Amy Adams/One Direction (12.20.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This has to be the most frustrating SNL episode of this season, but we have seen worse. For a Christmas episode especially, it was very inconsistent. This show started off showing some flickering promise here and there, but it started to take a serious nosedive right in the middle of Update. Amy Adams was completely overshadowed as a host by the frequently returning cast members as well as the musical guests, of course (but I guess this is to be expected whenever they still inexplicably book One Direction). It somehow managed to make last years’ big Christmas show with Fallon and Timberlake look less dreary and depressing. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

A Very Somber Xmas With Sam Smith/Message From Dr. Evil - This cold open was possibly the best one this season. Seeing Taran's Sam Smith again was a nice touch. Using Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil was a clever way for SNL to comment on the Sony hacking scandal. Meyers performance was a real return to form for him and his laserdisc joke and jabs at Franco/Walkman/The Love Guru were great but his GOP joke could be seen from two miles away. B+

Monologue – This started out charming until Kristen Wiig came in and bought it to a screeching halt. D-

Asian American Doll - This was another commercial mostly done in a similar vein to "The Dudleys" from Woody Harrelsons's show but lacking most of the bite of that one. It could've benefitted from being shortened a little. The chef/dog bit at the end was a true highlight. C-

Tenderfield Christmas 2014 – This was funnier than I expected it to be. I liked how such a seemingly innocuous premise took so many dark turns. The highlights were the description of the Today show interview, the Iron Man 4/HPV ad bit, Kyle thinking he was a dog and Kate being a sociopath. Kenan's part was fine even if it seemed a little tacked on. B+

Serial Christmas - This was a clever bit of parody. However, I'm sure it would be much funnier had I actually listened to the Serial podcast (and I honestly can’t decide whether or not this parody made me want check it out but some light YouTube/Google browsing indicates no evidence that it is a video podcast as SNL seems to suggest so I really don't know what the visuals here are based off of). My only familiarity with it comes from jokes about it on Twitter, Sarah Koenig's Colbert interview and Tom Scharpling talking about it on the return of "The Best Show on WMFU" (which from what I’ve heard is a little too dry for me). I can't really vouch for the verisimilitude of this but it looked like a labored yet well-constructed parody. I liked the courtroom artists' depictions of Aidy and Jay, Cecily and Kate building a sleigh, and Kyle as Kris Kringle (did anyone else think he slightly resembled Samberg in that hair and makeup?). I can't judge the accuracy of Cecily's Koening impression but she had the rhythms of a typical NPR host down pat. B-

Girlfriends Talk Show VII - I have to give SNL credit for holding off on this until now this whole season. I guess I should've expected it with Adams as host. I feel like her role was kind of wasted here but if 1D had to cameo in a sketch, this would be the safest one for them to appear in. They were pretty stiff and awkward here. Cecily was just kinda there, but as usual her “boyfriend” rant was the most interesting contribution. Aidy's performance was a strong and interesting choice. D+

Office Christmas Party – As much as this seemed heavily stylized after the Lonely Island, this was very fun. Jay and Pete carried this well. Leslie’s role seemed pretty awkward and Amy, Aidy, Beck/Kyle and Taran were funny in their roles. I also liked the increasingly wild and destructive tone it took toward the end. B-

Update started out fairly strong despite a couple of things weighing it down toward the end. Che was on another roll (especially with his Korea rants) and Jost even got a few good jokes in. Bobby's Kim Jong-Un commentary was possibly my favorite thing he has done on SNL all season. Kenan's commentary was nothing we haven't seen from him before. Garth and Kat was only worth sitting through to hear Che interact with them. C+

A Very Cuban Christmas - This special was something I don't quite know what to make of. I can't tell if it was poorly rushed together on purpose or if that was the "joke" behind it. Still, it felt like a premise that didn't quite reach its full potential. Taran's Pitbull was funny, while not particularly accurate. Cecily kinda went in and out with her Gloria Estefan and her timing seemed way off. Pete as Elian Gonzales was good stunt casting and Kate's Diana Nyad was the real highlight. We could've done without Kyle and Amy doing Scarface and Bobby doing Hurley, though. Kenan's Cuba Gooding Jr. was serviceable here seeing as Jay was being used well as Obama. Fred and Beck as the Castros were appropriate here. For once, a Fred cameo was actually welcome and relevant in a sketch. C-

A Magical Christmas - This sketch seemed like another premise with wasted potential. Every performer in this sketch tried their damndest despite sailing on weak material here. The raccoon ending was endearing at least. This seems like another Anderlette collabo to me. D-

Whiskers R’ We II - This retread isn't unwelcome at all. It was charming and unique enough the first time. I liked the string of British short hair/Sex And The City/Cat Stevens/textbook narcissist/alien gags at the beginning. I still have to wonder how much of this sketch was recycled from the edition of this sketch that was cut from Sarah Silverman’s dress rehearsal in October. C+

Now, for my updated rankings for this season so far…

1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar

2. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX

3. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea

4. James Franco/Nicki Minaj

5. Bill Hader/Hozier

6. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

7. Amy Adams/One Direction

8. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

9. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

10. Chris Rock/Prince

Well, that was largely disappointing but there was some fun to be had in this episode if you were willing to look hard enough for it. Kevin Hart will be SNL’s first host of 2015. I like his acting more than I do his standup and his 2013 stint as host was rather fun, so I guess I could look forward to this one. I’m curious as to who the first musical guest will be (and when they will be announced). Happy holidays! See you in 2015! Until then, I would invite any Scharpling and Wurster/Best Show WMFU fans to discuss their appeal with me since I shared my views on them earlier in this review.

Martin Freeman/Charli XCX (12.13.14)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was rather quiet in most spots yet still thoroughly enjoyable. It is definitely in the top five of this season so far. Only two things stood out as being really bad among a string of mostly original writing and non-recurring premises. Martin Freeman proved a pleasant and capable host, if not a little underused. I wouldn’t mind seeing him return. I would just hope the writers knew how to play to his strengths a little more. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Charlie Rose - The Torture report was a nice topic for the cold open. Bobby and Kyle performed well in it. The jabs at Time Warner/see cashier/autocorrect were all right. Taran's Charlie Rose was pretty weak. Even though this felt like it was missing something, it was a better cold open than last week. C+

Monologue - Freeman delivered a charming monologue. I did like the self-deprecating tone to it. I have a good feeling about him as a host. Kate’s' Maggie Smith and Taran's throaty Alan Rickman were also welcome additions. B+

Sump'n Claus - This turned out to be more entertaining (and longer) than it had any right to be. I did like how Kenan turned in a rather subdued performance here and Cecily and Sasheer served the sketch well as backup singers. C-

