Okay, here’s my review. This was one of the better shows of the season. In terms of Christmas shows. It wasn’t quite as good as Fallon’s from last year, but it was still fun. I liked how they tried a few different things, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't devote any full sketches to Short's 84-85/SCTV era bits. I guess that's to be expected since the Christmas shows go for a little broader appeal and they figured nobody would remember this stuff. MAN has there been an ABSOLUTE. FUCK. LOAD of cameos tonight OR. WHAT? I just wish some of them could've been utilized a lot better. I also hope to see a bit more Ed Grimley outside of the monologue. Good to see plenty of Hader tonight, but I wish the cast would’ve been a little more balanced in terms of airtime. Let’s get to it.
Silent Night Cold Open – Hearing all this talk of a “solemn” cold open, I have to say this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. If you’d just woken up from a coma yesterday, you wouldn’t even guess that there was a deadly tragedy during the week. It was the kind of sketch that makes you guess what they might have cut that was the original cold open. Still, it short, but sweet and a nice way to introduce the show with some levity in the wake of a tragedy that they didn’t feel obligated to reference as good taste would dictate.
Monologue - This was very fun to watch. Paul Schaffer's cameo was a nice touch as he hasn't been on SNL in decades. I was sort of expecting a musical monologue given that all the ones he hosted had one (although the 86 one was Steve's song and not Marty's) but I like how Short put a bawdy surrealist slapstick twist on his. I especially liked the bit with short climbing on the piano. For some reason, I was pretty much expecting a Wiig cameo with this being the Christmas show and all but I'm glad we didn’t see much of her elsewhere in the show. All in all, it was refreshing to see a zany cartoonish twist on the typical musical number monologues we’ve come to expect all these years. B+
Tony Bennett Christmas Special - Seeing Baldwin's Tony Bennett was nice. Short did a passable Bennett voice and played off Baldwin well. Jay was great as Kanye and had several funny lines. I'm glad it was short. B-
Royal Family Doctor - This sketch would've seemed pretty lame on paper, but only Martin Short (or possibly Hugh Laurie) could've saved it. He added a surrealist SCTV vibes. Hader did a good job of not breaking. I did like Short’s listing of “acceptable” synonyms for vagina. Bobby’s hat creeping into frame kind of ruined the royal guard gag for me. I'm very glad Armisen's part was small. B-
You’re a Rat Bastard, Charlie Brown – This sketch was performed quite well and a good way to utilize the cast's impressions. I liked Hader's Pacino, Short's Larry David and Taran as Micheal Keaton. A-
Update was surprisingly food tonight. Seth had some of the best line he's had this season. I'm surprised they bought back Vanessa's bar mitzvah boy from the 2011 Gwenyth Paltrow episode, but that was best left a supporting role. Cecily's party girl has gotten funnier. I don't know if it's because she played the role more broad, but it was her best appearance so far. I especially liked the secret Santa line, the phone bit and Cecily mimicking Seth. B-
What Up With That IX - I kind of hope this is the last time we see WUWT. I have to see Carrie Brownstien was a really underwhelming choice for a cameo because it's something we all would've expected given her SNL connection. Still, I have to say the Jackie Rogers Jr. cameo absoultely made my night as did the Hawiian shirt Santa and dancing Scrooge and Tiny Time bits. I hope the safe harbor rule is on Sam Jackson's side tonight. I also liked Kenan's subtle dig at Fred at the end. B-
Old Friends - This sketch was good for a few lines, but not great. I liked the low-key vibe of it, but it seemed like something that would be a better fit for Portlandia than SNL. It was anic eot see Short not play it too broad for one (aside from the EMt acting bit). C-
Pageant Auditions/Simply Having a Wonderful Xmas Time - The Short/McCartney musical number was a nice way to end the show. Short berating McCartney was the comedic highlight and its nice when they have a sketch introduce a musical guest. Strange, that's something else they borrowed back from the Gwenyth Paltrow show. Go figure. Still, I know it's the Christmas show and all, but I've always found that to be one of McCartney's most overrated song of all time, holiday themed or otherwise. B-
Malibu High – This was another bit that was cut at dress rehearsal posted online. It was a pretty bare premise on paper, but Short and Downey’s performances made it work. I chuckled at Downey saying “epic fail” and “blueballs” in his deadpan voice. Short didn’t have many memorable lines, but his presence was pretty solid. C+
Well, that was one of the better shows in a while. I'm looking forward to Jennifer Lawrence hosting next year. She's proven to have a sense of humor in interviews. Until then I leave you with my rushed mid-season show rankings. Happy holidays!
1. Seth Macfarlane/Frank Ocean
2. Martin Short/Paul McCartney
3. Louis CK/Fun.
4. Christina Applegate/Passion Pit
5. Joeseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford and Sons
6. Daniel Craig/Muse
7. Anne Hathaway/Rhianna
8. Bruno Mars
9. Jaime Foxx/Ne-Yo
10. Jeremy Renner/Maroon 5
No comments:
Post a Comment