Sam Rockwell/Halsey (1.13.2018)

Okay, here's my review. Given how dull and uninspired the previous live episode of SNL was, this seemed like quite a refreshing change of pace and (at times) a hopeful sign of better things to come. Sam Rockwell proved to be such a game host (if not a slightly one dimensional one when he was visible) that if he doesn't ever end up hosting a second time, we should easily be able to pinpoint the EXACT reason why. There did seem to be a big timing issue with this show that wasn't caused (what in my time zone at least, appeared to be) the obvious five second delay. The show seemed to know, but not necessarily care, that it was running somewhat short on material. Most of the live sketches (aside from Update, the monologue and the cold open) were very short. It's like there was an abundance of short sketches. Some were just as short as they needed to be and some weren't. Most of the sketches made the taped pieces feel longer than they were. There was an imbalance in the cast as far as airtime went. Kenan was barely in anything for the entire first half of the show. Chris Redd was in a lot of sketches but to me it seemed like they were misusing him. Mikey and Alex seemed to be getting chances to establish themselves as the shows go to utility men but other than that the night seemed to be wholly dominated by Cecily. She appeared even more than Kate which seems strange for this Era and pretty much overshadowed everyone else. Anyway, let's break it down. Shall we?

Morning Joe II - I wasn't so sure that another Morning Joe sketch was the right choice for the cold open this week. Thankfully, this one went in a MUCH different direction than the on from Chris Pines' episode last year. Although, maybe we could've done without Chris' part as it didn't add much. I probably shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when Fred showed up as Michael Wolff and as much as I've soured on his more recent performances, I have to admit he was very funny here (especially the "baby races" bit). I think I saw some brief flashes of the pre-Obama Era Freds' comedic talent that made SNL fans love his work back then. Fred can actually be funny when he has strong writing to back him up. Interestingly enough, when people were initially suggesting Armisen should play Michael Wolff, I was pretty convinced he'd already played this guy in that overly long Keith Olberman sketch from when Ben Affleck hosted in '08. Turns outn according to SNL archives, he was actually playing Richard Wolffe. Still, Armisen was a good fit for this sketch. Bill Murray really walked away with this without even trying. Casting him as Steve Bannon was brilliantly unexpected and kudos to him on being a good sport about the role. Still, I'm wondering why they even bothered with the voice modulator knowing full well they didn't need it at all. He may have seemed a little less into it toward the end but frankly I'm just glad SNL found a way to have a take on Bannon as a person rather than just his sinister presence as a media figure. Also, I'm glad they found a way to reprise Leslies' Oprah impression in a live setting. B+

Monologue - This was enjoyable to watch. I liked that Sam was able to easily poke fun at his own neat anonymity as a character actor better than other hosts of his ilk. Part of me would've preferred he had done an actual monologue rather than a song and dance number but mostly I was glad to see he could help get this episode off on the right foot with his seemingly boundless energy and charisma. Also, seeing Sam kick Colin through that door made this for me. B+

Science Room w/Mr. Science - This sketch felt a little like SNL going down a beaten path at first but thankfully, it was short because it just meandered with no real punchline. I did checkle when Mikey suddenly said "false" and Cecily saying the oil was going to explode. Also, I'm glad Sams' unfortunate flub (which was muted entirely in the mountain time zone during both airings) showed us how SNL was going to be able to get away with Trumps' "shithole" comment (if they were going to say anything about it at all). The show was on a five second delay this week if it can still be broadcast live in every time zone. C-

Tucci Gang - Petes' latest rap somehow seemed even more pointless than the sketch that preceeded it so I'm glad it was even shorter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I to assume "Lil' Pump" is an actual rapper Pete is impersonating rather than a made up character and that "Tucci Gang" is a parody of an actual song of his called "Gucci Gang"? C-

The Look- The second E! parody of this season was funnier than I was expecting it to be. I did appreciate how they tried to mix the message and the rhythyms of this sketch with some sheer off the wall absurdity. Melissas' character provided a nice balance and Kate as Frances McDormand provided some much needed structure. I did like how they explained away her bleeps. B-

My Drunk Boyfriend - This was funny but looking back I felt like there might have been a little something lacking in execution. I liked the physical acting I saw from Kyle, Sam and Heidi. B-

Update was strong, but a little inconsistent. They handled the "shithole" comments quite well and I'm impressed they were able to get it on the air unbleeped even once (let alone, twice) on NBCs' airwaves. Well, actually...let me level with you. In the mountain time zone, they air the local news at 9pm on NBC affiliates on Saturdays (as opposed to the usual 10pm through the rest of the week) and SNL is first aired live at 9:30 followed by an 11pm repeat of the news and an 11:30pm repeat of SNL. I believe they muted the "shitholes" during the 9:30 live airing (where they were uttered after 10pm) but let them fly uncensored in the 11:30 repeat (where they were uttered after midnight). Still, they tackled it well and it was among the best of tonight's individual jokes along with Ches' Kim Jong-Un/Twitter/Columbus Statues and Oprah/President rants. Josts' best material included Stormy Daniels/Puerto Rico, Steve Bannon and the toilet joke. The best jokes were scattered all about Update and sort of overshadowed the commentaries. I did like seeing Leslie as Oprah again and I appreciated seeing them give the Steadman role to Chris but not much stood out here aside from the "medical community" line. The cadences of this sketch reminded me a lot of that Update segment from the 2000-01 season where Jerry Minor played Al Sharpton to Darrell Hammonds' Jesse Jackson. Also, I just realized that this is the second show in a row where Leslie did the same impression during the first Update guest appearance that she did in the cold open. She did this exact thing as Omorosa in the last live show that Kevin Hart hosted. Aidys' commentary was a refreshing change of pace for a couple of reasons. It was nice to see a cast member besides Pete or Leslie do an Update commentary just as themselves as that felt like a throwback. Also, I liked seeing Aidy give us a fresher take on feminist and women's issues dominating the news seeing as that type of commentary usually gets dominated by Kate and Cecily the rest of the time. Kenans' Lavar Ball was just lather, rinse, repeat and the only thing that stood out to me was that this may have been the first time we've seen Michael Che laugh his way through an entire Update commentary the way Seth Meyers used to. B+

