Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
OVAL OFFICE
SNL’s lack of black female cast members makes host busy; Al Sharpton cameo
— Oh, I absolutely LOVE the meta turn with Kerry Washington unhappily getting the hint that she’s going to have to change from Michelle Obama to Oprah because the show doesn’t have a black female cast member. I also love Kerry asking “And Kenan won’t….?”
— It’s funny hearing how long it takes the audience to realize just what exactly the meta turn in this cold opening is digging at.
— A very funny disclaimer lampshading what’s going on, and also acknowledging the backlash SNL was facing this season from not hiring a black female cast member while hiring five white male cast members. It’s nice that SNL can address this while being self-deprecating and NOT being passive-aggressive towards the critics (which is more than I can say for some of the other criticisms SNL has addressed in recent years, such as when Tina Fey’s 2018 monologue addressed complaints at the time about excessive cameos taking airtime away from the cast).
— Kerry re-entering the sketch in a different role after an extremely hasty quick change reminds me of the gag of Jan Hooks having to do the same thing in the famous Twin Peaks sketch from the season 16 Kyle MacLachlan episode, because, as mentioned in that sketch, SNL only had two female cast members at the time.
— I got a big laugh from Kerry knowingly asking Jay’s President Obama, in regards to the announcement that Beyonce is here, “Is Jay-Z with her?”, suggesting Jay himself would have to do a quick change to play that role, only for Jay’s Obama to proudly answer “Nope!”
— Great gag with six different Matthew McConaugheys played by the new male featured players…and Bobby, for some reason.
STARS: ****½
MONOLOGUE
BOM, VAB, KET ask host to fix indiscretions a la her Scandal character
— A predictable direction this monologue goes in, but it’s being executed well.
— A laugh from Vanessa’s straightforward way of stiffly saying “da club” in the middle of her sentence.
— Vanessa, after Kerry advises her to leave town immediately: “But…who will play Miley???” Kerry, in a comically sincere manner: “Haven’t you played Miley enough lately?”
— Great casual delivery from Kenan of the line “Oh my god, I’m covered in blood.”
STARS: ***½
CAREER WEEK
self-styled success Heshy (NAP) uses sound effects in motivational speech
— Second consecutive week in which the usually-underused Nasim gets to star in the lead-off sketch of the night, showing that things are getting better for her this season in terms of airtime.
— I think I recall hearing this is one of the very first sketches that Mikey Day penned as an SNL writer. Yeah, I can sense his familiar fingerprints on this sketch’s style.
— Hilarious performance from Kerry.
— I remember some online SNL fans back at this time tried to use this sketch as an example of how terrible, stiff, and uncharismatic Mike O’Brien is as a live performer. Not that I disagree about him, but this sketch isn’t a good example to use, as his character in this is supposed to be stiff and uncharismatic.
— The usual good character work from Nasim, and she’s both funny and well-timed in her constant thrusting to the various sound effects throughout this sketch.
STARS: ***½
MY GIRL
two sides of relationship in “The Fox” variant
— This truly takes me back to when that “what does the fox say” song was everywhere.
— I am loving this “The Fox” take-off. Really good work here, and another fun performance from Kerry.
— Solid turn halfway through the song, with it now being told from Kerry’s side of the relationship.
STARS: ****
HOW’S HE DOING?
Obama’s policy blunders don’t weaken his black support
— The return of a sketch from the season 37 Maya Rudolph episode.
— Even though they did this gag in this sketch’s previous appearance, I laughed at the part where Kenan, Jay, and Kerry’s character all break out in simultaneous hearty laughter after a pause when asked by Kenan if there was ever a time in this rough month President Obama’s been having that they ever thought they wish they voted for Mitt Romney.
— Jay has so many great lines here so far.
— Like last time, I’m finding this to be a fun black-centric sketch that feels very refreshing and much-needed for SNL. Unlike the last time this sketch appeared in season 37, we’re now in the Michael Che era of SNL’s writing, where we’ll thankfully be seeing well-done black-centric pieces appear more and more.
STARS: ****
MISS UNIVERSE MOSCOW 2013
contestants from undeveloped countries disrupt Miss Universe Pageant
— Decent premise of a Miss Universe pageant adding new contestants from less-developed countries.
— Yet another hilarious performance from Kerry, who has been killing it in tonight’s episode so far.
