Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)

The following blog post is a companion piece to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast. Give us a listen, won't you?

Halloween Party

In the name of democratic party unity Bill (Hammond) and Hillary Clinton (Poehler) throw a Halloween party for themselves and Hillarys' upcoming presidential primary opponents including Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Simon Rich) and his wife Elizabeth (Wiig), Governor Bill Richardson (Horatio Sanz) Senators John Edwards (Forte), Joe Biden (Sudeikis), Christopher Dodd (Hader), Mike Gravel (Armisen), Barack Obama (Himself)

• This is certainly a famous and well remembered sketch as it would be repeated and included in numerous prime time SNL Halloween specials for years to come after it aired (possibly because it does feature an actual cameo from the real candidate who would go on to win this election cycle a year out from this sketch airing and its' not often that the show could score a cameo from a current let alone future sitting president...more on that in a bit).

• Putting aside the idea that they are opening their November 3rd, 2007 episode with a Halloween sketch, the idea that most of the people at this party are angling to be Hillarys' vice president is an interesting angle. It makes this sketch a real time capsule which manages to date itself by the end of the sketch given how drastically the trajectory of this presidential election shifts by the time of this shows next new episode (and the person whose in whose favor it shifts toward being in the building and in this very sketch).

• Forte is John Edwards dressed as...an old time hobo? Well, he and Amy still do a great job setting up this sketch. Hammond as Bill Clinton dressed as Mystery, the pickup artist (you remember him, right? the guy who invented "peacocking"and "negging"?) is...a little on the nose, but still pretty spot on for its time. 

• The bit with people mistaking Hillarys' "bride" dress for a "witch" costume was a bit hacky but I like the idea of Bill immediately abandoning the idea of "dressing as bride and groom for Halloween" because "everyone knows we're married". Also, isn't the idea of "bride and groom costumes" for Halloween the lamest, most "out of touch with the way real everyday people think and act" thing you've ever heard of in your life? After all, it certainly does reflect the mindset of the woman who gave us the immortal phrase "Pokemon Go to the polls". SNL would give us a lot of jokes about Hillary Clinton being another self aggrandizing career politician who has no idea how to relate to any regular voter but this one really subtly hits the nail on the had without belaboring the point.

• Strange time for a Horatio Sanz cameo but I can understand them not having anyone else still in the cast at that time who could legitimately play the half-Mexican Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson dressed as Al Gore.

• Bills' first appearance in this episode is in this sketch, playing Senator Chris Dodd alongside the debut of Sudeikis' Joe Biden (another notable impression in SNLs' history of political sketches although it would take some time for him to work out the "affable, fun loving, goofball" angle). Both of these men are wearing Spongebob costumes and commenting on how both of their presences together in the same place "cancel each other out" as only one of them can make a strong impression at a time. This must've been sort of a weird meta commentary on...something? The actual democratic primary debate that occurred earlier this week...or just the state of the presidential race in general at this point? 

• Or maybe this is just a meta commentary on how SNL has too many white guys in this cast and they all seem pretty interchangable? The fact that a couple of these impressions get switched around later in the show in a completely different sketch revolving around these same democratic candidates seems to support this theory (speaking of which, I think I really could've done without the thing with Kucinich and his wife here). Either way this strikes me as one of those things you really had to be around at the time for it to hit the right way (and once that time has passed and you're chronologically removed from that period you're completely lost). As for Fred Armisens' portrayal of Senator Mike Gravel as a literal mental patient...well, I can only hope that is a reference to this video and not this one.

• ...and here he is folks! The actual next President of the United States enters the scene wearing a mask of himself. I found Baracks' appearance here to be...serviceable. Looking back, there was nothing too earth shattering or ground breaking about this appearance. He doesn't really have any laugh lines (but he did smile a little as not to appear too stiff) and this does seem like a brief campaign appearance from a candidate looking to loosen up his image by just agreeing to appear on the show. At this point, no one really knew how much of a chance he really had or how much he had to lose by doing this so when you remove yourself from the mindset that you are just watching "Senator Obama" or "Candidate Obama" and not "Future President Obama" (especially if you are watching this episode in a rerun or Halloween special from when he actually WAS President) then...there's not a whole lot to write home about.

• Honestly, the most interesting thing about this sketch may be Maya Rudolphs' story about how one of the first times she MET Obama was when she played him in the dress rehearsal version of this sketch (just before he was set to come out and tap her on the shoulder before removing his mask...which you can read about here in EWs' write up of Mayas' appearance on Amys' "Good Hang" podcast) or even a story I heard Seth Meyers tell about this sketch when I saw him to standup in the fall of 2011 (which you'll have to listen to MY podcast to hear me tell) but anyway, this was a decent cold open that has lost a bit of its luster with age. 

• Now, obviously...Maya didn't go on to play Barack Obama on this show for reasons beyond this ending up being her last episode as a cast member. As for who DID go on to play Obama on this show...well, we'll talk about that when I review THAT episode, OK? B- 

Monologue

Brian Williams publicly shares his doubts about even doing the show to the audience but concedes that since NBC research shows that people find him to be quite stiff, it would be good for his image to have fun, be loose and pull himself out of 'anchorman mode" if only for one night.

• Brian certainly presented himself well here. I did like his jokes about finding out other esteemed news anchors have only been impersonated by other cast members on this show rather than having hosted, admitting that Tom Brokaw may not know who he is and the graphic displayed next to him at the end. 

• Pretty crazy that he had just moderated an MSNBC debate between the democratic candidates that week and was still able to do this show. Honestly, that might be the type of thing I would expect to have an effect on the show itself but then again, Brian Williams isn't the type of host I would expect to be heavily involved with any of the writing anyway.

• Even at this point in time, there shouldn't have been doubts in anyones' mind that he would do well on this show since he'd successfully cameo'd in the previous seasons' premiere and made the rounds on other late night shows. Most importantly, he'd done "The Colbert Report" and 'The Daily Show w/Jon Stewart" by this time. 

• The latter of whom made it clear that Brian was perhaps the only "real" news anchor with integrity who didn't actively deceive the American people...until early 2015 when he had to admit that he did NOT actually get shot at with an RPG in a helicopter while covering the war in Iraq (although he does actually mention that he was "shot in Iraq" in this monologue, which...hoo boy).

• Fortunately for him, this was a minor scandal from that time that would blow over with him being demoted from "NBC Nightly News" anchor to host of MSNBCs' "The Eleventh Hour w/Brian Williams".

• Anyway, strong monologue that sets a confident tone for the rest of the show. B+

Maybelline For Men

Now, guys (Armisen, Forte, Hader, Samberg, Sudeikis) can wear cosmetic makeup simply because Maybelline is now producing a special brand of makeup that is clearly just for them because the box it comes in says its' "for men only" and that it's "not noticeable".

• Bills' second appearance of the night is in this sketch as one of Armisens' buddies in this who he convinces to wear makeup. Amy appear briefly as Bills' wife.

• I literally don't know what else to say about this. It appears to be forced low level absurdity based on absolutely nothing but I will point out what a strange coincidence it is that Deej and I have now done two consecutive podcasts where we review scenes involving Fred wearing full,womanly makeup...and that at least this was neat blackout length. D+

Bronx Beat

Betty Caruso (Poehler) and Jodi Deitz (Rudolph) welcome Bronx firefighter Paul Dooley (Williams) as a guest to discuss fire safety but keep coming back to their own musings and prattlings about their families, Halloween, Jodis' recent IBS diagnosis and hinting at the vague idea of drinking some wine and going to a store that sells vibrators

• Well, I run typically hot and cold on these sketches and with their rapid fire pacing it's damn near impossible to pick out any particular lines that stood out...but out of all of these sketches this one does stick out in my memory more than most of the others.

• Really, the most notable thing about this sketch is it's Mayas' last one as a full cast member and because of this one of the last moments of he last episode involves her telling Amy that they should drink a glass of wine and vaguely hinting that they should also go to a store that sells vibrators. That plus the IBS lines does mark a turning point where these Bronx Beat sketches get a little bit "edgier" and more risque.

• You know, I've mentioned this before but That Week In SNL and The Saturday Night Network were two of my biggest inspirations to get into podcasting about SNL in the first place so without them We Heart Hader certainly wouldn't exist (what with Deej and I both being SNN patrons and all). I happen to know that both Andy and Timmy covered this episode on That Week with Jon Schneider as a guest about four and a half years ago with Jon as a guest so it means quite a bit to me to that WHH has come across its first SNL episode that all of us have mutually covered on our own respective podcasts. I say that partly just to say it but partly to segue into my next point.

• Naturally, upon re-listening to Andy, Timmy and Jons' review of this episode before this writing I noticed that they bring up an interesting point about this sketch in that it is the first "Bronx Beat" where the host plays a character rather than just playing their part as a slightly more befuddled version of themselves. I thought about this myself and came to the conclusion that this is the first Bronx Beat where the host is given the ROOM to do a character because Amy and Maya pretty much dominated these by speeding over the hosts' role with rapid fire repetitive dialogue (this one does make a meal out of the "sweater weather" catchphrase that seemed to have spawned from Bronx Beat in general) but in this one and later installments when Amy and/or Maya would come back and do these as hosts they let the host at least do some kind of accent that fits these sketches. 

