Austin Butler/Lizzo (12.17.2022)

Okay, here's my review. This show had a very strange energy bought on by an unexpected midseason cast departure and a first time host who, up until this year, I would classify as the "dependable supporting character actor" of the millenial Disney/Nickelodeon child actor universe on top of a sense of palpable burnout. Austin Butler showed a real ability to throw himself into any role without going too far. He really showed he could elevate some middling material. Still, the highs were there just like they were with Keke, Marty and Steve but the lows overall were some of the lowest of an otherwise strong (no pun intended) run of December episodes. While Austin was a strong host, I can't quite imagine a scenario where I'd like to see him again yet. Cast use seemed as balanced as it possibly could this week considering Cecilys' favorite collaborators were obviously going to dominate the show. Really, the only people who seemed to get shut out this week were Molly and (to a slightly lesser extent) Devon. Anyway, let's just get right to it as this was a pretty dense episode so I don't have a lot of time to waste here.

Trump Digital Trading Cards - This...could've been just an Update piece...a solo JAJ Update piece, right? I mean, I'm sure they realize this as well as the rest of us (as well as I'm sure by now they must realize that this would be the worst week possible for any kind of topical or political cold open let alone a Trump one) but then again I have my doubts that this was originally written as one considering Cecily was a part of it and that would've meant depriving Update of one final appearance from one of her signature desk characters (unless this was moved from Update to the cold open slot to accommodate which I could see having happened sometime on Friday). Thankfully, JAJ did his damndest to make it his own and sell the absurdity of it (especially with his naming of the Pokémon he is close friends with in real life which I believe may have been lifted directly from one of his Twitter videos but the Christmas list rundown felt like something that should've been left back in season 47 and the cheap throwaway Dickens reference feels like it should've been left in 2015 but his subtle reaction to Cecilys' "singing" was a nice acting touch and he does seem to be getting a better handle on Trumps' facial expressions). Still, much like this season's Herschel Walker sketches, this was another case of the real product being so absurd and ridiculous on its own (and just being too "on brand" for the real Trump in general) that any attempt at satire or parody are canceled out immediately and rendered redundant. C-

Monologue - I'm glad this one went against the vibes I got from this week's promos and the interview I saw him do with Janelle Monae. I had to wonder what kind of vibes he would be bringing back stage as he seemed a little too low energy and too "method" for me at first. Thankfully, through some deft self deprication he immediately showed us a sense of sharp self-awareness. Basically, he was able to poke fun at himself for coming across too method and low energy at times. This came across like a more focused and meaningful version of Jonathan Majors' monologue from a year earlier which helped balance out the James Franco vibes I got from him. I really liked the deep, introspective, emotional tone to the end of this monologue. Austin Butler showed some real vulnerability and got quite personal here. I honestly don't remember the last time an SNL host mentioned the loss of their mother during their monologue. It was one if the most "real" moments I've ever seen on this show. A-

The Phrase That Pays - Well, JAJ as a game show host is another interesting first. Unfortunately, his and Austin's performances were the only remotely interesting things about this. I mean, I did like how the phrases Austins' character immediately guessed were increasingly long, obscure and unlikey but unfortunately this sketch didn't escalate much further than that or give any satisfying explanation for Austin's accurate and extremely specific guesses after a very aimless and directionless beginning with Heidi and Punkies' characters. It literally felt like half a sketch with an a actual ending edited out but then again I'm not sure I would've wanted to see that sketch go on any longer than it did. C-

A Christmas Epiphany - Hmm..."It's A Wonderful Life" Parodies, a family fearful of visible window intruders at Christmastime, misleadimg visual representations of oral sex. Everything about this premise just SCREAMS "yeah, I've seen this done before" but not necessarily "yeah, I've seen this done before...but better". Austin really gave it his all (hey, he really does a better 'roided out Jimmy Stewart attempting a Dean Martin impression than anyone else, I gotta hand it to him) and Andrew Dismukes really pulls off henpecked wuss husband better than the other guys in this cast. Marcello, Sarah, Heidi and Chloe didn’t do a ton for me in this but they were solid support players going off of Austin and Mikey (who got to show off some subtler acting chops we haven't seen from him in a while). The only other thing I can say about this is that it could’ve benefitted from some small cuts (particularly Heidi revealing she had been cheating on Dismukes' character as that dragged a little and felt like it belonged in another sketch entirely and maybe one cut back to the inside of the house). B-

