Edward Norton/Janelle Monae (10.26.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was probably the most inconsistent that this season has been so far. I hesitate to say it was all bad because there were a few moments here and there that I genuinely liked but not as much as the previous episode looking back. I’m tempted to say it was the worst of the season…so far. I do have a feeling that an episode worse than this one will come along sometime but I just don’t see this one holding up so well later on. Edward Norton proved to be pretty much game for anything as a host, but unfortunately he was very underutilized (much like most of the new featured players, sadly). It's funny that Norton explicitly said how much fun he head because I wasn't able to tell from watching this episode. Anyway, here we go.

Obamacare Website - This got a little funnier as it went along. I do like the list of alternative websites and outdated program references. I especially liked Bobby as the bat wielding IT guy. It was a little better than the standard dry political open they usually do. C+

Monologue - This method acting bit feels like Norton really ran one joke in the ground. Most of his punch lines I could see coming from 2 miles away. Good thing Baldwin was there to give him a shot in the arm. His impressions went well...wait, why the hell is Miley here twice in the same month? C+

Autumn's Eve - This commercial was okay. Pumpkin spice jokes are played out but this was a clever and edgy take on the recent phenomenon. I did like the Shamrock/Peppermint douche lines. C-

Elementary School - This sketch started off a little slow. Nassim has played this type of character before but this is a little more amusing of a variation. This is like an edgier Bedelia, kind of. When it seemed like it was gone be one joke, Bobby, Kenan, John and Noel started to save it with their great supporting lines. Kate was funny as the teacher as well. Still, Norton was good in his role even if it was interchangeable and could’ve been played by virtually any host. B-

Steve Harvey - This sketch went nowhere. It's not quite as funny when Kenan plays him as an oblivious idiot. D-

Wes Anderson Horror Film - This trailer felt like an unoriginal trope that still had unreached potential. The execution was fine but I was expecting a little something different in terms of impressions. Still, I did like Norton as Owen Wilson and Kate as Tilda Swinton. C+

Possums  - This sketch had kind of a similar feel. I could pretty much tell where it was going from the get go, but it was good to see Brooks get an actual acting part. He didn't blow me away, but he didn't disappoint me either. C-

Rain Man – This turned out to be better than I expected. Norton was pretty funny in it, but O'Brien seemed a little miscast. Still, it's at least nice that they're finding some ways to use him. C+

Update was okay. Cecily's delivery isn't slipping that bad, but she should work on developing her own comedic voice a little more. I realize second hand news is a tired one note bit, but for some reason Bobby gave me some genuine laughs with the way he tried to sell it. C-

12 Days Not A Slave – This sketch was pretty mediocre. I haven't yet seen "12 Days A Slave" nor am I that familiar with it, but I can already tell this isn't a very well written parody. Aidy had a good line but Jay doesn't quite have the acting chops to venture that far out of the impression zone just yet. The bit about white girls dancing like black men at the end (especially Miley's second cameo) seemed way too forced. D+

Restaurant Virgins - This sketch is one of the most pointless things I've ever seen. Another sketch with a predictable joke. Some of Norton, Cecily and Mike's movements were good (I did like Mike's bloomers bit) but otherwise this sketch just kinda dragged on. D-

Halloween - This sketch was okay. It did feel like a less funny version of Steve Buscemi's Christmas sketch from two years ago, but Bobby made me laugh in it and it was the funniest and most committed Edward Norton has been all night. C-

Well, that was it. Next week Kerry Washington hosts. My review of that show may not be “live” or even complete or as prompt as this one. See you next week.

Bruce Willis/Katy Perry (10.12.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This was probably the worst episode of the season so far, but this was more the fault of the writers than the host. Bruce Willis proved to be a capable sketch performer but the show was pretty reliant on tired recurring premises and characterizations. Good to see John, Beck, Brooks and Aidy are getting more chances to prove themselves. This episode could’ve really used more appearances from Noel and Kyle though. Thankfully, Taran, Bobby, Jay and Kenan were able to pick up some of the slack performance wise. Anyway, here it is.

