Okay, here’s my review. This episode was very middle of the
road for this season, but much better than expected for a January episode. There
wasn’t any reliance on recurring sketches whatsoever, but a lot of sketches
felt unoriginal and underwritten at the same time. Kevin Hart proved to be a
very capable host who provided the show with some much needed energy and nearly
carried a lot of sketches. It’s a shame he shifted a lot of focus from the
cast. While this show wasn't terrible, it can't be a good sign when the mime
performing next to Sia is the funniest part of the whole show. I seriously
forgot that real life mimes even existed. IT was an enjoyable episode, but a
lot of times it felt lacking.
Martin Luther King – This cold open was OK. Pete was all right
in it and I liked the Oscars/Macklemore jabs, but I'm a little bugged by the
fact that this is the second time Kenan portrayed MLK in two years and the
completely ignored any continuity from the first one. I mean, they took MLK
from visiting Jay's Obama during his second inauguration to not even knowing
he's the current president. Oh well. He's been dead for 50 years, so I should
cut him a break. C-
Monologue – This wasn't that bad either, but not quite as
fun as his detailing his audition from two years ago. The raccoon/sun/one
shoulder bits are worth a few chuckles but the rest of it seems unfocused. C-
Justin Beiber for Calvin Klein - This fake ad was okay. Kate
and Cecily played off each other well. Kate's Beiber is always good for an
occasional laugh, but I hope they don't run it right into the ground. I've only
seen the photos from his shoot. I didn't know they filmed an actual commercial
too but I guess you wouldn't have had to see both to get this. B-
Why Did You Post That?
- This Instagram sketch was funny despite the two glaring
technical/blocking screw-ups. Kevin Hart really carried this sketch and handled
the technical difficulties better than Vanessa "Deer In Headlights"
Bayer. Aidy and Kyle were funny too. Other than that, it played out like FMP's
description of it from Chris Rock's dress rehearsal (except they rewrote the
part w/Kate as Beiber to include a more topical reference...not to mention we
just saw Kate's impression) and I imagine Kenan would've done more to heighten
the awkward timing of this sketch than Rock did. B-
Corner Boys - This short film really meandered without a
point or focus, but Kevin's dog walking business and Jay's wine tasting/art show
were pretty funny. C-
Get On Up - This sketch seemed like a misuse of Kevin Hart’s
James Brown impression which seems like it could be the only one he could
actually do. The bits about capes and a wife taking her husband’s first name
were funny. They also kept it from going on too long. Other than that, it kinda
dragged. C-
Nancy - This soap opera sketch had to be one of the most one
note sketches I've ever seen on SNL. Kevin Hart's role was really the only
thing remotely funny about it. Aidy was all right in her role. Vanessa was
better in this than she was in that Instagram sketch, but I think she played it
up a little too big. C-
Justin Beiber for Calvin Klein II – This second ad was a
little more fun than the first one. The Razor scooter bit was funny. I think I
may have spoken too soon about SNL running Kate's Beiber into the ground. B-
Update was probably the strongest one this season so far.
Che had a string of great jokes (even if his Oscar rant fell a little flat) and
even Jost is starting to show some personality (I particularly liked his Idina
Menzel/Rhode Island jokes). Kate's new character was very funny. It didn't even
feel like a carbon copy of her Olya Povlastsky. B+
The Journey - This dragon-related sketch seems like a carbon
copy of Norm MacDonalds' West Side Story/Evita sketches from '96-'97 but I'm
sure it must've been unintentional. Hart packing while everyone else was
singing was funny and this was a nice showcase of Taran, Cecily and Sasheer's
singing talents although Leslie's part seemed a little tacked on. Seeing this
sketch being set up during the commercial actually reminded me to DVR
tomorrow's episode of "Galavant" on ABC because that is supposed to
be the episode Weird Al guest stars in. D+
Kevin’s Illegitimate Son - This was funny. Jay had Kevin's
rhythms and delivery down, but something about the voice seemed a little off.
Leslie seemed to be playing it more subtle than usual, but her picking Kevin up
off the ground was funny. C-
Listening Party - This rap sketch was the funniest live
sketch of the night. Even if the ending was very predictable, Kevin's
performance was just silly enough to work for me and the rest of the cast
played very well off him (except for Taran and Cecily who had no lines for some
reason...I'll bet if they had lines in dress they were cut). B+
Now, for my update season rankings…
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. Kevin Hart/Sia
7. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
8. Amy Adams/One Direction
9. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande
10. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
11. Chris Rock/Prince
Next week, Blake Shelton pulls double duty. Let’s hope his show
doesn’t turn out to be the same 90 minute exercise in vanity his fellow “Voice”
judge Adam Levine turned his show into. See you soon!
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