— Well, that girl-on-girl kiss between Kate and Nasim sure came out of nowhere.
— Poor Noel, relegated to having her only appearance of this entire episode be a forgettable throwaway bit in this sketch where she quickly ends up getting karate-chopped out of the scene by Aidy.
— Aidy’s attempt at a Greenland accent is a classic case of “So bad, it’s good”. Hell, her Greenland accent somehow turns into a full-on hillbilly accent towards the end of her spiel.
STARS: ***
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & Rick Rubin [real] perform “Berzerk”
WEEKEND UPDATE
cellphone tapping revelations embarrass lonely Angela Merkel (KAM)
Charles Barkley (KET) & Shaquille O’Neal (JAP) give their NBA thoughts
— The debut of Kate’s Angela Merkel impression.
— A solid performance from Kate, as usual whenever she appears on Update in these early years of her SNL tenure. Her Angela Merkel has some good lines during the part about internet search history.
— Cecily’s Kanye West joke was easily one of her better jokes this season, though the rest of her Update jokes tonight (or at least her delivery of them) so far are the usual “meh” they’ve been this season.
— The first of a few Update appearances that Kenan and Jay’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal make together.
— Jay’s Shaq impression is hilarious.
— Some fun ad-libs between Kenan, Jay, and Seth during this Barkley/Shaq commentary.
— Funny Toni Braxton story from Kenan’s Barkley.
STARS: **½
IN MEMORIAM
a clip of Lou Reed on SNL marks his passing
CARTOON CATCHPHRASE
contestant’s (AIB) husband (TAK) is very unfaithful
— I recall absolutely loving this sketch when it originally aired, and deeming it to be one of the best sketches of this season. It’s also a turning point in Aidy’s SNL tenure, as I remember this sketch made me (and I’m sure certain others) fully realize how strong she is as a cast member (the preceding week’s Edward Norton-hosted episode put her on my radar a bit), and this sketch basically jumpstarted what ended up being her breakout season.
— Mike: “I’m a waiter at a steak restaurant.” Oh, is he playing the same character he played in the Ruth’s Chris sketch in the preceding episode?
— I love Aidy’s low-key delivery of “Oh, Duane. No, Duane” when initially realizing he’s having an affair.
— When an emotional Aidy mentions the lie her husband Duane told her about going to see the new Hobbit movie, I got a big laugh from Kerry responding to that by jovially saying, “That’s not out yet! 10 seconds on the clock, Diane!”
— Aidy: “Diamond, ya damn hussy. I hate that I need you, but I do.”
— Hilarious reveal of Duane also sleeping with Vanessa’s friend.
— Aidy: “Duane, what is this day of yours?!? Are you just goin’ door-to-door and ass-to-ass?!?”
— Good subversion in the third phone call, with Duane being at the pharmacy that Mike phones, buying tiny condoms.
— Aidy, angrily, when she’s asked to answer one of the game show questions: “Can you give me one second??? I’m havin’ a raw-ass time with my husband!”
— Even Aidy’s ending “Why did you marry me yesterday?!?” reveal is great.
— Overall, just as fantastic as I had remembered, and Aidy indeed gave a killer performance.
STARS: *****
FALL CARNIVAL
Principal Frye dresses down delinquents during high school carnival
— A decent change of scenery for this recurring sketch.
— Solid New York accent from Kerry here.
— Maybe it’s because I’m currently in the right mood, but Jay’s lines as Principal Frye are making me laugh more than usual.
— Kerry: “One of youse even turned on a hose…ON A BLACK LADY! Know your history! You little ass-baskets!”
STARS: ***½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & Skylar Grey [real] perform “Survival”
DATE OR DISS
trio of freaky MTV-chosen bachelorettes creeps out (TAK)
— Good lines from Aidy when introducing herself to Taran.
— Cecily: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, I’m num-num hungry for this guy’s balls.”
— While a fairly one-note sketch, and I remember some online SNL fans saying this fictional MTV show felt too dated for 2013, the disturbing nature of the girls’ one-liners is decent, and just about all of Kerry’s revelations are making me laugh.
STARS: ***
ICE CREAM
joke about ambulance response to sugar overdose doesn’t land
— I really don’t like how rare it’s become to see this season’s new cast members get a lead role. With so many new cast members and with the huge deal SNL made about them in the season premiere, it shouldn’t be so scarce to see ANY of them get noteworthy roles in an episode.
