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!
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