Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
A MESSAGE FROM SOLANGE & JAY-Z
Solange (SAZ) & Jay-Z (JAP) spin their elevator fight
— The friendly Jay-Z/Solange voice-overs added to the video of their elevator fight is funny, especially the “foot five” part.
— Good part with the security cam footage of Bobby doing embarrassing things.
— Maya Rudolph, our first of an endless number of former cast member cameos tonight.
— Third consecutive episode with Sasheer saying LFNY. Granted, all the times she said it in these three episodes, she said it unison with one or more people (group LFNYs in general have become a trend in the last quarter of this season). Sadly, this three-episode run of LFNYs probably ends up being the high point of Sasheer’s notoriously-underutilized four-season SNL tenure.
STARS: ***
OPENING MONTAGE
— (*sigh*) The final episode with the legendary Don Pardo as SNL’s announcer, before he passes away that summer. Host Andy Samberg has the distinction of being the final name ever announced by Don in new audio.
MONOLOGUE
BIH tops ANS’s effort to surpass his impression tally; SEM & MAS cameos
— I wonder if this is the only time in SNL history where a celebrity (Justin Timberlake in this case) made their cameo appearance in the form of a photo. I feel like there was a previous time that may have happened that I’m forgetting.
— I love Andy’s little “I put on a suit to tell that joke” aside after his “And twiiiiiins!” line.
— Andy sure likes doing that “I’ve appeared in over 100 Digital Shorts and [insert small single-digit number here] live sketches” joke ever since he left the cast.
— Andy doesn’t say which website he learned that he did 23 fewer impressions than Bill Hader from, but I wonder if SNL Archives was the site. Then again, SNL themselves probably keep a record of stats like that.
— Our second former cast member cameo tonight, this time Seth Meyers, making his first cameo after leaving the cast earlier this season.
— Very fun concept of Andy doing a rapid-fire succession of impressions. This concept is perfect for Andy, and he’s doing lots of hilarious and clever impressions here.
— Our THIRD former cast member cameo tonight, and yeah, I’m gonna stop keeping count, because doing so is going to get exhausting, given what later portions of this episode has in store for me.
— I love the Andy Samberg impression that Bill Hader does.
— Whoa, of all the former cast member cameos in this episode, I honestly had no prior memory of this random Martin Short appearance.
STARS: ****
CAMP WICAWABE
preteens Cambria (AIB) & Piper (KAM) recap disobedience at Camp Wicawabe
— Kinda interesting how Kyle is playing a 6-year-old in this set-in-1990 sketch, given the fact that, in real life, Kyle actually was 6 in 1990 (as was I).
— Speaking of this sketch being set in 1990, uh…is there any particular reason why it’s set in that year? So far, there is absolutely NOTHING about this sketch that’s seems specific to 1990 nor any other year in the past. It makes no sense why this sketch couldn’t have been set in present day.
— Funny brief appearance from Cecily.
— While there are a few funny lines from the characters, and there’s a somewhat endearing quality to some of the more realistic aspects of Kate and Aidy’s child characters (e.g. them laughing at but not actually “getting” the more adult things that Andy’s character talks about), I hate the actual format of this sketch, and find it to be lazy. Thank goodness this sketch never becomes recurring.
STARS: **
WHEN WILL THE BASS DROP?
DJ Davvincii (ANS) & Lil Jon [real] kill fans
— Our obligatory Lonely Island Digital Short of the night.
— Some funny cutaways to cast members as wild audience members. I especially like some of the Bobby cutaways.
— Lots of pretty funny teases and build-up to Andy dropping the bass, such as the cutaways to the unrelated things he’s doing at his DJ table, like frying eggs.
— The sequence of audience members graphically dying when the bass finally drops is okay, but feels like a very inferior variation of the beautifully-dark-and-violent mass death sequence in the “Everyone’s A Critic” Digital Short from Paul Rudd’s season 34 episode. We even get a reprisal of the Indiana Jones/“Keep your eyes shut!” bit from that Rudd short.
— Not only is this pre-taped short the ONLY appearance that Noel, John, Brooks, and Mike make in tonight’s entire episode, but 1) their roles in this short are all bit parts with no lines (except for one quick line that Noel gets), 2) this ends up being the FINAL appearance that all four of those performers make as cast members, as all of them get fired after this season, and 3) half of them are playing characters who die in this short. After Noel, John, Brooks, and Mike were all extremely underused for most of this season, this is the ultimate final insult to them. For shame, SNL. You go through all the trouble of hiring so many new cast members at the beginning of this season and give them special focus in the season premiere, making a huge deal about them, only to immediately and unjustifiably discard most of them for the remainder of the season, then give them the ultimate middle finger in the season finale before firing them that summer. Just….(*sigh*) there aren’t enough words from me that can express the disgracefulness of the way this season handled what they themselves said was supposed to be a “rebuilding year” in terms of working in the new group in the cast. Rebuilding year, my ass.
— After the announcement of Noel, John, Brooks, and Mike’s firing that summer, I remember some online SNL fans jokingly saying that this Digital Short must’ve been SNL’s way of killing off all four of those fired featured players (though, again, only about half of them actually play characters who die in this short), almost like some kind of variation of the famous “cast party set ablaze” ending of the infamous season 11, or the “cast members get gruesomely killed one-by-one in a polar bear cage” ending of the infamous season 20. (The even sadder thing is, I recall reading in the dress rehearsal report for this season 39 finale that was posted online back at this time in 2014 by FeaturingEmilyPrager [a frequent commenter on this blog] that the Legolas/Taco Bell sketch that’ll be airing later in this episode had a running gag cut out after dress rehearsal in which Andy’s Legolas, in a fury, occasionally throws sharp weapons at random Taco Bell patrons, killing them. All, or maybe just some, of those patrons were played by featured players who would end up getting fired after this episode, which means that, between the “When Will The Bass Drop?” Digital Short and that Taco Bell sketch, the about-to-be-fired-from-SNL featured players were originally going to get killed off TWICE in this episode! My goodness. However, my memory of FeaturingEmilyPrager’s details about that aspect of the Taco Bell sketch is very fuzzy, so I may have some facts wrong. We’ll see when he re-posts his dress rehearsal report in the comments section of this review.) I remember fellow SNL blogger/reviewer Bronwyn Douwsma once accurately titled this episode “the ‘Fuck You, Newbies’ episode”, as a very spot-on way to sum up this episode’s horrible treatment of the featured players, treatment that’ll get even more horrible later in this episode when you see the cavalcade of cameos that takes away even more airtime from the featured players.
STARS: ***½
CONFIDENT HUNCHBACK
Quasimodo (ANS) swaggers through a 1482 Paris saloon
— This appears to be a variation of the Rude Buddha sketch that Andy did in the season 37 Lindsay Lohan episode, right down to having a very similar opening title sequence.
— Speaking of the opening title sequence, the theme song is catchy, though I can’t help but notice how similar the melody of it sounds to the theme song from the Girlfriends Talk Show sketches.
— Andy is fun in this role, which he was born to play.
— The ending was kinda weak.
STARS: ***
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Digital Witness”
WEEKEND UPDATE
darkness creeps into Bruce Chandling’s unfunny summer comedy routine
Nicolas Cage (ANS) thinks he’d be a better Ant-Man than Paul Rudd [real]
— This would end up being the final Update of Cecily’s short-lived tenure as Update anchor.
— A nice bookend to this season, having Kyle’s Bruce Chandling do an Update commentary for the first time since his debut in this season’s premiere.
— Like last time, Kyle is great at pulling off these hacky jokes as Bruce Chandling. I also like the new touch he’s added to the character this time: that eye-roll he does after each punchline.
— Also like last time, the sudden turn with Bruce Chandling getting depressed and reflecting on himself in a gloomy manner is very solid. In fact, it’s even better here than when they did it earlier this season. During this “Chandling gets depressed” part tonight, I love this particularly dark line from him: “Grim Reaper’s knockin’ at the door……..and I kinda wanna answer it.”
— Ugh at all of Cecily’s usual corny punchlines and “character voice” punchlines tonight. I will absolutely not miss seeing her as an Update anchor after tonight’s episode.
— Holy hell, that huge fivehead on Andy’s Nicolas Cage tonight…
— Second consecutive Update with a guest referring to Colin as “Seth”.
— We’re getting the usual funny lines from Andy’s Nicolas Cage, but I dunno, I’m having a hard time getting excited about this segment. I guess I’m STILL of the opinion that they should’ve officially retired this “Get In The Cage” segment after the memorable and solid one where the real Nicolas Cage was paired up with Andy’s Cage. You just can’t continue the segment after something special and definitive like that. There are other ways they could’ve used Andy’s Cage impression tonight without bringing “Get In The Cage” back.
— Overall, a characteristically meh way for the Cecily Strong/Colin Jost era of Update to end. Bring on the next era!
STARS: **
AFFECTIONATE FAMILY
the Vogelchecks are initially put off by Michael Sam’s draft-day kiss
— (*Stooge stares at his laptop screen in a speechless manner for an entire minute upon seeing the resurrection of this wretched recurring sketch, and, after suffering through seeing an overlong applause break for each individual cameo in this, flips his laptop upside down with one angry swipe of his hands and then walks out of the room while saying, “That’s it, fuck this, I’m leavin’!”, Will Ferrell-style*)
— With each passing overlong applause break that each cameo in this sketch is met with, I can just picture a little bit of John Milhiser dying inside.
