Okay, here's my review. This was definitely the strongest show of this month. Overall, it was a high point for the whole season. It was slightly inconsistent at times but what clicked really clicked and there was plenty of fun to be had. The show didn't feel to bogged down in recurring sketches but there were plenty of nice retreads to things that were enjoyable the first time we saw them. Matt Damon proved to be just as effective a host as he was sixteen years ago. Each cast member seemed to get plenty of airtime with no one really getting shut out, not even Ego for once. Normally, I'd say it was strange that Pete was barely in the show but given the circumstances it was smart of them to not let him do Update (or really be in any other non-filmed sketches for that matter) and have his only (thankfully) live appearance be introducing Miley's second performance to show his fans he's okay and not succumbing to pressure. Anyway, let's unpack this week.
It's A Wonderful Trump - I appreciate all the time and effort that obviously went into putting this on as the cold open, but it was kinda hard for me to get into. For one thing, they're pretty much subjecting us to the exact same guest cameos and political characterizations they bought out two weeks ago (give or take about three people). Still, I have to say Damon's Kavanaugh was the most welcome addition. He was the only one who actually made me laugh here and I think it's because this is only his second appearance. Seriously, since Brett Kavanaugh has only been a headline grabbing political figure for four, maybe six months tops out of the entire year and Damon hasn't been able to make it out to New York again until this week, it's the character that's been beaten into the ground the absolute least. Also, for some reason I was expecting this to take place in more than just two different settings. I was hoping to see Baldwin and Kenan travel around to more different landscapes if this sketch was going to be as long as it was. It was only after the sketch ended that I realized that I may have been confusing "It's A Wonderful Life" with "A Christmas Carol" but then I remembered that they've done "It's A Wonderful Life" parodies that have sprawled about the studio a bit. "It's A Wonderful Newt" from season 20 immediately comes to mind as (to a lesser extent) Baldwin's monologue from four years after that (which oddly makes this the second "It's A Wonderful Life" parody that Baldwin has participated on the show in 20 years). This one more closely resembled the two cold opens from season 15 ("It's A Wonderful Dice" and the one from Goodman's first episode in December '89). C-
Monologue - This had to have been the most endearing monologue the show has done in several years. I genuinely appreciate Damon admitting that bonding through SNL meant as much to him and his family life as it did mine. I also liked him flat out admitting he had no movie out and the nonsequitir of this being Becks' last show. It's nice to see two hosts in a row who both claim to be knowledgeable fans of the show (especially when at least one if them can actually translate that into their performances). B+
Westminster Daddy Show - While I immediately recognized that I am WAY not the target audience for this, I do appreciate how it played out as the sketch went into detail explaining every intricate detail of it's own premise to me. I especially liked the visual gag of graying, middle aged men being jogged and led around by professional dog handlers and the twist that Damon's character would be a last minute Triwizard Cup dark horse victor. I also liked the back and forth between Kenan and Alex although I don't know if I like seeing Alex get typecast in all the smug, self-superior, perpetually blind to their own privelege straight white guy roles. B+
Best Christmas Ever - This was obviously done in the same vein as the Girls Halloween/middle school theater Legally Blond/Amy Schumer pregnancy shorts from the past two seasons. Having one of these take place during Christmas was a nice touch. Since I've seen this format so many times already, not much stood out to me besides Mikeys' #MAGA hat cousin and Damon consoling his non-adopted daughter and cursing at a crumbling Fisher-Price play house. C+
Back Of The Tree Ornaments - This was the funniest live piece of the night. Beck, Kyle and Melissa seemed mostly resigned to thankless straight roles but everyone else turned in great performances. Damon poked fun at himself and his career in an interesting way. Mikey was committed to playing his first of two Harry Potter characters of the night as an oblivious sap. Oddly, Kate's old aftermath of 9/11 era Guliani is a much more accurate impression than her current day Trump administration era Guliani. I wouldn't mind seeing her continue to play present day Rudy if the stuck to using that exact same voice doing so. Cecily doesn't play a lot of creepily damaged roles very often but she succeeded here channeling her inner Maria Bamford. Honestly, the worst thing about this sketch was the constant camera miscues. A-
Oscar's Host Auditions - The recent Kevin Hart controversy was an odd excuse to do another impressions screen test showcase but it was clever and it's always fun to see these. Egos' Tiffany Haddish was pretty dead on but the voice she used was a little too high pitched. I'd say the same for Kate's Michelle Wolf but maybe also suggest that Cecily had played her instead so that Michelle Wolf doesn't gradually sound just like Kellyanne Conway for some reason. Speaking of Cecily, I haven't seen a single episode of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" but I've seen thr cast and crew accept an absurd amount of Emmys inbetween each of the seemingly-endlessly-played-on-a- loop promos for the show to be able to see how accurate Cecilys' Rachel Brosnahan impression was. Damon's Hemsworth and McConaughey impressions were on the mark. Kenans' Michael Strahan and Terry Crews were very funny (although the former didn't make me forget about Jay Pharrohs' impression). Aidys' Roseanne still doesn't do much for me but her Hannah Gadsby stood out. I haven't seen Nanette but again, I did see her Emmys speech and from what I remember I can see why Aidy may have had to exaggerate this a little. Pete had the look down for Rami Malek but he may have needed a little more than just that. Of course, it's always nice to see Redds' Kanye, Melissas' Silverman, Heidi's Allison Janney and Kate's Ellen again. B-
Jingle Bells - This was obviously a Strong/Anderson/Sublette collab and I gotta say this was the most easily tolerable thing they've put together in quite some time. It's nice to see something from them that was just bland and forgettable rather than actively obnoxious and over the top. It reminded me of the lower key lounge singing duo type pieces that Anderson and Sublette would write for Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. C-
Update was uneven but had some strong moments. Jost really got it going with the Cohen jokes after telling two Trump jokes that read so interchangeable they could've been cut from any Update in the past two years. I liked "Where's Wes" the first time I saw it during one of the Summer Thursday episodes last year. I don't think I needed to see it again when the only thing that's different is that a Christmas Carol is the theme song. I'm not sure why we needed to see Angel again either until I realized who tonight's host was. He was a welcome addition and I guess this gets the obligatory Boston role out of the way. I'd have to say the funniest moments of Update were Jost acknowledging the awkwardness of the Boy Scouts/Sex Island transition and he and Che reading each other's jokes written for each other. If that wasn't 100% genuine, then Jost in particular really knew how to sell it. B+
Weezer Dinner - I'd actually like to know who wrote this (I suspect it was whoever wrote that Shrek dinner sketch from Sterling K. Browns' episode in March) because casting Leslie opposite Damon as two ardent yet diametrically opposed Weezer fans was pretty inspired. I also liked how the ending was relatively grounded. B-
Christmas With The Cops - This sketch really didn't go anywhere at all and felt much too long and drawn out. The most pointless thing about it was Baldwin's presence. He barely had anything to contribute aside from a watered down version of his old DeNiro impression (and there was a distinct possibility that DeNiro had already left the building by that point). It's already uncomfortable enough just seeing him play Trump at this point. We're well beyond the point where he should also be placed in regular sketches throughout the show. The only things approaching jokes were Cecilys' walk on and Beck admitting to shooting Kyle's wife. If this was a parody of a specific scene from a specific cop drama, the reference was lost on me. I can't even tell who the intended audience was for this one. D+
Happy Christmas, Britain - Well, it's nice to see SNL comment on international politics every once in a while but a lot of this seemed destined to be lost on US audiences. Kate and Matt did turn on fine performances. I mean, I don't know a ton about former UK Prime Minister David Cameron but Matt Damon is still not the first person I would picture playing him. Aidys' Elton John is okay but still comes off rather strange and out of place. Mikey as Lord Voldemort looked like it was going to be the best part of this but too bad the bulk of his part had to get cut abruptly due to time. I guess Jost & Ches' giggling made Update run long. C-
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Matt Damon/Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus
3. Adam Driver/Kanye West
4. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
5. Jason Momoa/Mumford & Sons
6. Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak
7. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
8. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
9. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that was a strong note to end the calendar year on. I'm shocked that there was no on air acknowledgment that this WASN'T SNLs' surprise series finale let alone any host/MG announcement for any episode that could theoretically take place next year. Maybe they actually ARE trying to get Bradley Cooper and/or Lady Gaga to do the show on January 19 and are just not having their calls returned. Maybe they already had them booked as recently as this week but they both had to drop out at the last possible second? I mean, it happened with Ariana Grande already this season. The way this season has been going, I don't see why it couldn't happen twice. I guess they'll make an announcement on social media either this next coming week or early next month after the holidays. Anyway, Happy Holidays and see you January 19th...whoever we end up getting.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Jason Momoa/Mumford & Sons (12.8.2018)
Okay, here's my review. While this show had considerably more energy than last week (not a lot though) something about the writing and the material they had really dragged it down. The show as a whole felt so unfocused that I'm not sure any host could have saved this week given what they wrote and ended up putting on the air. Jason Momoa seems like a good guy who gave it his all but he wasn't quite the strong host I was expecting him to be. I realized at some point that Jason is more a big popcorn blockbuster action star in the making than an actor's actor. Plus, he must not have had that much acting experience at this point in his career since he's basically only know for two distinct roles and to my knowledge, this is the first time he has acted or performed in a live setting anywhere. This occurred to me when I had noticed that Jason really excelled in the two pre taped segments he was in tonight than in any of his live sketches. As far as airtime goes, the show was pretty much dominated by Beck/Kyle, Mikey/Alex/Pete and Kenan. Kudos to Chris for making enough live appearances tonight to make up for his virtual absence from the last few shows. As far as the female presence on the show, I've noticed that newer hires like Heidi and Melissa were all over the place while the senior women on the show (Cecily, Kate, Leslie) were barely used at all (with Aidy still being visible). I really got the impression tonight that Cecily and Kate were planning on this being their final season while Heidi and Melissa had proven themselves enough to be widely visible and used as utility players by this point. It's almost as if Lorne is grooming them to take over for the women who might be leaving. However, I'm starting to get a little more worried about Ego. She seems like a strong performer who is definitely meant to be a great fit for the show and she has had one breakout sketch in the first three shows of thy he season but she hasn't had any other "breakout" roles since then where she got to be front and center. Granted, it is still her first season but it's almost like she is being unfairly punished because (through no fault of her own or the show) her breakout sketch caught some flak from the real life Baltimore police department. This is obviously not something that should keep her from being on more her first season let alone getting a chance at a second one. Anyway, we've got a lot to unpack here as I'm sure you can already tell so let's get to it.
Eric's Bedtime Story - If nothing else, a nice palette cleanser from last weeks' mess. It's nice to see the Eric & Don Jr. bits have gotten less and less formulaic to the point where they work even better away from the Update desk. Alex had some good malapropisms here. Deniros' Muller is probably the most welcome of the show's stable of recurring political impressions just by virtue of it being one of the least obnoxious characterization of anyone the show currently satirizes. Honestly, the worst thing about this one was Deniro stumbling over a few cue cards. Even though the ending came off a little awkward thanks to Deniro, I was glad to see it didn't belabor the point. C+
Monologue - This came off quite strange and given the host's stature I was a little disappointed that it ultimately failed to set the right tone for the rest of the show. I'm glad to see Jason Momoa is a self professed SNL "nerd" and even wanted to move to New York to join the cast at one point but I wish he could've made that sheer enthusiasm translate better here to more than just the P-Funk pastiche he took part in at the very end. Speaking of which, I think the bigger problem here is that this monologue seriously lacked focus. It felt like they had ideas for three different monologues and could not settle on which ONE they thought would work best to save their lives. It really felt like a cross between all the monologues Sterling K. Brown, Hugh Jackman and Chadwick Boseman did in that order. At least it ended on an up note. I do have to wonder how Jason got Lorne to let him host the show without shaving his beard. That is a rarity nowadays. C+
Elves On The Shelves - This had a pretty one note premise but the writing was the main thing that made it watchable. Thankfully, this didn't belabor the point by the time it ended either. It felt like it could've been done with literally any male host but somehow Jason playing his role in a similar way to how I imagine Liev Schreiber would've had this sketch taken place just outside a woman's restroom really added something to this. Strangely, my biggest issue with this sketch was how jarringly unnecessary the voice modulates were. C+
GE Big Boy Appliances - This was an enjoyably simple piece. I mean, this wasn't exactly the first time that anyone has taken a hard look at the different ways household products are marketed toward men and women and tried to mine it for comedy but this worked due to the sheer levels of committment to broad visual gags. Jason did well here because again, this piece was being carried on the strength of its' absurd props so he barely had to contribute anything. B-
Khal Drogos' Ghost Dojo - I expected Jason to do much better than he did in the night's requisite "Game Of Thrones" sketch. After all, he's playing what up until very recently may have been his best known role. He should have been well within his comfort zone if not for the whole "live" aspect. Still, he was HARDLY the biggest problem with this sketch. It was basically all over the place writing wise and had far too much going on. It felt like the second piece of the night that the writers couldn't decide on one theme or central premise for. Even Kenan seemed to be thrown for a loop as he's never been known to break in any sketch or even stumble over any lines as he did here. Ironically, it seemed like it was going for mass appeal but at the same time gave us a string of GoT references that were so hyper specific that they couldn't have been meant for anyone other than obsessive GoT fans who've seen and analyzed every episode multiple times over (and I point this out fully aware of any inherent irony in what I'm writing right now). This seemed like it played about 10 times better at the table read on Wednesday than it did for the live and dress audiences but they felt like they had to keep it in the show anyway due to the subject matter being so relevant to the host's career. With the addition of Beck as Hodor after seeing him as Santa, it's become pretty obvious that they're now using him for the same types of roles they would have used Bobby Moynihan for two years ago. That must be an odd feeling for him if he has ever had to think about this. Good to see Pete make attempt at playing a character that wasn't entirely "himself" even if it started to unravel. Kate as King Joffrey oddly felt like a bit of a throwback in terms of go to Got references in pop culture (based on who hadn't been killed off yer) and yet very current and prescient in how Kate is being used on the show. Staging a ridiculous slap fight between her and Aidys' character just felt like the audience was having one more thing thrown ar them unnecessarily. While I thought the gag with Kyle was funny, it is also starting to feel dated. Not just because people have made fun of the general premise of discussion shows and after shows before but it now seems like society is actively trying to make them less of a thing now either because the first shows to have them ended or because of what came out about Chris Hardwick (who was the first person to become famous by hosting those shows and is thus the person most strongly associated with the genre). D+
Them Trumps - Well, it's nice to get a different take on the goings on in the Trump white house than what the show usually gives us. Still, while the examination of racial double standards in our legal system isn't exactly fresh ground (hell, Chappelle already did "what would our current Republican president be like if he were black?" as a sketch premise nearly 15 years ago now) but this sketch just goes to show how well Kenan does serve the show as the anchor/glue of this and the last few casts. Plus, after the sketch that came just before it, I was very glad to see something that got in, got right to the point it was trying to make and got out. B+
Update was the most consistent and well written part of this episode and thus tonight's stand out segment. Che really got it going and then Jost picked up the slack and really sold all of his material. Nice to see Aidy play a well thought out character that was grounded in reality after some of the rare misses Heidi had been giving us recently. Ches' bidet commentary was funny and I do like the format/fourth wall break the show employed to deliver it. B+
The Ghost Of Xmas Extra - Okay, this HAD to have been written by the same persons who wrote the Cleopatra sketch from Awkwafinas' episode and the "GPYASS" sketch from Steve Carell's episode. It did have that exact same ultra feminized trending Twitter meme sensibility to it and seemed written solely to pander to Jason's female fans. Other than that, I liked Mikeys exaggerated exasperation. I'm glad they knew that the perfect place to end this would be right after the twerking. C-
Day Of The Dorks - Well, I was really expecting the reveal behind Jason's character to be a more substantial payoff than it ended up being. This was just full of too much useless exposition. It seemed like it was written just to harness Jason's manic bro energy from the weeks' promos. I'll bet whoever wrote this also wrote that NOT!Scooby Doo sketch from Mikey's first episode two years ago with Margot Robbie. D+
Sleigh Ride - Well, that was a great mislead with Leslie, Kenan, Kyle and Melissa (who had a great exit line, by the way) because I wasn't expecting Cecily as Gemma to show up. Frankly, it was a little strange to see her first live appearance so late in the show. What was also strange but pleasantly surprising was Jason's performance here because only by this point in the show had he gotten over his nervous habit of tripping over cue cards and gained a sense of comedic timing. I liked how different of a setting this was and how much more outlandish the dialogue was. The ending to this was satisfying as well. B-
First Impression - This was fun to watch due to the way Beck and Jason played off each other and Melissa and Heidi playing off of them. It gave me immediate flash backs to Paul Brittains' Lord Wyndemeire (sp?) from season 37. The ending could've been trimmed a bit because it killed the momentum the rest of the sketch built up. B-
Rudolph's Revenge - This got off to a bit of a slow start when they basically gave us the Cliffs Notes version of the Rudolph story. Pete really shined in this. He probably had plenty of personal life inspiration to draw from this week. The only other stand out performer was Jason mostly because he was the second actor in this show alone to play the role of Santa Claus. B+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Jason Momoa/Mumford & Sons
5. Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak
6. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
7. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
8. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that barely lived up to any expectations I may have had. Next week will be the final SNL of 2018. Matt Damon returns to host for his second time ever in sixteen years seemingly just on the strength of his surprise Brett Kavanaugh impression from the season premiere. If that was any indication, we are in for a far more competently acted show than this one. He was a strong host in 2002 and he should make for a fun show even if he has sort of shown us his ass in recent years re: #MeToo and diversity related issues (thankfully, that was more anything dumb he might have SAID than what he actually did). Still, I think now his presence will somehow feel a bit less tone deaf. See you then!
