Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk (10.14.17)

Okay, here's my review. This isn't saying much, but this was the seasons' strongest episode by default thus far. Kumail did a fine job as host even if his monolog was where he made his best impression. At the very least, you could tell that his presence really seemed to boost morale in the writers room and during rehearsals compared to the previous two weeks. Still, there was a similar quality in terms of sketches as the previous two weeks. There wasn't as much of a steep or sharp drop in quality from last week, but it was visible if you look closely enough. The quality of this show fluctuated more than it just flat out dropped off. They took more chances with the writing, it seems. There were more original premises this week rather than recurring ones. Of course, not everything paid off that we'll but this is as good a time as ever for SNL to shake it up a bit and try out SOME new things. Anyway, let's break it down because this is a show that really needs it.

Trump Trucker Rally - This was largely forgettable aside from the lines about "blood pools" and planting McNuggets in Michelle Obamas' garden. The Pence calls were the best thing this cold open had going for it (and that should be a point against them writing it the way they did). Also, it's a little disappointing that they'd only mention the Eminem Cypher for the sake of a throwaway joke about HGTV rather than bring out Taran or somebody to play Marshall. I do hope they are planning to space out these Baldwin/Trump openings a bit more in the future. C+

Monologue - This was thoroughly enjoyable. I liked his "Beta Male" special and "The Meltdown" which he co-hosted with Jonah Ray so yeah, I consider myself a fan of his standup. All the bits about racism were very funny and I appreciate him giving viewers more insight into his family background. It was more than I was expecting and I loved it. My only complaint about Kumails' monologue is that it wasn't nearly long enough. In fact, it was one of the only segments tonight that gone one shorter than it should've rather than slightly longer or waa at just the right length. B+

Bank Breakers - This was one of the strongest live sketches this season. I liked how intricately it was written. It wasn't a one joke sketch by any means. It built up to several distinctly different punchlines. Even Pete made the most out of his appearance. B+

Kellywise Conway - I liked this short much more than I thought I would but overall, I found it to be wildly inconsistent. Although it felt like they've given us our fill of shorts and sketches where Kellyanne Conway is the main focus in the past year (hell, this might have actually been their fourth one) Some jokes didn't land and honestly felt like some attempts at right wing comedy could've been snuck in there at some points. It did have it's moments, but it might be better appreciated by those who have actually seen either version of IT at some point in their lives. Also, this did seem like a typical Kelly & Schneider piece but knowing their gone this year and that this was written by someone with vaguely similar sensibilities makes me think that this show may be in better hands than we think. B-

Office Halloween Party - This sketch worked even though it didn't build to anything or escalate anywhere and your could see where it was going easily. Aidy seemed to have the best lines, though. C-

Debette Goldry Film Panel IV - While I thought this sketch may have been the funniest one yet, it was a rather awkward way to address the Weinstein scandal. They were criticized enough after it came out that they cut some Weinstein jokes from last weeks' show. Those same critics may just flat out accuse them of trivializing sexual assault from this. This HAD to be cut from last weeks' dress rehearsal, right? Maybe Gal Gado was in this as herself and Leslie was thrown in as a quick replacement? Maybe Melissa could've been used in her place here? B-

Update may have been the single most inconsistent portion of this show. Kudos on Che and Jost for getting around to an opening Weinstein rant tonight. I liked what they had to say even though some of their jokes felt like they'be already been done by now. Still, it was the bare minimum required to counteract the awkwardness of using the Debette Goldry sketch to address this. Their Trump, Ditka and Kim Jong Un material was much stronger. Cecilys' Ivana Trump commentary was much too long and just felt wholly unnecessary. At times, it felt more like she was trying to impersonate Maya Rudolphs' Donatella Versace than Ivana Trump. I would've much preferred either a solo Melania commentary or if Lorne actually got Maya to come back and play this role. C-

