Ana De Armas/Karol G (04.15.2023)

Okay, here's my review. This show met my expectations and defied them all at once. I ended up coming around on Ana De Armas and she was the wonderful host I expected her to be. The show fit her like a glove. They knew exactly how to write for her and she was clearly overjoyed to be there. They also made some changes to the shows established format which, while exciting to see at first, didn't quite distract me from some of the pacing issues that resulted. The show felt uneven since they gradually went back to some of their old writing tropes and began recurring previously established thin premises from the previous era that should've left behind. You'll see what I mean by all this in a moment when the review of the actual show starts proper. Still, the sheer levels of energy made up for this, and while I can already see it was a divisive show to some, I certainly had fun watching it. There was a nice cast balance tonight. While nobody seemed to get shut out if the show entirely, JAJ and Dismukes seemed to have each only made one appearance all night. Anyway, let’s just start since there is a lot to break down tonight.

First Warm Day Of The Year Red Carpet Show - Wow...what the hell was the cold open in dress, and how badly did it bomb for them to scramble and bump this up top? Still, I say that with love as it's a shrewd choice and a very welcome change of pace to open the show with this. It's truly gratifying to see a light, breezy, non-topical, not too long cold open that doesn't actively drain the shows' energy up top after years of our pleas for such a thing seemingly falling on deaf ears. The JAJ/Mikey Longs and Devon/Punkie pairings are my favorite so far. Kenan & Sarah kinda overshot whatever they were going for, and it didn't really work for me. I did like how they made Ego/Dismukes and Marcello/Day into their own separate mini-runners in this. I also liked that this was accessible and not too much of an inside joke for another "weird/obnoxious New Yorkers we saw in the park" sketch. B+

Monologue - Nice to see Ana address the language barrier in a charming and not too self effacing way. I know when I drew comparisons to previous hosts in last week's blog, I mentioned the names Sofia Vergara and Gal Gadot, but she immediately seems more in control and at ease than those women. Part of me doubts that the "beg your pardon/acting class/Robert Deniro" stories are true, but the way she carried herself in this monologue left me not thinking too much about that. This felt a little long, but I think they gave Ana exactly what she needed here. She was the perfect host to bring back the "sincere personal monologue" trend. B+

The Dome - Well, Joe (or Bill whichever one of you this applies to), there goes your "Margot Robbie hosts the season finale" theory, but your "this is Mikeys' last season" theory still absolutely holds water for the time being. Maybe Mikey knows who the last two (as of right now tentatively) scheduled hosts of this season are but obviously can't reveal them. Either the last two hosts are men or Ana De Armas is the last host this season who is a glamorous, beautiful Hollywood actress or Mikey is operating under the assumption that the upcoming writers strike is definitely happening. Either way, I can see why he had to do this now instead of the finale. He had to strike while the iron was hot (pun somewhat intended). Anyway, this was a nice way for them to Trojan horse a third Matt Shatt on us. I appreciated how this was different from both of the previous Matt Shatts, but I was still a little disappointed with the setting for this one. When I saw that this was a game show titled "The Dome" for some reason I was half expecting a parody of "The Wall" (which is inexplicably still on the air on NBC right now) so I was hoping to see some physical challenges just for the sake of a drastic change to the Matt Shatt formula. Sadly, this never came to pass and I ended up just setting myself up for failure. Still, the multiplying nipples got me. B-

American Girls - Even though SNL has been doing too many American Girl based sketches lately (which is something I've never been deep into the lore of but thankfully didn't need to be for this) I did like the very grim and detailed "writerly/gallows humor" nature of this sketch, but it seemed to have some serious pacing issues. It seemed like it was absolutely dying with the audience during each moment when Ego (who seemed like she should've been carrying this sketch), or Molly, or Sarah weren't delivering their lines. C-

Young Spicy Sessions - When you really break it down, this was basically the most overused, played out sketch trope in recent SNL history ("inappropriate responses to a seemingly innocuous prompt") but this more than got by on sheer charisma. This was one of Egos' better showcases in a while, but Devon was really the glue that held this together. He seemed completely in his element here, and I liked his line "you leave my Corolla our of this." I also got a kick out of the implications that he may have a learning disability and should be on a watchlist for drugging women. B-

