Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West (2.13.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode was mostly a pleasant surprised considering how low my expectations were considering who was hosting. I think the strong writing streak this season has been on has helped. The show in its current state seemed to know how to better play to Melissa McCarthys’ strengths as a performer rather than expose her weaknesses. She didn’t seem to be willing to or allowed to go as broad or as hammy as she was previously. Again, the writing wasn’t terrible (and it hasn’t been for most of the season) but her performances this week didn’t seem to be an effort to hide it if it was. Other than that, this show was pretty unremarkable but not in a bad way. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Hilary Can’t Make You Love Her - That cold open seriously lacked structure and seemed like it was going on forever. The only real laughs I got was Darrells' requisite Bubba cameo. Becks' Jeb was just okay. Kudos to Kate for performing the hell out of this. This reminded me too much of the cold open from the Louis CK finale last year. It seemed like something that would be better on paper than in execution. It seems more suited for some comic live tweeting a debate than a fully fleshed out sketch. C+

Monologue - This got off to a rather slow start but Kenan came right in and saved it. He was the only laugh I got out of this. C+

The Day Beyonce Turned Black - This was the best taped piece of the night so far. It was well written topical satire and Beck/Bobby, Leslie and Jay got a lot of laughs. B+

Cul-De-Sac Test Screening - This sketch seemed like a thinly veiled rewrite of the Hidden Valley Ranch sketch from Melissa first outing but she performed it well and I have to say this might be my favorite thing Melissa has ever done on SNL. I especially liked her ripping Petes shirt off and Leslies' reaction to her pushing herself. C+

Family Movie Night - This sketch was the best live sketch of the night. All of Pete and Bobbys' lines cracked me up. It reminded me of Petes' stand up quite a bit. A-

Update was really fun tonight. The only thing I didn't really like was Josts' bit on Ted Cruz but all the debates/Beyonce outrage stuff was great. Vanessa still does a great Jennifer Aniston but this Update bit seemed to go nowhere. I did like all the establishing shots and Ches' "no black people on Friends" joke. As a Colorado native, it was fun seeing Von Miller cameo even though he kinda stumbled over his lines and the bit felt too short and repetitive. It feels a little soon to bring Leslie back to the update desk but I did like this better than her Leo/Revenant commentary especially the "dirty talk” line. B-

Pickup Artist - I liked this sketch and Melissa brutally putting down Kyle and Kenan while Leslie struggled not to break was hilarious but I still feel like something about the sketch was a misfire. The premise of a female pickup artist seemed like it was going to be a premise all its own. I'm not sure why they needed to add on the extra layer of Melissa being awkward but hey, it worked. B-

Kyle vs Kanye – This short film was also quite good (I might have spoken too soon about the best filmed piece of the night). I did like Kyle describing SNL as being the main hardship he has had to face during his "rap career." His back and forth with Beck was good and Kanye was a good sport to be in this. Still, his appearance in this piece, while not bad, still bugged the hell out of me. While "I Miss The Old Kanye" wasn't bad and fit the in perfectly with the bit, I still have a hard time separating the asshole artist from his asshole art. B-

Bus - This sketch was pretty one note but god bless Leslie, Taran, Beck and Melissa for trying. I did like the Speed twist ending though. C-

Whiskers R We IV – This was something I didn't expect them to recur but probably should've seeing as how she was a perfect foil to Kate here. I did like the Twitter box/Tabitha/condoms/Mrs. Doubtfire lines. C+

Now, my updated rankings for this season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West

7. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

8. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

9. Donald Trump/Sia

10. Miley Cyrus

11. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

12. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

13. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was that. Next month, Jonah Hill returns to host for his fourth time. He is truly an odd choice as he seems to not have anything to promote and doesn’t leave much of an impression as a host. Actually, it’s a little more strange that he is hosting for his fourth time rather than hosting in March 2016. Oh well. I would expect that show to be on the exact same level of quality as this one. See you then.

Larry David/The 1975 (2.6.2016)

Okay, here’s me review. This is, hands down, the strongest show of the season. Larry David pretty much delivered exactly what we expected from him as host and the writers knew exactly how to play to his strengths. He was the second host who bought the best out of the cast and inspired everyone to put on the best show they could. Anyway, lets’ get to it.

