.
STARS: ***

CRICKET WIRELESS
Cricket Wireless customers are spared from Presidential alert messages

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— The material of this sketch is pretty low-hanging fruit, but I honestly find the sketch’s approximations of Trump tweets, relayed as presidential alerts, far funnier coming from cast members than Trumpwin. The format is allowing them to land for me pretty well.
— I absolutely love the presidential alert saying “September 11th was almost a month ago,” and Leslie’s bewildered and underplayed reaction of, “Is that even information?”
— The reveal of the entire pretape being an ad for Cricket Wireless, because their phones are so bad that they don’t even receive the alerts, is an inspired and perfect out.
STARS: ****

THE HIDDEN TALES OF EGYPT
The Hidden Tales of Egypt- (host) molds Cleopatra’s (CES) trademark look

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— Minor personal tidbit: I sat right above this sketch and spent the majority of it reading ahead of the cue cards. I was also bummed to discover that during the commercial break cut back to the studio, a piece of cloth suspended over the set for lighting effects completely obstructed me, haha.
— Fun, quick joke of a show on the History Channel called “World War II: Lost in New York.”
— The pun-laden dialogue is very hit-and-miss, but there are some enjoyable gags. I especially like Cleopatra ordering a vase that she was painted on “deleted” because it looks unflattering, as well as the way that Kenan threw it on the ground. With that being said, I don’t think the anachronistic nature of the sketch is something that has a ton of legs.
— Perhaps one of the more interesting notes about this sketch is the insanely quick make-up job that gets done on Cecily’s Cleopatra. SNL’s YouTube channel would later post a video about the make-up department showing how this was accomplished by frantically applying a rubber stamp fit to Cecily’s face during the sketch’s brief cutaway. 
— I understand what Alex’s appearance as Julius Caesar is making fun of but his bit didn’t land a ton for me.
— This one had its moments, but nothing to write home about.
STARS: **

TED CRUZ RALLY
at a rally, uncharismatic Ted Cruz (BEB) is a walking disaster

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— Beck takes over the Ted Cruz impression from Taran. His take isn’t any more compelling, though his casting feels right and I’m enjoying his conceptualization here as a horrifically uncharismatic black hole.
— A good gag with Cruz’s microphone falling apart in his hands, causing his voice to come through as heavily distorted.
— Another delightfully gross gag, with the confetti cannon shooting at a slimy lump of confetti that splats onto the floor.
— That’s all? I really enjoyed the direction of the sketch and all of its bits, but it feels like it went by way too quick and could have afforded to find more ways of highlighting Cruz’s lack of appeal. This could’ve been a real gem if it escalated some more.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest, John Mayer & Kevin Parker [real] perform “Skeletons”

musical guest, John Mayer & Kevin Parker [real] perform “Astrothunder”

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— Blue: Hello, autotune. I guess it didn’t go out in the late 2000’s after all.
— Hello, Hofner Beatle bass, sounding very fuzzy.
— Hello… rotating carousel horse? Is that to make up for the lack of choreography or eye-catching visuals in this performance? (Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing—as I’ve mentioned before, sometimes flashy visuals detract from the actual performance of the song.)
— Here’s the second instance this season of “why not sing the pre-recorded vocals?” 
— I like the background “oh” part where I guess the chorus kicks in.
— Some of the synth work on “Astrothunder” is nice.
— Overall, this wasn’t really my thing; it bored me rather than entertained me.
— That was John Mayer on guitar????
STARS: **

WEEKEND UPDATE
truncated Law & Order clip simulates cursory FBI probe of Brett Kavanaugh

text scroll lists words the GOP can use to fire up its base

Donald Jr. (MID) & Eric (ALM) are stumping for pa Trump before midterms

after his post-SNL rant, PED recommends Kanye West change his behavior

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— The fresh news of Kavanaugh being confirmed to the Supreme Court elicits boos from the audience, which feels pretty rare to hear. Colin and Michael are doing a great job of tearing into him as their opening salvo for this Update; I especially like Colin saying that although Kavanaugh got the lowest number of yes votes for a justice in history, “it’s also the most yeses Kavanaugh has ever heard.”
— I enjoyed the recreation of the FBI investigation on Kavanaugh using an abbreviated Law & Order scene.
— Michael repeatedly using Trump’s description of the “scary times” in America as a button on his own jokes is a lot of fun.
— A hilarious subversion of this era’s comically-quick list jokes, featuring an incredibly long list of buzzword concepts the GOP will use to fire up their base, including “Gender-neutral,” “Catheter discomfort,” “Barbie dolls with careers,” “Lena Dunham,” and “They don’t let you hit the quarterback anymore,” all set to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
— The return of Mikey and Alex’s Trump brothers, a bit that never gets old for me. Alex gets a lot of hilarious bits here, like freaking out over a fist bump explosion and repeatedly trying to tell an offensive joke his father told him (“He does all the voices”).
— While the puppet Donald uses to distract Eric isn’t the best toy from one of these segments, there’s something oddly charming about it, and I like to imagine that Mikey plays with his kids similarly to how he engaged with Alex here given the sort of warmth that the character beat has.
— Pete Davidson appears on Update for the second week in a row to discuss last episode’s Kanye West incident.
— Pete: “A lot of people thought that Che should be the one to talk about Kanye, but we discussed it, because Che’s Black, but like I’m crazy, and we both know which side of Kanye is at the wheel right now.”
— Along with Pete’s commentary on Staten Island from the S43 Chance episode, I’ve always found this to be one of his best and most charged correspondent pieces on Update, let alone one of the best things he’s done on the show. The SNL nerd in me is already on-board with him doing commentary on the batshit, back-stage antics from the previous week, but his commentary throughout the piece on mental health feels both scathing and deeply personal, qualities that Pete has always excelled at as a stand-up. This feels like Pete at his prime in this format.
— Great comparison between Kanye West as a musical genius, and Joey Chestnut as a hot dog eating genius: “I don’t want to hear Joey Chestnut’s opinion about things that aren’t hot dog-related.”
— Another fantastic analogy between Kanye and an airplane pilot announcing that the real him is flying the plane.
— A solid ending to Pete’s piece with his “Make Kanye 2006 Again” cap, and a wonderful correspondent piece to end this Weekend Update on a high note.
—Heidi’s Baskin Johns character was cut from dress rehearsal; she would go on to appear in next week’s episode.
STARS: ****

SO YOU’RE WILLING TO DATE A MAGICIAN?
So You’re Willing To Date A Magician- contestant (host) dislikes options

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— Immediately, Leslie (playing the host of this game show sketch) flubs the name of the game show, making her casting as this sketch’s anchor very questionable.
— The character details in this sketch are great, as are a lot of the characterizations. I’m especially enjoying Kenan, playing a magician who keeps requesting his props back, and Kyle as a hipster cabaret performer—spot-on casting for both of them.
— Awkwafina as the contestant: “It’s a cool party trick.” Kyle’s magician: “If only one could be… invited to a party.”
— God, right after Pete’s phenomenal Update piece, his acting in this sketch as a David Blaine-type feels super sloppy. While I’m prone to finding his and Leslie’s breaking to be charming on some occasions, it plays out too much to this piece’s detriment given how much of this sketch is detail-oriented, and how much breaking impedes on their line delivery.
— Alex and Heidi as an incestuous brother-sister duo is enjoyable, if the least thoughtful of the written characters.
— Awkwafina stifles her laughter patiently when Leslie starts to break a ton, a nice display of professionalism from a fairly unseasoned performer.
— Loved the reveal of Kyle’s magician being the waiter on Awkwafina’s date with Alex’s character. (“Waiting tables is my side-hustle, m’lady.” “It’s his main hustle.”)
— Weak ending. I actually think this sketch, as written, wasn’t bad, but the looseness of some of its central performances gave things a very sluggish feel. If those had been tightened up, I think this sketch would’ve landed a lot better.
STARS: **½

BABY SHOWER
at a baby shower, (host) is protective of oversensitive & childless (CES)

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— Alright, so here’s a very odd sketch. I feel like nobody likes this one, and truth be told, when I was in the audience of the live show, I didn’t like it that much either, considering it to be the weakest piece of the show. However, I became strangely determined to find some merit in it, and perhaps as a consequence of my weird, Stockholm Syndrome-adjacent relationship to it, I’ve fostered a greater appreciation of it than most, so hopefully I can speak on that.
— Awkwafina gets to do her most involved character work of the episode in this sketch, playing Cecily’s dog walker, Dee Dee. I really enjoy her performance in how lived-in it feels, using Awkwafina’s comedic energy better than most of the episode has, and I’m amused by a lot of her character details (like randomly holding a slice of pizza throughout the entire sketch).
— I got a good laugh out of Awkwafina’s character aimlessly trying to punch the bundle of balloons, and then ultimately throwing a flower out of a vase.
— Awkwafina’s blunt delivery of “Put that baby in the bedroom” is hilarious; something about the weird specificity of that line and her complete seriousness gets to me.
— Leslie breaking.
— While I fully get and will not argue against anyone who considers this to be another aimless Anderlette piece, I feel like this one works well enough as a character study that it’s powered by a respectable level of realism and direction, as well as strong performances from Cecily and Awkwafina. I won’t lie in saying, though, that if I were less personally-invested in this episode, I’d probably have a far weaker stance towards it.
STARS: ***

THE PUMPKIN PATCH
“The Pumpkin Patch”- workers (KYM), (host), (BEB) had sex with inventory

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— Another minor note from the live show: I recall quite a bit of the studio cracking up over Awkwafina’s weird little walk at the start of this sketch, but it doesn’t seem to have come through in the recording.
— An… interesting premise of Mikey accusing Kyle, Beck, and Awkwafina of performing indecent acts on jumbo pumpkins. I do like that the concept of the sketch quickly focuses more on their admissions of the acts they performed rather than evading responsibility, though.
— Chris, as always, kills with his brief reaction shot as the groundskeeper who “saw the entire thing.”
— Beck’s character getting distracted mid-discussion by a pumpkin with a gaping mouth gave me a solid laugh, especially with the hazy filter applied over the shot.
— Although a part of me wishes that Awkwafina’s character could have been more directly involved in the pumpkin-fucking shenanigans—a very incriminating sentence to type—I do like how her character repeatedly tries to make assurances about the situation that reflect even more poorly on Kyle and Beck, especially regarding how Beck wore a condom when performing the deed.
— I could have done without the “Happy Halloween from SNL” message at the end of this short (as if this could ever appear in a holiday special), but I did appreciate the mock-sentimental ending to this sketch, with Mikey filling their car trunk with extra-soft pumpkins.
STARS: ***½ 

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Sicko Mode”

