Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
PRESS CONFERENCE
Barack Obama (JAP) takes pity on GOP ostracism target John Boehner (BIH)
— Pretty good laughs from Bill-as-John-Boehner’s disclosure of all the schoolkid-esque bullying that he suffered from his fellow republicans. Adding to the humor is Jay’s President Obama repeating some of those disclosures in his typically poignant voice.
— I love Bill-as-Boehner’s Cowardly Lion-esque crying after whimpering out an exclamation of “Rotten eggs!”, in response to Jay’s Obama asking him what kind of eggs was he pelted with.
STARS: ***½
MONOLOGUE
current events lead host to ask “How black is that?”; 2 Chainz cameo
— As usual, Jamie Foxx is absolutely great at getting the audience hyped up, as well as bringing a more urban audience to the show.
— Also as usual, Jamie’s energy is so fun here.
— The “How black is that?” running theme in this is pretty funny.
— I think I recall there being an online article shortly after this episode, pointing out how “wrong” it was that Jamie said, at one point of this monologue, “I kill all the white people in the movie. How great is that?!?”
— A good laugh from Jamie making fun of Obama’s dancing in his appearance on Ellen.
— Second consecutive monologue involving the host playing the piano and singing, and the THIRD consecutive episode with a musical monologue in general. Looks like this season is headed in a season 36-like direction in regards to an overabundance of musical monologues.
— The 2 Chainz cameo, while kinda pointless, at least adds to the fun and very energetic vibe of this monologue.
STARS: ***½
BITCH, WHAT’S THE ANSWER? WITH MOOKIE MEEKS
(host) verbally abuses game show contestants
— I like the name Mookie Meeks for Jamie’s character.
— Much like the prison sketch from the previous episode Jamie hosted (the sketch where Will Ferrell tenderly asks one of his cellmates, played by Jamie, “Am I still your bitch?”), it looks like this sketch is just a cheap excuse for Jamie to say “bitch” over and over for four minutes. I really didn’t care for that prison sketch, but at least the format of this particular game show sketch seems like it could make the redundant “bitch” theme work.
— Bobby’s real hair seems more grown-out than it usually is. It almost looks like he’s in the early stages of returning to his long hairstyle from his first few months as a cast member. IIRC, though, he cuts it short again after this episode.
— Very funny part with Bobby making Jamie mad by lightheartedly telling him “Bring it on, beeeyitch!”
— Looks like Jamie messed up the “Where Jupiter?” question by unintentionally using proper grammar when asking that question (“Where’s Jupiter?”), while the chyron on the bottom of the screen states “Where Jupiter?”, as does Bobby when he incredulously repeats Jamie’s question.
— I love the goofy photo of Tim in the screenshot of the home version of this game.
— Overall, this was better than the prison sketch from Jamie’s previous episode, Jamie was pretty fun here despite some stumbles, and Bobby was a great straight man, but this sketch was still nothing particularly great.
STARS: ***
J-POP AMERICA FUN TIME NOW!
sensei (host) is a fellow Japanophile
— This ends up being the final aired installment of this sketch. A later installment of it apparently got cut after dress rehearsal in the following season’s Josh Hutcherson episode. Given the fact that that installment would’ve been after Jason’s departure from SNL, I wonder how it dealt without Jason’s character. Did they get someone else in the cast to play a new teacher/other kind of straight man, or did they just do the sketch without a teacher/other kind of straight man (which doesn’t seem like it would work)?
— A laugh from Taran and Vanessa’s “Japwanzaa” tree.
— Very funny look of Jamie’s character. I’d almost swear he’s wearing the same wig that Tracy Morgan once wore when playing Busta Rhymes in a sketch from the Heather Graham episode, which, coincidentally, was from the same season that Jamie last hosted in prior to tonight’s episode (season 25).
— Ugh, one aspect of this recurring sketch I will certainly not miss ever seeing again after tonight’s final installment is Fred as Taran’s Japanese girlfriend.
— Wait, they’re actually letting Fred’s character speak this time, for once? Not necessary.
— I like Jason’s reaction to Jamie getting tense at him.
— The fact that the last thing Jason’s character does in tonight’s J-Pop installment is involuntarily add a “da-du” at the end of his sentence, then express fear that Taran and Vanessa have now got him doing that, is very fitting for what ends up being his final appearance in this recurring sketch, whether that was intentional or not.