Spanish Transfer Students - Even if this felt like an inverse of the inner city school sketch from the Megan Thee Stallion episode but with Mikey Day doing his usual Mikey Day shtick added in, it was perhaps the perfect vehicle for both Marcello AND Ana (and Karol G). I did like how lived in and sincere they made this feel without it coming off too "pandery." Still, it felt like it could've been tightened just a little. B-

PDD: Hangxiety - This was pretty much the Please Don't Destroy take on the "Holiday quick cuts" trope we've been seeing reoccur since season 42 but the performances along with the lack of saccharine family get together "cutting the tracle" vibes put this over for me. John Higgins and Chloe opening fire got the most laughs out of me along with the interactions between Heidi/Bowen and Ben Marshall/Mikey Longs. They probably should've rethought the ending with Mikey Day, though. C+

Update was, once again, mainly worth tuning in for the commentaries. I didn't even mind the Discord jokes (they didn't apply to me or anyone I interact with on Discord), but I kind of wish that leaked document scandal wasn't the context for the first ever mention of Discord on SNL. The only other jokes that stood out to me were Che's Tim Scott/Rat Czar/missing alert system and Josts' litter campaign jokes. Kenan as Funky Kong turned out to be more fun than I was expecting it to be. I mean, the visual if Kenan in a gorilla suit was a little...unsettling...but by the time he got to "booty cheeks/titty meat" and had possibly genuinely botched that "Monkey Kong" line I was as fully on board with it as both Jost and Che seemed to be. I liked Sarahs' meditation expert a lot. It may have just been an excuse for her to burn Jost again but less elaborately and more in character/less as "Sarah" but I was just relieved to hear Colin set up this commentary with the phrase "with mental health struggles on the rise..." and NOT see Bowen come out (Mikey Longs would've been a'ight, but maybe he needs to slow his roll for a minute). The true highlight of this Update was Molly Kearney as Molly Kearney. They delivered the same type of sincere personal political statement that Cecily (and at one point Aidy) pulled off successfully but did so in a less harrowing and confessional and more flashier and showier but also more positive, encouraging, cohesive and uplifting way (both literally and figuratively). B+

Lisa From Temecula - Well, I guess we willed this one into existence whether we meant to or not. I have to admit, I was a bit more into this one than I was the first one (maybe because Ego affected a much goofier Kenan-like voice and the breaking was a bit more under control despite what appeared to be Egos' best efforts) but this still appears to ve suffering from Debbie Downer syndrome while lacking variance at season 35 levels. C+

Enter Stage Woof: Acting School For Dogs - There's no way in hell you can convince me this WASN'T a leftover script from a Cecily/Aidy sketch from season 45 that got cut at the table read. This felt like the first sketch all night that Ana De Armas was truly an odd fit for, but I will say Chloe handle the inevitable mishaps like a pro and Punkie had the funniest lines on the whole sketch. C-

Nail Salon - After the last few character showcases Bowen has given us, it's nice that we got something that was more reminiscent of his "choking victim poster" sketch with Scarlett Johansson from season 45 (even if it's delivered with the hamminess that season 48 Bowen can't seem to leave behind for very long). I honestly didn't mind his midwife sketch from a few weeks ago, and this felt like a slightly scaled back version of that.I didn't hate that random Family Guy-ish Twilight reference, but it felt a little too forced. C+

