Okay, here’s my review. This is hands down the best show of the season at this point. It was heartwarming to see Tracy back performing as much as he can in a live show and being as hilarious as ever. The cast seemed a little unbalanced but that’s no big deal as tonight was Tracy’s big night (as well as some other pleasantly surprising cameos) and it was all about him and his support system. The writers really played to his strengths as well. Anyway, let’s get right to it.
CNN Democratic Debate - That Democratic debate sketch was probably the best debate cold open they did since the last time Baldwin hosted four years ago. He and the rest of the cast were great but Latry pretty much blew every one out of the water. The only real flaw with this sketchange was how miscast Jon Rudnitsky was as Anderson Cooper. Also, I'm surprised they didn't make any mention of Jim Webbs' grenade comment from the real debate. B+
Monologue - Tracy was great here. I'm glad he worked in some actual jokes in brief moments of sincere reflection. The staged 30 Rock flashback was also good aside from the onscreen promos. It was nice to see his former cast mates support him on live TV. A-
Family Feud IV – This sketch seemed like low hanging fruit but it was well executed and it was a lot better than the impression showcases from the last two seasons. Tracy, Sasheer, Jay, Che and Leslie really hit it out of the park and that was the best Sasheer has looked in any sketch. B+
Brian Fellows’ Safari Planet XII - Tracy gave it his all and the camel pretty much upstaged everyone before the well done multiple fantasy sequence was over. Why they thought Pete and Aidy would be good fits for this sketch I may never know. B-
Fake Cocaine/Fake Poop Spray – This was pretty funny and mildly for what it was. Thankfully, it was short and it wasn't TOO stupid. C+
Update was still strong but not as much as previous weeks. The Huckabee slam and the qualified candidates rant were great. A lot of the jokes landed. Ches' alien rant was bizarrely funny. Tinas' Playboy commentary was well written and really built to a satisfying payoff but ultimately was a little derivative of her earlier work. Once again, Kenan really killed the momentum this had going but it was a clever way to work in Woodrow as much as I would've preferred a full sketch with Demi Lovato. B-
Clockmaker Bernard - This town square sketch seemed like it would've been a good excuse for Tracy to deliver his trademark outlandish one liners, but it seemed to veer off in too many different directions. Tracy, Jon and Sasheer did perform well here. C-
The Standoff - This short seemed like it telegraphed into its main joke too early but thankfully Tracy really performed the living hell out of it and writing wise it had a real endearing quality that really saved it. B-
Cool For The Cummer/Confident/Stone Cold - I usually don't comment on the musical performances but Demi Lovato seems like the strongest musical guest so far this season. She really can sing well and hold her own against the backup band she had (as much as they added to her performance).
Yo! Where Jackie Chan At Right Now? - This seems way more like a sketch Key and Peele would've done (they seemed to be channeling Vanda vein and Mike in particular) but I liked it for its sheer strangeness. The guest segments were funny despite Jay having the only accurate impression. B-
Astronaut Jones VI - Good to see they gave us the Astronaut Jones/Demi Lovato sketch we've been clamoring for. I liked the NASA/Martian fake out but if only Tracy hadn't stumbled over his last line. Hopefully, they can put the dress version of this up online soon. B+
Now, to deliver my first ranking of this season…
1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato
2. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd
3. Miley Cyrus
Well, that certainly kicked season 41 into high gear. I can’t believe they are seriously going to follow that up with candidate Donald Trump next month. I actually signed the petition circulating to get him kicked off the show, so that should show you where my head is at. Anyway, see you then!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Amy Schumer/The Weeknd (10.10.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. While this was an unexpectedly
divisive and uneven show, I thought Schumer held her own as a host. She should’ve
taken a page out of Miley’s notebook and gave the rest of the cast more opportunities
to shine. While this episode wasn’t quite as enjoyable as last week, it had
pretty much the same hit to miss ratio of sketches. At this point, I feel like
it’s still a little too early to definitively say which of the two shows that
have aired so far this season is better than the other. You’ll see what I mean
soon enough.
