October 3, 2009 – Ryan Reynolds / Lady Gaga (S35 E2)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

OBAMA’S CHECKLIST
Barack Obama (FRA) defends himself by pointing to lack of accomplishments

— Wow, Fred’s already-mediocre President Obama impression has somehow gotten EVEN WORSE. Aside from a few occasional (very occasional) vocal mannerisms, Fred’s not even ATTEMPTING to sound like Obama tonight. He’s basically just speaking in his normal voice and pitch. Usually when he plays Obama, he at least deepens his vocal pitch somewhat (but nowhere near enough to match the real Obama’s deep voice).
— When this originally aired, there was a huge shock among online SNL fans that SNL, after long being accused of coming off way too supportive of and easygoing on Obama in their sketches about him, was actually taking a lot of shots at Obama and criticizing his presidency in this cold opening. This decision of SNL’s got good praise among those shocked SNL fans.
— This cold opening’s jabs at Obama are coming off funny and well-executed. Good enough for me to now even ignore the non-attempt Fred is making at sounding like Obama. In fact, something about Fred’s non-impression is actually strangely working for me in this context. It fits the laid-back tone of this cold opening’s conceit.
— Pretty funny bit with the “Chicago 2016” shirts.
— Fred’s Obama, during his discussion of his accomplishments as president: “I’m seeing two big accomplishments: jack and squat.”
— Overall, I feel this was EASILY one of the better Fredbama sketches. Too bad this new angle SNL found on Obama would not last, and the show would soon go back to their usual soft, boring, non-comical take on him.
STARS: ***½

OPENING MONTAGE
— Two changes have been made to the new opening montage that was introduced in the preceding episode: 1) the single shot shown of Kristen Wiig in the preceding episode’s montage is now bookended by two shots of her in a hallway, the first shot of which she’s posing for the camera in a model-like manner, and the other shot of which she’s leaning against the hallway walls while laughing. 2) The way the musical guest and host’s respective photo is displayed has been changed from being displayed as a full-screen photo to being displayed as a smaller photo in front of a live-action NYC backdrop.

MONOLOGUE
host shows the difference between romantic comedies & superhero movies

— I’m really liking Ryan Reynolds’ delivery here.
— Some okay laughs from Ryan demonstrating the various differences between superhero movies and rom-com movies.
STARS: ***

MOSTLY GARBAGE DOG FOOD
(JAS) figures Mostly Garbage dog food is good enough for his pet pooch

— Funny concept.
— As usual, very strong spokesman performance from Jason, who’s perfect for the concept of this particular ad. I can also imagine Will Ferrell pulling this off, probably because he starred in a few dog commercials kinda like this back in the day, such as Petchow Rat Poison.
— Funny story from Jason regarding his reaction to once finding his dog eating cat poop out of the litter box.
STARS: ***½

CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD
incest subtext affects John (BIH) & Mackenzie (KRW) Phillips

— Feels a little odd in hindsight seeing a Celebrity Family Feud sketch that’s set in the past and is hosted by someone OTHER THAN Kenan’s Steve Harvey, given the recurring Celebrity Family Feud sketches SNL would later do in more recent years.
— During the opening “Next on the Game Show Network…” bumper sequence, the “Feud” in “Celebrity Family Feud” is misspelled “Fued” (screencap below). Kinda surprised a noticeable typo like that got past SNL’s editors.

— When this originally aired, I remember how surprising a lot of SNL fans, including myself, found it that SNL had the guts to spoof such a touchy and controversial topical news story.
— The casting of Kristen as Mackenzie Phillips and Nasim Pedrad as the mother of Mackenzie, Genevieve Phillips, feels like it should’ve been the other way around, because in this sketch, Kristen looks noticeably a lot older than Nasim, and it’s hard for me to buy Kristen as Nasim’s daughter in this, and thus, also makes it a little hard for me to buy Kristen as Bill’s daughter. Back when this originally aired, I recall taking this miscasting as both a sign of SNL’s continued Wiig favoritism and a sign that they probably didn’t want to give this sketch’s important role of Mackenzie Phillips to a mere featured player (which all of Kristen’s female castmates this season are). 11 years later, I’m now questioning if that assumption of mine was fair or not.
— A huge laugh from Bill-as-John-Phillips immediately answering, in a wide-eyed manner, “Secrets!”, during the “Things you keep for a long time” question.
— I’m not too familiar with Richard Dawson, but Jason seems to be doing a very specific impression in his portrayal of Dawson. Whether it’s accurate or not, I’m loving Jason’s performance. Nice to see him fairly prominent so far in tonight’s episode, by the way, given how ridiculously underused he surprisingly was in the preceding week’s season premiere.
— When Jason’s Dawson gives Kristen’s Mackenzie a kiss on the cheek, I love Bill’s John reacting to that with a lighthearted “Heeeyyyy, careful now.”
— When Jason’s Dawson asks Abby’s Marie Osmond and Kristen’s Mackenzie the topic “Things you do with your father”, the cutaway to Bill-as-John’s silent facial reaction is very funny.
— I can see and understand why some people might be bothered by this sketch, but the sketch is definitely working for me.
— Great tense response from Jason’s Dawson, when finally catching on to what’s going on between John and Mackenzie Phillips: “Ohhhhh. Okay, I got it. Okay, this episode’s over.”
STARS: ****

