Okay, here's my review. Given how dull and uninspired the previous live episode of SNL was, this seemed like quite a refreshing change of pace and (at times) a hopeful sign of better things to come. Sam Rockwell proved to be such a game host (if not a slightly one dimensional one when he was visible) that if he doesn't ever end up hosting a second time, we should easily be able to pinpoint the EXACT reason why. There did seem to be a big timing issue with this show that wasn't caused (what in my time zone at least, appeared to be) the obvious five second delay. The show seemed to know, but not necessarily care, that it was running somewhat short on material. Most of the live sketches (aside from Update, the monologue and the cold open) were very short. It's like there was an abundance of short sketches. Some were just as short as they needed to be and some weren't. Most of the sketches made the taped pieces feel longer than they were. There was an imbalance in the cast as far as airtime went. Kenan was barely in anything for the entire first half of the show. Chris Redd was in a lot of sketches but to me it seemed like they were misusing him. Mikey and Alex seemed to be getting chances to establish themselves as the shows go to utility men but other than that the night seemed to be wholly dominated by Cecily. She appeared even more than Kate which seems strange for this Era and pretty much overshadowed everyone else. Anyway, let's break it down. Shall we?
Morning Joe II - I wasn't so sure that another Morning Joe sketch was the right choice for the cold open this week. Thankfully, this one went in a MUCH different direction than the on from Chris Pines' episode last year. Although, maybe we could've done without Chris' part as it didn't add much. I probably shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when Fred showed up as Michael Wolff and as much as I've soured on his more recent performances, I have to admit he was very funny here (especially the "baby races" bit). I think I saw some brief flashes of the pre-Obama Era Freds' comedic talent that made SNL fans love his work back then. Fred can actually be funny when he has strong writing to back him up. Interestingly enough, when people were initially suggesting Armisen should play Michael Wolff, I was pretty convinced he'd already played this guy in that overly long Keith Olberman sketch from when Ben Affleck hosted in '08. Turns outn according to SNL archives, he was actually playing Richard Wolffe. Still, Armisen was a good fit for this sketch. Bill Murray really walked away with this without even trying. Casting him as Steve Bannon was brilliantly unexpected and kudos to him on being a good sport about the role. Still, I'm wondering why they even bothered with the voice modulator knowing full well they didn't need it at all. He may have seemed a little less into it toward the end but frankly I'm just glad SNL found a way to have a take on Bannon as a person rather than just his sinister presence as a media figure. Also, I'm glad they found a way to reprise Leslies' Oprah impression in a live setting. B+
Monologue - This was enjoyable to watch. I liked that Sam was able to easily poke fun at his own neat anonymity as a character actor better than other hosts of his ilk. Part of me would've preferred he had done an actual monologue rather than a song and dance number but mostly I was glad to see he could help get this episode off on the right foot with his seemingly boundless energy and charisma. Also, seeing Sam kick Colin through that door made this for me. B+
Science Room w/Mr. Science - This sketch felt a little like SNL going down a beaten path at first but thankfully, it was short because it just meandered with no real punchline. I did checkle when Mikey suddenly said "false" and Cecily saying the oil was going to explode. Also, I'm glad Sams' unfortunate flub (which was muted entirely in the mountain time zone during both airings) showed us how SNL was going to be able to get away with Trumps' "shithole" comment (if they were going to say anything about it at all). The show was on a five second delay this week if it can still be broadcast live in every time zone. C-
Tucci Gang - Petes' latest rap somehow seemed even more pointless than the sketch that preceeded it so I'm glad it was even shorter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I to assume "Lil' Pump" is an actual rapper Pete is impersonating rather than a made up character and that "Tucci Gang" is a parody of an actual song of his called "Gucci Gang"? C-
The Look- The second E! parody of this season was funnier than I was expecting it to be. I did appreciate how they tried to mix the message and the rhythyms of this sketch with some sheer off the wall absurdity. Melissas' character provided a nice balance and Kate as Frances McDormand provided some much needed structure. I did like how they explained away her bleeps. B-
My Drunk Boyfriend - This was funny but looking back I felt like there might have been a little something lacking in execution. I liked the physical acting I saw from Kyle, Sam and Heidi. B-