Eric's Bedtime Story - If nothing else, a nice palette cleanser from last weeks' mess. It's nice to see the Eric & Don Jr. bits have gotten less and less formulaic to the point where they work even better away from the Update desk. Alex had some good malapropisms here. Deniros' Muller is probably the most welcome of the show's stable of recurring political impressions just by virtue of it being one of the least obnoxious characterization of anyone the show currently satirizes. Honestly, the worst thing about this one was Deniro stumbling over a few cue cards. Even though the ending came off a little awkward thanks to Deniro, I was glad to see it didn't belabor the point. C+
Monologue - This came off quite strange and given the host's stature I was a little disappointed that it ultimately failed to set the right tone for the rest of the show. I'm glad to see Jason Momoa is a self professed SNL "nerd" and even wanted to move to New York to join the cast at one point but I wish he could've made that sheer enthusiasm translate better here to more than just the P-Funk pastiche he took part in at the very end. Speaking of which, I think the bigger problem here is that this monologue seriously lacked focus. It felt like they had ideas for three different monologues and could not settle on which ONE they thought would work best to save their lives. It really felt like a cross between all the monologues Sterling K. Brown, Hugh Jackman and Chadwick Boseman did in that order. At least it ended on an up note. I do have to wonder how Jason got Lorne to let him host the show without shaving his beard. That is a rarity nowadays. C+
Elves On The Shelves - This had a pretty one note premise but the writing was the main thing that made it watchable. Thankfully, this didn't belabor the point by the time it ended either. It felt like it could've been done with literally any male host but somehow Jason playing his role in a similar way to how I imagine Liev Schreiber would've had this sketch taken place just outside a woman's restroom really added something to this. Strangely, my biggest issue with this sketch was how jarringly unnecessary the voice modulates were. C+
GE Big Boy Appliances - This was an enjoyably simple piece. I mean, this wasn't exactly the first time that anyone has taken a hard look at the different ways household products are marketed toward men and women and tried to mine it for comedy but this worked due to the sheer levels of committment to broad visual gags. Jason did well here because again, this piece was being carried on the strength of its' absurd props so he barely had to contribute anything. B-
Khal Drogos' Ghost Dojo - I expected Jason to do much better than he did in the night's requisite "Game Of Thrones" sketch. After all, he's playing what up until very recently may have been his best known role. He should have been well within his comfort zone if not for the whole "live" aspect. Still, he was HARDLY the biggest problem with this sketch. It was basically all over the place writing wise and had far too much going on. It felt like the second piece of the night that the writers couldn't decide on one theme or central premise for. Even Kenan seemed to be thrown for a loop as he's never been known to break in any sketch or even stumble over any lines as he did here. Ironically, it seemed like it was going for mass appeal but at the same time gave us a string of GoT references that were so hyper specific that they couldn't have been meant for anyone other than obsessive GoT fans who've seen and analyzed every episode multiple times over (and I point this out fully aware of any inherent irony in what I'm writing right now). This seemed like it played about 10 times better at the table read on Wednesday than it did for the live and dress audiences but they felt like they had to keep it in the show anyway due to the subject matter being so relevant to the host's career. With the addition of Beck as Hodor after seeing him as Santa, it's become pretty obvious that they're now using him for the same types of roles they would have used Bobby Moynihan for two years ago. That must be an odd feeling for him if he has ever had to think about this. Good to see Pete make attempt at playing a character that wasn't entirely "himself" even if it started to unravel. Kate as King Joffrey oddly felt like a bit of a throwback in terms of go to Got references in pop culture (based on who hadn't been killed off yer) and yet very current and prescient in how Kate is being used on the show. Staging a ridiculous slap fight between her and Aidys' character just felt like the audience was having one more thing thrown ar them unnecessarily. While I thought the gag with Kyle was funny, it is also starting to feel dated. Not just because people have made fun of the general premise of discussion shows and after shows before but it now seems like society is actively trying to make them less of a thing now either because the first shows to have them ended or because of what came out about Chris Hardwick (who was the first person to become famous by hosting those shows and is thus the person most strongly associated with the genre). D+
Them Trumps - Well, it's nice to get a different take on the goings on in the Trump white house than what the show usually gives us. Still, while the examination of racial double standards in our legal system isn't exactly fresh ground (hell, Chappelle already did "what would our current Republican president be like if he were black?" as a sketch premise nearly 15 years ago now) but this sketch just goes to show how well Kenan does serve the show as the anchor/glue of this and the last few casts. Plus, after the sketch that came just before it, I was very glad to see something that got in, got right to the point it was trying to make and got out. B+
Update was the most consistent and well written part of this episode and thus tonight's stand out segment. Che really got it going and then Jost picked up the slack and really sold all of his material. Nice to see Aidy play a well thought out character that was grounded in reality after some of the rare misses Heidi had been giving us recently. Ches' bidet commentary was funny and I do like the format/fourth wall break the show employed to deliver it. B+
The Ghost Of Xmas Extra - Okay, this HAD to have been written by the same persons who wrote the Cleopatra sketch from Awkwafinas' episode and the "GPYASS" sketch from Steve Carell's episode. It did have that exact same ultra feminized trending Twitter meme sensibility to it and seemed written solely to pander to Jason's female fans. Other than that, I liked Mikeys exaggerated exasperation. I'm glad they knew that the perfect place to end this would be right after the twerking. C-
Day Of The Dorks - Well, I was really expecting the reveal behind Jason's character to be a more substantial payoff than it ended up being. This was just full of too much useless exposition. It seemed like it was written just to harness Jason's manic bro energy from the weeks' promos. I'll bet whoever wrote this also wrote that NOT!Scooby Doo sketch from Mikey's first episode two years ago with Margot Robbie. D+
Sleigh Ride - Well, that was a great mislead with Leslie, Kenan, Kyle and Melissa (who had a great exit line, by the way) because I wasn't expecting Cecily as Gemma to show up. Frankly, it was a little strange to see her first live appearance so late in the show. What was also strange but pleasantly surprising was Jason's performance here because only by this point in the show had he gotten over his nervous habit of tripping over cue cards and gained a sense of comedic timing. I liked how different of a setting this was and how much more outlandish the dialogue was. The ending to this was satisfying as well. B-
First Impression - This was fun to watch due to the way Beck and Jason played off each other and Melissa and Heidi playing off of them. It gave me immediate flash backs to Paul Brittains' Lord Wyndemeire (sp?) from season 37. The ending could've been trimmed a bit because it killed the momentum the rest of the sketch built up. B-
Rudolph's Revenge - This got off to a bit of a slow start when they basically gave us the Cliffs Notes version of the Rudolph story. Pete really shined in this. He probably had plenty of personal life inspiration to draw from this week. The only other stand out performer was Jason mostly because he was the second actor in this show alone to play the role of Santa Claus. B+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Jason Momoa/Mumford & Sons
5. Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak
6. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
7. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
8. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that barely lived up to any expectations I may have had. Next week will be the final SNL of 2018. Matt Damon returns to host for his second time ever in sixteen years seemingly just on the strength of his surprise Brett Kavanaugh impression from the season premiere. If that was any indication, we are in for a far more competently acted show than this one. He was a strong host in 2002 and he should make for a fun show even if he has sort of shown us his ass in recent years re: #MeToo and diversity related issues (thankfully, that was more anything dumb he might have SAID than what he actually did). Still, I think now his presence will somehow feel a bit less tone deaf. See you then!
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak (12.01.2018)
Okay, here's my review. This was a real forgettable middle of the road show for this season. It had it's fair share of recurring sketches and derivative premises but thankfully it was at least buoyed by a very charming and likable host whom I wouldn't mind seeing on the show again. Everyone in the cast seemed to get an even amount of airtime (except Chris who only seemed to appear as a utility player in one pre tape and Ego seems like she is still going virtually unused). Anyway, let's break it down.
Donnie Does Argentina - Another cameo loaded uninspired cameo stuffed political cold open with Baldwin's Trump as the centerpiece. Hey, I'm not crazy about still having to see him either (that "parking space" joke was wholly unnecessary and way to awkwardly shoehorned in) but hey...two appearances across seven shows isn't too bad. I guess since the latest developments in the Muller investigation were the biggest political headline this week they felt they had to do something on that. It may have seemed like this was done in the same vein as the cold open from Donald Glovers' episode in May but at least this felt more direct and to the point due to the comparative lack of cameos. Speaking of which, I know Armisen has been know to play various ethnic/foreign leader roles competently but seeing him portray Mohammed Bin Salman somehow felt pretty tone deaf. They may have taken a minor risk that may not have paid off there. Other than that, all that stood out was the jab at Eric and the "like a son to me" joke. D+
Monologue - This started off slightly awkward and Claire seemed visibly nervous but the way she delivered the anecdote about meeting the actual queen worked for me. It was nice to see they trusted her to deliver a straight forward true solo monologue and once again resisted the temptation to have Fred or even Kate for that matter make a cameo as present day Queen Elizabeth despite both being in the building currently. C+
Netflix...has EVERYTHING (*meant to be read in a Stefon voice*) - At this point, the idea of Netflix letting itself become this endless inane void that will one day consume us all simply by buying every show pitched within their field of vision is starting to feel like a worn out comedy premise but the gritty Family Matters reboot and Leslie's segment made this worth watching.
C+
Morning Joe IV - Well, congrats to Joe and Mika on their recent nuptials but I'm not sure that alone was enough to do another sketch where they put their relationship front and center over their actual jobs. Still, Melissa and Claire were the true highlights here. Good to see Melissa shine in a role that was pretty much designed just for her. C+
WWI Letters - This didn't really seem to be going anywhere at first but I liked Mikey's increasing exasperation at Claires' cryptic ongoing vagueness and Kenans' unexplained, unwarranted presence. It reminded me of the Jennifer Lawrence/Tim Robinson civil war letters sketch from 2013 but this thankfully went to a much stranger place. B-
Dad Christmas - While this was pretty much the exact type of pathetic middle aged divorced guy humor I was expecting once they established the basic premise, every part of this was executed very well. Mikey and Cecily really played their parts well and Aidys' song at the end really made this whole thing for me. B+
Update was kind of all over the place tonight. Jokewise, all that really stood out were Jost on the Trump balloon and Che on Manafort & Assange. As usual, Leslie's commentary was endearingly boisterous and visually entertaining but very scattershot and unfocused and probably could've benefitted from being trimmed down a bit. Che's Judge Judy name drop had to have been adlibbed based on the reaction it got. Becks' character seemed a little one note at first but his bit really picked up steam once he talked about getting hit by cars and his dad inventing Oxycontin. Colin played off of him very well. I liked how this was very possibly the very first Update commentary that ever ended with one anchor gently pushing the character off screen. Between this and Leslie's commentary, this is by far the most animated I have seem Colin on the show ever. Finally, while I thought the end of Update was initially a very strange place for a sincere, heartfelt Bush 41 tribute but I did like how they segued to a few clips of Carveys' Bush that concluded with the remote pre taped clip of the real HW from Carveys' '94 monologue. Plus, it's not every week that a former president dies while SNL is actively in production. I was just thinking about why they never did a similar tribute for Gerald Ford (who has a similar connection to the show and even made a similar pre taped cameo on the show when he sent his real life press secretary to host in season one) and it was probably because he died during the Christmas/New Years' 06/07 holiday when everybody was off and it would've been old news by the time they came back that January. Also, I'm betting this was the only reason Leslie's commentary wasn't the thing they ended Update on given that it ended with the Rocky theme. C+
Charlie And The Cialis Travesty - It felt strange watching this because they just did an extremely similar (and much better written) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory parody two seasons ago with Kristen Stewart. This was the much raunchier version of that. It was pretty much that mixed with the Game Night sketch from Haders' episode last season. I didn't much care for it but at least they knew exactly when to end it. C-
HSN - Okay, seems like there's quite a bit to unpack here. At first, it just seemed like someone started out trying to write another "Right Side Of The Bed" sketch before realizing that Taran Killam is no longer on the show but decided to keep writing anyway to see what direction this could go in. Then, it seemed like this was going to be like one of those "Hello Dolly" sketches that Ana Gasteyer did in the late '90s/early 2000s mixed with that QVC sketch Cecily did with Kristen Wiig two years ago. Thankfully, this went in a much stranger direction. Cecilys' string of very light profanity was amusing and then Aidy came in and added a whole new level of surreal strangeness to it. Also, it seems a little strange that the portion of the show where Claire Foy tries different accents that are not British would be so late in the show but it was nice to eventually see that somewhere. B-
Good Morning Goomah - As soon as I heard the words "Staten Island Cable", I knew exactly who could've written it. Still, there were a couple of reasons, I couldn't totally get into this. First, I thought Cecily should've had Kate or Aidys' role instead of just being relegated to an offscreen voice over. Secondly, this was so dialogue heavy it seemed longer than it actually was. At least we got to see Pete actually attempt to act. C-
Muller Christmas - The fact that this was a parody song rather than a straight, dramatic maudlin cover song was the only thing that kept it from being another "Hallelujah" or "To Sir With Love". That being said, it was immediately obvious where this was going and even though some of it felt rushed and awkward it was pretty solidly written and performed for what it was. It really got going once they let the women who got hired AFTER season 40 joined in. Other than that, this either should've been the cold open or saved for the cold open for whichever of the next two planned episodes Baldwin won't be able to make it to rather than buried at the end of this week's episode. C+
Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak
5. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
6. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
7. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that was that. Next week, Jason Momoa makes his hosting debut. I don't know much about him besides the fact that he was on "Game Of Thrones" and is now in "Aquaman". In fact, the only thing I'm sure I've seen him in is that meme where he looks like he is going to sneak up on Henry Cavill on some red carpet. Still, he strikes me as someone who is going to be a similar type of host to The Rock or John Cena. He seems like he has a big enough personality to handle sketch comedy well. See you then!
Donnie Does Argentina - Another cameo loaded uninspired cameo stuffed political cold open with Baldwin's Trump as the centerpiece. Hey, I'm not crazy about still having to see him either (that "parking space" joke was wholly unnecessary and way to awkwardly shoehorned in) but hey...two appearances across seven shows isn't too bad. I guess since the latest developments in the Muller investigation were the biggest political headline this week they felt they had to do something on that. It may have seemed like this was done in the same vein as the cold open from Donald Glovers' episode in May but at least this felt more direct and to the point due to the comparative lack of cameos. Speaking of which, I know Armisen has been know to play various ethnic/foreign leader roles competently but seeing him portray Mohammed Bin Salman somehow felt pretty tone deaf. They may have taken a minor risk that may not have paid off there. Other than that, all that stood out was the jab at Eric and the "like a son to me" joke. D+
Monologue - This started off slightly awkward and Claire seemed visibly nervous but the way she delivered the anecdote about meeting the actual queen worked for me. It was nice to see they trusted her to deliver a straight forward true solo monologue and once again resisted the temptation to have Fred or even Kate for that matter make a cameo as present day Queen Elizabeth despite both being in the building currently. C+
Netflix...has EVERYTHING (*meant to be read in a Stefon voice*) - At this point, the idea of Netflix letting itself become this endless inane void that will one day consume us all simply by buying every show pitched within their field of vision is starting to feel like a worn out comedy premise but the gritty Family Matters reboot and Leslie's segment made this worth watching.
C+
Morning Joe IV - Well, congrats to Joe and Mika on their recent nuptials but I'm not sure that alone was enough to do another sketch where they put their relationship front and center over their actual jobs. Still, Melissa and Claire were the true highlights here. Good to see Melissa shine in a role that was pretty much designed just for her. C+
WWI Letters - This didn't really seem to be going anywhere at first but I liked Mikey's increasing exasperation at Claires' cryptic ongoing vagueness and Kenans' unexplained, unwarranted presence. It reminded me of the Jennifer Lawrence/Tim Robinson civil war letters sketch from 2013 but this thankfully went to a much stranger place. B-
Dad Christmas - While this was pretty much the exact type of pathetic middle aged divorced guy humor I was expecting once they established the basic premise, every part of this was executed very well. Mikey and Cecily really played their parts well and Aidys' song at the end really made this whole thing for me. B+
Update was kind of all over the place tonight. Jokewise, all that really stood out were Jost on the Trump balloon and Che on Manafort & Assange. As usual, Leslie's commentary was endearingly boisterous and visually entertaining but very scattershot and unfocused and probably could've benefitted from being trimmed down a bit. Che's Judge Judy name drop had to have been adlibbed based on the reaction it got. Becks' character seemed a little one note at first but his bit really picked up steam once he talked about getting hit by cars and his dad inventing Oxycontin. Colin played off of him very well. I liked how this was very possibly the very first Update commentary that ever ended with one anchor gently pushing the character off screen. Between this and Leslie's commentary, this is by far the most animated I have seem Colin on the show ever. Finally, while I thought the end of Update was initially a very strange place for a sincere, heartfelt Bush 41 tribute but I did like how they segued to a few clips of Carveys' Bush that concluded with the remote pre taped clip of the real HW from Carveys' '94 monologue. Plus, it's not every week that a former president dies while SNL is actively in production. I was just thinking about why they never did a similar tribute for Gerald Ford (who has a similar connection to the show and even made a similar pre taped cameo on the show when he sent his real life press secretary to host in season one) and it was probably because he died during the Christmas/New Years' 06/07 holiday when everybody was off and it would've been old news by the time they came back that January. Also, I'm betting this was the only reason Leslie's commentary wasn't the thing they ended Update on given that it ended with the Rocky theme. C+
Charlie And The Cialis Travesty - It felt strange watching this because they just did an extremely similar (and much better written) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory parody two seasons ago with Kristen Stewart. This was the much raunchier version of that. It was pretty much that mixed with the Game Night sketch from Haders' episode last season. I didn't much care for it but at least they knew exactly when to end it. C-
HSN - Okay, seems like there's quite a bit to unpack here. At first, it just seemed like someone started out trying to write another "Right Side Of The Bed" sketch before realizing that Taran Killam is no longer on the show but decided to keep writing anyway to see what direction this could go in. Then, it seemed like this was going to be like one of those "Hello Dolly" sketches that Ana Gasteyer did in the late '90s/early 2000s mixed with that QVC sketch Cecily did with Kristen Wiig two years ago. Thankfully, this went in a much stranger direction. Cecilys' string of very light profanity was amusing and then Aidy came in and added a whole new level of surreal strangeness to it. Also, it seems a little strange that the portion of the show where Claire Foy tries different accents that are not British would be so late in the show but it was nice to eventually see that somewhere. B-
Good Morning Goomah - As soon as I heard the words "Staten Island Cable", I knew exactly who could've written it. Still, there were a couple of reasons, I couldn't totally get into this. First, I thought Cecily should've had Kate or Aidys' role instead of just being relegated to an offscreen voice over. Secondly, this was so dialogue heavy it seemed longer than it actually was. At least we got to see Pete actually attempt to act. C-
Muller Christmas - The fact that this was a parody song rather than a straight, dramatic maudlin cover song was the only thing that kept it from being another "Hallelujah" or "To Sir With Love". That being said, it was immediately obvious where this was going and even though some of it felt rushed and awkward it was pretty solidly written and performed for what it was. It really got going once they let the women who got hired AFTER season 40 joined in. Other than that, this either should've been the cold open or saved for the cold open for whichever of the next two planned episodes Baldwin won't be able to make it to rather than buried at the end of this week's episode. C+
Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Claire Foy/Anderson .Paak
5. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
6. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
7. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that was that. Next week, Jason Momoa makes his hosting debut. I don't know much about him besides the fact that he was on "Game Of Thrones" and is now in "Aquaman". In fact, the only thing I'm sure I've seen him in is that meme where he looks like he is going to sneak up on Henry Cavill on some red carpet. Still, he strikes me as someone who is going to be a similar type of host to The Rock or John Cena. He seems like he has a big enough personality to handle sketch comedy well. See you then!