Hotel Check In - This sketch was disappointing. At first, it looked like it was going to be another well written sketch in the vein of "Bank Breakers" or the hotel sketch from Louis CKs' first episode but after Leslie and Chris' appearances it became obvious that this sketch was going to get real repetitive real fast. Speaking of which, this seemed like a waste of Chris Redd. Chris has already shown us he has a wide range of comedic acting chops in the small amount of screen time he's been slotted but this seemed like even he had too little material to work with.  D+

Nursing Home - This sketch was written in a similar vein but it worked much better. It was also largely based on one single joke but it built up on that joke much in the same way that "Bank Breakers" did. Plus, that one joke was a pretty outrageous one to get that mileage out of. Plus, this sketch gave us a better debut for Heidi. She was a straightwoman here but at least she demonstrated she has good all around acting chops much like Cecily. B-

Customer Service - This sketch was a nice, low-key obviously Julio Torres penned piece to end a show like this one. This did well to satisfy my craving for a Melania piece from Cecily after seeing her Ivana. The ending was a little unambituous but it was sweet. Kumail waa a good sport to do this as well. C+

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

1. Kumail Nanjiani/Pink

2. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

3. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that show certainly met my expectation (literally in that I only had one). Next month, Larry David makes his second appearance as host. I'm sure this will be a strong show but it may not measure up to his first one seeing as the writing staff is quite substantially different this time around. Miley Cyrus may only be the musical guest this time around but I have a feeling she won't be able to resist appearing in the odd sketch or two here or there. Hell, I'm surprised they didn't just go full hog and make her a double duty host again but this is certainly a preferable alternative! See you then!

Gal Gadot/Sam Smith (10.07.2017)

Okay, here's my review. This episode was consistently better than last week's show even as it was running out of steam toward the end. Gal Gadot proved to be a more versatile and capable host than we imagined. The writers seemed to be able to play to her strengths well and know just when and how to use her. I don't know if I'd like to see her host again as she didn't leave that strong of an impression on me but she certainly delivered in her debut outing. Leslie and Kenan seemed to be tonight's stand out performers among a fairly balanced cast (aside from Kate who for some reason decided to make the most out of her time in the second half of the show). Good to see Luke Null finally make some onscreen appearances and Heidi start to break out on her own. Chris Redd didn't make as many appearances as lady week but he is still proving he can make the absolute most of whatever screen time he is given. Anyway, let's break it down.

Jason Aldean Won't Back Down - Given the events of this past week, I suppose this type of cold open was to be expected. I suppose with the Tom Petty cover all their bases are covered. Jason Aldean sure is a trooper for making it all the way out to New York after being in Vegas the night of the tradgedy. It is kinda sad that THAT'S what it took to get him on SNL for his first time. It was a lot more upbeat and enjoyable than their previous somber post-tradgedy openings. While something about it felt slightly off tonally, I very much appreciate the sentiment.

Monologue - Right out of the gate, this was far more entertaining than Gosling droning on about jazz last week. The subtitled Israeli speech was funny and Gal had great chemistry with Leslie (kudos to her for not totally playing herself in a monologue for the first time). B-

E! Fall Line Up - This was much better than it really had any right to be. Gal was funny in the Kendall/Gigi/Bella segments. She was cast surprisingly well and had great chemistry with Kate. Kudos to Luke for finally making his on screen debut with a solid Blake Shelton. He played pretty well off Kate. Chris managed to get laughs with no lines doing a very specific Kanye impression. B-

My Dinner With OJ - Kenans' wig gave away the premise of this sketch pretty quick but the sketch was still welcome written nonetheless. Chris and Cecily had decent walk ons and they knew exactly when to end this. Unfortunately, not a lot else stood out here. C+

