Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake (12.21.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show wasn’t as good as Fallon’s other Christmas show from two years ago, but it was still a little more enjoyable than most of the other recent shows this season. It was another episode that started off promising enough and then rapidly fell apart after about two sketches. Fallon is still a decent host who tried his damndest to make some rather weak material more bearable. Timberlakes’ efforts are also appreciated, but all of his appearances felt a little more gratuitous. Speaking of cameos, I feel like the ones we were all expecting (you know…the cast Fallon has actually worked with during his tenure) would’ve been better than the cameos we ended up getting but after seeing Fallons #saugertiesdreams tweet, I think he may have lobbied for them. Still, I did like how they chose to give a lot of the new cast members some airtime this week as it felt like they all got on a lot (except for Bennett). Anyway, here it is.

Wrappingville - Timberlake's dancing mascot hasn't been done as the cold open, so this should be interesting. Usually, I like the parody numbers, but this time they were pretty forgettable aside from the Gotye spoof. Jimmy's role was a nice touch. Aidy was a decent foil and the twist that she was both of their moms was funny. I did like that they tried to add some backstory, but some of it fell a bit flat. The deck stacker bit was funny even if they really milked it. The Thrift Shop number might have been better if they hadn't bungled thee lines. C+

Monologue - Fallon's musical number was nice. It probably wasn't as good as his previous sprawling musical number, but I appreciate this even with the whole low key vibe and all. I liked hearing his Bowie and Dylan impressions again. The McCartney cameo felt a little gratuitous but it was also appreciated. B-

Celebrity Family Feud – For the most part, this turned out pretty good. It was great seeing Taran's Ashton Kutcher again and I also like how they threw the new featured players a bone (especially Brooks playing himself). Kenan as Steve Harvey added nothing but it was nice seeing Timberlake's Jimmy Fallon finally and it accurately captured Jimmy’s real life enthusiasm. I can't say the same for Fallon's Jim Parsons but at least he had the facial expressions down and his breaking felt a little gratuitous. I did like Jay's Ice-T much better than Armisens' and Noel's Alyson Hannigan was amusing. It wasn’t totally accurate yet it wasn’t completely baseless either but she sold it pretty well. Kate’s Jane Lynch was great and Milhieser’s John Cryer was fine. Thankfully, they knew how to keep it from going on too long. B-

Doin’ it in the Twin Bed – This video reminded me too much of the hometown tourism ad from that awful Jeremy Renner episode last year, but I did like this sexy feminized pop twist on it. Also, it was interesting seeing how comparatively little they've all aged since seventh grade. Overall, this was a nice showcase for the entire female cast. B+

Barry Gibb Talk Show VI – At first, I was disgusted to see they did this again, but seeing the real Gibb there was a nice touch. This tells me he was probably a fan of the sketch and this had his blessing. Seeing Taran's Paul Ryan was nice, but Madonna's cameo was completely pointless as was Cecily getting no lines as Megyn Kelly so Fallon could scream over her (as entertaining as that aspect of his impression may be). They could've utilized that impression more effectively. Still, I did like the “skeleton selfie/diamonds” numbers. C+

Update was a little inconsistent. Aside from "Dork Dynasty" and the Kathie Lee/Hoda intervention line, Seth seems to just be phoning it in. Cecily is still getting a little better. Kate's Billie Jean King commentary was all right but not as good or as memorable as some of her others. The Fallon/Bloomberg commentary also seemed to go nowhere, but seeing him reminisce with Seth was nice. C-

Waking Up With Kimye II – This also feels too soon to bring back and it also felt way too underwritten. Did they have to cut a lot of this for time at the last minute or something? The Bound 2 spoof was okay, but it already felt too played out. Still, Jay's Kanye is still a decent impression. D+

Now That's What I Call Christmas - This seemed like a pale imitator of the Buble Christmas duets from Fallon's last show. What's odd is that while a lot of the impressions in this were accurate and funny (Bocceli, Rickman, DMX, Alanis, Shakira) they just didn't feel all that relevant. Still, I did like the Lorde/Harry Styles and Fallon-as-Buble-and-Pitbull bits. I also liked how this sketch really gave Kyle Mooney and John Milheiser a chance to perform even though I can’t say that much about their Axl Rose/Billie Joe impressions. C+

A Christmas Carol - This closeted Ebeneezer Scrooge bit seems too much like something they would've done in 04-05 or 09-10 but I have to admire how Taran and Jimmy were really selling it. Thankfully, they knew how to keep this one short and it had a solid ending for what it was. C-

Baby Its Cold Outside - I was a little confused as to why Jimmy and Cecily seemed to just be doing a straight rendition of this at first  but I'll admit they had a pretty decent twist on it. Still, I have to say Key and Peele did a much funnier twist on this holiday standard. C+

Well, that was the Christmas show. Usually, it seems like they save their best material for these shows but this year may have been the exception to that rule. I knew they couldn’t keep up that streak of good Christmas shows going for too long. Now, to update my rankings for this season…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Paul Rudd/One Direction

7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

8. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

9. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

10. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

The show returns on January 18 with Drake pulling double duty as both host and musical guest. Since he released a new album, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he would appear at some point during this season. Now, Drake is an odd choice for host but he could go either way. After all, he came from similar backgrounds as Justin, Britney, Xtina, and even Miley and Taylor more recently. Those kids turned out fine as hosts. Still, for some reason I can't picture him doing sketch comedy that easily. I’m starting to think that maybe the Amy Adams/Drake episode for 12/7 actually WAS planned but Adams had to back out at some point. Then again, having Rudd with all the Anchorman cast on at once was probably something they had to have planned in advance as well. That probably wouldn’t explain why someone thought Drake could host the show too but…ah, whatever. What I’m really getting at is it really feels like a weird sign of decline to have THREE double duty hosts in the same season. I can’t even remember the last ti…oh wait, they did it last season, too but never before THAT…wow. Anyway, see you next year!

John Goodman/Kings Of Leon (12.14.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. As much as it bothers me to say it, this is probably one of the top 3 weakest shows of the season so far. This show felt as underwritten and creatively empty as last week’s show but less redeeming qualities and none of the same feel good vibes that came along with certain cameos. While it was nice to see Goodman again, his performances seemed really inconsistent. Some moments he seemed to be trying, some moments he didn’t. Still, I think they really just didn’t write enough for him and gave him a lot of forgettable roles. Good to see more of Kyle Mooney and John Milheiser tonight, even if it was also just in small bit parts. Let’s just get on with it.

Obama Cold Open - This had its moments. Jay's Obama impression is still very solid. I liked the Michelle/furious line. While I kinda saw where it was going immediately after they mentioned the sign language interpreter from Mandela's funeral, I still enjoyed it. Kenan managed to save it. I did like the web/thriller bits. Kates' Angela Merkel wasn't totally necessary, but it was a nice touch. C+

Monologue - This was a little disappointing. John had some good opening lines, but I was disappointed to see him doing a musical number with Kenan. Still, they managed to make it somewhat funny and it was at least better than another tired Blues Brothers number with Aykroyd. C+

Guy Fieri Christmas Special - This seems like a very dated premise and Bobby's impression is even starting to lose its comedic value. Still, I did like the Dog/Big Ang number with Goodman and McKinnon and Bobby as all the Pawn Star guys. Still, I wonder who Noel (or could that be Nassim?) was playing in the red hair and green sweater? C+

Snowflake Dance - This seemed like it was going to be another pointless meandering bit, but it got funnier as it went along and the cast got more committed to it. Aidy was particularly good in it and I liked her voice over about hitting a guy with her car. C+

Three Wise Guys - This seems like a sketch that we should've seen coming. It was far too long. Stallone and Deniro have no real comedic timing and some of their lines just bombed but just the novelty of seeing Stallone at first glance was enough to make me giggle once. I did like the gifts bits and the "Jesus Christ, what ethnicity is this kid" line. Other than that, this sketch had serious pacing problems and seems horribly underwritten. D-

Update was pretty hit or miss, but at least Cecily's delivery shows some signs of improvement. She's showing some ability to make some weaker jokes more tolerable. Kenan's Black Santa went nowhere, but I did like his Kwanzaa line at the end. Drunk Uncle was probably a highlight. I don't care much to see it anymore, but at least Bobby gave it his all here. Kudos to whoever called the Goodman Drunker Uncle cameo. This was probably his best performance of the night. C+

Lawsuit - This courtroom sketch honestly had to be the best sketch of the night for me. It was a weak premise, but the performances really saved it. Taran made me laugh my ass off for some reason and Kenan also got in a few good lines. I also liked Goodmans's cartoon wolf impression and Bennett's dancing. Too bad it probably won't get online because of that R. Kelly song. B+