Captain Hook - This sketch was something else that meandered along but this time there was barely even a shred of a real joke or premise present. It almost felt out of place among the more topical pieces in the show. Kates' appearance as the overly effeminate Peter Pan was the best thing about this. C-

ATM - This poignant short was enjoyable to watch in how grounded and gritty it could be while still building on itself and adding new elements to its premise. The violent beating at the end stood out as the funniest moment. I believe this was the short that Che featured in his most recent Instagram story from when it was being filmed late Friday night (and of course it would be because nobody else but Michael Che could've written this). B+

Marco Pumpgood - This was funny mostly for Sam and Aidy's performances. Ironically enough, Alex and Chris were great straight men to them. It seemed like they really stretched out what little buildup this really needed but they reveal and payoff at the end were worth it. C+

Dog Head Guy - This was funny just for how unabashedly silly and simple it could be. Sam and Mikey were very funny here and I think this might have been the first time we've ever seen Mikey even close to breaking as a cast member. Also, this might have been my favorite Melissa performance in her entire run a cast member. B-

Chantix Ad - This felt pretty meta as it was possibly the most Cecily thing I've seen on the show in a while. I say this knowing full well how difficult that would be for me to explain in a way that makes sense. It definitely seemed like something cut from a previous dress rehearsal if for no other reason than they just tacked it on to the end of the show because they seemed to not have anymore live sketches left and the show seemed unusually short with more than a little extra time to fill. C+

Now, for my updated rankings of this season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem

3. James Franco/SZA

4. Sam Rockwell/Halsey

5. Saoirse Ronan/U2

6. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

7. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

8. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

9. Kevin Hart/Foo Fighters

10. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that show got off to and explosive start but soon sputtered out. At least it was consistent but not consistently dull. Next week, Jessica Chastain makes her hosting debut. Chastain is mostly known for her dramatic roles and hasn't really done comedy aside from a few bits here and there in between late night interviews. She is rather politically outspoken on social media, however. This is another show where I have no idea what to expect going in. She could be a game host but we'll only find out by tuning in. I do have a feeling she will collaborate with the women in the cast and writing staff on some woke/feminist material which may once agsin, dominate this show. See you then!

Kevin Hart/Foo Fighters (12.16.2017)

Okay, heres' my review. It was very obvious the cast and crew were burnt out all week and we're coasting off of Kevin Harts' energy and enthusiasm to get them through the last show of 2017. They didn't seem totally out of ideas. They didn't rely on recurring material. They just didn't take as many risks as previous weeks and when they tried to it was with premises that sounded much better on paper. This was a very underwhelming way for SNL to close out the year but at least it seemed to be a banner night for Alex Moffat, Chris Redd and most of the female cast.

White House Tree Trimming - It must be a coincidence that they'really airing this right after a repeat of Ryan Hoslings' first episode from two years ago which ALSO featured a "Christmas Message From Donald & Melania Trump" cold open with Taran Kilam as Trump. I still genuinely cannot decide whose Trump I actually prefer between him and Baldwin but I will give Taran credit for being able to pick up on some nuances in Trump's voice and facial expressions that Baldwin was unable to capture. I do generally prefer this weeks' cold open as its' a much more fleshed out sketch in terms of writing. Still, they could've stood to shorten it a bit more between dress and air. I fid like the RIP Earth joke and the Don Lemon jab at the beginning. The walk ons from Beck, Aidy and Alex got the most laughs from me. I think I could've done with just the last Leslie/Omarosa scene instead of both. The Scarjo/Ivanka scene was okay. It didn't feel necessary but hey, she was in town and is dating a Weekend Update anchor. I do appreciate her getting to play Ivanka with some actual lines for the first time in ten years. I also liked her Bannon/Madball joke. Kate didn't do much for me as Kelly Anne or Elf Sessions but I have to be a little impressed that they found a way to quick change her between both roles just when I thought they wouldn't. C+

Monologue - Usually, Kevins' monologues are entertaining but for whatever reason I couldn't get into this one. Maybe I just couldn't relate to parenting a toddler or maybe I just couldn't get past the fact that he chose to do this material right after it came out that he cheated on the woman he supposedly had this baby with (he's REmarried?!? God, I hope he didn't cheat on TWO women). Maybe I just couldn't get over how out of place another stand up monologue felt at the top of the Christmas show (where they've pretty consistently done musical numbers. I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that this was my least favorite of Kevin Harts' SNL monologues. C-

Christmas Jewelry From Pandora - This felt too much like a tired trope for SNL (one they usually go to on Valentine's Day) but I did like how increasingly dumb the charms were. I also liked Kate and Cecily discussing what gifts they got Beck and Mikey. When I the first shots of this featured SNLs' three most prominent women, I was expecting this to be another strong feminist statement short in the vein of "Welcome To Hell" and I honestly would've preferred that instead. C-

Office Meeting Phone Call - This sketch was worth watching just for the payoff. I didn't like the buildup that much but I did like Beck, Kate and Pete badly faking phone calls at the end. C-

Captain Shadow & The Cardinal - This super hero film was okay. I don't quite know what to make of it. On the one hand, it does kind of play off some tired tropes of racial inequality based comedy. On the other hand, Chris Redd was easily the best thing about this. They should've given him a slightly bigger part. Kevin and Alex played well off of him. Kenan appearance was the most disappointing part as it didn't nearly go the way I was expecting. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. Also, it's nice to know now that this show can get away with dropping the GD bomb in both live AND taped pieces. C+

Inside The NBA - This was pretty funny. Kevin Hart does a pretty solid Shaq. He does breath some life into what appears to be the same tired take on Shaqs' persona that Jay Pharroh had. Chris and Alex did a great job as the straight men here and Kenan is always dependable as Charles Barkley. Kudos to Kevin for being able to handle the stilts they gave him. I'm glad I'm not the only person who saw the irony of casting Kevin Hart as Shaquille O'Neal. B-