A Message From Ted Cruz - Tarans' Ted Cruz had improved a bit but Kates' appearance as his daughter and the Far Side jab were the two real highlights. I did like the angle of Cruz admitting to his many, MANY faults. He also seemed to be channeling Bill Haders’ Shepard Smith there toward the end. Otherwise, it was a little too reminiscent of those Sudekis/Romney cold opens from early 2012. C-

Monologue – This was of the best in a long time. They were smart to let Larry just walk out on stage and be himself. I especially liked the "poor schmuck/rich pick" and dating/great show/broken masturbation record routines. A-

FBI Simulator - This quickly proved itself to be more than a Merryville Toole retread. The cast members who played the decoys all had the right physicality for it and Larry and his radical '80s personal clearly walked away with this. Kenan had great baffled reactions to him as well. This was definitely the best live piece of the night. A-

Bern Your Enthusiasm - This was definitely the best taped piece of this season so far and a brilliant way to give the audience everything they wanted with Larry hosting. I would put this right up there with "Lincoln from Louis CKs' show. The cast all did great impersonations (especially Cecily and Jay although I can't say I've watched enough "Curb" to recognize who Taran was playing) and they did a great job capturing the look and feel of the real show. A+

Steam Ship – This sketch was a simple premise that reminded me of something they would've done in the late '90s but Larry made it funny and this was a pretty creative way to sneak in the real Bernie and have him poke fun at himself. B+

Totinos/X-Files Promo - I'm really glad this year's Totinos' ad parody took a much darker more surreal turn and wasn't a carbon copy of last year's version. B-

Update was a little uneven but still really solid. I enjoyed Colins' sheer delight in the awkward GOP debate open. There was a string of great jokes after the first commentary and this was the best interaction we've seen between them so far. Speaking of the commentaries, Kates was odd. The only thing I really liked was her goofy Philly/Pittsburgh accent. I mean glad they finally gave Jon an update spot all too himself (finally) and while his bit didn't totally work and the SNL audience still doesn't get a sense of who Jon really is, I do appreciate the risks they took in putting something this different on the air. The Zoolander cameo was quite unexpected but Stiller and Wilson turned out to be funnier than they had any right to be. I did like the OJ/Hillary and Kims/Bernie/Trump jabs. B-

Songwriting Class - This sketch was definitely the weakest thing of the night so far. This must've been an Anderlette joint. Larry was OK in it but overall it seemed like a waste of his talents. C-

Ebony and Ivory - This Super Bowl number was pretty fun. The new lyrics were great and Taran did a fine job as Peyton (although I would've liked to have seen how Beck would've handled that impression but his and Bobby cop walk on at the end was a nice touch). C+

Sheila Sovage V- This was a strange sketch to bring back but Larry fit into it perfectly and they clearly went a while without doing it and the show has been pretty light on recurring material up to this point. I did also like Kenans’ use of crime tape and face blinds. B-

Now, for my updated rankings for this season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

7. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

8. Donald Trump/Sia

9. Miley Cyrus

10. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

11. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

12. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was a helluva lot of fun. Next week, Melissa McCarthy returns for her fourth time with Kanye West as musical guest. Well, I don’t know what else I can say about this booking other than is just SCREAMS “sweeps month” to me. See you then!

Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez (1.23.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This was one of the weaker shows of the season. It relied too much on recurring material and a rather shaky host and musical guest but still, for all its faults it maintained a certain amount of this seasons quality. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Palin Endorsement Speech – Well, they had to do it. Even though Darrell has played Donald Trump on SNLs’ last three live episodes in a row and Tina has played Palin twice in a span of just less than five weeks, they couldn’t get away with NOT doing this. As forced as most of this seemed, it was a fun cold open and while giving asides to the camera felt a little jarring and unnatural, I can see how it was one of the easier ways to insert commentary on Palins’ speech itself. I mean, it must’ve been hard enough to make this speech MORE ridiculous than it was in real life but Tina did well enough with it. Darrell had great lines about Scrooge toward the end. B-

Monologue – Ronda was a little stiff and seemed to rush through a lot of this like she was out of her element, but she handled a rather meta, premise driven monologue capably. It was very gracious of her to congratulate Holly Holm on beating her. Kenan played a decent corner man. Beck and Taran were great as color men. Kyles disappointed audience member was funny. Kate as Justin Bieber also seemed a little forced. They picked the exact right spot to use Selena and for once a singing monologue did not feel gratuitous or unnecessary. B+