Wedding Objections - This sketch was very fun. I did like how there were several different elements to it that built up and paid off at the end. Taran, Kate, Cecily, Aidy, Leslie and Martin were very funny in it. I especially like Taran’s “shattered penis/Jenga tower” lines. Also, did anyone else think Freeman resembled Martin Short in that wig? B+

The Office: Middle Earth – This was a fun taped piece. It did capture the aesthetic of the Office better than it did the Tolkien films. Taran was great as Gollum (much better than Kattan used to be) but Bobby did a rather weak Gandalf Gervais. He had Gervais's David Brent movements and facial expressions down pat and did a convincing accent but the voice was a little off. Kate did well in this, too. Also, who was that in the orc makeup. This was a clever way for the SNL writers to combine the two things American audiences will most easily recognize Martin Freeman from, but I can't help but think how it might have been improved if this sketch was done when Sudekis was still in the cast and he had played the Gervais role instead of Bobby. B+

Right Side Of The Bed – This sketch was possibly the worst segment of the night. It could've been better had the shifted more focus to Aidy's character. Martin's awkwardness was the best part of this sketch. Kate as Keith Urban was worth a chuckle. Otherwise, Cecily and Taran were trying too hard and this just SCREAMED "An Anderson/Sublette Joint". Did anyone else get flashbacks to that “Pageant Talk” sketch from the Zach Galifinakis 09-10 episode w/Slate, Hader and Wiig? I’ll bet they wrote THAT one, too! Also, what does it say about me that I saw some resemblance to “Chrisley Knows Best” without ever actually watching that show? C-

Christmas Mass Spectacular - This seemed a little dated and unfocused, but it was funny. Beck, Kyle, Jay and Kate were great in it. It did seem like it didn’t know what it was satirizing or who it wanted it’s audience to be, but I liked it nonetheless. I just think this was an odd outlet for Good Neighbors ‘90s slacker humor. C+

Update was a little inconsistent, but strong. Che had a long string of great jokes and even Jost got in a couple of good jabs. The commentaries were what weighed this down a bit, though. It was nice of them to give Sasheer a chance to be herself on Update. Her commentary was funny even if it took a while to get going and emoji narrative humor has kind of been done before. Che really added sommething to it. Cecily's "one dimensional female character in a male driven comedy" seems like something she had a hand in writing but it also seemed a little unfocused and meandering. It was different at least, but it didn't seem like a fully thought out idea. Jacob the Bar Mitvah Boy has really run its course and Che's interaction w/Vanessa was pretty much a carbon copy of Seth's script but at least Che managed to make it endearing. B-

Heinz Assembly Line - This sketch didn't seem to go anywhere, but it was still enjoyable. I was just expecting more from seeing an assembly line set with a Caution sign being put up during the commercial, I guess. Taran and Martin did the best they could with the material. The "blue light" ending was worth a chuckle. C+

Holiday Gig - This sketch seems like the most one note thing that has aired this season so far. It's a little interesting how Kenan's voice seemed to change at least twice through this sketch. Taran's brief appearance was worth a chuckle. D+

Waterbeds Are The Best - This was a decent piece to go out on. Aidy clearly gave it her all as did Martin. Taran and Jay's brief appearances were funny, too. I chuckled at the mattress with her face on it, but the joke of plastering Aidy's giant face everywhere got kinda old. For some reason, it felt like something that has been cut from several previous dress rehearsals. Martins’ accent was an interesting choice. Did he remind anyone else of Buck Henry in this sketch? B-

Here are my updated rankings for this season…

1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar
2. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
3. James Franco/Nicki Minaj
4. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea
5. Bill Hader/Hozier
6. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
7. Chris Pratt/Arianna Grande
8. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
9. Chris Rock/Prince

Next week, Amy Adams returns to host with One Direction as the musical guest. So far, I think this show has the potential to go either way. Amy Adams has the potential to really deliver as a host. Let’s hope the writing continues on the upswing its’ been on this month. See you then!

James Franco/Nicki Minaj (12.6.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. Good or bad, this episode delivered exactly what I was expecting given the lineup. It started off pretty slow but picked up some steam after Update. Franco gelled well with this cast and seems to have improved somewhat form his last two hosting stints (at least in terms of not squinting and spitting as much). Even the well placed Nicki Minaj sketch cameos worked (well, they better than her performances anyway) and I honestly enjoyed this episode more than the Diaz one two weeks ago even though they were both on the same level of inconsistency. Anyway, here we go.

Politics Nation - This isn't even a good cold open let alone a good way for SNL to address the Eric Garner story. Bobby was all right, but not even he could save it. D-

Monologue - I'd say it wasn't as good as his '08 college monologue w/Sudekis but better than his '09 Christmas monologue. Addressing the Sony hack was clever at least. The Rogen cameo was totally expected as was his using his physique to get laughs, but he breathed some life into this monologue. C-

Peter Pan Live - This parody worked on the whole. I never expected them to make Aidy's "Tonkerbell" recurring but using her to comment on the Peter Pan performance was clever on the writers' part. She and Cecily were the strongest parts of this sketch. Franco's Walken was pretty weak but I do appreciate his effort. Still, I would've preferred Kilam or another cast member doing their take on Walken and this sketch was much better than the Sound Of Music parody from the Paul Rudd episode last year. C+

Star Wars Trailer – This trailer was pretty weak. Taran, Leslie and Bobby were okay in it but the "elderly heroes returning for a sequel" comedy trope is beyond tired by now and wasn't even that relevant to the trailer it was supposedly parodying. D+

MTV’s Jingle Ballerz - The Hip-hop nativity was pretty inconsistent, but one of the more entertaining live pieces of the night. Pete was funny and seeing Taran's Eminem, Kate's Beiber and Jay's Kanye again was nice. Sasheer's Rhianna was way off and Franco's Riff Raff added nothing. Kenan's Rick Ross was okay. Nicki Minaj actually did a passable Beyonce. Her singing was off but she got Beyonce’s general speaking voice down. At least it was nice to see a different portrayal of Beyonce than Maya Rudolph's. C+

Mike O'Brien: Grow-A-Guy - This film was one of the stronger pieces of the night. It was great to see that level of surreal humor on SNL again. Mike, Beck, James and Pete turned in fine performances here. B-

Magic Bridge - This was pretty awkward. It was another showcase for Cecily to do an odd accent. In fact, her character sounded just like a cross between Molly Shannon and Amy Poehler's character from the Appalachain Emergency room sketches. Kyle and Aidy were just kinda there. D-

