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!
Sunday, November 18, 2018
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!