— Ugh, during his typically-annoying “I guess that’s what makes us…….Vogelchecks” speech, Fred Armisen openly starts breaking HARD for no apparent reason, and giggles his way through the rest of his speech. Bill seemed to be the cause of this breaking, judging from how Fred initially breaking is followed by Bill being heard mumbling ad-libbed statements throughout the rest of Fred’s speech, in an apparent attempt to keep Fred laughing. As if I needed a reminder of how annoyingly Fallon & Sanz-esque Fred and Bill became with their frequent unprofessional, inside-joke-y breaking together in their final season as cast members.
— Maya particularly hamming it up here.
— (*Stooge watches the ridiculous sequence with each Vogelcheck member passing air to each other via their mouths, and responds to that by ripping his own eyeballs out*)
STARS: *
WAKING UP WITH KIMYE
wedding planner (ANS) describes Kanye West (JAP) & Kim Kardashian’s (NAP) upcoming nuptials
— This ends up being Nasim’s final big showcase before leaving the cast that summer. I’d rather her final showcase be something more exciting than seeing this sketch once again. I liked this Kimye sketch in its first installment, but it’s meh as a recurring sketch.
— Jay’s Kanye: “What do they always say to you in Italy?” Nasim’s Kim: “Leave!”
— I have nothing to say about the rest of this sketch. It pretty much just came and went for me.
STARS: **
HUGS
ANS, Jorma Taccone & Pharrell Williams [real] sing about being cuddling Lotharios
— A second Digital Short tonight, this time a traditional Lonely Island music video, complete with Jorma and Akiva.
— Hmm, I had no prior memory of this short having a Maya cameo as Oprah and a Pharrell Williams cameo as himself. In fact, I remember almost NOTHING about this short from my previous viewing when it originally aired.
— I’m currently about halfway through this short, and I can now see why I had almost no prior memory of it. This short feels way too generic and by-the-numbers for a Lonely Island music video. Sure, this is well-produced and performed, but what does that matter when the actual humor and entertainment level is blah?
— I did get a good laugh just now from Pharrell’s great delivery of the lyric, “I just wanna hug your mama in a Subaru hatchback.”
— Overall, meh.
STARS: **
LEGOLAS FROM ‘THE HOBBIT’ TRIES TO ORDER AT TACO BELL
what the title above says
— An okay concept, feeling like it’s in the tradition of similarly-titled celebrity-tries-to-do-a-simple-task sketches from Andy’s era as a cast member, such as the Andre The Giant Chooses An Ice Cream Flavor sketch.
— A predictable but amusing ending line from a shaking-his-head Jay: “White people…..”.
— A short, simple, and decent sketch, if unmemorable.
STARS: ***
BLIZZARD MAN
during a recording session, 2 Chainz [real] vouches for Blizzard Man
— With the return of Blizzard Man, we of course also get the unnecessary return of Kenan playing the same technician character he plays in every installment of these Blizzard Man sketches who acts like he’s never seen Blizzard Man before and didn’t expect his rapping to be so bad. (*groan*)
— I had remembered tonight’s “Fuck You, Newbies” episode containing so many former cast member cameos, but had forgotten that it also throws almost as many non-SNL-alum cameos at us.
— For some reason, something about 2 Chainz’s laid-back, friendly way of telling Blizzard Man, “Get in the booth, fool”, made me laugh.
— As usual, they’re doing absolutely NOTHING new with the formula of this recurring sketch. The same-old same-old stuff. Sure, we had gotten a somewhat long hiatus from this formulaic recurring sketch, but even with that, there’s still way too much of a stale, unexciting, been-there-done-that feel to tonight’s return of this recurring sketch. It’s too old hat by this point.
— There’s SNL relying on that ol’, lazy “spinning newspaper headline” ending trope once again, which I know is the type of endings these Blizzard Man sketches always used to have back in the day, but even with that in mind, this particular headline ending still came off lazy and half-assed.
STARS: **
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Birth in Reverse”
BVLGARI
separated twins (ANS) & (KRW) & vacuous ex-porn stars endorse Bulgari
— Ah, here’s Andy in a walk-on with…….Kristen Wiig?!? OH, COME THE FUCK ON, SNL! Wasn’t that unwatchable Vogelchecks sketch enough Wiig for one night? Not to mention all the other cameos from former cast members hogging up roles that need to be going to the in-danger-of-getting-fired featured players who have unfairly gotten no final chance tonight to try saving their SNL tenures, and are instead stuck watching this entire episode from their dressing rooms.
— Also, such a lame decision to cast Kristen in a male role for no good reason.
— Vanessa: “With a watch, you’ll never have to stop a stranger on the street to ask him, ‘Are you my dad?’”
— Cecily: “You’ll feel like you’re an Egyptian queen, like Cleomydia.”
— (*groan*) Kristen apparently hasn’t gotten rid of her giggles from the Vogelchecks sketch, as she’s openly laughing her way through some of her lines in this sketch, and looks strangely uncommitted to this character.
— The Andy/Kristen portions are ruining this sketch for me, and it’s already been sad enough that Vanessa and Cecily haven’t been having anywhere near as many killer lines as they usually have in this recurring sketch.
— Overall, easily the weakest installment of this sketch, and an underwhelming way to close out this season.
STARS: **
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Aaaaaaand the season ends in a whimper. A truly poor and disappointing finish to the season. This episode started out decently if unnoteworthy (aside from the strong monologue), but felt like it got gradually worse as it went on, especially as so many gratuitous cameo appearances increasingly and frustratingly dominated this episode, to the detriment of the actual cast (a precursor of more recent years), who already had to fight for airtime all season long even without the cameos, due to how extremely overstuffed this season’s cast is. Even more frustrating was how the SNL alums making cameos tonight (minus Martin Short) are 1) all people who had been cast members within the last few years prior to this (and in Seth Meyers’ case, just earlier this same season), as if enough time had passed between then and 2014 for SNL to justifiably do a “late 00s/early 10s reunion” episode filled with cameos from an era that LITERALLY JUST FUCKING HAPPENED, and 2) a number of the alums from that era ALREADY make cameos way too frequently as it is, to the degree that you forget they even left the cast (Fred and Kristen, I’m lookin’ in your direction…..oh, and you, too, Amy Poehler, even though you weren’t in this particular episode), thus making their presence in this “reunion / nostalgia-fest” episode even less special-feeling. As a host, Andy Samberg, who certainly wasn’t the problem I had with this episode, deserved a much better episode than what he was given.
— Another disappointing thing about this episode is that I remember it was an underwhelming way to end my original 2000-2014 stint as a reviewer of newly-aired episodes. Lousy, refusing-to-let-go-of-the-recent-past episodes like this made me happy back at this time in 2014 that I was retiring from reviewing. Recently, I’ve had some people warn me that, based on the quality of SNL’s current 46th season, the final episode I review in my current SNL project will probably be a disappointing and unexciting note for me to end on. But after having already gone through the disappointment of this frustrating Andy Samberg episode being the final episode of my original reviewing stint, I feel like there’s nowhere to go but up in terms of what SNL has in store for me in the final episode I review in my current project.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
Monologue
When Will The Bass Drop?
Confident Hunchback
A Message From Solange & Jay-Z
Legolas From ‘The Hobbit’ Tries To Order At Taco Bell
Weekend Update
Waking Up With Kimye
Blizzard Man
Hugs
Camp Wicawabe
Bvlgari
Affectionate Family
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Charlize Theron)
a big step down
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS OVERALL SEASON STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (2012-13)
a mild step down
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Season 40 begins, with host Chris Pratt, two new additions to the cast, a revamped Weekend Update with a new co-anchor joining Colin Jost, and a new replacement for Don Pardo as SNL’s announcer. After spending the past 14 seasons of this SNL project reviewing episodes that I already covered in my original stint as a reviewer, I’m excited that the remainder of the seasons I’ll be covering in my current SNL project will be ones that I’ve never reviewed before and, in the case of the episodes from December 2018 to whenever I complete this project, episodes that I’ve never even seen before. (For those who don’t know, I’ve been on an ongoing hiatus from watching new episodes after the Steve Carell episode from season 44.) And as for the episodes between May 2014 and December 2018, I’m eager to re-watch them because I don’t remember a lot of them all that well anymore. The reason for that is because, back when those seasons originally aired, since I no longer had to worry about analyzing new SNL episodes or feverishly taking notes during the show now that I was retired from reviewing, I went into season 40 and the next two or so seasons afterwards with such a lax and “casual viewer” attitude that it caused the more average or forgettable portions of the show to completely pass by me, to the degree that, today, I no longer have much or ANY memory of them, whereas I still have a vivid memory of practically everything from the 2000-2014 years that I covered in my original reviewing stint.
A much weaker episode than I remembered, probably this season’s worst after Goodman. Still, I have a soft spot for it considering it’s what got 16 year old me into St. Vincent, an artist who still s mean a lot to me to this day.
The final show with the modified-Ebersol logo introduced in 2006.
Over the summer of ’14 they would release online behind the scenes clips of the cast. Most of the time they starred the featured players. One with John and Noel was released one day before it was announced they were fired.
And tomorrow officially starts where I became a religious viewer of SNL. Between this episode and the premiere, I researched so much about SNL and became enamored by it. Cut to me now in season 46: still a religious viewer, met Lorne Michaels and various cast members and writers, and performed for some of them. Fascinating how just a show can have such a huge impact in a small matter of time.
I nearly did a spit-take when you said you were six in 1990, because when season 40 started, I just entered middle school. I’m flabbergasted that you’ve made it to my era of the show. I’ve watched your journey since season 33 and will continue until you reach the most recent episodes. Thanks for making this site the highlight of my day, Stooge.
Those sound like some great experiences @Curly Joe. I never have gone to see SNL and doubt I ever will – I’m always impressed with people who manage to go, meet cast, etc. and have such positive interactions.