— Kyle’s offbeat, unsure initial facial reaction to Beck’s ambulance joke is very funny.
— I’m enjoying the increasingly convoluted introspection sequences that Kyle and Taran are having over the simple ambulance joke.
STARS: ***½
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Aside from the seemingly-perpetually-mediocre-this-season Weekend Update, this was an all-around good episode, with a season highlight (Cartoon Catchphrase) to boot. This is also the second consecutive episode with a host who really wowed me. Kerry Washington was absolutely great. (Didn’t I later find out she had sketch comedy experience back in high school or something?)
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Cartoon Catchphrase
Oval Office
How’s He Doing?
My Girl
Ice Cream
Career Week
Fall Carnival
Monologue
Miss Universe Moscow 2013
Date Or Diss
Weekend Update
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Edward Norton)
a slight step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Lady Gaga
I enjoyed this episode, but I feel like this is when it starts to become noticeable that the new featured players are getting shut out. It was a good night for both Aidy and Jay, though.
The meta nature of the cold open is kinda fun, though them acknowledging the problem with the new cast combined with how little they were utilized in the rest of the episode always hit me weird.
Washington did indeed do sketch comedy in the 1990s on PBS.
Are you sure you’re not thinking of the 1980s Baltimore based PBS sketch show “Crabs”?
It’s actually Standard Deviants
Looks like Mike Birbiglia and TJ Miller were also a part of the sketch group.
Kerry was fantastic on SNL. She should have been invited back to host again.
Aidy was really good in the Cartoon game show and you can see why she was hired in the first place. She is that good.
Pretty sad to see the new cast start to get wasted, though in the first half there seems to be some attempt to make them known.
Lorne did say in an interview he was trying to fill some left by male cast members when they left. I think by mid-season, some of the rookies outside of Beck and Kyle start to have all but vanished.
This was a Vintage SNL recently.
This was my very first “new” SNL episode (I was a big Eminem fan). I was only 10 when I saw it so needless to say a lot of the jokes flew over my head. I remember liking My Girl and Date Or Diss though. Always thought they went pretty hard on MTV there (“We crafted their personalities” with their brains being replaced with the MTV logo).
I’ve always found “Cartoon Catchphrase” to be such an underrated sketch, and a distinctly fun subversion of the tried and true SNL game show sketch premise. Definitely a watershed moment for Aidy in retrospect, though looking back, I feel like I always really enjoyed her work since I began watching midway through S38. She’s great at playing these sorts of exasperated characters, and this is a nice format that keeps it from becoming one of those “I’m the only normal one here” sketches.
I’ve always been equally fond of “Ice Cream” as well, which I feel has generally gone neglected in the lineage of Beck/Kyle shorts. It’s stuck in my head ever since I first saw it, and it’s a shame that once we clear S39, these shorts don’t have the Lonely Island-esque trajectory that I was really hoping for.
Outside of that, I mirror everyone’s sentiments that Kerry Washington was an awesome host that I would’ve loved to see more of. It’s a shame how many amazing hosts have come and gone in recent years without ever getting a second gig, but I guess SNL’s hungry for ratings that someone like Kerry Washington or Edward Norton can’t provide.
SNL has always had a spotty track record with black female hosts – there were only two for nearly 30 years, and both of their episodes were lumbered with racial material that makes them somewhat degrading to watch now. Things have improved somewhat since then, but most of the episodes are still not especially strong – Washington’s may be the strongest hosted by a black woman (Maya Rudolph might be second, and unlike a number of reviewers, I also thought Issa Rae’s episode this season was good). In theory, that would mean she should have come back, but – and to be fair, she had a very busy career at this time so she may not have even been available – there was (not quite as much now) a vibe of “OK, we’re trying to be diverse, happy now?” with some of these bookings, especially in this case as Washington’s episode is remembered more for controversy over casting than over the quality.
I agree that the meta commentary of this episode is a better attempt than usual at this topic. The irony of the “falling in love with another white guy” comment is that by this time SNL had already moved away from that mindset – Kristen Wiig was the main star of her years, and after that you don’t really get any white guys who are seen as big attractions (Pete Davidson may be closest, but in a number of seasons his offcamera activities far outweigh his actual screentime). I’m just glad that they stuck Bobby out there with the other guys so that they would not be ritually humiliated yet again for something they had no say over. The only thing that would have made it better is if they’d had Seth come out with all the other Matthews.
