Cold Open: Roe vs. Wade
A flashback to 13th century England shows the exact moment that abortion was outlawed.
• For those unaware, this was not long after it was leaked that Roe vs. Wade might be repealed. So we get a lame allegory for it in this cold open by setting it in the 13th century.
• Now I know this sketch is going to suck because it’s starting with a text crawl.
• Rare instance of the host appearing in a cold open.
• So, the point that they’re trying to make here is that, without abortion, it would be just like living in medieval times. Or something.
• I wish they’d stop adding “eth” to the end of every word. This isn’t Monty Python and the Holy Grail!
• Cecily’s reusing her Gemma voice for her character. As if I needed to be reminded of those awful sketches.
• *groan* Kate shows up as a ogre, which is giving me bad memories of that horrid witch character she played on Update last year. She’s even doing that annoying arm-waving thing that the other character did.
• TLDR: this cold open sucked. What’s next?
Monologue
Cumberbatch takes a moment to wish his mother and wife a happy birthday.
• Ugh, another Will Smith slap joke. Are we done with those yet?
• I wish Cummerbund’s fanbase wasn’t so annoying, because he’s a very talented and charming actor.
• I liked the photo of his awkward smile.
• As is usual for Mother’s Day monologues, there’s some nice heartwarming stories from our host. Best of all, there were no stupid songs or questions.
Sketch: Mother’s Day Gifts
A mother (Aidy Bryant) gets some unusual novelty signs from her family for Mother’s Day.
• This sketch feels familiar. In fact, this is a rewrite of that gift sketch from the Regina King episode.
• For once, Aidy is actually pulling this off well.
• I think the sketch would work better if she didn’t read what’s on the signs. We can read it for ourselves, you know!
• A laugh from one sign that says: “Were Your Ears Ringing? I Was In Therapy”.
• Cucumber’s attempt at an American accent is hilarious.
• Another problem I have with this is the length. This did NOT need to be five minutes long.
• I did like the twist at the end where one sign that has a genuine heartwarming message flips down to reveal “We Suspect Dad Had A Secret Family”.
• Despite some laughs here and there, this was overall mediocre.
Sketch: Blue Bunny
A focus group meeting goes off the rails.
• Alternate title: “Please sponsor us, Blue Bunny!”
• Another hilarious attempt at sounding American by Cantaloupe.
• I find it funny how SNL is insulting their potential sponsor by blatantly calling their ice cream disgusting.
• This sketch is coming off better on this rewatch than I remembered it being. Heidi and Benedict are giving great performances.
• What was the point of having poor Melissa in this sketch if she didn’t have any lines?
• Not a big fan of the cliche ending where this turns out to be a commercial for something else, but this was a surprisingly good sketch.
Film: Just Like You
A family flashes back to their childhood when trying to discipline their children.
• I liked the brief flashback with Cecily and her friends dancing to “Tubthumping”.
• Okay, now the flashbacks are starting to get annoying.
• This is starting to remind me of that abusive family holiday film that Eddie Murphy did a couple seasons ago.
• Third episode in a row with Kate playing an old lady. What is she trying to tell us?
• Not even Condiment’s great performance is enough to save this.
• Overall, a fairly weak film. It’s a concept that was done better in the past, but is pretty stale now.
Sketch: Chain Gang
Prisoners in Georgia find out something unusual about one of their fellow inmates.
• Kenan doing THAT VOICE again. At least we got a break from it for a while.
• Alex’s performance as the warden is great. He’s perfect at this type of character.
• Suddenly this turns into a musical sketch. I’m a bit wary, but let’s see how this goes…
• The guys all have pretty good singing voices.
• Yet another funny accent from Copperhead, though it slips a little when he’s begging the warden not to throw Kyle in the box.
• Heidi is perfect as the warden’s wife, especially when she asks Cuttlefish if he’s a “naughty boy”.
• Chris Redd steals yet another sketch with his delivery of “What the hell?” Something about that reminded me of Tracy Morgan.
• Another strong sketch. Tonight’s episode is turning out better than I remember.
Musical Performance: “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”
Weekend Update (featuring Amy Coney Barrett)
• We get a bunch of lame jokes about the abortion thing.
• Ugh, yet another outdated Kavanaugh beer joke.
• Even worse, Che compares abortion to the Capitol riots.
• Okay, Colin just gave me a chuckle when he wished Vladimir Putin would die of cancer.
• *headdesk* Kate appears as Amy Coney Barrett. Thankfully, this ends up being the last time we ever see Kate at the Update desk, after years of annoying us with her terrible impressions.
• As is to be expected, Kate’s shtick is totally played out by now. *sigh* Two episodes left…
• The only joke I laughed at during this entire update was a joke about a lady wearing a penis costume getting stabbed. Other than that, it’s the same old shit as usual.
Sketch: Landsdowne House
A young man (Alex Moffat) delivers shocking news to his parents.
• “We now return to Landsdowne House.” This is gonna suck.
• Something about Alex’s look in this sketch reminds me of Jim Broadbent for some reason.
• There goes Cecily breaking out her tired old cartoony British accent again.
• Cecily’s first pratfall would make Chris Farley proud.
• Sadly, pratfalls turn out to be the only joke of this sketch, all while Cecily keeps blathering on in that annoying accent. Why, oh why is she not leaving at the end of the season?
Fake Commercial: ReKhline
The toilet you can recline in.
• A variation of a fake ad called “Koohl Toilet” from Cockroach’s previous episode.
• I like how this starts out extremely serious and moody, only for Condominium to suddenly enter and unzip his pants.
• The mere visual of a distinguished British actor sitting on a toilet is funny.
• Unlike the Gift sketch from earlier, this was kept short, sweet, and to the point.
Sketch: Chuck E. Cheese
When the animatronic band isn’t working, Chuck E. Cheese’s patrons are treated to an unusual performance by a different band.
• I think this aired not too long after it was announced that the restaurant chain was getting rid of its classic animatronic characters and replacing them with a “modern” dance floor.
• I groaned when Asian Terry Sweeney entered.
• My inner New Wave fan loves the aesthetics of the song that Yang and Carburetor perform.
• Epic dance moves from Moffat!
• Kenan almost steals the entire sketch with his AMAZING robotic arm movements.
• Aristotle makes his customary single appearance of the episode with his brief (but amusing) cameo as Pasqually.
• It’s kind of funny how a sketch about Chuck E. Cheese is the best sketch of this episode. At least in my opinion, anyway. Who knows how I would have felt about this if I wasn’t such a big New Wave fan?
Musical Performance: “The Lightning”
Film: The Understudy
Chloe talks about being a full-time understudy for SNL.
• Ugh, here comes another Chloe Fineman vanity piece.
• Her impression of Kate is just as annoying as the real thing, which I didn’t know was possible.
• Okay, her Cecily isn’t that bad.
• Random cameo from Computer’s co-star, Elizabeth Olsen.
• Her impression of Aidy is spot-on. And I also like the exaggerated Jewish voice she uses for Sarah.
• Sarah: “Do I sound like a Jewish parrot?”
• Despite my hatred of Chloe Fineman, this wasn’t too bad for one of her pieces.
Final thoughts: This is one of the strongest episodes of this season. While not perfect, Cumberbatch (finally got his name right!) brought an amount of class to even the weaker material.
Best sketches: Monologue, Blue Bunny, Chain Gang, ReKhline, Chuck E. Cheese
Worst sketches: Cold Open, Just Like You, Weekend Update, Landsdowne House
Next review: Selena Gomez/Post Malone
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