The Chosen One - As soon as I saw Pete, I had a strong feeling he'd be playing the same slack jawed, dimwitted pool boy/college student from last years' JLD and Cumberbatch episodes but shoved into a Hogwarts/Narnia type fantasy setting. I don't remember a time I was as disappointed to have guessed something so accurately so soon. Sadly, his giggling at "coming/cumming" and Cecily offering him her virginity were the only things that stood out. This episode got of to a more promising start than last week but this filmed piece kind of killed some of the momentum built up by this point. Also, Gal Gadot would've fit in perfectly here but she was strangely absent. I have to wonder if this got cut from dress rehearsal last week. D+

Mirage - This sketch got off to a rather slow start but picked up steam thanks to Mikey, Kyle and Leslies' commitment. So far, this is the only sketch Gal Gadot was in where her accent was a distraction. B-

Safelite - was another piece where I could tell where it was heading right away buy thankfully they heightened it and threw in the odd twist and turn here and there. Still, this was an oddly specific choice for an ad parody but it worked nonetheless. C+

Update was pretty strong tonight. The Las Vegas rant started out strong with Josts' remarks but Che took it and ran away with it. It wasn't quite up there with their previous gun rant from Amy Schumers' episode two years ago but it felt needed and was appropriate. I had a feeling that Kate might reprise her RBG again tonight. It was nice to see her make her first live appearance of the night but nothing stood out here. Ches' birth control rant felt too strange coming from him but Josts' LG mosquitoes and sex robot jokes were nice palate cleansers. It was great of Pete to address his recent mental health issues in the way he did. It was the flat out funniest thing he's done on the show in at least a year. B-

The Maiden And The Mice - This sketch was a weak premise but they added just enough to it to make it somewhat worthwhile. Kate, Aidy and Kyle had the best lines. The ending with Beck as the prince was a little predictable but it broke up some of the monotony of the sketch well. C+

Webcam Espionage - This sketch really only worked due to the fairly benign silliness of Aidy and Cecily's characters (given the setting and subject matter) and the fact that this was the only sketch where Gal's accent really made sense. The ending was pretty predictable though but Alex was a good foil. Even though Mikey Day wasn't in this, I have a feeling he may have written it. This sketch seemed almost identical to the cotton candy dance party sketch from Chris Pines' episode in May which he WAS in and was just as silly and flashy as some of his other stuff (especially Space Pants now that I think abut it). Therefore I assume he did write it or whoever else did if not him. Is it just me or was Cecily playing a variation of Cathy Anne here? Seriously, this seemed like it could've been a prequel. C-

Themsycira - This sketch was pretty inconsistent. It was well written in that Kate and Aidys' characters seemed pretty well written and developed. At the same time, it was pretty repetitive and took a while to go anywhere. Also, the technical screw ups didn't seem to help much. I did like Melissa and Heidis' brief cameos though. I have a few other stray observations I'd like to share. First of all, way to go Kate! Second, does anyone else think Kate and Aidys' characters were loosely based on or parodies of real life lesson comedian couple Rhea Butcher and Cameron Esposito? Third, how come they were allowed to say "tits" in the live coast to coast broadcast but it had to be beeped out in the repeat roughly an hour later? C+

The Naomi Show - This sketch was even more inconsistent. Gal Gadot stood out like a sore thumb in her role as a daytime talk show host. Kudos to Heidi for debuting her first character although I hope this one stays a one-off because there didn't seem to be much there to build on. Really, this only started to work once her and Kenans' characters gradually became more unraveled. C-

Now, for my first rankings of the new season...

1. Gal Gadot/Sam Smith

2. Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z

Well, that just gave me some more hope for the rest of this season. Next week, Kumail Nanjiani makes his well earned hosting debut. While I'm looking forward to this one for obvious reasons, I also think it has the potential to make or break the entire rest of this season. See you then!