Update was pretty forgettable tonight. Josts' best jokes were the Golden Globes and "vacation braids". I liked Ches' opening rant on voting even though it didn't seem to go anywhere. They both had great rants on the democrats calling on Trump to resign but the thing that disappointed me the most about tonight's update was how little Che had to say about the Net Neutrality issue. I can't believe SNL was the only late night show that only devoted one lousy stinkin' joke to it. This was more deserving of a long rant than anything. Hell, they could've legit gotten away with casting Chris Redd as Ajit Pai. Speaking of impressions, this was actually the best use of Leslies' Omarosa in the entire show. Speaking of guest commentaries, I didn't think there was anywhere else they could take Alexs' Guy Who Just Bought A Boat, but I do appreciate the implication that he is also a serial sexual harasser. That and making Colin break were the only things that stood out to me here. C-

Llama Nativity Play - This was much ado about nothing. It seemed like they spent half of the sketch building up to something that way didn't pay off the way they were hoping it would. This may be the only instance I've ever witnessed where a live animal derailed a live sketch by being too calm and easily in control. Plus, Kevin Hadrt wasn't that believable as a teen. At least Kenan and Leslie got some good lines out of this. C-

Christmas Party - I think I spoke to soon about that previous sketch. This barely built up to anything at all. It just meandered about and beat one tiny shred of a joke to death. It had an ending at least but there was no reveal. I did get a slight kick out of Hart revealing that all his party guests were also his employees. Otherwise, this was the weakest live sketch of the night. D+

Active Jack - I appreciate witnessing this see the light of day after hearing Kenan describe this sketch in his interview on Seth Meyers this summer. Unfortunately, this also meant the sketchs' every mover was very much telegraphed going in for me. Kenan also mentioned this sketch was cut from dress rehearsal when Bruno Mars pulled double duty in 2012. How burnt out were the writers this week that they had zero qualms about bringing a five year old sketch out of mothballs? Anyway, this made decent use of Kevin Harts' seemingly boundless energy (although I'm sure a professional musical performer of Mars' stature might have added slightly more to it). Kenan, Kate and Cecily were, once again, quite dependable in their roles here. Another impressively quick change for Kate here. I liked the added detail of her smoking a bent, torn cigarette. B-

Goodnights - It's nice to see them return to the rink for what had to be the first time since at least Fallon hosted, but if you were anything like me you were completely transfixed by Leslie, Cecily, Melissa and Che at one point playing "the rink is lava" with the same piece of cardboard (?) as Beck playfully scolded them.

Now, for my updated rankings of this season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem

3. James Franco/SZA

4. Saoirse Ronan/U2

5. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

6. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

7. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

8. Kevin Hart/Foo Fighters

9. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, at least the Foo Fighters allowed SNL to close out 2017 on a relatively high note. Going into the new year, SNL seems to be breaking their pattern of having someone promoting Star Wars be their first host on the calendar. After the Christmas break, Sam Rockwell makes his hosting debut apparently promoting Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri. Alhough the name sounds quite familiar his work (to me) isn't. Hell, I thought he was in Jurassic Park until I realized I was thinking of Sam Neill. Rockwell is a little known actor whos' mostly been in a lit of small, indie type films (seemingly the second host of this ilk we've had this season after Saoirse Ronan). Obviously, I have no idea of what to expect from him going in. I'm.not sure how much comedy he has done but I hear he is a committed actor so this should be interesting. Of course, its' still going to be a January show so they may be running on even less fumes than they were this week but its' still nice to see another first time host. See you then (and happy holidays!)

James Franco/SZA (12.9.2017)

Okay here's my review. This show really took some bold chances writing wise and thankfully most of them paid off very well. Of course, thats' to be expected with such an avant garden host as James Franco who can be game for just about anything. While he delivered almost exactly what I expected, he seemed to dominate the show to the point where he almost overshadowed the cast in terms of airtime and visibility. Still, aside from him Heidi Gardner, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Chris Redd and Beck Bennett seemed to be dominating the show so good on them. Some say this was the best show of the season up to this point. I would hesitate to say that but it's definitely in my top three. Anyway, lets' break it down.

Visit With Santa - This was quite long and uneven for what is was. It was okay overall, but they should've cut some dialogue between dress and air. It felt like thry were just throwing everything topical from this week at the wall and not even bothering to pay attention to what was sticking. Throughout most of this, I kept trying to think back to the last time they used actual children for these types of sketches (or at least gave them this much dialogue). That was probably because I was just watching the Jack Black/Neil Young episode before this where they used Dratch, Samberg and Poehler for the kid parts in the Cheney/Santa open. Then again, this cold open did seem to need actual children in order to achieve the intended effect. Plus, I was also trying to think back to the last time SNL did a non-political cold open like this (I genuinely could not remember) until I realized this actually was political to a small degree and was therefore the closest thing to a non-political cold open the show seems to think they can afford right now. Still, anytime we get a break from Alec Baldwins' Trump impression is refreshing. Kate got in some great lines, Kenan was serviceable and as far as the kids...all I can remember right now is how those boys got the biggest laughs referencing the NFL/Matt Lauer scandals and how adorable it was when that other girl had a hard time actually saying "libtard response".C+

Monologue - I did like how they tried to poke fun at themselves at first but this disappointed and went nowhere fast. Kudos to the two new writers who got some early screen time in this. The Rogen cameo was to be expected. He had a decent exchange with Franco but otherwise he didn't do much for me. Jonah Hill is officially unsettlingly skinny now and even Steve Martin couldn't add much to this. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was at least a little disappointed that they didn't use this opportunity to bust out a Tommy Wiseau cameo but he does strike me as someone the writers may be afraid to work with and even now SNL might consider "The Room" too much of a cult niche film for their audience to recognize. C-

Sexual Harassment Charlie - This was a bit strange at first but Kenan performance and Becks' laundry list of real reasons he was fired really made it for me. The ladies in the cast really played well off him too. If this sketch was actually trying to make a real point about sexual harassment (seemingly the opposite of the ones the show usually tries to make about these types of issues) then I'm glad this tried to veer away from it quick enough to score some genuine laughs. C-