Screen Guild Awards – This was probably the strongest piece of the night and had some of the sharpest writing behind it. The black cast gave great shade and side eye and Che displayed some surprisingly great dramatic acting chops in his taped segments. I did like how each of the “white guy roles” in the Oscar analogue clips became increasingly small as the premises became more and more blatantly black centric. A-

Love Struck – This was probably the best use of Rouseys talents all night. I liked the dark turns this took. Good on Vanessa for writing this and being so committed to it. She seemed to be channeling Cecily at certain points. Beck getting throat punched was also a nice touch. B-

Bland Man – I can’t believe they carbon copied “Farm Hunk” from Blake Sheltons’ underwhelming outing a year ago. Hell, I’m shocked they threw together a Bachelor parody without even referencing how one of their current contestants looks just like Cecily. I’ll give this one points for replacing Blake with Taran, though. This was probably Rouseys’ second weake3st performance of the night. Selenas’ cameo was the only true highlight. D+

Good For You/Same Old Love/Hands To Myself – It is rare that I comment on the musical performances, but I have to say Selena (or her singing) didn’t bother me here as much as the mens’ snapping chorus and mattress choreography did.

Update was kind of uneven. They gave a good effort with the jokes even if the audience wasn’t that into them. Che got in a good jab at Lorne and great slams at Trump and the Oscars but I’m shocked no one jumped on his ass for using the term “window licking waterheads”. It was nice to see Leslie behind the desk again, but this Leo Dicaprio commentary wasn’t her best work. Glad Jost seemed to find it much funnier than I did. Willie just bought the whole thing down…again. C+

Three’s A Crime: The Janet-Johnson Luna and Kara Torkelson Civil Trial – I can’t believe they recurred THIS either (even as an excuse to tack on Ronda Rousey into another live sketch) but as expected Pete easily walked away with this. I, of course, liked the text/traffic cam/GIF/Vine evidence as well as Petes’ laundry list of peer nicknames. D+

Super Crew – This felt like a big swing and a miss. I’m shocked anyone even thought this worked on paper. Kudos to the cast for at least performing the hell out of this, though. D+

At The Club – This oddly felt like something any sketch comedy outlet BUT SNL should’ve been doing. Beck stole this (which isn’t saying much) and Taran demonstrated some decent rap skills but overall, it felt like a rehash of the Jack Sparrow music vid with Taran and Jay as the Lonely Island and Beck in the Michael Bolton role. D-

City Council II – This worked much better during Amy Schumers’ show. It was another sketch I’m surprised they thought would work again. I did like Leslies’ walk off, Kates’ general insanity and Petes’appearance. I appreciated Kyles’ effort. This was definitely Rouseys worst performance of the night. C-

Football Party – This was worth seeing just for Kyle and Becks silliness. Otherwise, it was pretty forgettable. C+

Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

7. Donald Trump/Sia

8. Miley Cyrus

9. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

10. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

11. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that went about exactly as most expected it too. Next month, Larry David comes back for his first hosting stint in what has to be the most exciting announcement of a host booking since Louis CK or Zach Galifinakis. See you then!

Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton (1.16.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode was pretty middle of the road for this season, it was unusually strong for a January episode. Adam Driver really surprised me and turned out to be a genuinely capable and funny host. He gave the show his all and never once came off like he was trying too hard. I would not mind seeing him return at all. The cast felt evenly balanced tonight with the exception of Sasheer. Anyway, here it is.

GOP Debate - Although it feels a little like overkill since they just did a GOP debate cold open in the last live episode and this one wasn't as good, but this one had its moments. Taran and Jay pretty much walked away with this sketch as Cruz and Carson. Bobby as Christie moving his podium away from Jay as Carson and being swept off the stage by Kenan as the Apollo Sandman was funny. Pete as Rubio had a great line about being the only candidate with a chin and I chuckled at Kates’ brief cameo as Lindsey Graham. Glad to see they're still using Darell as Trump even though he and Beck as Jeb didn't add too much. Cecily was just fine as a moderator but I wish Kyle was used more in that role. C-

Monologue - This seemed pretty phoned in but I did like Adam poking fun at his own military photo and Leslie confusing him for Minnie Driver. Bobbys' Star Wars geekdom was a nice touch. D+