@John, I also liked Issa Rae’s episode a lot this season. And yes, Kerry definitely should have hosted more. Thankfully she is invited to perform in SNL 40, even though it’s in (gulp) the Californians sketch… but I think that installment, with the guest stars and the David Spade ending, is juuuust loopy enough to work.
@Thatchos, I’m glad to hear that. Along with Timothee Chalamet’s episode I think it served as a template for what current SNL could be, just if they improve the writing somewhat and if certain cast members leave…
I had forgotten Kerry was in the 40th. I guess that night was a way for people who might not host again to have some fun (Edward Norton was there too).
I too forgot that Kerry was in the 40th anniversary special. She (along with Taylor Swift and Bradley Cooper, plus some of the SNL alum) deserved better than the Californians. To see that, Garth and Kat and some of female hosts play some of the SNL characters in the Update bit was a huge letdown. It kind of soured the special for me as it was too much being put on the 2000-present era, while the previous decades were neglected.
I did like seeing Celebrity Jeopardy and Eddie Murphy’s return. Those were the best highlights.
Eddie’s return was honestly the biggest let down for me of the night. They had hyped it up for weeks, and all it amounted to was him doing the tired “going back to SNL is like going back to high school” bit for a second then immediately leaving. I did really enjoy his return last season though.
Right? I mean, where were Belushi, Gilda, Phil, and Farley? 😉
Aidy really did have a superb night. On the flip side, at this point in Year 39 we’ve seen the apex of John, all but one of Brooks’ highlights, with Noel and POB’s scant highlights yet to come. With the possible exception of Noel, these four simply weren’t working out.
I’d also include the musical montage, the Seinfeld Q&A and Wayne’s World among the highlights of 40. Those were all a lot of fun. Though Sarah Palin jokingly saying she would run for president with Trump as her running mate, and Jerry’s response “don’t tempt us, Sarah” during his bit have NOT aged well.
I got the feeling Eddie didn’t want to be there but neither side wanted the story to be about Eddie not being there again.
Anthony, I totally agree with your take on both Eddie Murphy’s 40th anniversary appearance and his return as host recently.
I dont know if it’s a testament to how close they are or how unsure they were about Cecily’s anchor skills but 5 shows in she’s only interviewed Kate twice and the rest of the Update pieces have still gone to Seth.
I’m looking forward to seeing the review of Seth’s last episode, especially when Stefon returns and is snippy towards Cecily.
I just wonder if Seth should have remained solo until he left, even though I didn’t mind Cecily. Maybe she and Jost should have been paired at the start or Jost should have started with Che instead of Cecily. Any thoughts?
That Date or Diss sketch WAS dated, certainly, as those style of shows were from the MTV era in the 2000’s, but only by a few years (the primary source of the satire is likely “Next” which aired 2005 to 2008 based on the graphics and voiceover). However, as an unfortunately frequent watcher of those garbage shows, I thought the sketch was HILARIOUS and completely on point. So I didn’t mind the dated part at all.
How’s He Doing? is a favorite of mine. “I would kill to get a white person’s mail for one day. Just a bunch of pre approved credit cards and a Pottery Barn catalogue.” Also like the bit roasting TV recaps, because as much I love them, it is an admittedly VERY white community on all those sites. They would attempt to redo the basic concept of that sketch in the Issa Rae episode this season, but How’s He Doing? feels MUCH more lived in.
The show has had a lot of Black Male hosts. David Alan Grier, Kevin Hart, MC Hammer, Cuba Gooding JR, Jamie Foxx, Charles Barkley, Chadwick Boseman, Lebron James, Donald Glover, Sterling K Brown, Chris Rock, Damon Waynas, Drake, Chance the rapper, Idris Elba, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan. Some of whom hosted more than once Not that many black woman hosted the show.
They pre-recorded another cold open that involved Lorne thanking Kerry for hosting that week, all the while trying to get her to sign a contract to be on the show. Rev. Sharpton was also in it, but in the end they scrapped it after filming and went with this one instead. It would be cool to see this footage come up if they still have it.