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— Matt: Some really cool visuals in this performance. I believe it was the That Week in SNL podcast that commented that Travis’ musical numbers featured the sort of theatrics we were expecting out of Kanye last week, which I wholly agree with.
— Blue: This performance is starting off in a more interesting way than the last one, with a projection of DJ Screw on the back video screen performing the song’s intro. I like the ocean wave effect.
— The song sounds more interesting, too. Still not loving it, but it’s decent.
— Travis is now rapping while lying down on a rotating stage prop. What’s with this guy and things that rotate?
— I love the unconventional angle of the camera shooting Travis from the ceiling. Always fun to see something like that.
— Digging the holographic images.
— Oh, cool to see Travis actually playing something, and that synth is a great addition to the song. I’ll give him a pass on not singing the pre-recorded lines this time since he doesn’t have a free hand to hold the mic.
— I enjoyed this for the visuals more than the music, but since I liked the visuals so much, I’m giving it an extra star.
STARS: ***

WOMEN’S ROUND TABLE
Debette Goldry compares her film indignities to those of the #MeToo era

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— The fifth and (as of 2021) final Debette Goldry sketch.
— Awkwafina plays Sandra Oh, who would coincidentally host SNL later this season.
— A particularly funny bit with Debette saying that there were many Asian roles during her heyday, and that she played all of them.
— I never have a ton to say about these sketches, but I think they’re among the strongest recurring sketches in this late stage of Kate’s tenure, and although they adhere very strongly to their format, it’s a strong format with a lot of killer details.
STARS: ***½

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— An episode without many strong highlights, but nothing too frustrating either. Even with the lack of any particularly winning sketches, there wasn’t a piece that didn’t have at least a few respectable moments, giving everything a pleasant if forgettable feel. Awkwafina was a solid host who melded well with the cast, even though she wasn’t utilized as well as I would’ve hoped. I’d be interested in seeing her get another chance buoyed by stronger material, assuming she remains relevant across the near-future.
— It was interesting to cover an episode critically that I’ve attended. I feel like it can be a bit hard or potentially disheartening to look back on such an exciting evening and reach the conclusion that, against the context of the rest of the show, the one I attended wasn’t anything too special, that can’t take away from the fact that I had an absolutely lovely, spell-binding experience. (There’s another episode that I’ve gone to since, though I opted not to cover it because I’m interested in seeing someone else’s takes on it. I’ll give a not-so-subtle hint about it, though: JM/DB.)

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Weekend Update
Cricket Wireless
The Pumpkin Patch
Monologue
Women’s Round Table
Ted Cruz Rally
Late Night Battle
Baby Shower
Brett Kavanaugh Post-Game
So You’re Willing to Date a Magician
The Hidden Tales of Egypt

TOMORROW
Weekend Update veteran and Late Night host Seth Meyers takes the short walk back to Studio 8H for his first hosting stint, covered by Vax Novier

SNL43 Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

One of the unique perks of working collaboratively with six other highly-talented writers is that all of us have our own opinions surrounding the show, as well as the stances and takes that come with it. I thought that it would be a fun idea, then, to take advantage of our different voices and individually share our thoughts on the season as a whole! It’s just a fun thing that we’re doing because we can.

This is a lot more laid-back and casual (or alternatively, a lot more essay-driven) than the sort of Stooge-inspired reviews we’ve been contributing to the site; we’re just gonna share our thoughts on Season 43 as a whole, talk about our favorite sketches, episodes, and experiences, and maybe even share some hot takes to re-roll on others’ evaluations! Vax has also generously calculated average episode scores, and we’ll cap everything off with a best-of selection of our favorite moments from the past season. Let’s roll! -Matt

ANTHONY:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: I usually lump 43-45 together as seasons of the show where I fell off of the show a bit. I would still watch each week, but unless it was a guest I was really excited about like Sandler or Murphy I would never watch live, usually watching the sketches on YouTube the next day instead. While there were a few clear highlights, a lot these years have honestly pretty quickly been lost to the fog. Revisiting it, this is probably the best season of the chunk I just mentioned at least. Obviously, the Trumpwin stuff is pure bile, with the back to back cold opens from Mulaney and Glover possibly representing the nadir of that for this whole era (or just, you know, comedy in general), but a lot of the other problems that would plague the next couple of the seasons (same-y feeling sketches, cast members sticking around despite having shown us everything in their toolkit, “how you do you do, fellow kids?”) are there this season, but in a much more nascent form. Similar to how season 18 has a lot of the issues that would plague 19 and 20, but still manages to keep things together enough for everything to still be fun. Get past the chillys in each episode, and you’re basically there with 43. Still think that Hader episode was pretty lame, though, give or take a sketch or two about poop and old man boners (because, if nothing else, I want to be known as a man of sophistication).

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: The Chance episode. While I still don’t go full 5 on anything there, I’d probably bump a couple ratings up (namely “History of Rap” & “Career Day”, which both deserve probably at least another half a star each). The whole thing is just such a damn fun affair. Chance storms in with this ebullient, kid brother energy that serves as a nice anchor for each sketch while never soaking up too much limelight—it feels like everyone gets some solid bit of business that episode, a sadly increasingly rare feat in modern SNL.

Favorite sketches?: I mean, all the sketches we gave 5 stars to? Which feels like a cheat, but I think everyone chose well. I do want to specifically note “Beers,” “The Race” and “Undercover Office Potty”—Ruby, who some of you may recognize from the comments on this and the previous site, referred to those 3 pretapes from this season as possibly being Beck and Kyle’s three best offerings, and after some thought I think I might have to agree.

Favorite episode(s)?: Mulaney wins this for me overall, but I do have to note the quietly excellent run from Haddish to Ronan.

Hot takes?: Although it was rated pretty highly by Kabir, I’d bump up “The Game of Life: DACA Edition” by about a star. It’s so rare to get genuinely strong satire on SNL, especially in the Trump era, but I think Julio Torres (a guy I can’t gush over enough, though I’ll try) seems to be one of their few writers who can actually leave bite marks. His “Through Donald’s Eyes” sketch is not only far and away SNL’s best sketch having to do with Trump, but one of the best, most fully realized pieces of comedy I’ve seen on the guy period. “Game of Life” isn’t quite that strong, but I think it manages to portray the hoops immigrants have to go through in this country in a way where you can feel the pure rage and catharsis coming from Torres without ever sacrificing the laughs (that expansion pack joke is gold).

I also don’t want to quibble too much with the guy who inspired this whole thing but I definitely don’t rate Larry David’s second episode quite as highly as Stooge, even if I do adore “Beers”.

CARSON:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: We’re in Trump hell. It’s like SNL had a bouncy balloon that they got to play with. Then Trump got elected and that beautiful balloon started to deflate. Now SNL is still throwing the completely deflated balloon into the air and saying “Wheeee!” in the hopes that no one notices. Of course there are bits and pieces that rise above the fray (Eric and Don Jr.), but SNL’s political material has never had a poorer batting average. We still have several years to go, so strap in.

If SNL is a show of upward trends and downward trends, seeing the most long-tenured cast in the middle of its run feels, even in hindsight, like a show treading water. We still get great pre-tapes and even some new classic live pieces, but this season really feels like nothing more than the SNL establishment holding sway. And that can be a great thing! I think SNL was at its best during Seasons 14 and 15 when the core group had hit their stride and were enjoying a sort of flow state with their comedy. That’s where we’re at here: everyone is kind of chipping along in the way they always have. Kenan’s the stalwart, Kate the star, Leslie the scene-stealer, Cecily the actress, Beck the everydude, Kyle the weirdo, etc. If you’re down with the formula, you’re down with this era of SNL.

Me? I can take it or leave it. I’m one of those fans who appreciates SNL as a renewable resource, constantly morphing into a new thing each season. We are in the era where SNL evolves much more slowly. This is essentially what the show has been since 2013 and what the show continued to be until 2020 (and what it’s striving to be once again). The “core” overpowers, new arrivals battle for scraps and straight roles, Pete giggles, Kenan reacts, Mikey explains. Round and round we go.

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: Despite everything I’ve written, I am NOT an eternal pessimist. I didn’t exactly get a treasure trove of timeless episodes to review during the 2017-18 season (Hart, Barkley and Schumer are nobody’s favorite episode), but I’m pretty bullish on the Tiffany Haddish episode (even if it was far from perfect), so I can’t complain. That episode had my sole five star review, so that would hold up in the traditional sense of what my “favorite thing” would be.

I think the most general surprise for me is how many pieces I had completely memory-holed in just a few years. I used to be absolutely encyclopedic in my SNL knowledge, but this era eludes me a little more. Seeing everyone’s reviews really forced me to go back and re-discover some real winners (Chantrix, My Drunk Boyfriend, Za, Google Talks, Natalie Portman’s monologue), for which I am grateful.

Favorite sketches?: Here’s how I would put together a 2017-18 Best Of special if I were so lucky to be tasked (12 sketches including four pre-tapes, plus all the rest):

COLD: George W. Returns (Will Ferrell) – An actually funny open.
MONO: Natalie Portman – Clever and ambitious, shows the cast.
COMM: Undercover Office Potty (Bill Hader) – Counting it as a commercial parody to sneak on an extra pre-tape.
SKETCH 1: Family Dinner (Sterling K. Brown)
SKETCH 2: Switcheroo (John Mulaney)
SKETCH 3: Papyrus (Ryan Gosling)
SKETCH 4: First Date (Gal Gadot)
SKETCH 5: Boo Boo Jefferies (Tiffany Haddish)
SKETCH 6: The Race (Saoirse Rosen)
WU 1: Eric and Don Jr. (Larry David)
WU 2: Pete Davidson (Chance The Rapper)
WU 3: White Woman Named Gretchen (James Franco)
SKETCH 7: Za (James Franco)
COMM: Floribama Shore – another cheap excuse
SKETCH 8: Marcus Comes To Dinner (Sam Rockwell)
SKETCH 9: The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air (Jessica Chastain)
SKETCH 10: Girlfriends’ Game Night (Bill Hader)
SKETCH 11: Beers (Larry David)
SKETCH 12: Diner Lobster (John Mulaney)

Favorite episode(s)?: I think I still might stump for the Tiffany Haddish episode.

Hot takes?: I was too nice to the Kevin Hart episode. I mean, I don’t think it was classically bad, but I probably skewed everything a half point too high. Nothing from that episode should have edged out Marcus Comes To Dinner.

JOHN:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: 43 is not widely considered a transition season, as no major cast members left (sorry, Luke), and the new arrivals who stayed (Chris and Heidi) have been quality additions, but have still often been in the shadows of many of those who started before them. There was also no behind the scenes chaos which early season 44 would become defined by. However, I would argue that 43 is still a very important season in modern SNL history, as well as a key transition season.