Gift Wrapping - This sketch was definitely the most entertaining piece of the whole night. I did appreciate how this tried to top itself in terms of grossness. I genuinely had to wonder if Leslie had any lines in this sketch or not. I honestly don't know what was funnier between the over the top blood or the cheapness of the blood spurting props. Did anyone else notice Francos' fake foot came off before it was supposed to? A-

Scrudge Goes To A Party - This film underwhelmed me but I have to think that had something more to do with the fact that is simply followed a sketch with lots of fake blood. I did sort of like the premise of a Scrooge character being more of a modern day dick while still maintaining just the appearance and style of an 18th century old rich miser but something seemed lacking in both writing and execution. It's a little better on the second viewing. I did lije Becks' various insults and impositions on people but they seemed to run kind of a thin joke into the ground and even when he encountered Francos' character it didn't seem to escalate anywhere. Even the ending where Beck seems like he is apologizing but then intentionally moons everybody seemed like too much of a non sequitur even to me. Perhaps the thing that bothered to me the most was the fact that Becks' character was named "Scrudge" instead of just Scrooge. I was under the impression that either "A Christmas Carol" was somewhat in public domain or just that the family of Charles Dickens was just very unlitigious. I could understand the name change here in terms of creative license but otherwise I don't get it. D+

Spelling Bee - This was a funny live piece. I did like Kate and Alexs' back and forth. Francos' character indignantly revealing more and more disturbing personal facts about himself was funny and the featured players were serviceable enough in small teenage roles. Pete managed to get some funny lines here. B+

Update was mostly solid and a vast improvement on the previous week tonight. The only jokes that really stood out in the first part were the tangent that Al Franken inspired Che to go off on and Josts' Trump/Hanukkah party rant. I'm a bit conflicted about Cecilys' latest commentary. I thought it was her funniest appearance yet but mostly because of the legally dead/drug habits/flying foot jokes more than the real world commentary. I did like how they chose to tack in a Seth-and-Stefon type joke at the end (at least I think that's a joke since we haven't heard anything about Cecily getting engaged in real life yet...but if I'm wrong and that ring is real than kudos to her for both the engagement and choosing this as the way to break it to the world). In part two, the R. Kelly/UK ghost sex jokes stood out the most to me. I enjoyed Ches' short film more than I thought I woukd. I did like how he didn't overdo it and go full on "White Chicks Like Me" on us. I started to see right where it was going as soon as the first brunch/mimosas scene since, as I may have mentioned here before, one of Michael Ches' go to comedy tricks is to create parallels between two disparate groups of people. He still made it work in a big way here (even in a big enough way that his sudden dropping of the n-bomb in response to Alex didn't feel unnecessary or unwarranted). I did like how Redd was the only one who recognized him, too. B-

Za On Trial - This was definitely worth it just for the payoff. I wasn't that into the premise at first but I did like Francos' commitment to something so seemingly thin. I felt like I was watching a sketch that got cut fron Ryan Gosling episode just until Redds' appearance and Franco having photographic evidence of the murder and Petes' guilt being part of the twist ending. C+

Christmas Charity- This film was enjoyable in a subtle low-key way. I did feel like I should'be seen the joke coming a bit before the reveal but I did really enjoy the long, slow sentimental Schillers' Reel style buildup. I did think they could've trimmed the ending to this just a bit as it felt like they were really milking this for all it was worth there. B-

Pretty Mandy Reunion - This sketch was another enjoyable semi low key piece. Kudos to Heidi Gardner for getting possibly her most airtime of the season tonight. This was a more endearing character from her. It almost felt like if one of Kyle Mooneys' characters were written and performed more coherently and competently by a woman. I'm glad that the Dave Franco cameo they were obviously trying to build to really did happen and I liked how Franco was able to poke fun at his career here more effectively. B-

Now, just for fun, I thought I would try and rank all of James Francos' episodes from best to worst since he's hosted four times now. I'm going from memory on half of these because while I have reviewed all four of his shows, my reviews of his first two are lost to the ages. Here we go..

1. James Franco/Kings Of Leon/ (9.20.2008)

2. James Franco/SZA (12.9.2017)

3. James Franco/Nicki Minaj (12.6.2014)

4. James Franco/Muse (12.19.2009)

Now, for my updated rankings of this season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem

3. James Franco/SZA

4. Saoirse Ronan/U2

5. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

6. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

7. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

8.. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that was certainly a kick in the pants the show needed right now. Next week, Kevin Hart returns to host. Even though I've started to come around on Kevin more and more since he's been hosting, having him host the last show before Christmas feels a bit strange. Not quite as strange as having Casey Affleck host last Christmas but still just strange enough that he should probably be hosting on January 13th instead. See you then!

Saoirse Ronan/U2 (12.2.2017)

Okay, here's my review. This show had plenty of worthwhile moments but they were scattered throughout the show at such disparate point that it felt like the most wildly inconsistent episode in years. Saoirse Ronan proved to be a capable host, but I was left wanting to see a bit more of her as she seemed to barely be used at all in sketches. Aside from Melissa and Heidi, it seemed like everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE got a substantial amount of airtime this week. Let's break it down, shall we?

White House Christmas Carol - This was enjoyable at first, but as it went on it felt more like there was some wasted potential there. It felt like they were jumping the gun a bit doing a white house holiday party/Christmas Carol themed sketch in their FIRST show of December, but I suppose it would be a necessity in this year's breakneck news cycle. This seemed like it was gonna be another simple, unambiguous premise that would flourish under proper execution at first but it seemed to Peter out around the time Beck and Kate made their walk on as Putin and Hillary. It seemed like they were under duress and had to rush the ending for some reason (which is perfectly understandable but it kinda derailed this sketch). Mikey and Alex impressed me the most. It's about time Day played Flynn Sr. While I'm sure I'm not the only one whos' over Baldwins' Trump, I must say it felt refreshing only having to see him after an almost month long absence. Strangely, it felt less run into the ground than Becks' Putin. B-

Monologue - This disappointed me quite a bit. I didn't like that the song was the sole focus of the monologue (or that the focus of the entire song was the proper pronunciation of the hosts' name) but the walking from the cast really saved it. I didn't get the impression from this that Ronan would be anything other than a strong host but rather she might have to make the most out of some weak material. I would think they would have more to work with when Saoirse Ronan as a host. D+