FOX And Friends VIII - As much as they have run Fox &
Friends into the ground in the past four years, this did seem like an
appropriate time to bring it back. As usual, Bobby had the best lines with Pete
coming in a close second. Kate seemed to have the hackiest lines but god bless
her she did her damndest to sell them and she seemed to be channeling Phil
Silvers and an SCTV Era Rick Moranis (see "The Lary Siegel Show"). B+
Monologue - While I'm not particularly a big fan of
Schumers' comedy, I did enjoy the monologue. I liked the Kardashian/lava lamp/antibiotics
bits. Good to see more stand up on SNL these days. B+
Delta - This sketch was fun at first and felt like on of
SNLs' more creative and less completely predictable sketches in a long time. I
particularly like Kenans reactions and Amy and Vanessa berating Taran. While
this may have dragged just a hair in some spots, I also really appreciated how
this sketch wasn't too one note and how they knew exactly where to end it. C+
Hot For Teacher 8 – This felt like something that could've
been better if it were shortened and filmed instead of done live. I did like
Aidy's lines an Amys various interactions with Vanessa. I also couldn't help
but wonder who else I would've liked to have seen in Schumer role. C-
Guns - This commercial was some of the most subtle yet
incredibly pointed social satire SNL has done in recent memory. Everyone's
ridiculous uses of guns were funny. B+
Update was a lot of fun tonight. Che had a lot better jokes
than Jost but good to Jost is still hitting his stride. Plus, the whole gun
control debate was funny. I honestly think Jay's new character feels more like
something Kyle would do than Kenan. In fact is looked to me like a cross between all of Kyle characters, Urkel, Nick Nolte and Boomhauer from King of
the Hill. Still, it was something I did quite know what to make of. I liked
seeing Kates foreign apartment lady again. It wasn't as good as her first
appearance but I did really appreciate the Boulder shout out (being a CU alum
and all). The only thing I could've done without was "The Weeknd Update."
B+
Fords’ Theatre - This Lincoln Reenactment sketch was the
first thing I couldn't get into all night. Schumer played it far too broad but
I did like what Kyle bought to the sketch. D+
Selfie Stick - This sketch had potential but didn't seem to
go anywhere with it. I did like Schumers' part, though. C-
City Council - This was pretty funny although it seemed odd
for this to be Cecily and Leslie's first appearances all night. Kyle seemed to
be channeling Ali G and about half of Fred Armisens characters. Amy seemed to
just be playing the same character from the Toddlers and Tiaras parody she did
on her own sketch show. Kenan character reminded me a lot of the Delicious Dish
sketch from when Dana Carey hosted in 2000. Pete was funny and he reminded me
of Farley and Sandlers' performances in that Nightline/Clinton sketch from when
Nick Cage hosted in 1992. B-
Baby Shower – This was the only real dud of the night. It
felt way too long and way too hammy on Amy and Cecilys' parts. D-
Well, that show was more or less a watered down version of
what I was expecting. Next week, Tracy Morgan returns to his old stomping grounds
to show the world he is well enough to try and make us laugh again. I have no
idea what to expect from this show (how serious will it be, how often will
Tracy participate in sketches, will they want/need to bring someone in the
Fey/Poehler/Baldwin family of cameos in as a possible backup host) but I am cautiously
optimistic. See you soon!
Monday, October 5, 2015
Miley Cyrus (10.3.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. Overall, this episode was a pretty
middle of the road return. It wasn't necessarily as bad as I expected but it
was a lot less inconsistent than the last two season premieres. Thankfully,
they scaled back somewhat on using Miley as a host and put the focus more on the
cast which might have made this her strongest SNL outing yet. Anyway, let’s get
right down to it.