• After this one, you'll notice the ones with Timberlake, Samberg, Tina Fey and even the one from SNL50 with Mike Meyers as Linda Richman focus more on letting the guests get their words and accents in edgewise. The ones with Hugh Laurie and Katy Perry might be the only exceptions to this rule, but then again...Katy barely needed to talk at all in hers and she and the writers seemed to recognize that. 

• Hey, I just remembered what Brians' accent in this sketch reminds me of. Steve Carrells' Ray Romano impression from the episode Deej and I covered in our own very first podcast. C+ 

Rileys' Way

While shooting the series finale of CW high school teen drama "Rileys' Way", the former Quantum Leap alum who plays Principal Jefferies (Williams) suddenly becomes irate upon finding out from his younger cast mates (Poehler, Samberg, Thompson) and the director (Sudeikis) that he has been excluded from the upcoming spin-off "Rileys' Way: The College Years" until everyone helps him cope with this fact. 

• This might be my favorite sketch of the night. It seemed tailor made for Brian an he played his part perfectly (especially opposite Sudeikis in his role as the Mike Underballs-lite director).

• Kenan, Amy and Andy were pretty much straight men here but they channeled teen melodrama actors well and did solid work setting up the scene for Brian to sell the hopelessly out of touch delusion and desperation of his character perfectly (without overselling it since only one of the two "bad takes"he did involved him claiming he never got his degree and thus has to go back to school at the same college as his students).

• One question I do have though is why were the actual high school student characters sitting on a swing set? High schools don't have playgrounds, but I guess I could see it if their graduation ceremony or party took place at a public park (or maybe their cap-and-gown fitting place was near one).

• The slow, sad cover of Rhiannas' "Umbrella" playing in the background was a nice touch (not sure who that ones' by but I THINK it's Mandy Moore since I remember hearing she did a cover of this song around this time?) I even liked it starting to cue up when Brian gave his dramatic speech and Jason asking to kill it suddenly.

• The only thing I think detracted from this sketch was that Brians' speech at the end felt a little rushed and underwritten (unless that was part of the joke).

• Oh, and before I forget, Bills' third appearance in this episode is as the marker of each scene who quickly becomes an actor in the role of "the guy who killed principal Jefferies" after a quick "rewrite". Very funny ending. A-

Publishers Clearing House Giveaway

Presenter Cheryl Bryant (Wiig) has some serious trouble garnering as much excitement from new $15 million prize winner Carl Bacon (Williams) as she has from past prize winners (Forte, Poehler, Rudolph) or even as much as a Dominos delivery driver (Armisen) does when offering him free cheesy bread with his pizza

• While this was another sketch that was dovetailed well with Brians' image, it was pretty one note and stretched pretty thin. Plus, it was another one of those sketches that gave you a heads up on where Kristen Wiigs' trajectory on the show was headed as far as what types of characters she would start playing on a regular basis...for better or worse.

• Still, I didn't mind it at the time (or now) because it was only the first of three times we'd see this semi recurring character from Wiig over the course of the next four years. Plus, Brians' subtly delighted reaction to the bonus free cheesy bread was funny. Speaking of, the reactions from previous Publishers' Clearing House winners didn't do a whole lot for me but I liked Amy tearing through a screen door and a potted plant. C-

Digital Short: Brian Diaries

Brian Williams presents a video of his day to day routine as anchor of NBC Nightly News.

• This was a fun, unique segment where Brian poked a little bit more fun at himself and his own image than he got around to doing in the monologue. Plus, it's one of the rare early Digital Shorts that's not entirely done in the Lonely Islands signature house style and those are always nice to see.

• I do wonder who wrote this? Seems like it could've been Seth or maybe Jorma/Akiva pitched in on this? I'm certainly not saying its bland but I am saying that its a bit hard to get a bead on this since it's a little outside of SNLs' usual style from this time and seems like it could've been written by an outside writer?

• I liked the opening where Brian is standing outside 30 Rock waiting for someone to recognize him and decided that someone calling him Stone Phillips is "close enough" as well as his "fitness routine" being him standing on a treadmill in his suit with a newspaper while wearing the same suit. Him being roped off with body guards in the NBC commissary was also a nice touch.

• Brian tossing pennies out of his window at Al Roker and (especially) Matt Lauer...definitely ages better than it was intended to. Maybe Brian and a few people at SNL knew something about Matt that the rest of the world wouldn't find out for another ten years?

• Speaking of, a Bono cameo being used as a barometer of "coolness" is something else that may have aged this noticeably but the idea of Brian imagining Bono as a guy who wishes he was as cool as Brian still holds up surprisingly well today.

• The only bad thing I could say about this short is that the gags with Brians' narcissism (watching his own footage and leaving himself a voicemail) felt a little telegraphed but he still managed to elevate them a little. B- 

Feist Performs "1234" and "I Feel It All"

• Well, if you're like me, I'm sure you remember this song from the iPhone commercial it was in that got played to death around this time. I don't have too much else to say about this song or this style of music that I didn't already say about the Spoons performances when I reviewed Seth Rogens' episode a month ago

• ...but I will say that Feists music sounds like a much more aggressively "Twee" version of Florence + The Machine than your average "Stomp clap hey" fare from around this time (so much so that I like to imagine this is the type of career Zooey Deschannel would have if she decided to pursue music full time instead of acting)

Weekend Update w/Poehler and Meyers

Studio head Roger A Travanti (Armisen) delivers a commentary on how the looming WGA strike will affect the industry and him personally

Update Nanny Barbara Birmingham (Thompson) delivers a commentary on this years inappropriate Halloween costumes for young girls

• Seth's Best jokes: Biden/Guiliani, sex on plane, dog shoots hunter, worlds' oldest paraglider

• Amy's Best jokes: lost FEMA promotion, cocaine accusation, Applebees'/IHOP, new meth detector

• Surprisingly, Freds' piece worked better than it had any right to. He played up the clueless, self-righteous arrogance of his role expertly in a way that only he could pull off and it commented on the excesses of late 2000s wealth inequality in a funny way.

• As far as Kenans' commentary goes, it's sadly indistinguishable from his other drag characters from his early SNL tenure, but I like his line about how "the only costumes we had growing up were 'milkman' and 'SLAVE'!" as well as his lunging at Seth from across the desk. Plus, Seths' adlibs after he found his top shirt button was undone and his tie was nearly undone as well were fun to see. C+

Larry King Live

After having recently revealed that the character of Dumbledore (Hader) from the Harry Potter books is gay, author J.K. Rowling (Poehler) presents to Larry King (Armisen) deleted scenes from the Harry Potter film series where Dumbledores' sexuality and close friendship with Professor McGonagall (Wiig) comes into play as he pines for his ex-wizard, Jerry Shanks

• Boy, this one aged...weirdly. Plus, it seemed like it would've bee pretty damn hacky even by 2007 standards to begin with.

• I'm not a fan of Freds' awful Larry King impression so I'm at least glad to see how few lines he has in this as the second biggest thing hampering this sketch.

• As weird as it is to see J.K. Rowling portrayed as even vaguely, passively supportive of the LGBTQ community now...it is somewhat balanced out if you also decide to think about this as a portrayal of J.K. Rowling as a shameless opportunist, desperately clinging to relevance after her career as a beloved and well respected childrens' author had just come to a close without her giving a single thought to the idea that she may be permanently tarnishing her legacy.

• Beyond that, I'll just say that while Bill and Kristen are far from the worst parts of this sketch, their performances are elevating this as much as this material can be elevated (and i did get a chuckle out of the line about Dumbledore having received a "booty owl"). C-

iPhone Ads

Fred Armisen likes how much easier it is to cheat on his pregnant wife and get away with it using the new iPhone.

A small business owner with a hatred of authority (Sudeikis) likes how much easier the iPhone makes it to look for hiding spots and plan escape routes using Google Maps after punching cops while high on crystal meth

• I know this is the year the first iPhone came out and I vaguely remember the type of iPhone commercial these ads were spoofing.

• Only one of these ads aired during the live show and it was Freds'. The other one with Jason was cut for time (Seth's adlibs after Kenans' Update commentary made the show run a little long) and was added back in to the rerun after the fact. 

• Freds' didn't work for me that much. Something about the sleaze and creepiness of his character he sold a little too well without even trying.

• Jasons' was tremendously funny for how casually he sold the sheer outrageous outlandishness of his character. I liked his line about using the iPhone to watch "pig punch" videos on YouTube and using iTunes to pick the perfect songs to listen to while coming down from a crystal meth high. 

• Man, it's weird to see how tiny and puny the first iPhone looked in a grown mans' hand compared to how big someof these Samsung Galaxy smartphones are now that barely fit in my own hand

• It's interesting to pick apart these iPhone ad parodies from around the time this product was first introduced because the one recurring theme or message behind them seems to be "the only people who would dare use such a ridiculous product are dangerous, idiot sociopaths who won't amount to anything other then being an active menace to society". 

