Okay, here’s my review. While Wiig and Co. somewhat defied
my expectations for the latter half of the show, it was still one of the more underwhelming
outings of the season thus far. It’s not the absolute worst, but it’s still
somewhere in the bottom five. I would still say it was a little better than
either of the episodes from April. It’s great to see Wiig a little more willing
to share the figurative spotlight with her castmates and especially this year’s
featured players. Anyway, here it is.
CSPAN Benghazi Hearings - This cold open wasn't too bad. At
least it was something different and a little edgier even if it didn't have
much to say. Still, it felt a little too convoluted. C+
Monologue - This was pretty much what I expected. I couldn't
tell if Kristen's shock at hosting was genuine or if she was doing her Taylor
Swift impression again. The bit with the Spade photo was weird, but the song
was okay. Her forgetting where everything was got kind of old fast, but I did
like her referring to Vanessa as “Will Ferrell”. I did like how they worked a
Maya Rudolph cameo in there, but Jonah Hill felt pointless. I guess Wiig and
Rudolph CAN sing competently when they try. The way they worked Gilly in there
was clever if not just a little grating. Thankfully, it spared us from another
whole Gilly sketch. Overall, it felt too much like an inferior version of
Fallon's monologue from Christmas. C-
1-800 Flowers - This mother's day commercial was well
executed, but somehow felt too predictable. Somehow, it felt like something of
a tired SNL trope. I could imagine Tina Fey doing it easily if she hosted
again. Still, it's oddly lower key for something Wiig and McKinnon would do
together. C+
The Californians VI - This installment of the Californians
had its moments. It was a little clever the way they worked in Wiig's old
character and it made me chuckle a bit, but again it felt too formulaic from
there. Hader made me laugh in this, but Wiig's breaking kind of ruined it for
me. Also, I thought I’d like it that they’d make Vanessa’s role bigger in this
sketch, but she was just playing it too broad. Maya's character was something I
saw coming miles away. I'm glad her cameo was short because I don't know how
long I could stand to listen to her. C-
Aw Nuts, Mom’s A Ghost - This Disney Channel thing had an
odd feel to it. On the one hand, making fun of Disney channel tropes felt like
a horribly dated premise that MAD TV could've handled better in 2007. On the
other hand, it felt like a strong and ambitious premise on paper that they
didn't take far enough. Still, I liked the gag with Wiig sucking the life force
out of Tim's character and then vomiting on Taran. While Bobby and Kristen's performances
were missing something, Cecily turned in a great supporting performance. C+
Lawrence Welk VIII – This was a step backwards considering I
liked how they changed up the last two. Still, at least I'm 2 for 4 in guess
the recurring characters game. Jason really added something to it. I'm
surprised they never had him play the male singer before. I liked the sand
squirrel gag, the extended bobcat/cookie/genital bits and the coconut gag (even
though seeing the hand ruined it). Overall, it felt like too much of a retread.
C-
Update was a real mixed bag as far as Seth's jokes. Anthony
Crispino was also a step backwards from the previous one which was saved by
Seth and Bobby's spontaneity. This one was more of the same and the high pitch
voice being planned kind of ruined it. Still, I have to give them credit for
trying that and keeping this bit short because I was certainly wondering how
Seth could get through it as sick as he sounds. Also, fuck Garth and
Kat...seriously. D+
Target Lady X –This felt like it went on way too long. I
didn't mind this sketch between 05-08 because she was playing off someone
different every time, but thankfully they somewhat knew how to retire it right
when it ran its course. Unfortunately, neither of those elements was here. I
did, however, like the lesbian/stereotype busted joke and the Sassy
magazine/Hoarders bit. C-
Acupuncture - This acupuncture sketch feels like the first
original sketch of the night. I do like the excessive squirting blood gag as we
haven't seen SNL do this in ages. It's also nice that Wiig graciously let Aidy
share the stage with her. I also liked Bobby's off screen one liners. A-
Sixth Grade Date - This sketch was enjoyably odd. It's nice
to see Tim and Cecily in the lead of a new sketch. Taran really added something
and Tim had some great lines toward the end. Still, they could've done a bit
more to wrestle the sketch out of Kristen and Cecily's Kung Fu grip. B-
Style, Class, Elegnance - This sketch started out pretty
slow, but Aidy pretty much saved it for me. Kenan had some good lines, but
other than those details, I found it kind of sad how this died with the
audience. Also, Kristen looked a lot like a girl who was in my media ethics
class who I follow on Twitter in that wig. C+
Well, that’s it. This season has certainly seen worse. Next
week is the season finale with Ben Affleck and Kanye West. This I’m looking
forward to as Affleck has proven to be a surprisingly capable host. See ya
then!
Now, I leave you with some rankings of the night.
1. Acupuncture
2. Sixth Grade Date
3. Aw Nuts, Mom’s A Ghost
4. Style, Class, Elegnance
5. 1-800-Flowers
6. Monologue
7. The Californians
8. Lawrence Welk
9. Target Lady
10. C-SPAN Benghazi Hearings
11. Update
Here are my updated season rankings (best to worst).
1. Justin Timberlake
2. Martin Short/Paul McCartney
3. Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean
4. Louis CK/fun.
5. Zach Galifinakis/Of Monsters And Men
6. Anne Hathaway/Rhianna
7. Christina Applegate/Passion Pit
8. Christoph Waltz/Alabama Shakes
9. Kevin Hart/Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
10. Bruno Mars
11. Daniel Craig/Muse
12. Jaime Foxx/Ne-Yo
13. Jennifer Lawrence/The Lumineers
14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford and Sons
15. Kristen Wiig/Vampire Weekend
16. Vince Vaughn/Miguel
17. Justin Bieber
18. Adam Levine/Kendrick Lamar
19. Melissa McCarthy/Phoenix
20. Jeremy Renner/Maroon 5
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