Marzipan Madness - I got HEAVY late season 44/pre-Covid season 45 vibes from this. There's no way in hell you can convince me this wasn't guest written by Anna Drezen, Allison Gates and Julio Torres. Hell, you'd have a harder time convincing me this wasn't an old script from 2019 they dug up, crossed out the names "Kate", "Aidy", "Mikey" and "Alex" out for "Chloe", "Sarah", "Austin" and "Michael". I could see this fitting in easily within the rundown of the last Scarjo episode or the one hosted by Claire Foy. Bowen wordlessly freaking out should’ve worked for me but it didn’t. Longfellows delivery should’ve done something more for me but it didn’t. It was just one thoroughly unpleasant joke beaten to death. Hell, the only thing that was keeping me from being completely checked out of this sketch was that I thought that I mistook this sketches opening shot of ornaments and wrapped candy for a pretape bumper until I heard Kenans' voice instead of Darrels' and thought "hey, maybe we'll get a new on air host/musical guest announcement after this?" Boy, was I disappointed. D+

Jewish Elvis - Okay, well...there's a lot to unpack here. First of all, it's pretty obvious that this isn't quite the same "Sarah as Jewish Elvis" sketch that got cut from the season premiere with Miles Teller as what I've heard about it makes me think this version was heavily rewritten to be WAY less of a "Squrim" or even "Lite TV Squirm" piece and much more palatable for a Christmas (or first night of Hanukkah) show with families likely to tune in together. No one played the Col. Tom Parker role that Miles Teller played and while Sarah as Elvis is depicted sitting on a (fake, closed) toilet she is not shown DYING while straining on one. Still, while part of me was a little disappointed to miss out on seeing the places this COULD’VE gone, what I did get to see was a lot of fun. On paper, this seemed like something that may have been better confined to a cheap cutaway gag on "Family Guy" or "The Critic" (especially the whole "Fools Rush In" riff) but it was executed by the exact right performers who were each tailor made for their specific roles. Sarah poured her little heart and soul into this (seemingly switching back and forth at times from "Jewish Elvis" to "Andrew Dice Clay auditioning for the part of Mr. B Natural) and I loved it. Even Ego crushed it in a part that barely made sense for her. Austin really stepped outside his comfort zone to solidly deliver in a part that harkened back to a simpler time in sketch comedy when putting straight cisgendered men in light drag just for the sake of it didn’t seem as awkwardly questionable. This sketch gave me the impression that a lot of the fond memories of watch past eras of SNL with his family involved "Coffee Talk with Linda Richman" sketches that prominently featured female hosts. He must've studied clips of those for this. Maybe he's also secretly a "Bob's Burgers" fan who incorporated a little Linda Belcher into his performance? Cecily and Bowen were great in this as well. Honestly, the only weak link here was Chloe Mikey Day-ing it up but even that served this sketch in a decent way. A-

