Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (11.22.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This was a real middle of the road show for this season. It was wildly

uneven, but far from the absolute worst for this season we’ve seen so far. Still, it was more

enjoyable than a lot of Thanksgiving shows lately. The show wasn’t too heavy on recurring bits outside of just a few. Cameron Diaz proved to be a competent host. Fortunately, she wasn’t featured in sketches as heavily as she was in her first three episodes thus

leaving her less room to overact. Seeing lots of Bobby, Beck and Kyle was nice. Anyway, Let’s

get right to it.

School House Rock - This sketch has to be the best cold open of the season so far. Bobby was very funny in it and it was probably the strongest political satire the show has done in years. It would’ve been even better if they didn’t just lazily tack on an LFNY at the end. A-

Monologue - This was possibly the lamest audience questions sketch ever but at least Bobby, Kyle and Beck were okay in it. D+

Back Home Ballers – In terms of post-Samberg era SNL music videos, this wasn’t quite as bad as "Dongs All Over The World" but not quite as good as "Twin Bed" either. Leslie and Kate were good but Vanessa seemed quite out of place. Here's a question: if they knew Nicki Minaj was booked on the show in two weeks, why didn't they wait until then to do this? It would be just as timely and Nicki was actually pretty good in the Lonely Island "Do The Creep" video. Seems like a big missed opportunity for me. C-

Black Annie - This sketch was all over the place but it was a great centerpiece for Leslie, so it was fine for what it was. Vanessa had a pretty funny part and Jay did a serviceable Jamie Foxx. The "Black Betty" ending was funny just for how it came completely out of left field. C+

Nest-Spresso - This sketch was another unfocused piece with a strange premise. I don't quite know what to make of it and I have no idea who they thought it would appeal to. D+

High School Theater - This sketch seemed to go nowhere. Kenan and Vanessa's parts seemed really underdeveloped but I did chuckle at the "doctor/nurse" bit. Did this remind anyone else of the sketch from Dane Cooks first episode where the high school drama department read the morning announcements? That sketch was much more fun than this. C-

Update was a little inconsistent, but it was a high point of this episode. Kate turned in her most animated performance as Angela Merkel (and managed to pull some personality out of Jost) and Tarans' gleefully deranged Charles Manson was probably this show's funniest moment. Jost's jokes were serviceable but Che was really on point. His Cosby/Huxtable/Kramer and Ferguson rants was good (although sadly, that's probably the edgiest Cosby material we can expect from SNL right now) and the "pull up YOUR pants" line would've been funnier had I not already seen it on Twitter from some other comedian (and I'm sure Che will catch hell for it soon). Speaking of Twitter, his KKK joke was his only joke that really fell flat. B+

Baby Boss III – The fact that this sketch took place in a dining room really made me appreciate when they put recurring characters in different settings as it rarely happens now. Cameron as the wife was possibly the funniest role she's pulled off all night and Beck it still as physically committed to his role as ever. Thankfully, the kept it short. Also, didn't this get cut from Silverman's dress rehearsal? C+

Dr Dave and Buggle - This talk show sketch was probably the funniest thing Kenan has done on the show so far (and that's REALLY saying something). I'm glad they kept it from being a total Brian Fellow rip off. Sure, it was a little repetitive and one note but I can't even remember the last time SNL wrote a sketch that deranged. A-

Chris Fitzpatrick vs Andy Rydell - The return of this character was certainly welcome. This was certainly funnier than the short from the Louis CK show in March. The fighting with Beck was hilarious as was the random stock footage, factoids and the “lil’ bitch” line at the very end. I also liked how Kyles’ performance more closely resembled the angst, dysfunctional and outrageous version of this character we saw in Kyles’ pre-SNL YouTube videos. A-

Poetry Class III - I really don't think Vanessa's poetry teacher needed to be recurred again, but I did like how they changed the format up a bit with Diaz's character. Pete and Kenans' reactions to her were funny but Aidy's part kinda fell flat. C-

Night Murmurs - That phone sex sketch seemed to have some pretty ambitious writing to it, but it didn't quite land with me. There seemed to be a big miscue at the beginning. I wonder if they were really running long and had to cut one of Cecily's lines at the last second? C+

Now, for my update rankings of this season…

1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar

2. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea

3. Bill Hader/Hozier

4. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

5. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

6. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

7. Chris Rock/Prince

Well, that was that. In two weeks, James Franco returns to host. He managed to helm two pretty forgettable episodes. One back in the already awful 09-10 season (although we did see much worse that year) and another back during the election season in 08-09 (and the show actually had GOOD writing that year). All I really remember was his constant squinting at cue cards and inexplicably drooling. Nicki Minaj was inevitable, I guess. She seems like a person who has been all over the place promoting random things for the last couple of years. I’m surprised it took SNL took this long to get her again. She might actually work in one sketch cameo like she did in her first show. Still, this isn’t exactly a lineup I have tremendous faith in. See you soon!

