Ramy Youssef/Travis Scott (03.30.2024)

Okay, here's my review. 

This episode, for me, may have been the strongest episode of March 2024 but I still had some problems with it, so that's really not saying a whole lot. For better or worse, it felt like they were going for the same type of vibes they went for with Quinta Brunsons' episode a year ago (with the host and their unique background seemingly influencing the creative direction the show took that week and thereby making the show seem like they were taking an interesting, one of a kind stance on something for once) but it still came up short somehow and let itself get bogged down in its rehashing of tired old sketch premises at nearly every turn. Ramy Youssef was a strong and capable host who deserves a chance to host again some day but somehow, by the shows' end he managed to blend in a little TOO well into the background on a night when every cast member got some airtime (except for Molly whos' only big moment in the show was cut at dress rehearsal) but no one really stood out or dominated. I guess Kenan, Marcello, Mikey, JAJ and Sarah came close but that may have mostly been due to their continued overuse as utility players or being pushed as the new "stars" of the show in a way that may not best suit their unique talents. Oh well, such is the nature of an SNL episode that tries for something better than "normal" when the show absolutely needs it more than ever but ends up not being able to overcome being plagued by the bizarre paradoxical nature of the season it's trapped in. Anyway, let’s get on with it so you all can better see what I'm getting at, shall we?

Trumps' Ressurection - Well, this was EXACTLY what I was expecting from the moment I heard the word "Easter" over a text crawl that said the same thing. With Trump actually selling his own branded bibles, I guess this was the lowest hanging fruit of all time, huh? The various "illustrations" and "cuts" of his bible were amusing enough along with the "miracle toaster" and the entire Destinys' Child ramble but this just BARELY worked for me just on the strength of those few things alone. Still, if this is what it takes for JAJ to get the airtime he truly deserves I can put up with hit for a little while longer. C-

Monologue - Not being too familiar with Ramys' standup, I was pleasantly surprised by what he bought to the show. He bought a fresh, substantially diverse point of view instead of just his own previous baggage. He singlehandedly made the show feel strikingly different at a point when the show DESPERATELY needed a change (if the fact that he said "free the people of Palestine" on the air to a near standing ovation wasn’t enough evidence of this for you). I also liked his north/south/Biden jokes as well. I don't know how well those trans president jokes will be taken though. B-

Couple Goals - Of course the show gives us a sketch nearly identical to one we've seen a year ago JUST as I said it was starting to notice someone different. At least this got a strong reaction (most likely due Ramy having already got the audience on his side). This definitely felt like a watered down version of the couples game show sketch from Quintas episode but done in a more writerly "tell, don't show" way which while I appreciate on one hand, on the other it makes this version of the sketch feel a bit too generic like it may be missing something. Thankfully for Heidi, she got a chance to be in this just so JAJs' "no more lines for you" comment in the cold open wouldn't hold water for the rest of the night! C-

PDDs' Night Out w/Ramy Travis - This has to be the most mixed feelings I've ever had about a PDD short ever. On the one hand, I don't think the show should be promoting Travis Scott this way post Astroworld concert incident. On the other, I actually did like this and appreciate that Travis was really only preipheral to it. I'll just say I can relate to feeling a little bit too high in a public nightlife setting (but thankfully I held what I was on better than J. Higgs, Smoke Dawg and Big Mart Mart did...and it sure as hell wasn't CBD because CBD wasn't that big a thing back when I was in college...an edible may have been involved but that's not important). This did feel like they threw three sad Virgins in a blender with their short from the Ana De Armas episode and Bowens rap with Megan Thee Stallion though, so it had that going against it. I did like Ramys' "napkin pants" and Mikeys' "gigantic pussies" line as the doctor though. B-

Immigrant Dad Talk Show - Ah, I see this one is going for subtlety right out of the gate. Anyway, if nothing else this felt like a more palatable alternative/companion piece to Heidi's son loving mom character from last season that knew better where its own boundaries should be and WAY more put over by the charisma of the performers (as they're doing something well within their cultural wheelhouses). I can't be the only one who got heavy ILC Damon Wayans "Hey Mon" vibes from Kenans' highly telegraphed character though. Are Mikey and Dismukes characters distant relatives of the Shatt family or the Vogelchecks? Dismukes sub-Michael Scott level Parkour was funny. I liked Marcelos' "thesis" joke and the detail of Ramy smoking from a hookah. There's another throwback object to my college days. B-