Update was strong, but a little inconsistent. They handled the "shithole" comments quite well and I'm impressed they were able to get it on the air unbleeped even once (let alone, twice) on NBCs' airwaves. Well, actually...let me level with you. In the mountain time zone, they air the local news at 9pm on NBC affiliates on Saturdays (as opposed to the usual 10pm through the rest of the week) and SNL is first aired live at 9:30 followed by an 11pm repeat of the news and an 11:30pm repeat of SNL. I believe they muted the "shitholes" during the 9:30 live airing (where they were uttered after 10pm) but let them fly uncensored in the 11:30 repeat (where they were uttered after midnight). Still, they tackled it well and it was among the best of tonight's individual jokes along with Ches' Kim Jong-Un/Twitter/Columbus Statues and Oprah/President rants. Josts' best material included Stormy Daniels/Puerto Rico, Steve Bannon and the toilet joke. The best jokes were scattered all about Update and sort of overshadowed the commentaries. I did like seeing Leslie as Oprah again and I appreciated seeing them give the Steadman role to Chris but not much stood out here aside from the "medical community" line. The cadences of this sketch reminded me a lot of that Update segment from the 2000-01 season where Jerry Minor played Al Sharpton to Darrell Hammonds' Jesse Jackson. Also, I just realized that this is the second show in a row where Leslie did the same impression during the first Update guest appearance that she did in the cold open. She did this exact thing as Omorosa in the last live show that Kevin Hart hosted. Aidys' commentary was a refreshing change of pace for a couple of reasons. It was nice to see a cast member besides Pete or Leslie do an Update commentary just as themselves as that felt like a throwback. Also, I liked seeing Aidy give us a fresher take on feminist and women's issues dominating the news seeing as that type of commentary usually gets dominated by Kate and Cecily the rest of the time. Kenans' Lavar Ball was just lather, rinse, repeat and the only thing that stood out to me was that this may have been the first time we've seen Michael Che laugh his way through an entire Update commentary the way Seth Meyers used to. B+
Captain Hook - This sketch was something else that meandered along but this time there was barely even a shred of a real joke or premise present. It almost felt out of place among the more topical pieces in the show. Kates' appearance as the overly effeminate Peter Pan was the best thing about this. C-
ATM - This poignant short was enjoyable to watch in how grounded and gritty it could be while still building on itself and adding new elements to its premise. The violent beating at the end stood out as the funniest moment. I believe this was the short that Che featured in his most recent Instagram story from when it was being filmed late Friday night (and of course it would be because nobody else but Michael Che could've written this). B+
Marco Pumpgood - This was funny mostly for Sam and Aidy's performances. Ironically enough, Alex and Chris were great straight men to them. It seemed like they really stretched out what little buildup this really needed but they reveal and payoff at the end were worth it. C+
Dog Head Guy - This was funny just for how unabashedly silly and simple it could be. Sam and Mikey were very funny here and I think this might have been the first time we've ever seen Mikey even close to breaking as a cast member. Also, this might have been my favorite Melissa performance in her entire run a cast member. B-
Chantix Ad - This felt pretty meta as it was possibly the most Cecily thing I've seen on the show in a while. I say this knowing full well how difficult that would be for me to explain in a way that makes sense. It definitely seemed like something cut from a previous dress rehearsal if for no other reason than they just tacked it on to the end of the show because they seemed to not have anymore live sketches left and the show seemed unusually short with more than a little extra time to fill. C+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season...
1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift
2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem
3. James Franco/SZA
4. Sam Rockwell/Halsey
5. Saoirse Ronan/U2
6. Larry David/Miley Cyrus
7. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk
8. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith
9. Kevin Hart/Foo Fighters
10. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z
Well, that show got off to and explosive start but soon sputtered out. At least it was consistent but not consistently dull. Next week, Jessica Chastain makes her hosting debut. Chastain is mostly known for her dramatic roles and hasn't really done comedy aside from a few bits here and there in between late night interviews. She is rather politically outspoken on social media, however. This is another show where I have no idea what to expect going in. She could be a game host but we'll only find out by tuning in. I do have a feeling she will collaborate with the women in the cast and writing staff on some woke/feminist material which may once agsin, dominate this show. See you then!
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