Update was pretty strong tonight. Che delivered some fine joke and even Jost is starting to show some personality. It seems like the only thing that didn't land with the audience was the opening grand jury commentaries. While they may not have gotten enough laughs, they were thoughtful commentaries and I did like how they broke up the usual Update format. Seeing Leslie Jones again was great but again, her previous commentaries were better. This one was allright, but seemed a little awkward. The only thing that felt out of place was bringing Anthony Crispino out of mothballs. I thought it would be worth seeing how Che would react to him but he just kind of phoned it in there. I did like the Drew Carey/Bing Crosby jokes though. Nicki Minaj pretty much just played Kim Kardashian as herself but the bit about the nude photos being placed against different backgrounds was clever enough. B-

Brain Space - This sketch worked pretty well. Franco didn't really need to shout all his lines, though. Having Nicki do the first two verses of Anaconda was a clever way to sneak that song onto the show without having to devote an entire MG slot to that ridiculous song (although her actual second performance still came off pretty awkward, though). All the brief walk ons by the cast were good, too. I especially liked Beck and Bobby in this. B+

Kid Mayor – This sketch was pretty funny in its mild immaturity. Even though Franco could have dialed it back, this was the one sketch where his shouting all his lines actually worked. B-

Sunseeker Yachts - I have to hand it to SNL for holding off on bringing back the former porn models until this point in the season. I did like Rogen and Franco's performances in this as well as the sit/stand on it and pull out lines. C+

Here are my updated rankings for this season…

1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar

2. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea

3. Bill Hader/Hozier

4. James Franco/Nicki Minaj

5. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

6. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

7. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

8. Chris Rock/Prince

Next week, Martin Freeman hosts with musical guest Charli XCX. Anyway you look at it, this has to be the most promising SNL lineup this month. See you then!

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!

Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea (10.25.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This show, while rather inconsistent, turned out to be the strongest of the season so far and had a lot of things going for it compared to the previous three that aired. While the writers are still relying on certain “tricks” too much, they didn’t rely on any recurring premises from previous sketches tonight…so, I guess that’s a step in the right direction. Carrey added some much needed energy to a lot of sketches even if he didn’t seem to be giving them his all. I also appreciated the abundance of Halloween themed sketches in the final October episode. It seems like everyone got in a lot of airtime tonight, so kudos to Kyle Mooney for finally really breaking out as a sketch performer and to Leslie Jones for making it into the cast after doing the same earlier in this season. Anyway, let’s get right to it.

Ebola Czar - This cold open was pretty forgettable. Taran was fine in his role. Kenan's Sharpton was the only thing that it could've done without. Still, I appreciate SNL making an attempt to mock the hysteria surrounding Ebola and choosing a more topical and relevant cold open than the previous show. C-

Monologue - This was definitely the weakest of Carrey's three hosting stints and had the least substance to it. It was only really memorable for Carrey's bizarre "Helvis" costume. At least he did a serviceable Elvis imitation and Bobby had a funny part. C-

Lincoln - This commercial parody was great. Carrey does a much better McConaughey than Kilam did and was great at poking fun at the pretentiousness of Matt's recent roles. B+

Carrey Family Reunion – This was a very strong performance piece (despite being a blatant retread of the Walken reunion from '08 right down to using the exact same set). Taran, Kyle, Beck were very funny and even Vanessa didn't overact (even in the one sketch where it might have behooved her to). Jay was fine here even if he played it a little too goofy. I appreciated Cecily's Fire Marshal Bill reference and Bobby's reference to the Mask. Jeff Daniels appearance was well timed. I did like how he and Carrey used this opportunity to poke a little fun at themselves. I wonder who that was in the Riddler costume? Was their part cut at dress for time? B+

Lincoln II – This was all right but the first one was funnier. I did like the “whose kids are these?” reveal. C+

Graveyard - This was very bad. I never quite got the point of it. It went on too long and meandered too much. The writing dragged down pretty much every body's performances (even Jim and Bobby who must have been put through the ringer by the makeup department tonight) Jay and Taran tried to liven up their performances but it just wasn't working. There was also a big camera miscue that really blew the sketch.Their explanation of their deaths was all right. Still, at least they didn’t try to revive the Merryville brothers again without Bill Hader. D-

Allstate/Lincoln III – This kind of meandered, but I liked the mislead at the beginning, the visual of Kenan getting hit and the reveal of Carrey being asleep at the wheel. I’m glad they didn’t run these into the ground too much like they did with those Taran/Brad Pitt Chanel ads two years ago. B-

Update was really strong joke wise, but not so much commentary wise. Che had a good Ebola rant. Jost tried something similar but just proved he isn't as strong as Che at stand up (but kudos to Jost anyway for delivering three solid jokes and showing some traces of a personality). Vanessa pretty accurately skewed the well-known tropes of romantic comedies but her piece went on too long and just wasn't too funny when Che wasn’t trying to save it. Drunk Uncle was more of the same but I did like the visual of Bobby casually rolling over to Jost's side of the desk and admitting he says “super racist” things. B+

Georgia Zombie Apocalypse - That zombie sketch was pretty middle of the road. At times, it felt a little repetitive and dragged on a bit. Still, Carrey and Davidson played their roles well (even if this sketch wasn’t the best use of Davidson and still leaves the audience wondering how he could work in most sketches). C-

Secret Billionaire - This was surprisingly funny. Bobby and Jay were good in their supporting roles but Carrey really stole the sketch. I liked the sheer bizarreness of his character. I especially liked his Denis/Bryan speech. It would've even worked in a "Girlfriends Talk Show" sketch with Carrey as Cecily's "boyfriend" but I'm glad we got this instead of that. There were also some noticeable technical gaffes, but they didn’t bring down this sketch. B-

Ghosts: Fact Or Fiction? - This short was a very strong use of Leslie's performance talents and a strong debut for her as an official cast member/featured player. B+

Chandelier Dance Off - This office costume contest sketch felt really labored for what was essentially a rather under choreographed dance number. Still, it was fun to see them sprawl all around the studio. I mean, Jim Carrey/Kate McKinnon aren't exactly Steve Martin/Gilda Radner or even Christopher Walken/Molly Shannon but it still works! It was also a nice use of Lorne and Iggy Azalea in a sketch. Beck, Kyle and Aidy did well in this sketch. Also, I’m sure you’re as surprised as I am that this actually made it online with Sia’s song actually intact. I guess it wasn’t as hard to clear as it was a fairly recent Top 40 hit. B+

Halloween Emporium - This sketch was pretty much screams "ten-to-one" (no pun intended). Carrey played a demonically possessed role suitably well and Cecily and Vanessa played fine off that. Good to see the return of the sleeve concealed vomit hose after a seven year absence. C+

Now, I think I’m finally ready to rank the shows form this season.

1. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea

2. Bill Hader/Hozier

3. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

4. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

Well, that was certainly enjoyable. Next week, Chris Rock returns to host. There’s really no reason to NOT be optimistic about this episode. We can already tell the monologue is going to be one of the best of this season and Rock will most likely gel real well with the likes of Jones, Che, Pharroh and Zamata. That dynamic should produce some strong comedy. See you then!

Bill Hader/Hozier (10.11.14)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode still exhibits blatant signs of the trouble SNL has been in for the past two years. Still, it was this seasons’ strongest episode so far. This is mostly due to Haders’ presence and not just for the instant nostalgia. While the writing hasn’t shown any real signs of improvement since 2010, Bill has shown he hasn’t lost touch with his comedic acting chops. He’s still just as solid of a sketch player as he ever was during his time in the cast. It’s also nice to see Pete Davidson all over this show after being completely shut out last week. I’m sure having the guy who recommended him to Lorne hosting sure didn’t hurt matters there. Anyway, let’s get right to it.

Kim Jon-Un - North Korea was an odd choice for cold open (as it wasn't really dominating the headlines) but Bobby's rapid fire back and forth between hobbling in pain and trying to prove his agility was funny. Also, they knew the exact spot to end it before it got too old. Strangely enough, the dated pop culture references (“Space Jam” and “The Fury”) turned out to be some of the funniest moments in this sketch. C-

Monologue - Bill was good, Kristen killed any momentum this monologue could’ve had. He was very funny and likable and even his singing was played for great comedic effect. Thankfully, the whole music number didn't focus on Wiig for once. I also liked how Bill told the story of Megan Mulally discovering him. Harvey Firestien was an unexpected cameo but still, a nice addition to this monologue. C+

Herb Welch VII - This felt pretty much like a carbon copy of every other installment, but this sketch was a nice use of Pete and Bill's back and forth with Taran as the news anchor was good (even though without Sudekis, it’s not quite the same). C-

The Group Hopper – This was a nice bit of satire even if it was missed on about 75% of SNl’s audience. Obviously, this might’ve landed better with me had I read the books or seen the films they were referencing but it was still enjoyable even if it had some pacing issues. Parts of it moved to fast while other parts meandered a bit. It did a fine job of poking fun at all the tropes of the YA dystopian fantasy lit/film craze taking the country by storm right now. Even though Hader's character really made this sketch for me, it was a nice use of Pete, Sasheer, Beck and Kyle and featured some of Pete’s strongest acting on the show so far. B-

Hollywood Game Night - This was a fine showcase of impressions. Hader's Pacino was a welcome addition. Beck's Nick Offerman was uncanny. Kate did a fine job as Jane Lynch exposing the banality of the show. Cecily's Sofia Vergara was accurate if not a little overbearing. Taran as Christoph Waltz was alright if not a little underutilized. Jay's Morgan Freeman has improved but there could've been less Wigg as Kathie Lee. Everyone's ridiculous bad answers were fun. B+

HelpFund - This was another clever filmed piece even if it was pretty one note and repetitive. Hader played a rather defensive role well. It was nice to see them sneak in Leslie jones in there again. It was also a nice use of Sasheer. Kenan and Jay added a lot to this, too. B-

Love Is A Dream - It was very touching of Bill and Kristen to introduce this classic. I would say Jan got the tribute she truly deserved tonight and this was Kristen's best moment in tonight's show.

Update is still the strongest segment of this SNL season. Michael Che had some good moments (but not quite as good as the previous two week and his gay marriage joke felt like something several other comedians have done before). Even Jost had some decent jokes writing wise, not that his delivery did anything to help them. Thankfully, this Update was lighter on jokes than it was on commentaries. Pete's commentary was good, but his commentary from the premiere was a little bit better. Still, it was nice to see this make it to air after getting cut last week. Seeing Stefon back in his element was nice. I especially liked his “human defibrillators” line. C+

Puppet Class II – It was nice seeing this again since it was a classic one-off that wasn’t as run into the ground as much as some of Haders’ previous sketches from his time on the show. Still, it wasn’t as good as the first one. Bill and Cecily performed well in their roles but Taran and Bobby felt like they were trying too hard and didn’t service this sketch as well as Kenan and Seth MacFarlane did. The puppet flashback was good, but they could’ve played it up for bigger laughs. B+

Inside SoCal - I'm very glad they made Inside this recurring. This one was so much better than the first one from Jonah Hill's episode in January. The Pete/Kate/Taran segment was hilarious and Bill was a great addition with his lost, rambling answer. Beck and Kyle were great in this with their own segments. I especially liked Beck’s Vicodin line and Kyle’s red salsa interview with Cecily. Still, the ending with Bobby didn’t quite work as well. This sure beats another Californians sketch, huh? B+

Cat In The Hat – This sketch seemed quite unfocused and like it had a very thin premise. Still, Bill's performance was the real high point. His line at the end was funny even if it felt way out of place. C-

Well, that seemed to be a pretty polarizing show. Jim Carrey hosts in two weeks. Let’s hope the writing doesn’t sink him. See you then!

Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5 (10.4.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This was another real middle of the road show that turned out to be more inconsistent than last week. Sarah Silverman was a fine host, however underutilized she may have been. The cast is still really inconsistent in terms of airtime. IT’s not a good sign when Vanessa and Kenan are on this much and it may not have been wise for Pete Davidson to disappear completely after such a strong debut last week. Anyway, let’s get to it.

60 Minutes - This cold open was very middle of the road. Jay and Taran were OK in it and some of the digs at social media were good. As a whole it was better and more consistent than last week's open. Otherwise, it seemed pretty forgettable. C-

Monologue - Sarah was great here. She was miles better than Pratt's monologue was last week. Her stand up material was good. We could've done without the lame audience interaction bit but the montage of her answering her own audience question clips from '93-'94 was the real highlight and was a very clever bit of editing. Still, I have to admit I was a little disappointed that they didn't find a way to work in her ape mask clip from the Charlton Heston monologue. B+

Ebola In Our Everything – This Fault In Our Stars parody was very good. Taran and Sarah played very well off of each other and kudos to SNL for being one of the first comedy outlets to find a satiric hook on TFIOS. I think they were the first to parody this. A-

Joan Rivers Roast - This sketch was great for what it was, although they could've done more with it. Sarah, Jay and Kate all did fine with their impressions even if they lost it by the end of the sketch. At least they found a way to work Sasheer in there even if her bit was a little forgettable. Adam Levine as Freddie Mercury was possibly the worst stunt casting in the history of television. Bobby stole the sketch as a giddy Ben Franklin. C+