Floribama Shore - This was all over the place. It was funny in spots but so inconsistent I still don't know what to make of it. Just when you thought the Hurricane Irma references were going to be a throwaway joke and not the main focus of the piece, they weren't. The introductions were very funny as much of a played out comedy trope as they felt like. Kudos to this season's new featured players for making a big splash here. Luke seemed to make his biggest impression yet (even though it was in abother taped piece and he seemed to be accidentally be doing his Blake Shelton impression again). Heidi also added a lot even if her character was a little too reminiscent of her straw-addled teen from the Gal Gadot episode. I liked Chris as the only one preparing for the hurricane. He did well to punctuate moments like Luke getting impaled on the flying Stop sign. Saoirse fit in surprisingly well here. She obviously spent most of tonight surprising her native accent but this seemed like her most outside-of-her-comfort-zone moment of the night. I have to say I most resonated with Becks' line at the end as I don't know why anyone thought we really needed a Floribama Shore parody (or a parody of anything at all on MTV) right now after SNL pretty much said anything they could'be possibly had to say about Jersey Shore five years ago. C+

American Girl Store Explosion - I'm glad this wasn't a complete by the numbers rewrite of the Matt Shatt sketch from last seasons' premiere despite having a very similar structure. I will say I liked the increasing escalation of Mikeys' doll infatuation as the details unfolded. C-

Welcome To Hell - As for this music video, I have to say I did appreciate the message behind it more than the execution. I can't say I blame the writers of this piece (I'll go out on a limb and guess either Cecily or Aidy collaborating with someone on the staff) for not bothering with any subtlety on this one. I get the sense whoever wrote this also did so under some (emotional) duress. If thats' the case, then I have to say I feel for them I wasn't expecting Leslies' contribution to be as brief as it was. I have to say Melissas' brief cameos were the only things that made me laugh in this. Still, I'I'm left wondering if there was any reason why Heidi was playing a man in a trenchcoat. C+

The Kmart Return Counter - Early on, this felt like it was going to be the best live segment of the night. I loved the rapid fire succession of jokes and pure silliness in this one. I especially liked Cecilys' character in this as I appreciate someone finally attempting to parody the recent trend of people filming and posting their unpleasant chain retail shopping experiences to social media. Other than that, I'd really be surprised to find an actual Kmart anywhere these days. A-

Office Race- This short film was also very enjoyable. I can tell this was written by Beck and Kyle but likely directed by Oz because it reeks of Good Neighbors' style of humor but is very different both visually and stylistically from the rest of their short films. Anyway, while I thought this was very funny I felt like it could'be been shortened a bit. Also, it took me a shameful amount of time to recognize that Greta Gerwig was the office boss in this. B+

Update may have been the most inconsistent and disappointing it has been all season tonight. The obligatory opening Trump rant was okay buy it all kinda ran together since this was such an absurdly not-slow news week. It's nice to see Kate sneak a new impression onto Update, but her Theresa May didn't exactly blow me away. The bit was some low hanging fruit and we'be all seen Kate play stuffy British women before. The only jokes after that that stood out were the nude Afterglow performance. The Lauer material was pretty weak. I never expected them to make Mikey and Leslies' first time S&M couple recurring. The only thing that made this any different and put this above the first installment were the diagrams that Mikey bought out. C-

Bachelor Auction - This sketch was probably the second funniest live sketch of the night. I liked how they developed fleshed out Petes' dim pool boy character to the exact point where he would work well in a live sketch. Of course, it does seem like the women of the show did much of the heavy lifting but Pete set them up nicely. Kenan absurdly high bids were also a nice touch. The John McEnroe cameo felt unnecessarily tacked on but even he made the most of it. B+

Late To Class - This sketch felt a little bittersweet. It was nice to see Luke Null finally get to be the main focus of something for the first time and show us his true comedic sensibilities. It'seems a shame his material didn'the quite land with the audience but at least he got to set up Saoirse and the rest of the cast up to get much bigger laughs than he did. Good for him for making his presence known but I don't think he should get too comfortable just yet. I don't get the impression he's secured his spot on the show next season just yet. C-

Aer Lingus - This sketch may have been the worst piece of the night. It seemed like the lamest "obligatory host sketch" ever. It just seemed like a flimsy excuse to let the cast members with an affinity for European accents bounce their best attempts at Irish ones off the host and try to gain her approval. Still, I have to give it to the cast for doing their damndest to sell this even though the materis wasn't quite there. At least the host got to use her natural accent in one sketch tonight. D+

Now, for my updated rankings of this season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem

3. Saoirse Ronan/U2

4. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

3. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

2. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

1. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Next week, James Franco returns for his fourth hosting stint. While I think we had seen the full extent of his sketch comedy capabilities by his second episode. He always gels well enough with the cast and writers that I wouldn't mind seeing him again. Plus, the fact that he is currently promoting "The Disaster Artist" alone justifies his return to the SNL stage. See you then!

Chance The Rapper/Eminem (11.18.2017)

Okay, here's my review. This was a strong episode that pretty much falls in line with the rest of this season in terms of quality. Chance The Rapper performed well as a host but even though we saw more of him throughout the show, he left virtually the same impression as he did the last time he was on as a musical guest. He came across as a little nervous and unpolished, but that may be expected of a first time host taking their first stabs at acting and/or sketch comedy. He obviously gelled well enough with the cast. Speaking of which, kudos to Chris Redd on having his first real standout episode of the season much like Heidi did before him last week. Anyway, let's break it down.

