Okay, here’s my review. This was overall one of the more
enjoyable season finales in recent memory. Dwayne Johnson certainly continues
to deliver as a dependable host. In fact, it may have been the strongest of all
the live coast-to-coast shows to air this season. It did feel like the show was
the least dependent on topical humor it’s been in recent memory but its’ easy
to see why. They were obviously aiming for a feel good show with a fun host for
the finale and if the writers’ weren’t just plain burnt out on having to keep
up with the past few weeks’ worth of political news then they were finally just
glad to be freed from the pressures of having to constantly mine comedy out of
all of the insanity for at least the next couple of months. As far as cast
screentime, it was widely reported in the hours leading up to the live show
that this would be both Bobby and Vanessas' last but you might not have known
it just from watching since they are used Vanessa way more than they used Bobby.
Hell, this might have been the most she was ever used in her entire seven year
tenure on the show. This reminded me quite a bit of five years ago when Mick
Jagger hosted what was both Wiig AND Sambergs' final show. Besides them, Cecily,
Beck and Kyle felt the least underused tonight. Sasheer didn’t seem to be in
much tonight but I have quite a bit more to say on that so I’ll be saving those
comments for near the end. Most of the rest of the cast seemed overshadowed by
big name cameos (among other things) but in the case of this week I think we
can forgive them for that. Anyway, let’s break it down.
Hallelujah Part II - This cold open was an appropriate way
to close out the season and tie everything together in a neat little package.
It pretty much retroactively justified having Kate as Hillary sing Hallelujah
when Chappelle hosted. Also, did anyone else notice that when Baldwin tries to
sing as Trump, he almost sounds exactly like Darrell Hammond doing Trump? B-
Monologue - This was all right. It wasn't quite what I was
expecting from a Rock hosted episode but it was much more enjoyable than his
singing and dancing monologues. I could kind of tell where the gag with Baldwin
was headed before Hanks came out but they were both charming and gave the show
its most enjoyable political discourse in ages. B-
Cartier Fidget Spinners - This reminded me a lot of Wiigs'
Red Flag perfume from her own final season but it was the perfect piece for
Vanessa to go out on. I don't know much about fidget spinners to take a side in
the ongoing debate on them (hell, I don't even think I've seen one in real life
yet) but whoever wrote this clearly does and has. It didn't seem like too hot a
take but I could still see this putting off some pro-fidget spinner people. B-
Koko Watchout Vs Trashyard Mutt: Payback - I had a feeling
they might bring back the Koko Watchout vs Trashyard Mutt WWE promos. I don't
think it really holds much of a candle to the first one but I did like the
California Girls reenactment and the long lost twins bit. I’m a little
surprised the Katy Perry mention didn’t setup a cameo. C+
Rappers On The Track - This film seemed a lot like something
MAD TV would've done 14 years ago but this turned out to be funnier than it had
any right to be. Kenan really carried this even though people like Beck, Kyle,
Melissa, Vanessa, Cecily and even Jost and Che each added their own silly
touches to this. If anything, this really shows you what the cast and crew are
talking about when they say they value Kenan as an onstage director. The Katy
Perry cameo felt a little forced but I suppose it was to be expected. It was nice
to see they found a way to sneak in David S. Pimpkins. B-
Scorpio - This sketch was a little predictable. Still, the
girls were likable in it and the Rock played a decent straight man. C-
Jurassic Gemma IV: The Lost World - I didn't expect this but
we are past the point of no return with this sketch. Plus, it is Vanessas' last
show and The Rock was the only host that made this sketch work. I'll also admit
that taking these characters outside of a bar and grill setting really improves
this sketch. Also, was the background screen supposed to look as cheap as it did? C+
Xentrex - This sketch was another example of sketches
getting funnier the more they escalate in absurdity and danger. The visual of
Dwayne manhandling Kyle around his office was great. I also liked how this
sketch felt like someone threw Happy Fun Ball and the Hartman/Roseanne
MetroCard sketch in a blender (which SNL archives now shows me were both in the
same episode oddly enough). B+
Update was actually a decent way to close out this season.