I remember the first night I did standby and it was cool just meeting the cast and seeing my childhood heroes up close. And almost all of my interactions have been very positive.
Hello Curly Joe. Do you do Impressions or have you done Comedy or have you done Improv ?
@Jody I would call myself a comedian, though I barely am. Before the pandemic, I was doing standup for a thing Kenan was producing, I was writing for a stage talk show in Chicago, and freelance-improvising here and there. Then everything fell through and I’m basically where I started. Hopefully, I can begin where I left off if things start to go back to normal.
And @John, I’ve never been to a taping of SNL, I just happened to run into them at clubs or in Lorne’s case, some of my friends were auditioning for SNL and I came to see them. I also met Higgins, Jost, and Che there and they were extremely nice. None of them got the show, but a few were flown out for drinks and screen tests.
@Curly Joe, thanks for the extra details. I’m glad they were all friendly. I hope you get back to where you were soon.
Here are the under 2 star sketches from S39:
*1/2:
-Cheer Squad (Miley Cyrus)
-The Lady Gaga Show (Bruce Willis)
-Centauri Vodka (Bruce Willis)
-Protective Son (Bruce Willis)
-The Sound of Music: Live and Condensed (Paul Rudd)
-Santa’a Workshop (Paul Rudd)
-The Christmas Whistle (John Goodman)
-H&M (John Goodman)
-Disney World (Drake)
-Willow (Jonah Hill)
-Monologue (Jim Parsons)
-Peter Pan (Jim Parsons)
-Audition (Anna Kendrick)
-Undercover Sharpton (Seth Rogen)
-Oliver Twist (Andrew Garfield)
*:
-Three Wise Guys (John Goodman)
-A Christmas Carol (Jimmy Fallon)
-Art Exhibit (Melissa McCarthy)
-Steakhouse (Seth Rogen)
-Engagement Party (Seth Rogen)
-Affectionate Family (Andy Samberg)
21 pieces, surprisingly down 1 from the previous season and the lowest since S34. Additionally, we got 3 less 1 star pieces than last season (though I think Stooge gave them out a little more liberally last season. I still don’t see how that Bravo sketch was a one star and Christmas Whistle isn’t, for instance).
Lorne had probably made up his mind on who to cut from the cast by the time of this episode. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already decided he didn’t like this group very early on, which is sad.
I imagine casual viewers who don’t think about underutilized cast members and do like random cameos enjoyed this one a lot, but yeah, this is a really bad episode if you’re someone who focuses in on the cast members more. (Hopefully that doesn’t sound like fandom gatekeeping.)
I always got the vibe that the show can’t let go of the Wiig/Hader/Samberg/etc. cast. Maybe it has to do with how that’s still the most popular cast nowadays, at least if you look on social media.
Gap Of Return:
– Bill Murray – 9 months 14 days
– Kristen Wiig – 11 months 23 days
– Chevy Chase – 1 year 3 months 19 days
– Norm Macdonald – 1 year 7 months 9 days
– Martin Short – 1 year 7 months 23 days
– Dana Carvey – 1 year 8 months 16 days
– Tina Fey – 1 year 9 months 3 days
– Amy Poehler – 1 year 9 months 12 days
– Phil Hartman – 1 year 10 months 9 days
– Andy Samberg – 1 years 11 months 29 days
– Mike Myers – 2 years 2 months 1 day
– Chris Farley – 2 years 5 months 12 days
– David Spade – 2 years 5 months 20 days
– Will Ferrell – 2 years 11 months 27 days
– Chris Rock – 3 years 5 months 18 days
– Maya Rudolph – 4 years 3 months 15 days
– Tracy Morgan – 5 years 9 months 28 days
– Molly Shannon – 6 years 2 months 25 days
– Paul Shaffer – 6 years 8 months 7 days
– Jon Lovitz – 7 years 5 months 20 days
– Jimmy Fallon – 7 years 7 months 2 days
– Damon Wayans – 9 years 24 days
– Ben Stiller – 9 years 5 months 4 days
– Robert Downey Jr – 10 years 5 months 23 days
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus – 20 years 11 months
– Dan Aykroyd – 23 years 11 months 22 days
Excluded:
– Billy Crystal
– Michael McKean
– Eddie Murphy
And also Seth Meyers, with 4 years, 8 months, and 12 days.
We haven’t reached that show yet silly.
Here is a ranking of the season ending sketches.
*****
– Backstage Fire (S11)
– So Long, Farewell (S19)
– Jimmy Tango (S21)
– Summer Break (S29)
– Goodnight Saigon (S34)
**** ½
– The Polar Bear Cage (S20)
****
– O’Donoghue Performance (S2)
– Karate School (S9)
– The Pirates (S13)
– Have A Bitchin’ Summer (S14)
– The Sunrise Show (S16)
– Bad Expectant Mother (S17)
– Criminal Encounter (S18)
– Larry King (S22)
– Memorial Day Greetings (S26)
– Bear City (S30)
– Bless This Child (S33)
– It’s A Lovely Day (S38)
*** ½
– The Franken And Davis Show (S3)
– Mommy Beer (S5)
– ^The Clams (S7)
– The Sweeney Sisters (S12)
– Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet (S24)
– The Diggers (S25)
***
– Not For Transsexuals Only (S4)
– The Red Guys (S10)
– The Boss (S15)
– Dr. Deacon’s Haunch Crack Powder (S28)
**½
– The Birthday (S8)
**
– Waiting For Pardo (S1)
– Neil Young’s New Album (S31)
– The Barry Gibb Talk Show (S36)
– The Ex-Porn Stars (S39)
*½
– The Bag Lady (S6)
– Snipers (S35)
*
– The Receptionist (S32)
N/A Rating
– The Lost Deep Thoughts of Jack Handey (S23)
– Will’s Last Show (S27)
– She’s A Rainbow (S37)
^ Repeat Airing
Tomorrow marks the start of what is my favorite season of SNL in my opinion. I can’t wait to see what we have in store. Pete Davidson and Michael Che join the cast and a few episodes later, Leslie Jones joins. Season 40 kicks off with three first time hosts, including 2 former cast members returning to host. The Louis C.K. episode from season 40 is my favorite out of four times he’s hosted and is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Chris Rock, Jim Carrey, Kevin Hart, Cameron Diaz, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, and Louis C.K. are some of the best hosts of this season. Plus we also get a new logo too still used to this day.
All I recall about this specific episode was the featured players committing suicide in the digital short. What a disparaging end to their SNL careers.
The cold open was extremely weak, made even worse when Maya showed up. It was more cute than funny. It felt like it wasn’t really targeting Beyonce and Jay Z, along with their family, but another attempt to have the two and/or her sister on her show. Seemed like a poor man’s Beygency.
All of those cameos really ruined this episode. As I mentioned elsewhere, it took away airtime from the regular cast, especially the large amount this season. Seeing a lot of the guests lining up in front of the cast during the goodnights pretty much said it all.
The kissing family sketch was the worst. The same tired formula and script from all the other sketches. Nothing new under the sun. This one was even more appalling than any of the previous ones.
I do find the DJ Davvincii short to be similar to the S11 ablaze sketch and S20 polar bears sketch. It was a cruel way for Brooks, Noel and John to go out. Mike at least got a chance to shorts, but it looked as if he was dropped as a live performer. I think Lorne may have saw how they turned out during rehearsals over the course of the season and didn’t like what he saw, yet hope in his mind they would improve. Guess to him they didn’t. Plus, the upheaval at the Update desk and the diversity controversy and later hire didn’t help.
Since we’re now moving into season 40, I’ll just repost my comment from the Louis C.K. episode and then shut up about the upcoming anniversary special:
Stooge, I was reading your 15th anniversary notes back in the comments of your season 15 review where you explain your decision not to review the three anniversary specials as they are mostly clip shows with music and intros.
As we are not coming up on season 40, I’d really like to encourage you to consider reviewing the 40th anniversary special, as it’s something unique — it actually is mostly new sketches unlike the 15th and 25th, and I really would love to see your thoughts on the vast convergence of 40 years of cast members performing in all new material. It’s really not like the other two specials at all.
Just a thought. I know you’ve made up your mind back when you started this but I hope you reconsider!
No matter what you do, I want to say how much I love these blog and have loved your reviews. It will be a sad day when you catch up with the show itself. I started reading this when I was on season 1 and you were on season 3 or 4 — now I’m only up to season 13 and you’re almost done with the show (so much for my plans to catch up and watch along with this blog in real time, ha). You’re doing great work and it’s been fun joining the SNL fanbase. A remarkably friendly and open one, I’ve found.
100% agree with you on everything, @Shayne Collins (not to piggyback).
Even if this season was a “rebuilding” year, this was the episode where they threw everything they rebuilt out the window… just to say “Remember how great we were three years ago?” all night. The only newbies to do anything other than die from a beat drop were the only ones who are still in the cast next season: Beck, Kyle, and Sasheer (and Colin if you count him). It makes me sad that Nöel, John, Brooks, and Mike had to go out in such a truly pitiful way. At least Mike gets to make a few more incredible shorts.
Andy definitely deserves another hosting episode, one that shows off him and the current cast instead of a dozen random celebrities. I think he would gel particularly well with Pete, Chloe, Andrew, and of course Chris Redd. Speaking of the current cast, we’re about to officially meet the core cast of the last seven years: Kenan, Kate, Aidy, Cecily, Beck, Kyle, Colin, Michael, and Pete. This is pretty much an era of little-to-no cast movement; in this next cast of 14/15 people, NINE of them are still here.
