Five Timers Club Cold Open
- Tom Hanks! Wow! They're getting this out of the way early, huh? Paul Rudd! I guess they're not quite done making up for his five timer episode being all but literally canceled, are they? Liked his little fourth wall break at the top and his "Martini/Ant Man powers" jokes.
- Having Marty show up in a cold open of an episode he hosts is a nice touch. That's something they've never done before. Tina's here. Liked her "loud man/sabotaged scripts" jokes.
- Baldwin and Scarjo are here. That's just great. Wiigs' here. That's much nicer. Her five timers episode was as fun as was her back-and-forth with Marty. I think I may finally be starting to come around on ol' Kristen.
- Emma Stones' here. No need for Wiig to repeat the same joke she just did with Marty a minute ago but OK. Nice to see McCarthy again. She always had a great presence on the show when she used to host. Her physical bit was fun.
- Mulaney's here. His jokes were the real high point of this. Even Fallon got in some good jabs at himself right afterwards.
- That was a little long and a little...rote for a cold open but it was fun. Even though people like to say that the five timers club means less and less as it actually gets less and less exclusive over the years, that was certainly much more preferable to anything even remotely political right now.
- That bought up so much necessary high energy at the top of the show that I didn't even mind how much it felt like they were slowly ticking off boxes on a checklist of "expected beats each modern five timers club sketch absolutely needs to hit now." Still, I liked the semi-unexpected format break of having this take up the cold open rather than the monologue.
- That's it. I don't have much else of substance to say about this one. After all, it wasn't a cold open that had much substance anyway. Seriously, its' not a great sign for this cold open when upon rewatch (yes, I did somehow find that necessary for most of this episode) I found myself distracted by trying to see how many initials I could make out and identify on each of the tiny stockings in the background. C+
Monologue
- Marty certainly keept the energy from the cold open going. I liked the snappier pace of his opening standup here. I liked that Lorne impression and "ten sketches where I play an elf" joke. I wasn’t crazy about how he cheaply repurposed an old Will Smith joke he told on Kimmel two and a half years ago to be about Matt Gaetz.
- I figured we got the five timers thing right up top to make room for another sprawling musical number...and what do you know, I was right! I liked how they got Sarah, Heidi, Kenan, Ego and Bowen to help him tee this up. Speaking of, it's nice to see Sarah giggle a little after seeing clips on one of the writers' Instagram of her sulking and pouting during this week's "garbage party" (and while reheasring the first Domingo sketch with Ariana Grande). I might be sulking and pouting myself if I were also in the building witnessing how these past two seasons have been progressing in real time.
- I appreciated certain visuals in this (like what we saw with JAJs' Freud and Mikeys' Santa backstage) I overall preferred the 2012 version of this monologue. I'm not too crazy about the fact that this is the second time in exactly ten years that they've written a parody of that "Need A Little Christmas" song for the Christmas Show monologue either. Didn't care much for Jimmys' part or that random ice skating extra in the background but I liked his brief interaction with Lorne.
- While I liked the second chorus and the Jackie Rogers' Jr callback at the end AND while I can certainly relate to the theme of Christmas time anxiety (especially this year), the "prescription medication" theme felt a little odd and offputting to me (Marty himself seemed to stumble in that second verse) and not a great fit for a Christmas show in any era. B-
Parking Lot
- Well, it was certainly smart of them to bring this sketch back from the highly successful Quinta Brunson episode from two seasons ago.
- At first, I thought Marty would be an odd fit for this one but then I realized that Marty does well with strong physical humor. I did like the "blind/braille/you wish" bits.
- Say what you will about Chloe, she did a fine job of keeping this from feeling so devoid of risqué innuendo that there would be no point in bringing it back (and just when I was starting to appreciate some of the subtle facial acting Mikey and Marty were bringing to this one, too! Fantastic!)
- Melissas' part really made this sketch for me. I don't know if anyone else ever made Chloe or Mikey come as close to breaking like that as she did. B-
An Act Of Kindness
- Ok, I did like the sweet vibe that started this off. I also liked how this didn't drag itself out too much or get quite as outlandish with the big reveal as some of these types of pretapes have in the past. I guess my biggest criticism of this is (besides the build up to the Fox News button at the end) how odd it felt to have two sketches in a row with Mikey as an aggrieved husband/father type character (as genuinely funny as he was in both parts). C+
Christmas Week Airport Parade
- I was initially skeptical of them bringing this sketch back from Jason Momoas' extremely underwhelming episode from last year, but thankfully they gave Marty a character more suited to his performance style than just "drunk horny pilot".
- I liked the brief appearances by Dismukes, Walker, Padilla and Longfellow. Kenans whole character gave me pause as I came to a slightly saddening realization of how similar my actual current job is (and how quickly every, like, tenth or twelfth person who comes into my place of work is to remind me of that).
- The rest of the five timers club cameos from the cold open (well, minus Rudd) really saved this (even if Melissas' part mostly amounted to something they probably would've given to Robert Deniro 20 or 22 years ago).