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith (01.21.2023)
2. Michael B. Jordan/Lil Baby (01.28.2023)
3. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
4. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
5. Quinta Brunson/Lil Yachty (04.01.2023)
6. Ana De Armas/Karol G (04/15/2023)
7. Molly Shannon/Jonas Brother's (04.08.2023)
8. Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
9. Jenna Ortega/The 1975 (03.11.2023)
10. Travis Kelce/Kelsea Ballerini (03.04.2023)
11. Austin Butler/Lizzo (12.17.2022)
12. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
13. Pedro Pascal/Coldplay (02.04.2023)
14. Woody Harrelson/Jack White (02.25.2023)
15. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
16. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
17. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
18. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, that may not have been the ideal season finale for me...but there was fun to be had. The next announced episode doesn't sound like my ideal episode to even..
air or exist but I'm still holding out hope that the WGA can successfully negotiate another contract to get the pay they deserve and to give this season the proper finale it deserves (as of this writing the final two hosts and musical guest lineups of May have yet to be announced, so...who knows?) Barring the possibility of another Writer's Guild Of America strike, Pete Davidson will make his hosting debut in two week's time. That's right, Pete Davidson will be the first of the departing class of 2022 (less than a full year after he left to be exact) to return to the show (for a full length hosting gig, not just a surprisee unannounced cameo). For some reason, the words "TOO SOON" keep flashing in my head like an old, unprogrammed VCR constantly blinking "12:00" over and over again. I honestly can't say I can see how he would even fit into the show now despite the minimal changes made since his departure (mostly because he barely let us see how he could still fit into the show in his last season since he had multiple different reasons not to be there for his own personal well being) but I will say the trailer for his new Peacock series "Bupkis" looks...decent, so...if he had to host so soon at least it's to promote something that looks worth promoting. (Wait...a cast member hosts for their very first time just to promote a Peacock series? This might be just like the Will Forte episode from last season all over again! That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either). Oh well. See you then!

Molly Shannon/Jonas Brothers (04.08.2023)

Okay, here's my review. Some people were a bit lower than me on this episode as a whole. They were underwhelmed by it but it worked just fine for me simply because I went in to it with the most tempered expectations possible (which you can easily do when a well loved cast member with a distinct performance style who had a decently long tenure on the show returns...see, that's the nice thing about alumni hosted episodes...especially when said alumni has previously hosted). As expected, Molly Shannon was a perfectly pleasant host whose charm and warm personality shined through. Even if the post Update half of the show started to crumble, she was able to put pretty much all of it over on her part. No cast member got shut out of the show entirely, but both Mikeys' felt underused (in fact you'd think we might see more of Mikey than we did given that he and Shannon previously worked together on the American remake of "Kath and Kim" which incidentally aired on NBC around the last time she hosted) but Dismukes and Punkie made big comebacks. Anyway, let’s begin.

Trumps' Last Supper - Well, I was expecting this to be a JAJ/Trump open. I was foolish NOT to think they'd make it Easter themed. After all, this is the second time they've done such a thing since JAJ joined the cast. All I can say is, aside from Molly's Judas and JAJs' "get very violent and start a war" line and the slight meta nod at the end, this did absolutely nothing for me. C-

Monologue - Well, I was expecting Molly to do SOMETHING at the top of the show to bring up the energy level. If she couldn't find a way to pull off a Mary Katherine Gallagher cold open like she did back in '07, a charming musical number with shades of 'Leg Up!' was the next best thing. I liked all the cast cameos (especially how they got BOTH Molly's to chat briefly with each other while all but ignoring the elephant in the room). Shorts' cameo was a nice touch. B-

Vincent's Valets - Even though this felt completely telegraphed, they had me right from Dismukes and JAJs' first interaction. Shannon and Kenan added some fun dark vibes to it. I did like how blatantly Kenan made Devon break. B+

Jeannie Darcy: Selective Startage - I do love how one of the only recurring characters of Molly's to appear in both her hosting stints is by far one of her most obscure to casual SNL fans. The basic level of anti-humor here still worked for me (even if this did seem a bit similar to that fake trailer for a fake Dave Bautista standup special that Netflix actually did tweet out last week), and I liked how they took the pics out of what an overblown "event" Netflix made thst Chris Rock special out to be (even if these could've worked better as two separate sketches). Ego's Arsenio and Punkies' Wanda were pretty funny (even if Punkies' impression could've used a bit more work). I honestly could've done without Chloes' Sarah Silverman, though. It felt like too much of a cheap imitation of Melissas' Sarah Silverman. I did like the meta Tesla joke at the end, though. B-

Office Baby Shower - While I'm not normally one for extended fart jokes, I do appreciate how committed this was to its own gleeful stupidity and I think that we can all agree that Molly Shannon is really the only sketch performer with the warmth and likable personality necessary to put this over. Honestly, the way the ending came across as botched would be my only point against this sketch. B-