• I mean, we've come to a point in society that the only people that this thesis really applies to the people who invent and mass market such technologies and the people who create and distribute their own homemade content with them leaving the rest of us as their victims who've all been brain damaged and heavily spiritually degraded by them to various degrees. What are you gonna do, huh? C-/B+

Before The Debate

After Brian Williams tells Senators Chris Dodd (Hammond), John Edwards (Forte), Joe Biden (Sudeikis), Governor Bill Richardson (Horatio Sanz) and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Poehler) what order their podiums will be in on stage in relation to Senators Clinton and Obama before their big debate at Drexel University (before the latter even arrives), Williams flat out admits to them that he and the rest of the media really want Hillary to become the Democratic nominee and get elected president. Senator Mike Gravel (Armisen) is also backstage for some reason....even though no one has told him he is not in the debate yet. Once Brian leaves, they all discuss potential plans to take down Hillary during the debate in a feeble attempt to boost their own chances...ranging from having Gov. Richardson accuse her of being "anti-Hispanic" to having Sen. Edwards sue her to even entertaining a potential kidnapping plot proposed by Senator Gravel. Ultimately, they agree to simply hammer her on her most vulnerable issues but suffer the consequence of being unfairly labeled as sexist bullies by the media.

• Bill is not in this sketch because the role played earlier in the evening is given to Darrell Hammond.

• You know, I seem to remember SNL getting a lot of flack from conservatives around this time for "being in the tank"for Obama and just the democratic party in general and you would think it would be because of all the sketches they did hammering John McCain, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush and Joe Biden without really having an effective comedic angle on Obama at all, but having an actual member of the actual media just straight up admitting that he and his fellow "journalists" are actually giving Hillary Clinton heavy preferential treatment because they want her to become the next president (even in jest in a comedy sketch which I'm sure they would conveniently ignore if it didn't escape them entirely) must've given them more ammunition than anyone realized at this time. Plus, that whole "half-Mexican" thing would probably feed into their confirmation bias in some way since that almost seemed like it was written from the modern rights' viewpoint on the modern left.

• Boy, it's easy enough to miss Fortes' "Obamas' on his way" line at the beginning because knowing Obama IS in the building tonight...this sketch feels like one LLLOOOOONNNNGGG set up to a second Obama cameo that never actually happens. 

• Speaking of, Jon Schneider actually did reveal on That Week that there was a planned TV Funhouse segment that cut from this episode that focused on racial profiling in airports. Standards and Practices wanted to nix it but Lorne fought for it so they eventually agreed to show this to Obama and if he said "no" to this they would cut it. Obviously, they said "no" and this lost TV Funhouse segment never saw the light of day. This makes me genuinely wonder if they told Obama about this sketch and he said "no" when asked if he wanted to make another cameo because I could definitely see him not wanting to be associated with this sketch in any way. 

• Hell, I'm surprised that even Brian said "yes" to this sketch...or that Lorne and enough other people responsible for such decision making at the show let this get on air because it's...certainly questionable and one of the most baffling bad sketches in SNL history. How DID this make it past dress rehearsal and get on the air?

• Seriously, this plays to almost LITERAL. DEAD. SILENCE. from the crowd. Amy Poehler portraying a small. elf like man who happened to be in the real debate this sketch was based on is the only thing getting any laughs or any kind or response from the audience.

• We do see the very beginning of Jasons' "goofball" Biden impression start to come into place with that whole "where's the beef?" bit but...that could've been cut entirely as it slowed down and already painful slog of a sketch. Still, it is interesting that they make Darrell utter the line about how neither him nor Joe Biden have a chance of becoming the nominee which, well...when you consider how the real Joe Bidens' political career went in the years after this sketch aired...do I need to say it.

• I also see that they seem to make reference to some actual comments Mike Gravel made about a wanting to prevent a potential war with Iran during that debate in one of the videos of him I linked above which...well, speaking of things that don't age well nearly 20 years later (yikes) just flat out makes Armisens' portrayal of him as a violent borderline psychopath just flat out unacceptable.

• I may have more to say about this sketch, but the more I sit with this the angrier and more disgusted with it I become, so I'll just move on. D-

The New Open

In a conference room with NBC executives (Poehler, Hader, Sudeikis), Brian Williams announces he has hired the team of Dunham and Kirk to come up with a hip new opening theme for the Nightly News in order to draw in an elusive younger audience. The group of musicians (Armisen, Forte, Samberg, Rudolph, Wiig) present everything from gritty 70s funk to modern gangsta rap to mellow folk tunes which don't feel like the right fit, so Brian insists on going with his own ridiculous James Bond style opening sequence that involves him punching bad guys in a tuxedo

• This sketch felt like just a mishmash of a few different types of band/musical act sketches that this cast liked to do around this time, but it had some kind of variety that kept it moving along at a snappy pace. It was all over the place, but in a fun way that didn't detract from the sketch at all.

• Hey, Brian says that "young people are getting their news from the internet and these PODCASTS!" I'm not sure if this is the second EVER mention of podcasts on SNL...but it will definitely be the second that Deej and I will have mentioned on OURS (here's the first in case you're at all curious). 

• What this tells me is that by early 2006 SNL had just learned that podcasts were even a thing and that anyone with at least a laptop and a microphone could make one and put it out on iTunes. By late 2007, SNL and the rest of traditional/legacy media knew what they were and were starting to figure out that they could be a source of news and political commentary and thus they were cutting into THEIR racket!

• This sketch may be most notable for featuring Mayas' final moment as a cast member (whether or not anyone knew it at the time, including Maya, is another story). Her gritty 70s funk song was OK, even if I couldn't understand a few lyrics.

• I got a chuckle from Samberg dressed as an 80s new wave musician with a Flock Of Seagulls haircut and a keytar chirping "busted" when Brian calls him out for simply presenting him with the old Fraiser theme. 

• Normally, Fred Armisen going from paying a glockenspiel to rapping would be just wrong but it vibes well enough with this sketch. I also liked Fortes' line "we got dignified coming out o our ass" and Wiigs song.

• The James Bond sequence at the end was the big comedic high point of this for me (especially the sudden image of him punching the Earth with a martini in his other hand as it rolls toward him).

• Bill actually has dual roles in this sketch if you can believe it. Sure, he's one of the ineffectual executives but if you look closely at the James Bond sequence you'll see him as the bald, eyepatched Dr. Evil like henchman with a machine gun Brian punches. C+ 

Ranking Season 33 From Best To Worst

1. Lebron James/Kanye West (09.29.2007)
2. Seth Rogen/Spoon (10.06.2007)
3. Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)
4. Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters (10.13.2007)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this episode wasn't quite as strong as I remembered. It was quite a bit more uneven, but that may mostly be due to some real baffling sketch choices and (or course) the brief spots of political humor (some of it a bit milquetoast, some of it quite strange and confounding) from a time before politics (and the culture around them) would shift drastically.

• Brian Williams was a bit more stiff as a host than I remembered, but he performed well or someone whose not a comedian by trade and has more of a background in broadcast journalism. I wouldn't say he showed limited range because "range" wasn't what was expected of him. I wouldn't say he mostly played himself all night because he didn't do that either. 

• When you get down to it, Brian maybe the biggest reason as to why this episode was remembered as being better than it was as most people who weren't familiar with him were impressed that he met the baseline expectation of being more than a stiff, serious new anchor and showing he had a sense of humor about his own image.

• He was a reliable host who gave off a warm, charming and likable presence and showed he was willing to have fun and go with the flow (within reason for a man in his position) and that's pretty much all that was asked of him. Since he cleared that bar easily, I'd say he was a successful host. 

• As far as cast usage, Amy, Maya and Kristen dominated the show (as expected especially in Mayas' case if they wanted to use her while they still had her). On the male side, Fred, Will, and Jason dominated the show. Bill and Darrell had decent nights in mostly supporting roles and Andy and Kenan would've been all but shut out if it weren't for two specific sketches for each of them.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was a minor shock to the system but I sure hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I hope you enjoyed listening to the podcast i recorded to go along with it.

• I hope you also enjoyed whatever I ended up writing about SNL UK on here and I hope you enjoy the review I post of SNLs upcoming Jack Black/Jack White episode a week from now. See you then!

SNL UK: Tina Fey/Wet Leg (04.21.2026)

Starmer Calls Trump

• Wow, I see we're already keeping one of SNL US' on and off traditions of starting off cold opens with unnecessary thunderous applause for no reason whatsoever. It's OK. I don't really have a problem with it here. I'm just pleased this show is going to have a hot crowd on its live debut. The audience reception may make or break this show.

• Already I'm getting slight Kenny Everett vibes from George Fouracres performance as prime minister Keir Starmer (or maybe it's just the Gizzard Puke-like voice he's using?). The sketch itself is giving me a slight mix of "Spitting Image" and "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" vibes (this does remind me of the first Mark McKinney/Mark Carney sketch I saw them do)...which is nice. It's already set itself apart from SNL US a bit for me.

• As soon as George uttered that "I can change him" line, I knew this was headed in a direction I was going to like. Sure, it's pretty much the inverse of this sketch ftom SNL US and a bit reminiscent of a lot of SNL USs' hacky ass "lol Trump & Putin are gay boyfriends with each other" jokes from 2016/17 and it's portraying Trump as the dominant one in the "situationship" but it's still in service of a UK sketch comedy show just straight up calling their country's leader a spineless worm who can't stand up to Trump on his own in a way that's much more pointed and direct than the cutesy bucket of buzzword salad crap in SNL US cold opens that they try to pass off as political satire nowadays.