Fireman Visit - This Nassim sketch from the Edward Norton show was probably the absolute last sketch I expected them to make recurring, but it wasn't terribly the first time. Nassim is performing well and Goodman and the rest of the cast are really adding to it (especially Bobby) but I still have two questions. First, did Milheiser accidentally miss one of his lines? Second, is anyone else being reminded of Nassim's Aziz Ansari impression...or the actual Aziz Ansari? B-

Hallmark Movie Marathons - This was nothing more than useless filler, but I did laugh at the Santana guitar solo joke. D-

Christmas Whistle - This sketch also went nowhere, but it had a decent ending. I did like how the whistle got more and more ridiculous sounding toward the end and kudos to Goodman for giving it his all. C-

H&M - This was probably the weakest taped piece of the season, but Jay's rapping was all right and I did like Goodman's outfit toward the end. That Wale cameo was totally useless, though. C-

Sheila Sovage III – This sketch was okay, but it's not as good as the Louis CK one. Still, it was better than the Vince Vaughn one. I did like the "66" line and the whipped cream/motorboat ending with Kenan's towel/headphone reaction shots. B-

Well, that was it. Now, time to update my rankings.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Paul Rudd/One Direction

7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

8. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

9. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week, Jimmy Fallon returns to host with Justin Timberlake as musical guest. Now, this show I’m expecting good things from even if it does feel a little too soon for both of them. I’ve noticed that the last two seasons have been following a pattern of the premiere, the first episode of November and the Christmas show being among the seasons’ best. Let me show you…

2011/12: Premiere: Alec Baldwin/Radiohead, First November Show: Charlie Day/Maroon 5 Christmas Show: Fallon/Buble

2012/13: Premiere: Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean, First November Show: Louis CK/Fun Christmas Show: Short/McCartney

The Tina Fey/Arcade Fire show may be the exception that proves this rule, but the Kerry Wahsington/Eminem episode got pretty favorable reviews, so I think you get the idea. There’s no reason why next week’s show shouldn’t at least be decent. See you then!

Paul Rudd/One Direction (12.7.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode really fell apart toward most of the second half, it still had some very enjoyable moments that kept it from being an early contender for the absolute worst of the season so far. Although it was probably his weakest episode, Paul Rudd got to actually shine in sketches for once and prove himself as a host without being totally upstaged. Ironically, the people we all expected to upstage him weren’t nearly on screen long enough to do so (or if you’re like me you’re actively trying to block half of them from your memories as we speak). They all seemed content to stand back and let Rudd do his damndest to save the show from itself. Still, as I watched this episode I couldn’t help being a little worried about the direction (no pun intended) it took. It seems like they tried to use the obligatory fuck load of cameos to hide the some weak writing or bring some unwelcome recurring sketches out of mothballs in a failed attempt to cover for their “creative bankruptcy” (as jojo so eloquently put it). Hell, this episode seemed to have some serious timing issues and gaps to fill and they couldn’t even distract us from how light it felt on material. The most generous assessment I can make of this episode was that they came out as strong as they possibly could’ve given what they had (which was clearly more focused on pleasing the crowd than anything else) and completely disintegrated by the second half even thought it was starting to rapidly fall apart before that. Let’s just get on with it since I’m really starting to ramble.

Sound of Music - Seeing Wiig again (and as “Doonise” no less) really disappoints me, but I guess we should've expected something like this as Wiig does also apparently have a substantial role in Anchorman 2. Seeing Armisen again also disappointed me, but not nearly as much. His cameo felt a little too tacked on for my liking. Admittedly, it was kinda clever the way they worked her into The Sound Of Music, but if they were going to tackle THAT whole mess they should've at least tried to get in some good Carrie Underwood jabs or something. Still, I also have to give Kate, Bobby and Taran for having good lines here and there. C-

Monologue - This felt a little predictable considering they've done this sort of thing before (i.e. Ben Stiller 1998, Paul Rudd 2010), but it's got a lot better as it went along. Seeing Koechner, Ferell and Carell all together again was particularly exciting. It was particularly cool of them to acknowledge how they "overshadowed" Rudd and after seeing the lads from One Direction tackle "Afternoon Delight" with the Anchorman cast, I do admit I have just a little bit more respect for them. I mean, I'd rather not have to see them in sketches but I kind of understand why they would've had to and this was probably the best way they could've done so. B+

Politics Nation IV - This is a particularly horrible way to open the show. It was the same old shtick from Kenan we've seen before. I did like the shot of the tracksuit and the knockout game joke. Thankfully, it was shorter than expected. D+

Dan Charles: One Direction’s #1 Fan - This Matt and Oz short film was interesting. Paul’s interaction with little girls was actually pretty funny and I liked his "basic facts" line as well as the crowd chanting bit. His wife's pregnancy phone call was also a nice touch. The guys also played straight man to him well enough. This was another decent way to do the "obligatory" One Direction sketch while still giving Rudd some real face time. It does kind of remind me of a sketch that I heard got cut from the Louis CK episode last year. I liked it well enough. B-

Diner Divorce - I didn't quite know what to make of this, but the song made it seem kinda repetitive. Paul and Vanessa really gave it their all here. The ending was decent and I did like the Duncan Danish and Pooh Bear lines. C-

Story Of My Life - After watching One Direction actually perform, I have just two things to say. One, their first number sounds like it may actually be their least terrible song by default. Also, how are they allowed to have THREE band members with facial hair? I actually see how one of them might need it, but they can't really have three designated "bad boys" but I guess they have completely different standards in England.

Update seemed to step up its game just a little bit. Cecily actually did okay tonight and seems to be finding her own voice a little more. I did like the Walmart towels/panda/romance novel string of jokes. As soon as Seth uttered the phrase "Hannukah", I knew Vanessas' Bar Mitzvah boy was going to make an appearance. That was pretty much the same thing again, but I did like the bit about the older brother. It might be a little too soon to bring back Taran's 1860s critic but it was pretty awesome of them to acknowledge that and it still made me laugh my ass off (especially the Family Guy/Snoopy reference and the Natl. Lampoon/linear time joke). This could’ve been one of the better Updates this season if not for a couple of minor things weighing it down. C+

Michelangelo’s David - This sketch was way too predictable, but still had its moments. Still, I am quite surprised that even at 12:30 AM Est on network TV they could show a close up of a sculpted anatomically correct penis on network TV. Jay and Bobby had some great lines and I liked Nassim as Mona Lisa. C-

White Christmas - This was kind of shaky premise, but it was somewhat original and executed well enough. Did anyone else think that was Samberg and not Rudd at first doing Madea? Still, they did a fine job of dissecting a film genre and providing an oppositional reading. I did like the Vibe/Essence reviews at the end. C+

Slimmed Down Santa - I have to say Milheiser, Moony and Wells are perfectly cast as elves in this sketch and they did everything they could’ve to save it. That's really my only commentary on it because it was by far the weakest premise of the night and went pretty much nowhere. D-

Past Lovers - This also meandering, but Rudd and especially Moynihan are great in it even if Cecily hasn’t quite shown the range necessary to play a lead in any sketch yet. C+

One Direction's Second Performance – This was expectedly pretty lame. Now, this is a song of theirs that I can’t say I’ve heard before anywhere nor do I care to look up the title of but I honestly wish they had actually performed "Best Song Ever" just so I could make the obligatory joke "Best Song Ever?!? More like Least Accurate Title for a Song Ever! Ha!" Hey, remember what I said earlier about the show being light on material? Yeah, you know that’s GOTTA be true if I find myself being compelled to comment on the musical performances (which I do rarely if ever) for no good reason other than to entertain MYSELF.

Tales Of Bill Brasky VII – This was obviously the highlight of THIS episode. Taran, Paul and even Kenan were great additions. Sure, it may not be able to hold a candle to the classic McKinney era sketches of 1996-97 (or even the one with just Goodman and Baldwin from 1998) but it was still very funny and it was nice even just to see Ferrell and Koechner again. There were probably too many good lines to list separately here but I did like a lot of the ones from Kilam and Koechner as well as Kenan's "true meaning of Kwanza" line and Cecily's reveal that they were at a Chuck E. Cheese. Still, it might have been better if they had just waited until next week and let Goodman take Rudd's place. A-

Well, that was that. It sure felt nice to judge Paul Rudd on his merits as a host and comedic performer rather than how well he carried the cameos scattered through his episode. For once, they carried him. Next week, John Goodman (a man who hasn’t appeared on this show in 10 years) hosts for his thirteenth time. He is another host who will do well with the material they give him no matter what but let’s still hope the writing doesn’t drag him down.