ON THE GROUND
misguided rebel (ANS) smashes objects; Elijah Wood cameo

— Yet another all-time memorable music video Digital Short from Lonely Island.
— Hilarious comedic conceit to this song, made even funnier by Andy’s angry singing and his over-the-top facial expressions when throwing things to the ground in slow-motion.
— I love Andy’s whiny constant delivery of “Maaaaaaaaaan!” throughout this.
— This is getting increasingly hilarious. The “My dad’s not a phone!” part in particular is having me practically rolling on the floor.
— Andy, regarding a kid offering him a piece of birthday cake: “Whatchu want me to do with this cake, eat it?!? HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GROUND!”
— Man, this short is so damn epic.
— A huge laugh from Andy, OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE, flipping over the restaurant table that “phonies” Ryan Reynolds and Elijah Wood are eating at.
STARS: *****

MIKE’S FOUNTAINRY
Mike’s Fountainry extends classy brand of Lexi’s dad’s Chandelier Galaxy

— Our third installment of this series of sketches.
— A sudden-but-plausible Scarlett Johansson walk-on, reprising her character from all previous installments of this sketch. At this time, she and Ryan Reynolds were either dating or married (I forget which, much like Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green’s relationship that I mentioned being unsure about in my last episode review), which explains her cameo (and the special flattering mention Ryan gives her during the goodnights at the end of this episode). This season is now 2-for-2 in the host bringing along their celebrity boyfriend/girlfriend in a cameo.
— I will say that Scarlett always sells her character in this recurring sketch well.
— I really like Ryan’s performance here. There’s something strangely kinda Will Ferrell-esque about his performance, especially the big, out-of-breath gasp he does when he’s finished with his speech.
STARS: ***

DEEP HOUSE DISH
musical guest & Madonna [real] get in a cat fight

— The first appearance this recurring sketch has made in a year…and even THAT appearance from a year ago was the sketch’s first appearance in over a year. This sketch is clearly being phased out. In fact, tonight’s installment ends up being the final one.
— For once, Andy’s T-Shane is already on the set while Kenan’s D.J. Dynasty Handbag is delivering his usual opening intro of the show into the camera.
— The echo mic bit with T-Shane made me laugh.
— Catchy melody to Kristen’s song.
— Speaking of catchy, I like the chorus part of Ryan’s “Danny McCooz Is…” Facebook song.
— I gotta say, I’m very surprised by how much I’m actually enjoying this Deep House Dish installment so far, given how I usually dislike these sketches. Maybe the year-long absences this sketch has been taking lately has done it some good.
— Not only do we have our obligatory Lady Gaga appearance, who’s obviously the reason why this recurring sketch was brought out of the mothballs tonight, but we surprisingly get a Madonna cameo with her.
— Despite the novelty of seeing Lady Gaga and Madonna interact with each other, I’m not caring much for the whole rivalry bit they’re doing in this sketch.
— Well, because of this sketch, Kenan Thompson can say he got the honor of being kissed by Madonna and Lady Gaga simultaneously, on opposite sides of his face. This Madonna/Lady Gaga/D.J. Dynasty Handbag kissing orgy eventually gets joined by T-Shane, closing out this sketch. What a wild and amusing way to end this recurring sketch’s run.
STARS: *** (I’m just as surprised as you are)

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Paparazzi”

WEEKEND UPDATE
Arnold Schwarzenegger (DAH) will not defend Roman Polanski’s actions

Charles Barkley (KET) offers skewed observations on China’s 60th birthday

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s (FRA) fiesty wife (NAP) makes fun of him in English