• I wasn't crazy about Jack Sheps' stereotypical GenZ character (hell, hearing the word "throuple" still makes me want to "throw upple") but at least he served and he tied this sketch together somewhat. I did like the subtle meta dig at "embracing America's unproblematic culture" just before they did the first ever utterance of "Live From London..." B-

Monologue 

• I do like how the opening montage, theme music and set design make this feel like a new, seperate from SNL British comedy show (at least cosmetically). Hell, this shows' theme music sounds like something you'd hear snippets of coming in and out of commercial breaks during a typical episode of SNL US.

• Tina was a welcoming and friendly presence. She did a fine job of delivering a rare non-promotional host monologue fir which the sole purpose was just laying the groundwork for what this shows' basic format would be for those UK viewers unfamiliar with SNL US. I did like her line "one boy is either Scottish or choking".

• Still, her portions of this monologue felt like any typical SNL US monologue from the past 15 years or so. In fact, with all the additional cameos it specifically feels like a much less insulting and much more ingratiating version of the same monologue she did in May 2018 for the SNL US season 43 finale with a little bit of her season 33 monologue from February 2008 thrown in (the first and last time she actually hosted the show on her own side of the pond). 

• I could've done without Michael Ceras' bit but I was just as pleasantly surprised with SNL UKs' ability to drop some unpleeped F-bombs on live TV as he seemed to be.

• Nicola Coughlan was by far the strongest part of this monologue. She sold the subtle passive aggressive bitchiness of her part well enough that I would also like to see her host one of the remaining 7 episodes of this series (hopefully, this gets renewed past its initial 8 episode order and she gets more chances). Hell, her Shrek joke makes me wonder how Mike Meyers himself would do as a potential host of this show?

• Man, I haven't seen Graham Norton on my TV since Comedy Central aired some version of his talk show here in the US 22 years ago but he did a great job of bringing this to a satisfying conclusion. I definitely chuckled at the "auto glass/safelite" jingle at the end. B-

Underáge by Pedólay

• Wow, bold choice for this shows' first fake commercial pretape. 

• It certainly displays a sharp edge that SNL US has been lacking for quite some time (or maybe it just appears that way because certain segments of the UK are much vocally and virulently against pedophiles than we are in the US...in spite of how we're all just finding out about how they've been covering for some of their own big ones for decades).

• Still, for the punch this packed, it could've been tightened up a bit (especially for a pretape so it doesn't hit too many unnecessary beats after the big reveal of its basic joke).

• Was that Paddy as Celestes' husband? Was this his only non-Update sketch appearance in the whole show?

• Hammed as the aggressive cop was funny and one line I liked was "my husband lost his recording contract and some, but not all, of his fans". 

• I did think the interrogation scene at the very end was a nice touch as well.

• The more I watch and sit with this, the more it feels like the type of pretape we would get in SNL around 2017/18 that would be left by Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon...but this felt a bit fresher and more bold. C+

David Attenboroughs' Last Supper

• Even though this is a well worn premise I know I have seen SNL US pull off many times before (see "When Great Minds Meet" in 1988, "Historys' Greatest Overthinkers in 1993, Rachel Dratch as James Madison on Weekend Update in 2000) I was delighted by the execution of this one. 

• George Fouracres portrayal of Sir David Attenborough was a great centerpiece of this sketch (even if the voice he used sounded a lot like his Keir Starmer except raspier and less congested). George had the best lines and is quickly emerging as one of the early standout performers in this cast.

• I'll admit there were about four portrayals of figures from British history I didn't recognize but that didn't really hamper my viewing experience (maybe reading Beardie Vikings' review whenever he posts it to his blog will help me fill in a few gaps).

• Even Jack Sheps' Princess Diana was done tastefully and Tinas' Agatha Christie wasn't too over the top. It was neat to see Paul and Jack come close to breaking. B-

Hot Streak

• OK, Hammed is emerging as the second standout performer of this cast. The way he asked Tina and Jacks' actor characters why their movie fucking sucked so bad and forcefully criticized them right after a Fallon-like heaping of praise on their characters had me falling out laughing. 

• I also loved how seamlessly this transition into a poignant commentary on the modern human condition. 

• Definitely one of the high points of this premiere episode. I even got a kick out of Hammeds' character being named "Ed Boovies" just so the title of the fake show within a show could be "Boovies Goes To The Films" A-

The Budger

• While I feel this could've gone a bit harder in the paint on the basic premise of "how to make the average person's internet experience worse" and still have given off "relatable" vibes, I still enjoyed how it captured the banality of those small annoyances around modern smartphone and PC web browsing (even if they skipped over some of the dangerous misinformation and bigotry you can easily encounter online from time to time).

• I appreciate the specificity in the writing as well as the "spy junk tech thriller" style in which this was filmed. Those aspects of this piece combined with the fact that I was watching an Emglish language foreign sketch comedy program really gave me "Baroness Von Sketch Show" vibes.

• It's a shame they didn't introduce us to the person in charge of pushing those little tutorial pop ups in various smart phone apps that come up whenever you get a new smartphone and open up your same old apps in it to point out various features in said apps like you didn't already know how to use them or the person in charge of making wireless bluetooth earbuds glitch out whenever you're actively listening to something on your phone through them because I'd really like to meet that person and have a chat with those specific people sometime soon.

• I liked the subtle visuals of guys casually sipping from whole containers worth of coffee and pouring entire containers of sugar in their coffee without looking away from their screens. However, I think Larry Deans' "X-man" interview could've been rewritten so that fast paced dialogue is missed over audience applause.

• While I feel they could've tightened up the suspenseful "budge" segment at the end, I liked the tense drama behind it. Speaking of, was that Ania as the woman scrolling through her phone on the couch? It didn't quite look like any of the other women. 

• I especially liked the "do you get paid for your job?" back and forth between Hammed and the unseen interviewer. B-

Ultrasound

• Wow, two segments in a row that give off slight BVSS vibes! This shows' really got something.

• I say BVSS vibes because this also had a very specific, very modern "relatable" idea behind its writing...but it was VERY much executed in the style of most modern SNL US live sketches very much to its detriment. 

• In fact, I would venture a guess that Tina heavily punched up this script at some point after read through because it largely seems to be in her voice (especially her opening rant about how her kids are mean to her).

• Yeah, this is something I could definitely see being done on modern SNL with the fetus being played by either Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman or Marcello Hernandez. Mikey Day and Chloe Fineman would definitely be the parents as they're the best at overexplaining what someone is doing out of anyone in the current SNL US cast.

• Hmm, in fact...I think I may have ALREADY seen how modern SNL would have executed this sketch since it remind me a lot of this one...and this one...and this one (which seems to share a similarly odd idea of what the inside of a womans' damn womb looks like). Hell, Jacks dancing as the fetus reminded me of this in a good way.

• I don't mean to knock this sketch entirely or accuse the show of plagiarism (hell, it's certainly not an "adaptation" of anything). I was just saying that...I didn't know if this sketch worked for me personally at first but it grew on me after a couple rewatches.

• I did like Celestes' line "I'm not a doctor. I'm just a stupid rocket scientist." I'm not that surprised at Tinas' "pop that puss" line because I believe it's possible that SNL US could've also gotten that on the air. Hell, I even liked how Tina transitioned out of this sketch into introducing Wet Legs' first performance right after the type of ending that SNL US has been doing increasingly for every fourth or fifth sketch since Covid. C+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Anias' Best Jokes: Starmer U-Turn, Prince Andrew Moves

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Dubai Under Fire, Nato Holds Back, Helium Shortages, Andrew In Prison, BTS On Tour

• Damn, this version of Update has the flashiest set for any comedy news segment I've seen since The Daily Show!

• Even though Paddy had more of the jokes that really hit for me, I still really like Anias' presence as his co-anchor. I mean, DAMN, she's the one that took (the former) Prince Andrew straight to the fuckin' woodchipper!

• I liked how sharp and edgy tge writing behind these Update jokes were with out the edginess feeling too forced. 

• Maybe I can see some of these same jokes being delivered by Jost & Che here in the states but they still sound classier and pack more of a wallop when delivered not just in a British accent but by a fresh new pair of comics who actually have some spark and life in their eyes.

• Yeah, I gotta say I'd DEFINITELY take Paddy & Ania over Jost & Che at this point.

• Al Nash as Capt. Birdseye definitely seems like the type of correspondent desk piece that would've been done by Andy Samberg or Bobby Moynihan during Seth Meyers solo run as Update anchor on SNL US but a lot shorter and with a sudden reveal of a darker twist at the end. Still, there was great fun to be had there. B+

A Changed William Shakespeare 

• Hey, we finally get to see George again...AND he's doing a different voice!

• Tinas' got just enough acting chops to pull off the "forlorn, neglected wife" part here.

• Wow. Never thought I'd hear the phrase "cunty little earring" go out uncensored on the airwaves of any version if SNL.

• I got a kick out of the way George delivered the lines "Methinks I might write another one of these...PLAAAAAAAYYYSS" and "I must to London. My next staging awaits. Henry The Fourth Part II: Henry The FIIIIIIIFFFTHHH!"

• Yeeeeaaaaahhhh, this is starting to feel like a sketch SNL US would do with Jason Momoa as host (specifically "The Ghost Of Christmas Extra" if anyone remembers that one from 2018 because it ain't on YouTube).