PDD: Molly 2K23 - I thought the idea behind this was fun and clever, but maybe the PDD boys breezed through this a bit too fast, and something felt missing? Watching it over again, I liked the details of the commencement/death battle/skateboarding/daughter talk levels , and I did the rap at the end. I will also say I do like how they tried to throw in subtle references to MKG throughout the show to make up for the fact that Molly can't really play such a heavily physically comedic role anymore, though. B-

Year Of A Thousand Men - At first, this seemed like it wasn't going to work for me at all. The obligatory Nick Jonas sketch cameo almost cemented this for me but I just couldn't get over the tired premise of "one person being humiliated beyond belief in front of a crowd" that felt played out roughly a decade ago. What ended up turning this around for me was seeing the play-within-a-sketch catch up with the sketch chronologically in real time. C+

Update was pretty underwhelming. We're back to Che getting the lion's share of the better jokes (specifically his MTG/Murdoch/Pope sex blessing/YouTube prankster/Vogue cover jokes), but at least he and Jost seem to know how to play off each other well (and I'll give it to Jost for that DeSantis joke). Bowens' Jafar was something I completely tuned out of. I immediately could tell this wasn't for me, but I liked the dumb revelation that DeSantis apparently got married at Disney in real life. Punkies Angel Reese commentary was entertaining. I wonder if this was the shows' way of making it up to her for cutting her Brittney Griner commentaries over the past two seasons? Heidi's new character just barely got by on sheer goofball energy and Wiig-like mugging. The reveal of her being Che's assistant felt like an inside joke that they didn't care if the audience was in on or not. C+

Drug Commercial Shoot - This felt way too unfocused and slapdash for me. I appreciated Kenan trying to add some silliness to it, but it just seemed to veer this more and more off track. Ego and both Molly's were really the best thing about it. C-

Sally O'Malley - Well, just when I thought she was going to leave this character back in mothballs...here she is. Considering this was also the second "obligatory Jonas cameo sketch" of the night, it seems doubly odd that this was buried so late in the show. I guess Jonas brother's fans from their early days either don't have problems staying up late or just...won't stay up or stay in at all and will just catch this online if it pops up in their social feeds. This also felt a little too rushed and confused to me (especially given how overly long the previous Sally O'Malley sketches always felt to me) and it lacked an ending (not the sketches' biggest problem, I know) but kudos to Molly Shannon for finding SOME way to sneak in whatever physical humor she can give us here. Also, there is one elephant in the room we should be addressing tonight. Shouldn't Sally O'Malley at least chronologically be 73 or 74 by now? I mean, yeah, it's a sketch, and that may not HAVE to be canon. Sketch and cartoon characters are probably the last types of fictional characters that should age in any way but I had to brung this up not just because Shannon is now 58 in real life but also because 50 is no longer considered...well, not just "that old" necessarily but it's not an age where it would be considered outrageous to have an active lifestyle. In fact, Patton Oswalt would be the first to tell you that heavy exercise and an outdoor lifestyle would even MORE be encouraged once you turn 50 (well, at least low impact hiking if nothing else). Maybe this was the Jonas brother's "safe choice" for a sketch to cameo in that wouldn't alienate some of their more Christian fanbase that stuck with them (it was clearly just an excuse to get some cheap laughs by wearing goofy outfits) or maybe the Jonases just wanted to do this because it's a sketch they grew up watching with their parents but either way...they probably should've switched this around with the Jeannie Darcy pretape between dress and air so this could've been earlier in the show where it would’ve made sense. C+

CNZen - Hmm... modern day CNN coverage of Trumps' indictment/arraignment being channeled into a meditation app for bland centrist Colbert #Resistance liberals. This one seemed like it was going to be a bit of a thinker. What this was missing in conceptual coherence it quickly made up for execution. All the cast members playing current CNN anchors did great jobs in this. I especially liked the inclusion of Sarah as Wolf Blitzer and JAJ as Lindsay Graham. Molly Shannon does have the perfect voice to pull this sketch off. I do wonder who wrote this because it seems almost like a Che concept but more focused and almost as pointed as some of Che's Update jokes about, just...certain types of white people in general. I mean, it may not have been as pointed as the "Trump Addicts of America" pretape was from the season 46 Adele episode, but at least this targeted a different type of person who "makes hating Trump their entire personality" and did so at a time when the stakes were substantially lower. C+