A Message From Donald And Melania - Taran did as serviceable
a Trump impression as I was expecting from him. He nailed the facial
expressions and had a good handle on the voice but he could improve it over
time. I'd say the biggest problem with this cold open was that it was too
Cecily heavy and it didn’t quite have an ending. Still, I did like the jabs at
Megyn Kelly and the “smartest guys/one strand at a time” lines. C+
Monologue – This was better than it had any right to be. I
do appreciate that they took the focus off of Miley and let the cast shine. I
especially thought Vanessa, Sasheer, Kate, Bobby, Kyle and Aidy were used well
here. Good way to sneak in Jost, Che, and Rudnitsky as well. B+
Abilify - This ad was clever enough even if Miley felt out
of place. It was a decent way for SNL to get in their jabs at the sheer volume
of GOP hopefuls still inexplicably in the race but it could've been shortened.
C+
Homecoming 1955 - I was hoping for some kind of Back To The
Future parody upon seeing a "Homecoming 1955" banner but instead we
got some I'll conceived barely thought out piece that played off Mileys post
Disney/Montana image. Thankfully, this was short but it reminded me too much of
those self-serving sketches Timberlake did during the height of the
Hader/Samberg/Wiig era. C-
Bar Talk - The Hillary Clinton cameo was all right. She did
come off like a good sport and I did like how it strayed from the formula of
the typical celebrity-makes-a-cameo-and-meets-their-impersonator sketch. Plus,
it showed that Kate must've worked on her Hillary over the summer to bring it
closer to the real deal. Darrell's brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo made
the whole sketch for me. Otherwise, it kinda dragged in some spots but that's
not really anyones' fault. C-
Update was pretty good. They did a good job of covering
people and events that were notorious over the summer. The only thing that
signified any real change from last season is how Jost seemed to have better
jokes than Che. I’m also quite shocked they decided to go after Bernie Sanders
that hard this early in the election cycle. Kyles' bizarre pope Francis
impression made me laugh despite the fact that it went absolutely nowhere. Pete
and Leslie turned in strong commentaries, but Pete looked more high than Miley
and comparing Trump to Sanjaya seems more like something that would be in Seth’s
wheelhouse. Still, he and Leslie both turned in strong commentaries. I'm
surprised they did not give Jon Rudnitsky a commentary considering his stand up
background. Oh well, I'm sure he'll get one in due time but kudos to him for
getting so many parts in sketches (no matter how small) on his first show. B+
The Millenials - This
was probably the worst sketch of the night. It felt too derivative of that
office intern sketch from last seasons' Dakota Johnson episode. Still, I have
to hand it to Kate for having the least grating character in the whole thing.
The only other thing I actually liked was when Kenan and Taran said "do
it" to Jons' character by the window. D+
Katz’s Deli - This was pretty lame but it was probably the
hardest I've laughed at Leslie in her entire tenure on the show so far. Still,
they should've ended it right before Kate's appearance and the Dutch oven bit.
C-
The Squad - This was a big swing and a miss. They pretty
much just put "Beygency" and "Swiftamine" in a blender and
let it meander on. This was yet another piece that could've benefitted from
some trimming. C-
American Voices - That late night show sketch was one of the
better live sketches of the night despite the technical glitches and miscues.
It felt rather odd how it bled directly into the Good Neighbor short. Did this
sketch originally have an ending that was cut for time or did they mean it to
go right into the Good Neighbor short? C+
Miley Wedding Tape - Speaking of which, the new Good
Neighbor short was fun. I liked seeing their surreal brand of strangeness on
SNL again. I didn't think they needed to make a sequel to the Miley sex tape
short from her previous hosting stint but this one managed to surpass the
original. I especially liked how this ended with Kyle walking in on his own funeral
with an elderly Miley playing one of his beats again. B+
Louis C.K./Rhianna (5.16.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. This show bought the season to a
close on a high note despite getting off to a choppy start. Louis CK was a very
game host as expected and the writing showed signs of his positive influence. I
would say this episode is the strongest contender for the best of this season.
Despite a few minor flaws here and there, it was the most thoroughly enjoyable
show in weeks. Anyway, let’s get to it.
Summertime For Hillary - This cold open felt pretty awkward.