NASA Cold Open – This was clever enough, but not really an effective commentary on the government shutdown. After they established the joke, they didn’t go anywhere with it. Kate and Taran had some good lines and Cecily did fine in a supporting role. C-

Monologue - This seemed to have promise but soon fell into tired SNL trope territory. Bruce's "six Die Hards" joke was actually OK but his delivery ruined it. His delivery felt way too stilted and awkward through the whole thing. Bobby's bit wishing he was Bruce's son was alright and it was nice to see him play himself for once, but it felt too predictable once they started playing harmonica. D+

24 Hour Energy for Dating Actresses  - This was alright, but it felt like something with too narrow appeal that only a very small fraction of SNL'S audience would get. Still, it had some energetic performances and it was nice seeing Noel and Kyle. I have to wonder who wrote this. I’ll bet it was probably Colin Jost. B-

Black Ops - This sketch was nice but like the airport sketch from Tina's episode, it felt like it could've been done in any season since the '90s. All it did was make fun of action movie tropes but in a fun way. Bruce was good in this, but he wasn't exactly playing against type or anything. Bobby and Kenan added some fun energy and it was nice seeing Beck get a big role. C+

Barbershop - This sketch was pretty lame. I did like Bruce's Robin egg line. Otherwise it had serious pacing and timing problems. It was also an obvious rip off of the scene from "Coming To America" because Pharrohh was doing a variation on his Eddie Murphy. Still, I gotta give Kenan and Jay credit for having a rapid fire back and forth and giving this some energy. C-

Boy Dance Party - This was fun but a little too silly for my tastes. The crowd seemed to love it but it didn't really go anywhere. Bruce and Jay were alright in it and I did laugh at the "shake that sack" line. This can't be a Good Neighbor short since Beck was in it but not Kyle (unless "yle wrote it which he probably didn't). B-

The Lady Gaga Show - This was pretty inferior to The Miley Cyrus Show. Vanessa had the impression down well enough at first, but it kinda slipped away from her. I don't think either of these should become recurring sketches. Bruce as Micheal Kors made me chuckle a couple of times, but he got old pretty quick. Kate's Penelope Cruz didn't do anything for me. I did like Taran as the DJ and Aidy was pretty funny. C-

Update hasn't made any progress backward or forward. Cecily's delivery is improving (and still has some room to do so) and the jokes are still at the same level. I did like Cecily's sexual harassment joke and Seth's police rats joke. The commentaries were pretty forgettable. Kenan as the chaplain was pretty grating and repetitive. Brooks' commentary had potential to be better than it was but he couldn't really save it in spite of himself. He had all right material but it was kinda bought down by Seth turning it into an interview. Still, it was nice to see a cast member play themselves on Update for the first time in years. C+

Centauri Vodka - This was probably the best live sketch of the night. The visual of Bruce and John as a Centaur was funny on its own and I liked how they added some broad physical comedy in there. B+

Kirby - I'm surprised they tried to bring this back. Aside from making this one an Armageddon parody, they changed nothing. The only thing I liked was when Bruce mentioned that Kirby was banging his daughter. D-

Chun - I'm also surprised they tried to bring back Taran's "Glice" character but I did like how they found a way to do it without Sudekis and change the format up a bit. Nassim had some good lines and I did like the chin jokes as well. C+

Good Neighbor: Sigma - This short was the funniest taped segment of the night. Beck and Kyle played well off of each other and I liked the building silliness of it. Still, I admit it seemed a bit derivative of the Lonely Island. While Good Neighbor has shown a very distinct and inventive style of humor on YouTube and I like what they’ve contributed to SNL so far, I think it might take them some time to fit that sensibility into the SNL mold effectively and find their real voices. B-

Well, that was that. Edward Norton hosts in two weeks. I think he may be the most interesting choice of host so far this season. He’s shown he can be a fine yet intense actor in small doses but I can’t accurately gauge his comedic skills based on what I’ve seen him in. This show could go either way but should be interesting to watch no matter what. See you soon!

Miley Cyrus (10.5.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. Overall, I can't help but think that while this show might be lame in terms of this season, it was a little better than her 2011 episode. Good to see some more of the new cast getting used but I wish the current featured players could’ve been more than glorified extras in the live show. Alright, let’s go.

