Qunita Brunson/Benson Boone (05.03.2025)

Trumps’ First 100 Days/Executive Orders

• Uh, Ok. I guess we're running out the clock on these standard JAJ/Trump cold opens.

• The way JAJ shouted the word “POPE” and the “Elmo deportation/Harry Potter” jokes got me (although maybe they should've went a bit harder on JK herself than Harry Potter fans in general, but hey…who am I to judge?)

• Mikey Day as Stephen Miller is a nice touch and at least Marcello as Rubio accurately mirrors my own reaction to seeing him in this role.

• On the surface, JAJ as Trump just listing off a bunch of real and fake executive orders doesn't make for much of an entertaining cold open (hell, anything involving politics doesn't, really) but at least this broke from the typical format of these “JAJ as Trump speaks directly to camera” cold opens and was also fairly short and directly to the point. C-

Monologue 

• Sorry Randy Newman, but Quinta Brunson, Sabrina Carpenter and…Dwayne Wade? Ok, have just officially given short people many reasons to live!

• Anyway, while I would’ve much preferred another sincere monologue from Quinta over this 2010-ass song and danceologue, I have to say Quinta and some genuinely surprising cameos (seriously I'm surprised Sabrina could squeeze this into her schedule on such short notice, isn't she still on a big tour right now?) livened this up enough for me to stay interested.

• I did like Quintas’ joke about how they tried to cast her as one of the children on “Abbott Elementary” and that was her one show that she wrote and created. B-

Will & Todds’ Radical Experience 

• I liked the idea behind this once it was established (after that everything felt heavily telegraphed) but it felt like a very unambitious premise saved by the performances of Kenan and Quinta. 

• Yeah, Dismukes and Marcello didn't quite do the most convincing Bill and Ted impressions ever, but hey…they weren't playing Bill and Ted, they were playing Will and Todd. That's different. These may be technically “original” characters for all we know (and even if they weren't, they weren't dissimilar enough to completely obscure what they were legally “parodying” here, so…yeah, I got what they were going for and I'll let it slide).

• I did like how this ended on basically a cheap reveal of everyone leaving the phone booth they literally just disappeared into and basically just blew a special effect immediately. B+

OnlySeniors

• Speaking of very static premises only Kenan and Quinta could save…

• I liked the execution of this, but my only problem is that it felt like the exact type of thing we've seen before. It's pretty much just the same OnlyFans type sketch from Halseys’ 2019 episode but executed in a pretape much like Rectix from Adam Sandlers’ 2019 episode.

• Ego and Devon were great in this and Mikey and Heidis cameos really helped keep this going (no pun intended). C+

Leadership Summit

• Hmm…this reminds me of the sexual harassment sketches from Oscar Issacs’ episode in season 47 or Shane Gillis’ first episode in season 49…but it's not about sexual harassment, it's about two different ways to misunderstand the phrase “compliment sandwich”, so…it works a little bit better from me.

• They really gave all of the best lines to Quinta in this. I liked her back and forth with Sarah and the “BurSweeto/baby back ribs” stuff was…okay.

• Hey, two different references to The Simpsons theme song in the same season within a month of each other! Am I the only person who's OK with that?

• Ok, I’m not crazy about the idea of Bowens’ long hair white trench coat cookie crumbles guy becoming a recurring character 

• This sketch seemed a little too unfocused in spots, but not to its own detriment or anything, so…I didn't hate it. B-

Ferry Altercation

• Oh, I see they're bringing this back for a third time (second this season alone). Well, it was worthy of the buzz it got the first time, so…I get it.

• …and I guess that wasn't a glaring technical error, it actually does look like that if you were to drive to the Staten Island Ferry?

• I did like Mikeys’ Coke lines/single ladies bits and Chloes’ “nuts/kiss my ass” bits.

• I don't hate that they appear to be trying to top the sexual raunchiness each time. 