Ryan Gosling/Jay-Z (9.30.2017)

Okay, here's my review. This was, any way you look at it, one of the weakest season premieres in recent memory. Ryan Gosling and the cast seemed to be on autopilot the whole show. He performed here like I was expecting him to perform before his 2015 episode aired. He still gelled well with the cast, they just weren't as compelling to watch with him as last time. The premiere is usually expected to be one of the bottom five shows of any given season, but this one gave me the least hope for the remainder of any season in recent memory. I'm starting to think some people were on to something when they said all the Emmy wins would make them too complacent. It must be either that or losing Kelly and Schneider as head writers (man, what a blow to the show right now) must be what plagued this episode the most. The cold open still felt like they cpuld've written it, though so I have to wonder who's the new head wroter or st least who they lean on for writing political material now. Kate and Alex were the only real stand out performers tonight. I have to feel real bad for Luke Null for not getting to make any appearances whatsoever in what was supposed to be his first episode. I do have to hand it to Chris Redd and Heidi Gardner for getting on tonight. Sure, Heidi just played a few straight woman/background roles but Chris actually made his presence well known and actually showed us his talents as a COMEDIC performed known in the screen time he got. I already feel Chris is going to go the furthest on the show out of this group of newbies with Heidi coming in a slightly distant second to him Anyway, let's break it down a bit further, shall we?

Trump, Sessions, Huckabee and Schumer - This oval office sketch was a decent way to open the season. Good to see Baldwin being put in different Trump outfits. He looks comparatively svelte in Trump's golf gear. Nice to see Aidys' Huckabee and Kates' Sessions make an appearance. I did like the NFL jabs more than anything else. Nice to see they are already making better use of Melissa in this cold open than they did in the entirety of last season. As soon as Chuck Schumer was name checked, I had a strong feeling Alex would be plating him (probably because he played Al Franken last season). Thankfully, he had a short part because there didn't seem to be much to his impression. Nice to see they could also work in some last minute topical references to news stories that essentially broke this morning. B-

Montage - I'm a bit disappointed to see that they are essentially keeping the same opening credits sequence from the past four seasons. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't 1990-94 the last time they let this happen? I will say that this seasons' intro does feel shorter since it's less front heavy without Bobby, Vanessa or Sasheer. It worries me a little that we now have six featured players for the first time since 2013-14, but at least three of this years' featured players are lucky enough to already be well established performers who have already made an impression and built something of a rapport. So hopefully, this won't resemble another "rebuilding" year for SNL.

Monologue - It's a good thing that cold open didn't build up any serious momentum because this monologue would've killed it. Seriously, this also felt like it was being written just this morning and had serious shades of 2004-05/2009-11 Era inanity to it. Not even Kenan or Emma Stone could do that much to save it. I was pretty disappointed considering Gosling was a return host I was expecting more from based on his December 2015 outing. I'm surprised he bothered to even crack up here. D-

Another Close Encounter - I was hoping they wouldn't rewrite this skecth, but I have to give them at least partial credit for continuity here. Aidy and Mikey mentioned they were the only people to have witnessed two alien abductions, but shouldn't this have been the third for Kate and Cecily's characters? I'd say fourth since they previously did this with Brie Larson and Casey Affleck but I'm pretty sure Afflecks' was about the second coming of Jesus since it was last year's Christmas episode. Other than that, nothing stood out about this installment other than Kates' line about crash landing into a 12 year olds birthday party. If nothing else, this sketch just shows how dependable Kate still is after nearly seven years on the show. If there waa going to be any recognition applause, I'm at leaat glad they got it out of the way early. Also, it seems like not only were Aid and Ryan the only ones cracking up here but they were barely trying to hide it at all. C+

Woke Jeans - This fake ad was pretty inconsistent. At first it seemed like a big pile of wasted potential but it really started to pick up around the time the colors and the zippers and lack of pockets were mentioned. Kudos to Heidi and Chris for quietly making their (filmed) debut on the show but Mikey and Kenan were clearly the stand out performers here. C+