Now, it’s time once again to update my rankings for this season.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Lady Gaga
4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry
5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire
6. Paul Rudd/One Direction
7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim
8. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

See you soon!

Josh Hutcherson/Haim (11.23.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was just as uneven as last week, but unfortunately it relied too much on tires premises and some rather subpar writing. I guess that’s to be expected for a Thanksgiving show at the end of a three show streak. In the context of this season so far, everyone involved just seemed to be coasting but it may prove to not be the worst yet in time. Josh Hutcherson is proved to be a forgettable yet competent host. I don’t see him coming back any time soon at all. Still, it must have been a good night for Mike, Beck and Kyle as this has to be the most quality airtime they’ve gotten this season so far. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Piers Morgan Tonight V - This sketch may not have been the strongest way to open the show, but the highlights were Bobby's Florida cop, Beck's Men's Warehouse spokesman and Taran's LFNY delivery. C-

Monologue - This seemed pretty unambitious and on the beaten path so far, but I like the direction it's taking. That must've been one hell of a quick change for Kate, though and I did like the hint of self-referential humor. It was nice of them to throw Noel a bone and let her appear as herself briefly. C+

Girlfriends Talk Show IV - Although it feels much too soon to be bringing back, it is a little interesting to shake up the typical format and try it with a male host. Josh has to be wearing the worst wig they had. Aidy is, once again, proving to be the standout in these sketches. Still, I was hoping this version would be closer to the one that apparently got cut from the Zach Galifinakis episode in May. C+

Baby Boss - This Beck Bennett sketch turned out quite interesting. It's great to see them give him a lead and he's pretty much killed it with his commitment to physical comedy. B-

Matchbox 3 - This subway short film seems like a weak premise, but again, I admire the commitment and cinematography in it. Josh holding the flag was the only thing that stood out to me. D+

Update had its fair share of disappointing underwritten jokes tonight, but I did like Cecily's Rob Ford dart joke. As a Colorado resident, I was expecting to hate that Denver Post marijuana joke, but it wasn't actually that bad. Aidy as the worst woman on a plane was pretty inconsistent. The only things that I can say were that good about it were that she really gave it her all performance wise and that it was pretty different from Cecily's party girl in that this was more script and premise heavy and less with less of an improv feel. Seth's constant giggling was once again ruining an otherwise tolerable bit. Thankfully, Update was short tonight. C-

Josie - This '80s sketch felt way out of place. There already 30 second Comcast commercials with this exact premise so it’s got that demerit working against its favor. Still, I did like Kenan and Taran's appearances as well as the Jessie's Girl gag at the end. C+

Best Buy - This Cecily/Bobby employee sketch also feels too soon to bring back. Still, I never hated it that much. It was nice to see they tried some more elaborate stuff with it, but it led to some pacing problems. It was also nice to see them come up with a different ending now that Tim is no longer in the cast, but it felt a little under executed. C-

Dancing - This Good Neighbor short wasn't as strong as their previous outings but it still had its moments such as Kyle's dancing and the Instant VHS and newspaper gags. Wow, it felt really odd seeing two ‘80s themed sketches in a row. Anyway, this short ran a little too long compared to their others. While I like seeing more of Beck and Kyle on the show, they should realize that their strengths of their previous digital shorts lie in getting in, getting their laughs and getting out. They should pack a quicker punch and be a little more tightly packed with gags next time. C+

Southern Animal Hospital – At first, this sketch seemed to be meandering and then it just seemed to be trying too hard. It's clearly one joke being beaten in the cold, cold ground. Still, it actually made me chuckle a couple of times although I can't remember when. All I kept thinking about is how much worse it would've been if Wiig was in it. C-

Investigative Bug Reporter - This sketch was okay. Considering that it's another taped piece (which this show feels a little heavy on, oddly enough) it really feels to be playing to Mike and Josh's "strengths" as performers. This was probably, by default, the best performance O'Brien has turned in on the entire show so far. C-

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner – This sketch feels a little played out and derivative. Bobby and Kyle did fine in it and Taran was trying his damndest here. Still, it seemed really oddly paced and Vanessa may be trying a bit too hard. D+

Now, I’d like to update my rankings for this season…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

7. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, that show just came and went quietly. Next month, we have a pretty strong lineup of hosts starting with Paul Rudd. I hope he pulls a Galifinakis and hits his third show out of the park to make up for his first two being so forgettable. I also hope One Direction only really appears in a musical guest capacity even though they just now really have the US crossover fame to appear in sketches. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lady Gaga (11.16.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. Despite how wildly uneven this show was all night, it is definitely one of the better episodes this season. It started off fairly strong and then started to fall apart in the middle and then picked up some steam toward the end. Lady Gaga has displayed some real hosting talent tonight, but I thought it would translate better to musical performances than sketch acting. To me, this seemed truer for the monologue than her duet with R. Kelly. Something about that first MG spot seemed a little off to me and I think it was the dancing. Her second performance was a something a little unexpected, but just OK other than that. Usually, it would be a demerit to the show when they don’t use a particular host in many sketches but this actually worked in Lady Gaga’s favor. You may have noticed early on how she was basically shoehorned into sketches with rather small roles. This actually wasn’t a detriment to the show because as we saw the last two times she appeared on the show, she doesn’t quite have the acting chops for a lead role in any sketch. Thankfully, the writers seemed to remember this and figured out the exactly when and where to use her in just the right moments during the show. Otherwise, we’d have to sit through ninety minutes of Lady Gaga just trying too hard. I also liked how much they gave us a chance to see the featured players on air more and made great use of Taran and Bobby. Anyway, this might be my longest preamble ever so let’s just move on with the actual review.

CBC – This Toronto Mayor cold open was pretty funny, even though they probably could've gone without the stereotypical hosehead accents. Bobby was funny as Rob Ford (even though he probably didn't have the voice down) and the taped press conferences were a highlight. A-

Monologue - This musical monologue is pretty much exactly what I was expecting, but this jazzy Broadway version of "Applause" is quite an improvement over the original. Her interaction with Bobby was definitely the best part and the "tuck" line was a nice touch. Other than that, it reminded me a bit too much of Chevy Chases' monologue from his first hosting stint in 1978 but this was more enjoyable. B-

Paxil Second Term Strength - This was a clever and well executed ad, but something about this felt a little dated. It's like they really could've done this for any president. Taran's appearance as John Boehner was a nice touch but other than that nothing really stood out to me here. B-

Waking up with Kimye - This seemed to be meandering . Jay's Kanye is great (even if it's slipping a bit) but Kardashian impressions on SNL should've stayed retired. Still, I'd like to see a little more from Noel and Kate here and I did like Nassims' MJ and work lines. Gaga seemed to be trying too hard to create a stereotypical nerd character in a sketch that doesn't necessarily call for that type of "acting" and her not-so-subtle nod to camera toward the end kind of bugged me. Still, they did know exactly where to end this and I'd definitely rather see it than Vanessa's Gaga impression again. Also, I sure hope we don't have to read any fluff pieces about Kanye's reaction to this because I already know that's going to annoy the hell out of me. C+

Whaaat Cover Songs - This reminds me of something Ferrell would've done in 1997 for some reason. Taran and Kenan were great in it and Noel does great Britney. Aidy was good as well but I wish they didn't underuse her so much. Gaga did a better job of poking fun at herself here albeit maybe a couple of years too late. The Jay/Kate duet at the end was also great. Thankfully, this was different enough from those "Bunny Business" type soundtrack sketches that it was somewhat enjoyable. C+

Update had a long string of decent jokes. Nothing really bombed and as a whole, I'd say the entire segment got the audience reactions it deserved. I could already tell I wasn't going to like Kenan's commentary before he even came out. They lost me at "common sense". The pre-taped sketch reminded me of something Fred Armisen would've done in '04-'05. I liked the level of energy Kenan committed to, but not much else about it. The thing that bugged me the most was how it appeared to be the first use of most of the featured players the whole night. Taran's commentary was great and really breathed some life into the show here, but Seth and Cecily's constant giggling really bugged the hell out of me. B-

Co-Op Board - This sketch meandered worse than anything I've ever seen. I still don't know what to make of it even after its ending. Still, I have to say I liked how they used Aidy, Kyle and Kate. Gag's appearance was just all right. D+

Spotlightz Camp For Serious Child Actors - This was obviously recurred from the horrendous Scarlett Johansen 2010 shows. At first, I didn't think they needed to recur it again but then I noticed how well it utilized this cast and host. Gaga and Noel were very cute and definitely turned in their best performances of the night. Gaga's role seemed especially suited to her acting range very well. Kyle and Taran were also great additions to this sketch. The only real flaw with it was that it ran on a bit too long. C+