Woody Harrellson/Kendrick Lamar (11.15.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode really showed some promise for the rest of this season of SNL. It may honestly rival Carrey’s episode for best of the season so far. They recovered nicely from the mostly disastrous Chris Rock episode two weeks ago and Woody proved to be a fine host and connected effortlessly with this cast. Most of the cast got a fair amount of screen time tonight, but a little more Bobby, Jay and Aidy wouldn’t have hurt. Anyway, let’s get right to it.

Obama And McConnell Have Drinks - This cold open was a little forgettable but it sure was fun while it lasted. I was expecting Beck to play Mitch McConnell, but Taran did a fine job and really added something to the character rather than just doing a straight impression. The Hillary prank call, "black president" and Michelle bits were funny. B-

Monologue – Woody was fun, but this kinda dragged a little and seemed sloppy and under rehearsed). His singing a parody of Taylor Swift's 1989 came completely out of left field (hell, for a whole minute I thought he was singing a parody of Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69”) but his lyrics were pretty funny. After this and the “Swiftamine” piece in the last show, I’d be genuinely surprised if Taylor Swift doesn’t host by the end of this season. The cameos from his Hunger Games costars felt a little gratuitous but Lawrence was the only one that made me wonder why she wasn't hosting in Woody's place. Also, Woody kissing her legs looked quite bizarre. She was probably still dealing with the nude photo scandal fall out when they (might have) asked her, but between this and her recent Colbert appearance promoting the new “Hunger Games” flick it's nice to see her start to move away from it. B-

The Dudleys - This was a clever filmed piece. It was a decent way for SNL to poke fun at the overly PC attitudes of today's social media and show them as taken to their extremes (even as it may or may not apply to criticisms of their show). The “Crazy Eyes” cameo was a little tacked on but Woody played his role quite well and the bit about the little girl being in the army was funny. B+

MTV’s Match'd - This was actually a well written dating show parody. Beck, Taran, Kyle and Woody all played their parts very well and had plenty of hilarious lines. I especially liked Woody's reveal that Cecily is his daughter, Taran's bit about the panties and Beck's poem. A-

A New Day - This was a good use of Pete, Leslie and Woody but it otherwise dragged and could've benefitted from some editing. I did like the visual of Woody with blonde white dreads and Pete's speech/RugRats bit at the end. C+

Locker Room -This was very funny. Woody and Kenan played their parts very well and I liked the visual of the helmets but it did feel a little dated as South Park and Key & Peele already did football/concussion satire brilliantly. B-

Young Tarts And Old Farts - This was a decent impression showcase, even if the Bennett/Gaga duets album feels like old news by now. Cecily's Arianna was pretty accurate. Kenan wasn't the best choice to play Lionel Richie but he played well off Cecily. Kenan did better as B.B. King, though. Aidy didn't add much as Meghan Trainor but I guess that impression was going to be inevitable. Woody was all right as James Taylor and had some good lines playing off Taran's great Sam Smith. Taran also did a great Manilow tooling on Kendrick Lamar. Bobby’s PSY feels a little too dated in 2014, but Kyle and Taran as Crosby and Stills were okay. Sasheer had a good line playing off of Kyles' passable Macklemore. Leslie had a funny line as Aretha Franklin and Kate did some nice physical humor as Robyn. Kudos to Leslie and the writers who finally found an impression that worked for her. Beck's Elton John was surprisingly accurate and I wouldn't mind seeing more of it in the future. The Lorde/Miley bit at the end was just okay. We honestly could've done without it. B-

Update was fairly strong tonight. Che had several strong jokes and even Jost had a few. They even did the obligatory Kardashian/Paper Magazine jokes well what with Che’s “dat ass doe” and Josts’ “back to real news”. Leslie Jones had another strong commentary and her screaming "look at my breasts" at Colin was great. The True Detective commentary was good and Taran was very animated as McConaghey although I liked his last McConaghey commentary better. B-

Old New York – This was okay. The cast performed it well even though some of the dialogue felt a little bit off, but it seemed pretty one note. The attempted arrest at the beginning was funny, though. C+

Campfire - That guitar/camping sketch felt like the first real bomb of the night. It felt too much like a 10-11 era Armisen sketch to me but the water gags were funny. D+

Sheila Sovage IV - As soon as I saw Kates’ shirt and wig, I knew exactly where this last sketch was headed. I figured I'd give it another chance just to see how Woody would play off her. I liked Woody's "eyebrows" and “dejaculated” lines as well as Kate's "plastering gloryholes". It did get more fun from there with the cling wrap bit as well as Kenan reading a bible and soaking the bar in gasoline. Woody definitely had more fun with this than Vaughn and Goodman seemed to and thankfully they didn't let this one go on too long. This one was second only to the original with Louis C.K. B+

Now, for my rankings of this season so far from best to worst…

1.     Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar

2.     Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea

3.     Bill Hader/Hozier

4.     Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

5.     Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

6.     Chris Rock/Prince

Well, that episode was really a breath of fresh air. Next week, Cameron Diaz hosts the Thanksgiving show. I can’t really say I have the same high hopes for her as much as I did for Woody. She’s hosted three previous times already and we already saw what she was capable of. I just don’t know how well the show’s current writing will serve her, but let’s hope it continues on the same upswing its’ been on with this show. See you soon!