Update has to have been the most absolute ramschackle I've ever seen it during the Jost/Che era. It's quite strange to see Che seem the LEAST "out of it" out of any one on screen. Immediately, I got HEAVY "1991 Dennis Miller" vibes from Jost (and yes, '91 Dennis is the one with better hair in this comparison) so you can imagine the bitter irony I saw in Bowens' character stating that he was burnt out (yeah, I'm moving straight to the commentaries on this one since the jokes were so all over the place I can't mention any individual ones). I wanted to like the idea of Bowen playing a mythical demon as a relatable millenial having a sincere personal conversation with you about his own mental health struggles but even this seemed a little too burnt out to resonate with me. It was honestly disheartening to me that Bowens' right horn falling off was the most memorable part of this. That says to me even the makeup department was too gassed out this week (either that or Bowen suddenly experienced a random surge of "electric hedgehog power"...yeah, PLEASE don't ask me to explain that reference, ever. Just Google it at your own risk). Heidi's commentary felt like she just took what didn't work about her "Kelly Party" character and quadrupled down on it. At first it just felt unfocused enough to the point where I was watching Jost take his first ever improv class with Heidi but then Mikey entered (with a decent meta line or two I'll give him that) and they beat me to a joke I was JUST about to make about the real reason this was even written (well, I would’ve made the reverse but still). As for Cecilys' commentary, I am glad she got her sincere (false) farewells out of the way in season 46 so her actual goodbye in season 48 could be shrouded in strangeness and absurdity to the point where I couldn't tell where she ended and "Cathy Anne" began. I did like the callback to her season co-anchoring with Jost and the graphic of Kate and Aidy photoshopped in prison (I guess that's as close as those who wanted cameos from them got). It seems like between the three of them, they all went for the same type of goodbyes but Cecilys' was the one that was pulled off the most successfully to me. Going back to what I just said about Colin earlier, I can understand now why he seemed a little out of sorts. He must've been a bit frazzled by how last minute Cecilys' departure announcement was and may have still been processing it live on air. Even Che seemed the most emotional that he'd ever let himself appear to be on camera. That must be the effect that working with her has on you. I have a few more thoughts on Cecilys' departure in general, but I'll get to them in a few short paragraphs. B-

White Elephant Gift Exchange - Well, I'm glad this had a sincere pleasant ending and didn’t continue with the bitterness and let it build. I was a fan of Matt Damon raving about Weezer and Sterling K. Brown raving about the Shrek franchise and while I could tell this was in a similar vein I couldn't get too into it because I really didn't want to see Austin Butler let the tension build after seeing just how intense he can let himself get. I did like the continuity of Mikey having played Santa two December episodes in a row, though. C+

Jennifer Coolidge Is Impressed By Christmas Stuff - Well, after hearing that this got cut last week I'm glad that the people who really wanted to see this got to. This may not have been for me since I'm not that big on White Lotus, Jennifer Coolidge or Chloe Fineman in general so...this kinda washed over me. The only thing I can say is that the "epileptic cat" joke stoid out and the "eggnog" joke made me surprised that this was let on air to begin with. C-

PDD: Plirts - Okay, after a rather straightforward and low concept PDD short I'm glad to get fully behind the absurdity of "elaborately pitching an Irwin Mainway level dangerously bad clothing product Shark Tank style to Austin Butler of all people for some reason". I also liked the inclusion of the underused newbies in this, the reveal that the boys make $30 per video and the established continuity of Lizzo now in a relationship with Martin Herlihy. I'm glad she was actually used in a sketch because to go without using her this week after she proved herself to be a dynamic sketch performer back in April would certainly be a waste. B-

Blue Christmas - Well, congrats to the people who wanted Cecily to get the same type of send off Wiig did and wanted Austin to revive his Elvis impression in some form. You got your wish in the same sketch. I liked how this was done in the same vein as Wiigs' goodbye and at the same time functioned as sort of an inverted meta parody of it for how self indulgent it came off. This felt like Cecily set out to see just how big she could go with this while still keeping it on the level of an "Irish goodbye". I did like the "eight incredible years" joke. For me, it's up there with the goodbyes that Hader, Armisen, Samberg, Hartman, Ferrell, Seth and Pete got as my favorites. It may not replace Hader or Armisen at the top of my list but it definitely felt like something she earned given the length of time she was on the show and what she contributed to it while she was here. I think Amy Poehler may have been the only other mid season departure of a cast member the show went to this length to commemorate. I did appreciate the half of this cast that wrote with and knew her the best out of anyone joining her on stage (the other half that didn't left kinda left me wondering but hey in a cast this size and her taking on other projects recently I understand how Cecily may not have simply have had the time to make as heartfelt of a connection with some of the newer people). I even appreciated Colin joining in on stage (not as much when he tried to sing...just kidding, Colin) and I could immediately tell he wrote this since I know he's had an established history of writing Cecilys' most well known characters with her and this sketch served as a parody of "Blue Christmas" essentially and I do remember Vanessa Bayer posting a picture of the script from a Billy Joel parody he wrote for her last show on her Instagram. B+

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
2. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
3. Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
4. Austin Butler/Lizzo (12.17.2022)
5. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
6. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
7. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
8. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
9. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, that was the year that was, 2022 A.D and all I've heard about the shows' return in the new year so far is that the next new episode will be airing on January 21, 2023. As of this writing, no host or musicial guest have been confirmed for that week (hell, for some reason it took my brain a second to register that MTS already hosted and that a rerun of her show will air on January 7th leaving me to wonder what will be airing in SNLs' place on Christmas Eve) but it will certainly be interesting to see what direction this season will be headed in now that we are at the halfway point. Have a safe and happy holiday and a prosperous new year everybody!

Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)

Okay, here's my review. I'd say this show lived up to about 90% of the pre built hype and managed to meet several of my expectations (from having seen countless past episodes hosted by both these two gentlemen). I'd honestly go as far as to rate it the second best of the season so far. Chappelles' was still the strongest in terms of sketch consistency and this episode didn't quite meet that. It was still a little uneven. It was about the same quality sketch wise as Keke Palmer except the highs were higher and the lows weren't the absolute lowest because Steve and Marty are always such welcome presences on the show due to their natural ability (or sometimes in Steve's case just his willingness) to elevate weaker material with their sheer chemistry and commitment. Aside from Michael Longfellow (who still managed to get in this weeks' promo which is still a big get for him), no one seemed completely shut out of the show tonight but it seems they leaned on Cecily, Kenan and Bowen even more. This is probably due to them still being veterans and in Bowens' case one if the new breakout stars (and thus the most likely to be recognized by old time viewers who haven't tuned in for several years) and being the most adept at fitting in with Steve and (especially) Martys flare for broader campier syle of humor. Sarah continues to carve out a name for herself (as does Molly does for themself to a lesser extent). Marcello appears to have only been used in one pretape but he really nailed it nonetheless. Anyway, let’s break it down, shall we?

Blocking It All Out For Christmas - Wow, so we're set on cold opens starting with completely unmotivated applause breaks, huh? Well, this cold open hit a little too close to home for me (not just because my local NBC affiliate somehow had their sound out of sync forcing me to hastily switch over to Peacock but for slightly more personal reasons I'd rather not get into here) but it started to pick up once Ego (and a sadly underutilized) Sarah showed up and Kenan, Cecily and Bowen started naming specific people. At that point, I could still get on board even if it was a little much to have to follow along with but at least it seemed easier to digest on rewatch. Nice to see Devon got on even if his part seemed like it could've been cut entirely. I will give them credit for going for something with a similar vibe to "Santa's My Boyfriend" or as close as they can get in 2022 and at least trying a non-political cold open (even if this was arguably still topical and a bit darker near the end) and for the slight format break with the LFNY. I get a kick out of Mikey having to deliver that line dressed as Santa. I believe that was the first time they "split" the LFNY between multiple cast members since they did it with Hartman and Lovitz in the Cheers cold open from the Ted Danson/Luther Vandross episode in 1989. C+

Monologue - Thankfully, this got the show off on the right note right from the quick cut drum montages of previous cameos and hosting appearances and Martys' "a (w)hole performer" jab at Steve. Even if I would’ve liked to have seen another sprawling musical number from Short, him and Marty playfully roasting each other (even in pre-eulogy form) is the most delightful alternative possible. Steves' "Tesla autopilot engage" line and Santa Clause 3 jabs along with Marty's run with the Dick In A Box/PornHub/wife & kids jokes was truly the high point. The only things I coukd slightly criticize it for would be for having two "Steve Martin abuses public urinals" jokes in the same monologue. The soccer and Meghan/Harry jokes didn't quite work for me but the random martial arts nutshot clip was just randomly silly enough to work. I'd say the obligatory Selena cameo was well utilized if brief. I expected a bit more from her (no surprise there) but her expected applause break kept the energy up going into commercial. A-