43 was likely the final roundup for a number of semi-frequent hosts (Kevin Hart, James Franco, Charles Barkley), and very possibly for some legends and past staples (Bill Murray, John Goodman, who both had showy cameo roles). Nasim Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer, underrated SNL ladies of the early-mid ‘10s, also returned for their (to date) only cameos. Then there are Tina Fey, Bill Hader and Larry David, each very important to SNL of the ‘00s and ‘10s in their own ways, and who have yet to host again. There are also the hosts who are likely one-episode wonders, there because of one show or film or another which will be a trivia question within a few years. That isn’t new, but is given an extra dimension due to increased diversity in the hosting pool.

There is also the heavier standup focus—David, Tiffany Haddish, Kumail Nanjani, John Mulaney, Amy Schumer—which continued the theme of past, present and future in this season.

The cast transitions are subtler, but still noticeable. This is our last season with Pete before he became a tabloid magnet. This is our first season with Kate, Cecily, and Aidy officially taking over the spot of longest-serving women in the cast, and where we see the real beginnings of Aidy and Cecily’s paths to Emmy nominations and more recognition in their own right, alongside the beginning of that strange navigating line of when Kate was “supposed” to leave for better things vs staying on the show (and the breaking point of just how many political impressions she could be is handed at any given time). Melissa, meanwhile, gets a number of standout parts, live and pre-tape, and feels like a full cast member—one of the few seasons where that is the case. This is our final season for Beck and Kyle as a real duo, with some last hurrah pre-tapes scattered across the months. Both have adapted to being spread across the canvas, but from this point on, any pre-tape will mostly just be a very welcome surprise.

Moving on to the newcomers, Chris makes an immediate impression with the creativity and artistry he brings to the hip-hop side of the pre-tapes (up to this point often dominated by white men), while Heidi has a highly worthy debut season, immediately notching her place on Update and also penning a number of offbeat, sometimes deeply melancholy sketches which make one think she would have been more at home 25-30 years earlier. Andrew Dismukes, who will not appear in the cast for several more seasons, also makes his mark with unusual sketches like “Fliplets” that test performers—and viewers—in a way many modern SNL pieces do not.

On a political note, this was also something of a last hurrah for the outsized relevance SNL received during the 2016 election season. SNL was never a show that was meant to sustain years of attention for political matters, and never should have tried. The show would continue to plug away with Trumpwin, with the cameos, and so on, but you can feel in the hyperfocus on Mueller and Stormy Daniels near the end of 43, once you get past how incredibly embarrassing the material is, that even they may have been hoping for a natural conclusion to what they’d been blamed for unleashing. Underneath this vague optimism, you also have sourness and defensiveness about these choices, put on display in one of the most dispiriting finales in many years. The season deserved a better ending than that, and so did we.

In some sense, the #MeToo moment which erupted in late 2017 served as a distraction from the above malaise. You can argue that SNL is no place to talk about misogyny or sexual harassment, and you wouldn’t be wrong, but there were a number of substantial pieces this season on the topic of the struggles women face, from centuries of violence and fear (Welcome to Hell) to the inherent phoniness of Hollywood being “aware” for awards show season (The Look). SNL can often seem like they are playing catch up or trying to fit in with the cool kids when it comes to tackling topical material, but this issue was, for the most part, an exception to that rule.

In my final thought on this season as a whole, I have to acknowledge Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther was a huge cultural moment few had anticipated, and SNL, which can often seem out of step with modern times, was very canny in getting him to host. No one could have known he’d leave us only a few years later, but capturing those memories is a key part of what makes SNL such a cultural touchstone of the last 50 years. As much as people will go back and watch Black Panther when they want to relive those memories, many are also likely to track down “the blackest Black Jeopardy ever” on Youtube, just to get to smile or laugh one more time.

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: I already went on quite a bit about it, obviously, but without the John Mulaney episode, I wouldn’t be typing this right now. Beyond my own investment, I also think the episode, overall, holds up well, and serves as a blueprint for what modern SNL can accomplish.

Favorite sketches?: Choosing not to mention any from my reviews here. As others have already mentioned Undercover Office Potty (which is probably one of the funniest and strongest things of all 46 seasons—and our only real chance to see Beck and Bill Hader shine together), I’m going to instead briefly mention a few pieces—Girlfriends Game Night (from Hader’s episode) where Cecily perched on Bill’s lap, trying her best not to break and very much failing, is a precious memory to me, Get Woke With Tamika (from Tiffany’s episode), which is a fascinating idea about disinformation and misinformation that is both helped and hurt by Leslie’s stumbling performance, Henrietta & The Fugitive (yes, Ryan Gosling breaks a lot, but in this case it’s very endearing and he and Aidy have a very natural chemistry), from Natalie’s episode, the utter, utter masterpiece My Little Stepchildren, Claire from HR from Tiffany’s episode, which is another sterling Cecily performance and a prime example of her easy chemistry with Colin at the desk. Another Update piece was the surprising and welcome return of Jacob Silj, getting a much funnier sendoff than he did in his previous appearance nearly 20 years earlier. There are also Beers, The Race, (both already mentioned) and Customer Service, a delicately written, tender showcase for Kumail and Cecily (let’s ignore who it is about in this one instance). Last, and far from the least, is Restaurant Complaint, which is the type of Anderlette (if this is them) musical goofiness that is right up my alley, and, in the close for Melissa and Chadwick, gives us one of the sweetest moments in SNL history.

Favorite episode(s)?: Mulaney, Chance, Rockwell, Ronan.

Hot takes?: Not to take away from Anthony’s review, but I just do not like the W cold open from Ferrell’s episode. This all felt like yet another example of SNL trying to whitewash its past, in a very convoluted way, using one politician they had given a pass to because they now had something to say about another politician they had given a pass to. There are some good lines, and a good central performance from Ferrell, but it’s just one of those moments where I can’t forget the past enough to not recoil.

KABIR:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: Everyone seems tired. I think the election and politics just sapped the show’s strength in this era. There was so much happening and so much to parody. Couple that with the endless cameos—only a few of which (Larry David) were routinely successful—and the show felt disjointed. There were many memorable political pieces, but the funniest sketches took an apolitical approach.

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: I only covered three shows (Donald Glover, Chadwick Boseman, Jessica Chastain) and they were all middling. I guess I would choose Boseman’s episode overall since it was the only time he ever got to host.

Favorite sketches?: First Date (Gal Gadot), Beers (Larry David), Google Talks (Jessica Chastain).

Favorite episode(s)?: I didn’t review the Larry David episode, but that was probably the best this season.

Hot takes?: This era is functioning as both a history book and a comedy show.

MATT:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: I remember, when I was watching this season live, feeling like it was a frustrating step down from last season and objectively inferior, but upon revisiting it—and for all I know, maybe I’m just jaded from the seasons that followed—I was surprised by how enjoyable it is. It’s got its ups and downs, but almost every episode has at least one or two pieces worth bragging about, and the additions of Heidi, Chris, and even Luke to a sadly lesser extent all gave the season a nice freshness. With that being said, the worst impulses of this season seem to point towards the more downwards trajectory the show will be taking in years to come: an increased emphasis on cameo-fests and watery political material, cast imbalances, and a heightened interest in virality. It almost feels quaint to look back at this season as an iffy one; if it isn’t perfect, it’s still generally likeable and rewarding.

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: The Saoirse Ronan episode. For one thing, it has a lot of pieces that I really love and wanted to ensure were rated highly, like the awesome, oft-forgotten Beck/Kyle pretape (“The Race”). But I also really liked being able to trace around how the episode exemplifies Luke’s tough season and mishandling by the show; it was important that I could give him the credit he deserved and pen a proper defense of the polarizing sketch at the heart of that episode that seemed to spell out how the rest of his tenure would go. #Justice4Luke!

Favorite sketches?: I’ll just go and list my favorite pieces from the show in a few different categories (in no particular order):

Favorite Live Sketches:
Family Feud (Chance the Rapper)
Za (James Franco)
Marcus Comes to Dinner (Sam Rockwell)
Family Dinner (Sterling K. Brown)
Diner Lobster (John Mulaney)
Switcheroo (John Mulaney)

Favorite Pretapes:
Papyrus (Ryan Gosling)
Beers (Larry David)
The Race (Saoirse Ronan)
Fresh Prince (Jessica Chastain)
Undercover Office Potty (Bill Hader)

Favorite Update Features:
Angel, Every Boxer’s Girlfriend (Larry David)
Pete Davidson on Staten Island (Chance the Rapper)
Willie (Natalie Portman)
Dawn Lazarus (Sterling K. Brown)
Stefon (Bill Hader)

Favorite episode(s)?: John Mulaney’s inaugural gig is, in my opinion, a quintessential episode for this era, and I don’t think many would disagree; it was a ceremonious homecoming for one of the modern years’ greatest writers, and in addition to submitting some classic pieces, he also cast a wonderful spotlight on the featured cast. It’s a great proof of concept for one of the most beloved recurring hosts of recent years. Sam Rockwell is also delightful; character actors always make for fascinating hosts, and his ebullient charm and commitment to the very writerly premises he was presented has put him in the pantheon of great, one-time hosts, a title that I pray to be rescinded one day by a return visit to 8H. Lastly, Chance the Rapper made for a wonderful host; while I think his second gig tops his first, he has perfect chemistry with the cast and makes the fun material even funner.

I have soft spots for a lot of other episodes, especially Saoirse Ronan’s and Sterling K. Brown’s, which I think are flat-out strong and underrated. But I also think there’s some quiet strength to the James Franco and Donald Glover episodes; they’re not perfect, and James’ sullied reputation casts a pall over things, but I feel like there’s a lot to like about both, and they’re carried by a mix of strong writing and great energy.

Hot takes?: While I get why John wasn’t so smitten with the piece, I would’ve given “Marcus Comes to Dinner” from the Sam Rockwell episode a perfect or near-perfect score. I’ve been watching the original era of SNL lately, and seeing all of the more slow and methodical slice-of-life pieces, so I can see how it could have left something to be desired, but it feels like such a rarity for this era to have a low-key premise like this and to execute it in a way that feels progressive. I see it as in an in-between state of slice-of-life and modern SNL’s propensity to get the jokes going as quickly as possible, but I feel like that allows the piece to be accessible and fit in with the show’s present style while employing a more elevated concept.

Additionally, I think “Ned’s Roach Away” deserved more love. I can see how it would warrant a more middling score from Carson because it is rather blunt and unsubtle satire, but something about the insanity of the concept and Charles’ character sell it for me. Lines like “That’s so dumb it makes me mad!” and the visual of cockroaches shooting up cupboards are funny just because they’re funny, and they make up for the more clunky aspects of the piece with wholesale goofiness. The heavy hand plays to the sketch’s benefit for me.