• Well, I will admit that just straight up replacing George with Jack in the middle of the sketch is an interesting tactic that I'm sure SNL wouldn't do if they were executing this sketch...but they would certainly have him talking like a contestant on RuPauls' Drag Race if they could. No doubt about that.

• I'll also admit that Jack had a few bits and lines I did like (riding in on a Bird Scooter, Stratford-upon-Avon/London-upon-Ketamine, "Charli Ten 100 Ten", unintentionally stumbling over the phrase "glow up era", "'Tis but a K-hole") but not everything he added to this sketch made the rushed as hell ending that much better.

• Wow, we get TWO utterances of the word "cunty" along with a vague, empty, evdn more confusing explanation of why some can say it and others still can't followed by a sudden dance off to a 15 year old Rhianna song complete with a Charli XCX lookalike and some drag queens? What God did we please?

• Yeah, this sketch really cemented in my mind that Jack Shep is going to be the Bowen Yang/Marcello Hernandez of this show. I don't mean that as a criticism of his actual performances but rather as a commentary on what roles he's given and what spot he fills on the show.

• Jack Shep seems to be the youngest person in this cast by far so he easily fits the Marcello/Pete Davidson/Samberg/Fallon archetype of "guy who's strictly for the young audience to fawn over and will probably annoy the hell out if any viewer over the age of 40". He'll be the one the show leans on for viral buzz moments to draw the teens and early twenty somethings in from social media.

• He also gives off Bowen vibes because so far he's...well, I'll just say he's been the one giving us all of what I like to call the "campy" performances and leave it at that.

• Hey, it's not my place to speculate on anyone's personal life. I'll just say that. 

• Also, before actually watching this episode I had seen the minor spoiler that there was some honest to God audience booing in the show that I didn't actually catch with my ears or hear during the show. I'm going to assume it was at this sketch just because this really is the only sketch I can even imagine one person legitimately booing at. C+

Live Paddington Bear Experience 

• Hey, there's Ania again as the mother of three. I for sure recognize her. So, I guess she and Paddy are mostly going to appear in pretapes outside of Update.

• At first, I was expecting this to be a Bill Burr type thing where we keep cutting back to Annabels' Bachelorette Party just because that's how bad SNL US has brainwashed me.

• I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was another gore pretape where the gore effects were played subtly and with sheer obliviousness to a collective trauma rather than for cheap, tired obvious shock value. I guess I just broke the SNL US conditioning.

• I'm glad to see this more resembled a grittier "Happy Fun Ball" than Sarah Squirms' takes on "A Christmas Carol" and "Scooby Doo".

• Tina was great in the mockumentary portion as the dim, callous producer. All the other post interviews were great (especially Hammed, Larry and Ania).

• I also got a kick out if Al as the bored janitor casually tossing a severed foor in a trash can. 

• Even this would've been a couple years too late for a timely parody, this HAD to ge a parody of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience, right? A-

Bra Fitting

• Hmm, I guess this sketch presupposes that all women (especially British ones) are just as insecure about their breast/bra/cup sizes as all men are about their penis sizes? 

• From the way it was written and the specific British slang used, it took me about two thirds of the way into this to surmise that this is where it was going. 

• Still, as strange as this was to parse, I liked Emma's performance. She really made this work. 

• I get the sense that some of this show's writers must've been 30 Rock fans if they get that show over there since they were obviously keen on having Tina play another pathetic Liz Lemon type character.

• Hey, there's a reference to the MBJ/Lindo BAFTAS/Tourettes incident! I wondered if it would be really necessary for SNL UK to reference it this far after the fact but the audience seemed to like it.

• The Regé-Jean Page cameo felt a little forced but if this audience needed another Britush celeb cameo to keep them interested this close to the end of the show, I can put up with it. C+

45 Seconds With Fouracres

• Hey, nice to close out the show with the exact type of goofy nonsense you might expect to find on something like "Fast Show" or "Codco" or something more obscure and British of that ilk that you could only see on Sunday nights on the That Week In SNL Twitch stream!

• It's also nice to see a personal showcase from one of the early standout performers on this show. I'm calling it George Fouracres is gonna be the JAJ of SNL UK. 

• The second Nicola Coughlan cameo was a nice touch. I wonder if they truly followed SNL US tradition and wrote the hosts monologue much later in the week than the rest of the show and this is what they originally asked Nicola Coughlan to cameo in and then figured "well, as long as we got her here..." A-

Overall Thoughts

• Wow, I must say I was quite impressed by this whole show. I didn't quite know what to expect but what I got was a strong debut!

• Sure, I noticed some structural parallels between SNL UK and SNL US in the sketch writing department (with as much SNL US as I have seen in my lifetime it's pretty hard not to) but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised by how this show managed to retain so much of a uniquely British identity and sense of humor in its presentation as to make it into what I like to call "SNLINO" (or "Saturday Night Live In Name Only")

• Yes, there was enough sharp and pointed sketch writing here to make this a welcome breath of fresh air from modern SNL US in 2026 (especially after the dull as dishwater Harry Styles episode...funny how easily a British SNL episode with an American host just so easily trounces an American SNL episode with a British host).

• One thing I really liked about this episode is how it immediately drew me in much more than a lot of recent SNL US as of late. You can tell by the way this review doesn't start off with a series of Mikey Day-esque immediate hot take reactions of me describing what I am seeing in the moment. This is partly because I wanted to take it all in the first time I saw it and see if any possible format deviations had an effrct on the show as well. 

• The first time I watched it (out of several) I didn't once feel the urge to divert my attention from a screen just to take notes on a sketch as it was playing. The closest I came to actually doing this was during the "Hot Streak" sketch just Google the names of Tina & Jacks' characters to see if they were impersonating real people (they weren't) and I consider this a marked improvement of SNL UK over SNL US.

• As far as cast usage goes, it looks like George, Jack and Hammed dominated the night with some small assists from Al, Celeste and Emma. Hopefully, Arcade, Larry and Annabel will get to do more in the coming weeks.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, SNL US will still be in reruns while SNL UK gives us another brand new episode with Christian Grey himself, Jamie Dornan as host. I don't know what kind if comedic chops Mr. Dornan actually has but with a non American/non SNL US alumni as host, I do look forward to seeing how SNL UK further breaks out if the shadow of SNL US and further establishes its own British identity.

• I plan to review that one as well but before I do I urge you all to check out the review of the Brian Williams/Feist episode from SNL US season 33 that I will post this weekend as soon as the new episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast hits your preferred podcast portal and you can listen to Deej and I review that episode rather than just reading my review alone.

• Hopefully, that episode isn't going to be delayed due to any technical or production issues that came up on my end when we tried to record it. After that, we'll be working on a review of the Documentary Now! episode "The Eye Doesn't Lie" (a spoof of "The Thin Blue Line".

• See you then!

Harry Styles (03.14.2026)

Gas Prices

• Huh...a generic family road trip cold open set at a gas station? This could be interesting.

• God, I can't even remember the last time a cold open began with random unwarranted applause for no reason? Can you?

• I got a kick out of Ashleys' "we're gonna have to leave one of you behind" line.

• Well, at least this is a nice departure from the typical Trump/Hegseth cold opens we've been getting lately...AW FUCK, we're back to THESE again. Boy, the writers must've been gassed out on political stuff this week.

• Well, I got a kick out of JAJs' Troy McClure reference and his jabs at Harry and 1Ds' musical catalog, but wow...I'm surprised they cheered at that and booed more at the Timothee Chalamet/ballet jab.

• I wasn't even into the meta background cast gags in this one.

• ...and just when even I was starting to get sick of Josts' Hegseth they find an admittedly fun way to Trojan horse him in to this one. I don't know what it says about this cold open that one of my favorite lines was "as I live and struggle to breathe" though. Nothing good, right?

• This wasn't some of Josts' best work (even he seemed a bit gassed out on doing these as he wasn't exactly disappearing into character here) but I did chuckle at the "DUI checkpoint/close your eyes and gun it" joke. C-

Monologue

• ...and there's Harrys' trademark sleepy ass energy that plagued his last episode.

• I mean, I liked that sudden "you don't know everything about me, dad!" line.

• Hey, he admitted to talking slowly and being just straight up boring. At least he's self aware to some degree.

• Boy, that "Italian GPT/Mario" joke couldn't be saved no matter who delivered it the way Harry did.

• Hmm...not quite sure what he was going for with that Prince Andrew joke but his delivery didn't help that one either.

• I liked Chloe and (especially) Sarah's walk ons but Bens' bought this to a screeching halt for me.

• At least the crowd was hyped. That must've been Lorne and the shows' main concern for this week.

• God, I sure hope the rest of this episode is much less of a slog. D-

New Jersey V. Donovan

• Marcello Hernandez IS Sebastian Maniscalco IN "Sebastian Maniscalco, Defense Attorney". That's it.

• Well, I suppose this isn't the worst possible choice for first post monologue sketch. I actually didn't mind the one from Glenn Powells' episode in November. I wouldn't say this one is the better of the two necessarily but it might be the thing I like most in THIS episode so far.

• I liked Chloes' courtroom sketch of him and I liked how Marcello is throwing himself much more into this physically (not crazy about him breaking though)

• Harry Styles attempt at a Maniscalco impression was just...odd and not a great ending to this. B-

MAHAspital

• This seemed like too much of an abstract concept rather than a fully fledged sketch. I felt like I was watching a sketch literally decide as it went along that it wanted more to be a RFK/MAHA commentary than a parody of "The Pitt" (maybe that's why it went on so long).