NFL Playoff Game - This seemed to not go anywhere. It seemed like just a rewrite of that football injury sketch that got cut from Seth MacFarlanes' dress rehearsal in 2012. It reminded me a lot of Eddie Murphy Buckwheat assassination sketch from 1983 what with the same clip being shown repeatedly. Kenan had a strong performance. Adam, Cecily and Beck tried their dander to save this but could only do so much with this material. Also, Pete should've had a bigger part being the focal point of this sketch. C-

Undercover Boss - This sketch was executed perfectly. Glad they didn't go too far down the beaten path with the obligatory Star Wars sketch. Adam played off of Taran, Bobby and Leslie (who each had countless great lines, BTW) and turned in a better performance as Kyle Ren than he did in The Force Awakens, IMO. B-

Aladdin - This sketch had to be the lamest thing in the show at first. It seemed like a cheap rewrite of that Aladdin divorce sketch with Sudekis from Rosario Dawsons' 2009 episode. Still, Cecily, Beck and Leslie were the best parts of this sketch. C-

America’s Funniest Cats - This sketch was much funnier than it had any right to be. Cecil and Kate turned in their best performances on the show in quite some time and I liked them making existential grim comments on cat videos. Plus, Adam turned out to be a pretty funny host and wasn't too obnoxious in his role. B-

Update came back strong. Jost and Che had several great jokes and showed they still have chemistry. I did like the Staten Island Summer shoutout and Josts’ Bloomberg/Trump rant and Ches’ masturbation/snake jokes. Pete delivered a very funny commentary. It felt a little too soon to bring back Vanessa as Laura Parsons but thankfully she had much better material to work with. I especially liked her cocaine line. B+

Social Puppeteering - This sketch was funny for the sheer bizarreness of the writing. It reminded me a lot of the Japanese Messy Boy sketch from J.K. Simmons' episode last year. B+

Bowie Tribute - I have to say that was the most I've genuinely enjoyed a Fred Armisen cameo in a long time. While I feel he got a gratuitous amount of applause his Bowie tribute was touching. I am glad they showed even a small portion of his "Man Who Sold The World" performance.

Golden Globes - This short worked well. They did know exactly how to counteract the heart and emotional center of the Kyle and Kate scenes with the rampant debauchery of the Adam and Vanessa scenes. Leiv Schreiber cameo was worth a few chuckles although his part could'be been edited down some. B-

The Doctor Is In…My Butt 4 - I never thought the premise behind "Hot For Teacher 4" was something that could've (or should've) been made recurring but I did like this one much better due to Becks' cheesy acting. Also, it feels a little strange that this would be Aidys' first appearance in the entire show. C-

Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

7. Donald Trump/Sia

8. Miley Cyrus

9. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

10. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, SNL certainly came back strong from Christmas break. Next week, Ronda Rousey makes her hosting debut. Rousey seems like she could be a fun host and someone I was expecting to see on the show, but it feels a little soon for her (aside from Entourage none of the movies shes’ reportedly involved in have even come out yet) and I haven’t seen any of her non UFC related appearances to gague her comedic talents. Still, I’m sure they could call on musical guest Selena Gomez to make a sketch cameo when needed. I’d be surprised if they DIDN’T do that, really. This is a show that could go either way, but I’m cautiously optimistic. See you then.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springstien & E Street Band (12.19.2015)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode was a lot of fun, inconsistencies and all, and was certainly the least disappointing Christmas episode in at least three years. Aside from most of the cameos we were predicting, this episode delivered exactly what it promised in a way consistent with the quality of the rest of this current season. Tina and Amy really carried the show as hosts and they both sweetly bought back many fond memories of what we liked about them as cast members and why they were so beloved during their time on the show. The cast is still uneven in terms of airtime but that’s okay as we pretty much expected Tina and Amy to dominate the show with their combined force. Having Springsteen perform Santas' Coming To Town was a great and fun way to close the show. Anyway, let’s get into it.