Blockbuster - This digishort was really saved by its ending. Something about it made it feel like it was missing something in execution. I can tell this is probably not a Good Neighbor short due to the lack of a title card and the fact that Beck appeared in it but not Kyle. C+

Fourth Grade Pageant - It was great to see John Milheiser finally have a breakout moment after being virtually invisible for two months and it played well to Gaga's talents as a dancer. I could see this as being Milheiser's equivalent of Farley's Chippendales sketch. Aidy played well off of him, too. B+

Upper East Side, NY 2065  - This sketch was probably the best thing Gaga could've done in terms of self-deprecation as this is probably how everyone already feels about her anyway. Hell, I sure didn't think we would still be talking about her in 2012 much less 2013 but she put out another album so...here we are. It was a little long, overly cutesy and not all there in terms of acting but it was nice other than that. I did like Kenan playing off her, especially his lines about One Direction and Willow and Jaden Smith being considered "classic rock" in the future. C+

The Roze Zone – This was another flimsy premise that felt less out of place had it been done in the Tina Fey era, but the girls made the most out of the material they were given. C+

And now, just because I haven’t done this in a while…I’m going to rank this seasons’ episodes from best to worst. After this and the Kerry Washington episode, I think it’s about damn time.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week Josh Hutcherson of “Hunger Games” fame hosts just in time for Thanksgiving. This show could seriously go either way. See you then!

Kerry Washington/Eminem (11.2.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. I would say this episode was a strong contender for best of the season so far. For the first time in a long time, the writing felt fresh and relevant and the staff didn’t seem like they were relying on crutches and tired premises. Kerry Washington proved to be one of the most dynamic hosts the show has had in years. This episode might put the talk of SNL’s lack of diversity issue to rest…or it might just keep it going as people talk about how much more desperately the show needs a black actress with Kerry’s talent. Oh well, at least people will be talking differently about the show soon…which I guess is a good thing either way. Still, this episode could’ve used more airtime from certain new featured players but in the context of this particular episode, it’s understandable why they’d use people like Wells, Mooney, Beckett and Milheiser less. Anyway, here it is.

Cold Open – This was a perfect way for SNL to address its ongoing “lack of diversity” issue on air while still being funny, engaging and entertaining. Kerry Washington endeared herself well to the audience and proved to be an exciting host. I also liked there being an onscreen scroll and self-referential/self-deprecating humor as SNL hasn’t employed either of those in a long time. I also liked the “six Matthew McConagheys” gag with Bobby and Brooks playing two of them. Al Sharpton’s cameo felt quite useless, but other than that a solid opening. A-

Monologue – Kerry did a good job of maintaining her energy here. This was also a nice way to introduce Kerry to an audience who isn’t all that familiar with the show “Scandal”. Plus, it feels fresher and more relevant since SNL seems to be parodying the show while it’s under most people’s radar and hasn’t yet peaked in popularity. This seems like the first time in a LONG time they have successfully pulled that off. Vanessa and Kerry played well off each other and I liked her self-deprecating Miley/da club lines and Kenan’s absurd yet subtle performance made me laugh. B-

Career Week – It was good that they not only gave Nassim a lead off sketch at the top of the show, but also gave her the chance to showcase some rather dynamic performance skills we didn’t know she had. Although it got to be a bit much toward the last minute or so, it was okay. It didn’t feel as derivative as many of Nassim’s other sketches. Kerry was also a welcome addition, but O’Brien managed to bungle a role that seemed specifically designed to cater to him as a performer. Other than that, it wasn’t a terrible sketch. C-

How’s He Doing II? – I’m actually surprised that they’d recur THIS sketch from Maya Rudolph’s hosting stint (especially considering how lukewarmly it was received the first time) but considering this episode’s host, I should’ve seen it coming. Kerry was once again a real standout here. Her performance really shined considering the fact that they did rehash a lot of the same jokes. Still, I did like some of Jay’s lines like the ones about white people’s mail. In fact, I’d say I actually prefer this version of the sketch over the original. B+

What My Girl Say – For some reason, I was expecting SNL to do some sort of sketch based on the “What Does The Fox Say” video. Still, I was expecting it to be set in some kind of workplace much like they did with “Someone Like You” and “Gangnam Style” rather than a straight parody. They pulled it off just as well as they did “We Can’t Stop” and Kerry, Jay and Kate were fine in it, but the whole premise, again, seemed more geared toward MAD TV. If “The Fox” were a big hit about four or five years ago, I could easily see Keegan Micheal Key and Erica Ash doing it. Hell, I could see Aries Spears, Debra Wilson, Danielle Gaither or Jordan Peele doing this if it were out even earlier. If SNL wants to continue to venture into parody songs based on current hits, I think I’ll give them one more chance before I judge whether this venture is a success or not. B-

Miss Universe 2013 – This was very cute probably the best female cast showcase they’ve done in quite a while. Kerry, Kate, Nassim and Aidy each turned in their funniest performances of the night here. Vanessa and Noel were also great. Noel particularly made all she could out of her only appearance of the night. Strangely given the show’s supposed running theme and given the actual recent Miss America “controversy”, I was surprised at how little this sketch had to say about diversity issues. Still, I wouldn’t consider that a demerit. B+

Update was okay in terms of jokes. Not much seems to have changed with Cecily, but I did like her Kanye joke and Seth's vigilante joke. Kate as Chancellor Merkel was okay. She had the German accent down well and she was doing her damndest to sell the material, but it didn't really get funny until the Google lines. Kenan's Barkley is always welcome and he played off of Pharroh well as usual. He does do a fine Shaq and is really committing to it. They really had good lines to like the ones about groin spraining and neck injuries. Thankfully, they kept it from going on too long. C+

Cartoon Catchphrases - This game show sketch is pretty strange, but I like it. There may be a few too many conceptual layers to it and the joke almost got old, but it was pretty funny. It may have been a little too ambitious for its own good but it's nice to see the writers are still reaching for something. Also, Mike O'Brien continues to be an unremarkable sketch actor. B-

Fall Carnival - I don't think I should be surprised that they did another Principal Frye sketch in this particular episode, but even though they're usually pretty funny it does feel odd whenever they show up. Kerry is quite good and Jay is doing well here as is Kenan. B-

Date Or Diss - This seems like a sketch that they should've done 12 years ago (and even then it might've felt a little tired, but still less tired than poking fun at post 2000 era MTV in general) but the girls dark lines and Taran playing off them with mock horrified reactions made this sketch for me. Aidy and Kerry were really good here and I did like the “Bitch Apartment” still at the end. C+

Good Neighbor: Ice Cream - This short was a fun way to end the show. I liked the introspective vibe of it and it had a good ending. B-

Well, that was the show. In two weeks, Lady Gaga does double duty as host and musical guest. Based on some of her previous sketch appearances, I think she’ll be able to match Kerry’s level of energy but sadly, not her acting ability so I think this will be an interesting episode. I will watch with an open mind, but that shouldn’t take everything I have in me. I can kind of see some of the animosity toward her, but I can’t say that I share it with you. I’m not her biggest fan or anything; I’m just not inclined to viscerally hate her as much as some of you. See you then! Have a Happy Daylight Savings!

Edward Norton/Janelle Monae (10.26.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was probably the most inconsistent that this season has been so far. I hesitate to say it was all bad because there were a few moments here and there that I genuinely liked but not as much as the previous episode looking back. I’m tempted to say it was the worst of the season…so far. I do have a feeling that an episode worse than this one will come along sometime but I just don’t see this one holding up so well later on. Edward Norton proved to be pretty much game for anything as a host, but unfortunately he was very underutilized (much like most of the new featured players, sadly). It's funny that Norton explicitly said how much fun he head because I wasn't able to tell from watching this episode. Anyway, here we go.

