Okay, here’s my review. This show was pretty much on the
same level as last week, but slightly less disappointing. It started out
promising despite a few minor faults, but then trailed off more noticeably
later on. I feel like compared to last week, what did disappoint, really did
disappoint and much worse. Still, it’s far from the worst of the season. It was
just one of the most forgettable despite the best efforts of the host and cast.
Anna Kendrick proved to be a promising host who was just misused and underused
when she wasn’t doing big musical numbers. Still, I like seeing that some of
the newer cast is getting more and more airtime. Now, here we go…
C-SPAN GM Hearing - That cold open was possibly the worst of
the entire season. The GM story wasn't even covered all that much to begin
with, so odd choice there. It just meandered pointlessly despite Kate and
Bobby's best efforts. The ending with the aborted LFNY was good as they haven't
done anything like that since at least the '90s. D-
Monologue - This song-and-dance monologue would be
unbearable cheesy in the hands of any other hosts but Anna Kendrick has a fine
singing voice and is making this monologue very charming and endearing with the
occasional cast support. Her interactions with Taran and Lorne and the
Kate/Vanessa number were great and it was pulled off nearly flawlessly in terms
of staging. C+
FOX and Friends VIII - I'm not sure how to feel about this
returning, but it feels like we haven't seen this in at least a year. I liked
Bobby's NAACP line and the pie chart bit. The porn joke was something I saw
coming a mile away, but Vanessa does a fine Elizabeth Hasselbeck nonetheless.
She's much less annoying than Wiig was in this role. Anna did fine in her role
as well and is proving to be a charismatic host. Kenan's portrayal of Neil
Degrasse Tyson was surprisingly funny and accurate. This may be the most well
written FOX news sketch SNL has done. B-
Dongs – This was probably the worst music video SNL has ever
produced. Yeah, the ladies were all dolled up real good but this whole piece
felt like just a three-to-four minute build up to a punch line that never even
came. The brief interaction between Vanessa and Aidy was ok, but this was
seriously lacking and Icona Pop was just an absolutely wasted cameo. Did anyone
else notice how this eventually got nothing but DEAD SILENCE from the audience?
Also, was anyone else reminded of that "Balls" music video w/Abby
Elliott posted on CollegeHumor? F.
Little Mermaid - This sketch was at least interesting. Jay
is pretty funny as Sebastian, Aidy is doing fine as Ursula (even if she
could've dialed it back a little) and Anna played Ariel quite well. She and
Maya Rudolph are both talented at mimicking the singing styles of mediocre
millennial pop songstresses. I did like how this had more of a point and a
premise to it than the previous bit even if it meandered a bit at the
beginning. Overall, it was a decent sketch that could've benefitted from being
shortened. Also, kudos to SNL for being the first form of media to make a joke
about Iggy Azalea that I've seen. (In case you don't know, she's a white
Australian rapper who performed on Seth Meyers recently). B-
Good Neighbor - This Kyle and Vanessa short was sweet and
endearing and Beck was very funny at the end. Good to see SNL finally put Good
Neighbor to decent use. I honestly don't know what else to say about what was
essentially three minutes of pure, unfiltered awkwardness. B-
Update is a slight improvement over last week, but then
again it shouldn't be hard to top that mess. Colin's delivery is showing some
slight improvement (at least in terms of looking into the right camera). No
jokes stand out particularly, but at least they are sharper and tighter paced.
It was nice seeing Kate as Angela Merkel again. She really made the absolute
most out of some lame material. It was also nice seeing Brooks Wheelan on
Update again doing his butter down pants/STD bit. I actually thought that was
one of his better bits when I was checking out his standup on YouTube last
summer. Fortunately, it did well here but his delivery was a little too
derivative of TJ Miller toward the end (who incidentally I saw live in Boulder
live and he tore me down continuously for, like, 38 minutes when he thought I
was heckling him. He's amazing live and you should go see him if he ever plays
near you! I still have the signed bottle of Evian Facial Spray he gave me). The
memory bit was cute and while Cecily and Colin don't quite have chemistry yet,
it's good to at least see them try to develop some. Bobby's bit as George R.R.
Martin wasn't too bad, but nothing stood out there either. C-
Les Jeunes Des Paris V - Given Anna's musical theater
background, we should've seen "Les Jeunes Des Paris" coming but while
far from the best installment, this was quite enjoyable for the Cups reference,
Kyle's random appearance as Captain Picard (although maybe Beck should've been
in that role) and Jay's quick appearance as Chris Tucker/Ruby Rhod from
"The Fifth Element" which for some reason was the first thing I
actually laughed out loud at all night. C+
Principal Frye VI - I liked seeing Principal Frye again. As
usual, Jay and Kenan were very funny here. Jay's monkey Snapchat lines cracked
me the hell up. Anna Kendrick was good here in a role that, for once, didn't
rely too much on her singing and dancing talents. B-
Big Joe - This was a really thin premise, but the
performances (especially Kilam and Kendrick) really saved it. They also made
good use of some of the new featured players here. B-
Pharell Auditions - This sketch was probably the second
weakest segment of the night. It lazily established a half a joke and dragged
it out, but at least it didn't do that for too long. It felt like they just
threw the DeMarco Bros, Blizzard man and Chippendales in a blender and called
it a day. The best things I can say about it were that I liked the hat gags,
Taran's "oxygen to the brain in the womb" line and that they made a
decent use of Sasheer. D+
NCAA Best of the White guys – This was just fine for how far
they went with it. Beck's narration was the best thing it had going for it.
Something about it did seem familiar the whole time I was watching it. I'm
pretty sure it got cut from a dress rehearsal last season that I read about
(probably the Kevin Hart episode but I'll have to go back and check again). C-
Now, for my updated rankings…
1. Kerry Washington/Eminem
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Lady Gaga
4. Louis C.K./Sam Smith
5. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell
6. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry
7. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire
8. Paul Rudd/One Direction
9. Drake
10. Lena Dunham/The National
11. Jim Parsons/Beck
12. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM
13. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake
14. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons
15. John Goodman/Kings of Leon
16. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae
Next week, Seth Rogen returns for his third time. Again,
this could just go either way. Rogen is one of those hosts who puts forth a
good effort, but is ultimately forgettable. He’s not terrible, but not too
great either. See ya then!
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