Okay, here’s my review. While this episode was pretty middle
of the road for this season, it was unusually strong for a January episode. Adam
Driver really surprised me and turned out to be a genuinely capable and funny
host. He gave the show his all and never once came off like he was trying too
hard. I would not mind seeing him return at all. The cast felt evenly balanced
tonight with the exception of Sasheer. Anyway, here it is.
GOP Debate - Although it feels a little like overkill since
they just did a GOP debate cold open in the last live episode and this one
wasn't as good, but this one had its moments. Taran and Jay pretty much walked
away with this sketch as Cruz and Carson. Bobby as Christie moving his podium
away from Jay as Carson and being swept off the stage by Kenan as the Apollo
Sandman was funny. Pete as Rubio had a great line about being the only
candidate with a chin and I chuckled at Kates’ brief cameo as Lindsey Graham. Glad
to see they're still using Darell as Trump even though he and Beck as Jeb
didn't add too much. Cecily was just fine as a moderator but I wish Kyle was
used more in that role. C-
Monologue - This seemed pretty phoned in but I did like Adam
poking fun at his own military photo and Leslie confusing him for Minnie
Driver. Bobbys' Star Wars geekdom was a nice touch. D+
NFL Playoff Game - This seemed to not go anywhere. It seemed
like just a rewrite of that football injury sketch that got cut from Seth
MacFarlanes' dress rehearsal in 2012. It reminded me a lot of Eddie Murphy Buckwheat
assassination sketch from 1983 what with the same clip being shown repeatedly.
Kenan had a strong performance. Adam, Cecily and Beck tried their dander to
save this but could only do so much with this material. Also, Pete should've
had a bigger part being the focal point of this sketch. C-
Undercover Boss - This sketch was executed perfectly. Glad
they didn't go too far down the beaten path with the obligatory Star Wars
sketch. Adam played off of Taran, Bobby and Leslie (who each had countless
great lines, BTW) and turned in a better performance as Kyle Ren than he did in
The Force Awakens, IMO. B-
Aladdin - This sketch had to be the lamest thing in the show
at first. It seemed like a cheap rewrite of that Aladdin divorce sketch with
Sudekis from Rosario Dawsons' 2009 episode. Still, Cecily, Beck and Leslie were
the best parts of this sketch. C-
America’s Funniest Cats - This sketch was much funnier than
it had any right to be. Cecil and Kate turned in their best performances on the
show in quite some time and I liked them making existential grim comments on
cat videos. Plus, Adam turned out to be a pretty funny host and wasn't too
obnoxious in his role. B-
Update came back strong. Jost and Che had several great
jokes and showed they still have chemistry. I did like the Staten Island Summer
shoutout and Josts’ Bloomberg/Trump rant and Ches’ masturbation/snake jokes. Pete
delivered a very funny commentary. It felt a little too soon to bring back
Vanessa as Laura Parsons but thankfully she had much better material to work
with. I especially liked her cocaine line. B+
Social Puppeteering - This sketch was funny for the sheer
bizarreness of the writing. It reminded me a lot of the Japanese Messy Boy
sketch from J.K. Simmons' episode last year. B+
Bowie Tribute - I have to say that was the most I've
genuinely enjoyed a Fred Armisen cameo in a long time. While I feel he got a
gratuitous amount of applause his Bowie tribute was touching. I am glad they
showed even a small portion of his "Man Who Sold The World" performance.
Golden Globes - This short worked well. They did know
exactly how to counteract the heart and emotional center of the Kyle and Kate
scenes with the rampant debauchery of the Adam and Vanessa scenes. Leiv
Schreiber cameo was worth a few chuckles although his part could'be been edited
down some. B-
The Doctor Is In…My Butt 4 - I never thought the premise
behind "Hot For Teacher 4" was something that could've (or should've)
been made recurring but I did like this one much better due to Becks' cheesy
acting. Also, it feels a little strange that this would be Aidys' first
appearance in the entire show. C-
Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far…
1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato
2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith
3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E
Street Band
4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges
5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper
6. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton
7. Donald Trump/Sia
8. Miley Cyrus
9. Matthew McConaughey/Adele
10. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd
Well, SNL certainly came back strong from Christmas break.
Next week, Ronda Rousey makes her hosting debut. Rousey seems like she could be
a fun host and someone I was expecting to see on the show, but it feels a
little soon for her (aside from Entourage none of the movies shes’ reportedly
involved in have even come out yet) and I haven’t seen any of her non UFC
related appearances to gague her comedic talents. Still, I’m sure they could
call on musical guest Selena Gomez to make a sketch cameo when needed. I’d be
surprised if they DIDN’T do that, really. This is a show that could go either
way, but I’m cautiously optimistic. See you then.
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