STARS: ***
ALEX CROSS 2: MADEA: SPECIAL OPS
Tyler Perry’s (host) fusion of Alex Cross & Madea makes a mixed-up movie
— A great initial visual of Jamie in that half-Alex Cross half-Madea costume.
— Good Madea impression from Jamie.
— Jamie’s conflicting actions between each half of his body is good for some laughs.
— When each half of Jamie’s body is talking to each other, I love the cross-eyed face he makes, especially since it’s reminiscent of his Wanda character from In Living Color.
STARS: ***½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Let Me Love You”
WEEKEND UPDATE
sick of unromantic Santa, Mrs. Claus (AIB) is ready for some alone time
Ding Dong (host) complains of unequal treatment relative to Twinkies
— Aidy is very funny and likable as Mrs. Claus, and has so many good lines all throughout her commentary. I particularly like her message towards 2 Chainz: “I’ve got an ass that shakes like a bowl of jelly.”
— “New phone, who is this”??? Uh, Seth, shouldn’t that be “New phone, who dis?” I think I recall a previous Update in these early 2010s years where Seth, or maybe a guest correspondent, similarly inexplicably used proper grammar when making a “New phone, who dis?” reference.
— Ha, somebody in the audience boos Seth’s ballsy Jerry Sandusky joke, and then right after that booing, you can hear another audience member say “Oh, snap!” Much like I noted throughout my review of the previous episode Jamie hosted (review seen here), tonight’s episode has a much more responsive, lively, and urban audience than SNL episodes usually have.
— Also much like the previous episode Jamie hosted, he does an Update commentary, which is pretty rare for hosts.
— Jamie’s delivery of this Ding Dong material is solid, he’s (once again tonight) fantastic at getting the audience hyped up, and he’s managing to make some of the potentially-corny Hostess snack jokes come off funny (e.g. him saying “That’s my snack brother from another batter”). Even his occasional breaking is pretty fun and likable.
STARS: ***½
DYLAN MCDERMOTT OR DERMOT MULRONEY?
game show contestants confuse Dermot Mulroney [real] with Dylan McDermott
— A rare case of an episode containing TWO separate game show sketches.
— Fantastic premise for a game show sketch.
— Keeping up the weird connections that this episode keeps having to season 25, that season just so happens to be the season Dylan McDermott hosted in, funnily enough.
— An absolutely hilarious reveal of this game show’s contestants all being black men.
— Kenan, in regards to Bill saying the title of the game show show once again: “Can you put a bigger space between the names…s-s-so we know when the first name ends and the second name begins?”
— When listing off Dermot Mulroney’s filmography and occasionally getting it mixed up with that of Dylan McDermott’s, I love Bill’s constant “What’s that?”s before correcting himself. Excellent rapid-fire delivery from Bill during this portion.
— Speaking of excellent delivery from Bill, I also love his delivery of “Round three: hey………who’s this guy” as a new photo is displayed next to him.
— Yet another fantastic Bill Hader moment: his twisted laugh after being told by Kenan, “You’re a sick man!”
— An absolutely classic and standout part with Jamie’s written-down answer: Derbel McDillet.
— Hilarious how Kenan’s Rupert Everett answer somehow ends up being correct.
— A Dermot Mulroney cameo.
— I like how even Mulroney himself can’t tell himself and Dylan McDermott apart, and reveals he’s unwittingly been sleeping with McDermott’s wife all these years.
— Great bit regarding the mention of three teenage girls from Alaska being contestants on the game show that’s coming on next: Djimon Honsou Or Chiwetel Ejiofor, much to Jay, Jamie, and Kenan’s chagrin.
— Excellent sketch overall.
STARS: *****
MARCUS BANKS: TREE PIMP
pimp Marcus Banks (KET) treats Christmas trees as if they were his hos
— Immediately, I’m loving the tone of this film, and Kenan is fantastic here.
— Kenan’s pimp-like treatment of his Christmas trees is hilarious.
— I love the cutaway to Kenan telling the family decorating their tree in their living room, “Ya’ll got 20 minutes now.”
— Something about Kenan’s delivery of the word “photo-pimp-esis” made me laugh harder than it probably should’ve.
— Good bit with Fred having the tree he brought go down on him in his car.
— Nice way to involve Jamie.