• I don't know if it was the right choice to have Ben featured so prominently in this (he...probably wrote a great deal of this, didn't he?) but I did chuckle at his line about shooting his parents after finding out they got the Covid vaccine, pulling the plug on that old woman after finding out she was a vegan and the Tylenol gag.

• I also liked the line "From The Facebook Group 'Beach Moms Against Vaccine Tyranny" and Kams' reaction to getting that weird infrared heat mask put on him so suddenly.

• Ashley seems to be making some very specific character choices in this. Is she supposed to be doing an impression of a specific "Pitt" cast member? They put more makeup and prosthetics on her than I'm used to seeing on Ashley in any role so this must be a specific impression.

• JAJ as RFK Jr is something that I could see seeming like a good idea on paper and it mostly worked in execution...but it also proved to be something that only works with the exact right angle. 

• Hell, as adept at impressions as he is even JAJ seemed like he was still figuring out the voice. He was almost there. He just needed to make it a lost raspier.

• I'll just say Iiked JAJ as RFK just fine...I don't really need to see it again (especially not with those goofy ass rubber muscles). C+

Sparkle Of The Sea

• This reminds me so much of the type of two hander live commercial sketches that we would get with Kate and Aidy around 2019 that I'm convinced that this was an old script that was submitted for Harrys' first double duty episode from that year and didn't get picked because that episode already had the lamaze class sketch with Heidi and that Lorne thought that two "indiscriminate European accent" sketches in the same show would cancel each other out.

• I did like Jeremy and Janes Devo-ish duo as well as JAJs' singer. Who was Mikeys' assistant though? Was she someone we were supposed to recognize? That definitely wasn't Ashley, Sarah or Veronika.

• I was pleasantly surprised at how they managed to have Kenan sneak Jean K Jean in here at least 15 years after his last Update appearance (even if I was pretty ambivalent about this character and I was pretty sure he already did the exact same routine on Update already)

• Usually, I like Veronika and Tommy being paired together...but I could've done without this though.

• I did like Harrys' line about how "a cruise is just like being in a hotel except you could drown." C+

Best Buy

• Has...Kenan done this exact character before? In a sketch with Devon perhaps?

• Anyone getting inverted Leon Phelps vibes from this sketch?

• I can see Kenan is trying his damndest to put this over and I don't totally hate it...but I can't get too into it...and it seems like it is going on far too long for its own liking.

• At least they only counted on Harry to carry the "ending" rather than the whole sketch.

• I mean, I liked Kenans' line about his wife dying in a two foot deep fountain, but...the rest of this sketch was pure white noise. I mean, it was pleasant, goofy, unobjectionable white noise, but still. C-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: RFK shoulder surgery, Michael B Jordan, 

• Che's Best Jokes: Assembly of experts, Make Iran Great Again, Trump Elementary, MTG

• I dunno...something about the rest of this episode and they Jost and Che are adlibbing and audience riffing in a way that works that isn't "it's the 90s" level obnoxious makes their portions of this Update hit harder than they should. Still, this was one of those Updates that was ALL about the commentaries.

• Already, I like Jeremys' take nonsensical take on Tucker Carlson (it seems like he worked some Ben Shapiro in there to the point where I wonder if he did so intentionally)

• Not crazy about heavily costumed commentaries in any form (and if Marcellos' involved, all bets are off) but I liked the weird abstract specificity of Mikey as "the arial tramway emoji" so...this MIGHT work for me.

• Ok, somehow Mikey listing more obscure, unused emojis in full on "Wild N' Out" mode is giving me my biggest laugh of the night. This is so weird I get Marcello breaking here because it seems genuine on a very Mulaney/Stefon level. I even liked the ending more than I thought I would. B-

White Castle

• Well, I have liked Jane and Veronikas' previous two collaborations (and a few of the things they've done separately from each other this season as well) so I guess I just had to give this a chance.

• Even though this was yet another sketch in service of this episodes' whole theme of "let's just gush over how hot our host is this week", I liked how increasingly strange Jane and Veronika made this even for how formulaic this was and how "safe" the ending felt.

• I liked how Ashley anchored this too but honestly, I could've done without Kenans' motorcycle guy though. B+

She's A Dancer

• Even though THIS was the obligatory vehicle for our double duty host to sing outside of their designated musical guest spots, I did like the sudden tonal shift from "generic late 2000s club banger" to "Celtic Woman/Riverdance". 

• I even liked the harp scene with Jane and JAJ. I wasn't crazy about how this kind of just fell apart with the ending. C+

Harry For Him

• Even though this was another (literal) Harry vanity piece with more hints of "queerbaiting" that involved Ben Marshall, I liked how this was built and crafted in a way that each line from the next cast member was genuinely funnier than the last and made this more absurd.

• I also liked how this gave some much needed live airtime to Dismukes, Kam and Sarah. It felt a little long though. Kenan had the most lines in this, so maybe some of his and Harrys' lines could've been cut to tighten this up? B+

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
7. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
8. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
9. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
10. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
11. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
12. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
13. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
14. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
15. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this was just as much like Harrys' 2019 episode as I was dreading it would be since he displayed the exact same energy that appeals to no one outside his own established fan base. I wouldn't say this was better or worse, though. I'd say it was pretty much the same. There were moments I liked, moments I didn't care for, Harry was there and he was responsible for most of the latter moments.

• Sure, Harry had a lot of very vocal fans in the audience to support him (like most attractive male hosts do)....but they didn't exactly help put the episode over for those of us that aren't that big into Harry to begin with. They just made this episode feel much more like an exercise in vanity and highlighted how much of a limited appeal he still has.

• Still, the moments I did like hit harder for me as they were basically life rafts adrift in a sea of crushing dullness and the show felt a bit more stable and less uneven.

• Cast usage was all over the place, though. We didn't see much of Sarah, Kam, Tommy or Dismukes, but Chloe, Kenan, JAJ, Jeremy, Mikey, Ben, Jane and Veronika each scored in individual roles. No one cast member really "dominated" the night (except MAYBE you could make a case for Ben?)

Closing Thoughts

• Well, I'm glad this season of SNL is finally past it's three episode late winter run of "over hyped pretty boy" episodes that tried to get by on sheer fangirl energy and cuteness alone.

• Next week, NBCs' original SNL takes a two week vacation here in the states but on the other side of the pond where our most recent host hails from, Englands' Sky TV debuts their own adaptation "Saturday Night Live UK". Since this will be available for next day streaming on Peacock here in the states, I'm thinking I'll definitely write SOMETHING about it on this blog. 

• I don't know if it will be a full sketch by sketch breakdown like I usually do or a series of stray observations and comparisons but the temptation to analyze how this show compares to its' counterpart and put it in writing will be too strong to resist for sure.

• After that, you can expect a review of the Brian Williams/Feist episode from season 33 on this blog as a companion piece to an upcoming episode of the We Heart Hader podcast.

• Speaking of which, Deej and I just released a new episode just the other day reviewing the Kunuk Uncovered episode of Documentary Now! It may be our shortest episode to date, but I still encourage you to give it a listen. 

• After that, SNLUS comes back in early April with host Jack White and musical guest Jack Black. While I'm all for this combo just for the "what's in a name?" factor alone and I'm open to the idea of Jack Black becoming an official five timer...something about this feels a little "too soon" for me.

• Still, I remember genuinely liking Jacks' episode from last season quite a bit based on how starkly it stood out from the pack at that time. Of course, most of that was due to Jacks' sheer energy making it stand out by season 50 standards but it's clear he boosted morale and inspired some creative shift. 

• He elevated his episode just enough to make it feel and his infectious energy may be just what season 51 needs right now to prove its' still wanting to do something different and less complacent in its own status quo.

• Anyway, hope you guys all enjoy this output from me when you get a chance to see it!

Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)

Hegseth Iran Press Conference

• Possibly the safest possible choice for a cold open, but hey...I'll take it.

• The "Hegstand/Papa Roach/Trump Resort/we can do Jamaican again/Quagmires' hilarious" lines were my favorite so far.

• I like Jost randomly calling Tommy a "Hanson brother" and his "White Hamilton" response to Sarah.

• I figured they would throw in a reference to Kristie Noems firing. I did like the "reassigned under the bus" line. Nice to see Ashley in this role before she hangs the wig and lip prosthetic in the rafters. 

• Even nicer for them to end this here and give JAJs' Trump a break. C+

Monologue

• Oh, Jesus Christ. Is this just gonna be a more insufferable version of Will Ferrells' monologue from November 2019 but with Ryan Reynolds swapped out for Harry Styles? Fuck, this show is shameless.

• Oh, I see Ryan is singing again....or about to sing...while rambling on and on about his penchant for making space movies. This MIGHT go somewhere interesting.

• Ah, fuck. We REALLY can't keep the camera off Harry, can we?

• ...and Sarah has only showed up to do her "Punchs' mom" character in Harrys' lap just as his "Sign Of The Times" song is cued up for Ryan to reluctantly talk sing to.

• Nice use of heavily prostheticized backup dancers, at least.

• Yeah, I'd take a bullet right now too, Ryan.