The Muller Files: Wikileaks - This cold open at first seemed like it was going to be more original and creative than it was going to be. Still, I do appreciate them going outside the box a little bit more and not overusing Alec Baldwin for the cold opens lately. Kate is a suitable replacement for Hader as Julian Assange and she seemed to play the part with much more subtlety than her other male roles. Mikey and Alex are still funny as Don Jr and Eric even when they just repeat their rythyms and cadences from the Update desk in sketch form. I did also like how they broke format a little with the LFNY line. Too bad the audience was pretty dead through this. Also, why did they title this "The Muller Files" when Muller was barely even mentioned let alone depicted in it?? C+

Monologue - This was enjoyable. I was expecting a musical monologue seeing as Chance The Rapper was not credited as a musical guest tonight, but given his stage name this wasn't quite the monologue I WAS expecting. It felt like a much funnier rewrite of Wiigs' Thanksgiving monologue from last year. Chance had some decent jokes although his delivery could've been better. Still, I think we can give him a pass for how noticeably nervous he was. He is a first time host after all. Kudos on Heidi and Luke getting their airtime I'm early. Also, Melissa looked pretty damn good here. C+

Wayne Manor Thanksgiving - This sketch was funnier than it had any right to be. The writing wasn't ambitious but the cast performances really sold this. The non-Caucasian cast really had the funniest parts and sold them. Melissa came in at just tge right time, got her laughs and got out. That's what really made this stand out from the other bits of sketch comedy I've seen poking fun at the foibles of Bale/Nolan/Dark Night Era Batman films. C+

Come Back Barack - This was a catchy song even though I could immediately see the joke coming after Kenans line about crying after he turns on the TV. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Chance wrote this. Speaking of Kenan, his spoken word breakdown was the real highlight of this. My only actual complaint would be that some of the lyrics were unintelligible. B-

Family Feud IX - I'm glad to see they're still doing Family Feud sketches (I'm guessing whoever writes these is still with the show?) This did seem like a rewrite of the Family Feud sketch from the last episode that Tracy Morgan hosted but with a couple of small twists added to it to make it seem more complex. Still, I liked how they worked in Redd, Che and the new black writer who played Leslie and Kyles' college aged sin last week. Plus, Chance actually does a pretty solid Steve Harvey himself and I did appreciate the Forrest Gump reference. B-

Update was consistently strong tonight. Jost and Che don't have any real duds. The opening sexual harassed rant really stood out as I really appreciate how they went after Franken in a way that would trick someone who has never seen an episode of SNL from before 2004 that he was never even associated with the show. Josts' Piven joke was also great although I can't help but wonder what his Roger Goddell joke would've sounded like if Che had been the one delivering it. Kate really isn't bringing anything new to her portrayal of Jeff Sessions but I appreciate them relying on her more than Alec these days. This may have been both my favorite Pete Davidson and Bruce Chandling commentaries ever. I like how Kyle really relished delivering dumb punchlines with such foolhardy glee and made his sob story more grounded yet still rediculous. I think what made Petes' commentary work so well was seeing Pete and Colin laugh because of their bond over their mutual disdain of thir hometown of Staten Island. I honestly do have to wonder how many of those newspaper quotes were real. B+

Sideline Hockey Reporter - For a sketch that was based so heavily on a slightly tired and overused stereotype, this was much funnier than it could've been. Chance really sold his lines (which I'm guessing were written by some combination of him, Bryan Tucker and/or Gary Richardson). He and Alex seemed to have the most to add here out of anyone. This seemed like a slightly more underwritten version of the Univision Winter Olympics coverage sketch from the second time J. Lo hosted in 2010. C+

Rap History - This was very funny. Chance, Chris and Kenan really sold both the younger and older versions of themselves. It seemed a little unfocused at first but it holds up better upon repeat viewings as you can see what they were going for more clearly. I'm starting to think that Che may have written this because I've noticed a big part of his comedy is drawing parallels between disparate groups of people. When Petes' character was first established, I first thought something that came out about him in real life may have been part of the basis of this sketch. See, I follow the Twitter account @SNLInReview run by professional writer/critic Andy Hoglund. He reviews the show and posts the odd bit of trivia about it. On Petes' birthday, he tweeted that Pete had supposedly never even knowingly watched SNL before auditioning (outside of some Celebrity Jeopardy sketches on YouTube that he for some reason could not place). I mean, I know Pete is younger than me but this is still a stunning revelation. B+

Career Day - Chance and Mikey were both the best things about this sketch. Cecily and Aidy had some decent back and forth. This reminded me a lot of a similar sketch from January 2003 where host Jeff Gordon played an air force pilot and Seth Meyers played a carpet salesman and they were both giving competing career day presentations to an elementary school class. Also, was anyone else expecting more of an ending where there would've been some sort of reconciliation moment between father's and sons? C+

Skank Babysitter 17 - They didn't really do anything new with Aidys' character here but I did like Kyles' one line and I really did appreciate getting to see more of Heidi in a substantial lead role (even one that the other ladies could've played in a similar way). C-

Now, for my updated rankings for the season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Chance The Rapper/Eminem

3. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

4. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

5. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

6. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that was certainly one of the stronger Thanksgiving shows in recent memory. After the holiday, Saiorse Ronan makes her hosting debut. This comes way our of left field. I only know shes' an actress because I read that she was part of a spread in Vanity Fair or some magazine of that ilk along with Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and (possibly?) Meryl Streep where one of these women (I think it was Emma?) spoke out against sexual harassment in the field. I take it she mostly takes on dramatic roles and isn't tremendously well versed in comedy or anything. I have no idea what to expect here. See you then!

Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift (11.11.17)

Okay, here's my review. This show was the most consistently enjoyable show of the season so far. It wasn't as unevenly balanced as last weeks episode. Tiffany Haddish proved to be a dynamic host and a welcome presence on screen. Thankfully, they front loaded the show with all their best material so that they didn't run out of steam at least until Update. Everyone in the cast got a pretty decent amount of airtime on the show although I'm starting wonder about Luke Null. He should definitely be worried that he still hasn'hasn't gotten to break out with anything of his own after being shut out of the show completely. Anyway, let's break this down.

