Okay, here's my review. This show turned out to be mostly
better than expected and I feel like most of that was due to the writing more
than the host. Lena Dunham was pretty much exactly what everyone expected but
she proved to be more bearable in smaller doses. I would put her in the same
hosting league as Lady Gaga but with more airtime. They both were hosts widely
expected to be bad, but proved to be better when used sparingly in smaller
roles. The writing was a little bit better this week than it usually was. I
also liked how much they made great use of the featured players, but a little
more Noel would've been nice. Anyway, let's do it.
Obama Cold Open - This was one of the better cold opens this
season. It was nice to see Jay's Obama again and I liked his Putin/Iraq line.
Liam Neeson was an unexpected cameo but they certainly made good use of him. He
was a nice change of pace from the typical dry political speech I was
expecting. The action montage was okay. Nothing about it really stood out to
me. I just wondered why he couldn't have been hosting instead of Lena Dunham.
Sure, he hosted an unmemorable episode in 04-05 but he'd have been a more
interesting host choice. C+
Monologue - This was a little better than I expected. I knew
exactly where it was going as soon as Lena mentioned people asking her sex
questions. Overall, it reminded me a little too much of Kerry Washington's
monologue, but kudos to Vanessa, Aidy, Bobby and Kate for making the most out
of their bit parts in this. I don't know if I would've preferred a straight
solo monologue to this, but it would've been interesting to see Lena pull one
off. C-
Ooh Child - This was one of the better non Good Neighbor
filmed pieces this season. It had more of a fun vibe and effortlessly enjoyable
feel to it than most. I definitely liked how it waited to establish the main
running joke and Brooks' appearance at the end was great. B-
Scandal - Overall, this sketch reminded me too much of the
old timey newspaper sketch from the Zooey Deschanel episode but kudos to
Sasheer for finally getting a leading role in a sketch (and an impression she
easily pulled off at that) and kudos to Beck for getting another impersonation
role as well. Lena was decent here. She did a fine job of playing a non-Hannah
type role even if she was a little cloying and overbearing in doing so. I also
liked the resemblance this bared to the "Homeland" sketch with Anne Hathaway
and (ironically) the "Girls" sketch from earlier in that it was an
actual satire of its subject matter rather than just introducing some
outlandish parody element. I also liked how the Sasheer/Taran lip touch moment
reminded me of that great morgue sketch from the otherwise awful Jeremy Renner
episode. B-
What's Poppin'? - This sketch felt like it had unreached
potential. It started out fine, but started to flail toward the end in search
of a coherent ending. Jay and Kenan were fine in it, but they focused a little
too much on the band performance. Still, I have to give Mike credit for not
totally bombing his role. The Sprite jokes were okay, but I feel like they
could've been cut. I also liked the bit at the beginning about the filthy
female rapper and Aidy's "flute amp" line. Otherwise, this sketch
needed some serious fine tuning in terms of pacing. C+
Girl - This really made the most of a shaky premise. This is
one of the rare times this season where the writing actually benefitted the
show and seems to matter more than the performances. I was impressed by the CGI
effects that placed Vanessa's face on a snake. Otherwise, this seemed like it
would be quickly forgettable. C-
What Are You Even Doing? You're Being Crazy! - This turned
out to be better than expected. Kudos to Kyle for getting a lead role no matter
how small it was. Bobby was great here and Nassim and Lena were just okay. The
true highlight of this sketch of course was Jon Hamm's bewildered unexpected
cameo. Again, I have to wonder why HE hasn't hosted again yet either. B-
Update continues to show some gradual changes for the
better. Cecily continues to improve in her delivery and have more fun. Colin
continues to...just be a pleasant alternative to Seth. The writing continues to
be at about the same level. Taran as Matthew McConaghey was great despite him
not looking the part. He had the voice down cold and he was very funny. Putin's
friends from growing up was surprisingly the most disappointing moment of this
show. Fred has cameoed three times this season since leaving. That's two times
too many...even for a guy who does a show thirty feet away. C+
Jewelry Party - Cecily's accent seemed a little overbearing
and rather unnecessary to the character. Otherwise, this was a decent sketch.
It was another sketch that could've been improved in terms of pacing because it
felt like it really dragged in some parts. Still, it had a funny premise behind
it. Lena was good as the character seemed especially written for her. Mike was
okay, but he did make the sketch drag on a little. B-
Pimpin' Pimpin' Pimpin' Oscar Edition - Seeing Jay's Katt
williams impression again was fun and he had a lot of good one liners. Brooks
didn't quite do the best Jared Leto, but kudos to him for getting another substantial
impression role. Lena's Liza Minelli wasn't all that great but thankfully it
was short. Taran's Harrison Ford wasn't his most accurate impression either,
but he had Ford's delivery down and made it funny. I also liked the fake
sponsors in this sketch and Jay's interaction with the audience member who
booed his Rob Ford joke. Noel's Lena Dunham was a nice touch. B+
Good Neighbor - I liked this, but it really didn't start to
get funny until they started talking about drugs. The discovery that there was
no concert was also very funny. They even made Brooks seem funnier. I liked how
this built up. B+
Well, most of this show turned out to be a pleasant
surprise. Granted, I watched most of it with other people again so that may
have contributed but a lot of this show felt different from how the rest of the
season has been turning out. Louie CK hosts again in three weeks, so...FUCK
YES! Also, this may be the first time in at least 2008 that SNL has had three
shows in March. Anyway, here are my Updated rankings for this season...
1. Kerry Washington/Eminem
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Lady Gaga
4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry
5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire
6. Paul Rudd/One Direction
7. Drake
8. Lena Dunham/The National
9. Jim Parsons/Beck
10. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM
11. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake
12. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons
13. John Goodman/Kings of Leon
14. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae
See you soon!
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