CNN GOP Debate - This cold open was great. Through sheer dumb luck, Jons' failed Anderson Cooper turned out to be a serviceable Wolf Blitzer. Good to see Darrells' Trump back in the spotlight as well as Becks' very animated Jeb Bush. Their back and forth was great. Tarans' Ted Cruz is still pretty underwhelming but he had some good lines about being the most hateable human being ever. Bobby and Jay hit it out of the park with their Carson and Christie. Pete as Marco Rubio was serviceable casting. His impression wasn’t quite there but he made up for it by delivering several funny lines. The only real dud here was Cecilys' Carly Fiorina when Kate could easily do better there. Kyle as Rand Paul was funny being briefly confused with an audience member. The only other thing that really disappointed me was casting Jost as Kasich with no lines rather than placing Chris Parnell in this role. B+

Monologue - This was just okay. It felt more like unused Golden Globe banter than a true SNL monologue. For once, a music number was enjoyable here as much as they ran it into the ground. C+

Ghost of Hillary Past And Present – This sketch was an instant classic and with Tinas' Palin shoehorned in was just the icing on the cake. The ladies played very well off each other and almost every line was pure gold. I also liked the dance party at the end. A+

Meet Your Second Wife – This game show was one of their more ambitious and dark game show sketches in recent memory. Only Tina and Amy could make this premise work as well as it did. Taran, Kenan, and Bobby did great reacting in horror at being confronted with children and Vanessa, Aidy and Leslie did a great job at reacting with a mix of disgust and bewilderment. Kudos to Bobby as well for playing off the huge technical error at the beginning like a pro. B-

Hoverboard - This ad was very funny. The sheer unfiltered cheesiness of Kyle and Pete reacting to minor catastrophes really made this for me. B+

Movie Set - I can't believe they bought back that acting coach sketch from Chris Hemsworths' first episode (and only one week after he inexplicably hosted again) but this was another instance where Amy and Tina are the only people who could make this watchable. C-

Update is still going strong. Even if this was a little inconsistent, I loved the slams at the GOP candidates as well as Maher and O'Reilly. Jays Kwanzaa mini rant was the funniest part of Update. While I appreciate Jost going after Martin Shkreli, his jokes fell a little flat there. Kates' mom character seemed to be another derivative go-nowhere bit, but her and Josh managed to somewhat salvage it with their breaking. It was very gracious of them to let Tina and Amy read the last two Update jokes of 2015. They both reminded of what SNL fans actually LIKED about them as Update anchors. B-

Chad And Mrs. Douglas Show DVD - This sketch worked well live even if Mayas' bit got it off to an obnoxious start and needed some serious editing but Amy, Tina and especially Kenan really saved it. Kenan Cosby really cracked me up here as did Taran and Vanessa odd interactions. C+

Dope Squad - This short was also quite fun. It was a dead on Bad Blood parody (albeit months too late but still FAR better than the original). Schumers' cameo was funny even if it was a bit too long and Aidy played quite well off them. C+

Bronx Beat IX - It's quite odd seeing this as the very last sketch of the night, but Tinas' Philly accent automatically made this the best Bronx Beat ever. I cracked up at her describing the absurd violence going on in her city. B-

Now, for my update rankings for the season…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Donald Trump/Sia

7. Miley Cyrus

8. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

9. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was a fine way to end a year and bring this season to an intermission. Next month, Adam Driver of “Girls” and just recently “Star Wars” fame makes his hosting debut. Well, if they had to get someone hot off the Star Wars promotion train I’d rather see them get Daisy Ridley or John Boyega. Still, I can’t say I know what to expect from him comedically so he could go either way as a host at this point. Can’t wait to see who they will have booked as the first musical guest of 2015! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper (12.12.2015)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode was much better than Chris Hemsworths’ last episode, it was pretty much on the same level as Goslings’ show from last week in terms of quality (except less consistent but not nearly as uneven). The host seemed more likable and showcased some charisma that seemed to evade him from his first outing. While airtime was still unbalanced in terms of the cast and it was one of the rare shows that started out strong but started to crumble around Update without really picking up from there, it still maintained the continued strong effort this season has been showing us. Anyway, here it is.

