Before I begin, I have to apologize for really slacking off
on season 14 over the summer. A lot of stuff just came up for me and I got a
pretty bad flu so I didn’t really have the time or the energy to invest in
them. I will get around to reviewing those episodes sometime…whenever I can.
Okay, here’s my review. All in all, this was probably the
most competent way they could've opened this season. There were some weak spots
here and there but those are probably to be expected in a season like this.
Kyle Mooney and Noel Wells seem to be hitting the ground running. Beck Bennett,
Brooks Wheelan and Mike O’Brien snuck in there somewhere too. Good for them.
Hopefully, John Milheiser will get a chance to prove himself next week. Good to
see Aidy, Kate and Cecily getting to establish themselves more tonight. It’s
also good to see they are getting a little more comfortable in taking some more
chances on the show. Arcade Fire tried a little too hard performance wise. Well,
let’s get started, shall we?
Obamacare Cold Open – This was just fine. It may not have
been the best way to open this particular season, but it was pretty decent.
Bobby, Taran and Kate had great lines. It was nice of them to give Bennett his
first shot as well. The Aaron Paul cameo was definitely a highlight of the
night so far. C+
Monologue - This was a better way to get the really get the
season started. It was great of her to feature all six featured players front
and center. I'd have to say Wells appears to be the best dancer. I also have to
wonder if Milheiser's difficulty with the tear away pants was planned. The bit
up front where Tina referred to her nonexistent recurring characters was done
well for something that felt dated. Also, was that clip from the Bernie Mac
monologue cut from dress rehearsal? I don’t remember that form his monologue
and it isn’t in the SNL Archives. B+
Girls - This TV parody was pretty well done. Wells does a
fine Lena Dunham and Tina and others were good at poking fun at what bugs me
about that show. Tina and Taran were pretty funny here. B+
Airport - This sketch was pretty funny for something that
seemed like it could've been done any time in the past fifteen seasons. Good
for them to give two other new guys their first real sketch shot, too. My best
guess is that they were Wheelan and Milhieser. Watching this sketch again on
hulu confirms the accuracy of this sketch. C+
New Cast Member or Arcade Fire - As tired as Game Show
sketches must seem, this was a good vehicle for SNL to poke fun at its own
awkward rebuilding efforts. Mooney was pretty great in this. Tina had some good
lines and I liked Kenan berating the new cast for trying to sneak lines. B-
E-Meth Cigarettes – This was executed well for such a flimsy
premise. Wheelan did okay, but it's not a good sign when he has to play off
Kenan as a straight man. I also liked how Taran and Kate delivered such goofy
drug slang so stoically. Aaron Paul was great again. He felt a little odd here
since it would've been a huge missed opportunity if he didn't show up here or
deliver a "bitch" line but they did already use him. B-
Update has been surprisingly...Strong (pun not intended)
tonight. Seriously though, I want to like Cecily as an anchor but her delivery
is a little too close to Seth's for my liking and she's making him look funnier
than he is. Neither of those are good signs but I'll give her some time to find
her groove. Mooney as Bruce Chandling pretty much made my night. He was
brilliantly funny and I'm psyched that they're actually using his characters.
Drunk Uncle was just more of the same, but it feels pretty good being 2 for 4
in "Guess the Recurring Characters" (Hell, 3 for 4 if you count
"Girls" the way I do). Aaron Paul was used great here again, but a
third Jesse-like cameo was a little much. B-
PBS Cinema Classics - This felt stale, but it's a little
preferable to TMC classics. Kenan was a surprisingly funny host and the whole
thing with the animals made me chuckle despite getting off to a slow start. C+
Used Cars - This Model T lot commercial was only funny
because of Tina. O'Brien added next to nothing, but I did like his one item
"lists". C-
Manolo Blahniks - I think it was a little too early to bring
back the porn models sketch but I liked Vanessa’s butt surgery lines, Cecily’s “glass
blumpkin” line and Tina's "toeblasting" line. At least they tried
something different by incorporating a female host into this sketch. C+
Well, SNL is getting back on its feet. It will surely be
interesting to see how they work out the kinks. It should be enough to
effectively take our minds of the fact that Miley Cyrus is pulling double duty
next week. See you soon!