Obamacare Website - This got a little funnier as it went along. I do like the list of alternative websites and outdated program references. I especially liked Bobby as the bat wielding IT guy. It was a little better than the standard dry political open they usually do. C+

Monologue - This method acting bit feels like Norton really ran one joke in the ground. Most of his punch lines I could see coming from 2 miles away. Good thing Baldwin was there to give him a shot in the arm. His impressions went well...wait, why the hell is Miley here twice in the same month? C+

Autumn's Eve - This commercial was okay. Pumpkin spice jokes are played out but this was a clever and edgy take on the recent phenomenon. I did like the Shamrock/Peppermint douche lines. C-

Elementary School - This sketch started off a little slow. Nassim has played this type of character before but this is a little more amusing of a variation. This is like an edgier Bedelia, kind of. When it seemed like it was gone be one joke, Bobby, Kenan, John and Noel started to save it with their great supporting lines. Kate was funny as the teacher as well. Still, Norton was good in his role even if it was interchangeable and could’ve been played by virtually any host. B-

Steve Harvey - This sketch went nowhere. It's not quite as funny when Kenan plays him as an oblivious idiot. D-

Wes Anderson Horror Film - This trailer felt like an unoriginal trope that still had unreached potential. The execution was fine but I was expecting a little something different in terms of impressions. Still, I did like Norton as Owen Wilson and Kate as Tilda Swinton. C+

Possums  - This sketch had kind of a similar feel. I could pretty much tell where it was going from the get go, but it was good to see Brooks get an actual acting part. He didn't blow me away, but he didn't disappoint me either. C-

Rain Man – This turned out to be better than I expected. Norton was pretty funny in it, but O'Brien seemed a little miscast. Still, it's at least nice that they're finding some ways to use him. C+

Update was okay. Cecily's delivery isn't slipping that bad, but she should work on developing her own comedic voice a little more. I realize second hand news is a tired one note bit, but for some reason Bobby gave me some genuine laughs with the way he tried to sell it. C-

12 Days Not A Slave – This sketch was pretty mediocre. I haven't yet seen "12 Days A Slave" nor am I that familiar with it, but I can already tell this isn't a very well written parody. Aidy had a good line but Jay doesn't quite have the acting chops to venture that far out of the impression zone just yet. The bit about white girls dancing like black men at the end (especially Miley's second cameo) seemed way too forced. D+

Restaurant Virgins - This sketch is one of the most pointless things I've ever seen. Another sketch with a predictable joke. Some of Norton, Cecily and Mike's movements were good (I did like Mike's bloomers bit) but otherwise this sketch just kinda dragged on. D-

Halloween - This sketch was okay. It did feel like a less funny version of Steve Buscemi's Christmas sketch from two years ago, but Bobby made me laugh in it and it was the funniest and most committed Edward Norton has been all night. C-

Well, that was it. Next week Kerry Washington hosts. My review of that show may not be “live” or even complete or as prompt as this one. See you next week.

Bruce Willis/Katy Perry (10.12.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This was probably the worst episode of the season so far, but this was more the fault of the writers than the host. Bruce Willis proved to be a capable sketch performer but the show was pretty reliant on tired recurring premises and characterizations. Good to see John, Beck, Brooks and Aidy are getting more chances to prove themselves. This episode could’ve really used more appearances from Noel and Kyle though. Thankfully, Taran, Bobby, Jay and Kenan were able to pick up some of the slack performance wise. Anyway, here it is.

NASA Cold Open – This was clever enough, but not really an effective commentary on the government shutdown. After they established the joke, they didn’t go anywhere with it. Kate and Taran had some good lines and Cecily did fine in a supporting role. C-

Monologue - This seemed to have promise but soon fell into tired SNL trope territory. Bruce's "six Die Hards" joke was actually OK but his delivery ruined it. His delivery felt way too stilted and awkward through the whole thing. Bobby's bit wishing he was Bruce's son was alright and it was nice to see him play himself for once, but it felt too predictable once they started playing harmonica. D+

24 Hour Energy for Dating Actresses  - This was alright, but it felt like something with too narrow appeal that only a very small fraction of SNL'S audience would get. Still, it had some energetic performances and it was nice seeing Noel and Kyle. I have to wonder who wrote this. I’ll bet it was probably Colin Jost. B-

Black Ops - This sketch was nice but like the airport sketch from Tina's episode, it felt like it could've been done in any season since the '90s. All it did was make fun of action movie tropes but in a fun way. Bruce was good in this, but he wasn't exactly playing against type or anything. Bobby and Kenan added some fun energy and it was nice seeing Beck get a big role. C+

Barbershop - This sketch was pretty lame. I did like Bruce's Robin egg line. Otherwise it had serious pacing and timing problems. It was also an obvious rip off of the scene from "Coming To America" because Pharrohh was doing a variation on his Eddie Murphy. Still, I gotta give Kenan and Jay credit for having a rapid fire back and forth and giving this some energy. C-

Boy Dance Party - This was fun but a little too silly for my tastes. The crowd seemed to love it but it didn't really go anywhere. Bruce and Jay were alright in it and I did laugh at the "shake that sack" line. This can't be a Good Neighbor short since Beck was in it but not Kyle (unless "yle wrote it which he probably didn't). B-

The Lady Gaga Show - This was pretty inferior to The Miley Cyrus Show. Vanessa had the impression down well enough at first, but it kinda slipped away from her. I don't think either of these should become recurring sketches. Bruce as Micheal Kors made me chuckle a couple of times, but he got old pretty quick. Kate's Penelope Cruz didn't do anything for me. I did like Taran as the DJ and Aidy was pretty funny. C-

Update hasn't made any progress backward or forward. Cecily's delivery is improving (and still has some room to do so) and the jokes are still at the same level. I did like Cecily's sexual harassment joke and Seth's police rats joke. The commentaries were pretty forgettable. Kenan as the chaplain was pretty grating and repetitive. Brooks' commentary had potential to be better than it was but he couldn't really save it in spite of himself. He had all right material but it was kinda bought down by Seth turning it into an interview. Still, it was nice to see a cast member play themselves on Update for the first time in years. C+

Centauri Vodka - This was probably the best live sketch of the night. The visual of Bruce and John as a Centaur was funny on its own and I liked how they added some broad physical comedy in there. B+

Kirby - I'm surprised they tried to bring this back. Aside from making this one an Armageddon parody, they changed nothing. The only thing I liked was when Bruce mentioned that Kirby was banging his daughter. D-

Chun - I'm also surprised they tried to bring back Taran's "Glice" character but I did like how they found a way to do it without Sudekis and change the format up a bit. Nassim had some good lines and I did like the chin jokes as well. C+

Good Neighbor: Sigma - This short was the funniest taped segment of the night. Beck and Kyle played well off of each other and I liked the building silliness of it. Still, I admit it seemed a bit derivative of the Lonely Island. While Good Neighbor has shown a very distinct and inventive style of humor on YouTube and I like what they’ve contributed to SNL so far, I think it might take them some time to fit that sensibility into the SNL mold effectively and find their real voices. B-

Well, that was that. Edward Norton hosts in two weeks. I think he may be the most interesting choice of host so far this season. He’s shown he can be a fine yet intense actor in small doses but I can’t accurately gauge his comedic skills based on what I’ve seen him in. This show could go either way but should be interesting to watch no matter what. See you soon!

Miley Cyrus (10.5.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. Overall, I can't help but think that while this show might be lame in terms of this season, it was a little better than her 2011 episode. Good to see some more of the new cast getting used but I wish the current featured players could’ve been more than glorified extras in the live show. Alright, let’s go.

New York, 2045 AD - This cold open felt a little dated and predictable, but I liked the whole dystopian take on it. The Kennedy ghost line was an odd reference and Kenan seemed to be overacting quite a bit. I liked Miley's "tiny strokes" line and Bobby as the traumatized teddy bear. Taran did a fine Robin Thicke and Jay actually had some good lines as Will Smith for once. C+

Monologue - This was classier than I expected. Good to see Miley wore something comparatively tasteful. The jokes weren't quite there, but I chuckled at Bobby on the wrecking ball. C+

Fifty Shades of Grey Auditions - These just had their moments. Good to see they utilized the more underused cast members for this, but these are becoming too much of an SNL standard at this point. Bobby's Seth Rogen and Miley's Scarlett weren't quite there but Noel's Emma Stone and Taran's Christoph Waltz were good. Too bad they didn’t give her any lines as Kristen Stewart. Bennett’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t as good or as memorable as Jason’s though. I wish they'd given Aidy more lines but Nassim as Aziz Ansari was great (even if she didn't quite have the voice) and Vanessa’s one line as Mary Louise Parker was funny. Kenan as Steve Harvey had okay lines but was largely useless here. Jay did a fine Tracy Morgan even if he didn’t quite have the voice right away and Kate did a good Jane Lynch. John did an OK Cryer even though I wasn’t totally able to tell. Jay’s Shaq was okay and Nassim’s Kristen Chenowith was once again pointless. B-

Girlfirends Talk Show III - I don't really care for this, but it's good to see they're using Aidy more prominently. I still would’ve liked to have seen the version of this that got cut from the Zach Galifinakis show in May. Miley's character was annoying and just felt too played out conceptually but still had some OK lines here and there. I liked Aidy's "night crier" line and Cecily's odd boyfriend ramble at the end. Still, if I had to choose which of Cecily’s characters I’d rather keep seeing all season between this and the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Talked To At A Party, I’d pick the latter. C-

We Did Stop (The Government) – I found myself having to seriously reevaluate my take on this music video. It was something I wanted to like at first and had unreached potential, but ultimately felt a little too MAD TV-ish at times. Also, while it may seem cool to get the artist of the original song to sing on your parody version it does kind of take away the impact of the joke. It seems like any jerkoff on YouTube could've done this exact same thing, but I did actually appreciate it more upon a second viewing as I caught and laughed at some of the jokes I missed. It is a well-constructed parody video in terms of both lyrics and visuals but I’m not sure if I want to see SNL attempt more of them. Still, I have to give Taran credit for making all he could out of it as he was truly funny at times. I guess my inner Weird Al fan got the better half of me after all. B-

Piers Morgan IV - This was all right for something that felt like another tired SNL trope. I'd say Kate did the best Hilary. Kenan seemed too stiff and awkward as Sway. Bennett did a fine Bill Clinton, but we've seen better obviously. I did like the saxophone bong and Taran's "village idiot" line at the end. C+

Wrecking Ball - I do appreciate the low key vibe of this performance.