The Science Room IV - Holy shit, 
I was JUST thinking this morning abour how (at least Short) would fit in PERFECTLY for the format of this sketch with his energy (and in another episode with musical guest Brandi Carlile no less!). Nice predictive abilities, me! Anyway, we get more nice format breaking with twice the hosts. Sadly, this didn't quite rise to the heights that Driver and Sudeikis bought it too previously but given Steve and Marty's ages that's okay. I still loved what they both bought to the table. I thought the "Oh Chemis-tree" song was cute and Mikeys' "what happened to my brother" line was funny. C+

PDD: John's Other Ex - Well, as funny as the whole "pond scum" rant was, it was troubling to me at first that this is now the second PDD short where John's former girlfriend (played by Sarah, of course) is bad mouthed in the guys' office (and FAR from the only comedy sketch ever where someone just can't stop embarrassing themselves with a string of painfully awkwardly mistimed statements). Still, at least this was a decent inversion of the first one and it really picked up once Steve, Marty and Che showed up and then Ben switched sides. I'm also left wondering who "Sarah's real dad" actually was. He seems like someone the show thinks we should know just based on the fact that he is a vaguely threatening bald man in a suit who looks like he belongs in an episode of either "Shark Tank" or "Bar Rescue". C+

The Holiday Train - I was disappointed in seeing both Steve and Marty's considerable musical performance talents being essentially wasted in a Cecily/Kenan campfest that didn’t really go anywhere. It reminded me too much of that equally disappointing racoon sketch from Amy Adams' 2014 episode. Of course, I would find out online AFTER seeing this that it was indeed a rather lazy parody of the "Snow" number from "White Christmas". Having actually seen the YouTube clip of it thanks to one of my Twitter mutuals (and they know who they arrrrrre, my dahhlings) certainly didn’t help me appreciate it any better either. Hell, I actually prefer the original White Christmas selection as it's the shorter one. D+

Meeting Santa - Wow, it's almost like these last two sketches being placed back to back established an unfortunate theme of "weak, thin premises the show relied on Steve and Marty to carry" but this sketch succeeded where "Holiday Train" failed because Steve and Marty were more the central focus of it without having to share too much of the spotlight with other cast members. Seriously though, this sketch felt like something we would've seen in the Don Rickles/Billy Idol episode in an alternate universe where he and Flip Wilson switched spots and it had aired just a month earlier with Don as the elf and Joe Piscopo as Santa. At times this sketch felt like it was purposely designed to fall apart on air because on paper there wasn't much more to it than "old guys complain that kids want long lists of highly specific gifts that they don't know anything about anymore" but it was flubs like the accidental "legs" reveal with Marty that made this for me (and yes, for once I can see why people got Gilda Radner/Emily Litella vibes from Sarah Sherman). C+

A Christmas Carol - Wow, they pretty much gave me exactly what I asked for on the SNN Patron Feedback show! I mean, I realize that this was probably concieved and written before Wednesday and this is a bit more "Farewell, Mr. Bunting" than "Wake Up And Smile" but hey, great minds, huh? Anyway, it's great to see such a simple concept be so well executed by performers who were practically born to bring it to life. Good to see Sarah sneak in an accessible amount of her patented Squirmgore into a piece written for two SNL legends. Good to see Marcello and Molly bring their energy to this. Good to see Mikey get his comeup...yikes, yeah that sounds a little too mean. Not gonna go there but, good to see even Mikey used well. Kudos to these players for brilliantly holding their own next to Marty and Steve (whose "total psychopath" wins line of the sketch for me). A-