Locker Room Pep Talk - Ok, from what I've been hearing about dress cuts from SNN lately I could've SWORN this has gotten cut from at least one previous show. Thankfully, the confirmed it got cut from Jacob Elordis' episode and placed in an episode with a host that really added someone to this that Jacob may not have been able to. Still, I honestly liked how this played out in a writerly, escalating "tell don't show" fashion. I think that served this sketch well as did the brief performances by Devon and JAJ. B-

Ozempic For Ramadan - This paired with "Immigrant Dad Talk Show" in the same episode shows that this episode was written for a VERY specific audience. I am definitely not a part of that specific audience so this almost felt lost on me but there were a few specific details in there I could pick up on mostly thanks to Kenan and Dismukes. C+

Update wasn't much for jokes tonight. I liked Josts' opening lines on the Trump bible and Boeing parts. Other than that, he and Jost felt like they were alternating between trying too hard or just letting the sheer confusion and/or low effort of their jokes wash over you. I'm actually glad I fought against my natural instinct to tune out a Chloe Fineman TikTok character because she perfectly sold the over-the-top cringe factor of it all. That MySpace joke at the very end could've been cut, though. Sarah Sherman as Flacos' widow wasn’t my absolute favorite bits of hers but she managed to put it over in a way that only she could have. This did feel like a flipside to her freaked out Peppa Pig mom character from last season cut with some diluted Jost roasts but she put in enough raunchy lines in there to make it work. C+

Pizza Mugging Victim - This was definitely my favorite live sketch of the night for the way Dismukes sold it and ended it at just the right moment (even if this was just his beach sketch from the premiere transplanted to a crime scene). Plus, seeing Sarah Sherman on the verge of breaking but never QUITE getting there was a neat SNL first. B-

NPR Tiny Desk Podcast - This felt WAY too unfocused and scattershot to really work for me. At one point, I felt like I was watching maybe five different sketches stitched together. I guess the fact that this was the last sketch of the night (beating out something obviously for thst title based on that sudden band shot) and also Bowens first appearance in the entire damn show was supposed to make this feel like enough of a jumpscare to make another of his vanity pieces seem palatable? Thankfully, this one was more subtle by his standards. Honestly, Bowen was fine here (he was basically Garrett from NPR, a bit more refined amd cultured). What bothered me more was them teasing us with the possibility of her singing and ending up just using her in the Mikey Day role by the sketches end. C-

Now, for my updated ranking of season 49...

1. Nate Bargatze/Foo Fighters (10.28.2023)
2. Adam Driver/Olivia Rodrigo (12.9.2023)
3. Ayo Edeberi/Jennifer Lopez (02.03.2024)
4. Kate McKinnon/Billie Eilish (12.16.2023)
5. Timothee Chalamet/Boygenius (11.11.2023)
6. Emma Stone/Noah Kahan (12.2.2023)
7. Bad Bunny (10.21.2023)
8. Pete Davidson/Ice Spice (10.14.2023)
9. Ramy Youssef/Travis Scott (03.30.2024)
10. Josh Brolin/Ariana Grande (03.09.2024)
11. Sydney Sweeney/Kacey Musgraves (03.02.2024)
12. Shane Gillis/21 Savage (02.24.2024)
13. Dakota Johnson/Justin Timberlake (1.27.2024)
14. Jacob Elordi/Renée Rapp (01.20.2024)
15. Jason Momoa/Tate McRae (11.18.2023)

Well, that certainly was another episode of SNL. Next week, Kristen Wiig joins the five timers' club. While I'm still not the biggest fan of hers, I admit that her December 2020 episode turned out fine enough that I can go into this with an open mind and hope that if they bring back any recurring material of hers it will stand out the least. See you soon!