Kates’ Hillary could still benefit from some fine tuning. They did have
something with Kate's interactions with the surfers and the kids building
sandcastles. Otherwise, it could've used some serious edits. The cameo from
Darrell was a welcome surprise and allowed this sketch to have a great payoff.
This was a real middle of the road for this season. At times it felt like they
tried to clumsily combine two separate show opens together. Still, the song
provided a welcome twist on the group LFNY trope of recent seasons. C-
Monologue -This was stellar as expected. Louis bits about
benign racism, his daughters fighting like Israel and Palestine and the risks
he took by bringing up pedophiles were great. That was probably the biggest
risk this show has taken in years. Plus, this entire set managed to be funnier
and more memorable than most of his recent comedy store special. A-
The Shoemaker And The Elves - This sketch seemed like pretty
cheap and derivative but Louis, Kenan and Vanessas' commitment to playing such
awkward and corny roles really sold it. Plus, the left field viewer text ending
was worth a chuckle. C+
Sprint Store - This sketch was brilliant. Louis and Leslie
played off each other perfectly and again, it was nice to see Louis really
commit to playing a character. This is a strong contender for best live segment
of the show so far. A-
Wood PSA - This brief commercial was very funny. I liked how
it got in, got its laughs and got right out. Beck singing and Louis with the
single tear running down his face were very funny. A-
Update ended on a fairly strong note this season. The jokes
really picked up after the first commentary. Speaking of which, while I think
they should've gone a lot harder on Tom Brady (even though every unknown comic
on Twitter beat them to the punch) I did like how they used Taran's impression
of him here. He really did capture that stiff wooden vibes he and most athletes
gave off when they hosted. Plus, he played off Che and Jost played expertly off
of each other. Pete's Commentary was nice as well. It still wasn't up to some
of his previous ones but it is nice to see that he gets to go out on. I did
like his bits on Harry Potter and not knowing how he got on SNL. His
Clinton/Obama bit was also great. The Riblet thing was a little gratuitous at
this point in the season but I like how they kept it toned down compared to his
last appearance. They did have something more with the cut jokes from dress
angle. I wish they had gone more down that road. B-
Cabana - I can't believe they decided to recur Cecily's British
bimbo character. Even though this was an exact carbon copy of the first one, I
think Louis really added more to this than the Rock did and they really threw
Sasheer a bone by giving her a small role. Plus, they kept it shorter than the
last one. C+
Police Lineup – This had a weak premise but the performances
by Taran, Beck and Kyle did wonders for it. This seems like it was written
specifically with their acting skill sets in mind. Even Louis and his awkward
stage presence worked here. My only other complaint would be that the ending
with Taran felt too predictable. B-
Wood PSA II - I do like how they continued the Lumberjack as
a running gag. I also like how they're giving Sassher much more to do tonight.
Does this remind anyone else of the "Death By Chocolate" runner from
last season? A-
Whoops! I Married A Lesbian - All I can say about the last
sketch is that is that it was the only time in the show that the performances
as committed as they were did more to bring down a sketch than the writing or
the premise. C-
Now for my updated rankings of this season…
1. Louis C.K./Rhianna
2. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar
3. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
4. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea
5. James Franco/Nicki Minaj
6. J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo
7. Michael Keaton/Carly Rae Jepsen
8. Reese Witherspoon/Florence + The Machine
9. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson/George Ezra
10. Scarlett Johannson/Wiz Khalifa
11. Dakota Johnson/Alabama Shakes
12. Taraji P. Henson/Mumford And Sons
13. Bill Hader/Hozier
14. Blake Shelton
15. Kevin Hart/Sia
16. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
17. Amy Adams/One Direction
18. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande
19. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
20. Chris Rock/Prince
21. Chris Hemsworth/Zac Brown Band
Well, there you have it. This episode sure gave a lot of SNL
fans hope for season 41. See you then and have a great summer!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Reese Witherspoon/Florence + The Machine (5.9.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. While this show was rather
inconsistent, it showed more signs of life than last week. Reese Witherspoon
was just slightly more visible as a host this season as Amy Adams was in
December, but I would say that really benefitted the show in this case. Good to
see more of Beck, Kyle and Pete this week as they have been underused lately.