VAX NOVIER:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: Looking back, this year is when the current era of the forever cast really takes off. Apart from one departure (and one firing), it’s been the same group ever since with more people getting added on each subsequent year. I remember Season 43 being a disappointing year, while watching it live, that took all the wrong lessons of what made Season 42 a standout success. Between doubling down on the celebrity cameos and a sense of preachy pandering, it was a rough viewing experience most of the time. This was the first season where I was able to catch every episode during the live airing (except for the first half hour of Kevin Hart, which I’ve gone back to rewatch apart from the monologue).

It started out pretty decent, to be honest, as I felt the episodes that didn’t start with Trumpwin (Gadot, Haddish, Chance, Franco) were strong and provided hope going forward. This all changed during the second half when Jost and Che took over as head writers and the quality dropped on a weekly basis. This problem actually started during the Kevin Hart Christmas show (their first episode as HWs), but it wasn’t apparent yet since it began with a Trumpwin open. From the moment it was first announced, I knew it was a poor decision because after Colin stepped down back in Season 41, there was an increase in quality compared to previous years that ended when he returned to the position. Apart from some scattered gems, the rest of the season washed over me, culminating in the “What I Did For Trump” piece that I feel best represents a desperate dependency on Trump material during this era.

On a positive note, this was the year that introduced us to Heidi Gardner and Chris Redd, who hit the ground running and provided plenty of highlights for the season. Especially Heidi, in particular, who became my favorite member of the current cast to this day.

What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: One of the reasons I joined this project was so I could cover the James Franco episode, which holds a special place in spite of all the baggage that comes with it. For once this season, it felt like practically everything was clicking into place, showing what could have been without the regime change.

Favorite sketches?: Top 5 sketches (no particular order):
The Race (Ronan)
Spelling Bee (Franco)
Za (Franco)
Office Breakdown (Ferrell)
Switcheroo (Mulaney)

Top 5 Update features:
Pete Davidson (Gadot)
Every Boxer’s Girlfriend (David)
A White Woman Named Gretchen (Franco)
Bailey Gismert (Ferrell)
Pete Davidson (Hader)

Favorite episode(s)?: The aforementioned Franco episode. Mulaney and Chance were also standout shows.

Hot takes?: It turns out, I’m the only one here who doesn’t care for “Gift Wrap”. For as much as I praise the episode, another reason why I don’t really like the sketch is due to Franco’s performance. His delivery feels distracting, taking you out of the scene and his breaking, in this instance, comes off as a lack of commitment to the material.

And if I had to say anything else, I also feel that “Dinner Lobster” (or “Les Misérlobster”) might be just a bit overrated. Once the concept was revealed, I felt that nothing really stood out apart from the costumes and staging. For that reason, I’m more partial to the “Bodega Bathroom” sequel, even if it sets a precedent for each subsequent by-the-numbers installment.

BLUE:
What are your general thoughts on the season’s musical performances?: I’ll admit, when I first considered reviewing for this project I was afraid to take on the modern era, as my taste in music has shifted further and further away from the mainstream in recent years. I was prepared to spend most of these reviews ripping apart pop acts like the grumpy old lady I am at heart (though not in mind, body, or… well, actual age). As you can see, that didn’t happen here! Not only was I able to find enjoyable aspects to (almost) every musical guest, but I even became interested in a couple via their performances.

Pop music dominated this season, reflecting SNL’s current method of selecting artists based on what’s hot on the charts. Out of all 21 performers, nine were pop musicians, five were rock musicians, four were hip hop, and two were country, while Childish Gambino fits under the category of “not sure what category to put this in.” The latter definitely displayed the most versatility in terms of genre with his set, going from a disco-type dance song, to a song that itself ranges from indie-folk to trap. The rock and country musicians tended to grip my attention better than the pop and hip hop, which is more indicative of where my tastes lie than how well they performed

Speaking of performing, we saw some creative staging during this season, from Arcade Fire’s video screens and flashing lights, Childish Gambino’s laser show and house party stage set, U2’s animated opening, and Halsey’s Hollywood-esque staging. When I think of what makes for a good, memorable SNL musical performance, I tend to think of stuff like this. Playing SNL is the chance for artists to make an impression on the nation, and so I fully support it when they go all-out in the hopes of becoming the talk of the town (or, in this day and age, the talk of social media). That being said, sometimes too many stops can be pulled out, as Arcade Fire’s performance demonstrated- but on the flip side, this can work out very well in the artist’s favor, as Childish Gambino strategically released his now-infamous music video “This is America” shortly after performing on (and hosting) SNL.

I also wish that SNL would take more chances on indie artists who could benefit from the outlet. Despite her overall forgettable performance, Kacey Musgraves was a great pick for that intention- her star would later rise to the point where she’d take home a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2018. Chris Stapleton and SZA were also good choices to shine the limelight on. But artists like Taylor Swift, U2, Jay-Z etc. aren’t exactly hurting for exposure (or money). Giving the people what they want vs. introducing up-and-comers to a new audience is a tricky tightrope walk, and SNL tends to lean towards the former category. However, overall I was pretty satisfied with their picks this season- aside from a certain few artists (hello, Migos & Halsey & Cardi), I had very few negative things to say about any of them.

Favorite performances?: As one might have guessed, Childish Gambino’s performance of “Saturday” has my heart, but I wonder if I’d enjoy it as much had the song been officially released. Chris Stapleton & Sturgill Simpson also stand out as musicians who just killed it.

Overall rankings: This data is skewed, given that I didn’t review the four musical guests from the episodes Stooge covered, but nonetheless:

1. Childish Gambino
2. Foo Fighters
3. Chris Stapleton
4. Jack White
5. Taylor Swift
6. Dua Lipa
7. Nicki Manaj
8. U2
9. SZA
10. Arcade Fire
11. James Bay
12. Troye Sivan
13. Eminem
14. Kacey Musgraves
15. Halsey
16. Cardi B
17. Migos

Though Taylor Swift is an occasional guilty pleasure, I’m surprised I gave her first performance such a high rating, although the fact that it was the first one I reviewed might have something to do with it, as I was still figuring out my criteria for ratings. The fact that I ranked Nicki Minaj over U2 makes my teenage self cry. (Though Nicki did have the greatest disparity between rankings- four stars for her first performance, two for her second.) I was expecting to like Kacey Musgraves a lot more- if she’d played one of her better songs from Golden Hours such as “Rainbow” or “Love is a Wild Thing,” I probably would have. Other than that, this list was fairly predictable, especially with all the rock artists closer to the top and the hip hop artists closer to the bottom- my bias is showing. Maybe things will change next season.

AND NOW, SOME DATA!!

EPISODE RATING AVERAGES:
4301: 7.1 (Ryan Gosling) – Stooge
4302: 6.4 (Gal Gadot) – Stooge
4303: 6.8 (Kumail Nanjiani) – Stooge
4304: 7.3 (Larry David) – Stooge
4305: 7.2 (Tiffany Haddish) – Carson
4306: 6.7 (Chance the Rapper) – Anthony
4307: 7.2 (Saoirse Ronan) – Matt
4308: 6.3 (James Franco) – Vax
4309: 5.6 (Kevin Hart) – Carson
4310: 6.7 (Sam Rockwell) – John
4311: 6.2 (Jessica Chastain) – Kabir
4312: 6.0 (Will Ferrell) – Anthony
4313: 5.8 (Natalie Portman) – Matt
4314: 6.4 (Charles Barkley) – Carson
4315: 6.5 (Sterling K. Brown) – Vax
4316: 5.4 (Bill Hader) – Anthony
4317: 6.0 (Chadwick Boseman) – Kabir
4318: 7.0 (John Mulaney) – John
4319: 6.0 (Donald Glover) – Kabir
4320: 5.6 (Amy Schumer) – Carson
4321: 5.0 (Tina Fey) – John

Best Episode: Larry David – 7.3 (Runners up: Tiffany Haddish & Saoirse Ronan – 7.2)
Worst Episode: Tina Fey – 5.0 (Runner up: Bill Hader – 5.4)
Season Average: 6.3

HIGHEST RATED SKETCHES

5 STARS:
Levi Wokes (Gosling; Stooge)
Papyrus (Gosling; Stooge)
Beers (David; Stooge)
Boo Boo Jeffries (Haddish; Carson)
The Race (Ronan; Matt)
My Drunk Boyfriend (Rockwell; John)
Chantix (Rockwell; John)
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Chastain; Kabir)
CFT: My Little Stepchildren (Portman; Matt)
Family Dinner (K. Brown; Vax)
Undercover Office Potty (Hader; Anthony)
Diner Lobster (Mulaney; John)
Switcheroo (Mulaney; John)
CFT: Wedding Toast (Mulaney; John)
Chicago Improv (Fey; John)

4.5 STARS:
Henrietta & The Fugitive (Gosling; Stooge)
First Date (Gadot; Stooge)
Kumail Nanjiani Monologue (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Bank Breakers (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Kellywise (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Customer Service (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Larry David Monologue (David; Stooge)
Kyle & Beck (Haddish; Carson)
The Dolphin Who Learned to Speak (Haddish; Carson)
Come Back Barack (Chance; Anthony)
Family Feud: Harvey Family Thanksgiving (Chance; Anthony)
Floribama Shore (Ronan; Matt)
Za (Franco; Vax)
Science Room (Rockwell; John)
Weekend Update (Portman; Matt)
Chris Fitzpatrick: Rock or Rap (K. Brown; Vax)
Dying Mrs. Gomez (K. Brown; Vax)
Black Jeopardy! (Boseman; Kabir)
John Mulaney Monologue (Mulaney; John)
James Madison High School Graduation (Schumer; Carson)

4 STARS:
The Fliplets (Gosling; Stooge)
Italian Restaurant (Gosling; Stooge)
Weekend Update (Gadot; Stooge)
Weekend Update (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Ad Council Dinner (David; Stooge)
New Wife (David; Stooge)
Tiffany Haddish Monologue (Haddish; Carson)
The Dems Are Back (Haddish; Carson)
Weekend Update (Haddish; Carson)
Wayne Thanksgiving (Chance; Anthony)
Sports Announcer (Chance; Anthony)
Welcome to Hell (Ronan; Matt)
Late for Class (Ronan; Matt)
Spelling Bee (Franco; Vax)
Bathroom Excuses (Hart; Carson)
Inside The NBA (Hart; Carson)
CFT: New Year’s Kiss (Hart; Carson)
Tucci Gang (Rockwell; John)
George W. Bush Returns (Ferrell; Anthony)
Weekend Update (Ferrell; Anthony)
Chucky Lee Byrd (Ferrell; Anthony)
Natalie Portman Monologue (Portman; Matt)
Construction Workers (Barkley; Carson)
Last Call (Barkley; Carson)
Girlfriends Game Night (Hader; Anthony)
Weekend Update (Hader; Anthony)
CFT: St. Patrick’s Day (Hader; Anthony)
Chadwick Boseman Monologue (Boseman; Kabir)
Aidy B & Cardi B (Boseman; Kabir)
Drag Brunch (Mulaney; John)
A Kanye Place (Glover; Kabir)
Dirty Talk (Glover; Kabir)
CFT: Cleveland Cavs Promo (Glover; Kabir)
The Day You Were Born (Schumer; Carson)
Talent Show (Fey; John)