— Hmm, Matt Lauer (or, as Jamie’s character humorously pronounces, “Matt Lerr-er”) is one of the other tree pimp’s A-list clients? Ha, figures. SNL sure likes implying in these early 2010s years that Matt Lauer is addicted to hookers and strippers. I’d almost think SNL knew about his sexual deviancy long before the public found out…
STARS: ****½
MAINE JUSTICE
(Charlie Day) testifies in wacky Acadia-Acadiana courtroom
— Ohho, here we go! One of my favorite sketches of ALL TIME, and a well-loved sketch among SNL fans in general.
— Right from his entrance, Jason is already slaying me. His delivery, his heavy Cajun accent, and his mouth-wiping with his hanky are all freakin’ HILARIOUS.
— I love Bobby saying a very casually-delivered “Also, what the hell is going on here?” at the end of his opening statement.
— Jason: “Ya’ll shut youah buuuutts!”
— All of the inexplicable southern-themed things about this alleged Maine-based courtroom show are so funny.
— Jamie’s occasional hand-clapping when miming an alligator chomp is adding well to the humor of Jason’s occasional alligator threats.
— Ha, the witness who gets called up is played by Charlie Day! One of my favorite one-time hosts. Also great to see a Horrible Bosses reunion between him, Jason, and Jamie.
— Charlie’s insane, unintelligible southern accent has me practically on the floor. The even funnier thing about that and his general hillbilly look is the fact that he’s supposed to be a congressman.
— Jason’s delivery continues to absolutely slay me, especially his delivery of “I don’t know if you forgit where you eeeyiiiis, but you in Maine now, boy!”
— Excellent reveal of the various possible reasons for this “Maine”-based show having so many southern-themed things, including the people in the courtroom being New Orleans citizens who were relocated after Hurricane Katrina and refused to change their ways.
— Oh, here’s what I consider to be the crème de la crème of this already-excellent sketch: Jason delivering the final ruling and doing so many hilarious physical and verbal things during it, and ending it by mentioning taking Bobby and “dragging his bare lily-white butt ‘cross the swamp to put out that ass fire!” This just may Jason’s greatest single moment of his entire SNL tenure.
— Even Jay’s (who has a walk-on as a parade dancer) goofy mugging toward Bobby during the ending New Orleans parade celebration in the courtroom has me laughing out loud.
STARS: *****
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “She Is”
SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS
vacuous ex-porn stars (VAB), (CES), (host) endorse Swarovski Crystals
— The debut of a well-liked recurring sketch.
— Vanessa and Cecily’s brain-dead portrayal of these ex-porn stars is excellent. And it needs to be pointed out what a very impressive first half-season Cecily’s been having so far. You can hardly tell from how fully-formed she comes off and how many big roles she’s gotten that she’s a new featured player.
— Cecily: “One time, I got banged to death for five minutes. Then I got banged back to life. Thanks, Crystals!”
— Vanessa: “I lost part of my foot. It broke off in a butt.”
— Man, there is an endless number of priceless lines from Vanessa and Cecily.
— Jamie has great lines himself right now.
— Good reveal that the ex-porn stars are planning on sending this tape to Swarovski Crystals in an attempt to get free crystals.
— Jamie: “Because there’s never one thing never goes out of style…” Vanessa and Cecily, trying to say the same thing in unison: “Crystals!” “Anal!”
— Love the ending bit regarding the meaning of the “Ewww” the ex-porn stars stated in reaction to hypothetically being covered in crystals.
— An overall classic debut of this recurring sketch.
STARS: *****
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— The first half of this episode was energetic, but average. But this episode was absolutely made by the strength of the post-Weekend Update half. I mean, can we TALK about that half of the show, people?!? It was on FIRE. That’s definitely one of the strongest post-Update halves I’ve ever reviewed in all 38 seasons I’ve covered so far, rivaling the post-Update half of the season 19 Heather Locklear episode (review seen here). I feel like there was another review of mine sometime between that Locklear episode and this Jamie Foxx episode that similarly had an average first half and an extremely strong second half filled with lots of five and four-and-a-half-star ratings, but I can’t remember which episode it is. (Thanks in advance if anyone in the comments section can figure out which one it is.) On another note, this is another episode this season that, much like the then-recent Anne Hathaway episode, impressively didn’t contain any segments I disliked.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Maine Justice
Dylan McDermott Or Dermot Mulroney?
Swarovski Crystals
Marcus Banks: Tree Pimp
Monologue
Press Conference
Alex Cross 2: Madea: Special Ops
Weekend Update
J-Pop America Fun Time Now!
Bitch, What’s The Answer? with Mookie Meeks
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Jeremy Renner)
a big step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Martin Short hosts the Christmas episode