Okay, here’s my review. The lineup for this episode alone
was enough to put this episode on a fast track to becoming the best episode of
the season, but the team effort and unprecedented historical context that it
found itself in put it WAY over the top! Dave Chappelle and the cast all came
together to prove they and SNL still have what it takes to reach us through the
power of satire. Without missing a single comedic beat, they provided much
needed relief, comfort and hope for tomorrow to a deeply divided nation that is
frightened over an uncertain future. Once again in our lifetime, they showed us
exactly why it’s okay to laugh in these types of moments in order to help get
over such fear in the face of a national tragedy. Still, I don’t want to
oversell it or anything so just judge for yourself. This episode was also
consistently strong both in writing and performing even when the material wasn’t
explicitly topical. The cast was a little uneven in terms of airtime tonight.
We saw very little of Pete, Bobby, Cecily and Sasheer (more on why that’s
actually strange for once at the end). We saw absolutely NONE of Melissa and
for the first time Alex Moffat manager to get more screentime than Mikey Day (although
they were still mostly in smaller, non-consequential roles that show is very
little of who he really is). Plus, I think we may have hit the absolute all
time record for most uncensored N-bombs and GD-bombs dropped (hey, let’s make sure
the rest of us don’t let them get too “normalized” now) as well as
instances of the host being caught visibly smoking on camera (and inside a pot
Bloomberg era New York building no less) in a single episode. Anyway, without
further ado…
Hallelujah – This cold open set the most appropriate tone
possible for this episode. I seriously considered whether this episode would
open with something as somber as what they followed events like 9/11 and the
Sandy Hook/Paris shootings with and I honestly think they made the right call
here. Given the mood of the country, they eased us into the rest of the show
well. The nods to Leonard Cohen (RIP) and Kates' message at the end were quite
touching. (not going to assign a letter grade to this because, obviously…)
Monologue - That was the best monologue done on SNL in at
least twenty years. Dave Chappelle is still a stand up legend and it's great to
see he still hasn't lost his touch. The Obama and White protest bits cracked me
up in particular (hell, he’s the only person to make a truly funny and worthwhile
Harambe reference EVER) and I liked that he chose to end on something poignant
and thoughtful. My only complaints would be that I thought the Pulse/ISIS
allegiance and pussy grabbing references weren’t in the absolute best taste
(okay, I chucked at the former even if it felt a little misguided to me but the
latter actually happened at my old school) but rather than split hairs on those
two points I will leave well enough alone. A+
Election Night - The election night sketch was extremely
well done, too and had hints of that classic Chappelle's Show style to it. Most
of all, it was dead on with the way it accurately captured the raw panic of
white culturally liberal America and put it a perspective of real historical
racism. Chris Rock's appearance was icing on the cake. B+
Chappelle’s Walking Dead Show – This was a great tip of the
hat to all the old Chappelle's Show fans out there tuning into see one of their
comedic idols. I appreciate how he worked in all his funniest and most
memorable characters and even introduced the sketch in the same way he
introduced every segment on his old show. Lil Jon seemed pointless but the
Player Haters gave me a laugh and I love how they chose to work in Clayton
Bigsby in reasonably good taste (although he's admittedly low hanging fruit at
this point). My only real complaint was that the ending w/Tyrone Biggums was a
little too outlandish and silly. A-
Update may have taken a few extra seconds to get going but
Jose and Che really did a great job addressing the ideological divide that
ended up REALLY deciding the outcome of this election. Plus, the VERY loose
vibe really added to this (especially when Che flubbed his Mexican/Puerto
Rican) joke. If there was any time that we NEEDED a long form Update, it was
this week. Kate made her best appearance yet as RBG and it's especially good to
see HER of all people fired up right now. B+
Jheri’s Place/Inside SNL - I didn't know where the Inside
SNL piece was going when it first started out but I'm glad to see they were
breaking the fourth wall. The press conference was very funny and Dave, Kenan,
Aidy and Leslie had the best lines. B+
Sheila Sovage VI - I didn't expect Dave Chappelle to be a
host that warranted this sketch but if anything, his delivery really sold this
one. Plus, all of Kenans' reactions really made this as well (although Bleach
isn't supposed to be clear, last I checked). B+
Kids Talk Trump – This short film almost seemed like a
direct ripoff of something Jimmy Kimmel would do (if he hadn't already) but
went for something bigger with the addition of Dave and his daughter. Overall,
it's short length was it's biggest drawback. It did get its intended laughs
(albeit awkwardly) but it definitely felt like they could've done more with it
because it already went a couple of different places. C+
Love And Leslie – This short film was something that sure
started out poignant and revealing but then took a turn for the silly when it
was revealed that she is dating Kyle (who's quite jealous of Colin) and she
plans to take his virginity. Overall, this worked well from a few angles and I
think the segments featuring Beck, Alex, Lorne and the anonymous page really
added to this. Dave's cameo at the end really made this for me. A-
Football Party – This sketch revolving (seemingly entirely)
around adult breastfeeding was funny enough and ambitious for what it was but
overall it stretched it's main joke too thin to the point where everything felt
too telegraphed. I will say they pulled out the exact right ending for this.
I'm not totally against gross out humor or anything but this just felt too
awkwardly executed. Plus, whole I realize Leslie is one of the shows' biggest
draws right now, it may be cause for concern when SNL has a prominent black
host like Chappelle and Sasheer has only one appearance all night at the end of
the show. C-
Now, for my updated rankings on this season…
1. Dave Chappelle/A Tribe Called Quest
2. Tom Hanks/Lady Gaga
3. Lin Manuel Miranda/Twenty One Pilots
4. Margot Robbie/The Weeknd
5. Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars
6. Benedict Cumberbatch/Solange
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