Whites - This PSA had a funny start but kinda fell flat toward the end. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was reminded of a certain Louis CK routine by this. C+

Forgotten TV Gems - This soap opera sketch had some very clever writing behind it even if some of the jokes could've been seen coming from two towns over. The sting reactions at the end of each scene were the best part. B-

Update continues to be a highpoint of the show despites its relative inconsistency compared to last week. Che was very good and even Jost had his moments but every time they got a decent bit going and built up some momentum, a commentary would come along and kill it. Kenan's Al Sharpton just came and went and god bless Sarah and Kate for trying to salvage that feminist song bit, but it just didn't work. Kudos to Jost for at least trying to show a sliver of human personality tonight. His bit with Che where they determined what they can and can't say was the true highlight. B-

Riverboat - I don't quite know what to make of this sketch except that Sarah had the strongest performance and I liked Sasheer's line about trying to escape. Other than that, it really didn't go anywhere. C-

Cheating – This sketch was almost the strongest live piece of the night. Sarah and Bobby really carried it. It was another piece that had some strong writing but a little less so given how derivative it was of the wedding toast sketch from Andrew Garfield's episode and that carpool sketch from Baldwin's '06 show. Even though working Adam Levine into another sketch seems a little too gratuitous, the sheer outlandishness of his part made me chuckle. I also liked the fudge song on the radio, but it kinda fell apart at the end. B-

Good Neighbor: Poem - This film was one of Beck and Kyle’s stronger recent efforts. I quite liked the strong physical humor of it and how well it contrasted against the softer moments. B-

Vitamix - Wow. Vanessa's performance in this blender sketch makes that entire riverboat sketch seem laser focused. I'm genuinely surprised that this even made it past dress. D-

Well, there is still hope for this season. Next week, Bill Hader returns to host (albeit a bit soon). Frankly, I think the less cameos, the better his episode will be. Sadly, I think at least Wiig may be guaranteed to show up on account of being Haders’ “Skeleton Twins” costar. See you then!

Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande (9.27.2014)

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Andy Samberg/St. Vincent (5.17.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. The only real difference between this episode and the previous two were how consistent the performers were. Samberg bought some much needed goofy and fun energy that he’s so well known for back to his old stomping grounds but unfortunately, he couldn’t have done without better writing and less reliance on gratuitous cameos and old recurring features. Most of the newer cast was shoved onto the back burner in favor of Samberg’s old cast mates stopping by, but I guess that was to be expected. Anyway, let’s get on with the show.

Message From Jay-Z and Solange - This cold open was decent. I've seen more clever takes on the Solange incident, but this was good for current SNL standards. Jay does a great Hova and Sasheer turned in a fine performance here. Kenan as the bodyguard was funny at first, but got kinda old. Still, I did like the brief laughing/coughing bit and I liked Jay’s slam at Beyonces’ “sexually aggressive” music. The spider audio and footage of Bobby as the security guard were the true highlights of this. Maya's cameo was inevitable, but it could've been worse. Still, I think they could've shortened it just a tad. Hell, it almost seemed like they saw this board, read the posts from some of Maya's true haters and wrote her part just to piss us/them/you guys off. Oh well, I didn't mind it that much. C+

Monologue -This was surprisingly fun. The "6 live sketches" line was a joke he repeated last year that I saw coming a mile away, but I liked his other self-deprecating Golden Globes bits. The Timberlake photo was also a nice touch. Seth's cameo felt unnecessary, but he and "Sambags" are best buds after all. The impression off was quite fun and I loved the rapid fire energy of it. I especially laughed at the Teller/Bin Laden impressions. His Seth Meyers impression was terribly inaccurate and his Zooey Deschanel sounded more like Kermit the Frog, but the rest were good. Bill's cameo was great, too. Short's cameo was nice but felt a little tacked on. B+

Camp Wicwabe - This bit was cute, but felt like it ran a little too long. Kate, Aidy and Cecily turned in fine performances. I did like the brief Simpsons/assbutt reference. Kyles brief appearance was okay. Samberg was the true highlight of this. I laughed at his line about his only pube and the condom thing. Since nothing else stood out to me about this, I guess the most generous way I can assess this sketch is that in an era when SNL is constantly being criticized for being juvenile, it's nice to see something that's at least endearingly juvenile on purpose. Also, what exactly was the point to this sketch being set in 1990? C+

Digital Short: When Will The Bass Drop? - This was nice in that it was something that we weren't totally all expecting. I did like how they poked fun at the annoying dubstep/EDM craze that's sweeping the nation and all the brief Zucker-esque sight gags were fun. Even though it started to give me flashbacks to "Everyone's A Critic" in '08 (especially the Indiana Jones reference) but anything with that many headsplosions is automatically a guilty pleasure of mine. C+

Confident Hunchback - This seemed tailor made for Samberg. Still, I think he underperformed it somewhat. He had some good lines though and the ladies played well off him. C-

Update went out on a relative high note compared to most of the rest of this season. The jokes were nothing to write home about. I did like Cecily's Long Island sleeves joke but Jost's delivery of his Worried Feet/birthing twins jokes probably did theabsolute least to help his image. I'm glad they let Kyle bring back Bruce Chandling after it got cut last week. It is kind of an odd coincidence that this character has now appeared in both the premiere AND finale of this season which were BOTH hosted by former cast members. I liked how increasingly bizarre and then dark his jokes got. I'm also glad they bought back "Get In The Cage" because I've always liked Samberg's Nic Cage. Andy had several great lines (and great hair/makeup work as well) here including Never On Demand/tebagging the Magna Carta and his jabs at Colin. Rudd played off him well and I loved the puns Andy made on his name. C+

Vogelchecks VI - I really don't think we needed to see this again. At least this time the kissing wasn't as gratuitous as the applause. The kissing was actually just silly and funny even if most of it was based around rather tired and predictable gags. The Micheal Sam angle being worked into this was also a little lame and forced, but it led to some decent lines and exchanges between Wiig, Hader, Rudd and Armisen. Speaking of Hader, it was nice to see him again but I wish it was in a different sketch than this. I know how much he likes doing these, so I guess I'll give him a pass on this one. Fred breaking character was pretty irritating. Thankfully, they kept this from going on too long. D+

Waking Up W/Kimye III - I don't totally think we needed to see this return either, but at least this one sort of made up for the last one from the Fallon show being such a disaster. It was fun seeing Taran's Bruce Jenner again. Samberg's character was the true highlight of this. Nassim's leave/Veera Wang one liners made me chuckle. Jay still performs this well and I did like the odd ramble about his wedding costume despite how he oddly broke away from his usual delivery with it. C+