Also, @Stooge, I couldn’t help but mention this hilariously brutal quote from your original review of the Vogelchecks reunion: “ The worse and worse this sketch kept getting as it progressed, the more I wondered to myself what would be the lesser of three evils: sitting through this colossal laughless waste of time, sitting through a reprisal of The Californians, or sitting through the return of Garth & Kat. What answer did I come up with? Suicide.” Do you still stand by those words?
Stooge, is the article you talking about regarding the fired newbies from S39?
https://bronwynjoan.com/blog/2014/7/23/fired-rookies-designated-stars-and-the-troubling-snl-status-quo
“Stooge, is the article you talking about regarding the fired newbies from S39?
https://bronwynjoan.com/blog/2014/7/23/fired-rookies-designated-stars-and-the-troubling-snl-status-quo”
No, because I don’t see any mention of “the ‘Fuck you, newbies’ episode” in it. IIRC, Bronwyn made that mention of this episode being “the ‘Fuck you, newbies’ episode” on either the old Voy SNL board or the now-defunct saturday-night-live.com board.
I should add that Nasim deserved better than the Kimye sketch from tonight before she left. She did a lot of great work during her time on the show. I don’t think she think she was appreciated.
So Don Pardo-having done 38 of 39 seasons-is the longest-lasting voice to be on “SNL”! Only his death/passing prevented him from doing more…
What you felt about season 40 on, Stooge, is pretty much how I felt from eps after the ’90s on as you’ve probably realized from reading some of my comments from some previous seasons before this one as it’s mainly my teen years of the Eddie Murphy seasons I’m most enamored of…
I’m with you, Stooge. My memory of SNLs is gone now that I’m no longer reviewing them. I enjoyed reviewing the show but it was also nice to just sit back and enjoy it and ff through the bad skits.
DRESS CUTS
Testicules
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/cut-for-time-testicules-cologne/2783125
Update – Magic Johnson (Kenan)
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-magic-johnson-on-the-donald-sterling-scandal-dress-version/2783153
Obama calls Samberg
~ Nighttime in the Oval Office: aide (Killam) asks President Obama (Pharoah) if he’s good for the night. Barack just needs to make one phone call; aide leaves him to it. Obama dials, Andy Samberg picks up (still wearing his tie-dye shirt and coming off the Camp Wicawabe set). Obama tells Samberg he is watching the show: “That Confident Hunchback thing was really funny.” Samberg: “Eh, that’s a bit of a stretch.” Obama sings “thing in a box” à la the digital short, to which Samberg replies that he’s “better than Timberlake.” Michelle (Sasheer) walks in, wearing a robe and brushing her hair. Barack tells her “I got Andy Samberg on the phone. You wanna talk?” Michelle silently walks away. Prez asks Andy if they’ll do another short. Andy says “Well, we already did the ONE…” Lorne enters and gestures to Andy to wrap up the call. Andy tells Barack he needs to get back to the show, and the prez sez “Say hello to your mother for me.”, a nod to the Mark Wahlberg impression. Then we see the second digital short, which was When Will The Bass Drop?. Order of shorts switched for air
Italian Cheerleaders
~ Title Card: cheergals on the sidelines during a football (soccer) match. Head cheerleader (Cecily) tells Sasheer that after 8 months of pregnancy, she must finally leave the squad. Their team scores, so the rest of them (Noël, Nasim, Kate) “cheer”: a series of stone-faced dance moves. Star player Rodolfo (Samberg) runs to the sidelines and verbally fights with Cecily, ending with the two saying “I love you.” Another cheer routine. Teammate (Killam) joins Rodolfo in passionately quarrelling with Cecily, saying “We are men!” a lot. Player from the other team (Bobby) says one line that I forgot. Sasheer returns with her newly-delivered baby. Bb’s first words: “I am a man, momma!”
~ wrote the word “butthole” in my notes, but can’t remember the context
TIDS & BITS
Solange introduced herself as such: “And I’m, as most of you know me in your phones, Beyoncé’s sister.” ** Cut Bit: after Bobby breakdances in the video, Vanessa walks in as “the girl he likes”. Solange: “He tries to act like he wasn’t just breakdancing, but she knows”
monologue: Timberlake sent a 2nd pic: he sits on toilet with sign: “This is what I think of you” ** Andy said he was 28 impressions behind Bill Hader. On air, he said 23, and Seth said 24. SNL Archives (in 2014) listed Hader at 82, Samberg at 54, so they changed the correct number to an incorrect one for air. Every impression on air was done during dress, and the only one I noticed missing from dress was Andy’s take on Will Forte (“Hello, my dog.”) = inside joke ** Martin Short did not appear at dress. Instead, Kenan, Vanessa, & Taran came out to celebrate, all wearing black “Team Bill” shirts
Legolas title card font more ornate, in a Middle-Earth style ** Jost was on set during the break, giving notes ** Cut Running Gag: Legolas occasionally yells “Orcs!”, turns around, shoot customers with arrows: Mooney first victim, Milhiser second (“This is how my dad died!”), Brooks third. Main sketch set was to the far right of home base, and the customer set was on the other side of the studio (in front of the musical guest stage), so the timing was quite sloppy ** yep, another example of the “kill off the newbies” vibe of this season and finale (though Mooney makes it to next year)
Hunchback told Nasim she should “come back to my place, we can rock some crucifixes off the wall.” Nasim: “You’re funny.” Hunch: “I STINK!” ** while walking over to Aidy, Hunchback quietly sings the theme to himself (wish they kept that in). He later tells her that he uses “hump” as a noun AND a verb ** when Esmerelda says Hunchy has a beautiful soul, he did this weird cry and says he just wanted someone to love him ** at the end, with all the gals gathered around, Hunch simply said “I’m dying”
Camp Wicawabe: Aidy says this is the first summer she didn’t have to sleep with a diaper on ** Samberg claims “our bunk doesn’t take naps.” Aidy: “How do you make it to night?!” Samberg then talks about how he’s always horny ** Samberg said they had to throw out the saddle after the period girl freaked out on the horse
Kanye introduces Bruce Jenner as a “human Decepticon”
Vogelchecks: at the beginning, Samberg reassures his boyfriend that his family is “completely normal and nothing is wrong with them” ** Hader cracked up a bit after motorboating Wiig ** like on air, Fred also broke hardcore during his speech ** this showed BEFORE Update, so the “surprise” later of Paul Rudd as Nic Cage’s guest was less effective
Blizzard Man: after a rap, Blizzy B calls 2 Chainz “Tupelo”. When the others wonder, 2 Chainz says his real name is Tupelo Chainzenstein, and he was raised on a Jewish farm in Mississippi
Update: Bruce was Colin’s guest, not Cecily’s
Bvlgari: the gals called Bvlgari ”the champagne of beers of watches” ** Vanessa: “I’m missing my butt, so scientists put a bionic butt inside me. If I ever get an enema, I’ll explode” ** Cecily’s last line was “bondage” instead of “anal beads”. Audience didn’t really react because it was hard to hear
Mike O’Brien was not in any live sketches in dress AGAIN. He was the first to rush off the stage, after Hader gave him a pat on the back
DRESS RUNDOWN
Solange/JAY Z
monologue
TESTICULES (CUT)
Italian Cheerleaders (CUT)
Kimye
HUGS
Vogelchecks
Blizzard Man
St. Vincent #1
Update
Magic Johnson (CUT)
Bruce Chandling
Get In The Cage
Confident Hunchback
Camp Wicawabe
Obama call (CUT)
BASS DROP
Legolas at Taco Bell
St. Vincent #2
Bvlgari
goodnights
Thanks for that rundown, @FeaturingEmilyPrager. Hyperbole, I know, but my heart breaks a bit for Mike there – I’m glad Bill gave him a moment of comfort. Considering Mike had been a writer (and a very good one) for 4-5 years before joining the cast, I doubt this was ever the way he imagined his season would have been. Thankfully he at least gets to do some more great shorts and has since moved on to an acclaimed show of his own.
I would have liked to see that first sketch you summarized, sounds fun. I guess they cut it while rearranging the sketch order for the show.
Also cool to have it confirmed that Martin Short’s appearance in the monologue was a surprise. It didn’t seem like Hader was expecting it.
The constant cameos in this episode honestly feels like a bit of a chilling omen, considering the next “era” of the show is gonna take that trend and ramp it up to 11 in the next few years.
Hey, a Megan Callahan pic! Thank you for sharing.
I didn’t think this episode was awful –your disdain for the Vogelchecks is ambivalence to me– but this episode had *way* too many cameos. This epitomizes the “cameo orgies” I occasionally complain about, though there’s still a few to come. It still underwhelms, though.
This is also the end of an extended transitional period for SNL. Starting with the next episode, you have *nine* actors still in the cast, the same logo, and the same WU tandem.
“Recently, I’ve had some people warn me that, based on the quality of SNL’s current 46th season, the final episode I review in my current SNL project will probably be a disappointing and unexciting note for me to end on.”
@Stooge, not to jinx it, but so far I don’t really think the season is going to let you down any more than ending it in most seasons of modern SNL (I guess some would exclude 12-13 or 16-17, give or take) There are some downsides, like the fact that you will be spending your last season with the forever cast (in their last season, presumably) rather than getting to see more fresh players, and of course the many 10-15 minute political cold opens from hell, but for the most part I’d compare it to where the show was from around 2009-2012 – waiting for people to leave, some fresh blood getting a chance here and there, some moments of creativity alongside some clunkiness. There are some differences (the overall writing was stronger back then; Update is much stronger now), but not as many as you’d think considering how that era tends to be idolized today.
At least, barring some miraculous shifts in pandemic response, you will have a final season which is much less cameo-heavy than any of recent times (even Jim Carrey only stuck around a few months).
