Dan Levy/Phoebe Bridgers (2.6.2021)

Okay, here's my review. SNL in 2021 is still a little uneven so far but compared to last week, this host's visible commitment and genuine enthusiasm for the show put it over. It's easy to see why Dan Levy so easily blends in and gets along well with this cast. I can't remember I time I've seen a host whose comedic sensibilities matched up perfectly with SNL in its current incarnation to the point where you see that their conscious decision to pursue their own project right out of the gate rather than audition for SNL is the only thing that kept them from getting hired on the spot. Sadly, the cast was a little uneven with Lauren and Chloe being completely shut out and Pete only having appeared in the "men's cosmetics" pretape that was posted online as a dress cut. Anyway, this was another straight forward show with little to unpack so let's get right to it.

Super Bowl Pregame Show - Well, I guess we're two-for-two on cold opens that didn't feel like they should've BEEN cold opens. Placement in the show aside, the few genuine laughs I got from this were the "both sides" commercials, the "predictions" at the end and just Redds' presence in this sketch in general. I thought Beck and Kenan were laughing at some of the glaring technical miscues until they cut to Aidy dressed as two male football coaches which made me realize that if you're going for an Inside The Beltway style blooper moment, it does work if you lean into it no matter how low the stakes are. C+

Monologue - Dan Levy is a lot lower key of a performer than I expected. To be honest, it kinda hindered this monologue more than it helped it for me but this monologues general length may be more to blame for that. I wanted to like the idea of a backstage tour monologue in the time of Covid-19 more if I hadn't seen Fallon do something an awfully lot like this recently with his Billie Eillish "Therefore I Am" parody. This was executed in an almost identical way to that. Still, it was nice to see Kenan, Showgirls in plastic bubbles and Melissa in what was sadly her only appearance all night. Honestly, the Eugene cameo was the real highlight of this for me. It must have meant a lot to him to be able to see his son host this show so I'm pleased to see they found a way to get him there and keep him safe. C+

Universal Studios Tram Tour - It was nice to see a type of character Mikey has played before in a sketch template that I haven't seen used that frequently. Dan Levy carried this well with a few solid assists from Mikey and Ego. It was also nice to see Bowen in this to remind us that he and Dan have more range as performers than just playing roles the other one could do just as easily. B-

Zillow - I don't know whether I'd like this sketch more or less if I hadn't seen this premise before as the entire basis of a CRACKED article recently. Now, I'm seeing that this was already a college humor video and two other comedians are throwing their accusations out there. The performances really sold it for me but the subsequent accusations of plagiarism has kept me from enjoying it now.Once again, Cecily provided the perfect counterpoint to everything. C-

Mask Off Super Bowl Party - This was the first of many sketches tonight that I liked more for the performances than the writing since I could immediately tell where this was going anyway. I especially liked all the absurd reveals about each characters personal lives. I just wished Heidi hadn't let that Chilli step on her last two punchlines. I don't feel too strongly one way or the other about Kate's Dr. Fauci impression but I have to say this sketch was a better use of said impression than the cold open to Timothee Chalamets' episode last month. Bowen as PSY (again, another role that separates him from Dan Levy as a performer) was a nice unexpected addition if for no other reason than giving us a nice fourth wall breaking ending. B-

Lifting Our Voices - I almost thought this could've been another Che penned sketch until I realized I could actually make sense of the very straight forward point it was trying to make. Nice to see Punkie get a substantial role in a sketch. Kenan, Chris, Dan, Ego, Aidy and (especially) Kyle all really nailed their parts. I'd even go as far as saying Chris and Dan walked so Kyle could run away with this. Kyle may even go down in SNL history as the first cast member to make Ego Nwodim even come close to breaking. B+

Update was a bit shorter than I was expecting but overall it was pretty solid. Once again, Che had the better jokes (or just knew how to better deliver his in some cases but if they were even going to bring up Morgan Wallen they shouldn't have turned away from the skid and made it a slam on Jost for no reason). I had heard that Mikey and Heidi were doing an Update feature I was expecting to see their Instagram influencer couple again. I'm glad they did different characters this time but this was a little conflicting for me. I mean, their performances put this over for me but I'm not crazy about the idea of SNL doing "cancel culture is getting out of control" jokes. They feel wildly out of place on this show. Kenan and Chris' new characters are something I personally could get behind as I have seen several examples of the exact YouTube trend they were parodying. I could also tell it was written in such a way that you wouldn't have to know what they're parodying to get it due to the increasing absurdity of it. Honestly, the worst thing I could say about this week's Update is that my hopes for a "Bobby Bittman meets Bruce Chandling" Update feature were completely dashed. B-

Football Songs - It was nice to see Cecily finally make a live appearance in this week's show. It was a little disappointing to see her gradually gaslight a new group of people into suddenly knowing how some obscure show tune. I mean, everyone was great and the performances really saved it but I just wasn't crazy about seeing this sketch template again. I did like Cecily and Dan threatening Beck with violence at the end. C+

Wedding Objections - I liked Mikeys' performance in this. Ego and Punkie were great in it too as were Kate, Dan and Beck but this felt like too niche and too scattershot of a sketch concept for me to fully get into. C-

It Gets Better 10 Years Later - Now, this was another niche premise but it was pulled off in such a way that the entire audience could get in on it. This had great writing behind it and while it featured solely its' full LGBTQIA+ roster, it was a great way for the show to illustrate just how diverse it's cast in general has become. B+

Now, for my updated rankings for this season…

1. Timothee Chalamet/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (12.12.2020)
2. Issa Rae/Justin Beiber (10.17.20)
3. John Mulaney/The Strokes (10.31.20)
4. Kristen Wiig/Dua Lipa (12.19.2020)
5. Dave Chappelle/Foo Fighters (11.7.2020)
6. Dan Levy/Phoebe Bridgers (2.6.2021)
7. John Krasinski/Machine Gun Kelly (1.30.2021)
8. Chris Rock/Megan Thee Stallion (10.3.20)
9. Adele/H.E.R. (10.24.20)
10. Jason Bateman/Morgan Wallen (12.5.20)
11. Bill Burr/Jack White (10.10.20) 

Well, that show felt like it would be one of the cast and crew's more memorable weeks. Next week, Regina King makes her hosting debut. She's had quite a career but the main thing I know her from is "The Boondocks" so I know even less of what to expect from her than I did from Levy. I just hope she can match Levys' energy. See you then!