Okay, here’s my review. I would still say that so far, this episode is a far cry from the worst of the season. Maybe worst so far, but there’s still time. I’m just saying I found it more consistently enjoyable than the JGL show form two weeks ago. It started out strong enough, but then really fell apart after…oh, who am I kidding here DURING Update. Daniel Craig proved to be another competent if not forgettable host. Good to see all the new featured players get more screen time. Anyway, let’s just get on with it.
First Presidential Debate - After watching the first presidential debate on Wednesday night, I was worried that it would make for a rather shitty cold open but I was glad to see they came up with a clever take on it with Jay's Obama wonders what to get Michelle for their anniversary while Romney drones on. Even though The Daily Show already did the altitude sickness jokes, Jay's performance made them funny. Also, it was good to see Parnell back again as Jim Lehrer. I liked his reaction to the PBS as well as Jay's coffee mug line, Jason's intense stares at the beginning and Parnell’s line about Romney taking credit for Bin Laden’s death. It did feel like a cross between the Rick Perry opening from the Emma Stone show last season and the Democratic debate from '88 with Carl Weathers as Jesse Jackson but it was better than I expected even though I kind of wanted something more substantial from another obligatory Presidential debate sketch. On a tangentially related note, I’d agree that the altitude was a lame excuse for Obama’s first debate performance. I mean, I saw him twice in person during this year’s campaign on campus here at CU Boulder and he seemed quite animated giving both speeches. I wonder what the opposite of altitude sickness is like. I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t traveled out of Colorado since 1994 when I was 3. B-
Monologue - This was enjoyable enough. Craig’s dry British wit really carried it, but it felt a little underwritten and he could’ve put a little more effort into it. The "In Memoriam" montage turned out quite funny especially when he had to interrupt it and explain why he killed the sound engineer. B-
Construction Site – Even if it felt pretty derivative, this sketch turned out to be quite funny. All of Craig's lines had me laughing and I especially cracked up at Hader being shot by Nasim. B+
Bond 50 - This just had its moments. Vanessa added nothing, but Kate really stole the sketch as Ellen and Jodie Foster. Nasim as Lea Michelle was cute, but not terribly funny. I'm starting to appreciate Armisen's Penny Marshall more but it didn't stand out that much here. C+
Three Days Later: A Look Back at the Obama Debate Disaster – This rather heavy-handed MSNBC sketch was another one that just had its moments. Cecily did a fine Rachel Maddow. Kenan's Sharpton had some decent lines about Obama and Romney switching bodies, hemispheres and altitude. I did like his line about how we can’t know how many feet there are in a mile because it reminded me that there is in fact a magazine published in Denver called “5280”. I’ll let you guys figure that one out. Jason's Chris Matthews made this sketch for me, but I still like Hammond's better. C+
Long Island Medium - Let me first say that I legitimately had no idea that this was a real Bravo program. Go ahead and whine at me, Chuckles. This sounded like a lame premise, but it was very well acted. I especially liked Taran and Bobby's cameos but Craig's presence felt a little awkward. I did laugh when he pointed to his own goatee. C+
Mars Misson - This space sketch was pretty lame. It reminded me too much of something Wiig or Armisen would do. Specifically it felt like a cross between Wiig's "I Lost My Purse" sketch and Armisen's drag stenographer mixed with the scene from "Tommy Boy" where Spade and Farley were in the diner. Still, Bobby bought everything he could to it. The ending was alright even if it was a little predictable. It is good to see Cecily, Tim, Aidy and Kate getting a lot of airtime tonight. Also, NBC is apparently trying to make a meme of this sketch. God…fucking…dammit. D+
Update was nothing to write home about, but Seth had some good lines about the debates and some good Biden jokes during "Winners and Losers". Big Bird's cameo was nice, but it felt a little awkward and didn't go anywhere. I did think Kate's Italian painter bit was pretty funny even if I wasn't paying a ton of attention to it because I was typing my live thread comments on my smartphone while it was playing. I mean hey, when else besides Seth’s Update am I going to get the best chance to do so without missing anything good, huh? C-
A Sorry Lot We Are - The BBC sketch was also very funny in a very Python-esque way. Hader, Armisen and Bryant turned in particularly strong performances and it was good to see them finally write something playing toward Craig's strengths. B+
Loving Couple - I've literally never hated any sketch more this one, but I did like Hader's facial expression after he bought out the drinks and the line at the end about how they were going to talk about books and politics. F+
Why the hell did they rerun that Undecided Voter sketch so soon? Did the show run long and something had to get cut.
Well, upon further review this felt like an episode that may have spread itself too thin. Next week Christina Applegate returns. I have higher expectations for her than who will be following her. See ya!
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