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Steve Carrell/Ella Mai (11.17.2018)
Okay, here's my review. This show really felt like much more of the same but it was largely saved by Steve Carrells' general charm and likability as a host. Good to see he hasn't lost touch with his comedic side as he seemingly transitions toward full time dramatic acting. Still, I went into this show knowing it's likely not going to hold a candle to either of his previous episodes since, in a way, both of them marked SNL going into a brand new and bold era and transitioning away from the old guard. Most of the cast seemed to get their share of airtime but Kyle seemed entirely absent, Ego was only in one sketch and Chris only made one taped appearance all night. Let's get right to it.
The Ingraham Angle - This had some decent parts to it for something that was just a blatant by-the-numbers rewrite of the same cold open from two weeks ago. All of the jokes were to telegraphed that even the live studio audience seemed to have a hard time getting into this. Plus, Kate's list of "feel facts" felt a little too reminiscent of when Colbert introduced us to the meaning of "truthiness" on his very first "Report". It was nice to see they changed things up a little by including Moffat's Zuckerberg and Leslie's Marcia Fudge but they barely gave them any material to work with even though Leslie made the most out of what she was given. Pete's part could've been cut and it would've been no big loss. C-
Monologue - I could immediately tell where this was going as soon as that unidentifiable audience member (seriously, which writer was that? I could at least tell it was someone hired in the last two seasons and definitely wasn't Sudi Green or Anna Drezen since I know for sure what those women look like) asked about the possibility of an "Office" reboot. Well, at least this was still fun to watch just to see which former "Office" alum would be the next to cameo and try to badger Steve into doing a reboot. It was also nice to see Nancy Walls make her second cameo since being let go from the show 22 years ago. It was also a nice way to work in cameos from well loved Office cast members who never got their chances to host. I also liked how they both had Steve and Kenan call out the conceit of the fake-questions-from-fake-audience-members monologue (which, man, sure makes me realize what a tired ass trope even that is on the show by now) and had more material beyond that to keep this from being a carbon copy of Tina's monologue from the end of last season. B-
Disneyland - This sketch seemed like it was going to be a very basic, bare bones premise at first but I liked how much it unraveled as more and more outlandish details were revealed and how more and more shockingly clueless and oblivious Steve's character was revealed to be. Plus, Mikey really sold his part and was the most convincing at playing a kid. B+
A Message From Amazon's Jeff Bezos - This sketch felt more than a little tone deaf. Casting Steve Carell as Jeff Bezos was really the only thing this had going for it. He was able to add a necessary warmth to this that Kyle Mooney may not have. I'm a little disappointed that in 2018 SNL would do a sketch attempting to satirize Amazon and Jeff Bezos in particular and make Bezos trolling Trump (with plenty of done-to-death Trump jokes & observations sprinkled in for good measure) over his more obscene wealth the central premise whole making absolutely no mention of how he got that wealth by through Amazon's horrible businesses practices. Like I said, I AM disappointed in SNL for this...but knowing how corporate and sponsor friendly the show has to be now I am in NO WAY surprised. D+
Thanksgiving Song - At first, this seemed like it was going to be a very season 41/42 era run-of-the-mill-Cecily-opposite-attractive-male-host-showtune-song-and-dance type sketch. Plus, trying to rectify America's lack of Thanksgiving songs is a premise that SNL has definitely done before. Thankfully, the lyrics turned out to be so stupidly silly and immature that it became obvious that the rest of this sketch was going to be free of their trademarks. Plus, I did like the other cast joining in on their short song and the gradual reveals that someone's supposed "friend" (they can't even figure out who) left after stealing the TV and stabbing Beck. B+
RBG - While I appreciate Chris Redd attempting to write another music video that educates us on an issue that he cares about, this video felt wholly unnecessary. I mean, they're already just tripling down on the basic "image" of RBG that Kate projects when she portrays her on Update. I also get that the show may have wanted to do some kind of tribute to RBG after news broke that she fell and broke a rib but I would've appreciated something different. I will admit I liked Pete admitting he knew nothing about her record as a judge but that's about it. D-
NASA TV - While this took a bit too long to get started, the wait was worth it. I liked the premise of something going horribly wrong with animals in space while children are unwittingly subjected to it. Mikey and Leslie were also great additions to this and there was great prop work. My only other observations are that this didn't really escalate as far as I would have liked it to and Kate may not have really been selling the illusion that she was floating dead in space that well. She's not quite the same type of physical comedian that a cast member like Taran Kilam was. B-
Update was pretty uneven. Jost & Che open with some more frustratingly ignorant Amazon and voting jokes (seriously, does anyone at SNL know that you can actually vote by mail now?) but at least Jost followed that up with a decent Trump/Babe Ruth joke. The Denver Riggleman/bigfoot erotica piece felt weirdly out of place as it seemed to be based on a months old story. I seriously wonder if this had been getting cut from dress since the premiere. Good to see Mikey get another showcase but this didn't do much for me. It didn't really add anything to its' premise. At least Jost & Che followed this with all the best material they had for this week. I'm not sure we needed to see Kenans' Lavar Ball again since it felt like more of the same. I did like the "LaMorpheus" gag, though but that's about it. C+
Guardian Angel - While 2018 was a strange time to do a Grease "Beauty School Dropout" parody, I didn't necessarily hate this. Aidy and Steve are great scene partners for each other and this seemed to have come from a place of real human drama. Still, I didn't feel it went anywhere. C-
RV Couple - This sketch seems to mostly have been written as a showcase for Heidi and I don't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, I liked how she was able to convincingly convey an emotional slow burn. On the other, I don't so much like how she played up some of her more grating tendencies as an actress. I did like how Kate had a cameo as a different type of character than what she's been playing lately. C-
Alien Corn - I did like seeing another sci-fi space sketch that appeared to have an actual plot at first. I did like seeing this attempt to go somewhere with what little allotted time it had left after establishing its main premise. I did like how the miscue/tech blooper with Pete just showed us how this was this type of sketch that would actually benefit from having cast members break in it. I didn't like how rushed the ending seemed. C+
GPYASS! - I'm glad this was as short as it was because it really didn't go anywhere either. Still, I'm left wondering who played the drag queen. Was it an SNL writer or an unknown real life drag performer? Also, who wrote this? Was it Anderlette or one of the other recently hired gay writers? - D+
Now, for my updated rankings of the season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
5 Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
6. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, they certainly wrapped up that show in time for Thanksgiving. In two weeks, Claire Foy makes her hosting debut. Another mostly dramatic actress, so this could go either way. Hopefully, she's at least as game of a host as Liev Schreiber was. I'm mostly just glad someone we tried to predict as a host on this board finally turned out to be right. See you soon!
The Ingraham Angle - This had some decent parts to it for something that was just a blatant by-the-numbers rewrite of the same cold open from two weeks ago. All of the jokes were to telegraphed that even the live studio audience seemed to have a hard time getting into this. Plus, Kate's list of "feel facts" felt a little too reminiscent of when Colbert introduced us to the meaning of "truthiness" on his very first "Report". It was nice to see they changed things up a little by including Moffat's Zuckerberg and Leslie's Marcia Fudge but they barely gave them any material to work with even though Leslie made the most out of what she was given. Pete's part could've been cut and it would've been no big loss. C-
Monologue - I could immediately tell where this was going as soon as that unidentifiable audience member (seriously, which writer was that? I could at least tell it was someone hired in the last two seasons and definitely wasn't Sudi Green or Anna Drezen since I know for sure what those women look like) asked about the possibility of an "Office" reboot. Well, at least this was still fun to watch just to see which former "Office" alum would be the next to cameo and try to badger Steve into doing a reboot. It was also nice to see Nancy Walls make her second cameo since being let go from the show 22 years ago. It was also a nice way to work in cameos from well loved Office cast members who never got their chances to host. I also liked how they both had Steve and Kenan call out the conceit of the fake-questions-from-fake-audience-members monologue (which, man, sure makes me realize what a tired ass trope even that is on the show by now) and had more material beyond that to keep this from being a carbon copy of Tina's monologue from the end of last season. B-
Disneyland - This sketch seemed like it was going to be a very basic, bare bones premise at first but I liked how much it unraveled as more and more outlandish details were revealed and how more and more shockingly clueless and oblivious Steve's character was revealed to be. Plus, Mikey really sold his part and was the most convincing at playing a kid. B+
A Message From Amazon's Jeff Bezos - This sketch felt more than a little tone deaf. Casting Steve Carell as Jeff Bezos was really the only thing this had going for it. He was able to add a necessary warmth to this that Kyle Mooney may not have. I'm a little disappointed that in 2018 SNL would do a sketch attempting to satirize Amazon and Jeff Bezos in particular and make Bezos trolling Trump (with plenty of done-to-death Trump jokes & observations sprinkled in for good measure) over his more obscene wealth the central premise whole making absolutely no mention of how he got that wealth by through Amazon's horrible businesses practices. Like I said, I AM disappointed in SNL for this...but knowing how corporate and sponsor friendly the show has to be now I am in NO WAY surprised. D+
Thanksgiving Song - At first, this seemed like it was going to be a very season 41/42 era run-of-the-mill-Cecily-opposite-attractive-male-host-showtune-song-and-dance type sketch. Plus, trying to rectify America's lack of Thanksgiving songs is a premise that SNL has definitely done before. Thankfully, the lyrics turned out to be so stupidly silly and immature that it became obvious that the rest of this sketch was going to be free of their trademarks. Plus, I did like the other cast joining in on their short song and the gradual reveals that someone's supposed "friend" (they can't even figure out who) left after stealing the TV and stabbing Beck. B+
RBG - While I appreciate Chris Redd attempting to write another music video that educates us on an issue that he cares about, this video felt wholly unnecessary. I mean, they're already just tripling down on the basic "image" of RBG that Kate projects when she portrays her on Update. I also get that the show may have wanted to do some kind of tribute to RBG after news broke that she fell and broke a rib but I would've appreciated something different. I will admit I liked Pete admitting he knew nothing about her record as a judge but that's about it. D-
NASA TV - While this took a bit too long to get started, the wait was worth it. I liked the premise of something going horribly wrong with animals in space while children are unwittingly subjected to it. Mikey and Leslie were also great additions to this and there was great prop work. My only other observations are that this didn't really escalate as far as I would have liked it to and Kate may not have really been selling the illusion that she was floating dead in space that well. She's not quite the same type of physical comedian that a cast member like Taran Kilam was. B-
Update was pretty uneven. Jost & Che open with some more frustratingly ignorant Amazon and voting jokes (seriously, does anyone at SNL know that you can actually vote by mail now?) but at least Jost followed that up with a decent Trump/Babe Ruth joke. The Denver Riggleman/bigfoot erotica piece felt weirdly out of place as it seemed to be based on a months old story. I seriously wonder if this had been getting cut from dress since the premiere. Good to see Mikey get another showcase but this didn't do much for me. It didn't really add anything to its' premise. At least Jost & Che followed this with all the best material they had for this week. I'm not sure we needed to see Kenans' Lavar Ball again since it felt like more of the same. I did like the "LaMorpheus" gag, though but that's about it. C+
Guardian Angel - While 2018 was a strange time to do a Grease "Beauty School Dropout" parody, I didn't necessarily hate this. Aidy and Steve are great scene partners for each other and this seemed to have come from a place of real human drama. Still, I didn't feel it went anywhere. C-
RV Couple - This sketch seems to mostly have been written as a showcase for Heidi and I don't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, I liked how she was able to convincingly convey an emotional slow burn. On the other, I don't so much like how she played up some of her more grating tendencies as an actress. I did like how Kate had a cameo as a different type of character than what she's been playing lately. C-
Alien Corn - I did like seeing another sci-fi space sketch that appeared to have an actual plot at first. I did like seeing this attempt to go somewhere with what little allotted time it had left after establishing its main premise. I did like how the miscue/tech blooper with Pete just showed us how this was this type of sketch that would actually benefit from having cast members break in it. I didn't like how rushed the ending seemed. C+
GPYASS! - I'm glad this was as short as it was because it really didn't go anywhere either. Still, I'm left wondering who played the drag queen. Was it an SNL writer or an unknown real life drag performer? Also, who wrote this? Was it Anderlette or one of the other recently hired gay writers? - D+
Now, for my updated rankings of the season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Steve Carrell/Ella Mai
4. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
5 Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
6. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, they certainly wrapped up that show in time for Thanksgiving. In two weeks, Claire Foy makes her hosting debut. Another mostly dramatic actress, so this could go either way. Hopefully, she's at least as game of a host as Liev Schreiber was. I'm mostly just glad someone we tried to predict as a host on this board finally turned out to be right. See you soon!
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne (11.10.2018)
Okay, here's my review. I would say this show was at about the same level of overall quality as last weeks' episode but more consistent with what worked and what didn't. It certainly was about the same in terms material that had felt done before despite having many more actual recurring characters and premises. Liev Schreiber proved to be exactly what I expected him to be as a host with his background. He was a component sketch player who seemed pleased to be there but didn't quite make a strong enough impression to make me think he would need to be invited back. It seemed like a pretty even night for most of the cast as far as airtime is concerned. In particular, it was a strong night for Heidi, Chris, Mikey, Pete and Alex while Leslie, Melissa and Ego seemed almost shut out of the show entirely. Anyway, let's get right down to it.