Anyway, let’s get on with it.
Republican Leadership Conference - This has to be the second
worst cold open this season. They really could’ve had something here if they
hadn’t decided to give Cecily THE ONLY SPEAKING PART! Still, I liked how they
included Beck, Kyle and Kate. Also, Taran’s greased up bare chest made me
chuckle. D+
Monologue – Bringing out the casts’ real life mothers was
something sweet and sentimental they haven’t done in at least a decade and got
this episode off to a better start than that cold open did.
Beck, Kyle, Sasheer and especially Pete were the real stand
outs here. I would say the same goes for the home movies portion (especially
for Kyle given how he was almost unrecognizable) but I also liked seeing Aidy,
Jay and Kenan’s clips. I can already tell this is going to be one of the top
two monologues this season. A-
Scene In L.A. – Well, I did like Jay, Kyle and Petes’ parts
in this sketch. Otherwise, it was pretty Juvenile and a rather dated and tired
concept for SNL in 2015. D+
Picture Perfect - This seemed like an ambitious sketch that
wasn’t executed to its full potential. Taran, Kenan and Bobby all performed
well in it. I'd say they could've taken this further bur that's probably the
furthest they could've taken this premise on network TV and within the bounds
of good taste. Thankfully, they didn't try and drag it out too long. B-
Mr. Westerberg - This
was pretty one note but Beck, Bobby and Pete were funny in it and this being a
short film really behooved it in terms of execution. Plus, it's nice to see
Beck front and center in something. C+
Update was pretty inconsistent. Che seemed like he was
really phoning it in but Just had a couple of good ones with his May whether
and Hamburg large jokes (as much as he was channeling Seth there) Leslie
commentary was okay. This one wasn't quite as good as her previous ones but at
least she tried something different with that letter thing. Cecily's party girl
continued the Update trope of hosts impersonating characters alongside the cast
members who play them but this was the first time I genuinely enjoyed seeing
it. Reese fit the mold pretty well here and helped Cecily break the format of
this character just a bit. Thankfully, they also kept this short. Kenans old
man character wasn't exactly a welcome return either but he did have some good
lines about throwing tomatoes and batteris at his graduation and locking up his
classmates. C+
High School Theater II – This sketch was something I Never
expected to return either but I have to say Reese Witherspoon is more
believable than Cameron Diaz was. Plus, Leslie was a welcome addition to this
and Bobby played well off her and the "we were black" vignette was
funny. B-
Southern Ladies – This was more genuinely funny than it had
any right to be. Reeses story about her demonic ally possessed husband and
Cecily's sperm prank were funny. Plus, it was nice to see Leslie playing
someone other than herself for once. The only thing that bugged me about that
one was that the ending made it seem like a ripoff of those singing memories
sketches with Hader, Sudekis and Forte. B+
Water Slide – Much like the sketch that preceded it, this
sketch was funny to me due to its sheer outlandishness. Bobby, Kenan and even
Reese had plenty of good lines and performances. Kudos to Beck and Kyle for
getting to be the leads in their own live sketch after getting shut out of the
show lately. B-
Whiskers R We III - I did like how their descriptions of
each cat got more outlandish (one was a set offender and one was a cult
leader). Plus, Reese Witherspoon saying "little jag off" made me
laugh. C+
Now, for my updated rankings of this season…
1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar
2. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
3. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea
4. James Franco/Nicki Minaj
5. J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo
6. Michael Keaton/Carly Rae Jepsen
7. Reese Witherspoon/Florence + The Machine
8. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson/George Ezra
9. Scarlett Johannson/Wiz Khalifa
10. Dakota Johnson/Alabama Shakes
11. Taraji P. Henson/Mumford And Sons
12. Bill Hader/Hozier
13. Blake Shelton
14. Kevin Hart/Sia
15. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
16. Amy Adams/One Direction
17. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande
18. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
19. Chris Rock/Prince
20. Chris Hemsworth/Zac Brown Band
Well, that was certainly better than I was expecting. The
writing is taking some baby steps in the right direction. Next week, Louis CK
returns to host the finale and I sure am looking forward to the monologue the most
of all. See you then
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Scarlett Johannson/Wiz Khalifa (5.2.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. Whether you look at this show from
the standards of just this season or all of this hosts’ previous episodes, this
show was pretty middle of the road and forgettable. Still, given my lowered
expectations for this one, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised in some
spots. Anyway, here it is.