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith (01.21.2023)
2. Michael B. Jordan/Lil Baby (01.28.2023)
3. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
4. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
5. Quinta Brunson/Lil Yachty (04.01.2023)
6. Molly Shannon/Jonas Brother's (04.08.2023)
7. Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
8. Jenna Ortega/The 1975 (03.11.2023)
9. Travis Kelce/Kelsea Ballerini (03.04.2023)
10. Austin Butler/Lizzo (12.17.2022)
11. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
12. Pedro Pascal/Coldplay (02.04.2023)
13. Woody Harrelson/Jack White (02.25.2023)
14. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
15. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
16. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
17. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, aside from a new "Delicious Dish" that episode pretty much gave me everything I was expecting. Next week, Ana De Armas makes her hosting debut. Given that this would be another female host for whom English is not quite their first language (I had read that she had to learn her lines for "Blonde" phoenetically) I would expect this to be another strange episode in the same vein as Gal Gadot Circa 2017 or Sofia Vergara Circa 2012 (hey, I wonder if Andy picked that one for him and Jon to review BEFORE she was announced? I'm sure it's just a coincidence). I would hope she could defy those expectations because from what little I have seen of her acting, she seems to be able to hold her own. Still, she doesn't seem like the ideal pick for "potential final host of the season if another strike DOES happen in May." Oh well, see you then and Happy Easter!

Quinta Brunson/Lil Yachty (04.01.2023)

Okay, here's my review. Unsurprisingly, this turned out to be a successful episode but not one that exactly blew me away. Quinta Brunson turned out to be a great host who certainly showed up to put in work but she blended in with the cast more than I expected (perhaps her time on "A Black Lady Sketch Show" was what helped her the most here). Surprisingly, this turned out to be a great night for JAJ of all people, but he's been ingratiating himself into the show for some time now, so that's to be expected. I agree with whoever has dubbed him the "backbone" of the show. You would expect Ego, Sarah, Heidi, and Punkie to have as good a night as JAJ did just given the way the show has been going but they still had their moments as did everyone else and thankfully no one got shut out of the show entirely. Anyway, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Trump Bopz - Well, it may have been a little too long and not every joke landed with me but at least this was the most outlandish and absurd "left field" framing device for a JAJ Trump cold open we've seen so far. I did like how their obligatory Trump indictment cold open was just a wild free association off the horrifying real life fact that a former president is plugging a new single by an actual group calling themselves "The J6 Prison Choir" who just sampled him. I'd go as far as to say this was more reminiscent of Tony Atamanuiks' "President Show" on Comedy Central than SNLs' typical approach to Trump sketches since his presidency (mostly because "President Show" was known for its flashy musical numbers). Plus, now I can name precisely one (1) song by Ice Spice. C+

Monologue - Unlike the cold open, this monologue was quite a bit different from what I was expecting. Quinta did make a sincere personal statement, but it was less about her connection to SNL and much more about her much more personal connection to education and the public school system (after a series of asides on how black women deal with sudden fame). I was half expecting various "audience members" or cast members to ask Quinta various questions about how to solve problems at their own local schools (mainly because this monologue made me flashback to those of Paul Reiser, Kerry Washington, Lena Dunham) until I realized we are well into the era of solo host monologues dominating SNL. It showed less energy and eagerness to please than it did laser-focus and wanting to educate (pardon the expression) the SNL audience on a cause that is near and dear to this host. I guess it's on me for expecting a bigger and showier monologue. I didn't realize her character on "Abbott" was the sincere, earnest voice of reason, and this monologue showed me how much of a real place in Quintas' life that came from. B-

Cocaine Bathroom - This felt like a very one-note, tired premise, but the casts' commitment (Marcello, Quinta, Dismukes, and Kenan in particular) put it over for me. Longfellows' Camouflaged Black Tar Herion Guy was genuinely my biggest laughs of the night. B-

I Was A Bridesmaid - This was more unexpectedly deep niche humor that I was not the target audience for (and not JUST because I still haven't been invited to a wedding in my life nor would this be what I would be a part of if I were). In fact, I'd say this felt more like something Baroness Von Sketch Show would've done (and I'm not just saying that because Molly reminded me quite a bit of Jennifer Whalen in the most decidedly feminized role they have been given on this show so far). They used JAJ and Squirm quite well in this, though. C-