A Message from Our 43^rd President – This George W Bush opening was great! I loved all the slams at the current GOP candidates (especially Trump and Jeb!). If Ferrell couldn't find it in his schedule to actually host tonight, this is an excellent way to make it up to us. B-

Monologue - This was quite fun. I liked seeing Hemsworth interact with Beck, Pete, Jost/Che and the female cast. This episode is already miles better than his first. B-

Star Wars Action Figures – This commercial was a little one note and down the beaten path but the male cast members really sold it. C+

On The Record w/Greta Van Susteren  - This sketch was better than it had any right to be. Tarans' Ted Cruz is pretty lack luster compared to the sheer dopiness of Bobbys' but thankfully Bobby was there to hit it out of the park with his Chris Christie and Jay was there to pick up all the extra slack with his Ben Carson. Plus, Kates' Greta is much stronger than Wiigs. B-

Time To Bleed - This was one of the best short films this season. I loved the surreal darkness of this and Sasheer did very well with what had to be her biggest role on SNL to date. A-

Brother 2 Brother 2…Brother - I can't believe they tried to make Brother 2 Brother recurring but this was a little better than the first one. I did like Beck as the wrestling coach, the end with Tarans' "created by/not written by" credits (given Tarans' previous experience as a child actor it wouldn't surprise me to find out he had a hand in writing this) and I did like the small blooper of Hemsworth accidentally letting the door hit him on the way in. Also, I’m quite shocked to find out that a Taran Kilam has a chest tattoo and a Chris Hemsworth doesn’t C+

Debras' Song - This definitely killed any momentum this episode may have still had as Brother 2 Brother was still progressing. If Anderlette didn't write this, I'll be genuinely surprised. Plus, while I like seeing them give Sasheer more airtime, it feels strange that this was Cecily's first appearance of the night. D+

Update did beat some life back into the show with some great Trump slams right off the bat. Che and Josh several more great jokes. As expected, Kate bought out her Angela Merkel and it was fine and they even took more jabs at Trump. Leslie Jones also returned. Her commentary was just okay and worked best as a conceptual piece but the Breaking Bad references would’ve dated it somewhat if we hadn’t known she was binge watching and live tweeting the series very recently. B-

Brunch – This sketch featuring Hemsworth in drag surprisingly worked only because the female cast did more to sell it than Chris did. While the sketch lacked some structure, I did like the ending.

Fun Pirate Ship - This sketch felt odd. I don't quite know what to make of it. It was nice to see Jon Rudnitsky finally get a lead role in a sketch, but this doesn't exactly give us a sense of who he is as a comedian or a performer. Plus, in spite of itself, it wasn't as "fun" as it appeared to be. I gotta say Kenan and Taran seemed to be the only ones not phoning in their performances.

Hunk Junction - This sketch was another odd one that I wasn't too sure about. I could kind of see where it was going after about a millisecond and it seemed like it was cut too short abruptly. Still, Kenan was all right and I liked how the guys really sold us on the sheer cheesiness of it. The funniest parts were the “racist” portion of the guys routine and the ladies confused reactions with Leslie bring the most into it out of them. C+

Now, for my updated rankings of this season…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure

3. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

4. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

4. Donald Trump/Sia

5. Miley Cyrus

6. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

7. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was certainly a pleasant surprise. Next week is the big Christmas show with Tina and Amy returning as cohosts. This is the show we have all been looking forward to the most on paper since this month’s lineup was announced and I really hope they don’t disappoint. For my review of that one, I was thinking of doing a similar kind of ranking of all the shows Tina has hosted over the years, but looking back over them on the SNL archives, they all seem to run together quality wise so it might be kind of pointless. Oh well, maybe I can actually rewatch them again on Seeso since I did sign up for that free beta test and am thinking of keeping it just to see KITH/UCB Show and Funny As Hell. See you soon!

Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges (12.5.2015)

Okay, here’s my review. I can’t exactly pinpoint what made this such an enjoyable episode, but it was greater than the sum of its parts. Everything that sounded like it shouldn’t have worked on paper actually worked more than it had any right to. On the surface, Ryan Gosling seemed like another in a long string of recent bland, forgettable Hollywood pretty boy actor hosts but as the show went on it became more obvious that he really gelled well with the whole cast all week (well, the whole female cast, anyway) and allowed everyone to bring the best performances out of each other. I would say bringing this cast together in that way was really the only thing he contributed to this show. It was almost enough to make you forget just how unbalanced the male cast was in terms of airtime. Anyway, let’s get right to it.