Maywheather vs Pacquiao - This cold open was one of the
better ones this season. Aidy as Manny was clever stunt casting and Higgins
voice over was funny. Glad they found a way to work in Kate's Justin Beiber.
Even Kenan had a few good lines As the ref. I did like the ending with Kenan
and Jay bailing on the sketch to watch the fight in Wiz Khalifa's dressing
room. C+
Monologue - That fourth straight musologue from Scarlet
(which is coincidentally also the fourth straight musologue in a row at this
point in the season) was actually her funniest one thanks mostly to Kenan and
Taran. They also kept it from being completely self-serving for Scarlett, too. C-
Right Side Of The Bed II - I never expected them to ever
recurring that Taran and Cecily Atlanta morning show sketch from the Martin
Freeman episode but this one was much better than it had any right to be.
Scarlett somehow kept Taran and Cecil from chewing up ALL of the scenery by
themselves. I also liked Kates' brief appearance At the end as Holier.
Coincidentally, both instances of this sketch have now ended with Kate
portraying a male foreign singer now. C+
Baltimore Orioles - I also never expected them to rewrite
that cut Ferguson sketch from Francos' episode for the recent unrest in
Baltimore but I guess I should know SNL much better than this by now. That
said, Kenan and Taran played quite well off of each other and Bobby was also
very funny in his brief role as the hot dog guy. This might be the strongest
live sketch of the night. B+
Black Widow: Age Of Me – This was a little weak for the
obligatory “host sketch” but they did blend the tropes of both romcom trailers
and Marvel trailers seamlessly enough. Beck and Jay were almost criminally
underused here but I did get a kick out of Cecily’s couple of lines as the
reporter, the “fire apology” and Taran playing Thor as the stereotypically gay
best friend (really gave me a flashback to Patton Oswalt’s “Finest Hour”).
Other than that, I thought the basic underlying premise of Marvel not knowing
how to write for female characters/audiences was a valid premise but they could’ve
done much more with this premise. C-
Girlfriends Talk Show VIII – This sketch may be beyond run
into the ground here. Scarletts over use of the word “ratchet” really bugged me
and she really seemed disinterested and miscast here. Still, I have to say Aidy
played quite well off of her as she usually does in these sketches. Honestly, I
think this sketch might have gone over better if they held off on it until next
week when Reese Witherspoon drops by. Also, was anyone reminded of that Super
Sweet Sixteen sketch from Scarlett’s first show back in ’06? C-
Update was pretty middle of the road tonight. Jost and Che
had some fairly good jokes even if none of them particularly stood out more
than the mention of the Bruce Jenner interview. The commentaries were all
pretty forgettable Kates’ Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a little stale by this point
but I did like her grim reaper comment toward the end. The Game Of Thrones
couple was something new at least but nothing really stood out there. Bobby’s
British accent really reminded me of his performance in the office hobbit sort
film also from Martin Freeman’s episode in December. Kenan and Jay as Shaq and
Barkley were probably the strongest of the bunch. I did like the “Puerto Rican
hickey” line and their constant back and forth insults to each other. B-
Museum Visit – This was probably the weakest most one note
sketch of the night sketch of the night. Still, it was worth it just for Taran’s
unintentional Mike Meyers impression (the hair and the movements
specifically) and his reaction to Kenans’
“wildin’”. Speaking of which, is it just me or is “FourFiveSeconds” not a big
enough hit for SNL to reference right now? Seriously, how could the people
involved in that song make something so bland and forgettable? Oh well, I guess
time will tell. D+
Blazer – Although this felt like a long buildup to no
payoff, I did like the frenetic wacky violence in this as well as the mislead
at the end. Seeing Taran bound far out of his way to punch only black criminals
was worth a chuckle. Was anyone else reminded of the “People Getting Punched
Before Eating” digital short from 2007? C+
Virgin Airlines – While the acting, timing and physicality in
this sketch seemed a little off, this was silly and fun as it also got more and
more frenetic and physical. Somehow, Vanessa playing a robot seemed appropriate
as well as Scarlett now that I think about it. After all, this sketch did
remind me of her role in “Her.” C+
Jingle Writers – This sketch felt far too derivative of that
hip hop/flute amp sketch from Lena Dunhams’ show, the new NBC new open sketch
from Brian Williams episode and the much superior “Fly High Duluth” sketch from
Scarlett’s ’06 episode coincidentally. It just felt really dull and uninspired.