Moore, Pence & Sessions - The cold open was enjoyable. I just knew Mikey would be the one to play Roy Moore. He sure looked the part as much as he could but he should've tried to affect a deeper voice. I appreciate that they leaned more on Becks' Pence and Kates' Sessions this week than they did on Alecs' Trump (guess he wasn't available this week). My only real complaints were that Becks' Louis CK name check was pointlessly weak and that there seemed to be no real ending besides the possum thing. C+

Monologue - This helped get the show off to a strong start. It was a lot faster paced and shorter (and a little more pointed and acerbic) than most SNL monologues in recent memory but it had a lot of great moments (especially for someone whos' seen none of her standup.) I especially liked the Tupac/Tyler Perry Island and SNL vs In Living Color jokes (although ILC was on Sunday nights so it must've been pretty easy to watch both back in the day). My only complaint was that the dress/fashion jokes were a little repetitive. A-

Death Fighter 12 Tournament - I did like seeing this sketch fully realized but seeing Mikey on Seths' show describe this its premise in detail kinda ruined it for me. I will say that Tiffany, Kenan and Alex added more to this sketch than Kevin Hart or Leslie could've. B-

Lion King Screen Tests - This left a little something to be desired as far as new impressions being debuted on the show. There were only a few worthwhile impressions out of the ones we haven't seen on the show before. I liked seeing Becks' Nick Offerman again and Cecilys' Lin-Manuel Miranda worked better here than it did in the Family Feud sketch from last seasons' premiere. Petes' Eminem seemed like a pointless addition but it almost looked like he was on to something with that impression. That and Aidys' James Cordes are two impressions I would like to see a bit more of if they develop them a bit more. Although I had been thinking if any member of the current cast was going to play John Oliver it should've been Kyle Mooney, Mikey did a great job with the impression . I think we could've done without Tiffany & Chris as MJ Blige/Cardi B/ Offset and Kenans' LL Cool J but hey, they had to include Tiffany somewhere. Leslie as Oprah  and Heidi as Kristen Schaal were both inspired casting. Heidi played well off of Chris' Sterling K. Brown and Alex did well as Kit Harrington and Melissa as Celine Dion was a welcome addition despite sounding just like a cross between her J.Lo, Xtina and Ariana. C-

A Message From The DNC - This was okay. I liked the impressions (kudos to Mikey on getting to play Tim Kaine for the second time ever) but it could've been shortened a bit and it didn't exactly seem like the freshest or most originsl take on the democratic party. Plus, Leslie playing Donna Brazille stood out to me as I was expecting Tiffany to play her. Tiffany just resembles Donna Braille more closely that Leslie. I did like how they bought Larry back just to poke fun at his monologue from last week in character as Bernie and that they included a pretaped cameo from Jason Sudekus that (for all we know could've been taped four years ago). C-

Beck & Kyle & Colin & Leslie - This short film was a very strong outing for Beck, Kyle, Colin and Leslie. I did like how they gave us a look at Leslie and Kyles' relationship from Beck and Colons' viewpoints as they grew a pat as friends. I also liked how they included the masquerade ball plot rather than going in the direction I was expecting; having Beck use Tiffany to make Kyle jealous. The ending with everyone punching Jost repeatedly worked extremely well and I liked how they worked Lorne and Tiffany in there. Also, does anyone recognize who was playing Kyle and Leslies' now college aged son? Just from hearing this guys' voice closely enough, I can tell that it's not Che, Redd or Pharroh. B-

Update was a little uneven. It got off to a rather tepid start but really picked up with the Roy Moore jokes and the commentaries. Tiffanys' monologue callback must've really given Jost and Che a shot in the arm because all they really hit all their jokes out of the park after that. She showed up at just the right time too as I was starting to think she was being underused as a host at the point. Cecilys' commentary worked extremely well and may have just been the funniest thing she's ever done on the show. Part of me was hoping they would give us another chance to see Heidis' acting skills during this part of the show but I enjoyed this more as it went on as I recognized that Cecily clearly wrote this herself from a place of fear, anger and frustration that she wanted desperately to express. Kudos to her on having the courage to do so. I did like seeing Kenans' Lavar Ball again even though it felt like more of the same. B+

The Last Black Unicorn - This seriously needed some edits. Tiffany really sold her part but Leslie didn't really add anything here. Overall, it showed some promise but turned too one not too early.D+

Get Woke with Tamiya - This was the first real dud of the night. It was too long, had some serious pacing issues and it was the first time I've seen Leslie not really committed fully to a character or try to sell it. I did like the sponsors and Leslie and Tiffany played well off of each other once Tiffany entered the scene. D-

The Dolphin Who Learned To Speak - This was a bit better than it had any right to be. Kate and Leslie really sold their parts but Tiffany really stole this scene and kept it from being too one note. Plus, I felt the timing of this sketch was a little too eerie. C-

Whiskers R We VI - This may have been my least favorite installment of this sketch. The only things that really stood out to me were Tiffany blatantly hitting on Kate and the kittens reactions to being on camera. Speaking of Tiffany, she really stood out like a sore thumb here. This feels like something they tried to write for Taylor Swift earlier in the week that she dropped out of by Friday so they just substituted Tiffany in her place. Plus, kudos to Chris Redd on bring the third SNL cast member to play Katt Williams (even if his was the weakest impression of the three). C+

Now, for my updated rankings for this season...

1. Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

2. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

3. Kumail Nanjiani/P!ink

4. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

5. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that show provided some much needed stability for this season. Next week, Chance The Rapper makes his hosting debut (after two previous appearances as musical guest). He may seem like an odd choice for host but he did a fine job in his sketch appearances from last December and obviously made an impact on the show then. He reportedly pitched several ideas for his own sketches when he showed up that week and "Jingle Barack" was apparently his strongest one and it worked well when they did use it. They must have decided to book him as a host because he showed a lot of initiative and willingness to be very involved with the show just as a musical guest and they liked those qualities enough to let him host so he could pitch his ideas on Monday like everybody else instead of (presumably) Thursday. I have a feeling cast members like Cecily, Kate and Aid are going to dominate this show. Apparently, Chance The Rapper is known to be politically and socially active (they say he wanted to do a sketch called "Gentrified Chicken" last year) so he's probably going to want to work the most with cast members that have similarly "woke" sensibilities to his. See you then!