LOWEST RATED SKETCHES

2 STARS:
Another Close Encounter (Gosling; Stooge)
Safelite Autoglass (Gadot; Stooge)
Trucker Rally (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Nursing Home (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Roy Moore Visits Mike Pence (Haddish; Carson)
The Last Black Unicorn (Haddish; Carson)
Porn Pizza Delivery (Chance; Anthony)
Spirit of Trump’s Past (Ronan; Matt)
Captain Shadow (Hart; Carson)
Nativity Play (Hart; Carson)
Gene & Crystal (Hart; Carson)
Morning Joe (Rockwell; John)
What Even Matters Anymore? (Chastain; Kabir)
Clown Penis (Ferrell; Anthony)
Reality Stars (Ferrell; Anthony)
First Ladies (Portman; Matt)
Bipartisan Meeting (Barkley; Carson)
This Is U.S. (K. Brown; Vax)
Black Panther (K. Brown; Vax)
Kiss Me I’m Irish (Hader; Anthony)
Outnumbered (Boseman; Kabir)
Nike Pro-Chiller Leggings (Boseman; Kabir)
Donald Glover Monologue (Glover; Kabir)
Handmaids In The City (Schumer; Carson)
Weekend Update (Schumer; Carson)
Royal Wedding (Fey; John)

1.5 STARS:
The Chaos President (Gosling; Stooge)
Office Halloween Party (Nanjiani; Stooge)
Paul Manafort’s Apartment (David; Stooge)
Gift Wrap (Franco; Vax)
A Special Christmas Message From the White House (Hart; Carson)
Fox & Friends (Portman; Matt)
Alien Lover (Portman; Matt)
Anderson Cooper 360 (Hader; Anthony)
The Californians (Hader; Anthony)
Sacred Rock (Hader; Anthony)
CBC Report (Hader; Anthony)
Medical Breakthrough (Boseman; Kabir)
Morning Joe (Fey; John)
What I Did For Trump (Fey; John)

1 STARS:
Captain Hook (Rockwell; John)
Jeffersons Acting Coach (Chastain; Kabir)
Commercial Shoot (Ferrell; Anthony)
The Bachelor Live (K. Brown; Vax)
Warehouse Fire (Boseman; Kabir)
Meet the Parents Cold Open (Mulaney; John)
Michael Cohen Wire Tap (Glover; Kabir)
Gospel Brunch (Schumer; Carson)
Sopranos Cold Open (Fey; John)
Tina Fey Monologue (Fey; John)

OUR PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
(Note: this does not include any of the episodes/sketches that Stooge covered.)

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COMING SOON
It’s the notorious season 44 premiere, Adam Driver/Kanye West, reviewed by Anthony. Bring your Perrier!

February 3, 2018 – Natalie Portman / Dua Lipa (S43 E13)

by Matt

FOX & FRIENDS
Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) disparages FBI from his bed

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— It feels so weird to see a Fox & Friends sketch not helmed by Bobby, Taran, and Vanessa. (Beck even takes over Bobby’s very memorable Brian Kilmeade impression.) I know it’s unfair to this cold open to think of it poorly in comparison before it’s really gotten going, but that definitely casts an immediate pall over whatever’s gonna come of this.
— Cecily debuts her short-lived Hope Hicks impression, which she goes on to flesh out more in a WU piece (as with several political figures this season) next episode. Nothing too distinctive, though it is amusing to think that SNL only got to use the character in two consecutive episodes before she became irrelevant.
— An incredibly distracting gaffe during the Hope Hicks segment, where the camera swings away from the green screen and lands on a boom operator’s forearm before being awkwardly pushed back. Far more interesting than anything else here. (This would be fixed in the reruns and YouTube upload with a cut to Heidi/Alex/Beck.)

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— An okay Louis Farrakhan impression from Chris. I like the tone of his voice, though the written material, as with the rest of this cold open, is coming through like white noise.
— Oh god, Trumpwin sneaking into this cold open for no goddamn reason aside from Baldwin refusing to leave the studio (despite aggressively claiming to hate his role). Blah. Blah, blah, blah. This cold open has absolutely bottomed out.
— When Baldwin says, “They say there’s only seven billion people on Earth, so where are the other three billion people [coming] from?”, there’s a very strange moment during a pause in his speech, where you can hear a voice (Steve Higgins?) cueing him into his next line (“Illegals.”).
— God, the lame dialogue and Baldwin’s weird mugginess is murdering whatever goodwill this cold open may have had. The fact that this is only a fraction of the pain that Stooge must have felt reviewing all of these cold opens every day is terrifying to think about.
STARS: *½

MONOLOGUE
KET, KAM, LEJ analyze host’s monologue a la Olympic commentators

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— Strangely enough, this is also the second time Natalie’s hosted an episode coinciding so closely with the Olympics, though in the case of her S31 episode, it was the first episode after.
— Oh, I love the twist of framing Natalie Portman’s monologue with commentary a la the Olympics. It’s being executed very well, especially with its meta-discussion of how the show writes monologues in general.
— The reveal of the joke Natalie said was told by her child about “P” being the funniest letter actually having been written by “a 32 year-old writer who went to Yale” is very amusing, and has stuck with me all these years later.
— A rare Lenny Pickett moment in this monologue!
— Great involvement from Leslie Jones delivering a correspondent report from the center stage, who was hired to carry out commentary in the actual Winter Olympics. Her going back and forth between reassuring Natalie about her monologue and then talking about how horribly it’s going to the camera is hilarious.
— Kate, after Natalie wins some clapter for mentioning New York City: “She mentioned New York and people were like, ‘Hey, that’s where we are!’”
— Such a fun and forgotten monologue. Considering that the monologue tends to be, in my opinion, a general weak spot for these latest seasons of the show (I like how they’ve started doing more proper, single-person monologues, though they frequently end up melding with the cold open as a big chunk of the show to push through), I really enjoyed how conceptual and well-written this one was.
STARS: ****

REVOLUTIONARY WAR
in 1775, Super Bowl LII preview pits (RAD) & Boston vs. (TIF) & Philly

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— RACHEL DRATCH!! It’s difficult to express in current times how much of a delight it was to see her back on the show pre-Klobuchar.
— Luke, despite only having a small bit role as the delegate from Connecticut, wrings some great laughs out of his few lines. A solid display of his natural charms, which always makes me sad knowing his fate at the end of the season.
— A timely conceit to the sketch, making a parallel between New England colonists celebrating a victory in the Civil War to New England Patriots fans celebrating their qualification for the then-upcoming Super Bowl championship. I’m not finding the timely nature of it to detract from the humor at all, though.
— Oof, Chris whiffs his walk-on HARD as Duncan/Dunkin’, stumbling over his one line and getting a very dead audience response, though his bit wouldn’t have been too great if he delivered it perfectly either.
— Pete seems very amused with his characterization in this sketch, for whatever that’s worth.
— Things get even more fun with another cameo from Tina Fey, breaking out her Philly accent. It’s worth noting, too, that aside from Tina and Rachel getting to use their own regional dialects, everyone else is doing a pretty shaky job (Kenan’s “Philly” accent especially sounds… very British), but there’s enough fun powering the sketch that it’s not too great a distraction.
— Pete breaking.
STARS: ***½

STRANGER THINGS 3
Stranger Things 3- Eleven (host) meets others with powers & handicaps

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— Hmm, not sure of these repeated jokes about Mikey’s character being horny for Natalie’s.
— An alright premise to this sketch, running through several kids with special, ethereal abilities that kinda suck. Not a particularly clever piece, but one of those ideas that allows the show to throw a ton of bits at the wall and see what sticks. Additionally, while the sketch is a parody of Stranger Things—which I’ve only seen one episode of—I think the premise is basic enough that the lack of familiarity isn’t causing any real issues.
— Meh at Cecily’s character being able to read minds but farting every time she does.
— Alright, fine, the cutaway joke with Cecily (“Someone’s lying.” [fart]) got me. I hope Stooge doesn’t read this…
— Luke has such a stupid bit about making good chili, but which causes his brain to bleed excessively. As with the last sketch, though, he sells it wonderfully.
— I love the bit of Aidy being able to do a “pretty good” Borat impression that causes her to go into a coma for two days.
— Leslie’s bit as a character who is just 50 is okay, but certainly prime Leslie use. (She was also notably 50 in real life at the time.)
— Kenan’s ending bit about his power being “thinking of ways to end sketches” fell flat for me, and ends things with a bit of a shrug.
— Overall, a mixed but fine enough sketch.
STARS: ***

NATALIE’S RAP
interviewer (BEB) elicits rap update from (host) about her hardcore life

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— An obligatory but welcome sequel to the beloved “Natalie Raps” digital short from Natalie’s first hosting gig. Though not prefaced with the classic “An SNL Digital Short” titlecard, this was written by Samberg, Taccone, and Shaffer so I think it falls under the banner well enough.
— Interesting to see Beck inheriting Chris Parnell’s role in the original (in light of Parnell not being able to reprise his role tonight), considering he’s the closest to a Parnell-type performer these seasons have.
— There’s not a ton of laughs to the rap portions themselves, though as with last time, it’s intrinsically fun to see Natalie doing something so out-of-character and yet so proficiently.
—A dated Tide Pod reference. I never really get when SNL makes throwaway jokes about current trends within unrelated sketches because I feel like it ages things almost immediately.
— Beck: “Do you find it difficult juggling kids and a career?” Natalie: “You can juggle these nuts.”
— Good twist with Natalie, dressed as Queen Amidala, forcing Alex to say complimentary things about the Star Wars prequels at gunpoint.
— Nice to see Andy Samberg getting in on this, even if his part in the song is more for continuity and light on jokes.
— I think It’s interesting to consider the production that this pre-tape has. To me, a large part of the original sketch’s charm was that it was from an era for the show’s digital shorts where there was such a DIY feel to things, just going out into the city and shooting something weird on the streets. The glossy production value of this one, in addition to the more lavishly-produced instrumentation (reminiscent of some of those sub-par, late-stage digital shorts), takes quite a bit of that charm away. I do get that some degree of creative license got lost from having to be done remotely, though, considering that the Lonely Island boys wrote and recorded their bits in Los Angeles while leaving the rest to SNL’s main film unit. With all of that being said, I do have a sweet spot for the sketch, even if I acknowledge it could never live up to the original at all.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “New Rules”