C-
Now, for my updated rankings of this season…
1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar
2. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
3. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea
4. James Franco/Nicki Minaj
5. J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo
6. Michael Keaton/Carly Rae Jepsen
7. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson/George Ezra
8. Scarlett Johannson/Wiz Khalifa
9. Dakota Johnson/Alabama Shakes
10. Taraji P. Henson/Mumford And Sons
11. Bill Hader/Hozier
12. Blake Shelton
13. Kevin Hart/Sia
14. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
15. Amy Adams/One Direction
16. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande
17. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
18. Chris Rock/Prince
19. Chris Hemsworth/Zac Brown Band
Well, that was that. Next week, Reese Witherspoon returns to
host after a 14 year hiatus. I don’t have as many expectations set as I did for
this week given that she has only hosted once previously. Still, she seemed
less of a bad host than a host who was strikingly out of place on SNL which was
forgivable at the time for obvious reasons. Anyway, see you then.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Taraji P Henson/Mumford And Sons (4.11.2015)
Okay, here’s my review. This was one of the more frustrating
episodes of this season. The writing got more reliant on recurring premises and
the rest of the show became more reliant on filmed sketches. The show was
taking two steps in the right directions the past two weeks but ended up taking
three steps back tonight. Taraji P Henson was a promising host but she was just
as underutilized as ever and even when she was used could come off as a little
overbearing at times. Anyway, here it is.
Hillary’s Big Announcement – This cold open was pretty
solid. Kate's Hillary has noticeably improved from last month. It still seems
like they are taking some time to find an angle on her inevitable presidential
run, though. Some of it felt like material they would've written For Sudekis as
Romney, though. Good to see Hammond bring his Slick Willie out of mothballs
although it still remains unclear as to whether he prerecords his announcements
or not. B+
Monologue – This could've been so much better. I do
appreciate the level of sheer commitment and enthusiasm she is bringing to the
show but something was seriously lacking from this number. Plus, the fact that
this is the third straight musical monologue in three weeks is quite troubling.
Thankfully, the cast was able to save this one. C-
Depends Legends – This ad is certainly different. It's definitely
the most tolerable fecal based ad I've ever seen on SNL. I'm not surprised this
was cut from dress last week but I am surprised that they thought it was worth
bringing back. C-
Teacher On Trial – This felt very derivative and played out
but Pete's natural charisma carried this. His long list of nicknames made the
whole sketch for me. Other than that, it's a little eerie how similar this is
to a fan written sketch that was posted on the S-N-L.com forum. C+
Home Sequels – This ad was decent for just another cheap
impression showcase. Taran's Jim Parsons was very funny and accurate and
Taraji's Nicki Minaj was much better than Sasheers'. Good to see they found a
way to work in Pete as one half of Die Antwoord. Jay's Kendrick Lamar was all right.