Update is improving but is still pretty middle of the road tonight. Good to see that Cecily is coming into her own in terms of delivery at least. Winners and Losers is just too played out at this point. Kates' commentary was a little too Wiigish for my tastes but she had some decent lines. Jay's Shannon Sharpe makes me laugh even though I'm not totally paying attention to it. Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy was just more of the same. B-

Aliens and Cheerleaders - This may have been a great way to utilize the entire female cast, but didn’t quite go anywhere and appeared to have pacing problems. Too bad Taran didn't have a bigger part. This reminded me too much of that sketch from the last Lindsay Lohan episode where Fred kept getting hit by a car. Also, did anyone else get a serious Hannah Montana vibe from seeing Miley in a blonde wig again? D+

Morning, Miami - This news promo sketch was pretty good just for Kate and Bobby's ridiculous lines. It's definitely funnier than a lot of the other sketches tonight. I got kind of a Wake Up and Smile meets Taran and Bobby’s Minnesota DJs vibe from it. B-

We Can’t Stop - This acoustic version really weirded me out for some reason and it has nothing to do with the fact that she has a midget in her band. It's just that this one sounds so wrong acoustically and I thought she wasn't going to do this one based on the fact that they actually did a parody of it earlier...but then again Cee-Lo Green did the same thing with "Fuck You" when Gwenyth Paltrow hosted in 2011.

Poetry Class – This didn't seem to go anywhere either. Vanessa really dragged it down. Still, I liked Aidy and Kenan's poems as well as Mike's "thank Christ" line. D+

Good Neighbor: Kyle’s Office - This short was all right, but I can't help but think how much I would've liked it more if a different female host/mg took Miley's role. I liked how Kyle thought Bobby and Beck were 500/600 years old. Good to see they're getting stuff on. It’s a good way to introduce Kyle Mooney’s oddball magical surrealist humor to the SNL audience. I hope to see more Good Neighbor shorts in the future. B-

Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Stay tuned next week when Bruce Willis and Katy Perry will be on the show and I honestly have no clue how it might go down. See you guys then!

Tina Fey/Arcade Fire (9.28.2013)

Before I begin, I have to apologize for really slacking off on season 14 over the summer. A lot of stuff just came up for me and I got a pretty bad flu so I didn’t really have the time or the energy to invest in them. I will get around to reviewing those episodes sometime…whenever I can.

Okay, here’s my review. All in all, this was probably the most competent way they could've opened this season. There were some weak spots here and there but those are probably to be expected in a season like this. Kyle Mooney and Noel Wells seem to be hitting the ground running. Beck Bennett, Brooks Wheelan and Mike O’Brien snuck in there somewhere too. Good for them. Hopefully, John Milheiser will get a chance to prove himself next week. Good to see Aidy, Kate and Cecily getting to establish themselves more tonight. It’s also good to see they are getting a little more comfortable in taking some more chances on the show. Arcade Fire tried a little too hard performance wise. Well, let’s get started, shall we?

Obamacare Cold Open – This was just fine. It may not have been the best way to open this particular season, but it was pretty decent. Bobby, Taran and Kate had great lines. It was nice of them to give Bennett his first shot as well. The Aaron Paul cameo was definitely a highlight of the night so far. C+

Monologue - This was a better way to get the really get the season started. It was great of her to feature all six featured players front and center. I'd have to say Wells appears to be the best dancer. I also have to wonder if Milheiser's difficulty with the tear away pants was planned. The bit up front where Tina referred to her nonexistent recurring characters was done well for something that felt dated. Also, was that clip from the Bernie Mac monologue cut from dress rehearsal? I don’t remember that form his monologue and it isn’t in the SNL Archives. B+

Girls - This TV parody was pretty well done. Wells does a fine Lena Dunham and Tina and others were good at poking fun at what bugs me about that show. Tina and Taran were pretty funny here. B+

Airport - This sketch was pretty funny for something that seemed like it could've been done any time in the past fifteen seasons. Good for them to give two other new guys their first real sketch shot, too. My best guess is that they were Wheelan and Milhieser. Watching this sketch again on hulu confirms the accuracy of this sketch. C+

New Cast Member or Arcade Fire - As tired as Game Show sketches must seem, this was a good vehicle for SNL to poke fun at its own awkward rebuilding efforts. Mooney was pretty great in this. Tina had some good lines and I liked Kenan berating the new cast for trying to sneak lines. B-

E-Meth Cigarettes – This was executed well for such a flimsy premise. Wheelan did okay, but it's not a good sign when he has to play off Kenan as a straight man. I also liked how Taran and Kate delivered such goofy drug slang so stoically. Aaron Paul was great again. He felt a little odd here since it would've been a huge missed opportunity if he didn't show up here or deliver a "bitch" line but they did already use him. B-

Update has been surprisingly...Strong (pun not intended) tonight. Seriously though, I want to like Cecily as an anchor but her delivery is a little too close to Seth's for my liking and she's making him look funnier than he is. Neither of those are good signs but I'll give her some time to find her groove. Mooney as Bruce Chandling pretty much made my night. He was brilliantly funny and I'm psyched that they're actually using his characters. Drunk Uncle was just more of the same, but it feels pretty good being 2 for 4 in "Guess the Recurring Characters" (Hell, 3 for 4 if you count "Girls" the way I do). Aaron Paul was used great here again, but a third Jesse-like cameo was a little much. B-

PBS Cinema Classics - This felt stale, but it's a little preferable to TMC classics. Kenan was a surprisingly funny host and the whole thing with the animals made me chuckle despite getting off to a slow start. C+

Used Cars - This Model T lot commercial was only funny because of Tina. O'Brien added next to nothing, but I did like his one item "lists". C-

Manolo Blahniks - I think it was a little too early to bring back the porn models sketch but I liked Vanessa’s butt surgery lines, Cecily’s “glass blumpkin” line and Tina's "toeblasting" line. At least they tried something different by incorporating a female host into this sketch. C+

Well, SNL is getting back on its feet. It will surely be interesting to see how they work out the kinks. It should be enough to effectively take our minds of the fact that Miley Cyrus is pulling double duty next week. See you soon!

Tom Hanks/Keith Richards - 10.8.1988

Pumping Up With Hans and Franz VI

Those wacky Austrian “bodybuilders” Hans (Carvey) and Franz (Nealon) briefly “clear the air” on the Olympic steroid controversy and explain why they don’t feel the need to take them. They also ridicule Greg Louganis’ diving performance and end by showing us what we might see had they participated in the Olympics.

This was a fine outing for the two musclemen, but not exactly their best. It wasn’t as good as the three other Hans and Franz sketches we would see later on in this season. The real highlights were Nealons’ washboard abs/Sears front loaders joke, Carvey’s out of nowhere landromat comment, the two berating Louganis and calling him “Stuganis” for no reason and of course, the soft focus, slo-mo Olympic profile/tribute.

Grade: B-

Montage

New season, new opening credits package. This features a series of blue tinted, monochromatic shots of the cast out on the town and various other oddballs and landmarks around New York.

While I do like the stylized casual grim decadence of this intro, I must say I prefer the one from the previous two seasons. Even though it had more of an overly pretentious feel to it than this one, I just liked all the shots of the cast in a mad dash to get to the 8H. [citation needed] It’s especially funnier if you imagine that they’re all running FROM something. I also liked the 90-94 package since I pretty much grew up with it, but these make them look unambitious. They still kind of pales in comparison to the strangeness that just jumps out at you form 86-90.