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— Matt: I’m not one to usually comment on musical performances, but I found Dua Lipa’s stiffness in this performance charming in hindsight, given how commanding she would be in her second stint as a musical guest in S46.
— Blue: This song has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.
— Not sure I care for Dua Lipa’s vocal tone/timbre.
— I know that the sound mixing on the SNL stage doesn’t tend to be very good, but I actually like the way this sounds a lot better than the recording. Even though I just said I don’t care for her voice, I think Dua Lipa sounds more natural here.
— Fun dancing from Dua Lipa.
— Sounds like she’s struggling a bit with the high notes on the bridge. Not something that’s overly noticeable, just something that a nitpicky ex-vocal student (me) would critique.
— I always thought the drum part here was played with two sticks on one snare, so it’s interesting to see it being played on what looks like the snare and the tom.
— The last notes were sung well, but I still feel like Dua Lipa has the tendency to lean towards flat on those pitches.
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE
Brigitte Bardot (KAM) & Catherine Deneuve (CES) aren’t down with #MeToo

PED had trouble getting people to remove pants for a Dockers commercial

Willie puts a happy spin on terrible events linked to February holidays

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— Michael, regarding Trump stammering through the Nunes Memo: “He sounds like Colin when I asked him if his family ever owned slaves.”
— Colin: “In a new interview, Trump stated that he is not a feminist… Was he getting accused of that a lot?”
— Kate has… quite the neck prosthetic as Brigitte Bardot. I think this is around the peak of SNL’s amped-up prosthesis game.
— This Kate/Cecily Update piece is too self-indulgent for my liking, and it feels like another instance of the show giving Kate a lot of leeway to do whatever she wants, but it has its moments.
— A classic joke from Colin about, whether you’re an Eagles or Patriots fan, “Child support was due on the 1st.”
— ANOTHER fantastic Colin joke, saying that the rumored Passion of the Christ sequel should feature the line, “You crossed the wrong guy!”, followed by him shouting “Nailed it!” off-screen to a befuddled Michael a few beats later.
— Pete Davidson’s typically self-deprecating style is working very well for his recounting of a Docker’s commercial shoot he worked on.
— A hilariously astute observation from Pete about the poor timing of his ads telling people to take their pants off and exchange them for Docker’s breaking up news articles about sexual assault. Additionally, his extended account of an interaction he had with someone who was visiting his daughter in the hospital was such a tricky but fantastic bit, and I think it’s one of my favorite things that Pete’s done in an Update piece.
— Willie!
— Willie breaks out one of his darkest jokes yet in this Update appearance: “It’s like my ancestors used to always say back in the village: you had us at ‘free boat trip!’”
— Oh god, an even more demented reveal about the realistic sex doll Willie bought being the body of a dead woman. This Willie commentary is going HARD.
STARS: ****½

ALIEN LOVER
(host)’s paramour space alien (BEB) has face & butt locations reversed

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— An early Andrew Dismukes-penned sketch.
— Meh, I can see how some people would get a “so stupid, it’s funny” charm out of this but it’s coming across as way too juvenile for me. Beck is fine, but I don’t think he’s a performer with enough commitment to get this particular idea over; ironically enough, I feel like Andrew Dismukes could’ve gotten the idea over better, since I find him to be more charismatic in these sort of guileless roles.
— The second sketch tonight to feature a fart joke.
— The most interesting thing about this sketch is that it most certainly features a performer’s ass the most out of any sketch in the show’s history. Take that accolade as you may; while I don’t think this is unwatchable, it’s certainly feeling bland and lame.
STARS: *½

KIDS’ CHOICE AWARDS ORANGE CARPET
(host) loses her voice during Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards pre-show

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— While the premise isn’t all that similar, this brings to mind the Kids’ Choice Awards sketch from the Ariana Grande episode (also penned by Day/Seidell). Another KCA-themed sketch was cut from the S45 Adam Driver episode, and I’m amused that the idea seems to pop up every few seasons.
— I’m finding Natalie’s delivery in this sketch to be surprisingly funny, and she’s getting good mileage out of it, but the premise only has so many places it can go.
— Decent appearance from Kate’s always-solid Ellen DeGeneres.
STARS: **½

FIRST LADIES
Jackie Kennedy (host) & other First Ladies counsel Melania Trump (CES)

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— Sigh, Melissa making her only appearance of the night in an excessively minor role. It’s sad to know that the show still struggles to know what to do with her three seasons later.
— Natalie deploys the Jackie Kennedy impression she used in Jackie.
— Kate’s appearance as Hillary makes it pretty easy to see how the idea behind this sketch came into fruition; it feels very unstructured and more of an opportunity to cram all of these characters into the same space, but without any great material.
— Aidy’s Martha Washington non-impression is amusing me, though it’s also highlighting how confused the sketch is about its satirical aim.
— Leslie as Michelle Obama? This is giving me flashbacks of when Kenan was the only Black cast member and had to play every Black celebrity role whether or not he was totally out of his depth. Ego can’t come soon enough. I also find it very odd that they had Leslie make an entrance through a moving picture frame that is barely on-camera at any point.
— The ending fell flat.
STARS: **

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Homesick”

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— Blue: The performance opens with Dua Lipa sitting on a piano, singing over solo accompaniment.
— This is definitely different from her previous performance, and reminds me a bit of Kate Bush’s performance from Season 4 (which I’d seen recently at the time of this writing).
— Wow, I take back what I said before about Dua Lipa’s vocal tone. She’s having no trouble singing in a higher register here, and her voice is more pleasing to my ear. Probably has to do with the fact that she’s not moving around and can concentrate better on her singing. Her approach also might be different now that she’s singing a ballad.
— The high, breathy notes do still sound flat at times. Not gonna criticize her for that, though. She’s doing a good job.
— The pianist in me craves to watch the pianist’s hands on the break. He is also doing a good job.
— I like the versatility that Dua Lipa displayed with her performances.
STARS: ****

BUNNY
in a bar, catfishing Bunny (AIB) gives women advice on how to catch a man

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— I recall this sketch being penned at least in part by Michael Che, which feels surprising given I don’t know if he’s collaborated much with Aidy in the past.
— Something feels surreal about hearing Key & Peele mentioned on SNL. The joke about it is very similar to one of the show’s only other references to them in an earlier, cut-for-time piece from the S42 Chris Pine episode.
— Aidy’s characterization, while the sort of thing we’ve seen from her before, is pretty solid. It feels refreshing to see a one-off, character-driven piece.
— Good ending with Kyle appearing after Aidy talked about cat-fishing him earlier in the sketch. This was a very low-key piece but I liked that energy and think it’s a nice way to round out the night.
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

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CUT FOR TIME: MY LITTLE STEPCHILDREN
host’s kid has taste for the dramatic, treats doll as a stepchild

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— A cut Julio Torres piece, and a spiritual sequel to his legendary “Wells for Boys” piece. Strangely enough, this particular sketch was also cut from the Jessica Chastain episode earlier this season, and all of her parts were re-shot with Natalie.
— All of the details in this sketch are AMAZING. I especially love the doll coming with a birth certificate to lock away in a tiny chest of drawers.
— Natalie: “The first time I bought Lisa a doll, she said she felt no real connection to it, like there was a sheet of glass between her and the doll. With My Little Stepchildren, she no longer feels forced to change that.”
— Another fantastic scene of the child throwing letters from her dolls’ birth mother into the fireplace.
— I like the color filter subtly changing when cutting back and forth between the commercial from the kids’ visions and the real world.
— It’s a shame that this piece didn’t make it into the live show. Julio’s work is, as always, one of the greatest parts of these seasons, and this sketch of his has always been one of my favorites. Given how light on pre-tapes Natalie’s episode was, too, it wouldn’t have hurt to include this at all.
STARS: *****

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A better episode than I remembered, even if very little was stand-out. When this episode originally aired, I wasn’t super high on it, and on rewatch I do think it has pacing issues that make the second half feel a bit listless, but it manages to get over. As with her last stint, Natalie was a solid host who committed to the material; there was just less to chew on this time around.

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

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RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
(CFT: My Little Stepchildren)
Weekend Update
Monologue
Natalie’s Rap
Revolutionary War
Bunny
Stranger Things 3
Kids’ Choice Awards Orange Carpet
First Ladies
Alien Lover
Fox & Friends

TOMORROW
Carson covers Charles Barkley’s fourth hosting stint

December 2, 2017 – Saoirse Ronan / U2 (S43 E7)

Before we start, I just wanted to say hi, everybody! I’m Matt, and I’ll be your reviewer for the evening, and also some future evenings. I was never a frequent commenter on Stooge’s blog and have existed along the outskirts of the online SNL community, but I’ve been a frequent observer, and I’m pumped (and just a lil bit terrified) to step into the ring! Working on this project with all of these other amazing writers, and being able to carry out the legacy of Stooge’s work, is an opportunity I feel so lucky to be a part of. I look forward to meeting all of ya!

SPIRIT OF TRUMP’S PAST
sins revisit Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) a la A Christmas Carol ghosts

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— While I have been watching the show weekly for the past decade and am as fatigued by Trumpwin as any person could possibly be, I haven’t been watching along with Stooge’s reviews. It’ll be interesting to see if engaging with this cold open in a vacuum will cause me to respond to it more leniently.
— Baldwin is milking the hell out of that face he makes when playing Trump as he’s “thinking on the past year” (second screencap).
— The cold open reveals itself to be a parody of A Christmas Carol, because when SNL doesn’t know how to create a cold open, it conflates satire with parody. At least it allows for a change in direction.
— I feel that having Baldwin impersonate Trump making fun of that handicapped reporter isn’t reading as any less questionable than Trump doing it himself.
— Nice enough walk-on from Cecily’s Melania Trump, one of the few impressions in these cold opens that generally works.
— A weird, crowd-pleasing, and poorly-aged cameo from Kate’s Hillary Clinton as “The Ghost from Christmas Future.” Kate also appeared at the top of the cold open as Kellyanne Conway; while we haven’t quite hit the point where she takes over countless unwarranted political impressions just because she’s Kate, the favoritism is pretty clearly growing.
— Overall, far from the worst cold open for this era, but nothing good either.
STARS: **

MONOLOGUE
host sings a tricky song meant to clear up the pronunciation of her name

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— Fun to see Saoirse hosting the show after she previously appeared in the audience of the Gerard Butler episode from Season 35 (visible during the inaugural “What’s Up With That?” sketch).