I believe that the reason Fred and Bill broke in the Vogelcheck sketch is because when Fred spread his arms during his speech, he accidentally hit Bill in the cheek.
As someone who tends to be more forgiving of modern snl’s worst tendencies like the constant cameos, even I have to agree that this was overkill. Bill and Seth’s in the monologue didn’t really matter to me (it was a solid premise and nice to see them back), but bringing back the Vogelchecks made no sense, considering that Andy was never a constant in that sketch and made brief appearances as various characters (roommate, homeless dude, etc), so it doesn’t really make sense in the slightest.
The only reason the Vogelchecks made sense was the Michael Sam story. And even that didn’t come in until halfway through. Also I gotta give them credit for progressively upping the ante each time they did this sketch; sharing the air is taking the concept of an overly affectionate family to its logical (illogical?) extreme. Other than that… why? Why were there so many cameos in this episode? Seriously, does anyone know?
My best guess is Lorne thought people thought was a disappointment and called on so much of the old and beloved cast for the finale as a “remember why you watch this show” for people to remember over the summer.
@Thatchos, yeah I get that it *kinda* makes sense based on current events. (I guess they wanted to comment on it in some way???)
Now don’t get me wrong, I like the sketch (I’m one of the few who don’t mind the Vogelcheck sketches) and on its own it’s a solid conclusion to the previous ones, but it really doesn’t make sense in context with the episode/host/cast bc it relies so heavily on past cast members (and again, why Andy?).
And I get that they were probably all there anyway to watch the show, but that doesn’t mean you have to write them an entire sketch utilizing pretty much none of the current cast!! (If they really had to do it, they could utilize the kissing family as one of the sons carrying on the tradition with their own family, as a way to explain the others’ absence, using actual current cast members)
@Thatchos, I’d guess it’s a combination of the show liking to splurge during season finales, a popular alum host with cast members of his era who were still easily available to return, and a tacit acknowledgment to the fans who had not cared for the season (as this period was, I believe, low-rated – the Bill Hader episode coming up in a few days was the lowest-rated SNL episode of all time up to that point).
I’m just still a bit bewildered at the thought of them originally having not one, but two pieces in this episode that had most of the new cast being “killed.” It’s so callous and unnecessary, especially when some of these people had been longtime fans of the show.
Here is a decent writeup for the season by Ryan McGee,.
https://tv.avclub.com/a-transitional-season-of-saturday-night-live-struggles-1798180513
As for why they brought back the Vogelchecks, I’d guess it’s partly down to some of the cast involved enjoying the sketch (wasn’t it one of Bill’s favorites?). It also meant that Andy, who has made it clear he didn’t see himself as a sketch performer, could have an easy time.
Considering the initial criticism of this sketch for homophobia, I suppose that on paper, it was nice they addressed this by having a canonically gay character in the sketch (even if it was mostly just Taran playing the generic gay role he often leaned on) to point out the difference between these “lol men kissing” pieces and how a lot of people react to two actual gay men showing affection. It’s just that none of this is especially funny, or well put together. Still, at least they tried.
Here are the average ratings for Season 39:
*may not represent review’s perception*
3901: 7.0 (Tina Fey)
3902: 6.4 (Miley Cyrus)
3903: 5.4 (Bruce Willis)
3904: 6.8 (Edward Norton)
3905: 7.3 (Kerry Washington)
3906: 6.8 (Lady Gaga)
3907: 6.8 (Josh Hutcherson)
3908: 5.8 (Paul Rudd)
3909: 5.2 (John Goodman)
3910: 5.7 (Jimmy Fallon)
3911: 6.1 (Drake)
3912: 6.4 (Jonah Hill)
3913: 6.0 (Melissa McCarthy)
3914: 6.3 (Jim Parsons)
3915: 5.9 (Lena Dunham)
3916: 7.6 (Louis C.K.)
3917: 6.7 (Anna Kendrick)
3918: 5.6 (Seth Rogen)
3919: 6.4 (Andrew Garfield)
3920: 6.1 (Charlize Theron)
3921: 4.9 (Andy Samberg)
Best Episode: 3916 (Louis C.K.)- 7.6
Worst Episode: 3921 (Andy Samberg)- 4.9
Season Average: 6.2
Long time no post, here are the five star sketches from the 2013-14 season:
The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders (Edward Norton)
Cartoon Catchphrase (Kerry Washington)
80s Song (Josh Hutcherson)
(Do It On My) Twin Bed (Jimmy Fallon)
Monologue (Louis CK)
Dyke & Fats (Louis CK)
Flirty (Anna Kendrick)
Monster Pals (Seth Rogen)
The Beygency (Andrew Garfield)
Wedding (Andrew Garfield)
10 Sketches. A notable step down from the previous season, but still edging out more celebrated seasons like 11-12 and 10-11. This is due in large part to this season’s pre-tapes, which make up over half of this list. Most of them I love, some I like and one I merely tolerate. There are pieces that aren’t here that I’m a little more enthusiastic about, including Heshy, 4th Grade Talent Show, Scandal (I love fourth wall-breaking characters) and especially Mornin’ Miami (which is just about perfect). As has been discussed, this is a highly strange season, but there is a lot to really celebrate. I know other seasons are perceived as stronger (2014-2017 seems to show an uphill trend), but I’m not sure if the five star totals will bear that out.
And now the ****½ sketches:
Boy Dance Party (Bruce Willis)
Sigma (Bruce Willis)
Critter Control (Edward Norton)
Halloween Candy (Edward Norton)
Oval Office (Kerry Washington)
Bill Brasky (Paul Rudd)
Super Champions (Melissa McCarthy)
Oscar Profiles: 12 Years A Slave (Jim Parsons)
Blue River Dog Food (Seth Rogen)
Dragon Babies (Charlize Theron)
Season Averages Ranked:
#14 – 7.2
#15 – 7.1
#18 – 7.1
#17 – 7.0
#21 – 7.0
#22 – 7.0
#24 – 7.0
#16 – 6.9
#23 – 6.9
#26 – 6.8
#13 – 6.7
#25 – 6.7
#34 – 6.7
#3 – 6.6
#4 – 6.6
#27 – 6.6
#2 – 6.5
#12 – 6.5
#33 – 6.5
#38 – 6.5
#1 – 6.3
#10 – 6.3
#32 – 6.3
#37 – 6.3
#5 – 6.2
—> #39 – 6.2 <—
#9 – 6.1
#28 – 6.1
#31 – 6.1
#35 – 6.1
#8 – 6.0
#19 – 6.0
#36 – 6.0
#7 – 5.8
#11 – 5.7
#29 – 5.7
#20 – 5.6
#6 – 5.3
#30 – 5.3
So I know that I’ve watched this episode… but for some reason, while I remember the sketches that come after it and before it, I don’t remember anything about Weekend Update. Not a thing. I’m trying to figure out if it was cut out of whatever streaming version I was watching (although I’m sure I would have noticed its absence) or if I inexplicably fell asleep in the middle of the episode and woke up afterwards. Well, moving on to what I do remember…
I enjoyed this episode in theory a bit more than I actually enjoyed it. I love Andy Samberg but I think your final assessment is right in that he deserved a better episode to host. I’m surprised this has been his only hosting gig so far! For a highly popular SNL alum with a highly popular sitcom, you’d think they’d have brought him back at least once more… Though this isn’t usually the case, my favorite part of this episode (that I remember…) is the monologue, because the impressions crack me up and when Bill Hader comes out, it feels like a nice callback to the impression-off they did on their first episode. It also has the best use of cameos (although it feels weird to see Seth back so soon after he left the show earlier in the season).
“When Will the Bass Drop” is my other highlight for this episode. Minus the uncomfortable subtext re. featured players, sadly. What a sad way to go out. The other Digital Short falls flat imo. It’s not a particularly memorable song or a strong concept for one.
I was so surprised they brought the Vogelchecks back, and not pleasantly so. It’s not like Andy ever played a big role in those sketches, enough that he would be associated with them. It’s a shame that they brought this back with all the cameos when they could have been featuring the current cast… hm, that sounds like a familiar complaint for the most recent seasons of SNL. I think @Anastasia is right that Fred starts breaking because he accidentally hits Bill during his speech. Not helped by Bill egging him on of course… Is it unprofessional? Sure. Was it the only time I laughed during the sketch? Yeah.
Not much to say about the rest of the episode. I liked Confident Hunchback and Bvlgari all right. Other than that… ??
Really looking forward to the reviews for the next season. Not being very familiar with current SNL, your reviews for this season have got me way more interested in it than I was before, and I’m sure the same will continue to hold true.
So I know that I’ve watched this episode… but for some reason, while I remember the sketches that come after it and before it, I don’t remember anything about Weekend Update. Not a thing. I’m trying to figure out if it was cut out of whatever streaming version I was watching (although I’m sure I would have noticed its absence) or if I inexplicably fell asleep in the middle of the episode and woke up afterwards. Well, moving on to what I do remember…
I enjoyed this episode in theory a bit more than I actually enjoyed it. I love Andy Samberg but I think your final assessment is right in that he deserved a better episode to host. I’m surprised this has been his only hosting gig so far! For a highly popular SNL alum with a highly popular sitcom, you’d think they’d have brought him back at least once more… Though this isn’t usually the case, my favorite part of this episode (that I remember…) is the monologue, because the impressions crack me up and when Bill Hader comes out, it feels like a nice callback to the impression-off they did on their first episode. It also has the best use of cameos (although it feels weird to see Seth back so soon after he left the show earlier in the season).
“When Will the Bass Drop” is my other highlight for this episode. Minus the uncomfortable subtext re. featured players, sadly. What a sad way to go out. The other Digital Short falls flat imo. It’s not a particularly memorable song or a strong concept for one.