Sessions Packs Up - A few days ago, I had jokingly predicted that, in light of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' firing, this week's episode would open with Kate as Sessions singing "Hallelujah" at a piano alone on home base stage. Well, replace Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Adele's "Someone Like You" and add in an office setting plus several other characters and they came shockingly close to doing just that. I guess this would've been their safest choice for a cold open this week and I would understand why they would want to officially retire what has somehow become one of Kate's most inexplicable recurring characters. The only thing she did that really stood out to me was Kate listing off the various unique items on her desk she was packing. Otherwise, it was just more of the same standard portrayal of Sessions as a deranged Southern elf-possum hybrid creature we've seen on a regular basis for the past year and a half. Beck as Pence was okay. He had a great exit line. I liked seeing how refreshingly unformulaic Mikey & Alex were as Eric & Don Jr here. Otherwise, the DeNiro as Muller cameo and everything after the song felt a little too unnecessarily tacked on. C+
Monologue - Well, I appreciate them giving Schreiber a straight solo monologue. He handled that quite well after shaking off some first time jitters. I also appreciate how he initially showed some reverence toward the show and indicated that he has really wanted to be here for quite some time. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing someone who is primarily known as an intense dramatic actor currently best known for a prominent "tough guy" role show some real human vulnerability. My only real complaint was how his speech about midterm voter turnout seemed too awkwardly jammed in. C+
Good Day Denver II - I guess I shouldn't have expected anything BUT a carbon copy rewrite of the "Danny Bangs Animals" sketch from ScarJos' episode from two seasons ago but I guess I was just too caught off guard as soon as I noticed this was actually the second time they've used the "Good Day Denver" title card. Anyway, I can't say this was an improvement but I will say I liked how they chose to stop just short of milking this premise absolutely bone dry and how the hosts were definitely horrifyingly aware of their mistaken implications. B-
Unity Song - This music video sure seemed like one of the most all time unoriginal premises ever executed on this show but that execution was what saved it. At least the examples of commonly hated things didn't seem too far down the beaten path. Boy, if it weren't for Ego, Melissa, Chris Heidi and Liev being a part of this I would think that this was a leftover dress cut from season 41 just for how much it reminded me of "This Is Not A Feminist Song" from Ariana Grande's episode. Other than that, I was surprised that Kyles' background dancing at the very end wasn't something that was addressed within the song. B-
Paranormal Occurrence - Well, this was certainly an odd time to recur this sketch again. Even more odd is that this Kate character got no recognition applause like she did during the Ryan Gosling premiere from last season. I guess changing the premise of this sketch from describing an alien abduction to describing a ghost encounter allowed for a stranger, more absurd brand of humor here. Also, it somehow helped this sketch that Kate went all out with the juvenile toilet humor. My only other takeaway from this sketch was how Liev Schreiber seemed miscast as a Southern Country Bumpkin but at the same time, I get the sense that the real reason they did this sketch again was because Liev said he wanted to. It's funny how this sketch originated with Ryan Gosling because it made me think how they pretty much used Schreiber as a host the same way they used Gosling although Gosling appears to have been a first time host they had way more faith in. C+
Booty Kings - A mid-to-late-aughts pre trap era hip hop song that seems like it's going to demean women at first but then turns out to be all about respecting them as people also doesn't seem to be the most original comedy premise in 2018 but this was actually pulled off well if you were willing to give it a fair chance. Its' tone was a bit uneven and inconsistent but it had more little things going for it. I did like Kenan and Chris placing coasters over girls' drinks and their sudden realization that all women have different names. I also liked Pete's character being completely incoherent all the way to the point where he reveals he is using a grill as a substitute for actual teeth. Other than that, Future and Lil Wayne felt like wasted cameos. The song was already so long and Chris, Kenan and Pete are already so good at convincingly portraying rappers that their presence felt like overkill. Plus, their verses went back and forth between sounding like they were in on the basic joke and sounding too much like generic lyrics lifted from actual rap songs. Still, I did like the visual of Future making it rain over a tip jar labeled "Womens' Rights Fund". Finally, I read a Vulture interview with Chris Redd last month when his and Pete's "Trees" video aired during Seth's episode and he confessed to his affinity for writing rap songs about serious issues he truly cares about like saving the environment and now apparently preventing sexual assault in an effort to reach and educate people. If this is another example of him doing that, well I certainly respect that and good for him. Kudos to Future and Lil Wayne for wanting to get in on this as a cause if that's also what they wanted. C+
Update seemed understandably rushed and uneven given the circumstances. First off, as a Coloradan I appreciate the Jared Polis shout out from Jost. It helped wash out the bad taste that Good Day Denver sketch left in my mouth. Other than that, I liked Josts' obligatory Florida joke (although the montage of Trump's implied/almost racial slurs didn't quite work for me) and Che clearly had the best midterm wrap up material. That Beto O'Rourke joke in particular was the most biting joke the shows' made about anyone on the left in recent memory. Most of the bit with Cecily as the white house intern came off as too awkward to work for me but I did like the obviously doctored video that was the payoff. Also, it was very classy of Pete to offer a sincere apology for his Dan Crenshaw joke last week. It was even better that the real Crenshaw was willing to actually come on the show and prove what a not easily offended good sport he was. I particularly liked his blue meth/Martin Short jabs directed at Pete. Also, for once I feel a sincere serious speech in the middle of the show is actually appropriate and even warranted (especially one of this length). They must have spent most of the time and effort that went into putting Update together getting Crenshaw to appear on the show and meeting his conditions to do so. That has to be the explanation as to why much of this Update felt so rushed together at the last minute. B+
The Poddys - Wow, a lot to unpack here. First off, I was wondering whether "Bros Save Politics" was supposed to be parodying "Pod Save America" or "Chapo Trap House" until I realized that the former (and SNL and late night comedy shows in general right now) are things that the latter would ruthlessly make fun of. Also, who was playing the silent third host of that podcast alongside Beck and Mikey? I also liked Kyle's podcast segment. The nervous white women segment makes me think Anna Drezen wrote this because it bears quite a resemblance to Melissa's character from last weeks' Update. I was actually surprised that Heidi's character made it out alive instead of Aidys. Also, I think I'm aware of quite a few comedy related podcasts that would find "La La Laughs" a bit too close to home. As far as impressions go, I did like Alex's Marc Maron and Kenans' Ving Rhames. As for Liev, I think he must actually frequently listen to the podcast of whoever he was portraying. I have a feeling he must have mentioned on Monday that he could do this semi-obscure impression and they then decided to write this entire sketch around it. C+
House Hunters - This worked extremely well because of their intense commitment to absurdist Tim & Eric/Comedy Bang! Bang! style humor. In fact, I think Weird Al may have been the star of a sketch that was very much like this on the final season of CB!B! The vertical floors was my favorite of the non stop crazy visual gags. It reminded me a lot of that exercise infomercial from Channing Tatums' 2012 episode but much more coherent and written by people who are actually competently able to pull off that style of comedy. It's good that the weirdest thing about this sketch was how it was Leslie's first appearance of the entire show. B-
Boys - This was definitely the funniest live piece of the night. I liked Beck & Kyle's intense commitment to physical comedy (it has been quite a while since we saw a piece on the show that they so obviously conceived just for themselves). I also liked how Aidy and Cecily didn't even try to hide their breaking. Also, I was pretty floored at how the show can seemingly just get away with dropping two GD bombs in one episode (and even have one be blatantly intention because it's part of a pre taped song) but I suppose we might have been spoiled by Chappelle's episode from two years ago where he alone said that and much more WAY more than just twice. B+
Dave's Outside The Women's Bathroom - This was another piece that worked just for it's sheer outlandish silliness. The only thing that hindered this was that Liev stumbled over quite a bit of his lines to a point where I wondered how this sketch would've gone with literally any other male host. I did like the twist that Heidi's character actually WANTED to be supportive of all of this. B-
Now, for my updated rankings for this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
4. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
5. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that was that. Next week, Steve Carrell returns for his third time hosting in just thirteen years. I think I'm not alone in saying that he is the first host I can get genuinely excited about seeing on the show this season given his extensive comedy and acting background outside of this show. See you then!
Sessions Packs Up - A few days ago, I had jokingly predicted that, in light of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' firing, this week's episode would open with Kate as Sessions singing "Hallelujah" at a piano alone on home base stage. Well, replace Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Adele's "Someone Like You" and add in an office setting plus several other characters and they came shockingly close to doing just that. I guess this would've been their safest choice for a cold open this week and I would understand why they would want to officially retire what has somehow become one of Kate's most inexplicable recurring characters. The only thing she did that really stood out to me was Kate listing off the various unique items on her desk she was packing. Otherwise, it was just more of the same standard portrayal of Sessions as a deranged Southern elf-possum hybrid creature we've seen on a regular basis for the past year and a half. Beck as Pence was okay. He had a great exit line. I liked seeing how refreshingly unformulaic Mikey & Alex were as Eric & Don Jr here. Otherwise, the DeNiro as Muller cameo and everything after the song felt a little too unnecessarily tacked on. C+
Monologue - Well, I appreciate them giving Schreiber a straight solo monologue. He handled that quite well after shaking off some first time jitters. I also appreciate how he initially showed some reverence toward the show and indicated that he has really wanted to be here for quite some time. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing someone who is primarily known as an intense dramatic actor currently best known for a prominent "tough guy" role show some real human vulnerability. My only real complaint was how his speech about midterm voter turnout seemed too awkwardly jammed in. C+
Good Day Denver II - I guess I shouldn't have expected anything BUT a carbon copy rewrite of the "Danny Bangs Animals" sketch from ScarJos' episode from two seasons ago but I guess I was just too caught off guard as soon as I noticed this was actually the second time they've used the "Good Day Denver" title card. Anyway, I can't say this was an improvement but I will say I liked how they chose to stop just short of milking this premise absolutely bone dry and how the hosts were definitely horrifyingly aware of their mistaken implications. B-
Unity Song - This music video sure seemed like one of the most all time unoriginal premises ever executed on this show but that execution was what saved it. At least the examples of commonly hated things didn't seem too far down the beaten path. Boy, if it weren't for Ego, Melissa, Chris Heidi and Liev being a part of this I would think that this was a leftover dress cut from season 41 just for how much it reminded me of "This Is Not A Feminist Song" from Ariana Grande's episode. Other than that, I was surprised that Kyles' background dancing at the very end wasn't something that was addressed within the song. B-
Paranormal Occurrence - Well, this was certainly an odd time to recur this sketch again. Even more odd is that this Kate character got no recognition applause like she did during the Ryan Gosling premiere from last season. I guess changing the premise of this sketch from describing an alien abduction to describing a ghost encounter allowed for a stranger, more absurd brand of humor here. Also, it somehow helped this sketch that Kate went all out with the juvenile toilet humor. My only other takeaway from this sketch was how Liev Schreiber seemed miscast as a Southern Country Bumpkin but at the same time, I get the sense that the real reason they did this sketch again was because Liev said he wanted to. It's funny how this sketch originated with Ryan Gosling because it made me think how they pretty much used Schreiber as a host the same way they used Gosling although Gosling appears to have been a first time host they had way more faith in. C+
Booty Kings - A mid-to-late-aughts pre trap era hip hop song that seems like it's going to demean women at first but then turns out to be all about respecting them as people also doesn't seem to be the most original comedy premise in 2018 but this was actually pulled off well if you were willing to give it a fair chance. Its' tone was a bit uneven and inconsistent but it had more little things going for it. I did like Kenan and Chris placing coasters over girls' drinks and their sudden realization that all women have different names. I also liked Pete's character being completely incoherent all the way to the point where he reveals he is using a grill as a substitute for actual teeth. Other than that, Future and Lil Wayne felt like wasted cameos. The song was already so long and Chris, Kenan and Pete are already so good at convincingly portraying rappers that their presence felt like overkill. Plus, their verses went back and forth between sounding like they were in on the basic joke and sounding too much like generic lyrics lifted from actual rap songs. Still, I did like the visual of Future making it rain over a tip jar labeled "Womens' Rights Fund". Finally, I read a Vulture interview with Chris Redd last month when his and Pete's "Trees" video aired during Seth's episode and he confessed to his affinity for writing rap songs about serious issues he truly cares about like saving the environment and now apparently preventing sexual assault in an effort to reach and educate people. If this is another example of him doing that, well I certainly respect that and good for him. Kudos to Future and Lil Wayne for wanting to get in on this as a cause if that's also what they wanted. C+
Update seemed understandably rushed and uneven given the circumstances. First off, as a Coloradan I appreciate the Jared Polis shout out from Jost. It helped wash out the bad taste that Good Day Denver sketch left in my mouth. Other than that, I liked Josts' obligatory Florida joke (although the montage of Trump's implied/almost racial slurs didn't quite work for me) and Che clearly had the best midterm wrap up material. That Beto O'Rourke joke in particular was the most biting joke the shows' made about anyone on the left in recent memory. Most of the bit with Cecily as the white house intern came off as too awkward to work for me but I did like the obviously doctored video that was the payoff. Also, it was very classy of Pete to offer a sincere apology for his Dan Crenshaw joke last week. It was even better that the real Crenshaw was willing to actually come on the show and prove what a not easily offended good sport he was. I particularly liked his blue meth/Martin Short jabs directed at Pete. Also, for once I feel a sincere serious speech in the middle of the show is actually appropriate and even warranted (especially one of this length). They must have spent most of the time and effort that went into putting Update together getting Crenshaw to appear on the show and meeting his conditions to do so. That has to be the explanation as to why much of this Update felt so rushed together at the last minute. B+
The Poddys - Wow, a lot to unpack here. First off, I was wondering whether "Bros Save Politics" was supposed to be parodying "Pod Save America" or "Chapo Trap House" until I realized that the former (and SNL and late night comedy shows in general right now) are things that the latter would ruthlessly make fun of. Also, who was playing the silent third host of that podcast alongside Beck and Mikey? I also liked Kyle's podcast segment. The nervous white women segment makes me think Anna Drezen wrote this because it bears quite a resemblance to Melissa's character from last weeks' Update. I was actually surprised that Heidi's character made it out alive instead of Aidys. Also, I think I'm aware of quite a few comedy related podcasts that would find "La La Laughs" a bit too close to home. As far as impressions go, I did like Alex's Marc Maron and Kenans' Ving Rhames. As for Liev, I think he must actually frequently listen to the podcast of whoever he was portraying. I have a feeling he must have mentioned on Monday that he could do this semi-obscure impression and they then decided to write this entire sketch around it. C+
House Hunters - This worked extremely well because of their intense commitment to absurdist Tim & Eric/Comedy Bang! Bang! style humor. In fact, I think Weird Al may have been the star of a sketch that was very much like this on the final season of CB!B! The vertical floors was my favorite of the non stop crazy visual gags. It reminded me a lot of that exercise infomercial from Channing Tatums' 2012 episode but much more coherent and written by people who are actually competently able to pull off that style of comedy. It's good that the weirdest thing about this sketch was how it was Leslie's first appearance of the entire show. B-
Boys - This was definitely the funniest live piece of the night. I liked Beck & Kyle's intense commitment to physical comedy (it has been quite a while since we saw a piece on the show that they so obviously conceived just for themselves). I also liked how Aidy and Cecily didn't even try to hide their breaking. Also, I was pretty floored at how the show can seemingly just get away with dropping two GD bombs in one episode (and even have one be blatantly intention because it's part of a pre taped song) but I suppose we might have been spoiled by Chappelle's episode from two years ago where he alone said that and much more WAY more than just twice. B+
Dave's Outside The Women's Bathroom - This was another piece that worked just for it's sheer outlandish silliness. The only thing that hindered this was that Liev stumbled over quite a bit of his lines to a point where I wondered how this sketch would've gone with literally any other male host. I did like the twist that Heidi's character actually WANTED to be supportive of all of this. B-
Now, for my updated rankings for this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Liev Schreiber/Lil Wayne
4. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
5. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that was that. Next week, Steve Carrell returns for his third time hosting in just thirteen years. I think I'm not alone in saying that he is the first host I can get genuinely excited about seeing on the show this season given his extensive comedy and acting background outside of this show. See you then!
Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers (11.3.2018)
Okay, here's my review. Even this early in this particular season, this was a very inconsistent middle of the road show. I guess my expectations were a little too high this time considering that I remember liking Jonah Hills' '08 and '16 shows overall (certainly much more than I liked his '12 and '14 shows). I must have forgot that as much as he likes to grow and mature as an actor (and now apparently director) in Hollywood he just comes back to SNL to return to his Appatow comedy roots. Once again, the casts airtime seemed a little uneven as well as Mikey, Alex & Chris were barely in the show but everyone else seems to have gotten in their fare share. Kudos to Melissa in particular for finally getting a decent chance to prove her worth here. Other than that, this show had a strange vibe to it as while we only really saw one recurring piece all night, everything else felt derivative of something the show had done previously. Let's break it down.
Ingraham Angle - Well, I guess it was anyones' guess as to what this week's cold open was going to be focused on. I did like the "migrant caravan" angle. While I thought it lacked some substance and was almost too "bare bones" for it's own good, everybody had funny lines and the performances were decent. I'm still not that crazy about Kate's Laura Ingraham but I did like the return of the Handeyesque fake sponsors. Cecilys' Jeneanne Pirro was the strongest impression in this. I'm glad the show finally took down Sherriff David Clarke but Kenans' performance left me wanting a bit more. I was wondering how Chris Redd or Dave Chappelle (who they say would've played this part when he hosted had the election turned out differently) would've done here. Obviously, the true highlight of the sketch was the show seemingly calling itself out over its' own high profile association with a certain VERY frequently recurring guest star. That was a high note to end this on. C+
Monologue - I'm not sure we needed yet another look inside the Five-Timers' club lounge but at least they took an opportunity to mildly surprise us with a few genuinely unexpected cameos (of which Candice Bergen was the most welcome, IMHO and her calling Jonah out over his using toilet humor as a crutch was the funniest part of this). Otherwise, I kinda found myself disappointed by this partly because I was quickly reminded of how all out they went when they inducted Timberlake five years ago and partly because I found it an awkward place to jam in a #MeToo screed. B-
I'm (Still) Six! - I was initially baffled when I saw the Benihana set being assembled during the commercial break. Since we did not see Adam Grossman during Jonah Hills' 2016 hosting stint, I assumed they had retired the character. I certainly wasn't expecting to see him return because...y'know, both Bill AND Vanessa have since left the show. I guess it's not too much to expect that they would find a way to do that without either of them by just sticking Leslie in their place. Given both of their penchants for breaking on camera, I guess this was a disaster waiting to happen but still that was the most endearing part of this. I also do appreciate how they actually tried to have the six year old face a significant challenge to his own inexperienced world view by having him meet his first real life gay couple at the restaurant. C-
Vote Blue...Please?!? - This didn't really go anywhere at all once it established it's main joke. I liked the Beck smoking/Kate drinking/windows shattering gags as well as the Kyle/Aidy/Pete scenes but that's about it. D+
KCR News Albany - This was all over the place in terms of broad performances but thankfully it established a serviceable twist ending and didn't take too long to get there. It came just short of overstaying it's welcome. The highlights were Jonah's green screen shirt mishap and Aidys' brief walk on. C-
Divided We Stand - I'd like to think that the theater kids from Woodbridge High School grew up and went out to try and make it on their own (because it's pretty obvious that who ever wrote those sketches likely had a hand in writing this one). The harsh reviews from Beck, Chris, Alex and Heidi are what made this for me (even as tired and cliched of a narrative device that's become on SNL). Jonah unintentionally does a dead on Lin-Manuel Miranda. B+
Driver's Ed - This was basically just the infamous Kenan wheelchair sketch from ScarJos' 2010 episode if it were done exactly three seasons later. That's right, I'm saying this sketch was such a conceptual mess that it seemed like something that could've only been done in 2013-14. Still, everyone's full commitment to this premise made it worth watching. Oddly, something about Kate's performance really reminded me of what made her stand out as a performer in her early seasons when she still had something to prove and she wasn't quite the shows' go-to workhorse performer yet. I also liked how they made it pretty clear that Pete, Aidy and Jonahs' giggling wasn't breaking and was actually a part of the sketch. D+
Update was pretty uneven. Most of the jokes were pretty lackluster but the commentaries were well worth tuning in for. Che may have set a new record with his midterm voting rant for "longest he has ever held on to whatever seemingly cogent, salient point he was trying to make before letting it get away from him". Besides that, Ches' Megyn Kelly spa joke and Josts' Colombian-nun-turned-porn-star joke were the only ones who stood out. Petes' newest "First Impressions" segment was funnier than it had any right to be for something that was probably hastily written that morning to replace whatever Ariana Grande related piece he was reported to have written that he and Lorne mutually decided to cut (but kudos to him for seriously addressing said breakup in the most mature and dignified way he could muster). It was refreshing to finally see Melissa given a real chance to pull her weight as a cast member even if it was just behind the Update desk on camera but it was icing on the cake. It was neat that she was doing an original character rather than an impression. It was icing on the cake that she was taking on a highly conceptual role that they normally would've given to Cecily or Heidi. She really delivered here. Is it just me or did it seem like she was simultaneously channeling every non-Ellen Cleghorne female cast member from the early '90s "Bad Boys" era? Kenans' Big Papi felt like more of the same (even if we really did go quite a while without actually seeing this character) but again, I did like hearing about all of his sponsorships. B+
Americas' Got Talent: Wait, They're Good? - This sketch dragged on WAY too long for what it was and pretty much belabored the hall out of any and every point it had to make. Fortunately, I don't really have to watch or keep up with AGT to get what they were going for. Speaking of which, it's pretty surreal seeing Melissa Villaseñor participate in an SNL sketch parodying AGT fully knowing full well she may not have gotten to be on the former show without first becoming a contestant on the latter. Kudos to Ego for landing her first impression role on the show. Also, is it just me or does Kyle not make a good enough Howie Mandel? C-
HuckaPM - Well, since I could see the big reveal coming from two towns over I'm glad they spent the minimal amount of time necessary getting past it. This didn't have the freshest or most original premise but the Farleyesque pratt falls saved it from being a total waste. B-
Pug Wigs - Well, this is best appreciated for the casts visual commitment to something so unabashedly silly. Thankfully, it didn't get dragged out. Kenan and Kyles' appearances were the best things about it. C+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
4. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Now, just for fun, I'm going to rank each of Jonah's previous episodes from best to worst like I do with all newly inducted five timers...