Both Che and Jost had their fair share of great jokes tonight. It was a little
soon to bring back Dawn Lazarus considering she just debuted this character two
weeks ago this month...but then again we may definitely never see her again
after tonight. It was inevitable that we would also see Drunk Uncle one final
time and he certainly went out with a bang...pun intended. Seriously, the
"shots" bit was my favorite even though I may have preferred they end
on some more Jost & Che material. B-
RKO Movie Set – This sketch gave me bad flashbacks to the
infamous January Jones episode but at least this was different since it was less
one note and built up to something resembling an actual ending. D+
Worlds’ Most Evil Invention Exchange - The reveal of a child
molesting robot was funny for its immediate shift in tone alone. I thought Dwayne
acted his part really well since I could hardly tell if his unease giving his
presentation was real or not. Beck, Kyle, Bobby and Sasheer played very well
off of him. The White Castle plug at the end was a nice touch. I've already
seen some of the reaction to this sketch posted online and let me tell
you...it's exactly what you would expect. B+
Wingman - This sketch was all right if not a little
inconsistent. I kept expecting it to go a bit further than where it actually
ended up going. Bobby cameos were funny though and kudos to Beck and The Rock
for selling this. Although, I have to say, I think the very idea that someone
of the Rocks' stature being bad at approaching women may have been the most
ridiculous thing about this sketch. C-
Senior Class Of 2017 – This was cute. It wasn't the
Bobby/Vanessa send off or final closing sketch of the season I was expecting
but it was still funny and enjoyable and a decent way to close out the season.
The reactions of Alex, Melissa, Pete and Leslie (especially Pete and Leslies'
back and forth) made this for me and Dwaynes' general inappropriateness was a
nice touch. Still, I wish this had more of an ending rather than being cut off
so abruptly. B-
Goodnights – I usually don’t comment on these but I feel
like I just have to say a few things here. I’m a little disappointed they cut
these off as early as they did and deprived us of some final shots of Bobby and
Vanessa together with their cast. The Rock gave us a nice speech but the very
end of the show (or what we saw on television anyway) felt pretty lacking. I
just recently started following some girls on Twitter who are fans of the show
and have made it out to New York to catch the last few weeks’ worth of shows at
30 Rock live in studio 8H. They have told me that Bobby (!), Vanessa and Sasheer
were all CARRIED off the stage at the end of the show (there is a photo
somewhere on Twitter of Vanessa being carried) and that a security guard at
studio 8H had revealed to at least one of them that Sasheer was also leaving at
the end of this season. The only thing that really surprises me about this is
how it was not announced beforehand ala Bobby and Vanessa but I suppose it
would be tricky for Sasheer and the show to navigate her exit in the first
place. Also, unlike Bobby and Vanessa (or Taran Killam or Jay Pharroh for that
matter) it would seem Sasheer is deciding to leave the show without any future
television or film projects in the works. This is what actually makes me a
little bit sad about her leaving so quietly and abruptly but Sasheer is also a
stand up who can go on tour and continue to do her weekly “party time”
showcases in New York in between lining up possible on screen gigs. Personally,
I wouldn’t mind paying to go see her do live stand up in Denver if she ever
decides to tour again. Jay Pharroh was in a similar situation about a year ago
and seems to be doing well for himself. Then again, this is all just
speculation I am hearing second-or-third hand from somebody who was there so I
think we should take this with a grain of salt until we hear something from
either Sasheer herself on social media or from an official source like Deadline
or Variety as we did with Bobby and Vanessa. At any rate, I wish the three of
them the absolute best of luck in all their endeavors.
Now, for the final time, here are my final rankings of SNLs’
42nd 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. Dwayne Johnson/Katy Perry
7. Jimmy Fallon/Harry Styles
8. Aziz Ansari/Big Sean
9. Chris Pine/LCD Soundsystem
10. Alec Baldwin/Ed Sheeran
11. Melissa McCarthy/Haim
12. John Cena/Maren Morris
13. Scarlett Johansson/Lorde
14. Felicity Jones/Sturgil Simpson
15. Casey Affleck/Chance The Rapper
16. Octavia Spencer/Father John Misty
17. Margot Robbie/The Weeknd
18. Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars
19. Emma Stone/Shawn Mendes
20. Kristen Wiig/The xx
21. Benedict Cumberbatch/Solange
Now, I’d like to do something a little special and rank all
of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsons’ episodes in a similar manner from best to worst.
This was as much of a challenge as when I did this for the other five timers
that hosted recently (and maybe a near five timer). What made this a challenge
is the fact that Dwayne has hosted the show in various completely different
eras of quality in its history. Hell, he’s been billed ad both “The Rock” AND “Dwayne
Johnson”. What does that tell you? Anyway, since I’ve now only reviewed three
of his five shows and had only been able to locate the one most recent previous
one prior to this (but big thanks to Stooge and The Doc on posting their
reviews of his ’09 and ’15 shows respectively on the Voy board before this one) I had to rely
partly on memory for the sketches I didn’t feel I needed to watch again or
haven’t seen in recent enough memory until it all came falling into place. Here
goes…
1. The Rock/AC/DC (3.18.2000)
2. Dwayne Johnson/Katy Perry (5.20.2017)
3. Dwayne Johnson/George Ezra (3.28.2015)
4. Dwayne Johnson/Ray LaMontange (3.7.2009)
5. The Rock/Andrew W.K. (4.13.2002)
Well, that season was a wild ride and what a way to cap it
off! See you in the fall! Have a great summer!
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