• Obligatory "I'm Just Ken" reference.

• ...and of course the rest of the cast (which I just now remembered Chloe Fineman is a part of is only on stage to better gawk at at Harry. Called it.

• Yeah, I don't know what else I could say about this monologue except that it didn't even manage to clear the low bar I had for this episode. Oh well. Let's see if the rest of this episode delivers anything different. D-

Wedding Tradition

• This looks like a wedding set. Oh, fuck. This better not be what I think it is.

• Oh, good. Mikey and Sarah are the bride and groom. (*phew*) We're safe for now.

• Ashley got in a good line.

• Uh oh. Dismukes and Chloe are at another table as a couple.

• Oh, good. Ryan's playing some flashy ass weirdo who's obsessed with the idea of "clinking his glass to get the bride and groom to kiss" to the point of doing this at inappropriate times during their speech.

• Well, I'm glad they didn't decide to just say "fuck it" and give us another Domingo right now...but I'm not crazy about where this is going instead. Ryans' low energy delivery isn't helping.

• Hey, I just realized how far Ryan made it through this episode without break...AH FUCK!

• Well, I at least liked Sarahs' "wouldn't kill you" line as well as what Jeremy and Jane bought to this sketch.

• Didn't Kate McKinnon play an old woman who constantly demanded random people kiss for her own amusement? This reminds me a lot of that. I'm sure this is not the exact Kate McKinnon sketch people were expecting Ryan Gosling to bring back. I'm sure a lot of people are disappointed right now, but not me.

• ...and just when you think this sketch is dragging on for far too long, it has the good sense to end.

• Eh,  I didn't hate it. C-

Otezla vs. Skyrizi

• Hmm, so..this is just "what if Otezla and Skyrizi" were just more intense versions of Happy Fun Ball?"

• While there were way too many individual lines in this to list that I liked, I did like the deranged break neck speed paced absurdity of this sketch. B+

Cyclops

• This looks like it might be unique and interesting.

• Nope, it's not. In fact, the only interesting thing about this sketch is it's the first time I've seen Ashley and Veronika break ever.

• Other than that, this feels like the type of sketch that would've been written for Fred Armisen 15-20 years ago. Hell, it feels like a modern Mikey sketch since he also seems to have an affinity for playing hopeless dumbasses.

• Now, THIS truly did go on way too long...but i got a kick out of the ending. D+

Monty McTreats and The Pastry Bakery

• Ugh, this isn't gonna be another Sarah Squirm gore fest pretape, is it? I don't see her YET.

• Nope, just a Willy Wonka knock off but focused on the post mating suicide rituals of the male dough creatures Goslings' character kidnapped to work in his factory.

• Another pretape where I liked the dark and strange detail heavy nature of it more than anything. 

• This seemed like an improvement on whatever formula Dan Bulla was going for with his pretapes. I liked how it cut straight to the point without taking a detour around the expected darkness by way of a forced, saccharine happy ending.

• It doesn't surprise me that he had nothing to do with this and that this was apparently based on an old Mikey Groundlings sketch from over a decade ago. B+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Kristi Noem, Womens' History Month

• Che's Best Jokes: Mind Reader, Dead Deer

• This Update has a lot of energy which is nice to see nowadays but...I feel like what the crowd who was here to see Ryan gave them is better than the jokes themselves (which Jost seemed to acknowledge)

• Hmm...a Kenan/JAJ faith themed musical combo. An interesting pairing. They should compliment each other well.

• I mean, this seems to be just playfully meandering nonsense that can't seem to pick a lane but the pomp these guys added to it made it at least entertaining.

• ...and it ends there. Not terrible. At least they knew they should end Update on a (relatively) high note this week. C+

Passing Notes

• Two high school teacher sketches in two weeks back to back? Ok, at least this one already looks like it might be better than the one we got last week.

• Oh, NOW I see why they felt the need to provide a disclaimer that these "notes" were changed at dress.

• This may be another cheap improv exercise put on air but at least this was a fun one that the cast had the time of their life with

• Glad to see Ashley get her "this is the absolute hardest I have ever broken on air" moment out of the way early in her tenure. I wonder what the discussion with standards & practices must have been like in order to get that "gynecologists' office" note cleared for air?

• It's nice to see that they decided to fully lean into the distinct possibility that there was going to be a historic amount of on air breaking this week and carve out a safe space to indulge themselves.

• I loved the idea of this sketch just being "let's have everyone pull a big Mulaney/Stefon/low stakes Che & Jost joke swap on each other" (and somehow our host kept it together the best out of anyone involved in this sketch).

• I may have liked Mikeys' reaction to his note that he pulled from Kam the best. B+

Goo Goo Man

• Huh...this could go somewhere interesting. Did Sarah cowrite this? She did well in this even if Ashley, Jeremy, Mikey and Kenan had some of the better supporting moments.

• Ryan performed this well although I would've liked to see the arrogance and self righteousness of his role played up a bit better.

• I did like that they tried a live sketch that just gave us a stream of meaningless goofy ass nonsense even if the pacing was a little languid. B-

Martin Herlihys' "Lies"

• I usually like Martins' solo short films and even though I can see how some would call this "one note" this was no exception.

• The pre-Jost stuff I liked the most were the "proud muggle tattoo" and the "stuntman" sight gags (which even livened up the semi-cliched ending confrontation between Jost and Herlihy)

• Colin Jost is a much maligned (with love) figure at SNL no doubt but the Herlihy Boy managed to put a new absurdist twist on that old trope (even if he did kind of drag it out without taking it anywhere).

• Man, who would've ever thought we'd get TWO Seth Meyers cameos on SNL in one season while he was still hosting Late Night? In this economy?

• The only thing I didn't care for in this was the repeated "lol Kevin Spacey amirite?" joke with the signed photo in Josts' dressing room. B-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
7. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
8. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
9. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
10. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
11. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
12. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
13. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
14. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Ranking Ryan Goslings' Episodes From Best To Worst

1. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03/07/2026)
2. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges (12.05.2015)
3. Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton (04.13.2024)
4. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z (09.30.2017)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this show certainly got off to as dire of a start as I was expecting but it somehow dug itself out of that hole much more easily than I was expecting it to.

• I do like how this episode got most of its shameless pandering and "too pointlessly stupid for its own good" moments out of the way early in three concentrated, easy to swallow doses and moved on to more strange experimental stuff later on.

• Hell, Ryan kept his breaking to an absolute minimum outside of the designated spots for it and even Lorne himself showed some incredible restraint by cutting a Beavis and Butthead sequel from dress rehearsal fer chrissake!

• Yes, this show cleared the incredibly low bar I had for it by simply having more going for it than one of the two Gorillaz performances (which were both great by the way) being "Clint Eastwood"

• While this episode may not have been quite good enough to break my personal top five for season 51, it was better than last week simply by virtue of being more stable and the best of Goslings' episode by default for how starkly different it was from his others (and yes, I personally gave bonus points for Gorillaz on this one).

• Cast usage remains stable. Mikey, Veronika and Ashley had expectedly big nights. Sarah had an unexpectedly big night. Meanwhile, Dismukes, (surprisingly) JAJ, Ben, Kam, Kenan and Jeremy (surprisingly) remained scaled back. Chloe seems to be easing back into the show after remembering she still works here and Tommy (for better or for worse) continues to make inroads.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that turned out to mostly be a pleasant surprise.

• Next week, Harry Styles pulls double duty for a second time in nearly seven years. I somehow wasn't too crazy about his first episode and while I don't quite see him pulling off the same upset and defying previously set expectations the way Gosling just did, the show is substantially different enough now from what it was back in 2019 so I will go into this with an open mind.

• After that one, I will probably write a review of Season 33s Brian Williams/Feist episode and post it here on this blog as that will be the subject of the next episode of We Heart Hader that Deej and I record as we're doing that whole season. This will be a special episode because both the Saturday Night Network and That Week In SNL were two of my inspirations to get into podcasting in general and thus part of the reason why I cohost We Heart Hader to begin with so it will be nice to have an SNL episode that Jon, Andy, Timmy, Deej and I will have all mutually covered on our respective podcasts.

• Of course, before that the next episode of We Heart Hader you will actually be able to listen to the "Kunuk Uncovered" episode of Documentary Now which will likely be out just mere hours before the Harry Styles episode of SNL even airs on NBC if all goes well (because that will certainly be an interesting one for Deej to edit!)

• See you all again very soon!

Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)

Trump/Hegseth Iran Briefing

• Ugh, here we go, I guess.

• Well, this is easier for me to picture than a SOTU cold open at this point.

• At least I kinda liked the "allowed to do one war/year 5000/Forrest Gump jokes/SNL writers room jok...HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!"

• OK,Jost as Hegseth MIGHT hold my attention (even if he doesn't seem to have his heart in it this time, I did like the "knuckle tats" and "Game Cube" jokes)

• At least that was mercifully short (it had to be under these circumstances). C-

Monologue

• Well, Connor isn't giving off a lot of energy but I do like how he IS giving us a sincere genuine look at his own acting background with a vibe that screams "wow, it's like Bowen Yang never even left".