Monologue

Tom Hanks begins by walking out to briefly address the rumor that he is the “nicest guy in Hollywood”. As his monologue “ends”, he walks backstage and is tearfully thanked by Nora Dunn for researching her family tree and presenting it to her as a gift. Further playing into his “nicest guy” image, he walks into the control room to wish everybody good luck and consoles and angry Hartman berating the crew about his wig and wardrobe not being right for the debate sketch. Later, he calms a wild horse and his handler, (Conan O’Brien) settles a dispute between an NBC page (Bob Odenkirk) and two thugs without tickets and advises Keith Richards to check up on one of his ill band mates. Finally, Tom congratulates Dennis on Update doing well in dress and Dennis reminds him that he forgot to thank the audience for coming. Tom rushes on the stage while the debate sketch is being set up to thank each and every individual audience member.

This was great. Sprawling monologues that explore the whole studio are always fun even when they’re not big song and dance numbers. Hanks did a fine job of poking a little fun at his image even if he wasn’t being particularly self-deprecating here. This is also notable for being Conan O’Brien’s first and Bob Odenkirk’s second onscreen appearances since they were hired as writers, so great for them. Bob’s voice sounded noticeably different from the voice we all associate with him now. Hartman did a great transition from angry to peaceful. Keith’s cameo also made me chuckle and Hanks obliviously giving two thugs his hotel room keys was worth a laugh. Also, it’s worth noting that Tom named “Colin” as one of the audience members seeing as that’s also the name of his son. I wonder if that was intentional?

Grade: B+

First Citiwide Change Bank

A commercial for the only bank in America that specializes in just making change for its customers (and nothing else) features testimonials from Service Representative Paul McElroy (Jim Downey) and two satisfied customers (Hooks, Nealon).

This is a semi-famous fake ad and that reputation is well deserved. They took a subtly absurd premise and faithfully executed it exactly like an actual professional bank ad. This is also one of many parodies of the “real testimonial” ad tropes that were apparently big in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but this one was the most successful and well-remembered. Downey’s laundry list of change combinations for any given amount of money was funny to listen to.

Grade: B+

ABC Campaign ‘88

ABC News presents coverage of the second of two debates presidential campaign of 1988 between Vice President George H.W. Bush (Carvey) and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis (Lovitz). The debate is moderated by Diane Sawyer (Hooks) and Sam Donaldson (Nealon) is the most prominent member of the panel. Nightly News Anchor Peter Jennings (Hanks) and Sunday Morning pundit David Brinkley (Hartman) also provide analysis as they are joined by VP hopeful Dan Quayle (Jeff Renaudo) and his wife Marylin (Dunn).

This was one of the more creative and ambitious debate sketches in terms of production value and of length (clocking in at nearly 14 minutes) and along with the 200 Bush/Gore debates it could be credited with starting the trend of SNL doing presidential debate sketches every four years (with 1996 being the possible exception that proves the rule…unless you count the Bob Dole Independence Day debate with Bill Pullman or the Clinton/Dole debate “Fun With Real Audio” Smigeltoon from that same episode). Still, this was one of the better and more memorable debate parodies. It had plenty of moments of satirical brilliance including Dukakis’s lift and “enraged” speech (although some of the absurdist comedic value of the lift has waned since Jon Stewart used one in his Bill O’Reilly debate last fall), the whole squabble over the logistics of time travel, Sawyer getting hit with popcorn, Donaldson hijacking the whole debate, Bush’s hedging “stay the course/thousand points of light” ramble followed by Dukakis’ disbelief that he’s “losing to this guy” and of course the bullet proof shield and Dukakis’ “American Dream” speech. Everyone pulled off great impressions. Carvey’s Bush is rather primitive here and has yet to evolve into the cartoonish form it would later take. The same could be said for Nealon’s Sam Donaldson. Lovitz seemed more concerned with getting Dukakis’ speech patterns and rhythms down rather than his voice, but he certainly looked the part most out of the cast so the role suited him. Hartman pulled off an accurate Brinkley and his bleak cynical depression was absolutely great. Having a child play Dan Quayle was definitely better in execution that it might have sounded on paper. It didn’t hurt that Renaudo looked the part. They were obviously going for a broader visual gag there and it seemed to be more of a political statement or a character choice than anything. Anyway, this was a great topical sketch to lead off with.

Grade: A-

Keith Richards performs “Take It So Hard”

Mr. Short Term Memory

Jeff Morrow (Hanks) was hit in the head with a falling pear from a tree and is now frustrating a waiter (Hartman) and his blind date (Jackson) at a restaurant with his goldfish-like memory span.

This was the first of three installments of Hanks’ recurring character. While it isn’t the best one, he still played it brilliantly and his timing was perfect. His constant treating Jackson like a stranger and berating the staff asking for menus, wine and poached salmon and “finding” his own wallet and watch were very funny. I also liked him being suddenly baffled to discover food in his mouth and arriving at the conclusion that the restaurant serves pre-chewed food. Hartman played off him brilliantly. I particularly liked when he said that the only dish they serve is poached salmon. Jackson didn’t really add anything other than being a straight woman here. Other than that, great debut!

Grade: B-

First Citiwide Change Bank II

Another ad for the change only bank, but featuring different testimonials from customers (Dunn, Hartman)

It’s usually fun when one sketch is continued later on in the show, but this was just more of the same. They still pulled this off as well as they did the first one in terms of verisimilitude. The highlights were Hartman’s testimonial about how the bank was able to give him change for five pounds in British currency despite not being able to convert it to US dollars and cents and Downey’s statement that they make money by volume.

Grade: B-

Weekend Update w/Dennis Miller (featuring Kevin Nealon and Sergei Akmudov)

Music Intro: Robert Palmer – Simply Irresistable

Best Jokes: Bentsen/Quayle, Pinochet running mate, finger quotes, Ben Johnson, NASA

Kevin Nealon reports from the “All Drug Olympics” in Bogota, Colombia. In this competition, all forms of drugs are legal and encouraged. Russian Weightlifter Sergei Akmudov (Hartman) goes for the world record, but ends up numbly severing his own limbs in the process.

Dennis had a great night and seemed to be enthusiastic and in good spirits, but there seemed to be an odd edit between the Bush/Iowa joke and the Tyson/Givens jokes in the reruns. If anyone has a copy of the original live airing, can someone tell me what if anything they edited out? SNL Transcripts doesn’t indicate this. It’s kind of interesting how the mere mention of Al Sharpton got boos from the audience until Dennis delivered the punch line. I wonder exactly what he did in the ‘80s to make everyone hate him. The “All Drug Olympics” bit was pure gold. It was a solid, ambitious premise that was executed flawlessly. It is very well known as it has been included on every Sports Extra special ever assembled and the Best of Phil Hartman and possibly because it was one of the first sketches to utilize fake blood for laughs early on in the show (the only other pre-90s one I can think of is Aykroyd’s French Chef…if anyone has any others, please feel free to reply) Hartman and Nealon were great acting as if something that would be horrifying in real life didn’t faze them and Nealon’s generic color commentary at the end was a great way to play into this. He was also funny listing all the substances Hartman’s character was on.

Grade: B+

Girl Watchers A Go Go II

Hanks and Lovitz hang out by the ladies room to catcall girls who they know will ignore them. Their friend Andy (Nealon) shows up with a girl, and he is quick to point out how she isn’t a catch.

This is the second installment of the classic Conan O’Brien/Robert Smigel penned piece and it was funny. Their constant “hello/goodbye” comments to passing women were great as was their pointing out each other’s glaring physical flaws and stating how socially undesirable they are. Nealon played well off them as well.

Grade: B-

Jew/Not a Jew

Bob Tompkins (Hanks) hosts this game show where waspy couples the Knutsens (Nealon, Jackson) and the Thompsons (Hartman, Hooks) must guess whether well-known celebrities are Jewish or not. During the break, a “You Make the Call” spot for Feldman’s Kosher Pickles is shown where Sandy Koufax’s Jewish heritage is called into question (Spoiler Alert: he’s a Jew).

This was the weakest piece of the night. It seemed like a funny premise on paper, but the execution seemed unambitious and lazy. Thankfully, it was rather inoffensive. Nothing really stood out to me except the cheesy theme song and Hanks explaining the rules. He played the game show host role well, but he couldn’t really do much to save this.

Grade: C-

“Big” Outtakes

Hanks on home base introduces outtakes from his summer hit that show how drastically different the film was from what he agreed to do. In this original version, Hanks stays in junior high and uses his size to bully the other children rather than move to New York, fall in love and get a big job with a toy company.

This was a funny, more realistic take on “Big” and a better way for Hanks to poke fun at his image. The highlights were his story about seeing “Big” on a plane and his constant tackling of the kid on the baseball field.

Grade: B-

From the end of the filmed piece, Hanks goes straight into introducing Keith Richard’s performance of “Struggle”.

Richards is a talented guitar player and his solo efforts seem underrated.