It was the only other impression we haven't seen before. This is probably gonna
hold up very poorly if Home turns out to be a flop. C+
QVC – This sketch has to be the biggest waste of Kate
McKinnon ever. Speaking of which, did anyone get a serious Molly Shannon vibe
from her? Also, why couldn't they just admit she was supposed to be playing
Lisa Minelli in this? Anyway, this pretty much SCREAMS Anderlette to me. D+
John Singletons’ Game Of Thrones – This seemed like a real
misfire to me. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with Singletons' movies to
get this but it barely seemed like it knew what it wanted to parody. It even
made the QVC sketch look Focused. Still, I do appreciate them using Che in
another sketch and Kenans attempt at Ice Cube. I am surprised the real Jon Snow
got zero applause. I will admit, though, that it was a little better upon a
second viewing. C-
Update was pretty inconsistent tonight. The jokes started
out weak (I could see Josts' Hillary/Game Of Thrones punchline coming from two
towns over) but they picked up after Kate's commentary. For some reason, Josts'
grilled cheese/What? Magazine/7-11 joke mades me laugh as did Che's white
people rioting joke. Speaking of Kate, that Italian lady of hers was a
character that didn't need to come back but I did like the gargoyle bit. Jacob
may not have needed to come back wither but Billy Crystal's cameo was certainly
interesting. Namely, it was interesting in that it was the first time in 30
years Billy Crystal has been on SNL (outside of an anniversary special) and he
came back to do some stealth plugging for a lame FX show. Still, for all the
shit we give Crystal on this board, I found his cameo corny yet oddly
endearing. I did like how he was able to mimic Vanessa rhythms and enthusiasm
as well as the Fernando callback. However, when a cameo from Billy Crystal is a
highpoint of an SNL episode in 2015 something may have gone horribly wrong. B+
Hollywood Game Night II – This was another sketch that was
better the first time it was done. I did like the return of Beck's Nick
Offerman and Taran's Vin Diesel (even if he just did it two weeks ago).
Taraji's Wanda Sykes was a little dodgy and Jay's Common sounded more like his
Drake. Still, I did like Kate's Jane Lynch, Aidy's Winona and Cecily's Marion
Cotillard. C-
Dancing With Janelle II – This was surprisingly much better
than the first installment. Mostly, because it was shorter and more succinct
and Taraji and Kyle were far more committed to it than Chris Rock was. B+
Cinema Classics III – This latest Resse De’What sketch was
probably the strongest one of these sketches in recent memory. I gotta hand it
to SNL for attempting some kind of racial commentary and keeping this sketch
quick, sharp and right to the point. Bobby’s out of nowhere drag appearance
made me laugh. Thankfully, they went a different route than making THAT the
sole focus of the sketch. My only real complaint here would be how they
apparently felt the need to distance themselves from the source material they were
parodying and how this was the second sketch of the night to do so. Still,
Taran did a decent Tom Hanks whether he was supposed to or not. If I was wrong
and THIS turned out to be tonight’s Anderlette sketch, than it was surprisingly
good, even for their standards. C+
Cookie On Sesame Street - This Sesame Street/Empire mash up
seemed like a half thought out premise but Taraji and the other performers
really made the most of it. This seems like the type of thing Kelly and Schneider
would have written. C+
Connectatron - This sketch had an
overly long setup to too quick of a joke and seemed too close to a Key and
Peele sketch for me to get into. Plus, it was the third or fourth sketch of the
night to follow a certain trend. D+
Now, for my updated rankings…
1. Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar
2. Martin Freeman/Charli XCX
3. Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea
4. James Franco/Nicki Minaj
5. J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo
6. Michael Keaton/Carly Rae Jepsen
7. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson/George Ezra
8. Dakota Johnson/Alabama Shakes
9. Taraji P. Henson/Mumford And Sons
10. Bill Hader/Hozier
11. Blake Shelton
12. Kevin Hart/Sia
13. Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
14. Amy Adams/One Direction
15. Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande
16. Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5
17. Chris Rock/Prince
18. Chris Hemsworth/Zac Brown Band
Well, that was that. Next week, Scarlett Johansson returns
to host. Given how this show as well as ScarJo’s previous three outings have
turned out, it might just take a miracle for SNL to end it’s 40th
season on a high note at this point. See you soon!
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