Digital Short: Hugs - Two Digital Shorts?!? Didn't see THAT one coming! Anyway, I don't know if I liked this better than the first one but I liked seeing another classic Lonely Island rap number with Jorm and Kiv and the premise for this was just silly enough to work. The Pharell and Maya-as-Oprah cameos felt a little tacked on (especially since Pharell was just on the show last month) but I remembered this was a track they worked on for the Wack Album about a year ago so this was probably just done for sheer convenience and timeliness. B-

Legolas From “The Hobbit” Tries To Order At Taco Bell – This was decent. It was very short so there wasn’t much to say about it except Andy performed well, Jay played great off him, Bobby as Gimli was a nice addition and it was just silly enough to make me giggle. C+

Blizzard Man V – I liked seeing this return as I liked the first few they did around 06-08, but it seemed like Andy really wasn’t giving this one his all. The 2 Chainz cameo felt a little unnecessary. Was he the only rapper they could get? I know they need a cameo from a current rapper for these, but I would’ve liked to have seen someone different. I did like the “ratchet dames” line, but the ending seemed really lazy. I do appreciate how Kenan simply said he “dropped out the game” rather than cheaply referencing the last sketch/episode this character appeared in. Overall, it was one of the better sketches of the night even if it left me wanting a bit more but I suppose that’s been par for the course this whole season. C+

Watches – I think the former porn stars are definitely played out at this point. This is their sixth appearance over the course of two seasons. I did like the “Cleo-mydia” and Donald Sterling lines. Wiigs cameo was unnecessarily gratuitous (man, I feel like I’ve over used those words in every review I’ve ever written now) but she and Samberg were really the only remotely interesting parts to this. Literally nothing else about this stood out to me. D+

Well, that was that. This season got just the sendoff it about deserved. Now, for my final updated rankings of the entire season…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Andrew Garfield/Coldplay

5. Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran

6. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

7. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

8. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

9. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

10. Paul Rudd/One Direction

11. Drake

12. Lena Dunham/The National

13. Andy Samberg/St. Vincent

14. Jim Parsons/Beck

15. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

16. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

17. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

18. Charlize Theron/Black Keys

19. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

20. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Now for my official year in review…

Good: Fey/Fire, Washington/Eminem

Surprisingly Good: Cyrus, Gaga, Drake, Dunham/National

Bad: Norton/Monae, McCarthy/Dragons,

Meh: Willis/Perry, Hutcherson/HAIM, Rudd/1D, Hill/Bastille, LCK/Smith, Kendrick/Pharell, Rogen/Sheeran, Garfield/Coldplay, Theron/Keys, Samberg/Vincent

Just Disappointing: Goodman/Leon, Fallon/Timberlake

Maybe I’ll see you again in the fall…or maybe not. Who knows? We’ll see.

Goodnight, Stooge, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Charlize Theron/Black Keys (5.10.2014)

You may be wondering what took me so long to write this review. Well, there was a stomach flu going around and my sister had it when I helped her move out of her dorm so while I did watch the show…I was far too ill to do a live review. Plus, in the middle of all this I had to move and take a few more classes to fulfill my last remaining credit hours before I graduate this year. I’m all better now and I’ve found some time in my surprisingly busy schedule to type this up, so here goes.

Okay, here’s my review. This show was possibly the most inconsistent of this whole season and casts’ airtime and the host’s performance are perhaps the greatest evidence of this. While Charlize seemed to be committed to a sketch when needed, she also seemed to be phoning it in at other times. Still, there were plenty of bright spots and pleasant surprises. Nothing stood out as tremendously bad. What was good was good and what was bad was just mostly due to its derivative nature. So, let’s get right to it.

Mother’s Day Message from Michelle and Hillary – This was a decent cold open premise wise, but something small was lacking in execution. Shasheer did a fine Michelle and kudos to the show for making good use of her here. Vanessa’s Hillary wasn’t totally baseless, but it seemed to get worse as it progressed. It sounded more like a cross between Miley and Tina’s Palin. There weren’t a lot of laughs here and Vanessas’ voice got more grating as she shouted her lines even louder as the sketch progressed. I agree that Kate would’ve been a better choice. Still, I did like the jabs at Michelle making several guest appearances and the obesity lines. That’s the best thing I can say about this open. D+

Monologue – I vomited right from the obligatory “14 years to come back” joke and didn’t stop until the current cast came out for their big musical number. Coincidence? Anyway, there wasn’t much to this premise wise but I do admire Charlize for committing to lame singing and being embarrassed at being so multi-talented in other areas. I also liked Beck’s brief “I don’t care” line and anytime SNL acknowledges its own past (no matter how recent or irrelevant) is always nice. D+

Come Do A Game Show w/your Mom, It’ll be Fun! Yes, it Will! – This reminded me too much of the Lifetime game show from Anna Farris’ second episode, but this had some better writing and performances to it. Kate, Bobby and Kyle’s performances really saved this. Aidy and Charlize didn’t add all that much. Good that they found a suitable role for Brooks here, too. There were plenty of good lines here too and thankfully they knew how to keep it from getting old and stale (mostly thanks to Kate’s considerable talents). Possibly the second best live segment of the night. B-

Girlfriends Talk Show VI – This was probably the weakest of all these sketches…and THAT’S saying something. Aidy had decent lines here as always, but this time not even she could do as much to save this. She’s also starting to play her character as too much of a wet blanket at this point. Cecily’s character has gotten to be almost useless at this point but this sketch’s bizarre ramble about her “boyfriend” was her best yet. Charlize’s performance was quite strange. She showed commitment to the role of an over-the-top drama teacher, but not nearly enough. At times, she put enough into her performance and at toehr times she didn’t. Still, it’s kind of a sketch trope we’ve seen countless times already so it’s not like we would’ve been missing much either way. Also, is it just me or does Charlize closely resemble Taylor Swift no matter what kind of wig they put her in?  

