Okay, here’s my review. This episode wasn’t as much good or bad as it was consistent. It was the most consistently enjoyable episode since the season premiere with Seth MacFarlane. It was a show that didn’t fall completely apart since the last one or two sketches. Bruno Mars pretty much exactly met my slightly raised expectations for him as a host once I saw the promos. Good to see the newer cast members also have an increased presence. Let’s get to it.
Third Presidential Debate -While not necessarily as good as the VP debate sketch, this did turn out very funny. They did a fine job playing up the contentiousness of the actual debate. Aidy did fine as Candy Crowley. I liked her line about the audiences questions based on the severity of their accents and that they might be seeing them for the first time as well. Jay's Obama also continues to improve. I also liked how this sketch gave Jason a chance to breathe some life into his Romney. Seeing Fred up there in the role of Jeremy just made me think of how much better Samberg or even Robinson might be in that role. Bobby, Kate, Taran and Cecily's parts were very funny. My roommate started cracking up immediately on seeing Kate’s face before she even said anything. Still, I had to wonder why Tom Hanks wasn't hosting when I saw his all too brief cameo. Jason casually shoving Jay and Jay’s mic drop were brilliant endings. On a slightly unrelated note, is it just me or does Aidy Bryant remind anyone else of Lori Beth Denberg from the Kenan’s early years on “All That”? C+
Monologue - Bruno's singing felt like inevitability, but lyrics about his nervous regret made it funny. He did appear to be quite the bundle of nerves, though. I can already tell he has some Timberlake-esque qualities in him that made him a competent (if not forgettable) host. B+
Brad Pitt Commercials - Seeing Taran's Brad Pitt again was nice at first, but maybe they ran it into the ground after about the fourth ad. They really should’ve stopped with the dog condom one because that’s a ridiculous enough product that they couldn’t follow it. Also, I can’t remember the last time they did more than three of the same recurring commercial. Still, his impression is also moving in the right direction and you gotta give him credit because Brad Pitt still isn’t the easiest impersonation to pull off or find a hook for. I found two or three funny despite not being terribly familiar with what these ads were parodying. I understand Conan did a parody of these ads, but I have yet to see it for myself. C+
Haters – This had some sharp human condition satire behind it, even if the concept felt a little dated. Thankfully, they didn't revolve to heavily around two men in drag. I did like Bobby’s line about spamming people for a living and getting kicked off a JetBlue flight. Tim, Aidy and Jay's cameos were very funny. Is it just me or was Cecily wearing a wig that made her look like Sofia Vergara? C-
Pandora Internet Radio – This sketch had a rather flimsy premise, but Bruno's performance made it fun to watch even if all his impressions sort of ran together by the end of this sketch. B-
Sad Mouse – This film wasn't funny, but it was sort of cute and endearing. I wasn’t the first to say this, but I also notice some similarities to the 75-77 short films/home movies in terms of style, but those wouldn’t necessarily hold up today. As soon as I saw the frog costume, I knew what direction it was headed in. I kind of wish the frog had taken off her head, though. C-
Update was actually good tonight in terms of Seth’s jokes. I did like the Honey Boo Boo endorsing Obama joke. Thank god it wasn't too long. I loved seeing Stefon. They made him delightfully insane this time. I also liked the lack of interaction between him and Seth as well as the changes to the set Stefon format with his nightly schedule and the "Slimer" ghost story. I also liked the champagne/piss line and the Wham horse costume joke. B-
Merryville Trolley III - It was wise of them to bring this back to play to Bruno's strengths. This one had potential to be funnier, but they didn't go far enough with it. I did laugh at the robots brandishing knives (even if it was a waste of Tom Hanks although dubbing his voice was a nice effect) and Jay's face on the tombstone but that's about it. C-
Yeti Point - This sketch was the only thing that just went nowhere. Hader was the only one worth watching here. It felt like a cross between the Brutus the ape sketch with Jonah Hill last season and the Christmas Kangaroo sketch with Will Ferrell and Hugh Jackman from 2001. Thank god it wasn't TOO long though. D+
Donkey Punch The Ballot - I actually liked seeing the Under-Underground festival again. This one felt less underwhelming than the previous one and it felt like they put more effort into tweaking the parts that just stopped working. C+
While this episode turned out better than I expected, I am PSYCHED for Louis CK finally hosting two weeks from tonight. See you in two weeks!
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