1. Jonah Hill/Mariah Carey (3/15/2008)
2. Jonah Hill/Future (3/5/2016)
3. Jonah Hill/Bastille (1/25/2014)
4. Jonah Hill/The Shins (3/10/2012)
5. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers (11/3/2018)
Well, that was that. Next week, Liev Schreiber hosts. I think I've already made my preconceptions about that perfectly clear. See you next week!
Ingraham Angle - Well, I guess it was anyones' guess as to what this week's cold open was going to be focused on. I did like the "migrant caravan" angle. While I thought it lacked some substance and was almost too "bare bones" for it's own good, everybody had funny lines and the performances were decent. I'm still not that crazy about Kate's Laura Ingraham but I did like the return of the Handeyesque fake sponsors. Cecilys' Jeneanne Pirro was the strongest impression in this. I'm glad the show finally took down Sherriff David Clarke but Kenans' performance left me wanting a bit more. I was wondering how Chris Redd or Dave Chappelle (who they say would've played this part when he hosted had the election turned out differently) would've done here. Obviously, the true highlight of the sketch was the show seemingly calling itself out over its' own high profile association with a certain VERY frequently recurring guest star. That was a high note to end this on. C+
Monologue - I'm not sure we needed yet another look inside the Five-Timers' club lounge but at least they took an opportunity to mildly surprise us with a few genuinely unexpected cameos (of which Candice Bergen was the most welcome, IMHO and her calling Jonah out over his using toilet humor as a crutch was the funniest part of this). Otherwise, I kinda found myself disappointed by this partly because I was quickly reminded of how all out they went when they inducted Timberlake five years ago and partly because I found it an awkward place to jam in a #MeToo screed. B-
I'm (Still) Six! - I was initially baffled when I saw the Benihana set being assembled during the commercial break. Since we did not see Adam Grossman during Jonah Hills' 2016 hosting stint, I assumed they had retired the character. I certainly wasn't expecting to see him return because...y'know, both Bill AND Vanessa have since left the show. I guess it's not too much to expect that they would find a way to do that without either of them by just sticking Leslie in their place. Given both of their penchants for breaking on camera, I guess this was a disaster waiting to happen but still that was the most endearing part of this. I also do appreciate how they actually tried to have the six year old face a significant challenge to his own inexperienced world view by having him meet his first real life gay couple at the restaurant. C-
Vote Blue...Please?!? - This didn't really go anywhere at all once it established it's main joke. I liked the Beck smoking/Kate drinking/windows shattering gags as well as the Kyle/Aidy/Pete scenes but that's about it. D+
KCR News Albany - This was all over the place in terms of broad performances but thankfully it established a serviceable twist ending and didn't take too long to get there. It came just short of overstaying it's welcome. The highlights were Jonah's green screen shirt mishap and Aidys' brief walk on. C-
Divided We Stand - I'd like to think that the theater kids from Woodbridge High School grew up and went out to try and make it on their own (because it's pretty obvious that who ever wrote those sketches likely had a hand in writing this one). The harsh reviews from Beck, Chris, Alex and Heidi are what made this for me (even as tired and cliched of a narrative device that's become on SNL). Jonah unintentionally does a dead on Lin-Manuel Miranda. B+
Driver's Ed - This was basically just the infamous Kenan wheelchair sketch from ScarJos' 2010 episode if it were done exactly three seasons later. That's right, I'm saying this sketch was such a conceptual mess that it seemed like something that could've only been done in 2013-14. Still, everyone's full commitment to this premise made it worth watching. Oddly, something about Kate's performance really reminded me of what made her stand out as a performer in her early seasons when she still had something to prove and she wasn't quite the shows' go-to workhorse performer yet. I also liked how they made it pretty clear that Pete, Aidy and Jonahs' giggling wasn't breaking and was actually a part of the sketch. D+
Update was pretty uneven. Most of the jokes were pretty lackluster but the commentaries were well worth tuning in for. Che may have set a new record with his midterm voting rant for "longest he has ever held on to whatever seemingly cogent, salient point he was trying to make before letting it get away from him". Besides that, Ches' Megyn Kelly spa joke and Josts' Colombian-nun-turned-porn-star joke were the only ones who stood out. Petes' newest "First Impressions" segment was funnier than it had any right to be for something that was probably hastily written that morning to replace whatever Ariana Grande related piece he was reported to have written that he and Lorne mutually decided to cut (but kudos to him for seriously addressing said breakup in the most mature and dignified way he could muster). It was refreshing to finally see Melissa given a real chance to pull her weight as a cast member even if it was just behind the Update desk on camera but it was icing on the cake. It was neat that she was doing an original character rather than an impression. It was icing on the cake that she was taking on a highly conceptual role that they normally would've given to Cecily or Heidi. She really delivered here. Is it just me or did it seem like she was simultaneously channeling every non-Ellen Cleghorne female cast member from the early '90s "Bad Boys" era? Kenans' Big Papi felt like more of the same (even if we really did go quite a while without actually seeing this character) but again, I did like hearing about all of his sponsorships. B+
Americas' Got Talent: Wait, They're Good? - This sketch dragged on WAY too long for what it was and pretty much belabored the hall out of any and every point it had to make. Fortunately, I don't really have to watch or keep up with AGT to get what they were going for. Speaking of which, it's pretty surreal seeing Melissa Villaseñor participate in an SNL sketch parodying AGT fully knowing full well she may not have gotten to be on the former show without first becoming a contestant on the latter. Kudos to Ego for landing her first impression role on the show. Also, is it just me or does Kyle not make a good enough Howie Mandel? C-
HuckaPM - Well, since I could see the big reveal coming from two towns over I'm glad they spent the minimal amount of time necessary getting past it. This didn't have the freshest or most original premise but the Farleyesque pratt falls saved it from being a total waste. B-
Pug Wigs - Well, this is best appreciated for the casts visual commitment to something so unabashedly silly. Thankfully, it didn't get dragged out. Kenan and Kyles' appearances were the best things about it. C+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers
4. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Now, just for fun, I'm going to rank each of Jonah's previous episodes from best to worst like I do with all newly inducted five timers...
1. Jonah Hill/Mariah Carey (3/15/2008)
2. Jonah Hill/Future (3/5/2016)
3. Jonah Hill/Bastille (1/25/2014)
4. Jonah Hill/The Shins (3/10/2012)
5. Jonah Hill/Maggie Rogers (11/3/2018)
Well, that was that. Next week, Liev Schreiber hosts. I think I've already made my preconceptions about that perfectly clear. See you next week!
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Seth Meyers/Paul Simon (10.14.18)
Okay, here's my review. This was a bit of a divisive and slightly uneven show, but it was still quite enjoyable nonetheless. Seth may have seemed like a mere serviceable host on the surface but as I watched this show and saw Seth's chemistry with the cast (most of which he hasn't worked with on the show) I could actually see what Taran Killam was talking about when he said Seth was a better and more directly collaborative head writer than Jost was. I was also glad to see they mostly focused on original premises (aside from a few things that seemed quite familiar). Then again, they had no choice given that the host was someone who managed to become a beloved alumni while only maintaining a handful of obscure semi-recurting characters (although these days it's easier than ever to pull off such a feat while mostly being known as a Weekend Update anchor & head writer who works well with other cast members). Speaking of which, it felt like I was watching a host less show for the first time in years (if not decades) especially since Seth seemed to fade into the background even as host (I guess old habits really do die hard) and refreshingly the cast was the focus. While airtime seemed quite unevenly divided, it turned out to be a good night for Kenan, Heidi, Aidy and Chris. They seemed to be the only cast members who made more than two appearances in the entire show for some reason (a side from possibly Beck, Kyle & Kate). Cecily and Mikey in particular were practically nonexistent tonight. We've actually got a lot more to unpack than this tonight so let's get right down to it.
Trump-Kanye-Brown Summit - Well, I have to say I'm proud of Baldwin & the show for showing an admirable mutual restraint toward each other for the previous two episodes but I suppose it could only last so long. Oh well, all good things must come to an end as they say. I knew a big Trump centric headline would come along eventually that would necessitate Baldwin's inevitable return. Thankfully, they decided to have Baldwin just hang back and let Chris Redd take the wheel with his hilarious-as-expected Kanye impression. Kenan had a string of great one liners to chime in with as well. Kudos to whoever on this board predicted this would take the same form as the Palin Endorsement cold open from January 2016 with Fey and Hammond but I was expecting something a little different. Also, I have to give them credit for getting Baldwin to actually show us a shred of self awareness after that cringe-worthy Hollywood reporter interview even as forced as it came off. I guess Jost & Che didn't talk so much about this event on Update because they wrote this cold open about it instead and obviously got the bulk of what they had to say out of the way early. It's pretty obvious this was them since it was filled with Update like commentary to begin with. B-
Monologue - I still don't quite know what to make of this one. While I appreciate the show giving us a second real solo monologue in a row (and I've especially come to appreciate Seth giving monologues more in general given how much the general approach to topical humor has improved on Late Night in the past two years) but I was a little disappointed this was so sedentary given how much he was talking up his past with the show here. I mean, I was hoping to escape the expected onslaught of Obama first term era cast cameos as much as the next guy (who also happens to frequent this board) but I honestly wouldn't have minded one or two here (preferably Hader or Samberg since his name was mentioned here...and speaking of I did appreciate Seths' joke about naming his kids "dick" & "box" in Sambergs' honor). As for the rest of this monologue, while I appreciate the way Seth told the anecdote about pitching Kanye the BET 106 & Park sketch he participated, there were two specific things that disappointed me about it. First of all, he ended up telling us about a sketch that actually made it to air that you can actually watch on the SNL app as I did two weeks ago before the season premiere aired. Part of me wanted to see him go even more "inside baseball" than he did. Second, given my immediate familiarity with the sketch Seth was talking about I couldn't appreciate the implied twist that they predicted the 2009 Taylor Swift VMA incident since I already knew he was talking about a sketch that actually made it to air in 2007. Hell, I remember even watching it live back then at 16 years of age and still liking that sketch despite my early dislike for Kanye & his bloated ego because it at least showed he had a solid sense of humor about himself. That should show you how long ago 2007 really was. While were on the subject, heres' something I had realized before the season premiere that I just plum forgot to put in my review of that episode. That was the second time in eleven years that SNL had to get Kanye West of all people to fill in for a female musical guest who dropped out of doing the season premiere at the last possible minute. In 2007, he was replacing Amy Winehouse and this year he replaced Ariana Grande. C+
South Of Mason Screening - This sketch felt like something I had seen on the show several times before. It seems like they do this exact type of sketch once every season. I detected specific hints of the Kmart Returns line from Saiorse Ronans' show last year, the film screening sketch from the Emily Blunt show the year before that and the town hall meeting sketches from the Amy Schumer & Ronda Rousey sketches the season before that. I'm willing to bet this sketch and at least one or two of the previous ones I just mentioned were written by the same people. As for the meat of this one, it was pretty scattershot (and I am glad it was because I was glad they didn't just stick with the main jokes that Beck, Aidy and Leslies' characters had established) but I have to say Kyle, Cecily & Heidi were the real standouts here. They somewhat surprisingly gave me my biggest laughs in this sketch. Heidi stood out for her sudden character change and the fact that whoever did write this chose to name her character "Adele Dazeem". Cecily stood out to me because upon rewatching this sketch I noticed that this was literally her only appearance of the entire show. Seth & Kenan were solid anchors here (although in the case of the latter his leftover beard makeup being stuck on from the cold open was distractingly noticable). C+
Beta Force - I'm glad that somebody finally not only parodied this specific type of late night infomercial but took this premise to its' logical conclusion by imagining what the side effects would be if someone took these types of products and they actually worked as intended. Seriously, just imagine being such a person for a second. Seth did a good job disappearing into two sides of the same Jekyll & Hyde type character but it was really Becks' string narration that helped sell this. Kenans' cameo gave me the biggest laugh of the whole sketch. C+
Thirsty Cops - Glad to see they decided to give Ego her first showcase sketch with a lead role in her third episode (in something I'm guessing she & Leslie helped write together). I guess I was right when I tweeted at the guys who do the "That Week In SNL" podcast that Seth seemed like the type of host who would encourage the staff to give a new cast member like Ego her first fair shot on the show. I don't know why Kate chose to lay on a thick Pittsburgh accent here but it worked. I also liked how they didn't let this run on too long after Kate exited the scene either. I would say the thing I appreciated most about this sketch was just seeing how comfortable and completely within their own elements Ego and Leslie looked (which in Egos' case should help her get far on the show). My only suggestion to improve this would've been to maybe just place them in various different scenes throughout the sketch and hit on an array of different handsome male perps but I suppose that might be difficult to pull off live and there is the chance they might want to make this recurring. I have a sneaking suspicion that they pitched this to Adam Driver two weeks ago and it was cut from dress rehearsal but the ladies were easily persuaded to resubmit this to Seth. B-
A Frightening Tale - Glad to see they could get just the right amount of mileage out of something that could've seemed almost too banal on paper. I think the quick pace combined with the heightened superficial terror really made this for me. I liked seeing everyone's commitment and Kyle was playing the perfect role that seemed tailor made just for him. A-
The Cosby Cell - Kenan was hidden in the shadows for just long enough that I could immediately tell what his big reveal was going to be mere seconds before it actually happened. Besides that, this sketch just went on far too long with little in the way of standout jokes. Kenans' performance was the best thing about it. Seth's cue card starting was a bit distracting and Redd may have botched his second line because I don't think the lights were just supposed to flicker off briefly then turn back on when he said "lights out" just allowing the sketch to continue as normal. I originally had this pegged as a Jost & Che & Seth collaboration because it reminded me quite a bit of a sketch from last year around this time where Kenan played OJ out on a dinner date with Gal Gadot after he had just been released from prison which we later found out that they wrote together. I'm more disappointed than I am surprised to learn that John Mulaney cowrote this. I realize he wrote "The Obama Show" from the 2012 Maya Rudolph hosted episode but I found this to be just slightly below the standards set by most of his previous work. C-
Update was pretty uneven but what turned out to be good was very worthwhile. I have to give Jost & Che some props because I respect their deliberate choice to open with a rant on the recent dire climate change reports. I liked Josts' parts and Ches' "white girls love yarn" jokes. Unfortunately, those are the only things they contributed that stood out to me and Colins' breaking just called attention to how weak some of the rest of the jokes were. Usually, I like seeing Heidi debut a new character on Update but this really didn't do it for me. I appreciate Ches' attempt to nudge this in the right direction (or just any specific direction really) but it reminded me too much of all the grating sonetimes one-shot and plenty of other sometimes should've stayed one shot characters that Kristen Wiig and (to a much, much lesser extent) Vanessa Bayer did on Update over the years. I'm not surprised that I accurately predicted we'd get a new "Really?!?" alongside Jost & Che (I guess Poehler was too busy to make it out to 30 Rock this week) but what we did get was pretty entertaining. I was especially surprised that even Che could get away with dropping a legit n-bomb on the air & I can't wait to see how he will use his remaining three he's been allotted. I especially liked how the show also pretty much called itself out for making Trump president but way not for the reason you would think (although from what I've heard it was more Obama making fun of him that inspired him to run than Seth but if you really want to overanalyze that moment I would blame whoever invited Trump to this event in the first place). Mostly, I just enjoyed Seth, Colin & Che just loosen up and have fun with each other. B-
Bayou Benny's Liberal Lagniape - By far, this was the funniest sketch of the entire night. I was already really into the premise of a much more sincere and MUCH more southern and cajun version of a Bill Maher type left leaning panel show and Becks' insane levels of commitment really hit it out of the park. I was cracking up at Kate as the pepper with sunglasses and Alex as a giant biscuit. Heidi was serviceable as Taylor Swift and Seth fit in well as the more bewildered of the two non-cajun guests. I'm willing to bet this was written by some of the same people who wrote "Maine Justice". A+
Post Cuban Vacation - This was definitely the weakest sketch of the night but I still like how they gave Heidi another chance to play a new character. This role of hers wasn't quite as great either but at least it wasn't quite as grating as the Goop spokeswoman that she played on Update. I did also like how this was the one sketch of the night where Seth didn't just play himself or some variation of himself and I did like his "low IQ" line. Other than that, Kate's last few lines were the best thing about this. I'm not that shocked to learn that James Anderson wrote this as I am to learn that he wrote it for Heidi rather than Cecily. I just hope he doesn't get to Heidi too soon. D+
Trees - This was definitely the best taped segment of the night. I liked how densely packed with plot it was for a rap video. I also liked the extended fourth wall break between Pete & Chris as well as Chris' verse about how long it actually takes for trees to grow. Alex's speech at the doctors office also added a lot to this. This was just as funny as "Bayou Barrys' Liberal Langiape". The only thing that took me out of it was how they awkwardly cut off the beginning during the original live airing by cutting to commercial by accident and seemingly cutting right back. B+
Halloween Gig (Gucci Shoes) - I'm quite surprised they chose to do this twice let alone three times (and yes I had to look this character up on SNL Archives just to see when Kenan had played him before because I knew I'd faintly remembered it before). Maybe Seth had seen this and was a fan or maybe Anderson & Sublette wanted to do this sketch with Seth. Still, I'll admit it's grown on me. I get the feeling they had to cut this off early because they were running short on time. I was expecting another character show show up with Kenans' Gucci Shoes because that's how the Martin Freeman and Ryan Gosling 2017 editions of this sketch ended. Oh well, I guess I could've gone either way on the ending. C+
Goodnights - Yeah, these got cut off early too but they were posted in full on the SNL Twitter feed. In case you still didn't see them, Paul Simon was presented with a birthday cake. The show must have seriously been running long because I can't imagine why they would cut this off when they did.