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— Saoirse: “It is so great to be here hosting the St. Patrick’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live!”
— Leslie makes a fun walk-on, though the joke of her cousin being named “Inertia” is pretty hacky.
— I’m not usually the biggest fan of musical monologues (even if I don’t loathe them as much as Stooge or most people), but I really enjoy the conceit of this one, and Saoirse’s overcomplicated tune about how her name should be pronounced is pretty catchy.
— Kate, upon getting Saoirse’s song right: “Of course I got it, I’m fluent in nonsense. It’s my sixth season, do you know how many raccoons I’ve played on the show?” Nice little nod to Kate playing a raccoon in that “A Magical Christmas” sketch from the S40 Amy Adams episode, even if she’s only technically played a raccoon once.
— Fun walk-ons from Aidy and especially Beck, who’s always great at playing himself as a dopey goon. His interjections in the final rendition of the song are fantastic.
STARS: ***½

FLORIBAMA SHORE
Floribama Shore- young drunken idiots intend to ride out Hurricane Irma

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— I love all of the character introductions in this sketch, especially Mikey’s “My name’s Kyler, and I’m a piece of s***!” and Heidi’s “My name’s Epcot, I was born in the Chinese part of Epcot Center. My favorite food is gum!”
— Fun, small detail of Luke’s character being 41. This is also his first big sketch appearance, having co-written it with office-mate and future cast member Andrew Dismukes. This episode is actually one of two this season that would’ve prominently featured him, but there were a handful of late cuts (even this one was shortened by a minute and a half between dress and live) and his other big sketch in this episode is… one we will get to in a bit.
— Hilarious reveal after the spat between Heidi and Aidy’s characters that both of their fathers are Hulk Hogan.
— Chris gets great mileage out of playing the one straight man who is freaking out about shooting the show during Hurricane Irma.
— Fantastic moment with Luke suddenly being gorily struck in the chest by a stop sign.
— Luke, post-impalement: “I HAD PRE-MARITAL SEX! WHAT IF HELL IS REAL?!”
— Underrated, fantastic sketch, and a great display of Luke’s skills as a cast member.
STARS: ****½

ACTION 9 NEWS AT 5 – EYE ON PHOENIX
explosion brings attention to (MID)’s odd presence at American Girl Store

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— A spiritual successor to the great “Matt Shatt” sketch from the S42 premiere, though this is a bit of an odd sketch considering that character would later be brought back in the S45 J-Lo episode.
— Some humor from Mikey alternating between trying to hide his obsession with American Girl Dolls and going on detailed digressions about them. I feel like this sketch suffers in how it retraces too much of the original, though (down to Kenan as the reporter and Cecily, Beck, and Leslie as newspeople). This era of the show leans a lot less on recurring characters so much as recurring concepts, and it can be a bit of a mixed bag even if this one is enjoyable as a standalone piece.
STARS: ***

WELCOME TO HELL
“Welcome to Hell”- music video highlights the impact of bad male behavior

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— One of the final female-led musical ensemble sketches of this era, and a rare non-Kelly/Schneider one at that.
— Aidy: “Oh, this ain’t a girl group, we just travel in a pack for safety.”
— Saoirse: “My dad gave me a pink gun, so… there’s a lot there.”
— The writing alternates between biting satire and basically stating truths about the subject matter, but I appreciate the piece a lot as a whole. There’s a nice, cathartic feel to it and, along with the Debette Goldry pieces, it’s interesting to see SNL’s commentary and shifting focuses at the beginning of the #MeToo era.
— The cutaways to Melissa are pretty fun, though I wish she could’ve gotten greater involvement in this sketch given how musically-inclined she is. Wouldn’t be the first time that poor Melissa is kept at arm’s length from one of these sketches, though at least she gets to join in on the final chorus.
— Leslie’s walk-on here feels a bit like damage control for the sketch’s central conceit, though I also get how she would look a bit odd being involved from the start.
— Solid moment listing everything that has been ruined for women, including walking and vans.
STARS: ****

RETURN COUNTER
Kmart clerk (MID) fields a series of unreasonable customer complaints

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— There’s a shockingly large amount of ensemble sketches in this episode, and I really appreciate how much it feels like there’s a conscious effort to balance roles out across cast members, especially given how as the cast grows more and more bloated in this era, ensemble sketches become less and less common.
— Kyle is fun as a guy at the return counter loudly trying to return Magnum Condoms for not being big enough for him.
— The audience seems very uncomfortable at the scene between Chris and Saoirse as his abrasive girlfriend. While I’m not fully against it, it does feel kinda distracting given the whackier vibe that the rest of the characters in this sketch have.
— Cecily is fun as a white trash woman trying to cancel Mikey through Facebook Live. (“That’s racial discrimination!” “Racial? You’re white!” “You don’t know that!”) I recall that her phone was actually recording the scene and that it was posted on SNL’s social media somewhere.
— Kate’s chewing scenery as an old woman character, but Cecily re-entering the scene and saying that Mikey killed her gave me a good laugh.
STARS: ***½

THE RACE
(KYM) regains confidence to literally run errands for boss (Greta Gerwig)

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— Ooh, a Kyle/Beck pre-tape I’ve always loved that I feel has slipped through the cracks of their oeuvre.
— The aesthetic and mood of this pre-tape feel like some weird, ‘90s TV/direct-to-video movie, a well that Kyle and Beck surprisingly haven’t pulled from a ton outside of here.
— A Greta Gerwig cameo. While she has a connection to Saoirse, having directed the movie that she’s hosting the show to promote (Lady Bird), it’s definitely an unexpected person to make an appearance, and indeed her cameo is met by a lack of clear recognition from the audience.
— The sketch’s hook of an office pecking order being dictated by how fast you can move is so stupid and specific, but everyone’s commitment and the more low-key nature of the writing is selling the HELL out of it.
— The shots of rips in the characters’ pants representing gruesome injuries is hilarious.
— Saoirse: “Who’s to say you can’t run fast again?” Kyle: “And risk getting another hole in my pants? I’d rather fucking kill myself.”
— Beck, Chris, and Alex’s characters running off in a single-file line is such a fantastic detail.
— I love the incredibly short training sequence, consisting of Kyle walking down the hallway in a straight line once.
— Another great detail in this sketch, with the gun Saoirse’s character firing to commence the race being actually loaded.
— Saoirse being revealed to be a ghost, and Kyle being relayed that information by a bootleg Mac and Me puppet, is such a perfect ending to the scene, and I love how Greta’s character addresses it in a very deadpan way after the fact.
— Overall, one of my favorite forgotten Kyle/Beck pretapes.
STARS: *****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “American Soul”

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— Matt: Interesting to see the performance prefaced by an animated sequence narrated over by Kendrick Lamar, which almost salvages the performance from being a modern-day U2 song.
— Blue: My U2 fandom was waning by the time this SNL performance came around, but I still found time to watch these performances the day after they aired. I don’t remember them much, though.
— Always a band for theatrics, U2 opens with animated imagery of the song’s featured guest, Kendrick Lamar, performing the spoken-word interlude that opens this song. A very well-done sequence.
— Bono announces himself with a megaphone. Somehow that seems fitting.
— There’s a certain “heaviness” to the recorded version of this song that’s not present here. Probably a poor mixing decision.
— The recorded noise at the beginning gets cut off abruptly via a subtle cue from Bono. A fade-out might have suited the performance better.
— Is The Edge providing live backing vocals? I can’t tell if there’s a mic set on him or not. Either way, the backing vocals are mixed far too low.
— Okay, there’s definitely some pre-recorded vocals on the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, I always felt “You and I are rock and roll!” was a pretty lazy lyric. Especially considering U2 had previously used that line on their last album.
— And there’s a shot of Edge singing. Still wish his vocals were mixed higher.
— Whoa, the short spoken word section before the final chorus came out of nowhere. I don’t remember ever hearing that before.
— Something felt lackluster about this performance. Maybe because I’m so used to the recorded song, maybe because the song’s not a very strong offering in the first place. I do like the main riff and the onscreen imagery, though. Bono’s voice also seemed to be in good shape, which is not always the case nowadays.
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE
Theresa May (KAM) directs low-key Twitter shade at other world leaders

Greg & Shelly moved beyond Kama Sutra to injurious sexual positions

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— Che has a weird stumble here where he seems aware that he misread one of his punchlines and then murmurs it out very weakly, though he recovers from it pretty well.
— The debut of Kate’s Theresa May impression.
— I’m not sure how much I can comment on the politics or accuracy of this piece, but I enjoy Kate’s Theresa delivering very chaste and succinct messages of disapproval towards Trump and other world leaders as vicious social media take-downs. The written material is a bit one-note on paper but Kate is doing a good job of selling everything in a very understated fashion.
— I like Colin describing every week’s new batch of outed sexual predators as like having to announce Powerball numbers.
— Michael: “According to a new study, dogs are smarter than cats, but I dunno, I’ve never heard of a cat falling for the peanut butter trick.”
— The second and final appearance of Mikey and Leslie as the Duncans.
— The use of visuals for Mikey and Leslie’s one-sided sex positions is adding a nice new layer to the bit. I’m enjoying this outing as much as their last, though it was probably smart not to do any further segments.
— A commentary featuring Luke Null as a Suits superfan angry that Meghan Markle was leaving the show was cut at dress rehearsal. More on all of that later.
STARS: ***½

BACHELOR AUCTION
pool boy Chad is inexplicable hit at bachelor auction; John McEnroe cameo

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— It’s worth noting that it was recently stated in an interview that this wasn’t originally a Chad sketch at all but was made into one later into its development. While that risks over-saturation with the character, it certainly feels like a novelty seeing Chad appear in a live sketch where he gets to showcase more personality than usual.
— I like the structure of this sketch a lot, with each of Chad’s “secret talents” causing the women bidders to become more and more enamored with him.
— I love everyone standing and bidding five hundred thousand dollars in unison after Chad does his impression of Jim Carrey as the Grinch.
— Kenan appearing as an eccentric millionaire who bids ten million to have Chad cleaned and taken to his lounge got mixed reception when this episode came out, if I recall correctly, but I’ve always thought it was an amusing twist.
— Incredibly random John McEnroe cameo, but he’s always fun on the show and it’s amusing enough seeing him copy Chad’s “doink-doink” dance.
— A solid sketch overall. Considering that the Chad formula can get a bit stale after a while, I appreciated SNL fashioning a truly unique sketch out of the character which, up to this point, I’d consider his best return appearance.
STARS: ***½

LATE FOR CLASS
on his first day of school, (LUN)’s jerky behavior is a miscalculation