Dragon Babies – I think it’s safe to say this is the best performance of Mike O’Brien and Cecily Strong’s SNL careers so far. Also, kudos to whoever produced the computer animation on this one. I’d like to know more about how they pulled this off. Taran, Noel and Nassim all played straight off them well. I also liked the gun firing gag. This was quite an ambitious premise, but it worked. Good to see that Mike and Cecily seem to have patched things up. B-

Heshy II – I’m honestly surprised they bought this back, but at least I don’t remember totally hating it the first time. Honestly, this version wasn’t any better but it did bring out a rather sweetly endearing quality to Nassim’s character.  Charlize barely added anything, but Vanessa’s intro/outro lines were pretty funny. C+

Update is showing visible signs of improvement in terms of writing at least. The jokes are getting a little better despite Colin and Cecily’s jokes not really adding anything to them. “Breaking Nudes” was pretty dumb, but the sheer silliness and spontaneity of it made me giggle. Barbara Walters proved to be a good sport, but something did seem a little off about her. Both she and Cecily could’ve been more open to tougher jabs and a little less brown nosing. I did like the brief impression montage and the Kardashian/president camera switching. Drunk Uncle was pretty much the same, but it was fun this time around. I did like the e-cig and selfie slams but having him call Jost “Seth” was pointlessly predictable. C-

Bikini Beach Party – This was probably the best live sketch of the night (and probably in the top five for the whole season). Sure, it seemed a little one note in spots and would’ve felt right at home during ’94-’95, but it felt quite ambitious in terms of this season (especially props/staging wise). Current SNL is seriously lacking in this flavor of darker humor. I did like how they threw in some jabs at ‘50s/’60s beach movie tropes for a nice balance and a joke about Taran’s character being 26 while all the girls were 13. Kenan’s cameo was okay but we could’ve done without it. Thankfully, they kept this from running on too long. Charlize introducing the Black Keys covered in whale blood was also a nice touch. This sketch is definitely better appreciated when you’re not prone to vomiting like a Scottish Soccer Hooligan. B+

Whiskers R’ We – I feel like this is the one sketch all night that definitely ran on too long, but Kate was okay in it. I did like the sociopath/jaguar/bald eagle eating lines toward the end. Charlize’s voice was okay, but the joke about her being a Smithers-esque closeted lesbian was too predictable and got kinda old. Incidentally, “Bandit” happens to be the name of my sister’s cat. C+

Good Neighbor: Tourists – One thing I liked about this was how the humor didn’t come as much from Good Neighbor mimicking the genuine documentary feel as much as it came from the cast messing with unsuspecting people on the street. The best characters in this were Kyle, Beck, Jay and Bobby. Kate’s accent was really well done as was the makeup on Charlize. Overall, while maybe not their most memorable short but it was a very different style outing for Good Neighbor. It reminded me more of a remote segment Fred Armisen would do around 02-04. B+

Now, for my updated rankings of the season…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Andrew Garfield/Coldplay

5. Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran

6. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

7. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

8. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

9. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

10. Paul Rudd/One Direction

11. Drake

12. Lena Dunham/The National

13. Jim Parsons/Beck

14. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

15. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

16. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

17. Charlize Theron/Black Keys

18. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

19. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, this episode certainly wasn’t as memorable as Charlize’s previous outing from 2000 (certainly not for HER performances anyway) but still managed to find a few small saving graces here and there. Andy Samberg returns soon to host the finale. I’m actually looking forward to bringing some kind of energy that the current writing is lacking. See you then!

Andrew Garfield/Coldplay (5.3.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. I didn’t exactly know what to expect from this show or host, but while it was pretty inconsistent it proved to have a few enjoyable moments here and there. Andrew Garfield proved to be a very capable host, if not a rather forgettable one. It’s not too great that the new featured players have gotten less airtime than in the previous weeks, but at least they’re using Beck and Kyle a lot. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Clipper Press Conference - This cold open was nothing special. They probably could've come up with better ways to address the Sterling scandal. Taran's "random high fives" line was pretty good. I can't say much for Bobby's impression or even the makeup job they did on him. He was okay, but it may have been a mistake to center the whole piece on him. Still, Jay, Sasheer and Kenan all did great in this. C+

Monologue - This was also pretty forgettable. Andrew is doing fine. He doesn't appear too nervous right off the bat. Emma Stones’ cameo was certainly NOT unexpected, but she, Andrew and Aidy played well off each other and came off likable. Also, does Aziz Ansari know Andrew Garfield has been raiding his wardrobe? C+

Stanx – This was pretty juvenile, but there were at least some attempts at creativity here. Beck was the best thing about it. I did like the visual of him rising in his chair. The explosion gag was totally expected, but it was executed well as was the "thanks, stanx" line. D+

Celebrity Family Feud II – This wasn't quite as good as the first one they did this season, but it still had its merits. Garfields' Timberlake needs some work. He has the voice down close, but the mannerisms are a bit off. Hell, he looks more like Zac Efron in pretty much any wig/hairstyle than he does Timberlake. Does anyone else see the resemblance there? Nassim was terribly miscast as Bruno Mars but thankfully she barely had one line. Noel did fine as Reba and Kyle as Skrillex was serviceable. Seeing Kate's Shakira and Aidy's Adele again was nice (although I hope Aidy's impression wasn't based entirely on that laugh). Jay's Drake and Taran's Russell Crowe were the real highlights of this and were very funny. I did also like the "fiddlin' wit' ya giblets" line. Overall, it was an admirable effort. B-

Oliver Twist – This sketch seemed like a really simple, unambitious premise but the performances from Bobby, and Kate really saved it. Cecily also did a fine job here despite how strong the sketch started and then trailed off after her appearance. Her voice was a little distracting, but it wasn’t annoying or overly grating. The ending fell a little flat, though. C+

The Beygency - This was one of the better filmed pieces this season, but it ran a little long and could've been edited. I liked it premise-wise a lot. Good to see SNL (or some comedy show) finally poke fun at Beyonce's absurdly fast overnight rise in extreme popularity in the past year and a half. Kiefer Sutherland/Mary Lyn Rajskub proved to be a decent unexpected cameos and Kate, Bobby and Taran's parts were great. I liked the kid/mask reveal gag and the single ladies dance (even if I saw it coming miles away). I also liked how it accurately parodied the tropes of dystopian action films. B+

Update was pretty forgettable. Colin isn't quite making any progress and neither is Cecily. Kate's depressed Russian character may be getting close to "run into the ground" territory, but it's still nice to see. The people I'm watching it woth right now were reacting favorably to it before she even came on. I did like the Full House/exports/FML jokes (even if I saw the last one coming a mile away). I also gotta hand it to Cecily for those Clooney/waffle jokes. It was great of them to give Leslie Jones (a black female WRITER) at that but I feel like her commentary (while interesting and quite funny) was kind of all over the place. Taran's Jebediah Atkinson is always welcome. I liked his Rent/Annie/Mice and Men/Cats/Wicked/Lincoln jokes. It felt a little underwritten this time, but Kilam's performance really saved it considerably. C+

Spider-Man 2 Set – This kissing sketch was pretty one note (kind of reminded me of that Peyton Manning 300 sketch from '07) but the strange vibe actually helped this one. Still, I guess we could've done without Chris Martin but then this sketch wouldn't have really had an ending. Oh well, it's not like that would've stopped them. C+