A Christmas Message From Donald And Melania Trump - The cold open was pretty mediocre and Tarans’ Trump seems to be getting worse, but still better than the Trump open from the season premiere. I did like the naughty/nice list concept and the “send me your names/banged a seven Hillary Clinton” lines and how they kept this shorter than the last one. C+

Monologue – This was too long but the Mike Meyers cameo was its saving grace. I did like how Ryan tried to poke fun at himself and broke the fourth wall but he seemed visibly nervous and just a little out of his comfort zone. He didn't exactly fill me with confidence that he would be a great host and the musical number was a bit gratuitous. Still, thankfully Mike Meyers was there to inject a little charisma into it. This was definitely better than the last shows' monologue. B+

Settl - This ad was a decent premise on paper and the cast did fine with it. The date between Kyle and Leslie was good but other than that something was lacking in execution. B-

Close Encounters - This sketch was worth watching just for Kate. Her character was a little one not but the sheer strangeness of her performance made me chuckle. I didn't even mind the blatant breaking from the cast because for once it seemed like it added something to the sketch especially since it's been such a rare sight since Fallon/Sanz and Hader/Armisen left the cast. C+

Santa Baby - At first glance, this sketch was something else that ran too long and meandered with little to no structure. On second glance, I discovered that Ryan and Vanessas’ intensity and commitment really made this. Still, the payoff was satisfying enough. I like Becks' exasperated reactions as Santa as well as the "real" Santa peering in through the window was funny. B-

Birthday Party - I never expected them to rehash the dad sketch from Drakes' episode but this was much better shockingly due to several of Aidy's lines (such as the ones about bathing, ringworm and carseats) and her Farleyesque tumble over the table at the end. Again, I didn't even mind Gosling visibly breaking because it seems to be the only non-dull as dishwasher thing he had done in this whole sketch. C+

Update was good tonight. I did love most of the jokes from Jost and Che. I especially loved "ISIS Cosby" and Ches' slams at Kobe and Kylie Jenner. The commentary on gun control/defunding planned parenthood wasn’t their best rant as a duo this season but it still worked and was poignant and funny like their other rants this season regardless. Even though Cecily's commentary seemed to (consciously or not) be a straight up rip off of a Kristen Wiig piece circa 2011, I enjoyed it on a strictly male level (WAY more so than the Wiig piece she lifted this from) and I also laughed out loud at the shot of Che rocking headphones and the popsicle jar. I thought Anthony Crispino should've stayed in mothballs but for some reason, I enjoyed seeing him interact with Colin Jost and Ryan Gosling more than an overly enthusiastic Seth. I also enjoyed the “slippery Gary” line and the Charlie Sheen/Adele/Star Wars Jabs. B-

Hometown Bar - This sketch was quite oddly structured but Kyles' bar trash Emo Phillips character made me laugh (especially when he took his shirt off) and Gosling song and dance talents (no doubt left over from his Mikey Mouse Club days) really added to this sketch as they countered Kyles character well. B-

Nespresso – This ad was well pulled off. It did seem a little too strange at first until I realized that the point was to highlight the sheer strangeness of the original ad this was parodying (which I have seen just barely enough times to be familiar with) I was expecting Gosling to play Clooney, but as I should've expected, Taran pulled it off quite well (and with barely any lines I might add) and Bobbys' Debit was finally utilized to its full comedic potential here. B+

The Wiz Live: Cut For Time - I was expecting SNL to do something on The Wiz Live (which from what I've heard was shockingly good) and I have to say this was much stronger than the previous two live NBC musical parodies they did the past two Decembers. Kudos to the makeup team as it must have taken me a full minute to realize Che was the scarecrow and Pharroh was the tin man. Kenan also channeled David Alan Grier quite well but I couldn't help but wonder who else would be better in the Ray Bolger scarecrow role than Ryan Gosling. Still, it was Gosling most committed performance of the night. B-

Santa’s Workshop - I never thought they would (or should have) recurred the BDSM elves from the Louis CK finale last season but I suppose it does make more sense to do this sketch at Christmas and place it in a Santas' workshop setting. Still, Aidy and Ryan didn't add much. C-

Now, for my update rankings for this season…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure

3. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

4. Donald Trump/Sia

5. Miley Cyrus

6. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

7. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, they really came back strong from Thanksgiving break. Next week, Chris Hemsworth returns to host and given how his episode from last season turned out, I could not be less excited. Still, this season has made some great improvements over the previous season so maybe it will turn out better. Who knows? I think it all depends more on the writing than Chris’ ability as a host. See you guys then!