Larry David/Miley Cyrus (11.04.2017)

Okay, here's my review. As expected, this show managed to be the relative high point of this season while not being as good as Larry Davids' first hosting stint from February 2016 in terms of quality or consistency. As a host, Larry certainly proved to be just as welcome of a presence as ever. Obviously this is good because he clearly gelled well with a cast and writing staff that has changed drastically since he last visited studio 8H. Still, its' nice to see they were still willing to take some risks for what felt like the first time this whole season. Aside from Luke, Mikey and Melissa everyone seemed to get a decent amount of airtime tonight. Anyway, lets' just break it down.

Trump & Manafort - This cold open felt pretty awkward even without the pre-shower scene blooper. I will say Alex as Paul Manafort worked more than it had any right to once you actually recognize what he was going for. I appreciated the initial sight gag of the Airplane!-style inflatable pilot disguised as Trump but I don't think that two scene of it was necessary (even if I kinda liked Cecily's dialogue in the second one). The best thing this cold open had going for it were Beck and Kates' walk-on as Pence and Sessions and even some of their parts could've been trimmed down a bit. C+

Monologue - This was quite enjoyable seeing as he rarely seems to do stand up anymore. His Weinstien jab worked much better than Alecs' in the cold open (c'mon , like every one on Twitter didn't make that same Weinstien joke that Baldwin just did). The Quasimodo jokes worked well and if it weren't for social media existing, you may also believe the Holocaust pickup lines did, too. Hey, all I'm saying is I've seen live SNL audiences react much worse to things that they considered shocking. B-

Celebrity Price Is Right - This worked very well. Beck Bennett is one of the last members of this cast I would ever expect to play Drew Carey (that role could've just as easily gone to Luke Null) but he pulled it off well (even if the voice was a little too high). Leslie and Kate played off each other well. This may have been my favorite of her appearances as Tilda Swinton on the show. Chris Redd did well as Lil Wayne. Kudos to him for getting his first impression with actual lines on the show. Alex did a great Chris Hemsworth and his presence provided a great excuse to sneak Miley and her fiance into the sketch. Nice to see Baldwins' Tony Bennet and Cecilys' Sofia Vergara worked in. Also, it was great that they found an impression from Melissa we haven't seen her do yet. Finally, I really liked that this was how the chose to work in the obligatory Bernie impression into the show. B+

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Press Confeerence - This music video was entertaining and had plenty of solid comedic moments (the "riddles" in particular come to mind) but something about it felt a little...off. I waa half expecting her to sing "incompetent" but as soon as she sang the actual lyrics, I got some mixed messages from it and at times it almost seemed like even the writers didn't know what they wanted this to be. Either way, I'm curious to see what Demi Lovato and Father and Daughter Huckabees' reactions will be. B-

Career Retrospective - This sketch was very funny. I liked how they took a real chance with this and got out right when they got all their necessary laughs and only Larry David could've made this work. Still, I was left wondering why Larrys' character had a ponytail that no one adknowledged and Aidys' character had no lines at all. For all its' strengths, it wasn't without its tiny flaws. B+

Baby Steps - This was something that really rewarded the viewers' patience as short as it was. Larry dressing down Miley and the cast was the best payoff possible to this. Plus, Pete Davidson is surprisingly competent as a rapper. C-

Update was a little inconsistent but it still had its moments despite how burnt out Jost and Che seemed at the beginning. Che had good rants on Trumps' tweets and the NAACP but this Update really seemed backloaded with all the best jokes delivered by Jost. The latest appearance by the Trump brothers seemed a little less inspired than their previous ones but Mikey and Alex still delivered (especially Alex who really knocked his best jokes out of the park once Mikey got him going). Kudos to Heidi for getting her first substantial character piece on the show and I was impressed with how well written and developed this was. I have a good feeling about Heidi as a cast member after she sold the hell out of this. It did almost seem like the type of thing that would've been written for Cecily except done better and with some more depth by Heidi. Leslie's commentary wasn't that great but it was obviously written as an excuse to work the Houston Astros into the show. B-

Fresh Takes - This sketch worked mostly because it felt natural as it wasn't as much of a stereotypical cookie cutter portrayal of high schoolers by a group of thirty-something adults as we'receive used to seeing on a show like SNL. They played well off of Larrys' wildly inappropriate AP History teacher and I'm glad to see they were able to bring his character to its logical conlusion. Leslie and the various "sponsors" were very funny. Pete and Chris scored some decent laughs. Miley didn't quite play against type here but kudos to Luke for getting one of the biggest laughs of the show with his only line of the show. B+

New Wife - This sketch also REALLY rewarded the viewers' patience for a totally different reason that obviously wasn't planned. I was actually anticipating Larry to start cracking up any minute. After watching this, any SNL viewer should be able to fully understand how breaking character can sometimes save a sketch rather than always derail it. Upon second viewing, what worked within the sketch that WAS planned was hearing Larrys' character incredulously over explain his girlfriends gay culture to a confused Beck, Kate and Chris and then suddenly kick Beck out of the room. Still, that worked best as a buildup to the breaking. C-

Good Neighbor: Beers - This worked mostly because of how intentionally absurdly miscast Larry was in his role and how the cheesy production values clashed with the attempts at building a serious or dramatic moment. It had the usual reliable trademarks of a Good Neighbor short that get laughs, but what Larry added was really icing on the cake. B+

Now, for my updated rankings for this season....

1. Larry David/Miley Cyrus

2. Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk

3. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

4. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that was a shot in the arm the show needed right now. This season got off to a slow start but thankfully it has been gradually improving. Still, the question now is how long can they at least keep this momentum going? Next week, Tiffany Haddish makes her hosting debut I know shes' a stand up but I'm not terribly familiar with the jokes in her act. Most of my exposure to her has been seeing her as a guest on various panel/late night/talk shows. Still, after Larrys' monologue from tonight I am very excited at the prospect of THREE consecutive stand up monologs in a row (especially when one is from a person whose act I am genuinely seeing for the first time). I'm sure she'll also be dynamic as a host and hopefully Leslie and Chris get their chances to shine when paired up with her. Still, even an established comedian would need to be backed up with some solid writing so let's hope they keep actively trying to improve the show and play your Tiffanys' strengths rather than expose her weaknesses as an actress. See you then!