Update was pretty strong jokewise. Almost off of Jost & Che's material worked for me, so I can't really pick out any specific lines. I will say Jost acknowledging to the audience how not quite right his delivery of that "same sex wedding website" and "World cup stadium" jokes were made this Update for me (although I have to say that story about Chris Christie's niece sounded like it didn’t even need a punchline). The commentaries each left a little something to be desired though. It's nice to see Ego back at the desk doing another very specific one shot concept character (and one that you would've expect her to be doing until you realize that this calls for a very specific understated intensity and focused determination only she can pull off) but for some reason, I just wasn't as into this as much as I was some of her previous Update appearances. It was nice to see Mikey paired with Chloe instead of Heidi for a change (he might just have a better chemistry with Chloe than he does with Heidi) and while this was executed well, it reminded me of how much more I liked her female acting commentary from season 45 much more than this. I guess I just appreciated that one more for being more straight to camera and requiring a less labored setup (and for containing impressions Chloe had NOT yet done on the show). B-

How To Treat Your Man (in 1992) - At once, this is both the last sketch you would expect Martin Short to be given in a modern day SNL episode he happens to be in AND the type of sketch that ONLY Martin Short (and somehow ONLY with Cecily Strong in tow) can make funny. It's basically Schrodingers' Martin Short sketch even though it comes across as an Ed Grimley sketch cowritten by David Spade, Andrew Dice Clay and Kay Cannon (Ok, I admit it. I just had to consult Wikipedia to find out who wrote that "Dealbreakers" episode of 30 Rock). Yes, the other women supported his performance well but somehow Cecily actually saved this sketch (and I say this as someone who just discovered her gets a kick out of a mans' penis being described as "open" and "hollow" and compared to the worm from Dune rather than just "small"). Still, I have to ask...was there a specific reason that I missed as to why all the women in the audience were doing New York/Long Island specific accents? I don't remember a moment where they established that this was a local NYC show. Was that JUST a very specific early 90s nostaliga thing or what? B-

Father Of The Bride Part VIII - I didn’t expect THIS to be one of Steve Martin movies that people were that nostalgic for and I guess the tone and execution of this sketch sort of confirmed that. Still, I liked the idea of this sketch even if it would’ve been better done years (hell, decades let's be honest) ago as a quick throwaway gag on a show like "The Simpsons", "The Critic" or even "Family Guy" (specifically "Death Wish IX" and "Star Trek XII: So Very Tired" come to mind). The worst thing I can say about this sketch is that something about Steve's timing and was a bit off and threw things a bit off more than the slight camera miscues but other than that everbody performed well here. Chloes' Diane Keaton was put to good use here as were the cameos from Selena and Kieran (it's a little weird to me that we were able to hear their dialogue before they entered the door, but ok). It seemed like whatever ending this sketch originally had was scrapped at the last second due to the show running long but otherwise not bad. C+

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
2. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
3. Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
4. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
5. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
6. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
7. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
8. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, that helped stabilize this season. Next week, "Elvis" star Austin Butler makes his hosting debut. From what I saw of the film, he nearly disappeared into his role and reading that he just recently consulted with his close personal friends Timothee Chalamet and Christopher Walken gives me confidence that he will deliver. See you then!

Keke Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)

Okay, here's my review. This episode mety expectations about 2/3rds of the way which makes it the second best show of the season so far behind Chappelle of course. I say this because while Chappelle's monologue cast a dark shadow over the show for two weeks his episode was consistently strong sketch wise. KeKe was a much better host and honestly had a much better monologue (honestly, she was the best thing about this entire episode by far) but this episode was unfortunately front loaded with it's weaker sketches leaving the best stuff in the bottom 2/3rds. Still, this episode shows the remainder if this season is om the right track. Surprisingly, Sarah had her best night all season (with Molly, Punkie, Cecily, Bowen and Devon vying for close second) leaving everyone else to get washed off the screen by KeKe so airtime was a little unbalanced but that was to be expected. Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we?