Wedding Toast - I don't quite know what else to make of this except that it seems to be Garfield's strongest performance of the night. Kyle as the DJ was a nice addition. Also, as far as live sketches (especially THIS season) go, this was pretty well written. I did like the increasing reveals of Andrew and Nassim's family and Kenan's line at the very end. I also liked how they actually knew the right spot to end this. B+

I see they repeated Bird Bible. I know I trashed this the first time it aired but I've grown to reevaluate it and appreciate it more upon second and third viewings. B-

My updated rankings…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Andrew Garfield/Coldplay

5. Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran

6. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

7. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

8. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

9. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

10. Paul Rudd/One Direction

11. Drake

12. Lena Dunham/The National

13. Jim Parsons/Beck

14. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

15. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

16. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

17. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

18. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, that was the show. Next week, Charlize Theron returns to host. Her 2000 episode wasn’t all that memorable but I remember her being a pretty fun and energetic host when her episode aired. Maybe some of that was in the writing, but let’s hope it serves her well this time. See ya then!

Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran (4.12.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. While this show was mildly inconsistent, it was one of the better episodes this season in kind of a middle of the road way. While there’s still some reliance on recurring bits, the writing is on a minor upswing. Seth Rogen was merely a serviceable host as he has proven to be two previous times. Good to see Beck and Kyle getting more airtime this week (as well as the rest of the featured players even if they’re in smaller roles). Anyway, let’s get right to it.

New GOP - I quite liked this Coachella open. It was a rather thin premise that they might not have done enough with, but it was a little more creative than most. Taran's Paul Ryan was put to good use here and Beck was funny as Jeb Bush although I can't say much for the impression. I did like "ratchet" and "basic bitches" lines. Brooks as DJ Rand Paul was good. Nassim was pretty badly misscast as Bobby Jindal, but the "molly" lines were pretty funny. B-

Monologue – This was okay. It felt like it would've been much lamer had it been delivered by someone with less relevancy to comedy than Seth Rogen. It felt like they just threw his first monologue in a blender with Rob Lowe's '97 monologue but this was more entertaining. As soon as Seth said "4:19 am" I immediately knew where that jokes was headed. Still, I thought Noel as his sister imitating his laugh was cute. Bobby and Kate as his parent was a nice touch. I liked the Fear Factor joke as well. The Zooey Deschanel cameo felt a little pointless, but it was pleasant. James Franco's cameo was pretty funny and I liked how they poked fun at his recent Instagram scandal. He was a pretty good sport there. Taylor Swift's cameo wasn't totally necessary either, but at least it was the closest thing the show has had to a genuine surprise in quite a while. I mean, given how public perception of Taylor and her image have shifted so drastically over the past year and a half, I thought we'd never see her anywhere near 30 Rock in a million years but at least it's nice to see she can show some sliver of a sense of humor about herself as well. Then, Seth mentioned Ed Sheeran was in the building and her cameo suddenly made more sense. Anyway, it was an inoffensive monologue. B-

Shallon III - I really don't think this needed to be recurred a third time, but I did like how Seth was cast as a D.A.R.E. employee. Noel, Bobby and Aidy were the true highlights and I did like the "just say now...to crack" line at the end. C-

CNN Pregnancy Test - This was another topical piece that showed signs of cleverness but fell flat in terms of execution and got repetitive pretty quick. It was allright but something felt missing. Plus, the entire premise of making fun of CNNs wildly inept reporting has been done do death (and done much better) by Stewart and Colbert. C+

Birthday Dinner - This sketch revolving around broken arms was pretty disappointing. Aidy did well here but they kind trailed off as a whole. Seth's acting was a little stiff, surprisingly. Everyone's cheesy Southern accents were pretty jarringly distracting but at least they shifted focus from that and ended the sketch just shortly enough after it really started to fall apart. C-

Monster Pals - This sketch was a noble effort. It was probably the best SNL performance of Mike O'Brien's career so far. Again, Seth seemed a little off his game here but Franco and O'Brien were put to good use here. I also liked how this had a sentimental "Sad Mouse" vibe in the middle and the jab at Monsters Inc. was funny. B-

Blue River Dog Food - This commercial was...different. Although, the shots of the dog were a little gratuitous it had a lot of different energy. It wasn't that funny, but it was darkly interesting. Sadly, it hit a little too close to home for me as Seth and Cecily's interactions reminded me a little too much of my own parents at times but that's a story for another time. C+

Update is pretty consistently bland. While Jost shows no real signs of improvement delivery wise, at least he has visibly grown some more confidence at the expense of developing some blatant Seth-like qualities. I would put Kenan's Big Papi Ortiz commentary right up there with his Ray Lewis commentary from last season in that they bot just dragged on pointlessly. Still, I gotta admire his comittment to that accent. I liked how they changed the dynamic of Jacobs' interactions with the Update anchors, but they still missed a few opportunities. At least Cecily is more likable than Seth was here. C+

Trashy Cousins - This didn't seem all that different from the way it was described in Mo Levy's Blog and in the FeaturingEmilyPrager report. I liked seeing this, but I feel like a combination of reading a description of it before it aired and what it lacked in its execution kind of took away from its humor value for me. Now that I've actually seen this, it feels just like they ran one more cheap gay joke into the ground. Still, Cecily and Seeth's performances were quite strong here. Also, is it just me or was Nassim just wearing Hader's old Stefon wig? C-

Undercover Sharpton - This felt like another missed opportunity. It felt like they were just doing the same joke from those Politics Nation sketches. A lot of it just dragged on and went nowhere, but at least they kept it short and Kenan really looked the part of 80s era Sharpton than he ever did playing Sharpton today. C-

Happy 420 - This Kyle Mooney character was hilarious. I'm glad to see they let him revive this character from YouTube as well. To me it felt like it was more of a composite of his 420 poser and his "how we trip" guy. His songs had me cracking up and Beck and Rogen as his dealer were great additions. A-

Sperm Bank - This sketch was surprisingly funny. The delivery by Seth and Kenan really saved this. I also liked the old timey photo with the "semen" barrel, the visual of Aidy running screaming with a full cart, the Chewbacca/hobo sperm references and the yogurt machine gag at the end. B+

Now, for my updated rankings…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran

5. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

6. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

7. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

8. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

9. Paul Rudd/One Direction

10. Drake

11. Lena Dunham/The National

12. Jim Parsons/Beck

13. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

14. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

15. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

16. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

17. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, after a two week break Andrew Garfield hosts on May 3rd to promote the next Spiderman movie. I haven’t seen Andrew in anything besides The Social Network and I remember him being pretty good in that one. Still, I feel this could go either way. See you then!