Now for my updated rankings of this season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that show was considerably more fun than expected. It really gave a new meaning to the expression "less is more". Next month, Jonah Hill joins the five timers club. He's yet another host I find it hard to get excited about (partly because of how underwhelming some of his previous episodes turned out to be). At least this time, it's obvious that he has at least one thing to actually promote. Also, I think at this point it's safe to say he can be added to the list of hosts who are asked back as often as they are just because the current cast and crew simply love working with them because of how generous they are so I'm looking forward to getting to see another show with the same friendly vibe as this one. I'm just glad to see him finally reach this milestone. See you then!
Trump-Kanye-Brown Summit - Well, I have to say I'm proud of Baldwin & the show for showing an admirable mutual restraint toward each other for the previous two episodes but I suppose it could only last so long. Oh well, all good things must come to an end as they say. I knew a big Trump centric headline would come along eventually that would necessitate Baldwin's inevitable return. Thankfully, they decided to have Baldwin just hang back and let Chris Redd take the wheel with his hilarious-as-expected Kanye impression. Kenan had a string of great one liners to chime in with as well. Kudos to whoever on this board predicted this would take the same form as the Palin Endorsement cold open from January 2016 with Fey and Hammond but I was expecting something a little different. Also, I have to give them credit for getting Baldwin to actually show us a shred of self awareness after that cringe-worthy Hollywood reporter interview even as forced as it came off. I guess Jost & Che didn't talk so much about this event on Update because they wrote this cold open about it instead and obviously got the bulk of what they had to say out of the way early. It's pretty obvious this was them since it was filled with Update like commentary to begin with. B-
Monologue - I still don't quite know what to make of this one. While I appreciate the show giving us a second real solo monologue in a row (and I've especially come to appreciate Seth giving monologues more in general given how much the general approach to topical humor has improved on Late Night in the past two years) but I was a little disappointed this was so sedentary given how much he was talking up his past with the show here. I mean, I was hoping to escape the expected onslaught of Obama first term era cast cameos as much as the next guy (who also happens to frequent this board) but I honestly wouldn't have minded one or two here (preferably Hader or Samberg since his name was mentioned here...and speaking of I did appreciate Seths' joke about naming his kids "dick" & "box" in Sambergs' honor). As for the rest of this monologue, while I appreciate the way Seth told the anecdote about pitching Kanye the BET 106 & Park sketch he participated, there were two specific things that disappointed me about it. First of all, he ended up telling us about a sketch that actually made it to air that you can actually watch on the SNL app as I did two weeks ago before the season premiere aired. Part of me wanted to see him go even more "inside baseball" than he did. Second, given my immediate familiarity with the sketch Seth was talking about I couldn't appreciate the implied twist that they predicted the 2009 Taylor Swift VMA incident since I already knew he was talking about a sketch that actually made it to air in 2007. Hell, I remember even watching it live back then at 16 years of age and still liking that sketch despite my early dislike for Kanye & his bloated ego because it at least showed he had a solid sense of humor about himself. That should show you how long ago 2007 really was. While were on the subject, heres' something I had realized before the season premiere that I just plum forgot to put in my review of that episode. That was the second time in eleven years that SNL had to get Kanye West of all people to fill in for a female musical guest who dropped out of doing the season premiere at the last possible minute. In 2007, he was replacing Amy Winehouse and this year he replaced Ariana Grande. C+
South Of Mason Screening - This sketch felt like something I had seen on the show several times before. It seems like they do this exact type of sketch once every season. I detected specific hints of the Kmart Returns line from Saiorse Ronans' show last year, the film screening sketch from the Emily Blunt show the year before that and the town hall meeting sketches from the Amy Schumer & Ronda Rousey sketches the season before that. I'm willing to bet this sketch and at least one or two of the previous ones I just mentioned were written by the same people. As for the meat of this one, it was pretty scattershot (and I am glad it was because I was glad they didn't just stick with the main jokes that Beck, Aidy and Leslies' characters had established) but I have to say Kyle, Cecily & Heidi were the real standouts here. They somewhat surprisingly gave me my biggest laughs in this sketch. Heidi stood out for her sudden character change and the fact that whoever did write this chose to name her character "Adele Dazeem". Cecily stood out to me because upon rewatching this sketch I noticed that this was literally her only appearance of the entire show. Seth & Kenan were solid anchors here (although in the case of the latter his leftover beard makeup being stuck on from the cold open was distractingly noticable). C+
Beta Force - I'm glad that somebody finally not only parodied this specific type of late night infomercial but took this premise to its' logical conclusion by imagining what the side effects would be if someone took these types of products and they actually worked as intended. Seriously, just imagine being such a person for a second. Seth did a good job disappearing into two sides of the same Jekyll & Hyde type character but it was really Becks' string narration that helped sell this. Kenans' cameo gave me the biggest laugh of the whole sketch. C+
Thirsty Cops - Glad to see they decided to give Ego her first showcase sketch with a lead role in her third episode (in something I'm guessing she & Leslie helped write together). I guess I was right when I tweeted at the guys who do the "That Week In SNL" podcast that Seth seemed like the type of host who would encourage the staff to give a new cast member like Ego her first fair shot on the show. I don't know why Kate chose to lay on a thick Pittsburgh accent here but it worked. I also liked how they didn't let this run on too long after Kate exited the scene either. I would say the thing I appreciated most about this sketch was just seeing how comfortable and completely within their own elements Ego and Leslie looked (which in Egos' case should help her get far on the show). My only suggestion to improve this would've been to maybe just place them in various different scenes throughout the sketch and hit on an array of different handsome male perps but I suppose that might be difficult to pull off live and there is the chance they might want to make this recurring. I have a sneaking suspicion that they pitched this to Adam Driver two weeks ago and it was cut from dress rehearsal but the ladies were easily persuaded to resubmit this to Seth. B-
A Frightening Tale - Glad to see they could get just the right amount of mileage out of something that could've seemed almost too banal on paper. I think the quick pace combined with the heightened superficial terror really made this for me. I liked seeing everyone's commitment and Kyle was playing the perfect role that seemed tailor made just for him. A-
The Cosby Cell - Kenan was hidden in the shadows for just long enough that I could immediately tell what his big reveal was going to be mere seconds before it actually happened. Besides that, this sketch just went on far too long with little in the way of standout jokes. Kenans' performance was the best thing about it. Seth's cue card starting was a bit distracting and Redd may have botched his second line because I don't think the lights were just supposed to flicker off briefly then turn back on when he said "lights out" just allowing the sketch to continue as normal. I originally had this pegged as a Jost & Che & Seth collaboration because it reminded me quite a bit of a sketch from last year around this time where Kenan played OJ out on a dinner date with Gal Gadot after he had just been released from prison which we later found out that they wrote together. I'm more disappointed than I am surprised to learn that John Mulaney cowrote this. I realize he wrote "The Obama Show" from the 2012 Maya Rudolph hosted episode but I found this to be just slightly below the standards set by most of his previous work. C-
Update was pretty uneven but what turned out to be good was very worthwhile. I have to give Jost & Che some props because I respect their deliberate choice to open with a rant on the recent dire climate change reports. I liked Josts' parts and Ches' "white girls love yarn" jokes. Unfortunately, those are the only things they contributed that stood out to me and Colins' breaking just called attention to how weak some of the rest of the jokes were. Usually, I like seeing Heidi debut a new character on Update but this really didn't do it for me. I appreciate Ches' attempt to nudge this in the right direction (or just any specific direction really) but it reminded me too much of all the grating sonetimes one-shot and plenty of other sometimes should've stayed one shot characters that Kristen Wiig and (to a much, much lesser extent) Vanessa Bayer did on Update over the years. I'm not surprised that I accurately predicted we'd get a new "Really?!?" alongside Jost & Che (I guess Poehler was too busy to make it out to 30 Rock this week) but what we did get was pretty entertaining. I was especially surprised that even Che could get away with dropping a legit n-bomb on the air & I can't wait to see how he will use his remaining three he's been allotted. I especially liked how the show also pretty much called itself out for making Trump president but way not for the reason you would think (although from what I've heard it was more Obama making fun of him that inspired him to run than Seth but if you really want to overanalyze that moment I would blame whoever invited Trump to this event in the first place). Mostly, I just enjoyed Seth, Colin & Che just loosen up and have fun with each other. B-
Bayou Benny's Liberal Lagniape - By far, this was the funniest sketch of the entire night. I was already really into the premise of a much more sincere and MUCH more southern and cajun version of a Bill Maher type left leaning panel show and Becks' insane levels of commitment really hit it out of the park. I was cracking up at Kate as the pepper with sunglasses and Alex as a giant biscuit. Heidi was serviceable as Taylor Swift and Seth fit in well as the more bewildered of the two non-cajun guests. I'm willing to bet this was written by some of the same people who wrote "Maine Justice". A+
Post Cuban Vacation - This was definitely the weakest sketch of the night but I still like how they gave Heidi another chance to play a new character. This role of hers wasn't quite as great either but at least it wasn't quite as grating as the Goop spokeswoman that she played on Update. I did also like how this was the one sketch of the night where Seth didn't just play himself or some variation of himself and I did like his "low IQ" line. Other than that, Kate's last few lines were the best thing about this. I'm not that shocked to learn that James Anderson wrote this as I am to learn that he wrote it for Heidi rather than Cecily. I just hope he doesn't get to Heidi too soon. D+
Trees - This was definitely the best taped segment of the night. I liked how densely packed with plot it was for a rap video. I also liked the extended fourth wall break between Pete & Chris as well as Chris' verse about how long it actually takes for trees to grow. Alex's speech at the doctors office also added a lot to this. This was just as funny as "Bayou Barrys' Liberal Langiape". The only thing that took me out of it was how they awkwardly cut off the beginning during the original live airing by cutting to commercial by accident and seemingly cutting right back. B+
Halloween Gig (Gucci Shoes) - I'm quite surprised they chose to do this twice let alone three times (and yes I had to look this character up on SNL Archives just to see when Kenan had played him before because I knew I'd faintly remembered it before). Maybe Seth had seen this and was a fan or maybe Anderson & Sublette wanted to do this sketch with Seth. Still, I'll admit it's grown on me. I get the feeling they had to cut this off early because they were running short on time. I was expecting another character show show up with Kenans' Gucci Shoes because that's how the Martin Freeman and Ryan Gosling 2017 editions of this sketch ended. Oh well, I guess I could've gone either way on the ending. C+
Goodnights - Yeah, these got cut off early too but they were posted in full on the SNL Twitter feed. In case you still didn't see them, Paul Simon was presented with a birthday cake. The show must have seriously been running long because I can't imagine why they would cut this off when they did.
Now for my updated rankings of this season so far...
1. Seth Meyers/Paul Simon
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
3. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
Well, that show was considerably more fun than expected. It really gave a new meaning to the expression "less is more". Next month, Jonah Hill joins the five timers club. He's yet another host I find it hard to get excited about (partly because of how underwhelming some of his previous episodes turned out to be). At least this time, it's obvious that he has at least one thing to actually promote. Also, I think at this point it's safe to say he can be added to the list of hosts who are asked back as often as they are just because the current cast and crew simply love working with them because of how generous they are so I'm looking forward to getting to see another show with the same friendly vibe as this one. I'm just glad to see him finally reach this milestone. See you then!
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Awkwafina/Travis Scott (10.6.2018)
Okay, here's my review. This show was a slight step up from last week, overall. It was more consistent in terms of sketch quality and relied less on recurring sketches and premises. Awkwafina delivered exactly what I expected her to as a host, but I'm not expecting her to be joining the five timers club anytime soon. Still, she didn't seem to be in every sketch and was exactly as (barely) visual as Adam Driver was last week. If this trend continues into November, I would find that troubling. Still, at least this show didn't rely as much on outside help to make the headlines this week (which, while good, makes the lack of a host presence THIS week somewhat more troubling).
CNN Kavanaugh Post Game Locker Room Coverage - This cold open wasn't what I was expecting but I liked it just fine. At least it's a different approach (even though it gave me flashbacks to Kate's performance as Hillary during the Lin-Manuel Miranda/Twenty One Pilots cold open). Speaking of Kate, while her Lindsey Graham impression continues to underwhelm (I would've rather have seen her play Susan Collins but Cecily did okay in that role) at least she had better written material than last week. Everybody had decent lines here and Heidi was a pretty solid straight woman anchor here. Beck as Mitch McConnell was the true highlight here. I did like how they kicked in with the Schumer interview portion right when I was starting to tire of the rowdy locker room premise (and was also wondering how Pete & Cecily fit into the roles they were given instead of Mikey, Melissa & Alex). Also, Kenan as Don Lemon was fine but left a little to be desired to what we were able to see of Jay Pharrohs' impression of him. I wonder why they didn't just have Chris Redd play Lemon? Still, this is encouraging after last week it's a sign they're capable of moving away from stunt casting and celebrity cameos (both unexpected and completely expected) in political opens. C+
Monologue - I wasn't expecting a straight, solo monologue from Awkwafina either, but it was very nice to see considering she just became famous so recently. To my knowledge she's more known as a comedic rapper turned actress and doesn't do standup regularly. I was half expecting her to bust out into a rap number stomping all around the studio here but what we ended up getting here actually made me glad that didn't happen. This should've been a good way for her to let the audience know how she is (especially if they barely know who she is). The "water bottle" joke at the beginning seemed a little too forced but the Lucy Liu story was very endearing and I liked her imitating her own fathers' Trump-like accent. Hell, at this point she'd be more fun to watch playing Trump on the show than Baldwin (and considering the fact that we're two shows into a new season and he has yet to show up even once to play him shows either incredible restraint on the show's part or extreme burnout on Baldwin's part). B-
Dance Battle - I guess since Awkwafina didn't end up filming a big flashy music video with the female cast (which I guess is something they really did leave behind when Sasheer & Vanessa left the show) this could've been the most she was in her own comfort zone the entire night. Still, this was actually very funny for what it was. I did like how they bucked expectations by having the Mikey/Ego/Kate/Redd team actually be intimidated by the opposing team's use of game show music instead of just confused or put off by it. Plus, if Travis Scott had to make an actual sketch appearance tonight this would've been the most appropriate one for him to be in. He actually helped provide this sketch with a real conclusion too somehow. The only thing that really bugged me was that while Kate actually can dance she felt a little out of place in this sketch. Maybe Pete or Heidi would've fit better there. Also, I do feel a little bit bad for Ego considering this was her only appearance of the night. I know it's only her second show, but still she, like all new featured players really only has until Christmas to prove herself. B-
Cricket Emergency Alerts - Even though the premise of this felt like I've seen it done to death on my social media feeds (Trump using the EAS system to deliver the exact same trivial and stupid messages he's been using Twitter for the past several years) this was still fun to see play out. Kate suddenly dropping her phone in the nearest available hot dog water was a sight gag that genuinely made me laugh and the twist of this being a Cricket ad was clever. B-
Hidden Tales Of Egypt - This was the weakest sketch of the night, but at least it was short. It got right to the point and got out. Cecily was the most likable player in this because even when she switched from playing it completely straight to playing like everyone else was playing it she did the least overacting. D+
Ted Cruz For Senate - Beck Bennett did a fine job picking up where Taran Killam left off in the impersonations department. His Cruz isn't quite there yet but there were plenty of other visual gags around him to cover it up. Seeing Ted Cruz physically damage and break every piece of equipment he touches effortlessly was hilarious and I especially liked him breaking his nose while dabbing. I almost wish they would've explored this a bit further. B+
Update was much more consistent than last week in terms of how many strong jokes there were. Somehow, I had a feeling we would see Eric & Don Jr drop by tonight but I liked how much they noticeably changed up the formula to these bits. Even the part where Mikey brings out the obligatory toy to distract Alex seemed much different. I also appreciate how much more smug, cocky and undeservedly confident Alex has made Eric and how his dialogue occurs much more naturally. While I'm not sure I like the idea of Pete appearing on Update two consecutive weeks in a row, I did like his humorously self-effacing commentary on Kanye's off-air rant from this week much more than his commentary on his & Arianas' relationship from last week. I especially liked him making fun of his own sense of style doubling down on the Chevy Chase dissing & showcasing his own reaction to Kanye as it happened last week (and at least now they can say part of Kanye's rant did make it to air, audible boos & all). B+
So You're Willing To Date A Magician - This felt like the longest sketch of the night simply because there were so many different & distinct characters that each demanded our attention. Kenan & Kyle were the real standouts. Alex & Heidi just came across like they were trying too hard (a rare miss for either of them, this really feels like a first). Meanwhile, Pete came across like he wasn't trying hard enough. His whole presence really took me out of this whole sketch because I really couldn't tell why the camera was supposed to be on and off of him when it was. Awkwafina & Leslie were good foils to all of this & Leslie fit surprisingly well into the game show host mold. C-
Baby Shower - From what they showed of the set during the commercial break, I thought we were getting another installment of the "haircut" & "spirit animal" sketches from the mother's day shows that Brie Larson & Melissa McCarthy hosted within the past three years. Then, I realized that whoever wrote those is probably not on the show anymore. Then, I got more disappointed when I realized what other previous sketch this was a carbon copy of. This was definitely the weakest live sketch of the night. I have a feeling this was written by Anderson & Sublette or if not them, whoever wrote the ten-to-one sketch from Amy Schumer's 2015 episode where she played a bartender (not just because both sketches were set at baby showers but because they also followed the same specific formula right down to Cecily breaking down in tears after her strange friend she invited shows up and gets them both upset about something). At least this one was better because it had an infinitely more likable host in it and had a quicker resolution. C-
Pumpkin Patch - This had a very sophomoric premise but Beck, Kyle and Mikey did their damndest to sell this one. For a brief moment, I thought this might have been written by the same people who wrote the high school wrestling short from the last episode Jonah Hill hosted two and a half years ago but Beck & Kyle were barely in that one whereas they were the main focus of this one so it's a safe bet this was written by them. C+
Film Panel - While I've never been all that crazy about Debette Goldry as a character (and I still don't believe her sketches are the right venue for SNL to address #MeToo comedically) this had its moments. I did like Kates' "cigarette nap/sleepy bitch" line as well as her jokes about giving away the Lindbergh baby & playing all the Asian woman roles in the '40s. It was nice to see Heidi's Allison Janney again (even played completely straight) and Awkwafina fit into this well (even though there are only so many things you can do with a Sandrah Oh impression). C-
Now, for my first official ranking of season 44...
1. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
Well, that show took a few more baby steps in the right direction. Next week, Seth Meyers will make his hosting debut which means his show will probably be in reruns as he spends his week working just a bit further down the hall from where he normally does. You know, I legitimately thought this would never happen as recently as last month given Seth's lack of characters and acting experience while being on the show. However, I'm more accepting of the idea of it now that I've come to appreciate Seth more on Late Night. Still, I hope they don't overload us with certain cameos from his cast and I hope he pulls a Mulaney/Lobster Diner/Second Chance theater on us and tries to revive some of his favorite sketches that never made it. I think at a certain point it became more & more obvious that Seth's hidden talents lied more in the writing department anyway. That seemed to be the consensus. See you then!
CNN Kavanaugh Post Game Locker Room Coverage - This cold open wasn't what I was expecting but I liked it just fine. At least it's a different approach (even though it gave me flashbacks to Kate's performance as Hillary during the Lin-Manuel Miranda/Twenty One Pilots cold open). Speaking of Kate, while her Lindsey Graham impression continues to underwhelm (I would've rather have seen her play Susan Collins but Cecily did okay in that role) at least she had better written material than last week. Everybody had decent lines here and Heidi was a pretty solid straight woman anchor here. Beck as Mitch McConnell was the true highlight here. I did like how they kicked in with the Schumer interview portion right when I was starting to tire of the rowdy locker room premise (and was also wondering how Pete & Cecily fit into the roles they were given instead of Mikey, Melissa & Alex). Also, Kenan as Don Lemon was fine but left a little to be desired to what we were able to see of Jay Pharrohs' impression of him. I wonder why they didn't just have Chris Redd play Lemon? Still, this is encouraging after last week it's a sign they're capable of moving away from stunt casting and celebrity cameos (both unexpected and completely expected) in political opens. C+
Monologue - I wasn't expecting a straight, solo monologue from Awkwafina either, but it was very nice to see considering she just became famous so recently. To my knowledge she's more known as a comedic rapper turned actress and doesn't do standup regularly. I was half expecting her to bust out into a rap number stomping all around the studio here but what we ended up getting here actually made me glad that didn't happen. This should've been a good way for her to let the audience know how she is (especially if they barely know who she is). The "water bottle" joke at the beginning seemed a little too forced but the Lucy Liu story was very endearing and I liked her imitating her own fathers' Trump-like accent. Hell, at this point she'd be more fun to watch playing Trump on the show than Baldwin (and considering the fact that we're two shows into a new season and he has yet to show up even once to play him shows either incredible restraint on the show's part or extreme burnout on Baldwin's part). B-
Dance Battle - I guess since Awkwafina didn't end up filming a big flashy music video with the female cast (which I guess is something they really did leave behind when Sasheer & Vanessa left the show) this could've been the most she was in her own comfort zone the entire night. Still, this was actually very funny for what it was. I did like how they bucked expectations by having the Mikey/Ego/Kate/Redd team actually be intimidated by the opposing team's use of game show music instead of just confused or put off by it. Plus, if Travis Scott had to make an actual sketch appearance tonight this would've been the most appropriate one for him to be in. He actually helped provide this sketch with a real conclusion too somehow. The only thing that really bugged me was that while Kate actually can dance she felt a little out of place in this sketch. Maybe Pete or Heidi would've fit better there. Also, I do feel a little bit bad for Ego considering this was her only appearance of the night. I know it's only her second show, but still she, like all new featured players really only has until Christmas to prove herself. B-
Cricket Emergency Alerts - Even though the premise of this felt like I've seen it done to death on my social media feeds (Trump using the EAS system to deliver the exact same trivial and stupid messages he's been using Twitter for the past several years) this was still fun to see play out. Kate suddenly dropping her phone in the nearest available hot dog water was a sight gag that genuinely made me laugh and the twist of this being a Cricket ad was clever. B-
Hidden Tales Of Egypt - This was the weakest sketch of the night, but at least it was short. It got right to the point and got out. Cecily was the most likable player in this because even when she switched from playing it completely straight to playing like everyone else was playing it she did the least overacting. D+
Ted Cruz For Senate - Beck Bennett did a fine job picking up where Taran Killam left off in the impersonations department. His Cruz isn't quite there yet but there were plenty of other visual gags around him to cover it up. Seeing Ted Cruz physically damage and break every piece of equipment he touches effortlessly was hilarious and I especially liked him breaking his nose while dabbing. I almost wish they would've explored this a bit further. B+
Update was much more consistent than last week in terms of how many strong jokes there were. Somehow, I had a feeling we would see Eric & Don Jr drop by tonight but I liked how much they noticeably changed up the formula to these bits. Even the part where Mikey brings out the obligatory toy to distract Alex seemed much different. I also appreciate how much more smug, cocky and undeservedly confident Alex has made Eric and how his dialogue occurs much more naturally. While I'm not sure I like the idea of Pete appearing on Update two consecutive weeks in a row, I did like his humorously self-effacing commentary on Kanye's off-air rant from this week much more than his commentary on his & Arianas' relationship from last week. I especially liked him making fun of his own sense of style doubling down on the Chevy Chase dissing & showcasing his own reaction to Kanye as it happened last week (and at least now they can say part of Kanye's rant did make it to air, audible boos & all). B+
So You're Willing To Date A Magician - This felt like the longest sketch of the night simply because there were so many different & distinct characters that each demanded our attention. Kenan & Kyle were the real standouts. Alex & Heidi just came across like they were trying too hard (a rare miss for either of them, this really feels like a first). Meanwhile, Pete came across like he wasn't trying hard enough. His whole presence really took me out of this whole sketch because I really couldn't tell why the camera was supposed to be on and off of him when it was. Awkwafina & Leslie were good foils to all of this & Leslie fit surprisingly well into the game show host mold. C-
Baby Shower - From what they showed of the set during the commercial break, I thought we were getting another installment of the "haircut" & "spirit animal" sketches from the mother's day shows that Brie Larson & Melissa McCarthy hosted within the past three years. Then, I realized that whoever wrote those is probably not on the show anymore. Then, I got more disappointed when I realized what other previous sketch this was a carbon copy of. This was definitely the weakest live sketch of the night. I have a feeling this was written by Anderson & Sublette or if not them, whoever wrote the ten-to-one sketch from Amy Schumer's 2015 episode where she played a bartender (not just because both sketches were set at baby showers but because they also followed the same specific formula right down to Cecily breaking down in tears after her strange friend she invited shows up and gets them both upset about something). At least this one was better because it had an infinitely more likable host in it and had a quicker resolution. C-
Pumpkin Patch - This had a very sophomoric premise but Beck, Kyle and Mikey did their damndest to sell this one. For a brief moment, I thought this might have been written by the same people who wrote the high school wrestling short from the last episode Jonah Hill hosted two and a half years ago but Beck & Kyle were barely in that one whereas they were the main focus of this one so it's a safe bet this was written by them. C+
Film Panel - While I've never been all that crazy about Debette Goldry as a character (and I still don't believe her sketches are the right venue for SNL to address #MeToo comedically) this had its moments. I did like Kates' "cigarette nap/sleepy bitch" line as well as her jokes about giving away the Lindbergh baby & playing all the Asian woman roles in the '40s. It was nice to see Heidi's Allison Janney again (even played completely straight) and Awkwafina fit into this well (even though there are only so many things you can do with a Sandrah Oh impression). C-
Now, for my first official ranking of season 44...
1. Awkwafina/Travis Scott
2. Adam Driver/Kanye West
Well, that show took a few more baby steps in the right direction. Next week, Seth Meyers will make his hosting debut which means his show will probably be in reruns as he spends his week working just a bit further down the hall from where he normally does. You know, I legitimately thought this would never happen as recently as last month given Seth's lack of characters and acting experience while being on the show. However, I'm more accepting of the idea of it now that I've come to appreciate Seth more on Late Night. Still, I hope they don't overload us with certain cameos from his cast and I hope he pulls a Mulaney/Lobster Diner/Second Chance theater on us and tries to revive some of his favorite sketches that never made it. I think at a certain point it became more & more obvious that Seth's hidden talents lied more in the writing department anyway. That seemed to be the consensus. See you then!
Monday, October 1, 2018
Adam Driver/Kanye West (9.28.2018)
Okay, here's my review. Overall, this was a much stronger season opener than last years' outing with Ryan Gosling & Jay-Z. Adam Driver proved to be just as comedically effective of a host as he was two-and-a-half years ago but he felt much more underutilized this year compared to then. Still, the writing didn't feel as dull, uninspired and just running on empty as it was a year ago (I'm sure we have the fact that they hired four new writers to thank for this). Strangely, it felt like no one in the cast got any airtime and everyone just got kinda shoved into the background. No one particular cast member really stood out as being the one who dominated the show. Normally, this would be a good thing for an ensemble show for SNL but this week it was quite troubling. I was a bit saddened to see the narrative surrounding the show be so largely dominated by the antics of tonight's musical guest (which most of us only got to see & hear about via social media because these moments didn't even air as part of the show) but I'll get to that later. This episode had it's much more worthwhile moments. It was a surprisingly entertaining season premiere that deserves to be held up to better scrutiny on it's own planned comedic merits which is why I'm still here.
Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open - Well, for starters, I am glad they decided to give us something other than a Baldwin/Trump showcase to open the new season. I just knew the Kavanaugh hearing proved to be too big of a story this week for SNL to go down the beaten orange path. I originally had Bennett & Moffat pegged as potential Kavanaugh portrayers but when I noticed they were both playing Orrin Hatch and Chuck Grassley respectively, my curiosity was immediately piqued. Matt Damon was a very left field choice (I'm guessing whoever wrote this had just watched "School Ties" in the past week?) but he came out pretty strong and was genuinely very funny. I'm glad to see he was mostly concerned with getting his raw emotion down and then exaggerating it just a little and that the main focus of this whole sketch was Brett's out of control emotional displays. I especially liked his various frat nicknames and his "keg is half full" line (and yes, I was and still am fully aware of the painful irony in casting Matt Damon as an accused sexual predator even as I type this). Dratch as Klobuchar was also unexpected (I don't really see the resemblance there) but nice to see her again and I did like how she wasn't wasted too much in a small role with little to no dialogue. I also liked seeing Chris Redd & Cecily Strong revive their Cory Booker & Diane Feinstein impressions here. Kyle was also very funny here and Pete couldn't help but appear a little out of place. Nice to see Kate revive her all but forgotten Lindsey Graham impression but I think she should've been much more animated and affected a higher pitch voice. Aidy was a nice voice of reason here as well. Sure, they didn't cover much new ground here and this was mostly just filled with standard boilerplate Kavanaugh observations but I'm glad they hit all the necessary mark's here (although I'm sure they could've done so in a little less than 13 minutes) while showing they're still somewhat capable of actually surprising the audience for better or worse. B-
Montage - I like that they finally changed this up to a more hip, stylized 03-06 style package with just a hint of 94-95 era B-roll. I think that vibe is more fitting for this cast and this era of the show. Still, I have to wonder if Darrell Hammond just forgot to say Kyle Mooney's name or if his mic just cut out or something. Also, if this does turn out to be the last year for Cecily, Aidy & Kate...it would be a damn shame to see these shots of them get edited out of this montage. A couple of people I follow on Twitter have mentioned that they hated the new theme song. I don't hate it but once you do notice the subtle difference between this year's theme and last year's theme, it does kinda bug you. I kinda hear the same regression from the season 4 theme to the season 5 theme or the 06-09 theme to the 09-12 theme.
Monologue - This was also surprisingly very funny given how very thin it was. Driver's angry inner monologues were very funny, but I am genuinely shocked that this portion of the show contained literally the only Star Wars/Kylo Ren references of the entire night. I'm not sure where Adams' final line about kids smoking cigarettes came from. C-
Fortnite - This seemed like it was going to have a more interesting and fleshed out premise to it than it actually did. Thankfully, it didn't go on as long as it seemed like it was going to given how repetitive and drawn out it turned out to be. Other than that, this whole sketch just seemed like a forced topical reference to one of this summer's most inexplicably huge fads. I can immediately tell this was a Day/Seidell penned piece given that Kyle's character briefly mentioned how he went by the username "DoomSnake" which I remember being used by Kenan in that Boo Boo Jeffries sketch from Tiffany Haddishs' episode last November which I remember playing out just like a rejected sketch of his he talked about on Seth Meyers' show just before he obviously rewrote and resubmitted it that week. I didn't quite have Day pegged as a huge gamer but it doesn't surprise me. I guess some of this sketch is bound not to resonate with viewers who aren't gamers. C-
A New Kyle - This short film was very funny. Kyle plays the young millennial douchebro type really well. This may have been the best possible way for the show to address the substantial changes in Pete's personal life that occurred in the offseason. Wendy William's and Kid Cudi were welcome cameos (the former especially made me chuckle just for the sheer outlandishness of her presence). The medieval sword/mace battle scene kinda dragged but that would be my only real complaint. Other than that, I liked seeing a twist on the usual formula to these short films focusing on Kyle. B-
Domenicos' vs BK Joe - I was initially disappointed at how quickly I could tell this was a retread of the underwhelming Terrazanos' vs Pizza Hut sketch from last season's premiere with Ryan Gosling. I was relieved that I gave it enough of a chance to see just how much better Adam Driver made this sketch than that one (and also how this one didn't quite belabor the point as much). B-
Rad Times At Frat U - Well, I guess the cold opening wasn't the only piece in this weeks' show that was inspired by the Kavanaugh hearing (and I guess whoever wrote the Neurotology short from Michael Keatons' season 40 episode is still on staff). I liked this okay but I guess noticing the similarities between that sketch and this one kinda took me out of it because the whole thing felt too telegraphed for me. I also feel a little bit bad for Ego seeing as this sketch seemed to be her most notable appearance of the entire night. I know this is her first episode and shes' quite new but I was hoping to see them give here more chances to make a first impression. I've heard how great she is on all the Earwolf podcasts where she is a regular and I just hope she gets a chance to make a splash early on and doesn't get cut by next year having her potential wasted if she is planning on bringing that Earwolf sensibility to the show. C+
Update was serviceable tonight. Che had the best material on the opening Kavanaugh rant. Josts' Kavanaugh punchlines could be seen coming from two towns over. He did make up for this during his Philly Flyers mascot fake Bruce Springsteen jokes, though. Kate as RBG was something else I was already predicting would happen tonight. Sadly, this was pretty indistinguishable from her previous "Gins-burn" laden commentaries. Also, its' a bit surprising to me that this was one of only four appearances for Kate the entire night. With all this talk about this being her last year under contract with the show, this makes it seem like she may be getting burnt out on SNL & may want to phase herself out and onto another bigger project by this time next year. If they were going to bring out Leslie to do her Serena William's impression tonight, I'm glad they went the extremely meta route and made the whole point of it how dated it was. Didn't like how clunky Ches' Cosby joke was but I did like how he made an instant callback to it right after Josts' next joke. Although his birth control/Tic-Tacs joke seemed a little off to me, Pete was surprisingly funny telling us all about the thing that happened in his life that made me actively want to see less and less of him. Also, I'm surprised I've already gotten used to seeing him with his blond early 2000s Eminem hairstyle. C+
Career Day - This was definitely the strongest live segment of the night. Adams' committment to just short of choking on the big chunks of scenery he managed to chew off was what saved this. Pete was a decent fool & Melissa's & Aidys' enthusiasm was a nice touch. I guess another writer had just seen "There Will Be Blood" in the past week? A-
League Of The South - I guess some of the writers had either just seen Adam in "BlacKkKlansman" (sp?) or simply just remembered that film would've been the most plausible explanation for his hosting at this moment? Anyway, while it was nice to see they chose to make white nationalists a target here Becks' commitment and Adam & Chris as foils were the only things sustaining it given how one note it was. Other than that, I just kept waiting to see if Becks' goatee would fall completely off or not even though this sketch didn't necessarily need that to save it. C+
"Goodnights" - They briefly cut to a shot of the band sandwiched between two different bumpers before this. I have to genuinely wonder if maybe the mostly Jost-led giggling during Update or a possible demand from Kanye to Lorne for a third song followed by a hissy-fit caused something to have to be cut for time. Yeah, like most of you I'm sure my local NBC affiliate cut the show off right when Kanye invited the cast back on stage with him. I only saw what was posted of his little rant on Twitter, YouTube and from secondhand exposure to Chris Rocks' Instagram stories. I agree with Rock that it sure was laughable how much Kanye had no idea what the hell he was talking about. He offered pretty much nothing of value to the show and absolutely no insight into anything whatsoever. I'm sure whatever he actually said would've managed to make even less sense unedited in full context. Honestly, I'm just more annoyed that Lorne allowed him to even do a third song on the air since that just gave him an excuse to stay up there on stage and pretty much barely hold the cast, crew and audience hostage with his own warped political views. In that moment, everyone left in Studio 8H was Mike Meyers circa 2005.
Well, that was a pretty successful season premiere all things considered. Next week, Awkwafina makes her hosting debut. She is someone I've seen very little of but I do understand she has at least some background in comedy and acting so I'm cautiously optimistic. See you then!
Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open - Well, for starters, I am glad they decided to give us something other than a Baldwin/Trump showcase to open the new season. I just knew the Kavanaugh hearing proved to be too big of a story this week for SNL to go down the beaten orange path. I originally had Bennett & Moffat pegged as potential Kavanaugh portrayers but when I noticed they were both playing Orrin Hatch and Chuck Grassley respectively, my curiosity was immediately piqued. Matt Damon was a very left field choice (I'm guessing whoever wrote this had just watched "School Ties" in the past week?) but he came out pretty strong and was genuinely very funny. I'm glad to see he was mostly concerned with getting his raw emotion down and then exaggerating it just a little and that the main focus of this whole sketch was Brett's out of control emotional displays. I especially liked his various frat nicknames and his "keg is half full" line (and yes, I was and still am fully aware of the painful irony in casting Matt Damon as an accused sexual predator even as I type this). Dratch as Klobuchar was also unexpected (I don't really see the resemblance there) but nice to see her again and I did like how she wasn't wasted too much in a small role with little to no dialogue. I also liked seeing Chris Redd & Cecily Strong revive their Cory Booker & Diane Feinstein impressions here. Kyle was also very funny here and Pete couldn't help but appear a little out of place. Nice to see Kate revive her all but forgotten Lindsey Graham impression but I think she should've been much more animated and affected a higher pitch voice. Aidy was a nice voice of reason here as well. Sure, they didn't cover much new ground here and this was mostly just filled with standard boilerplate Kavanaugh observations but I'm glad they hit all the necessary mark's here (although I'm sure they could've done so in a little less than 13 minutes) while showing they're still somewhat capable of actually surprising the audience for better or worse. B-
Montage - I like that they finally changed this up to a more hip, stylized 03-06 style package with just a hint of 94-95 era B-roll. I think that vibe is more fitting for this cast and this era of the show. Still, I have to wonder if Darrell Hammond just forgot to say Kyle Mooney's name or if his mic just cut out or something. Also, if this does turn out to be the last year for Cecily, Aidy & Kate...it would be a damn shame to see these shots of them get edited out of this montage. A couple of people I follow on Twitter have mentioned that they hated the new theme song. I don't hate it but once you do notice the subtle difference between this year's theme and last year's theme, it does kinda bug you. I kinda hear the same regression from the season 4 theme to the season 5 theme or the 06-09 theme to the 09-12 theme.