• I'm glad they didn't go for the obvious joke of having Dwayne Wade appear as Quintas’ “big, cool boo” and rather went with Kenan as her father who served in “eye-rack”.

• Colin as himself referencing that money pit ferry of his (and Pete's) was a fun way to end this.

• I can't fully say this beats the one from Quintas’ first episode yet but it for sure beats the one from Martin Shorts’ episode this season. B+

Forever 31

• Well, I like seeing that the show still has enough faith in Jane to trust her with the “cute young 20 something chick” but this felt a little too much like something we've seen before, too.

• More specifically, it felt like they were trying to do another “big dumb hat/tiny red glasses” sketch but executing it as a pretape in the style of “Chonk”, “Fashion Coward” or that Temu parody from last season's finale.

• I guess my main takeaway from this sketch is that it's another piece satirizing female fashion and beauty trends so I'm not the target audience for it at all. C+

Two Bitches Vs. A Gorilla

• Hey, speaking of female led sketches that I immediately recognize are not written for me…

• Yeah, I feel like this is gonna get a ton of shit on line since it's another SNL sketch that solely exists for the show to reference an online meme in order to cling to whatever shreds of relevance to a young audience it still has…but I can tell Ego and Quinta had a lot of fun with it. JAJ did fine with his part, too (even if you could kind of see him waiting for his cue for a sec on camera).

• Plus, it feels like it was constructed in a very different manner from pretty much any other SNL sketch in recent memory (aside from The Continental), so…there's that.

• Come to think of it, there is a chance that Quinta being in this will be the main thing that keeps it from getting SNL “dragged” online (do the kids still say “dragged” anymore?) 

• Yeah, I think that it's quite a few weeks too early to be able to tell whether or not SNL or John Mulaney had the better comedic non social media take on this meme yet (I'm leaning toward Mulaney but we'll have to wait until the 28th to see if he actually does this or if there's another twist on this bit to be revealed later). B-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• I gotta say I really loved how Jost leaned into and then later called back to that “oh hell no/two dolls” commentary.

• I also liked Che's Pam Bondi/Tattoos/University of Alabama/Yeah on Nitrous Oxide jokes as well as Josts’ Bin Laden joke.

• This Update actually felt really fun because Jost & Che weren't really mocking the audience that much as they were each other and they had enough energy to really suggest that this is their third to last show.

• It's nice to see Longfellow as himself at the desk again. I liked how he gently moved away from his laid back, snarky persona and went for sheer outlandish silliness to put this one over.

• It's especially nice to see Sarah and Bowen at the desk as actual human characters, but this almost felt too unfocused for its own good, too. 

• The best way I can describe the voices they're using is “they're both doing Bowens’ Fran Liebowitz if she were learning how to do a Pittsburgh dirtbag accent in real time.”

• Yeah, Applebee's sure as hell is a trash ass restaurant but there may have been too much meta fourth wall breaking with those “Asian glaze” jokes and Benson Boone appearing as himself as an Applebee's waiter.

• This commentary was a nice break from Sarah and Bowens’ usual Update nonsense and it almost had everything going for it, but something felt…off. 

• Yeah, I'll say this about Benson Boone. He can do all the backflips he wants on stage, but it's not enough to distract listeners from the fact that they're trying to place this exact melody they've heard…somewhere before recently, they're just not sure from which other male pop act yet. (Who the hell was it his second song reminded me of? The Jonas Brothers? The 1975? Harry Styles? No…). B-

Narcotics Anonymous 

• Hmm…a sketch where Kenan infiltrates a cocaine support group in an obvious attempt to…score more Coke?

• I guess Quintas' gotta find a way to work in one sketch about cocaine into each of her episodes, huh?

• Well, this is a genuinely creative premise that I can't say I've seen before on SNL. Good On ‘em. Kenan, Mikey and Quinta in particular really sold the hell out of this.

