Okay, here's my review. In spite of itself, this show is definitely the strongest out of all the episodes that have aired since Chappelle hosted last month. John Cena performed exactly as well as I had expected as a host. He showed a lot of commitment and strong comedic energy. He was obviously psyched just to be there and gelled well with the cast but at the same time, he didn't always make his presence known. Obviously, this was through no fault of his own. It seems the writers only used him in the two ways they knew how; in either hunky guy roles or big dumb athlete roles. Unfortunately, not every sketch calls for that role and Cena felt out of place in those types of sketches when he was placed in them to fill a straight man role that any other male cast member or host could've easily handled. Cena was just shoved into the background in sketches that didn't call for him getting to play himself. Of course, this was on top of the fluctuations in this episode's writing quality. Cena was one of the seasons better hosts when he was visible He met my expectations more than the writers did. Aside from Pete, Sasheeer Alex and Melissa the cast was pretty evenly balanced tonight. Anyway, let's break this down.
The Lead w/Jake Tapper - This was very well executed despite being a slight variation on the commonly observed theme among Trumps' cabinet picks. Becks' Jake Tapper was serviceable here but Kate may have to find a new angle on KellyAnne Conway. The Bryan Cranston cameo was great and they wrote great lines for him. I especially liked the retconned Mr. Whites' death on the series into a faked suicide just for this sketch and worked in the LFNY rather than just tacking it on like they have been doing. B-
Monologue - This was a lot of fun despite being a little predictable. Bobby, Kenan and Leslie were great at cutting promos. Cena gelled really well with them and set a great tone for the rest of the show. B-
Hook A Hunk - This MTV dating game sketch was a little uneven, but overall I liked how they handled it. They could've played down Cena and Cecily's parts, but they knew exactly when to embellish Mikey, Beck and Kyles' parts and end the sketch there. C+
The Karate Nerd - This parody was another uneven piece that worked despite it's flaws. Cena played his role so big that it became obnoxious by the end. Kenan played his role well, but they could've trimmed down the penny training flashback. I kept waiting through the buildup of what I expected to be a bloody, Farewell, Mr Bunting/Wake Up And Smile type payoff but seeing Mikey get knocked out of his pants Charlie Brown style through five walls was just cute and cartoonish enough to work. C+
U. of Alabama Science Class - This sketch was funny despite feeling like it tread on a slightly overdone trope for SNL. Cena had the best lines with his dopey banana speech and his delivery really sold them. Beck, Aidy and Kenan played theit roles well. Mikey, Bobby and Vanessa were competent straight foils but mostly felt like furniture here. B-
Dyke and Fats Save Christmas - This seemed like the ultimate "worked-best-as-a-one-off" sketch. Aside from the Christmas theme and the "broads" line near the end, they may not have changed enough to justify a retread. C-
Update was pretty weak tonight. I was a little disappointed with the way they handled this weeks' Trump/CIA/Russia news. I don't know if it's because I've seen too many other takes on this story or if it's because it's one of those stories that has implications so scary that they're beyond satire. The only jokes from Jost and Che that landed were the short form and Black Santa material. It was nice to see Kates' Angela Merkel again even though it felt like too much more of the same. Shockingly, the strongest part of Update was Cecilys' return as Cathy-Anne as this character dovetailed nicely with her topic. This is why I think the writing really justified this as she had some strong "alt-right" slams and the only jab at Trumps' SNL tweets. Possibly the weakest Update of the season so far. D+
Where'd Your Money Go? - This was genuinely the funniest piece of the night to me. It was definitely the thing I genuinely laughed the most at, but it could've been shorter. It also had the strongest writing (at least dialogue and viewpoint wise) and they really played to the cast strengths impression-wise. It was nice to see Kenans' Charles Barkley make a return although something seems different about that impression. It seems like he has reverted it back to whem he first debuted this impression in the 07-08 Bon Jovi episode opposite Kristen Wiig as Bjork mixed with a little of his Steve Harvey for goid measure (since it is a game show sketch after all). Cena was cast well as Gronk. Physically, he was perfect for the role but I can't really judge the accuracy of the impression beyond that. Bobby was perfect as Jon Daly and Alex was serviceable as Connor McGregor. Kudos to him for getting a third notable impression on the show (which is sadly more than the show can say for Melissa Villasenor who SPECIALIZES in impressions). Sadly, at this point it might just spell the end for both of them after this season. If I had to guess who may have written this, I'd have to guess that it was Micheal Che for a couple of reasons. First of all, this does seem like the closest thing to his style out of everything live that aired tonight. Secondly, I have to think Che must've been pretty excited to write something for John Cena this week. Before he deactivated his Twitter for a second time, he was pretty good at responding to people. When I asked him who HE may want to see as SNL host, he responded "I think John Cena would be dope." Since Che got his wish, I'm guessing if they collaborated on something that aired, this has to be it (if Jost or someone else didn't write this).
B+
Through Trumps' Eyes - This was a clever filmed piece. They actually improved upon common complaints on Trumps behavior. It was strongly reminiscent of the "Reagan Directs" sketches from the Ebersol years. My only real complaint was that the ending seemed a little rushed. This had to be another Julio Torres piece because it was a short film that resembled Melania Moments from earlier this season (which we now know he wrote) and it's just surreal enough to be his. They did make decent use of Cena dressed up as Trump in this, so kudos to whoever predicted that. B-
Joanne and the Christmas Tree - This sketch felt like it ran out of steam at too pivotal of a moment. It started out seeming like it was going to be fairly ambitious in terms of writing and staging for what it was but it felt pretty one note in the middle and Cena felt almost wasted here. Thankfully, they were able to bring it to it's logical conclusion even if this also felt a little rushed. C-
Erotic Bookstore - This sketch seemed to go on without any real point. Sure, it was Cena's part was written to his physical strengths, but aside from Kenans' clumsy exposition it just seemed to go nowhere. Beck and Vanessa were a welcime addition but Melissa was wasted in a small straight tole that didn't require her to draw on her repetiore of impressions. Maybe it was another one of those more female oriented sketches that will receive a lot of female praise online but to me it was the weakest segment of the night. D-
United States Of Talent - This sketch was just a mess (both literally and figuratively). The bulk of it felt like an overly long and elaborate buildup to a very season 20-ish punchline. The only thing this had going for it was Kenans lines at the end criticizing the owl. C-
Now, for my updated rankings of 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. John Cena/Maren Morris
7. Emma Stone/Shawn Mendes
8. Kristen Wiig/The xx
9. Benedict Cumberbatch/Solange
Well, that was that. Next week, Casey Affleck makes his hitting debut. Given the choice between the two Affleck brothers, Casey would not be my first choice to host the Christmas 2016 episode of SNL. In fact, given the choice for musical guest, this may be the most inappropriate lineup for a Christmas show since Jeff Bridges/Eminem, Lil Wayne episode from 2010. Still, I go into it with an open mind since knowing he could surprise us and turn out to be adept at sketch comedy despite seeming to have more of an affinity for dramatic acting and directing. See you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment