he following blog post is a companion piece to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast…and, in a way, the soft launch of my cohost Deej Barens’ new podcast Saturday Night Ladies. Give BOTH of our/her podcasts a listen, won't you?
SNL Special Report: Road To The White House
Chris Rock weighs in on the presidential primary race.
Apparently, this was supposed to be a Weekend Update commentary at dress rehearsal. I genuinely wonder what the original cold open to this episode was going to be that made them decide that THIS worked better?
Hmm, according to SNL Transcripts, the original cold open must have been a Sudeikis as Bush piece where he talked about March Madness. I can see why Lorne must have thought a sudden former alumni cameo might have grabbed the audience's attention more. Too bad not a lot of Rocks’ material stood out that well.
Anyway, if you’re familiar with Chris Rocks’ standup from…well, really ANY time period this hits just about all the specific beats you would expect (and if you’re familiar with Chris Rocks’ takes on current events and culture in general, you could probably guess which presidential candidate Rock was endorsing at this time).
I guess you can’t say that the basic premise of “white women have suffered like this but black men have suffered like this” doesn’t hold up today since Bill Burr tackled this topic in his first SNL host monologue just five years ago. He must have been taking notes during this. Too bad Burrs’ take on the topic came at a time when it wouldn’t have been largely scrutinized on social media and just swept under the rug like Rocks’ was.
One line that got me was Rock saying he thought “Farrakhan had died” when he saw Anna Nicole Smith had all black male pallbearers at her funeral.
Boy, does the line about Giuliani being “great in a crisis” not hold up today. Hell, he arguably helped create the crisis America is in right now. The line about how Giuliani is like a pitbull who “might eat your kids” probably holds up way better than anyone could have imagined.
Speaking of things that don’t hold up today, that last line…hoo boy. The fact that it’s an unoriginal burn on George W. Bush that Carlos Mencia would blatantly plagiarize a year later aside, that’s not something any TV show could get away with today. C+
Monologue
Coming off her recent Emmy win for “New Adventures of Old Christine”, Julia Louis-Dreyfus warns the audience to not judge recent candid footage of her too harshly because the media loves to take down beloved celebrities like her.
Jokes about trashy female celebrities behaving badly may have seemed pretty played out by this point, but I’ll be damned if Julia doesn’t have the innate charm and likability to make this play well.
Even drunkenly vomiting into a wine glass while making “Green card” jokes aimed at America Ferrera, she’s endlessly funny in a “very primitive, unrefined shades of Selina Meyer” type way. Hell, she’s the only funny woman I’d ever want to see exit a limo with a Britney Spears-like crotch shot that reveals a bush so massive it spreads half way across her inner thighs. She even managed to add some class to THAT!
One of my favorite lines in this from Julia: “They can even make a nice woman like that lovely Ann Coulter look like a monster!”
I liked how this was a very direct and to the point monologue that got in, got its laughs and got out. B-
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey (Maya Rudolph) interviews author of “The Secret” Rhonda Byrne (Amy Poehler) on how her book can help regular people control the universe with their positive thoughts and energy. Recently divorced housewife Pamela Headley (Louis-Dreyfus) and Darfurian refugee Olessi Oneweja (Kenan Thompson) discuss how the positive thinking taught in “The Secret” has NOT changed their lives and are criticized for letting their own negative energy bring them down.
Geez, two seemingly laser focused pop culture themed sketches in a row? Was Tina Fey a guest writer this week?
Anyway, I’ve never read “The Secret” and my only context for it were the few parodies of it I have encountered around this time. Still, I would say the overall message to this sketch is that you still need fame, wealth and social clout to make “The Secret” work for you (otherwise you appear as a mentally unstable loser with a tenuous grasp on reality in the eyes of others) still resonates today.