— The recently-departed-from-SNL Darrell Hammond makes his first of several regular-episode cameos this season. He previously cameod in all three Weekend Update Thursday specials that aired earlier this season. With all of these cameos Darrell had been making around this time, I remember joking to myself back then that Darrell’s appearing more than he did in his final season as an actual cast member! (Actually, that’s probably not an exaggeration.)
— Never liked Darrell’s Ahnuld impression.
— While I’m not caring all that much for some of his dialogue in this Ahnuld commentary, Darrell’s big energy is making it fun, which is something I’m not used to saying these past few seasons, given Darrell’s perpetual sluggish, low-energy performances in his later seasons as a cast member.
— I like how Kenan’s Charles Barkley is constantly referring to Seth as “Screech”.
— The usual hilarious absurd dialogue from Kenan’s Barkley all throughout his commentary.
— The Barkley commentary is an early display of Seth laughing his way through a guest’s commentary, which, IIRC, would go on to be a semi-regular thing when he interacts with certain Update guests.
— Seth’s “Eeyore finally did it” joke is one of his most memorable Update jokes of all time.
— Seth has some really strong jokes tonight in general.
— After spending her (official) first episode the preceding week being practically invisible and having no lines whatsoever, Nasim Pedrad gets her first big showcase.
— Nasim is immediately coming off so well in this first showcase of hers. Very strong and fun performance from her.
— This Mr. & Mrs. Ahmadinejad commentary is utilizing Fred’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad much better than that weak Update commentary he and Maya Rudolph (as Mahmoud’s translator) did two seasons prior.
— Very solid Update overall. Best one in a while, in my opinion.
STARS: ****

SO YOU COMMITTED A CRIME & YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
cons do reality show

— Interesting concept for a So You Think You Can Dance parody.
— Boy, that scowl Abby’s making as Nancy Grace is almost downright scary-looking.
— Hilarious visual of Bill as Phil Spector.
— Will makes his ONLY appearance of this entire episode in a non-speaking role in a post-Weekend Update sketch. A sad sign of things to come for his airtime in this final season of his. That being said, even in a silent role, he’s killing it in this sketch, fittingly playing a character who we’re told looks like a sex offender.
— In hindsight, it feels kinda odd seeing Will and Nasim interacting with each other, knowing this is Will’s final season and Nasim’s first. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of many other interactions between them this season.
— Some good laughs from Fred’s constant attempts to escape during his and Kristen’s dance rehearsal.
— I love the visual of Jason as a cop handcuffed to Fred and sternly staring him down during his and Kristen’s dance sequence.
— Then-new SNL writer and future cast member Mike O’Brien (credited at this time in SNL’s writing credits as Michael Patrick O’Brien) makes his first onscreen SNL appearance, playing a stage manager whispering into Andy-as-Kevin-Federline’s ear (the ninth above screencap for this sketch).
— Jenny Slate makes her first live sketch appearance since her notorious accidental F-bomb in the preceding episode…and, as no surprise, she has NO dialogue here, nor anywhere else in tonight’s episode. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
— Kenan’s mentally disturbed character is very funny. I also love Ryan’s various reactions to him.
— An overall fun sketch with a lot of laughs.
STARS: ****

INTERNATIONAL MASTERWORKS
Norway doesn’t capture spirit of USA cop drama

— Bill’s a tad stumbly in his opening intro.
— Funny concept with Norwegian actors’ bad attempts at casual English speaking and American accents.
— For some reason, Andy’s “Do you want me to strike him with a knuckle sandwich?” line has stuck with me over the years.
— I can see why some people would find this to be another typical “Fred does an annoying voice” sketch, but, despite the sketch’s thinness, I’m finding it to be decent enough.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs a medley of her hits

BACKSTAGE
backstage, ANS & musical guest are wearing the same bubble outfit

— Nice to see a non-monologue backstage sketch, which feels rare to me at this point of SNL’s run.
— Big night for Andy. He’s been all over this episode, especially the post-Weekend Update half.
— Amusing visual of Andy and Lady Gaga both wearing the same bubble dress.
— Fun gag with Gaga and Andy’s constant failed attempts to kiss each other over the bubbles on their costumes.
— Funny ending with Lorne’s bubble tie.
— Overall, short and sweet.
STARS: ***½

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A solid episode with a smooth-sailing feel, a huge improvement over the mediocre season premiere. This episode flowed really well, with absolutely no segments I disliked. Hell, this episode was so good that, for once, even a Fredbama cold opening and freakin’ Deep House Dish worked for me. I’m not an avid listener of Lady Gaga’s music, but even her special medley during her second musical performance in this episode caught my attention and fascinated me, especially in how much it felt like a mini-concert.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
On The Ground
Celebrity Family Feud
So You Committed A Crime & You Think You Can Dance
Weekend Update
Obama’s Checklist
Mostly Garbage Dog Food
Backstage
Mike’s Fountainry
Deep House Dish
Monologue
International Masterworks

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Megan Fox)
a big step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
Drew Barrymore hosts for her sixth and, as of 2020, final time