Jimmy Fallon/Harry Styles (4.15.2017)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was something of a step down from last week, but it was only a baby step down. Fallon was pretty much what you would expect of him as a host and a performer, but obviously they weren’t willing to take as many creatively wild chances with someone like him as they were with someone like Louis C.K. last week. Plus, this show was being broadcast live coast-to-coast and simultaneously all across the country. This meant that it was on at an earlier time in most time zones. This meant the further away you got from the east coast (the coast that SNL usually tapes and broadcasts from) the earlier the show was being aired. This show is literally trying to please everyone whereas last week they only seemed to be trying to please themselves. Also, for a show that was so hyped up as being…y’know, “LIVE” live across the entire country, they sure seemed to rely a lot on pretaped material to the point where it felt like I was watching an 84-85 era episode at times. Still, this show was just as enjoyable and fun to watch as last weeks outing. Perhaps it was the lack of tired old recurring sketches and unnecessary cameos (i.e people who aren’t beloved cast members from Jimmys’ era) compared to Fallons previous hosting stints that made this one feel so refreshing. Still, Fallons’ energy sure helped pick up some of the slack from the lapses in writing compared to last week and I’m sure he rubbed off on the cast. Speaking of which, good to see more of Kate, Alex, Pete, Cecily and Sasheer from previous weeks. Bobby still barely has any live presence in the show at all further indicating this may be his last season on the show. Anyway, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Trump, Bannon & Kushner – This cold open seemed pretty forgettable. Baldwins' Trump has officially slipped away from him almost entirely. Fallon as Kushner didn't add much but it seemed like a bit of a dick move toward Alex after hearing HIS Kushner got cut from dress last week. The Apprentice angle was all right but felt like something that had been done to death by now. Grim Bannon didn't add much here either and his being dragged off by a larger grim reaper deserved more of an explanation. Still, it was nice to see Becks’ Pence again and the “mother” jab was good. Overall, it felt like too much of a rehash of the cold open from Kristen Stewart's episode. C+

Monologue - This felt derivative too. I mean, I was more impressed by how they changed the lighting around the studio just for this one segment than anything. Also, it seemed like a little late for Fallon to be doing a Bowie tribute although he performed the song well. It just felt like a more under rehearsed non holiday specific rendition of his December 2011 monologue, but I guess something this safe was to be expected if the show is going out live at 8:30pm on the west coast. B-

Family Feud VIII: Celebrity Time Chasers - Okay, this is something I think we can all agree has been beaten to death (especially THIS season) but this was their most ambitious installment to date. That's not to say it didn't feel like somewhat of a wasted opportunity in spots. For one, no one attempted a Richard Dawson impression but I guess there was no room for one. As for the impressions, Cecily and Sasheer do serviceable Lizas with Zs and Ms. Rosses even though their takes in no way stood out from any other female cast member who played those roles on the show. Harry Styles handled his Mick Jagger impression competently but I still don't think we'll be seeing him host any time soon. Kudos to the writers for finding the one impersonation Pete can actually pull off. It was nice to see more strong impressions from Kate and Melissa. As for Fallon, it seems he still has a better handle on young Travolta than current Travolta but they handled the transition quite well. Other than that, it felt slightly underwritten considering they had the implications of time travel to play with. For instance, it bugged me that they would supposedly all the way back to 1977 to bring celebrities from that era 40 years into a future where they would ALL STILL BE ALIVE. It seems like that sort of thing defeats the entire purpose of time travel but I guess Fallons’ dual roles as Travolta could make up for that. B-

Before The Show - This short felt like an inferior rewrite of the Halloween Girls Night short from Tom Hanks' show but they left very little room for it to escalate. It was just another piece just for the theater geeks on the show, I guess. I suppose I could give them a pass since they're portraying middle schoolers here. C+

Doug Takes Jen To Take Him Back - This was worth it just for the payoff and even the additional mini payoff at the very end...just when you think they found out the exact right spot to end it. Fallons' falsetto was a little grating at first but then Mikey and Kyle appearances made the journey that much more worth it. Kudos to their continuing continuity with Becks’ character from last week as well. A-

Sean Spicer Easter Press Conference - I could tell exactly who was supposed to come out as soon as I heard the phrase "white house easter bunny". It was nice to see McCarthy again even if we're approaching over saturation with her Spicer at this point. Aside from a slight change of setting, it just felt like lather, rinse, repeat. Nothing really stood out and it felt like Melissa wasn't totally giving it her all. Well, either that or she had to tape this ahead of time. Seriously, this whole piece had an unsettling 85-86 era filmed and laugh track sweetened vibe. Still, it was nice to see them get their licks in right when Spicer reached critical mass with his gaffes. I did like how he used Veggitales dolls to illustrate the conflicts between the Jews and the Pharrohs. B-

Update was serviceable. It took until Che started riffing on the Trump/Bartiromo interview to really get going. Vanessas' bar mitzvah boy really pulled out all stops but Bruce Chandlings still got some fight in him. I do like how Kyle seems to keep making him more and more depressing each time. I also liked how Che kept questioning Kyle on the sheer gleeful stupidity of his attempted jokes. B-

Civil War Hook - This sketch felt like a very tired SNL trope by this point but Fallon and Bobby added something just silly enough to work. Harry Styles as a captured confederate (?!?) soldier was a bit confusing bit this whole sketch was obviously an excuse for him to sing. B-

Turtle Shirts - This seemed like a thin premise on paper but once it got fleshed out more in execution it started going places. It was impressive the way they pulled it off technically but to me at least the true highlights were the awkward moments that triggered Jimmy, Pete and Beck into shirt hiding and the anachronistic choice of “Turn Down For What” which didn’t work and didn’t go with anything. That added some humor to it. C+

Boston Teens XIV: Harvard Daze - This was worth watching for Kate and to see Dratch return. I do appreciate the continuity they are keeping up with Sully and Denises' age time line and family life and Kate fit right in with them in a very Lisa Simpsonesque way. C+

Basketball Scene - This was the best example of the "wildly incompetent extras/background players" trope they have ever pulled off. Even though this episode seemed to suffer from an over reliance on filmed material, this being filmed really behoove it's execution as it eliminated any potential pacing issues and allowed Jimmy and Mikey to really go crazy. A-

Now, for my updated rankings for this season…

1. Dave Chappelle/A Tribe Called Quest

2. Tom Hanks/Lady Gaga

3. Kristen Stewart/Alessia Cara

4. Lin Manuel Miranda/Twenty One Pilots

5. Louis C.K./The Chainsmokers

6. Jimmy Fallon/Harry Styles

7. Aziz Ansari/Big Sean

8. Alec Baldwin/Ed Sheeran

9. John Cena/Maren Morris

10. Scarlett Johansson/Lorde

11. Felicity Jones/Sturgil Simpson

12. Casey Affleck/Chance The Rapper

13. Octavia Spencer/Father John Misty

14. Margot Robbie/The Weeknd

15. Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars

16. Emma Stone/Shawn Mendes

17. Kristen Wiig/The xx

18. Benedict Cumberbatch/Solange

Now, for my rankings of every show that Jimmy Fallon has hosted…

1.     1. Jimmy Fallon/Michael Buble (12.17.2011)

2.     2. Jimmy Fallon/Harry Styles (4.15.2017)

3.     3. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake (12.21.2013)

Well, that was certainly a quietly successful experiment (even for one that only changed how early the show airs live and certainly not how it normally operates from week to week). Next week, Chris Pine makes his hosting debut. I don’t know if he’s ever done comedy but he seems like someone who would be game for whatever the show wants him to do. See you in a few weeks!