Walker, Cornyn, McConnell & Blackburn - Wow, if the botched and unnecessary applause cue didn’t key you in to the fact that this was probably going to be another weak cold open, nothing would've. You know it's bad when the only legitimately funny part of this involves Cecily throwing a blanket over Kenan to trick him into falls asleep (honestly, that wasn't so much "funny" as it was "this is the least 'beaten to death' feeling 'Herschel Walker is dumb' joke we could come up with). Still, at least this was short and gave us JAJ delivering a solo LFNY (and DIDN'T give us something bad enough to overshadow the rest of the show). C-

Monologue - I should've known a bland, forgettable cold open was going to be irrelevant this week since I knew KeKe Palmer would have the right energy to get the show started proper (questionable Aziz Ansari impression aside). She came off like a more confident and focused Meg Thee Stallion and she's definitely got both Amy Poehler and Cardi B beat for "best pregnancy reveal in SNL history". I liked the self assured ending she gave us too. B+

Forceingtons' Ridge - Well, for me the inclusion of KeKe Palmer is apparently what it takes for me to fully be able to appreciate another Cecily/Bowen campfest. Other than that, this sketch deserves credit for being technically/logistically impressive in terms of staging (as well as achievements in subtlety in meta humor now that I think of it). This works as a fine companion piece to "Sands Of Modesto" with Daniel Craig (as that was one of the last live sketches they were able to do before Covid changed the world and this one could ONLY be done after everyone who was going to get vaccinated for it did so). C+

Big Boys - Ok, I immediately recognized this as something that wasn’t for me but I did like Punkies' verse (even if some of it felt flat for me) as well as Egos' snoring and Cecilys' "first class" bits. I can't recall a time when I felt this show was actively daring me to stop watching (not since at least seasons 35/36) but this came pretty damn close. D+

United Tingz Of Aubrey - Well, first of all, kudos to Sarah for not only having the funniest line delivery in this (along with KeKes' reveal that she was just playing herself and Punkie being a close third) but also reaching a point where she can be cast as a chick hot enough to get hit on by Drake. Other than that, this seemed a little too pop culture specific to have been done in this era. It reminded me a bit of the Spiderman Turn Off The Dark attorney ad from season 36 that featured Samberg as Bono. This sketch had no real business being on the show anytime after 2015 at all. Also, I can think of about 525,600 different endings that would’ve made more sense than singing that theme song from Rent. That being said, it was still one of the more fun pieces of the night. The few miscues we got were so glaring it ALMOST looked liked we were headed straight into Meg Thee Stallion Workout class territory for a sec but we were pulled back. This had a bit more going for it. C+

Hello Kitty Store - This was the first sketch all night that I was fully on board for. The increasingly committed intensity from KeKe and Bowen along with Sarah's "insane place to get high" line gave mr my biggest laughs of the night. Speaking of Sarah, my mom always talks about how she and Melissa Villaseñor look alike and she gets them confused now (and that seems to be the only thing she has to say about Sarah ever). I personally didn't really see it until this sketch. It must be something about the eye makeup and the wig. Anyway, the New York ending was fun too. I didn’t even mind the Natasha Lyonne cameo either. A-

Kenan And Kelly And Kel - I honestly SHOULD have expected this to grow on me more in rewatches as much as it did. After all, I did watch my fair share of '90s (and even a little bit of early '00s) Nickelodeon as a kid so I AM at the exact target age to get wrapped up in All That & Kenan and Kel nostalgia but probably not "True Jackson VP" nostaliga. Sorry, KeKe. I guess I just aged out of Nickelodeon by the time that was on (even if I occasionally tuned into "Victorious" and "Sam and Cat"). Still, I'm sure I watched a lot more "All That" than "Kenan and Kel". Hey, I've been a hardcore sketch comedy nerd from early childhood in case you couldn't tell so yeah, I've definitely watched way more of their sketch shows than I have of their sitcoms. Hell, that coupled with the fact that I had heard Kenan and Kel themselves (along with other original All That alumni) were the ones actually producing the 2019/20 All That reboot was the only thing that convinced me to check that one out in the first place. For those reasons, I could only really get on board with this once Devon did his dead on Ed from Good Burger impression followed by the real Kel Mitchell actually showing up. While I enjoyed watching KeKe give it her all here, I feel like I've seen too many parodies of the idea of "gritty/dramatic '90s reboots" in comedy lately (especially here on SNL around the time the "Bel-Air" dropped on Peacock) so I'm thankful they got Kel to actually participate in this to make it feel like a genuine hrartfelt reunion between old friends and not a cold cynical misfire meant to cash-in on childhood nostalgia. Thankfully, they were careful not to cross the line between parodying that and...y'know actually BEING that. B-