New York, 2045 AD - This cold open felt a little dated and predictable, but I liked the whole dystopian take on it. The Kennedy ghost line was an odd reference and Kenan seemed to be overacting quite a bit. I liked Miley's "tiny strokes" line and Bobby as the traumatized teddy bear. Taran did a fine Robin Thicke and Jay actually had some good lines as Will Smith for once. C+

Monologue - This was classier than I expected. Good to see Miley wore something comparatively tasteful. The jokes weren't quite there, but I chuckled at Bobby on the wrecking ball. C+

Fifty Shades of Grey Auditions - These just had their moments. Good to see they utilized the more underused cast members for this, but these are becoming too much of an SNL standard at this point. Bobby's Seth Rogen and Miley's Scarlett weren't quite there but Noel's Emma Stone and Taran's Christoph Waltz were good. Too bad they didn’t give her any lines as Kristen Stewart. Bennett’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t as good or as memorable as Jason’s though. I wish they'd given Aidy more lines but Nassim as Aziz Ansari was great (even if she didn't quite have the voice) and Vanessa’s one line as Mary Louise Parker was funny. Kenan as Steve Harvey had okay lines but was largely useless here. Jay did a fine Tracy Morgan even if he didn’t quite have the voice right away and Kate did a good Jane Lynch. John did an OK Cryer even though I wasn’t totally able to tell. Jay’s Shaq was okay and Nassim’s Kristen Chenowith was once again pointless. B-

Girlfirends Talk Show III - I don't really care for this, but it's good to see they're using Aidy more prominently. I still would’ve liked to have seen the version of this that got cut from the Zach Galifinakis show in May. Miley's character was annoying and just felt too played out conceptually but still had some OK lines here and there. I liked Aidy's "night crier" line and Cecily's odd boyfriend ramble at the end. Still, if I had to choose which of Cecily’s characters I’d rather keep seeing all season between this and the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Talked To At A Party, I’d pick the latter. C-

We Did Stop (The Government) – I found myself having to seriously reevaluate my take on this music video. It was something I wanted to like at first and had unreached potential, but ultimately felt a little too MAD TV-ish at times. Also, while it may seem cool to get the artist of the original song to sing on your parody version it does kind of take away the impact of the joke. It seems like any jerkoff on YouTube could've done this exact same thing, but I did actually appreciate it more upon a second viewing as I caught and laughed at some of the jokes I missed. It is a well-constructed parody video in terms of both lyrics and visuals but I’m not sure if I want to see SNL attempt more of them. Still, I have to give Taran credit for making all he could out of it as he was truly funny at times. I guess my inner Weird Al fan got the better half of me after all. B-

Piers Morgan IV - This was all right for something that felt like another tired SNL trope. I'd say Kate did the best Hilary. Kenan seemed too stiff and awkward as Sway. Bennett did a fine Bill Clinton, but we've seen better obviously. I did like the saxophone bong and Taran's "village idiot" line at the end. C+

Wrecking Ball - I do appreciate the low key vibe of this performance.

Update is improving but is still pretty middle of the road tonight. Good to see that Cecily is coming into her own in terms of delivery at least. Winners and Losers is just too played out at this point. Kates' commentary was a little too Wiigish for my tastes but she had some decent lines. Jay's Shannon Sharpe makes me laugh even though I'm not totally paying attention to it. Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy was just more of the same. B-

Aliens and Cheerleaders - This may have been a great way to utilize the entire female cast, but didn’t quite go anywhere and appeared to have pacing problems. Too bad Taran didn't have a bigger part. This reminded me too much of that sketch from the last Lindsay Lohan episode where Fred kept getting hit by a car. Also, did anyone else get a serious Hannah Montana vibe from seeing Miley in a blonde wig again? D+

Morning, Miami - This news promo sketch was pretty good just for Kate and Bobby's ridiculous lines. It's definitely funnier than a lot of the other sketches tonight. I got kind of a Wake Up and Smile meets Taran and Bobby’s Minnesota DJs vibe from it. B-

We Can’t Stop - This acoustic version really weirded me out for some reason and it has nothing to do with the fact that she has a midget in her band. It's just that this one sounds so wrong acoustically and I thought she wasn't going to do this one based on the fact that they actually did a parody of it earlier...but then again Cee-Lo Green did the same thing with "Fuck You" when Gwenyth Paltrow hosted in 2011.

Poetry Class – This didn't seem to go anywhere either. Vanessa really dragged it down. Still, I liked Aidy and Kenan's poems as well as Mike's "thank Christ" line. D+

Good Neighbor: Kyle’s Office - This short was all right, but I can't help but think how much I would've liked it more if a different female host/mg took Miley's role. I liked how Kyle thought Bobby and Beck were 500/600 years old. Good to see they're getting stuff on. It’s a good way to introduce Kyle Mooney’s oddball magical surrealist humor to the SNL audience. I hope to see more Good Neighbor shorts in the future. B-

Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Stay tuned next week when Bruce Willis and Katy Perry will be on the show and I honestly have no clue how it might go down. See you guys then!