Okay, here’s my review. Overall, this is turning out to be a rather lame and uneven show compared to last week but there is still some enjoyment to be had. JGL was just as good of a host as he was in 09, but the material was seriously lacking in some spots. At least he didn’t try TOO hard, though. I liked seeing plenty of Hader, Sudekis, and McKinnon tonight although I’d still like to see a little more of what Strong and Bryant can do. Anyway, let’s just get on with it.
Live! w/Kelly and Michael - This cold open was enjoyable, although I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the original cold open from dress. Nassim is somehow more believable as Kelly Ripa and Jay was very funny as Micheal Strahan. I liked how they went back and forth with rapid fire jokes about each other’s' appearances. I particularly liked the “Blind Side” jokes and the line about Kelly being as dense as a moon rock. Hader added nothing as Robert Pattinson. I also wouldn't be surprised if Seth wrote this in a possible blaze of sour grapes. C+
Monologue - All I can say about this is that his first one from 09 was WAAAAAY better. I did like Bobby in this one though (removing his vest to reveal another vest and catching his breath at the end). Having Kenan and the new girls get one audience shot felt really pointless. D+
Uninformed Voters - This ad was just okay. I particularly liked Hader's oil line and Taran's french kissing/pregnancy joke as well as the "for life" term. I also liked the Asian extra asking where his power cord was. It was another bit that felt like it had some more potential, yet didn’t quite get there. C+
Tres Equis I – These parodies are WAAAYY beyond played out by this point, but I did like “King Dong” written on his Starbucks cup and his accidentally sending a picture of his penis to his Chinese food deliverer. C-
Private Detective - This sketch is the second best thing from this show. Like the monologue, it's good they kept it as short as they did. I did like Hader bringing out a series of caricatures, but it might have gotten old if they kept repeating it like they did. Still, it might have been better if they’d actually spent more time writing an ending for this one. B+
Tres Equis II - Sudekis saved the second one for me. His back and forth with JGL was brilliant. Still, it did remind me of the Ferrell/Goodman Mundavi vineyards ad from '99. I also liked the negative tipping joke and JGL looked almost EXACTLY like an old dorm roommate of mine in that martial arts outfit (except taller and thinner). Still, the pacing of the night’s first few fake ads felt a little odd but this was a nice pay off. I’m just glad they did two and not three. B-
Hypnotism - JGL's voice is rather strange in this sketch but this was possibly Taran’s strongest performer ever. He really carried this sketch, which is god because otherwise the material reminds me of something Wiig would've done. Vanessa turned in a good performance as well. Still, it went on a bit too long (Taran’s dinosaur noises were a little grating) but I would agree that this was the best sketch of the night. B+
GOP Tampons - This ad turned out quite funny also. Good to see this air after last week's dress rehearsal. I liked the visual of all the guys in the bath with Vanessa and her explaining how the tampon is supposed to work. C+
Update was a vast improvement from last week in terms of just Seth's jokes. He had some good Romney stuff that must've been left over from the Thursday show. “What Are You Doing?” is the most successful standalone segment Seth has attempted since “Really?” The best friends bit really didn't need to be bought back, but McKinnon did a fine job as Ann Romney and didn't go too far over the top. I liked the Jon Voight line and her attacks on Calista Gingrich and Ron Paul. Her odd pronunciation of the name Beyonce was also worth a few chuckles. It was nice to see Jay's Stephen A. Smith make it to air after being relegated to just a dress cut posted online. His impression was very funny and had good lines, although his voice went a little too high at times and it seemed to follow the same script as the one that got posted online. C+
Finer Things - This sure did feel like another tired, dated one note sketch, but Moynihan killed in his appearance. Pharroh and JGL gave it their all, but the material was lacking. The opulence of rap isn't exactly a timely or original premise either. C-
Singing Buddies VIII - I did like seeing this return and there were some good lines, but it felt like something was still missing. The whole sketch felt forced and the audience ending was a cheap cop out, although they obviously liked it. I did like Kenan using a CD on a string as a fake Olympic medal and Mumford and Sons as a Beatles cover band did nothing for me. C-
My Daughter - This sketch seemed liked it had some potential but ultimately ran too long and went nowhere. Still, I really have to appreciate JGL’s willingness to be a team player in a sketch like this. Kate turned in a decent performance. Tim was given too small of a role to really add anything here, but I did like Fred yelling at him to get out of his house though. C-
Real Estate Agents - I have to admit I laughed at this. Something about Tim and Nassim's accents and delivery made it funny to me. It's a shame it got cut off early, though. It's also nice to see Tim get bigger roles in odd sketches like this even if they are at the very end of the show. I'd still like to see some more of what he can do, though. C+
Well, a lot of this episode seemed like a bit of a letdown, but things are still looking up for this season. Daniel Craigs hosts next week. He’s never been known as a comedic actor so this should be rather interesting. See ya!
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