Arbys' 5 for $10 - Gee, was I supposed to be as confused by this sketches mere existence (or just Arbys' real life existence in general) as Cecily, KeKe, Bowen and (OF COURSE) Mikey were at least pretending to be? The Taco Bell and Wendy's mentions seemed unnecessarily tacked on. It reminded me too much of a tweet I read about 10 years ago that said (and I'm badly paraphrasing here) "the fact that Burger King can sell you 10 chicken nuggets for $1.50 should concern you more than it entices you". Neither of those things should be dragged out into full length sketches. D+

Update was pretty uneven tonight. For one thing, I didn’t hate Josts' Kanye and Florida rambles as much as I was expecting to, so that was nice. Other than that, I liked Ches' Thriller, Dallas Cowboys, Nick Cannon and "give black voters a voice" jokes just for how expertly underplayed they both were. Speaking of, it's nice to see Michael Longfellow back at the desk after his strong debut. While I didn’t like this commentary as much as his last one, I did like the reveal that his dad was a divorce attorney. The real highlight of this Update was Sarah finally branching out and appearing at the desk next to Che for once and doing so as a non-Sarah Squirm character. It was a little immature and a tad seasons 20/30-ish to be honest but thankfully it wasn’t too one note. C+

Ultrasound - I can see how this sketch was absolutely necessary this week. It works as a nice prequel to the Selena Gomez baby monitor sketch and I honestly liked this one better than the original just for how KeKe was far more on board with the increased insanity (and how Devon showed he wasn't). B-

Christwound High Girls Choir - This sketch was a cute way for KeKe to show off her pipes. The worst thing I can say about this was that it was just a little tonally confusing. Kudos to Molly for getting another big role where they were part of the focus right when I thought that they were gonna give Sarah another big part. B-

Flight Attendants - It's nice to finally get a sketch where Ego and KeKes' chemistry is the sole focus because they really elevated this. It was pretty much a better version of that older flight attendant sketch that Kristen Wiig and Megan Fox did back in 2009 during the season 35 premiere. B-

Now, my latest ranking of the season so far...

1. Dave Chappelle/Black Star (11.12.2022)
2. KeKe Palmer/SZA (12.03.2022)
3. Brendon Gleeson/Willow (10.08.2022)
4. Jack Harlow (10.29.2022)
5. Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10.01.2022)
6. Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11.05.2022)
7. Megan Thee Stallion (10.15.2022)

Well, that was just what this season needed. Next week, Steve Martin and Martin Short each return to co-host an episode and I gotta say I'm pretty excited for it. Steve may have suffered from diminishing returns in his last few hosting outings (his two solo '80s episodes were great and his 2006 episode was all right but I remember being sadly disappointed by a lot of his 2009 episode and the less said about his early '90s episodes the better) but Marty always brings his A-Game to this show. His 1996 and 2012 episodes were fantastic and I can't wait for the possibility of seeing him deliver something on that level once again. I know they've already cohosted once before with Chevy Chase back in December of 1986 and having just rewatched that episode I have to say...it was fine but after the cold open and monologue they each seemed to appear completely away from each other in their own separate sketches (or at least Chevy did) so that episode was so scattershot it feels unfair to really talk about. I'm not saying this episode would work on paper just because Marty would be propping up Steve the entire show or anything like that as much as I'm saying this episode will work because we'll get to see two old and dear friends with excellent chemistry play off each other if the rave reviews "Only Murders In The Building" have been getting are anything to go by. Considering Steves' age and the gap between this and his last hosting gig and the fact that he would have to host two more times to take back his all time hosting record from you-know-who, working with Marty again should make this an ideal show to go out on if he truly plans to retire from hosting (or just, acting or performing in general). Plus, while Steve may be a five timer, Brandi Carlisle now gets to join the even more inclusive "Two Timers Club For Musical Guests Who've Only Appeared In Episodes Hosted By Former Cast Members" which I believe only her and Dr. Dre would be members of. See you then! Can't Wait!