• I guess the stiff cameo from the Mens' Olympic Hockey Team players (which I honestly forgot was happening until I suddenly saw it on screen) wasn't as awkward as I was expecting and its' nice that they could get the womens' hockey team to balance this out. The constant applause breaks didn't help the timing or pacing of this, though. C+

Farewell Mr. Fronzi

• Ok...seriously, what the actual CHRIST am I watching here?

• ...and I thought the obligatory Trump/JAJ cold open was meaningless, nonsensical word salad.

• I have to admit though, as much as I don't like whatever the fuck Marcello is doing here...it's still preferable to more of Connors stiff flat, meaningless line readings.

• ...and now, Marcello is walking in on Connor doing an impression of his character. A neat, if not unexpected twist, but MAN...this sketch feels like a long walk off a short pier.

• Now, everyone is joining in. Ok, yeah...sure. I'm afraid this might be that same irreversible tipping point for me with Marcello that the first "Surprised Sue" was for me with Kristen Wiig or Fred Armisens' first appearance as Barack Obama was for me with him,

• I did like Kams' sudden line about not knowing what subject this class is. 

• Is it just me or does this sketch seem like Marcello himself wrote it when HE was in high school? 

• This sketch seems like it would've been a one-and-done character piece meant for Jay Pharroh 10 years ago (or even Devon Walker three years ago) D+

Gentlemens' Code

• Well, this pretape seems to fit Connors acting style a bit more (it certainly fits Mikeys' acting style...a little too well).

• Ok, this just seemed like it was "Rookie Cop" but with hand-slapping instead of badly timed sleeve-puking but thankfully Kenan added the minor twist of being able to beat these motherfuckers so hard he launches them into the air.

• Dismukes kicking his child into the air Charlie Brown and Lucy style was a fun touch, too and this actually wrapped itself up nicely into a neat little package. C+

Ice Skating Rink

• If nothing else, this was an OK showcase for Veronikas' acting chops. Tommy was...OK here. Hell, he plays off these Mikey day roles a little bit better and with more subtlety than Mikey seems capable of these days.

• At first, this came off like an experiment on the shows part on a production level to see if they could pull off the "Background Chaos" style of pretape in a live sketch format, but once Tommy started commenting on what these grown men were up to behind him, it started reminding me a lot more of the "SWAT Recon" sketch  from Chris Pines' episode in 2017 and I began to wonder which writers from season 42 are still on staff and I was like "ooohhh, right".

• Wow, this crowd is going FUCKING NUTS for this Hudson dude who's Connors costar on his show. Seriously, he's getting the most screaming applause breaks out of anyone or anything on the show. He is single handedly making this sketch much longer than it should be and may be solely responsible for those excellent Jane/Veronika "Car Door" and "Tourettes"" sketches being cut.

• Anyway, this was all right in spite of its' length and pacing. I appreciate them adding little extraneous little details to this but of the two sketches that did this tonight...the other one did it better for me. C+

Tutoring The Cool Kid

• Well, Connors' acting style fits this sketch well (mostly because he can play off the awkward moments)

• Ben, Ashley and JAJs intentionally odd keyboard playing were the highlight of this sketch for me.

• Ashley and JAJ as Bens' parents played off the "long cold" bit really well but...I kind of wish they had come up with something different for that particular beat

• The ending was...heartwarming. C+ 

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Prince Andrew, Nasal Spray

• Che's Best Jokes: Somali Pirates, Smart Mattress

• Hey, Colin...speaking of "nasal spray", are you also just getting over a cold? You sound a little congested, bro.

• Hey, Veronika finally gets a new Update character!

• Should...someone ask Vanessa Bayer if Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy or child actress Laura Parsons were MEANT to have an older sister or cousin who was recently made a bridesmaid?

• Well, I didn't like how they suddenly forced topicality on that commentary...but I do really appreciate Veronika giving us something unique with a fun energy.

• I did like Colins' Stephen Hawking "Hear Me Out" commentary.

• Ok, Lorne forced Sarah to put on a slutty ass monkey costume, didn't he?

• I don't like the framing of this being "Punchs' mom as a trashy Jerry Springer/Maury Povich guest" but it's not exactly the worst costumed Sarah Update piece I've seen.

• Marcello as Punch himself was...a surprisingly enjoyable and wholesome way to end this. C+

Griff Of The Magi

• So, Marcello just walks around on stilts uncomfortably with crunchy sound effects and all while the rest of the cast debates his height...and that's the sketch?

• I mean, I didn't HATE this...but I didn't like it enough to say it redeemed Marcello in my eyes after that first post monologue sketch.

• Connor played into this premise pretty well (or at least in the exact way I would've imagined Bowen playing into this if they did this, like, a year ago when he was still in the cast).

• This was the other sketch of the night that added various little extraneous little details I was referring to. Upon rewatch, most of these details actually served this sketch well due to the sheer thinness of its premise as pointlessly random as they seemed at the time.

• Specifically, the details I liked were Sarahs' line about the suicide of Marcellos' girlfriend and Marcello suddenly sticking his tongue out and asking "would I be able to to this?"

• I didn't much care for any of Mikeys' lines but I liked seeing hi briefly break for the first time ever. C+

Raising Office Morale

• Well, Sarah's first line and Dismukes "Severance-style" speech followed by him falling back in his chair were the only things that got me so far (aside from the oddness of this being Kenans' only live sketch appearance in the entire episode)

• Other than that, this feels like the same sketch template as the "BurrSweeto" thing from Quinta Brunsons second episode or the HR thing from Shane Gillis' first...but Connor Storrie is pitching his coworkers on the concept of a dance

• God, this has the most trouble staying focused on its one lane out of any SNL sketch I've seen in recent memory...and it's going on WAY too long.

• Well, I can't say the Mumford & Sons cameo was UNnecessary or UNcalled for. Still didn't care much for it though. C-

Bachelorette Party

• Oh, OK. So, THIS is that "stripper who just got hit by a car" sketch" that Connor talked about in an interview he did about his early performing background in sketch/clowning.

• Even though, this premise doesn't feel that unique to SNL or sketch comedy in general (it feels like a sketch template we've seen before on both SNL and MADtv) I can tell it definitely feels unique and special to Connor and I was hoping something from that part of his life made it on air so in a way...I AM glad to have gotten to see this.

• The way this cast and Connor executed this made it feel just as avant garde as Connor described it in that interview.

• Jane, Ashley, Sarah and Veronika each got great lines in and played off Connor extremely well (especially when he asked Sarah to wrap his belt around his bloody thigh like a tourniquet). B-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
7. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
8. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
9. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
10. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
11. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
12. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
13. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• To call this episode uneven would be the understatement of the year. This episode was a wild goddamn roller coaster. I had it pegged for possibly one of the worst of the season pretty early on but it had a few redeeming qualities to it as it went on (I mean, not enough to keep it out of my personal bottom five of the season so far, but still)

• Connor Storrie wasn't exactly a bad host. He was certainly a "game" host, no doubt about that but at times being a passively "game" host seemed to be his only trick. By this I mean that aside from the very last sketch (which he clearly had a big part in conceptualizing and getting on air) he exhibited a very low key, laid back Harry Styles/Bowen Yang type energy all night except for when the sketch called for him to imitate a specific characters one quirk or goofy shtick and suddenly he snapped himself out of it.

• He reminds me of the type of male SNL host who professes to be a big fan of the show and clearly gives it HIS all but somehow none of his energy translates into making the show that much entertaining to anyone outside of his specific fan base because he's clearly using his good looks and charm to put over some very "mid"material. I want to say that Jason Momoa is this exact type of host but that's not quite a fair comparison because he and Connor Storrie are clearly very different types of actors.

• Still, I have to say this episode gave me a bit more than the basic level of what I was expecting from an episode where they were clearly planning to get by on the sheer manic energy of the shrieking young rabid fanbase the host was going to bring with them.

• Cast usage was just as uneven. It was expected that we'd get a lot of Ben, Marcello, Ashley and Sarah tonight but Veronika may have had the best night of her entire tenure thus far and she truly deserves it. Chloe was absent and Jeremy was almost shut out (well, if you blinked you may have missed him). Kenan was surprisingly light tonight which makes me wonder how much he is actually considering leaving this season. Mikey, Jane, Tommy, Andrew and Kam were just as peripheral as they always are.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was certainly a show I STILL may have to chew on even after all I just wrote about it!

• Next week, Ryan Gosling returns to host. I gotta say, his last episode may have seemed just as fun and high energy as parts of this one did but it ultimately annoyed the hell out of me because Ryan literally spent the whole show after he finished his monologue breaking. It was like he was trying to break on old Guinness World Record or something.

• Knowing how Ryan usually is when he hosts, I don't expect anything different from him but let's hope they actually new ways to make this episode starkly different from his last three.

• Also, feel free to listen to the latest episode of We Heart Hader where Deej and I review the Jon Bon Jovi/Foo FIghters episode as part of our SNL Season 33 coverage and read the blog post I published just hours before this one to go along with it. I think I can safely say that episode was better than this one.

• Deej and I are about to record another episode of We Heart Hader reviewing the "Kunuk Uncovered" epsiode of Documentary Now! as part of our coverage of the first two seasons of that show.

• Speaking of podcasts that Deej Barens and I have both been on, check us each out on our own separate episodes of "Cover Wars". I talk about The Turtles' "Happy Together" in mine and Deej talks about Billy Joels' "New York State Of Mind" in hers.

• See you guys real soon!