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— Hoo boy, one of the most divisive sketches of the past decade and Luke Null’s most notorious sketch appearance in his one season.
— God, the pain of watching this sketch feels a lot like the fake-out in the “Jheri’s Place” sketch from the Dave Chappelle episode, but it feels even more difficult to watch. Whereas that sketch’s opening comes across as lame and sloppy more than anything else, the complete lack of audience response to Luke’s (deliberately) unlikable character feels ghastly, even knowing the direction it’s about to take.
— Luckily, Kenan immediately wins the audience’s favor back like an old pro, setting this sketch back on the right track with the reveal that Luke’s character did all of this on his first day of school without knowing who anybody in the class was, or what the class even is.
— Kyle’s character dryly clarifying that he’s wearing a yarmulke, not a “yarmulke-dot-comica,” gave me a laugh.
— Alex steals this sketch as the janitor who tells Luke’s character that he can find his wife at New Haven Cemetery, and I love his deathly stare at Luke as he exits the classroom.
— Decent reveal that the name of Luke’s character is “Brody Chode,” and an alright ending with Beck’s character.
— Okay, so we definitely have to talk about the circumstances of this sketch. A large part of the issue is that this is Luke’s first major role in a live sketch, and by this point in his tenure, he has not earned the audience’s trust ANYWHERE NEAR enough to make it through the opening two minutes without it reflecting roughly on him. And it’s really shitty because, as Luke would reveal in a Reddit AMA, he was far more involved in sketches during the episode’s dress rehearsal, including an Update piece directly before this sketch in the rundown, which allowed him to make a better introduction to the audience and for this sketch to land more confidently. Despite the fact that he performs this incredibly well, and despite that the sketch was penned for him by the Day/Seidell writing team (way to screw the newbie over, by the way), it was cited as a frequent example for how ill-fitting of a cast member Luke is. Plus, even if I think the sketch itself is great and appreciably conceptual for this era of the show, it’s a massive flaw for what’s supposed to be a Luke Null showcase sketch that Luke goes from playing an unlikable douchebag to the straight man of the scene who never gets to actually win back the audience or get any laughs. Fuck SNL for burying one of their first-season cast members like this, honestly; all of that makes this one feel like a bit of a bummer to revisit.
— So in summary and in summation, #Justice4LukeNull.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Get Out Of Your Own Way”

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— Blue: Bono makes it clear he’s addressing the song to America. U2 have always had a knack for twisting personal songs into something outward-looking and more far-reaching.
— This song has always had a very comforting sound to me. The layers of backing vocals (most pre-recorded) add to that effect.
— Much better mixing on this one. The bass sounds full and heavy.
— Even the vocals are sounding better (though Bono doesn’t quite reach the lowest notes). Edge’s singing in particular is strong.
— I kind of want another guitar on this song to keep the full sound when Edge takes his solo.
— The return of the megaphone. I never understood why “American Soul” and “Get Out of Your Own Way” were played in this order, when Kendrick Lamar’s verse links the two on the album, and Bono is reciting his verse which was already played at the beginning of “American Soul.” Must have been the desire for an attention-grabbing opener.
STARS: ***

AER LINGUS
Aer Lingus stewardesses (host), (CES), (AIB) make preflight announcements

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— I liked Cecily and Saoirse going on a long spiel about the word that “Aer Lingus” sounds like before Cecily directly says the word is “cunnilingus.”
— Is there an Irish stereotype involving dogs? There is a TON of dog focus in this sketch, and it’s working quite well for me, though I’ve never heard of any correlation between the Irish and dogs before.
— Aidy’s brief appearance as another stewardess announcing all the food on the plane to be potatoes is hacky, but Aidy is charming enough to sell it pretty well.
— Kate’s air traffic controller: “The dog on the runway was the captain’s dog. I knew it was him by his soul, and the information on his tags.”
— A bit of an abrupt ending.
— When this sketch aired, it actually attracted a fair amount of controversy for being offensive and “racist” against the Irish, to the point that Aer Lingus made a tongue-in-cheek tweet about it and Saoirse would have to defend it a handful of times, revealing that she wanted to do at least one Ireland-themed sketch in her episode. Personally, I thought it wasn’t too bad, though it was far from special.
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A solid episode that I’ve always thought was pretty under-appreciated, with no bad sketches aside from the cold open (and even that was at least a bit creative). Saoirse was a wonderful, committed host who melded with the cast wonderfully, especially in the episode’s many ensemble pieces.

RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
The Race
Floribama Shore
Welcome to Hell
Late for Class
Bachelor Auction
Weekend Update
Return Counter
Monologue
Action 9 News at 5 – Eye on Phoenix
Aer Lingus
Spirit of Trump’s Past

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

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TOMORROW
Vax Novier pens his first write-up, and the S43 #MeToo wackiness continues with fourth-time host James Franco

Meet The Contributors

Please welcome the contributors to the blog:

ANTHONY:
Having been rejected from One Important Things With Demetri Martin a Week and One Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show a Year (the dream), this is the number one site where I’d want to chronologically review individual episodes of sketch shows! Jokes aside, it means so much to me that anyone would want to read my opinions on anything, let alone a show that means so much to me. My first experiences with the show were the Best Of DVDs for Chris Farley and Will Ferrell. My first full episode I ever saw was Steve Martin in 2009, and since then I’ve watched live almost every week. When not reviewing, I live a life that will never be discussed in great detail on this blog 🙂 

Favorite SNL sketch: “Potato Chip“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “Megaphone Crooners” from Mr. Show

Twitter: @JasonJasons23

CARSON:
Carson is the old man of the SNL reviewing project. I saw my first live SNL in 1992 (Mary Stuart Masterson, obviously a true classic). Blown away by the timeless quality of the Delta Girls and Lyle The Effeminate Heterosexual, I decided then and there…to try to find a way to stay up late enough to catch SNL regularly. It took me a few years, but by the mid-90s I was a full-on SNL obsessive, a nagging itch that I haven’t been able to shake since. I spent some time in the early 00s writing reviews on the old Voy forums (where I am an OG), but eventually dropped that to focus on other pursuits…whatever they were. Anyway, when I’m not filling in to push this One SNL A Day project past the finish line, I write about music on my blog, play guitar and make a tremendous amount of noise and joy with my wife and sons.

Favorite SNL sketch: “Buckwheat Dead and America Mourns“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “Mel’s Rock Pile: Dance Finals/Richard Harris” from SCTV

JOHN:
Hello, everyone – so grateful to be asked to help finish up this truly one-of-a-kind project. I first got into SNL through the Nick at Nite repeats (yes, I am that old, and yes, I was too young to be watching those) – I still remember when Gilda died, and trying out the ‘new’ episodes (my first memories of those are of the Chris Evert/Martina sketch). “My” era will always be 89-92 or so, but I have watched off and on ever since, some years far more off than on, but the show never really leaves you, even when you wish it could. I simultaneously expect too much and not enough from SNL, and I often find it more psychologically fascinating and compelling as a historical document rather than genuinely funny. All of this means there will be plenty of blathering to be found in my reviews.

I am, or aspire to be anyway, a writer and recapper – as shown by my infrequently updated blog.

Favorite SNL sketch: “Winter Wonderland“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “20 Depressing Hits by Connie Franklin” from SCTV

Twitter: @SoapsandSciFi

KABIR:
I became an SNL junkie in the summer of ‘89 when I simultaneously discovered what were (then) all three eras of the show. First, seasons 1-5 were running in truncated form on Nick-at-Nite. Then, I found we had various season 6-10 episodes on tapes my Father had made of original airings. And at the same time, we had an old TV in the den which was only supposed to be for video games… but I figured out how to tune in NBC on Saturdays at 11:30 pm to see reruns of season 14. I’ve been hooked ever since, watching pretty much every era (except for a break from around 2002-11, when I didn’t have a TV and would only watch occasionally with friends). All of this comedy in my blood has served me well in my career as a… radio news reporter. And no, it is NOT like “The Delicious Dish” because our mics aren’t black, they’re dark brown.

Favorite SNL sketch: “Charles Kuralt“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “The Audition” from Mr. Show

MATT:
Hey everybody! My name’s Matt, and while I’ve been writing reviews online for the past four years of my life, I’m absolutely pumped to be part of such an amazing project. As one of the younger contributors to this site, I fell in love with SNL in S38 at the age of 13, and shortly thereafter went back and rewatched every episode of the show since S31. I actually wrote reviews of SNL for a bit before deciding to stop when I realized I wanted to get into comedy… and now I’m back, because I remembered that there’s no chance I’d ever write for SNL anyway! When I’m not contributing to this site, I write about silly cartoons in a serious way on my personal website, listen to esoteric J-pop, and dream of shooting sketches with deceptive levels of production value.

I’ve also recently started a grand watch-through of the entire show from Season 1, and you can read my review of every episode so far HERE!

Favorite SNL sketch: “One Magical Night“ (alternatively: any Will Forte piece)
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “Brain Surgeon” from That Mitchell and Webb Look

Twitter: @Matt_a_la_mode

VAX NOVIER:
Hi everyone! I was first introduced to SNL through my older brother around 2009 during the Digital Short era. After watching a couple of the Best Of specials (Sandler, Ferrell, Fallon, Farley) followed by Jimmy Fallon’s monologue when he hosted, I became interested in the show’s history (specifically, the fact that his Best Of ended with his farewell sketch while the monologue marked a continuation of that narrative) which led me to being a full-time viewer by the start of Season 38 and I haven’t looked back. On the side, I compile spreadsheets of the appearances every cast member has made per show that I continue to update during each new episode, among other projects that can be found here.

Favorite SNL sketch: “Taint Necessary“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “Third Wheel Legend” from Mr. Show

Twitter: @VaxNovier

BLUE:
I’m Blue, your resident musical guest reviewer and a fairly recent, casual SNL fan. Although I would occasionally catch glimpses of the show when my parents would watch it in my teenage years, I didn’t start watching it myself until late 2019, after I had binged all of Bill Hader’s show Barry and decided to explore his previous work. While it was the late 2000’s/2010’s cast that introduced me to the show, and of which I have fond (albeit vague) memories, I’ve since become a fanatic for the first five seasons (which I am currently slowly making my way through) and have greatly enjoyed the late 80’s/early 90’s cast as well. I came across Stooge’s original blog while looking for transcripts of Every Wayne’s World Ever and immediately found it to be an embarrassment of riches! I’m proud to play even the smallest part in the project’s continuance. While I’m no expert on sketch comedy, as a musician and music lover, I always wished to write reviews for the musical guests, an underlooked aspect of the show- and now I’m happy to finally fulfill that desire.

Favorite SNL musical performance: Kate Bush (S4) / David Byrne (S45)

Favorite SNL sketch: So tough to choose, but if you want a good sense of what makes me laugh more than anything, look no further than any sketch that Dan Aykroyd or Will Forte starred in.

ROSEART:
Hi! I was introduced to SNL in the late 1990s by my parents who allowed me to stay up late to watch the show with them. Their rules: go to bed after Update (if I made it that far) and to refrain from sharing anything inappropriate from my siblings and classmates. I adored the female cast: Ana with her sharp wit and straight poise; Cheri with her whimsical and hilarious characters; and Molly with her dedication and fearlessness. I continued watching into the 2000’s and was introduced to another group of strong female performers and when I began lurking through message boards to chat about SNL. I remember the days of Sean’s old message board where I met Stooge. Nowadays, I’m more of a casual viewer but my love for the show will never fade away.

Favorite SNL sketch: “Dysfunctional Family Dinner“
Favorite non-SNL sketch: “Conan Plays Old-Timey Baseball”