The Fliplets - This was something I was hoping would go somewhere a bit faster than it did. It wasn't the best take I've seen on the recent "over abundance of White People Flipping Houses shows" trend I've seen but at I at least appreciate what they were trying to build this too. I did like Ryans' soliloquy at the end about witnessing a car accident and doing nothing. Does anyone else think he and Alex Moffat look nearly identical when the latter is given the right hair and makeup? Speaking of which, is there any specific reason why Gosling was allowed to not shave before tonights' show? Otherwise, this sketch reminded me too much of that sketch from Fallons' last show in '04 where Armisen played the third Olsen twin mixed with Deniro and Sambergs' father and son produce show from 2010 and that Swedish siblings album commercial with Eva Longoria from '05. C+

Update was pretty unmemorable and inconsistent tonight. Josts' opening joke had already been made dozens (if not hundreds of different ways) on Twitter but his Katrina/ESPN/Pitbull jabs were on point. Ches' NBA/flag and Trump/Puerto Rico response jokes were great but did he seem a little sick to anyone else? His voice sounded pretty rough and his eyes looked like they were watering pretty bad. Does it seem odd to anyone else that they would have Jose make a lame joke about Hef dying and then give him the standard deceased host tribute card? Besides that, "White Fudge Ding Dongs" was all that stood out. Anyway, I liked seeing Kates' Merkel but nothing stood out at all. I do like Alex, but his boat guy wore out his welcome too fast. I do appreciate adding Ryan as his Soho buddy but it literally just felt like too much of the same. I did like the "is it in yet/tu dongo es trasho" lines. C-

Henrietta And The Fugitive - This sketch was something I didn't know what to make of. It established a bit of an outlandish premise very early on (without much in the way of explanation or exposition) and didn't build to anything or go anywhere with it. It just kind of meandered for a while. Next to the monologue, it felt like the second longest segment of the night. Sadly, Kenans' walk on and the screw up with Aidys' costume (maybe she's never even seen Kids In The Hall and this is just a big coincidence) seemed to be the only laughs on the whole sketch. D-

Fake Italian Restaurant - This sketch was the funniest live piece of the night. I can definitely see this getting compared negatively to the Farley/Schillers' Reel/Swedish Coffee ad bit but this managed to work almost as well live because everyone really sold what they were given. I'm glad Ryan could just as easily channel some of his old energy from the Santa Baby film from his last show. I did like how Cecily refused to believe a fake restaurant was fake after being explicitly told so. Mikey and Beck made the most of their small parts and kudos to Redd and Heidi on their debut appearances and Chris actually getting some funny lines here. B-

Papyrus - This Avatar related film was the funniest thing in the whole show hands down. I think what actually made this work was something so trivial and banal being the subject of such heightened drama and psychological intrigue. Again, Kudos to Chris on getting in two genuinely funny performances in a row in his first show (as late as they were). B+

Dive Bar - This sketch was a bad note to end the show on. I will say that Kenan and Kyle were the strongest performers in it (even if it plays to Kenans' worse tendencies as a performer and Anderson and Sublette playing to their own worst tendencies as writers). I could've sworn that this was another by-the-numbers rewrite of a sketch they previously did a few years ago and it took someone on this board pointing out that it was Martin Freemans' show for me to remember what/when this was. At least this one was done in a way that it coukd at least hold up a bit better on second (and posdibly third) viewings. C-

Well, that was a bit of a letdown. Next week, Gal Gadot is going to host. I'm not sure how that will go. Obviously, most people know her from "Wonder Woman" this summer and may not know what else (if anything) she has starred or acted in. At this point, we know she can do well as an action star but I'm having a hard time not picturing her as anything but an awkward comedic performer. I just hope the writers will have shaken off all of their cobwebs completely at least by the 14th when Kumail Nanjing hosts because I fell only then can we actually get a sense of how this season is going to go. I hope this doesn't turn out to be another 04/05 or 09/10 type of season and it looks like we only have about two more weeks tops to hold out on that hope. Things may look pretty dire for SNL right now, but this season still has some wiggle room and a substantial amount of time to prove itself. See you then!