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!
Sunday, October 14, 2018
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!
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