I was so surprised they brought the Vogelchecks back, and not pleasantly so. It’s not like Andy ever played a big role in those sketches, enough that he would be associated with them. It’s a shame that they brought this back with all the cameos when they could have been featuring the current cast… hm, that sounds like a familiar complaint for the most recent seasons of SNL. I think @Anastasia is right that Fred starts breaking because he accidentally hits Bill during his speech. Not helped by Bill egging him on of course… Is it unprofessional? Sure. Was it the only time I laughed during the sketch? Yeah.
Not much to say about the rest of the episode. I liked Confident Hunchback and Bvlgari all right. Other than that… ??
Really looking forward to the reviews for the next season. Not being very familiar with current SNL, your reviews for this season have got me way more interested in it than I was before, and I’m sure the same will continue to hold true.
One last thing: St. Vincent ROCKS.
@Blue, I have wondered if Andy just didn’t really want to keep coming back, if he wanted to say he hosted, and he did, and that was enough. He phased himself out of appearances earlier than most of the other alum of his era did (Bill seems to have followed).
I also like the idea of that setup to the second pre-tape. One of those little mindbending moments for SNL’s usual reality that we don’t have now.
Both have returned a normal amount for alum I feel. We’ve gotten 2 new Digital Shorts from Samberg (one an all time classic) and Hader’s hosted twice and cameo’d a couple more times, including once in an Update summer special. They’re not on as much as someone like Jason who still pops up about once a season (not that I’m complaining) or Maya who pops up whenever the hell (a little more of a complaint about that) but certainly more than a guy like Will Forte, who has popped up twice or so since he left, or Taran or Bobby, who have never come back (and in the case of Taran, very likely never will).
@Anthony Peter Coleman, interestingly, Maya actually chose to cut back her appearances on the show after this episode (I think she has one more cameo to come the next/last time Amy hosts) as she felt it was her time to move on with most of her cast gone. (she said this in an EW interview around the time of Maya and Marty, I think) If not for Kamala Harris and Kristen encouraging her to take the part, I wonder if she would have stuck to that plan. Her heavy cameo appearances over the last two seasons end up making it seem like she never stopped.
“Both have returned a normal amount for alum I feel. We’ve gotten 2 new Digital Shorts from Samberg (one an all time classic) and Hader’s hosted twice and cameo’d a couple more times, including once in an Update summer special. ”
I think Andy always kept a bit more distant relationship compared to the others (Fred, Jason, Bill, Kristen). One of his returns was something of a special request due to Natalie Portman hosting, others were to plug his Lonely Island, material, etc. Not as many of the “just because” type of cameos. I think Bill has also started to take that path the last few seasons – he hosted in 2018 for Barry, then appeared in Mulaney’s second episode (also around the time Barry was starting back up, I think), but nothing since, aside from the tribute to Hal Willner.
You do have a point about Forte, but then I did not realize until reading these reviews and comments that he returned several times only to have all of his appearances cut.
“I still don’t see how that Bravo sketch was a one star and Christmas Whistle isn’t, for instance”
Because NOTHING in the Bravo sketch made me laugh, whereas the Christmas Whistle sketch, as bad as it was, had two things I laughed at (a line delivery of Bobby’s, and a decent bit about Kate’s character’s mother). As I said before, I have to be fair in the ratings I give out in this SNL project. There are fewer sketches I despise more than The Californians, but as you may have noticed, I rated most of the Californians sketches one-and-a-half stars instead of a measly one star, because almost every installment of that recurring sketch contained one highlight. Fair’s fair.
“I’d really like to encourage you to consider reviewing the 40th anniversary special”
Stay tuned for an announcement I’ll be making about that in my next review. (I’m making the announcement there instead of here because I want everybody to read it, in case there are regular readers of my reviews who never check out the comments section.)
“I couldn’t help but mention this hilariously brutal quote from your original review of the Vogelchecks reunion: “ The worse and worse this sketch kept getting as it progressed, the more I wondered to myself what would be the lesser of three evils: sitting through this colossal laughless waste of time, sitting through a reprisal of The Californians, or sitting through the return of Garth & Kat. What answer did I come up with? Suicide.” Do you still stand by those words?”
Absolutely.
Have you ever said which of those 3 is your least favorite Stooge? (Ignore this if you plan on doing a “worst sketch/ worst recurring character” thing in your last review, as I know you mentioned something about having a few accolades or final thoughts to give when all’s said and done.)
“Have you ever said which of those 3 is your least favorite Stooge?”
Hard to pick, but I’d probably say Garth & Kat, because of the unparalleled level of sheer self-indulgence involved.
Was curious how the first and last episodes rank. Thank you Vax! Here’s the ranking:
Season Premiere:
8.5 – Tom Hanks (S14)
8.0 – Kyle McLachlan (S16)
7.7 – Michael Jordan (S17)
7.6 – Rob Lowe (S26)
7.4 – Alec Baldwin (S37)
7.3 – Steve Martin (S3)
7.3 – Cameron Diaz (S24)
7.3 – Jerry Seinfeld (S25)
7.3 – Dane Cook (S32)
7.3 – Seth MacFarlane (S38)
7.1 – Sylvester Stallone (S23)
7.0 – Steve Martin (S13)
7.0 – Nicholas Cage (S18)
7.0 – Mariel Hemingway (S21)
7.0 – LeBron James (S33)
—> 7.0 – Tina Fey (S39)
6.8 – Rolling Stones (S4)
6.8 – Chevy Chase (S8)
6.7 – George Carlin (S1)
6.7 – (no host) (S10)
6.6 – Tom Hanks (S22)
6.6 – Matt Damon (S28)
6.5 – Lily Tomlin (S2)
6.5 – Steve Martin (S5)
6.5 – Bruce Willis (S15)
6.5 – Michael Phelps (S34)
6.4 – (no host) (S7)
6.4 – Sigourney Weaver (S12)
6.3 – Steve Carell (S31)
6.1 – Brandon Tartikoff (S9)
6.1 – Amy Poehler (S36)
6.0 – Charles Barkley (S19)
5.8 – Madonna (S11)
5.8 – Reese Witherspoon (S27)
5.8 – Jack Black (S29)
5.5 – Elliott Gould (S6)
5.3 – Ben Affleck (S30)
5.3 – Megan Fox (S35)
4.9 – Steve Martin (S20)
Season Finale:
8.1 – Jim Carrey (S21)
7.7 – Steve Martin (S14)
7.7 – Christopher Walken (S26)
7.5 – George Wendt (S16)
7.3 – Will Ferrell (S34)
7.1 –Ben Affleck (S38)
6.9 – Buck Henry (S2)
6.9 – Buck Henry (S5)
6.9 – Heather Locklear (S19)
6.9 – Sarah Michelle Gellar (S24)
6.9 – Dan Aykroyd (S28)
6.8 – Jeff Goldblum (S22)
6.7 – Billy Crystal & Others (S9)
6.6 – Woody Harrelson (S17)
6.6 – David Duchovny (S23)
6.6 – Winona Ryder (S27)
6.5 – Howard Cosell (S10)
6.5 – Kevin Kline (S18)
6.4 – Buck Henry (S4)
6.4 – Judge Reinhold (S13)
6.4 – Candice Bergen (S15)
6.1 – David Duchovny (S20)
6.1 – Kevin Spacey (S31)
6.1 – Steve Carell (S33)
6.1 – Justin Timberlake (S36)
5.9 – Kris Kristofferson (S1)
5.9 – Olivia Newton-John (S7)
5.9 – Dennis Hopper (S12)
5.9 – Alec Baldwin (S35)
5.8 – Olsen Twins (S29)
5.7 – Mick Jagger (S37)
5.6 – (no host) (S6)
5.5 – Jackie Chan (S25)
5.5 – Zach Braff (S32)
5.3 – Buck Henry (S3)
5.3 – Ed Koch (S8)
5.3 – Anjelica Huston (S11)
—> 4.9 – Andy Samberg (S39)
4.7 – Lindsay Lohan (S30)
Five Timers Overall Rank
8.8 – Alec Baldwin (15.18)
8.8 – Christopher Walken (18.04)