• When you look at this and then look back at the sketches in Ariana Grande and Bill Burrs’ Episodes, season 50 actually managed to break the curse of Elordi and maintain a solid track record when it comes to “support group” sketches. B+

The Greats

• I guess Quintas’ always gotta find a way to play a man in each ten-to-one sketch in her episodes. Is that in her contract or something?

• Well, I suppose I like the idea of her playing an increasingly brain damaged Ali-style trash talker of the boxing world more than I liked her playing the horniest boss in the world alongside Sarah.

• I did like JAJ as the announcer and how this went for a more subtle style of performance based live humor rather than Sarah Sherman pretape style blood and gore.

• Anyway, while Quinta, Devon, Kenan, Andrew, Longfellow and…Jane? were great in this, is wasn't my favorite segment of the night that played upon Quintas’ height.

• More than anything, this reminds me of a Kids In The Hall sketch where Bruce McCullough kept challenging a guy to a fight, getting knocked on his ass and ignoring everyone else's desperate pleas (even from Scott Thompsons’ Queen Elizabeth) to stay down.

• What I really want to know is, when's Jerry “Jackrabbit” Tulane gonna fight James “The Gentlemen Masher” Corcoran? B-

Ranking The 50th Season Best To Worst

1. SNL50: The Anniversary Special (02.16.2025)
2. Jack Black/Elton John & Brandi Carlile (04.05.2025)
3. Nate Bargatze/Coldplay (10.05.2024)
4. Bill Burr/Mk.Gee (11.09.2024)
5. John Mulaney/Chapell Roan (11.02.2024)
6. Quinta Brunson/Benson Boone (05.03.2025)
7. Jon Hamm/Lizzo (04.12.2025)
8. Chris Rock/Gracie Abrams (12.14.2024)
9. Paul Mescal/Shaboozey (12.07.2024)
10. Lady Gaga (03.08.2025)
11. Timothee Chalamet (01.25.2025)
12. Mikey Madison/Morgan Wallen (03.29.2025)
13. Dave Chappelle/GloRilla (01.18.2025)
14. Martin Short/Hozier (12.21.2024)
15. Ariana Grande/Stevie Nicks (10.12.2024)
16. Charli XCX (11.16.2024)
17. Shane Gillis/Tate McRae (03.01.2025)
18. Jean Smart/Jelly Roll (09.28.2024)
19. Michael Keaton/Billie Eilish (10.19.2024)

Overall Thoughts 

• This was one of the better episodes of season 50, but it doesn't quite have Quintas’ season 48 episode beat.

• It is clear that Quinta is one of those beloved hosts who still brings a fresh spark and unique creative energy to the show. In fact, she blends in so seamlessly with the rest of the cast it's almost like she could've BEEN a cast member in another universe.

• Still, Quinta bought just a bit more to the show than Jon Hamm did, but still not enough to disguise the fact that the writers are leaning on old, reused sketch/parody templates and internet memes too much (which is the only thing that keeps this episode just out of the top five for me).

• As far as cast airtime, Ashley, Jane and Devon came very close to being shut out of the show entirely but narrowly avoided that fate. Everyone else got a fair amount of airtime

• Aside from that, I can't think of anyone who truly “dominated” the show aside from maybe Kenan?

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, Walton Goggins makes his hosting debut. As I've said on my last SNN Patron Feedback Appearance and in a previous blog entry, I'm glad the show is going after (mostly) proven TV comedy stars to finish out the season instead of big names (or names from outside if the world of entertainment that are so big they have no business playing themselves on the show).

• Before that on Thursday, May 8th, I will post a blog of my top five Bill Hader sketches from season 31 of SNL as that is the topic of the next episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast (with special guest, SNNs’ own Jon Schneider!). After that, we will be doing a full length review of the Hugh Laurie/Beck episode as we enter season 32 (which will of course be released after my review of the Scarlett Johansson/Bad Bunny episode that will serve as SNLs’ 50th Season finale). See you guys then!

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!)