I liked the small detail of Julia's character having unexplained adult braces. Even though Amy was mostly the straight woman in this sketch, her deranged facial expressions paired with her labored Australian accent were something I got a kick out of. Julia played her derangement well too but it’s a shame that Amy Poehler didn't get quite as many chances to play crazy eyed not-all-there Australian women as Kate McKinnon did.
Mayas’ Oprah didn’t add too much here besides some necessary historical context and Kenan’s part was fine (if not a bit too telegraphed for my liking). Otherwise, this was a pretty decent sketch. C+
Monex
Ros Gentle (Kristen Wiig) wants you to invest in, lovingly caress and decorate your home in gold.
Geez, yet another parody of a very specific advertisement from this time! (at least I think it is as I noticed Wiigs’ character was listed as an “impression” on SNL Archives).
Anyway, this was very well acted on Wiigs’ part. She underplayed her main to the exact right hilt. It seemed like Kristen knew when to really rein it in here but it probably helps that this is a pretape and another focused impression of a specific pitchwoman from this time (again, hey! Two in a row).
Some of my favorite moments in this were Wiig's line about the value of gold having “gone up a little bit”, the Goldie Hawn photo in her living room and her drinking Florida Gold brand Orange Juice. B+
Restless Penis Syndrome
Karen Danbury (Dreyfus) is highly suspicious of her husband's (Jason Sudeikis) claim that his staying out late is a result of his uncontrollable RPS diagnosis until his physician Dr. Highsmith (Thompson) suddenly shows up to help plead his case along with two commercial pitchmen (Hader and Samberg V/O). Karen suddenly changes her tune when she finds out that she is featured in a sudden PSA.
Hmm, given what we know about Jasons’ dating history during his time on the show…I wonder how much of this sketch was drawn from real life?
Anyway, this was another well crafted sketch that started with a hint of semi-dramatic, slice of life acting turning into a committed sophomoric gag and ending with a fourth wall dissolution. It almost felt like something out of a different era of the show. It even reminds me a bit of the “National Uvula Association” sketch from season one!
Bills’ first appearance of the night. A-
La Revista Della Televisione
Italian talk show host Vinny Vedecci (Bill Hader) welcomes Julia who awkwardly stumbles through her outlandish interview as she doesn’t speak or know any Italian causing a spat between Vinny and his crew (Fred Armisen, Will Forte). Vinny's daughter Fabiola (Rudolph) makes an appearance.
Bill actually debuted this character in the previous seasons’ Catherine Zeta Jones episode as an Italian hotel manager. Here, this character makes its debut in what would more or less become its regular form.
This was a great “official” debut for this character and Julia was the perfect first guest for him. His Kramer and Jerry impressions were great here as was his dubbing over Julias’ part in “Old Christine”. Maya reciting the days of the week in slightly broken English was charming.
This sketch seemed more focused on establishing its own format and setting rather than setting up the sleaziness of its main character (which would come later in future installments). It seemed more focused on recreating the baffling absurdity of foreign talk shows to viewers from outside their culture and it really serves this sketch as well as the vibe of this season/episode strongly.
Anyway, what else is there left to say about this sketch that I haven’t already mentioned in a previous blog and podcast? A-
Snow Patrol Performs “You’re All I Have” and “Chasing Cars”
“You’re All I Have” lies somewhere between “indistinguishable from all the other bland mid aughts power pop out there” and “what if Mumford and Sons did indie rock instead of butt folk?” That is the best way I can describe this song.
Now, “Chasing Cars” is the song that most people remember from this group. Typical sad indie rock that fits right in with the alt rock trends of this era.
Weekend Update w/Poehler & Meyers
Judge Larry Seidlin (Armisen) cries while reading a list of names of federal attorneys fired by Alberto Gonzales for not exhibiting enough “loyalty” to George W. Bush…and then tells a story about encountering elephants and monkeys with red plastic asses in the Bronx Zoo as a young peanut seller
Amy takes a shot to celebrate St Patricks’ Day and drunk dials Seth from across the desk who quickly offers her a cup of coffee to sober up.