- The only part of this I didn't really like was the ending. Marcellos' part felt real cheap and the dance number from Marty, Hanks, Ego & Bowen felt too out of step and unnecessary. C+
Weekend Update w/Jost & Che
- Wow, Jost handled some inappropriate applause expertly and Che came out swinging with the darkest jab at Matt Gaetz the show has done. Update is getting off to an interesting start for once. Jost even covered for Che flubbing an Eric Trump joke. The RFK/Bluey jokes were all right and that about covers the worthwhile standard joke portions of Update.
- I see the show has firmly placed Bowen back on it's bullshit once again with this "drone" commentary. Great. I see this zig zagged it's way to a "Defying Gravity" parody. At least that kept the crowd hyped again.
- I see they're bringing back the "traditional joke swap" which is something I have some mixed feelings about this one given how the last one from May went, but the crowd could help elevate this.
- Jost being forced to read all his jokes in a "black voice" is an interesting new wrinkle here (as was having to see ScarJos' reactions in real time and I understand both of these things were added at dress rehearsal) . I definitely giggled (less than he did but more than i should have, I'm sure) at him punctuating each joke with the catchphrase "Shizzzz, I ain't afraid of you mofos!"
- ...and just as Che handles that Jay-Z/Diddy joke like a total pro, Jost hits that "roast beef" joke out of the park. That might have been my biggest laugh of the night because it's genuinely something I never thought I would hear on SNL.
- The fact that this was the absolute high point of this episode and possibly Jost & Che's entire Update run at this point (well, for ME at least) is probably the most damning indictment of this episode (hell, this season, really) possible. B-
Sabado Gigante
- Well, this sketch was a hit that debuted in Nate Bargatzes' episode from two months ago so, I'd say it was a smart idea to bring this back in a big Christmas episode.
- Marcello once again scored some home runs and Paul Rudd certainly plays the "confused out of place white guy" role much better than Short would've.
- I mean, the first sketch played a bit better because Nate Bargatze underplayed the confusion just right but at least this one made up for that shortcoming by...being not as long as the previous one?
- I'm guessing some last minute cuts had to be made to this one for time after the Update joke swap undoubtedly made the show run long and that's why this one didn't quite take it's sweet time?
- Short would've made a decent addition as one of the wild, flashy side characters in this but I guess he couldn't be in everything since he is...getting up there in age at this point and as we saw with Smart and Keaton they are scaling back the older hosts, so he must've needed an small break.
- Dana Carvey as Matthew Leskos' non-union Mexican equivalent made a fine replacement (even if, again, Short could've handled this just as well) and I liked the "Miami Frosty" gag. C+
Charlie Brown Christmas
- Hmm, a new live action take on Charlie Browns' Christmas seemed intriguing enough (as much as nothing could hold a candle to the last one from a Martin Short hosted Christmas episode...and CERTAINLY not a Brendan Fraser hosted Valentines Day episode). Good way to some of the cast to get some much needed airtime (as long as you don't blink).
- I thought maybe good ol' Charlies' unexplained absence was supposed to be a cover for them just saying "nah, fuck it" to anymore nightmarish roundheaded prosthetics for any future Peanuts parodies but then I noticed Marcello had a normal looking wig on to play Linus, so...yeah, this is exactly as thrown together as I thought it was.
- Adding Short as an undeniably Jiminy Glick like modern theater director with Bowen as his assistant/lover seemingly for the purpose of bouncing explicitly gay innuendo wasn't the best twist, but I did like Kenan as Snoopy. Otherwise, this just felt too wildly unfocused for it's own good. C-
CUT FOR TIME: How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Ok, normally I don't go out of my way to comment on these but, what the hell? I felt I should say something here.
- I gotta say Martys' performance and Lucy Lius' guest appearance were the only things that really saved this. (Interesting timing with the That Week Twitch streams, btw. Did they purposely cut this to throw their own scent off their own trail there?) Besides that, it was just another cheap lazy gorefest in the same tired vein as "Christmas Carol", "Battle Of The Sexes" and "Scooby Doo". After about two of these, you start to get sick of even the basic idea of them as they're mostly each executed in the same way each time.
- While I'm kinda glad the decision was made to cut this (and the additional Treece Henderson sketch that they wrote which was cut), I'm actually pretty bummed to have heard that an Irving Cohen sketch was also cut from dress. Now, THERE'S something I really hope gets put up on YouTube soon! I mean, hey...they put up all the dress cuts from Charlis' episode in time for Thanksgiving, why not put up all the dress cuts from Martys' episode in time for Christmas? C-
Ranking The Season (Best To Worst)
2. John Mulaney/Chapell Roan (11.02.2024)
3. Bill Burr/Mk.Gee (11.09.2024)
4. Martin Short/Hozier (12.21.2024)
5. Chris Rock/Gracie Abrams (12.14.2024)
6. Paul Mescal/Shaboozey (12.07.2024)
7. Charli XCX (11.16.2024)
8. Ariana Grande/Stevie Nicks (10.12.2024)
9. Michael Keaton/Billie Eilish (10.19.2024)
10. Jean Smart/Jelly Roll (09.28.2024)
Ranking Each Of Martin Shorts' Episodes From Best To Worst
2. Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile (12.10.2022)
3. Martin Short/No Doubt (12.07.1996)
4. Chevy Chase, Steve Martin & Martin Short/Randy Newman (12.06.1986)
5. Martin Short/Hozier (12.21.2024)
Overall Thoughts
- Well, there's no denying this episode had the sheer audience energy to...carry this show to the top five of the season. Too bad the material and just overall writing kept if from placing higher than fourth.