8.5 – Tom Hanks (14.01)
8.4 – Tom Hanks (16.08)
8.3 – Christopher Walken (15.11)
8.0 – Steve Martin (3.18)
8.0 – Christopher Walken (25.16)
7.9 – Tom Hanks (17.19)
7.9 – Christopher Walken (28.13)
7.8 – Candice Bergen (2.10)
7.8 – Paul Simon (13.08)
7.8 – John Goodman (21.15)
7.8 – Alec Baldwin (24.09)
7.7 – Steve Martin (14.20)
7.7 – Alec Baldwin (18.13)
7.7 – Christopher Walken (21.10)
7.7 – John Goodman (23.12)
7.7 – Christopher Walken (26.20)
7.6 – Bill Murray (12.14)
7.6 – John Goodman (15.07)
7.6 – John Goodman (16.07)
7.6 – Tina Fey (33.05)
7.4 – John Goodman (22.19)
7.4 – Ben Affleck (29.15)
7.4 – Dwayne Johnson (34.17)
7.4 – Alec Baldwin (37.01)
7.3 – Paul Simon (2.08)
7.3 – Steve Martin (3.01)
7.3 – Tom Hanks (13.12)
7.3 – John Goodman (24.17)
7.3 – John Goodman (27.04)
7.3 – Ben Affleck (34.07)
7.3 – Will Ferrell (34.22)
7.2 – Buck Henry (2.06)
7.1 – Steve Martin (4.04)
7.1 – Alec Baldwin (20.08)
7.1 – Justin Timberlake (29.02)
7.1 – Alec Baldwin (26.16)
7.1 – Alec Baldwin (32.05)
7.1 – Ben Affleck (38.21)
7.0 – Steve Martin (2.05)
7.0 – Elliott Gould (2.19)
7.0 – Steve Martin (13.01)
7.0 – Danny DeVito (14.07)
7.0 – Alec Baldwin (21.11)
7.0 – Tina Fey (39.01)
6.9 – Buck Henry (1.21)
6.9 – Buck Henry (2.22)
6.9 – Buck Henry (5.04)
6.9 – Buck Henry (5.20)
6.9 – Tom Hanks (15.13)
6.9 – John Goodman (17.15)
6.9 – Bill Murray (18.14)
6.9 – Alec Baldwin (22.14)
6.9 – Ben Affleck (25.13)
6.9 – Dwayne Johnson (25.15)
6.8 – Elliott Gould (1.09)
6.8 – Chevy Chase (8.01)
6.8 – Three Amigos (12.06)
6.8 – Alec Baldwin (16.14)
6.8 – Danny DeVito (18.10)
6.8 – Drew Barrymore (24.16)
6.8 – Christopher Walken (33.09)
6.7 – Bill Murray (6.12)
6.7 – Tom Hanks (11.05)
6.7 – John Goodman (20.16)
6.7 – Alec Baldwin (27.18)
6.7 – Justin Timberlake (34.21)
6.6 – Buck Henry (1.10)
6.6 – Chevy Chase (3.11)
6.6 – Tom Hanks (22.01)
6.6 – Will Ferrell (30.19)
6.6 – Drew Barrymore (32.12)
6.5 – Candice Bergen (1.04)
6.5 – Steve Martin (5.01)
6.5 – Candice Bergen (13.05)
6.5 – Chevy Chase (21.02)
6.5 – Dwayne Johnson (27.17)
6.4 – Eliott Gould (1.22)
6.4 – Steve Martin (2.14)
6.4 – Buck Henry (3.06)
6.4 – Buck Henry (4.20)
6.4 – Danny DeVito (13.06)
6.4 – Candice Bergen (15.20)
6.4 – Bill Murray (24.14)
6.4 – Scarlett Johansson (31.10)
6.4 – Jonah Hill (39.12)
6.3 – Candice Bergen (1.08)
6.3 – Danny DeVito (7.09)
6.3 – John Goodman (18.15)
6.3 – Jonah Hill (33.08)
6.2 – Buck Henry (4.05)
6.2 – Elliott Gould (4.09)
6.2 – Bill Murray (7.08)
6.1 – Steve Martin (3.09)
6.1 – Chevy Chase (17.11)
6.1 – Danny DeVito (25.08)
6.1 – Steve Martin (31.12)
6.1 – Justin Timberlake (36.22)
6.0 – John Goodman (19.19)
6.0 – John Goodman (25.18)
6.0 – Justin Timberlake (32.09)
6.0 – Drew Barrymore (35.03)
6.0 – Will Ferrell (37.21)
6.0 – Jonah Hill (37.17)
6.0 – Justin Timberlake (38.16)
6.0 – Melissa McCarthy (39.13)
5.9 – Chevy Chase (5.10)
5.9 – Chevy Chase (22.13)
5.9 – Alec Baldwin (31.08)
5.9 – Alec Baldwin (35.22)
5.8 – Paul Simon (5.14)
5.8 – Steve Martin (5.19)
5.8 – Steve Martin (17.09)
5.8 – Drew Barrymore (27.03)
5.8 – Tom Hanks (31.17)
5.8 – Steve Martin (34.14)
5.8 – Tina Fey (35.18)
5.8 – Tina Fey (36.20)
5.7 – Melissa McCarthy (38.17)
5.6 – Paul Simon (1.02)
5.6 – Alec Baldwin (34.16)
5.5 – Elliott Gould (6.01)
5.5 – Chevy Chase (11.02)
5.5 – Paul Simon (11.16)
5.5 – Alec Baldwin (29.06)
5.5 – Melissa McCarthy (37.02)
5.4 – Danny DeVito & RP (9.02)
5.3 – Buck Henry (3.20)
5.3 – Elliott Gould (5.3)
5.3 – Drew Barrymore (8.07)
5.3 – Alec Baldwin & KB (19.13)
5.3 – Ben Affleck (30.01)
5.2 – John Goodman (39.09)
5.0 – Drew Barrymore (29.12)
4.9 – Steve Martin (20.01)
4.8 – Scarlett Johansson (36.06)
4.7 – Scarlett Johansson (32.18)
Andy’s show joins the bottom rank.
Best and Worst Episode Ranking
8.9 – Jerry Seinfeld (17.18)
8.8 – Alec Baldwin (15.18)
8.8 – Christopher Walken (18.04)
8.5 – Tom Hanks (14.01)
8.4 – Tom Hanks (16.08)
8.3 – Christopher Walken (15.11)
8.1 – David Alan Grier (21.08)
8.1 – Jim Carrey (21.20)
8.0 – Steve Martin (3.18)
8.0 – Chris Evert (15.05)
8.0 – Robert Wagner (15.08)
8.0 – Kyle MacLachlan (16.01)
8.0 – Ray Romano (24.15)
8.0 – Christopher Walken (25.16)
8.0 – Jon Hamm (34.06)
8.0 – Martin Short (38.10)
7.9 – Tom Hanks (17.19)
7.9 – Sinbad (18.07)
7.9 – Kevin Spacey (22.10)
7.9 – Steve Buscemi (23.17)
7.9 – Christopher Walken (28.13)
7.9 – Jamie Foxx (38.09)
7.8 – Candice Bergen (2.10)
7.8 – Gary Busey (4.14)
7.8 – Paul Simon (13.08)
7.8 – John Larroquette (14.03)
7.8 – Rick Moranis (15.02)
7.8 – Patrick Swayze (16.04)
7.8 – Miranda Richardson (18.16)
7.8 – John Goodman (21.15)
7.8 – Martin Short (22.08)
7.8 – Alec Baldwin (24.09)
7.8 – Calista Flockhart (26.05)
7.8 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus (31.18)
7.8 – Anne Hathaway (34.04)
7.8 – John Malkovich (34.10)
7.7 – Robin Williams (12.05)
7.7 – William Shatner (12.08)
7.7 – Steve Martin (14.20)
7.7 – Michael Jordan (17.01)
7.7 – Kirstie Alley (17.03)
7.7 – Kiefer Sutherland (17.05)
7.7 – Joe Pesci (18.03)
7.7 – Harvey Keitel (18.11)
7.7 – Alec Baldwin (18.13)
7.7 – Christopher Walken (21.10)
7.7 – Rob Lowe (22.17)
7.7 – John Goodman (23.12)
7.7 – Garth Brooks (23.14)
7.7 – Conan O’Brien (26.14)
7.7 – Christopher Walken (26.20)
7.7 – Jon Stewart (27.14)
7.7 – Louis C.K. (38.06)
–
4.9 – Steven Seagal (16.18)
4.9 – Steve Martin (20.01)
4.9 – Colin Farrell (30.07)
4.9 – Cameron Diaz (30.16)
4.9 – Eva Longoria (31.06)
4.9 – Taylor Lautner (35.09)
4.9 – Justin Bieber (38.13)
4.9 – Andy Samberg (39.21)
4.8 – Frank Zappa (4.03)
4.8 – Jamie Lee Curtis (6.04)
4.8 – Robert Culp (7.18)
4.8 – Jerry Hall (11.10)
4.8 – Christian Slater (19.05)
4.8 – Jennifer Aniston (29.09)
4.8 – Lance Armstrong (31.04)
4.8 – Gabourey Sidibe (35.20)
4.8 – Scarlett Johansson (36.06)
4.7 – Sally Kellerman (6.09)
4.7 – Teri Garr (11.06)
4.7 – Johnny Knoxville (30.18)
4.7 – Lindsay Lohan (30.20)
4.7 – Scarlett Johansson (32.18)
4.6 – Malcolm McDowell (6.02)
4.6 – Charlene Tilton (6.11)
4.6 – Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey (29.10)
4.6 – Ashton Kutcher (30.15)
4.5 – Nancy Kerrigan (19.15)
4.5 – Bob Saget (20.19)
4.5 – Halle Berry (29.03)
4.4 – Tom Green (26.06)
4.3 – Robert Hays (6.08)
4.3 – Kate Winslet (30.04)
4.2 – Milton Berle (4.17)
4.2 – Deborah Harry (6.10)
4.2 – Matthew McConaughey (28.11)
4.1 – George Foreman (20.09)
4.1 – John C. Reilly (32.03)
3.7 – Donald Trump (29.16)
3.6 – Deion Sanders (20.13)
3.6 – Hilary Swank (30.13)
3.4 – Sarah Jessica Parker (20.05)
2.9 – Paul Reiser (20.15)
Oh boy, you’ll gonna be disappointed on SNL’s current 46th season. It’s totally all BAD and CRINGE (although some of its sketches are okay and fine like the “Stan” parody, Rap Roundtable and Christmas Morning). I cannot believe some of the Reddit people (r/LiveFromNewYork) as well as the Twitter community are STILL defending and loving that season. Yikes!
For me it’s pretty much boilerplate modern SNL. Other than the Chris Rock episode, there’s something I have enjoyed most weeks, and there were at least three strong-ish episodes (Issa Rae, Bill Burr, Timothee Chalamet). The political stuff was crap though…
Everyone has a different take on what works though. For me, the political material is dire and the Pete music parodies are virtually laughless (including the Stan parody), but conceptual pieces like the Alt-Right Sports Network and the Woke Mobsters really tickled me. The show seems a little sloppier these days and I bet COVID has really thrown off the balance of the shows (like 20 minute monologues), but it’s still basically the same show we’ve known for the last little while: super seniors getting first dibs while roughly a baker’s dozen utility players vie for waiter and second cop roles.