Monologue - This was also surprisingly very funny given how very thin it was. Driver's angry inner monologues were very funny, but I am genuinely shocked that this portion of the show contained literally the only Star Wars/Kylo Ren references of the entire night. I'm not sure where Adams' final line about kids smoking cigarettes came from. C-
Fortnite - This seemed like it was going to have a more interesting and fleshed out premise to it than it actually did. Thankfully, it didn't go on as long as it seemed like it was going to given how repetitive and drawn out it turned out to be. Other than that, this whole sketch just seemed like a forced topical reference to one of this summer's most inexplicably huge fads. I can immediately tell this was a Day/Seidell penned piece given that Kyle's character briefly mentioned how he went by the username "DoomSnake" which I remember being used by Kenan in that Boo Boo Jeffries sketch from Tiffany Haddishs' episode last November which I remember playing out just like a rejected sketch of his he talked about on Seth Meyers' show just before he obviously rewrote and resubmitted it that week. I didn't quite have Day pegged as a huge gamer but it doesn't surprise me. I guess some of this sketch is bound not to resonate with viewers who aren't gamers. C-
A New Kyle - This short film was very funny. Kyle plays the young millennial douchebro type really well. This may have been the best possible way for the show to address the substantial changes in Pete's personal life that occurred in the offseason. Wendy William's and Kid Cudi were welcome cameos (the former especially made me chuckle just for the sheer outlandishness of her presence). The medieval sword/mace battle scene kinda dragged but that would be my only real complaint. Other than that, I liked seeing a twist on the usual formula to these short films focusing on Kyle. B-
Domenicos' vs BK Joe - I was initially disappointed at how quickly I could tell this was a retread of the underwhelming Terrazanos' vs Pizza Hut sketch from last season's premiere with Ryan Gosling. I was relieved that I gave it enough of a chance to see just how much better Adam Driver made this sketch than that one (and also how this one didn't quite belabor the point as much). B-
Rad Times At Frat U - Well, I guess the cold opening wasn't the only piece in this weeks' show that was inspired by the Kavanaugh hearing (and I guess whoever wrote the Neurotology short from Michael Keatons' season 40 episode is still on staff). I liked this okay but I guess noticing the similarities between that sketch and this one kinda took me out of it because the whole thing felt too telegraphed for me. I also feel a little bit bad for Ego seeing as this sketch seemed to be her most notable appearance of the entire night. I know this is her first episode and shes' quite new but I was hoping to see them give here more chances to make a first impression. I've heard how great she is on all the Earwolf podcasts where she is a regular and I just hope she gets a chance to make a splash early on and doesn't get cut by next year having her potential wasted if she is planning on bringing that Earwolf sensibility to the show. C+
Update was serviceable tonight. Che had the best material on the opening Kavanaugh rant. Josts' Kavanaugh punchlines could be seen coming from two towns over. He did make up for this during his Philly Flyers mascot fake Bruce Springsteen jokes, though. Kate as RBG was something else I was already predicting would happen tonight. Sadly, this was pretty indistinguishable from her previous "Gins-burn" laden commentaries. Also, its' a bit surprising to me that this was one of only four appearances for Kate the entire night. With all this talk about this being her last year under contract with the show, this makes it seem like she may be getting burnt out on SNL & may want to phase herself out and onto another bigger project by this time next year. If they were going to bring out Leslie to do her Serena William's impression tonight, I'm glad they went the extremely meta route and made the whole point of it how dated it was. Didn't like how clunky Ches' Cosby joke was but I did like how he made an instant callback to it right after Josts' next joke. Although his birth control/Tic-Tacs joke seemed a little off to me, Pete was surprisingly funny telling us all about the thing that happened in his life that made me actively want to see less and less of him. Also, I'm surprised I've already gotten used to seeing him with his blond early 2000s Eminem hairstyle. C+
Career Day - This was definitely the strongest live segment of the night. Adams' committment to just short of choking on the big chunks of scenery he managed to chew off was what saved this. Pete was a decent fool & Melissa's & Aidys' enthusiasm was a nice touch. I guess another writer had just seen "There Will Be Blood" in the past week? A-
League Of The South - I guess some of the writers had either just seen Adam in "BlacKkKlansman" (sp?) or simply just remembered that film would've been the most plausible explanation for his hosting at this moment? Anyway, while it was nice to see they chose to make white nationalists a target here Becks' commitment and Adam & Chris as foils were the only things sustaining it given how one note it was. Other than that, I just kept waiting to see if Becks' goatee would fall completely off or not even though this sketch didn't necessarily need that to save it. C+
"Goodnights" - They briefly cut to a shot of the band sandwiched between two different bumpers before this. I have to genuinely wonder if maybe the mostly Jost-led giggling during Update or a possible demand from Kanye to Lorne for a third song followed by a hissy-fit caused something to have to be cut for time. Yeah, like most of you I'm sure my local NBC affiliate cut the show off right when Kanye invited the cast back on stage with him. I only saw what was posted of his little rant on Twitter, YouTube and from secondhand exposure to Chris Rocks' Instagram stories. I agree with Rock that it sure was laughable how much Kanye had no idea what the hell he was talking about. He offered pretty much nothing of value to the show and absolutely no insight into anything whatsoever. I'm sure whatever he actually said would've managed to make even less sense unedited in full context. Honestly, I'm just more annoyed that Lorne allowed him to even do a third song on the air since that just gave him an excuse to stay up there on stage and pretty much barely hold the cast, crew and audience hostage with his own warped political views. In that moment, everyone left in Studio 8H was Mike Meyers circa 2005.
Well, that was a pretty successful season premiere all things considered. Next week, Awkwafina makes her hosting debut. She is someone I've seen very little of but I do understand she has at least some background in comedy and acting so I'm cautiously optimistic. See you then!
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Tina Fey/Nicki Minaj (5.19.2018)
Okay, heres' my review. For a season finale that was overloaded with cameos from guest stars in political roles, this was a rather diverse and thoroughly enjoyable show with more good/decent moments than outright bad ones. As host, Tina didn't really dominate the show as much as she seemed to during her previous hosting stints. It truly felt like a hostless cast focused episode. If anyone really did "dominate" the show in terms of airtime, it had to have been Mikey & Alex. I guess they've earned a "victory lap" episode seeing as they will be promoted to repretory player status once the show starts up again. Melissa comes in a distant second but at this point it is safe to say she has established herself. Of course, one may have to look past this shows' excessive (even for SNL in 2018) deluge of political material. I understand them wanting to get some stuff out of their system before summer starts but if any bitter right-wingers criticizing the show for doing nothing but sketches about their "seething hatred for Trump" were watching THIS episode, they just MIGHT have a valid point. Boy, thats' as good a segue as ever into the actual review, isn't it? Let us begin...
Jersey Diner - Well, it was pretty much a given that Alec would be in studio 8H tonight since its' the season finale AND one of his longest running costars was hosting. If they had to try to get in one last cold open with Baldwins' Trump before the season officially ends (lets' hope it will still be the actual last one by the time season 44 rolls around, right?) I do have to give them credit for placing him and his administration in a relatively unfamiliar setting outside the White House. Still, while doing a parody of the Sporanos finale was a somewhat out of the box idea it is now a dated enough pop culture reference to pass for something the show would've done during the Era when Seth Meyers was head writer. Plus, they really didn't have enough of an ending. I was hoping for some genuine format breaking there. While part of me was hoping to see Kates' Guliani again just to see how it would be developed more as a character, I feel like she was really all over the place with it. She seemed to have some of Gulianis' speech patterns down but her voice was a bit too high and I don't quite get what shes' doing with her hands. Overall, it doesn't work that well mostly because Kate is too feminine and down to earth to pull off the role and it really shows here. This is only Stillers' third appearance as Micheal Cohen and yet hes' already starting to feel as run into the ground as Baldwins' Trump. DeNiro was serviceable as Muller in this. With no lines, he wasn't all that remarkable but it's not an impression I'm ready to get sick of yet. Really, the only genuine laugh I got out of this was Alex as Eric parallel parking a big wheel. C+
Monologue - While I liked Tinas' opening jokes and her acknowledgment of her 20th anniversary with the show, I was diappointed at just the idea of another "audience" Q&A session. Still, I did genuinely like the meta self-aware vibe that this gave off (especially with Seinfeld, Bennett, Armisen, Rock and Glovers' contributions). Benedict Cumberbatch was allright (a little better than when he hosted last season, amirite?) but he seemed the most out of place and tacked on among the deluge of cameos here. DeNiro felt a little too tacked on since we literally just saw him seconds ago. Hathaways' cameo did nothing but remind me of how she played Kate Middleton when she hosted in 2010 and then wonder for a brief moment whether we would see her reprise that role later tonight so Cecily could play Meghan Markle (Spoiler alert: She didn't, and...she didn't either...but we'll get to that later). Tracys' cameo was the perfect way to bring this to a close but he seemed much less animated than usual. I guess hes' just either mellow in with age or perhaps the schedule of promoting (if not shooting) "The Last O.G." must be taking its toll on him. B-
Royal Reception - Well, this was certainly to be expected. Mikey as Prince Harry was a solid anchor here and it was nice to see him play off Moffats' Prince William again. Cecily was serviceable as Kate Middleton but I genuinely have to wonder what stopped she show from having her (or at least Melissa or even another female guest star really) from playing Meghan Markle. I know its' 2018 but I don't think Markles' ethnicity or sheer social status should make her off limits for a show like SNL. Beck made me chuckle as Prince Charles. Kate didn't do much for me as Queen Elizabeth but it was refreshing to see someone besides Fred Armisen in the role (and kudos to him for showing some restraint considering he was actually in the building tonight). It just seemed like she was there to set up Kenan for laughs. Chris and Heidi were fine but their roles were small enough to just seem too tacked on. Leslie poked fun at herself very well here. Tina seemed to be playing the type of character she had always been dying to play on the show. I have to wonder if this is one of the likely many things she had a hand in writing tonight considering she and Dratch cowrote all the Boston Teens sketches and this was essentially framed as another one of those. Pete was fine as Russell Brand but I really would have liked to have seen more of how he was handling that impression. Aidy as Elton John seemed like she was just there for the purpose of a cheap sight gag since I can't say much for the actual impression. C+
Mean Girls Rehearsals - I suppose this was a cute idea, but it still seemed a little thin to me. I thought the one-on-one interviews & testimonials really carried it. I also got a few light chuckles out of the coreography/lion costume scenes as well as the wedged in Lin-Manuel cameo. Otherwise, this could just as easily be added to the pile of sketches and filmed pieces that were largely lost on me because they were specifically written by and for the intense theater geeks in the audience. Hell, a girl I follow on Twitter was randomly pointing out all the Broadway person cameos in this on her feed. I definitely would have missed those. Still, it is nice to see Tinas' husband Jeff Richmond get some time in front of the camera for once in his life. C+
Morning Joe III - Tina as the Russian lawyer was the true highlight of this. Aidy as Meghan McCain was another "outside of the box" casting choice and she was very cute in the role. Thats' really all I can say about her part since it was so small and she was just there to be the guest that the anchors talk over (much like her role in the Wisconsin local news sketch from the last time Jonah Hill hosted). Honestly, it was better that they do this than cast Cecily in either one of these roles. Thankfully, this was shorter than the previous two morning Joe sketches that served as cold opens because Kate played it far too big here but Alex was fine coasting on some below average material. Mikeys' reactions were a bit stale and repetitive. C-
Chun-Li - I rarely comment on the musical performances but its' nice to see something more subtle and understated from Nicki Minaj. Plus, she seemed to have so many hardcore, intense fans in the audience it felt like I was watching the Billboard Music Awards instead of SNL.
Update was a little underwhelming tonight. The only jokes that really stood out to me were the jabs at Hannity, Gulliani, Bolton/N. Korea, Marijuana Arrests and the litany of "offensive" jokes at the end (of which only the Boy Scouts & NY Daily News ones were deserving of such a title). The rest just felt so down the beaten path that everybody had done them already. In particular the obligatory "Yanni/Laurel" throwaway joke seemed near identical to a bit Colbert did recently. (Also, fuck you Jost. It's clearly Yanni). Having Alex and Mikey come out as the Trump Boys felt like overkill seeing as they just reprised those roles in the cold open and this was just lather, rinse, repeat but I did get a big kick out of the botched high fives and the "Trump tower design/hidden swastikas" line. The Play-Doh gag seemed very telegraphed but I did appreciate Alex being more animated than usual in the role tonight. I appreciate Kenans' commitment to the role of the bishop who officiated the Royal Wedding even though most of the jokes were lost on me. The only coverage of this I was planning to pay attention to was the HBO special hosted by Ferrell & Shannon as "Cord & Tish". I DVR'd this but hadn't had time to watch it yet. As I'm typing this, I'm beginning to realize how much it showed that this entire commentary had to have been writing this morning. Aidy as the woman who called the cops on those black men just for holding that barbecue in the park was very funny. Why couldn't she have been the focus of an actual sketch instead if Aidy was going to play her? C+
Dateline: Pervert Hunters - I liked the different direction this sketch took once the initial joke was revealed (as predictable as the ending was) but this felt more like something the show should've been doing 12 years ago with Bill Hader as Chris Hansen when "To Catch A Predator" was a current phenomenon. In fact, since Hader hosted two months ago and Hansen occasionally confronts predators in stings on "Crime Watch Daily", I wonder if this sketch was written then but cut from dress or the table read? C+
What We Did For Trump - Since Sarah Palin hasn't really been in the news all that much since she initially endorsed Donald Trumps' campaign two-and-a-half years ago, I was hoping Tina could go an entire episode without breaking her Miss Wasilla imitation out of mothballs like she did in 2013. Still, they showed incredible restraint by waiting until well after Update to air this. Also, I did actually like the angle they went with here where Palin comments on how some figures who have only worked in the Trump white house for a short period of time before being fired are destined to become as politically and culturally irrelevant as she has been in the past ten years. I did like her intentionally bad singing here. Aidy was serviceable but Kates' part seemed a little rushed. I did like how they chose to sneak in Armisen, Goodman and Jones as well. Cecily was.pretty good here. Mostly, I'm glad to see they chose to "Make Cecily Stormy Again" rather than trot out the real Stormy. B-
Poke It Out - I had to genuinely wonder if Nicki had very suddenly fallen ill at the last second and could not perform because the live commercial bumper leading up to her second performancd was a shot of the band instead of the stage. Then, I saw a male guest rapper unaccompanied on a stage full of video screens for some reason and Nicki came out about halfway through her own song for some reason. It was very strange but I understand why a shot of that stage before the actual song might look silly.
At this point, I had to wonder why Nicki apparently did not participate in a sketch or two like both of the previous times she was billed as a musical guest on the show. Then, I combed back through some of the sketches on YouTube just to polish up this review and decided to check out the "Cut For Time: Friendship Song" short film and noticed Nicki was in it even though it was an obvious Haim parody. Well, I can understand why that was cut for "time" since it was kind of a jumbled, heavy handed mess.
High School Talent Show - Nice to see Melissa bring us another decent character even if it felt like a product of a different time. I liked fheir choices of song as well. Pete and Mikeys' intro was very funny.Kyle got a laugh out of me and Leslie's lines were a nice touch. Pretty much every cast member did a solid job in this even if Kenans' dialogue was a little one note and repetitive and the whole thing didn't quite have enough of a build up but still tied together nicely. I guess its' just a coincidence that both of the last two season finales ended with a live sketch set at a high school talent show (or at least had that premise as the last live sketch of the night). B+
Chicago Improv - Okay, this definitely has to be something Tina wrote given her Second City background. The firefighting imagery in the background of shots of heightened drama over improve made.this for me. The bad reviews were icing on the cake. B+
Now, for my absolute final updated rankings of the season so far...
1. Sterling K. Brown/James Bay
2. John Mulaney/Jack White
3. Bill Hader/Arcade Fire
4. Donald Glover/Childish Gambino
5. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift
6. Chance The Rapper/Eminem
7. Tina Fey/Nicki Minaj
8. Chadwick Boseman/Cardi B
9. James Franco/SZA
10. Natalie Portman/Dua Lipa
11. Amy Schumer/Kacey Musgraves
12. Charles Barkley/Migos
13. Jessica Chastain/Troy Sivan
14. Sam Rockwell/Halsey
15. Will Ferrell/Chris Stapleton
16. Larry David/Miley Cyrus
17. Saoirse Ronan/U2
18. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk
19. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith
20. Kevin Hart/Foo Fighters
21. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z
Well, that was a decent and fitting way to close put an SNL season that did dhow very gradual improvement over time. Now, we've reached the end of what I've only just recently come to realize is my 10th season writing full length SNL reviews primarily for this board just for fun. Sadly, I didn't have anything big or special to commemorate this. Still, I'd just like to thank everyone here for indulging me for the past decade and thanks to Stooge (wherever you are) for inspiring me to do this at the beginning. Also, I'd like to say how grateful I am to have found this board and to be so readily welcomed into a like minded community of SNL fans with sharp critical thinking skills in regards to the show. I don't really have any plans to retire from doing this at the moment (at least not in the next two years or so since I've found this is the only way I can really keep up with and watch the show, so...see you guys again next season!
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