- I would put this one up there with Mulaneys' episode from this season in that they both had very hot energetic audiences (perhaps "stans" of each host and/or MG?) scheduled on the exact right week with the exact right combination of guest cameos to make it FEEL like a big "event" worthy of the shows' 50th anniversary.
- However, when you look closer at both episodes you see that the writings' not quite up to snuff as (especially this week) a lot of recurring characters and premises were bought back to buoy the show beyond outside guests.
- Now, in Mulaney's case I didn't mind the recurring stuff because they were just staples from his previous episodes that he made work to varying degrees of success. In this episodes' case, bringing back old sketch templates from just a season or two ago is borderline inexcusable.
- Still, Short himself was far from this episodes biggest problem. He's a legendary performer who always improves whatever he's in when he hosts (as he did this week). It's not even so much the fact that they barely used him as a host (or when they did he might have gotten lost in the shuffle between cameos) but again, considering the fact that Martin Short is pushing 80 at this point, it's understandable that he might need an extended break between sketches or two.
- The biggest problem with this episode is that it just felt like a big flashy, vaguely holiday themed assortment of smoke and mirrors to cover for how tired and burnt out the show feels as it lurches towards its big 50th anniversary party in two months.
- Cast airtime may seem like an irrelevant moot point tonight (again, cameos and all) but at least no one was visually shut out of the show entirely. It's just that the featured players along with JAJ & Longfellow took the biggest hits tonight. Mikey had what felt like his first big night in a while, so...good for him. Bowen, Ego and Kenan felt like they were being pushed heavily tonight because of course they were.
- Actually, after reading about how Blake Lively had to drop out of hosting this season's premiere, I'm starting to think three other people did that as well in the past few months. This and Mulaney's episode both feel like they were last minute replacements for someone (and they must still be looking for a last minute replacement for whoever is hosting the first episode in January).
- I say this, of course, because both of their episodes this season really paled in comparison to some of their previous hosting episodes in other seasons which actually felt uniquely tailored to each of their comedic strengths. These episodes just felt like generic borderline hostless episodes of SNL that would be best viewed through the lens of season 50 than against previous Mulaney/Short episodes (which again, doesn't make this season look great but I don't want to sound like a broken record).
Closing Thoughts
- Well, we may not have any fucking clue who will be hosting in the new year at this point, but at least I personally still have some fucking clue what my next blog entry is going to be! With that in mind, I'd like to give you a little update on another project I'm working on. Since it looks like this episode is being received a bit poorly, I just thought I'd distract you guys a bit and give you a little something to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Long, Extended Plug
- My next blog post will be a classic/retro review of the Steve Carell/Kanye West episode from season 31. I know, I haven't done any of these types of reviews in 11 years (well after Stooge himself started the "retro review" craze of the early 2010s on those two old defunct message boards you guys remember me from) but I recently watched this episode for my upcoming new podcast that I figured I could cobble them together into a review for this ol' blog and release it as a companion piece to the first podcast episode.
- This review of the season 31 premiere will be posted on the blog on January 2nd, 2025 (my 34th birthday, incidentally) to coincide with the release of the premiere episode of the "We Heart Hader" podcast. In the first episode, we will talk about how Bill got on SNL and just essentially review his first episode as a cast member, and then we will discuss his first appearance on Conan from around that same time.
- My cohost Deej Barens and I have already recorded the second episode earlier this week and she is in the process of editing it as of this writing. In that episode, we discuss Bills' latest public appearance (as a guest on the "Christmas With A Z!" live show at the Dynasty Typewriter theater in Los Angeles which was just livestreamed to YouTube last week) and review Bills small bit part film roles from early in his career and evaluate whether each movie is worth seeing just for Bills' role or if you should just find Bills' clip on YouTube or TikTok or some such place and call it a day. Trust us, you will be surprised by some of our answers. This episode will be released on January 16th.
- The third episode we haven't recorded yet but the plan is to do our first SNL character spotlight on Haders' Italian Talk Show host Vinny Vedecci. That episode will be released on January 30th.
- So to recap; new podcast (We Heart Hader) debuts January 2nd with new episodes every two weeks afterwards and I will publish a new blog post that ties into the first episodes subject matter. I hope you'll all at least give the first podcast episode a listen because there's nothing more I wanted for my birthday this year than to just be able to legitimately call myself a podcaster and say "oh yeah, I have a podcast now."
Till then, have a happy holiday and a joyous new year everyone!