Chris Rock/Prince (11.1.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This has to be the most inconsistent show in a long time. While there were bright spots here and there, the bleaker spots made this episode a strong contender for worst episode of this season. Seriously, something about this show made me really hesitate to even bother posting this review.  In fact, I almost considered giving up doing SNL reviews forever. Chris Rock proved to be a strong host. Even though he didn’t seem to be giving it his all, he showed he is still in touch with the show to a degree. At least Jay, Sasheer, Leslie, Beck, Kyle and Taran got plenty of screen time. Anyway, here we are.

The Kelly File - This cold open already seems pretty dated, but there have been less relevant and less topical opens this season. Kate and Bobby were great in it. C+

Monologue - Chris Rock had a better monologue last time he hosted, but this one had funny moments. The jokes about the freedom tower and holiday commercialization were great. I'm just as surprised as you probably are that the Boston Marathon isn't as taboo a comedy subject as it was a mere 18 months ago but I do hope Michael Che is taking notes. He could probably learn a thing or two about finding humor in uncomfortable places. C+

How 2 Dance w/Janelle - It's nice to see Sasheer finally break out with one of her own sketches. She did just fine, but her performance was pretty forgettable aside from the dancing. Jay and Chris were great in it (despite Jay seeming to miss his first mark) but Kyle and his latent creepiness and patented uncomfortable acting was the true highlight for me. Unfortunately, this isn't really the first time SNL has traveled to the "creeps on the internet" well to mine for humor and they've done it more successfully in the past. Still, this was just fine for what it was. C+

GoProbe - The GoPro colonoscopy sketch turned out surprisingly funny despite looking like a legitimate GoPro commercial for about the first full minute. Beck and Taran had quite a few funny lines but Kyle seemed oddly out of place here. I did like the doctors reactions and the "grandpas colonoscopy" clip. Also, with the juxtaposition of "extreme sports" and rectal health themed humor...did this remind anyone else of the Preparation H commercial from 01-02? C+

How's He Doing III? - This is probably a sketch we all should've seen coming given the host. It would've felt too stale and run into the ground if it weren't for the additions of Sasheer and Leslie to the cast. They were welcome additions here and Sasheer managed to contribute more here than she did to a sketch that actually centered around her character. Chris also did well here. B-

Update was pretty inconsistent tonight. Jost had a couple of good jokes and Che had a few. His Prince name drop was a nice save from that disastrous Tim Cook flub. Pete Davidson was funny. Even though it didn't actually get funny until the "allergic to condoms" bit, it may have been his weakest (or second weakest) commentary of the three he's done so far. It was still much funnier than Brooks Wheelan’s commentary on STDs form last season. Kenan turned in a decent performance as Suge Knight but I think the novelty of Katt Williams impressions on SNL has finally wore off. Sorry, Jay. C-

Shark Tank II – Working ISIS into this sketch seemed like a rather misguided attempt to be topical and edgy at the same time. Even the live audience didn't know how to react to it. Seriously, it was like this decade’s "America's Funniest Hate Videos". Still, it was better than the previous Shark Tank sketch they did when Kevin Hart hosted but not nearly as good as the ISIS jokes from the South Park season premiere two months ago. D-

Swiftamine – This seemed pretty underwritten and more like something SNL should've done two years ago when "Red" came out. Beck, Taran and Leslies' performances we're the only highlights but they were really sailing on weak material. Hey, how much do you wanna bet that this was written by either Colin Jost or Anderson/Sublette? D+

Old Couple - This Leslie/Chris old couple sketch feels like a throwback to a bygone era. If it weren't for the tacked on Uber references, this could of been a lost dress cut from the "bad boys" era that had David Spade and Ellen Cleghorne playing Bobby and Leslie's parts. Sadly, the most memorable thing about this sketch was when Leslie missed what appeared to be several cues at once and badly threw off the timing off the whole scene (a rare miss for her). D-

Good Neighbor: Bank Robbers - This sketch was very well done. It was one of tonight's stronger pieces even though I saw every joke coming two miles away since it played out exactly the way it read in FeaturingEmilyPrager's dress rundown. C+

Women in the Workplace: Tape #5: Dealing w/Diversity - This diversity video was the best sketch of the night. This version was much better than the original sketch that aired during Melissa McCarthy's 2013 show. Chris and Vanessa played especially well off each other and Kate and Cecily bought something new to their characters that was missing last time. B+

Well, that was certainly a disappointment. In two weeks, Woody Harrelson hosts. He was a good host in ’89 and ’92, but SNL was such a completely different show back then that I don’t know if Woody will be able to gel with THIS cast at all and this show certainly didn’t do anything to assuage those fears. Oh well. See you then!