As a current viewer, I will admit this season has been rocky and uneven so far. The great stuff is of pretty decent quality (like the three sketches Ezra pointed out), but the bad stuff is just drab to watch (the last debate cold open was a bit of a nightmare, I’ll elaborate when we get there). You can just look at some sketches and tell which pile they’re gonna go in.
The Timothée Chalamet and Issa Rae episodes are my picks for the strongest to date. Chalamet’s episode has at least three pieces I consider definitive season highlights, if not five-star triumphs. Maybe my standards are lower because of COVID, but I think this weird season has had its moments, though I can definitely see why some people don’t like it.
It’s nice to see both John’s and Carson’s take on the current season, I respect it. For me, I did agree on your opinion about the political stuff, it wasn’t good at all and it’s cringe as hell. And unfortunately for Carson, the Woke Mobsters sketch is a rip-off originally from Cum Town.
That IS unfortunate for me!
Oh and I forgot about Thatchos comment on the 46th though, nice to see that too. Chalamet’s episode is so far an okay episode though, but Tiny Horse is NOT funny. I mean what the hell is that?
Didn’t agree with your Stan take, but I agree on Tiny Horse. Was not for me.
Also very much NOT for me: Dr. Weknowdis. Hated it the first time. Hated it the second time.
Yep I agree on Dr. Weknowdis. I did like that character the first time, but the second time, not so much. I love Kate McKinnon, but seeing her being impersonated as another man again and again make the whole male cast weak. She is getting annoying now a little bit. I also didn’t like her impression as Dr. Fauci. Her voice on that is the same one when she did as Giuliani. Ugh.
@Carson Yeah, Dr. Wenowdis? Not for me. First time around, the twist was decent enough. I laughed out loud as soon as Colin first said “Kate”… but the cut-and-paste repeat definitely hurt it in retrospect. I do get why people laud it so much, though I’m not one of them.
As for Tiny Horse… I liked it. Maybe it’ll wear off in the future, but the things that really stuck with me positively when I first watched it were the stop-motion horse animation (seems rare for post-Mr. Bill SNL), the well-written tune, the Ryan Gosling-esque performance from Timothée (“Go on, git!”), and the utter ridiculousness that Jimmy Fallon recorded a three-second cameo just for this silly horse sketch. It was certainly different, and I guess in my mind different is good. Though I can’t really blame you for not liking it, it is very, very weird.
Yeah, I’m usually down for weird. So conceptually it’s very good and I appreciate its existence over some other Z-grade rap parody. And it probably wasn’t helped by the tentative live audience (a major issue of the season). It was a little to “funny weird” and not enough “funny haha.” If I were rating it like Stooge, I’d probably give it three stars. A little extra love for ingenuity.
You have to remember that for a significant portion of r/LFNY, they haven’t seen a live episode without the core cast of Kenan, Kate, Cecily, Aidy, Beck, Kyle, Pete, Jost & Che in the opening montage. Everyone is protective about their first cast.
@Jack That is a good point. I only started watching new episodes around the Adam Sandler show, but I‘ve been a casual watcher since 2015 or so. The casts I would consider “my” casts are season 44, and then 40. Still I’ve seen a fair amount of stuff from older older, enough to know the other casts a little bit. Just today I watched the soap opera and waitress sketches from Alec Baldwin’s first hosting gig, and they absolutely wowed me but they made me a little bit sad that I wasn’t around to see the show when it was that good.
The “woke mobsters” sketch (which was originally written back in spring 2019) really rests on the strength of the performances. I haven’t heard this other version, but I think the cast made this their own (not to downplay if this was ripped off).
I liked Tiny Horse mostly because I didn’t think it was trying to be funny – I thought it was mostly trying to be odd, and worked as a sweet, weird curio piece circa season 6 or 7 (admittedly I am giving a lot of leeway because I liked Timothee’s performance, I like any time SNL tries not to go the obvious “here is a hip-pop tune,” and I liked that they avoided the easy ending of the horse being killed).
I don’t think the show feels as sloppy as it did in early season 45 (with multiple cast members breaking every week and the show just throwing in dogs to hide the cracks) or in the trainwreck portions of early season 44, but there’s definitely a great deal of fatigue due to Lorne, due to Don Roy King (and I don’t believe Lorne has submerged his gifts as his direction feels flat to me from his earliest days with the show), due to NBC, due to the 10-15 minute cold opens of death, due to a lot of people who either don’t want to leave or delayed their exits by a year because of COVID, and so forth.
I think it helps enormously that the cast is very talented (I still think this is one of the strongest casts the show has had, especially considering the bloat, the use issues, etc.), but there are some moments of quality writing too, and there is still something that keeps me coming back – whether it be a surprising moment that actually tackles a current problem in a funny, smart way (the Strollin’ voter suppression pre-tape), or a good throwback feel (like the Chappell episode sketch with Trump and Don Jr. recreating OJ and the white van – this would have been right at home in Adam McKay’s era), or both (the militia sketch in Rae’s episode, which was both a throwback to that era and also ended up being very prescient). And of course part of being an SNL fan means you end up waiting and hoping for the page to turn – in this case, hoping with Trump gone from the White House (if not politics) and Alec Baldwin clearly sick of the role, they can take a cleaver to the cold opens and also find a good way to phase into a new era of Update, etc.
I feel like my expectations for SNL are constantly too high and too low – it’s probably not right that a show with as much money, history, and support as SNL has is a show that I generally tune into assuming the worst and then being pleasantly surprised at the positive moments, yet I also have to constantly remind myself that what I want to see on the show, like the old slice-of-life pieces, would not be on today, and would probably be hated by many viewers if it was. So every week I just end up somewhere in a muddle, and I am happy with the moments that can get me out of that muddle, however briefly.
@Jack Yeah I get it that the Reddit people are so protective to the current cast, but still they cannot take some criticism from the people about the show’s current quality. I remember from last month that someone commented that Kristen Wiig is the worst and then a lot of r/LNFY users downvoted it. Most recently from last week (I think), there’s a post by the other user who shrugs off some critics of Krasinski episode who are posted their comments on the sub with a meme, everyone agreed with OP and upvoted it, says that they loved that episode, like REALLY?
@Thatchos I started watching SNL sometimes during quarantine by watching some older stuff a few months ago and I was impressed. Then I check on its current era and I was like, okay. I mean sure, some of the modern SNL sketches are funny to me (including the alien abduction, anything with Kate like Debette Goldry and Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks, among others). I may be only a 19 year old guy but comparing the modern era to the older one made me think the old SNL is way better than today (except of course, some problematic stuff that didn’t age very well out there). I like how you listed some sketches from Alec Baldwin’s first hosting episode (most notably Brenda the Waitress) cause that episode is so terrific as I already watched it most recently. That episode is a major reason I realized that Jan Hooks is one of the best and so far the most talented SNL cast members that I’ve ever seen. And yes, I have a same feeling that I feel a little bit sad that I wasn’t alive yet at that time by watching some old sketches when the show was good.
I think the current pandemic season should be graded on a curve — I’ve seen photos of the social distancing and other protocols involved in creating the show and it doesn’t appear to be an environment conducive to creating top-notch focused comedy.
I know this is already a lengthy comments section, so if someone else has another place for any thoughts on tonight’s episode that’s fine, but I didn’t know if we should use this review space (since St. Vincent was the MG) rather than fill up the site updates comment section.
Guess here works.
Well, I thought that was totally refreshing and the best episode since Chalamet all the way back in December. Sure the average rating of the night still didn’t rise above ***1/2, but this felt like a very strong transitional episode. Of course we still got some typically broad and lazy showcases for Kate, Cecily & Aidy, but we also saw a lot of showcases for Mikey, Heidi, Ego & Chris, who seem primed to take over as the stars of the show once that trio leave. Ego especially is having a VERY strong season, in my opinion. Almost everyone got something to do tonight, even Dismukes (who’s definitely my bet for featured player to stay on, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Punkie got a second season too).
St. Vincent, one of my favorite artists, was naturally the highlight for me. Thought she crushed it.
I felt like this episode had a lot of good ideas that didn’t always work right. I was really interested in the dog park sketch–the concept of Ego hating Daniel for talking in a funny voice for her dog was good and the line about Katt Williams is one of the funnier SNL lines this season…but it just descended into him and Dismukes yelling at each other. I like that it ended before it got TOO stupid, but this seemed to be somebody settling for absurdist silliness rather than potentially a very interesting premise.
I don’t know if there’s some sort of apt metaphor in how many of Kate, Aidy, and Cecily’s roles now are characters who annoy and bug everyone else. I GET the humor in, say, the Scattergories sketch (which is an inferior version of the Pizza commercial sketch a couple season ago), but it’s very obvious and one-note (it’s something that might have benefited from being a short, as the pacing kind of dragged).
Did the show just give up on Melissa? I’m kind of at the point now where I think she’s really talented but not at the right place for her at the moment, unless she can start producing her own material.
Also, Lauren wasn’t in the episode either. I do not know what is going on.
Does anyone know why Cecily and Kenan broke in the last sketch of the night? There didn’t seem to be anything unusual that should have prompted it going on.
Seeing stuff online apparently the last sketch with .Cecily was based on Kim Catrell in that scatting video/ beatnik poetry video she did
I don’t remember them breaking (kind of checked out of that one to be honest) but they could have been thrown off by the camera operator blowing the main gag of the sketch right away.