Pat Stevens Show XIV

On this model-centric talk show, host Pat Stevens (Dunn) has the contenders for first lady as her guests, Barbara Bush (Hartman) and Kitty Dukakis (Hooks) and discusses the Presidential race as if it were a Miss America pageant between the two wives.

I never cared that much for these Pat Stevens sketches, but the later installments had their moments as Dunn played off different “guests” and hosts. Aside from Hartman’s great deadpan as Barbara Bush (great stunt casting) the diet pill jokes and catfight at the end, nothing really stood out to me about this sketch. Thankfully, they kept this one short.

Grade: C-

Goodnights

Overall, this was one of the great season premieres. It really was a great sign that the show and this cast had fully come back into their own and made themselves relevant again.

Now, I’m going to list what segments got cut from Netflix. I thought I’d do this as a helpful viewing guide especially since they really butchered this season good.

Pumping up w/Hans and Franz, Monologue, “Last Temptation of Christ” joke from Update, Mr. Short Term Memory, Girl Watchers,

Now, my rankings of this episodes’ sketches form best to worst:

1. ABC Campaign ‘88

2. Weekend Update

3. Mr. Short Term Memory

4. Monologue

5. Keith Richards “Struggle”

6. First CitiWide Change Bank

7. Girl Watchers

8. Keith Richards “Take It So Hard”

9. Pumping Up w/Hans and Franz

10. First CitiWide Change Bank II

11. “Big” Outtakes

12. Pat Stevens Show

13. Jew/Not A Jew

Next episode will be hosted by Matthew Broderick with musical guest, the Sugarcubes. See you then! Hope you’re having a great summer so far!

Howard Cosell/Greg Kihn (4.13.1985)

Willie and Frankie VI – In this cold open, the pair is operating cameras on SNL. They imagine the girls on the show lusting after them as usual until the ledge of the platform digs into Crystal’s legs and they start their usual routine. They complain about how SNL opens its show at the end. I did like Guest talking about hanging by his nostril on a bathroom hook and twisting his Adam’s apple until it crunched. I guess this was a pretty clever way to work them into the show, but overall, I’m glad this was their last appearance ever. C+

Monologue – The late ABC sportscaster comes out and using a lot of SAT words laments his short lived similarly titled variety show on ABC. He says the show was crafted by geniuses and has been “reviewed by licensed idiots.” He then takes credit for this show and discovering its performers. I didn’t quite know what to expect from this monologue, but this turned out to be pretty funny. I’ve also noticed that Crystal’s impression of Cosell is pretty dead on and that he really got the voice down perfectly. C+

Hospital – Mafia boss Mr. Faraccio (Belushi) complains to his son about how is family got into a turf war while he is sick. He particularly bemoans his roommate Ed Grimley (Short) whose tonsils are inflamed, but he is excited for his birthday tomorrow. Faraccio goes out for a walk and a hitman (Guest) enters the room mistaking Grimley for the mob boss and attempts to give him some sort of lethal injection until his Uncle Bazzle (Cosell) walks in with a present and distracts the hitman while Grimley shoves the needle into his leg. He reacts like an animated wolf in a Warner Bros. cartoon and jumps out the window. This wasn’t the funniest Ed Grimley sketch ever, but it was pretty well written (even if it seemed to revolve around a tired sitcom cliché) and this was certainly a clever use of the character. Cosell as a Grimley relative must’ve seemed like a better idea on paper because he didn’t really have Shorts rapid fire pace and speech patterns down. That was really the only thing that took me out of the sketch. B-

Inside Out – This is a generic talk show where host Bonnie Caruso (Dreyfus) interviews first time authors Michelle Roth (Gross) and Virginia Donaldson (Stephenson) who have written books on the roles of women in the old west and Hollywood. Bonnie would do a spit take all over Michelle when they said something the slightest bit interesting. Virginia insists Bonnie put down her coffee and that she look inside her mouth. When she mentions Ann Margaret, Bonnie splashes coffee everywhere from out of her cups. Obviously, there wasn’t a lot to this sketch either but the writing and performances really saved it. Gross and Stephenson played it off particularly well. C+

Run, Throw and Catch like a Girl Olympics – This appeared to be the first taped segment of the night. It supposedly took place in Brentwood field. Larry David is one of the judges. Short and Belushi makes spastic, flailing throws while Kroeger just lets the ball slip out of his hand. Cosell commenting on Kroeger’s performance was funny. Stephenson wins the running competition, but is disqualified when it is revealed that she is actually a woman. Promoter Daniel Gregory (Hall) is asked about sexist allegations to which he responds that strangely no one has protested the event. He says this as the field as two female pilots (Gross, Dreyfus) drop bombs on the field from above. This was another simple, unambitious premise that I felt like I’d seen before somewhere but they did a few creative things with it that I liked such as Belushi getting more points scored for making up excuses about his catch and Short revealing that Whining About How Cold It Is to be an actual event. C+

Bar Mitzvah – This sketch takes place in Brooklyn in 1930 at the bar mitzvah of tonight’s host played by child extra Frederich Koheler where he tells his father Morris (played by Howard) and his mother Rose (Crystal) that he would rather be a sports announcer than a lawyer. They are at first disappointed argue with each other, but decide to support his son whatever his career path he chooses as long as it makes him happy. Koheler really had the Cosell voice down well for someone his age and even though I was a little creeped out seeing Crystal in drag (and kissing Cosell at that) the argument was fun to watch and the kiss was worth the ad-lib “That’s more tounge than on some of the plates.” This was definitely the funniest sketch of the night so far. A-

Spots Beat – Cosell expresses his distaste for boxing as a “sport” as he announces the comeback of boxing champ Tony Minetti (Crystal). This leads to another taped sketch where Cosell interviews Minetti and his trainer Angie Quidaciolu (Guest). I didn’t like this character the first time and I’m still not impressed by it. I did like Crystal attempting to talk with his mouthpiece in and hitting his head against the speed bag, but other than that nothing stood out. C-

Fernando’s Hideaway V – This would turn out to be the last “Hideaway” sketch ever. We would not see Crystal as Fernando again for fourteen more years until he made an appearance at the 25th anniversary special. In this installment, Fernando briefly reminisces on the great guests he’s had on this year before interviewing Cosell. The two discuss vomiting on Don Meredith’s shoes, being on the most liked and most disliked lists simultaneously and The Battle of the Network Stars. I would have to say this was the second best “Hideaway” sketch all year only behind Mr. T and the Hulkster. There was some interesting discussion here and you could tell Cosell genuinely enjoyed this. B-

Saturday Night News – Nathan Thurm (Short) is interviewed as a representative of Living Unicorn Inc. and is here to answer to animal cruelty charges for surgically altering animals to create mythical creatures. This was pretty much the same thing, but Short got Guest to say “I know that!” which made me chuckle. Guest confronts Dwight McNamara (Kroeger) on a dirty, faulty photo on the Update screen. Nothing different about this bit either, but I still enjoyed it. Robert Latta (Hall) wanders onto the Update desk and talks about how he wandered onto spring training and shows us how he ended up on the first set of baseball cards of the 1985 season. This was funny. I did like Hall getting cheese from his crackers on the Update desk and using a dust buster to clean it up. Guest had a real off night with the jokes, but this was still a good way for Update to end the season. B-

Good Sex – Dr. Ruth Westhiemer (Gross) hosts this talk show where her guests are Dr. Seuss (Hall) depicted as a Cat In The Hat like figure and Howard Cosell. He comes on to ask Ruth for advice on how to avoid temptation on the road. Ruth tells him to just think about moments in his sports career while Seuss tells Cosell that he has been bitten by a “yink bird” and the only prevention is to wear a hat with a “thwack” device. Cosell implies Seuss is a fraud and Seuss walks off. Suddenly, an actual “yink bird” puppet shows up and bites Cosell on the neck causing him to hit on Dr. Ruth. This was a rather silly absurd sketch and I thought it was pretty funny and well executed. B+

A Couple Of Red Guys – This was pretty much the same premise as Belushi’s “white guy” rap except this time he was joined by Kroeger and they were both playing Soviet Russians. They are enamored with America ever since they defected here. It wasn’t great, but at least it was a little funnier and more entertaining than the “white guy” raps. I particularly liked them smashing bottle on each others’ heads and the line “vodka morning noon and night/makes Russian women look all right”. They also did the Cossack dancing well. B-

Well, this was a decent way to end the season…and that’s it. I now have four full seasons of SNL reviews under my belt and this is my first retro season. Next time, I will be reviewing the Jerry Lewis/Loverboy episode from 1983 and next month I will start reviewing the new season starting with the Alec Baldwin premiere. I hope everyone had a great summer and I’ll see you soon.