Geez, jokes about federal attorneys being fired for not being “loyal” enough to a sitting Republican US President play WAY differently in 2025, huh?
Anyway, Amy had the lion's share of good jokes this week with that “Haliburton/Dubai, Alberto Gonzales, Bush visit Colombia, fat talk/The View” run.
Armisens’ commentary was typical Armisen shtick from this era that’s easy to tune out (overly long, self indulgent, heavy New York accent) but I did get some chuckles from his absurd Bronx Zoo story.
The St Patricks’ Day shots bit was cute and focused enough to not feel too self indulgent on Amys’ part. It definitely had the energy of a bit where one performer is desperately trying to get the other performer to break but the audience also feels like they are in on the joke.
Seth’s only stand out joke was the salmon/grizzly bear one. I also liked Amys’ ski mask/James Brown/Angelina Jolie/Stray Cats jokes, too. B-
Deep House Dish
DJ Dynasty Handbag (Thompson) and T’Shane (Samberg) welcome edgy girl group Legguns (Poehler, Rudolph, Wiig), singer DeDe Wells (Dreyfus) and DJ Quality (Sudeikis)
Ooh wee. Here’s one of the more low-key divisive sketches of this era from two of the most low-key divisive writers of any new millennium era of SNL (James Anderson and Kent Sublette).
Personally, I’m not as down on these sketches as some were at the time. If you weren’t a fan of the less matured, less “grown up” pre-season 38 Kenan, I can see why you might have a problem with these.
While I’ve always thought Kenans’ character was the biggest demerit of these sketches, the songs were usually just ridiculous enough to work for me here. Plus, the season 32 versions of this sketch worked better for me because Samberg was a better “dumb, goofy sidekick” to Kenan than Rachel Dratch’s character Tiara and these sketches felt more punched up and focused in general by that point.
That being said, Legguns did a fine job of answering the musical question “what if The Ting Tings were also The Bangles and Klymaxxx?” Julia and Jasons’ songs were great. Hell, Julias’ whole character was great in this. I liked Sambergs’ character admitting to being a guest at Julias’ disastrous hot tub chilli party. Seeing Jason break out his future “What Up With That” dance moves was also very fun. Could’ve done without Kenans’ direct message to Britney “Spurrs” though, but Andys’ jokes about her freshly shaved head were a funny enough counter to that.
Come to think of it, I did get a kick out of Kenans’ “Ann Coulter/Isaiah Washington” joke (I’m not even going to bother researching that one let alone explaining it). C+
CBS Cares
As Mike Underballs (Hader) directs Julia in a mammogram PSA, he must settle a spat between his star and his boom mike operator Jeff (Sudeikis)
Hey, another sketch where Jason and Julia are stand out performers…oh, and Bill of course!
Well, we just went from “low key divisive” sketch to “low key terrific” (as Ralph Nader would inspire That Week In SNLs’ Andrew Dick and Tim Cicalli to say).
This might be more a Sudeikis showcase but once Hader suddenly shifts out of straight man mode, this really becomes a showcase for the two of them and how differently they play “angry/frustrated” off of each other and Julia.
Jasons’ various insults to Julia were great, especially his pointing the boom mike at her breast and crotch level.
Bills’ best moments were the various “Jyyyeeeffffs” and the line “I don’t need the jingle on every bad take.” B+
Homebots
A married couple (Julia and Jason) try to convince their friends (Hader and Wiig) that winning the lottery hasn’t changed them despite their newfound appreciation of three way sex acts between their new house cleaning robot (Forte) and the other two robots (Armisen and Thompson) whose sole purposes are to repair the other two robots after their many malfunctions
Ok, this is obviously a very Will Forte-ish premise considering his affinity for playing various robots throughout his SNL career (and the fact that he actually did audition for the show with an old trunk bit of his where he sings as a robotic street performer about how he performs certain oral favors just for his face paint).
