Okay, here’s my review. This was probably in the top 5 shows
of the season. Definitely the best show of the 2013 half and it was certainly
the best show Timberlake hosted as he really strayed from his usual format for
his episodes. I liked that they found the right balance of airtime between the
cast, featured players and alums making a cameo. Anyway, let’s do this.
Hugo Chavez Funeral - Timberlake doesn't quite do the best
Elton John I've ever seen and a "Candle in the Wind" rewrite seems
pretty stale, but the lyrics were pretty funny. B+
Monologue - I liked seeing a recreation of the Five Timers
monologue rather than another musical number, but I felt it moved at a snail's
pace and went on too long. Martin and Simon's deliveries were particularly
awkward, but Chevy and Short's appearances were interesting. Hanks and Baldwin
felt a little forced, but I did like the Bobby/Taran death match. Seeing Candy
Bergen again was a nice touch, even though it was the oddest cameo of the whole
night. B-
It’s A Date - I'm glad they did something a little more
creative with the “Dick in a Box” singers and put them in a live setting. Their
lyrics were pretty funny. I did laugh at their "railing on your
butt/smoking crack" lines. I also genuinely enjoyed seeing the Czech
brothers again, too. Martin and Aykroyd have still got it, they delivered their
lines well. Bill, Bobby and Vanessa all played well off each other in mostly
straight roles. I also liked Martin and Aykroyd acknowledging that they'd been
in America 37 years. B+
Veganville - This may
have been the lamest "dancing mascot" sketch yet. The songs were weak
and the fact that they had to put the final nail in the Harlem Shake coffin
didn't help. I realize they must've felt they had to acknowledge it the same
way they did with Gangnam Style, but it still felt too forced. Still, Bobby made
a better foil than Wiig did. C-
Nuvabling - This has to be the most pointless commercial
parody in recent memory. C-
Update was all right. The jokes were good, but Stefon was
probably his best outing ever. I especially liked the jazz death, separating
parents and Donald Duck bits. Even the way Hader said "selfie" made
me laugh. B+
Tales of Sober Caligula - For the first few seconds, I
thought this was going to be another historical sketch where Timberlake plays
one of his ancestors until the title card came up. Regarding the sketch itself,
Timberlake delivered his lines quite well and the premise was executed just
fine. Even though they didn't let it go on too long, it still felt like
something was missing; maybe it was the timing or pacing. Also, you would think
that the role of Caligula might be able to be filled by any host and you might
be right but only someone with Timberlake’s appeal to the opposite sex could
make this sketch watchable. B-
Maine Justice - I'm surprised they bought this one back. It
had its moments, but the one from the Jaime Foxx episode was truly funnier and
this should've been a one off sketch. Samberg in a straight role seemed kind of
pointless considering he was making a return, but seeing him there did make me
think that the Jaime Foxx one was a rewrite and this version was the one they
originally attempted at Ferrell's episode from last season. That version was
probably this with the explanation from the first one tacked on to the end.
Plus, Charlie Day's role seemed kind of tacked on in the first one. I'm not too
sure who would've played that in last year's cast. Also, my first thought upon
seeing this sketch was that Timberlake’s accent should be accurate because isn’t
he from Louisiana? Then, I remembered I was thinking of a certain old flame of
his being from Louisiana and one of the signs on stage form his MG performances
said “JT and his Tennessee Kids” so he was probably form there. C+
She's Got A Dick – This was incredibly lazy and one of
probably two weak points in tonight's show. It would be one thing if they
actually made fun of tired romcom tropes (which would be a tired premise in
itself) but they went for more tired penis jokes. I did like Nassim being
credited as "An Adorable Brunette" and Kenan as "Confused Black
Friend". D-
Modet and Chandon - I'm also surprised that they bought back
Vanessa and Cecily's ex porn models, but I did like it the first time so who's
complaining? I did like Vanessa's cut in half line and Cecily's sinkhole bit.
Timberlake had some lame lines, but he delivered them better than Foxx did. B-
The streak of all-star first time hosts continues in April
with Melissa McCarthy. Her performances were great last time, but I hope they just
give her more substantial material this time. I leave you with two things. Just
for fun, here are my ratings of all of Timberlake’s episodes form best to
worst.
1. Justin Timberlake (2013)
2. Justin Timberlake (2003)
3. Justin Timberlake (2006)
4. Justin Timberlake/Lady Gaga (2011)
5. Justin Timberlake/Ciara (2009)
Here are my rankings if this season so far, updated.
1. Justin Timberlake
2. Martin Short/Paul McCartney
3. Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean
4. Louis CK/fun.
5. Anne Hathaway/Rhianna
6. Christina Applegate/Passion Pit
7. Christoph Waltz/Alabama Shakes
8. Kevin Hart/Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
9. Bruno Mars
10. Daniel Craig/Muse
11. Jaime Foxx/Ne-Yo
12. Jennifer Lawrence/The Lumineers
13. Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford and Sons
14. Justin Bieber
15. Adam Levine/Kendrick Lamar
16. Jeremy Renner/Maroon 5
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