Couple Goals - I do love how this took a dark turn toward exploring a very grim and specifically detailed premise. It had an unexpectedly great payoff. Quick side note: Is it just me, or did anyone else get the impression that when the camera cut to Devon and Ego in the audience as Kenans' parents that it was supposed to stay on them much longer but either there was a miscue or a major change was made at the last minute? C+

Traffic Charades - Honestly, the most notable thing about this sketch was the directing choices that were made. Visually, this felt like a season 32 sketch. Sadly, it also felt like it was written during season 39. Shockingly, Chloe may have been my favorite part of this sketch. I'm sorry to say I'm not as high on this sketch as everyone else seems to be. I recognize it had some decent writing. Maybe this is one of those things that would need to grow on me over time, but I don't know when I would find myself watching this again. C-

Update was carried by sheer audience energy tonight. Thank God Che pulled his biggest prank on Jost yet because his Trump jokes were real duds. Still, he made up for it with his biggest all-time break and that Christmas card joke. It's about damn time that SNL finally did SOMETHING to break its own format for an April Fools episode. Longfellows' David seemed like an attempt to top himself in terms of "character" character pieces like Dilbert and Punxsutawney Phil. This didn't quite live up to the high bar that granit head turn set, but still... good effort even if not everything worked. Marcellos' "short king" commentary was another great shortca..er, showcase, excuse me, for Marcello but it's very weird to me that he ended up getting to do this the week that the only person in the building shorter than him is the host. B+

Time Midwife - Well, this may have seemed far too thrown together at the last second for it's own good but I'm glad this turned out to be another writerly, detail heavy sketch instead of just another hammy Bowen showcase. His breaking near the end nearly ruined it for me. Kudos to that child extra for getting one of the last two laugh lines. C+

Penis Brothers - Great time for an insanely cartoony Squirmcase with an assist from Quinta. Sarah must've been watching a lot of Kids In The Hall lately. It's obvious her two favorite characters are Bruce McCullochs' Cabbage Head and Dave Foleys' AT&Love boss and thought it would be fun to combine them into the SAME character Make no mistake, I say that with love. B+

PDD: NY Street Eats - This was Please Don't Destroys' strongest outing to date. What especially made this work for me was how unafraid they were to gleefully plumb the absolute depths of their characters' sheer stupidity, ignorance, and cowardice. Marcello, Quinta, and Punkie made the absolute most out of their parts. A-

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith (01.21.2023)
2. Michael B. Jordan/Lil Baby (01.28.2023)
3. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
4. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
5. Quinta Brunson/Lil Yachty (04.01.2023)
6. Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
7. Jenna Ortega/The 1975 (03.11.2023)
8. Travis Kelce/Kelsea Ballerini (03.04.2023)
9. Austin Butler/Lizzo (12.17.2022)
10. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
11. Pedro Pascal/Coldplay (02.04.2023)
12. Woody Harrelson/Jack White (02.25.2023)
13. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
14. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
15. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
16. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, that may not have been as greater than the sum of its parts, but it was still a good show. Next week, Molly Shannon returns for her second time hosting in only 16 years. This is sure to be a great week for the current cast, but I am more curious to see how Molly might adapt to the current show. How might she be able to take a less physical approach to characters like Sally O'Malley and Mary Katherine Gallagher in 2023? There's no doubt in my mind that another Delicious Dish reprise would make the most sense (hey, if Will Forte could host last year to promote the MacGruber series on Peacock than Ana Gasteyer certainly deserves a chance to at least make another brief cameo to plug American Auto) but will they feel forced to top themselves in terms of homespun faux-raunch and search for the next "Schweddy Balls" or "Dusty Muffin" or will they be willing to scale themselves back towards the more dry subtle absurdities of the earlier installments? Maybe Molly could surprise us by going the route Ferrell and Sandler did just a few years ago, giving us a show full of (mostly) original non-recurring material. The possibilities are endless, and we'll certainly see what happens next week. See you then!

(...and remember, I am still taking applications for guest blogger, so if you want to write your own guest post like Blood Meridian did or if you want to submit your own fan mailbag question for me to answer like I did for Ken George Jones, PLEASE let me know!)