Unfortunately, this is the type of Forte weirdness I’m not typically a fan of since it feels more like testing the audiences’ patience and boundaries than being truly weirdly funny. This seems more designed to get the type of audience reaction that the Vogelcheck sketches do than anything.
Bill, Jason, Kristen and Julia were great at playing their disgust off them, though which really added to this and I’ll admit I did get a kick out of Kenan coming in at the end just to utter the closing line “extreme robot threesome”. C-
The Search For The Next (Pussycat) Doll
Judges Robin Antin (Dreyfus), Lil Kim (Thompson) and McKenzie Jazz (Samberg) lead the search for the most mediocre and unremarkable moderately attractive female singers and dancers (Poehler, Wiig, Rudolph) to join The Pussycat Dolls and blend into the background perfectly against the lead singer
Wow, this really is 2007, huh?
From the way Bill as the announcer pretty much spends 75% of this sketches’ runtime laying out exactly what SNLs’ whole take is here, this sketch felt more like a watered down version of something MADtv or Family Guy would have done around this time. SNL doing this in the same episode as the Oprah/Secret sketch just shows that they weren’t quite as removed from seasons 30 and 31 as I remembered.
Yeah, this sketch mostly consisted of the same tired “trash culture” observations about reality competition TV and prefabricated, oversexualized pop music girl groups you could find anywhere at this time but the performances from the female cast were the only thing this had going for it. Samberg did the most he could with his one and only line here.
Ugh, Kenan in drag as Lil Kim seems like a grim sign of things SNL may be going back to in season 51 now that Ego Nwodim is out…and Kam Patterson is somehow still in. Let’s just all hope and pray that it doesn’t come to that again. C-
Overall Thoughts
Like most SNL episodes I have reviewed from this specific time period, there’s a couple of well-remembered and often replayed classics in this that somehow managed to not get lost in the shuffle of more than a few bits that don’t hold up. That same thing could be said about this episode, too.
Fortunately, this episode didn’t have a lot of blatantly noticeable “punching down” as much as just a running theme of “sorry folks, this is just where our culture and politics are at right now” contributing to what doesn’t hold up.
Even more fortunately, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the ideal host to carry this episode and bring the best out of this cast (especially the women). Thankfully, this episode had an infectious energy to it that was somehow missing from Julias’ first hosting stint a year earlier. It also probably helps in that regard that they were too far away from the end of the season to be completely burnt out yet.
Not only does this episode have enough notable Bill Hader moments for Deej and I to dissect it on our own podcast, it has enough moments with SNLs female cast from two different eras collaborating together that we both thought it would the timing and synergy of it all would be the ideal cross promotion for Deejs’ new podcast Saturday Night Ladies with cohost Shari Fesko (who you may also have seen on the SNN Patron feedback shows much like Deej and myself).
The only better cross promotion we could think of would be if we could’ve gotten Shari to be a guest on this episode with us, but sadly, (much like all the other guests we have tried to book for We Heart Hader besides Jon Schneider who’ve expressed interest) we couldn’t get our recording schedule to sync up with their availability. Don’t worry, Shari. You’ll get your chance some day!
Closing Thoughts
Once again, I can’t guarantee what will be coming up next on this blog or my own podcast at this time as we haven’t nailed down any more specific future plans yet. The only thing I can even come close to confirming right now is that I should have a new review of SNLs’ Season 51 premiere up sometime on October 5th, 2025. See you then!
Oh, one more thing. Due to the new demands on Deejs’ podcasting schedule, new releases of We Heart Hader episodes will now be pushed back from Thursday to Friday. I know our previous episode dropped on a Saturday but this was due to technical difficulties and various illnesses (on both sides).
Full disclosure: I’ve been visiting my father in the hospital for the past two weeks, so if something seemed a little off about our previous recording, that’s on me. I was still getting into the right headspace to record as we started recording so only about halfway through it was I fully “there”.
No comments:
Post a Comment