Cold Open
Donald Trump gives a speech in East Palestine, Ohio.
• Uggggghhhhh, enough with the Trump cold opens! He’s not president anymore, so stop giving him free publicity!
• Oh shit, I forgot all about that Ohio train crash. The media buried that story real good.
• I fucking hate Chloe’s mugging faces here. As if I needed another reason to hate her.
Monologue
Woody talks about getting high in Central Park and his new movie Champions.
• I seem to recall there being a bit of controversy about this monologue, but I don’t know the specifics.
• He talks about how the last time he appeared on SNL was around Thanksgiving 2019, which is correct. He was playing Joe Biden that night in a godawful sketch about the Democratic debate.
• Oh, this anti-vaxxing material…I think I understand what the controversy was about now.
• I don’t know if it’s the pot speaking, but his monologue seems kinda rambly and unfocused.
Sketch: Jail Call
A visit between a prisoner and his wife gets interrupted.
• Chloe doing yet another annoying cartoony voice.
• Woody’s wig makes him look like Billy Ray Cyrus.
• I don’t know what’s going on with Ego lately, but she’s been starting to get on my nerves. Her character in this sketch is no exception, constantly making annoying quips while Woody is trying to talk to his wife.
• As if that wasn’t bad enough, now Kenan is joining in on the “fun” with some annoying comments of his own. Can you please leave already?
Please Don’t Destroy: The Stakeout
Ben and Woody spy on the other PDD guys, and a shocking secret is revealed…
• We haven’t seen these guys in a while.
• Nice to see them outside of the office again. This stakeout premise seems very promising.
• Uh-oh, John and Martin are now making out with each other. I can’t believe SNL is still resorting to this cliche in 2023.
• Don’t know how to feel about the twist that they have a family together.
• Not sure I needed to see Kenan in this.
• Funny brief scene of the kids attacking a Ben punching bag.
• Another funny quick gag with the lineup of Ben replacements.
• Odd twist where Woody ends up replacing Ben.
• Can’t believe I’m saying this, but, I wasn’t a big fan of that short. Are the PDD guys starting to lose their magic???
Sketch: Slingshot
“Wacky” shenanigans occur on a slingshot ride.
• Kenan has been in almost every sketch tonight. Meanwhile, Andrew Dismukes and Marcello Hernandez are weeping backstage.
• Ugh, this has turned into another sketch where the only joke is Kenan overacting and bugging his eyes out.
• Michael and Molly are wasted as the ride operators.
• Wait, Woody just suddenly left the sketch? Where did his character go? Guess we’re stuck with Kenan and his unfunny shtick.
• Now they’re resorting to peepee jokes? Please let this sketch end.
• Overall, this episode continues to be pure comedy cancer.
Sketch: Submarine Launch
A captain and his crew discuss the odd name of their vessel.
• Nice to see a sketch that has the entire male cast in it.
• Decent reveal of the ship’s name.
• Not too much for me to say about this one, but it is tightly written and well-performed. Even Kenan manages not to overact for once.
Fake Ad: Cologuard
The Cologuard mascot shows up at Woody’s place and wants Woody to “get inside” him.
• Some really cute puppetry here with the mascot.
• I’m a little cautious at the turn this has taken with the mascot wanting Woody to fuck him.
• Turns out those fears were unfounded, because I’m actually really liking this.
• Kenan’s creepy UPS guy is okay, but I don’t think he was the right choice to play him.
• Amazing twist at the end where Woody’s neighbors see him taking his pants off in front of inanimate boxes, suggesting that the whole situation was all in his mind. I love how Andrew stays there to watch it all unfold.
Musical Performance: “Taking Me Back”, “Fear of the Dawn”
• Funny intro from Woody asking where Jack White’s Five-Timers Jacket is.
Weekend Update (featuring Bill Walton and Gina Bianchi)
• I liked Colin’s slam at the Oscars.
• JAJ debuts an impression of some sports guy named Bill Walton. I have no idea who that is so I have very little to say about this commentary.
• This next commentary, though…hoo, boy, get ready for some pain.
• Anyway, Heidi shows up as her latest annoying Update character that talks in an annoying voice. I was not surprised at all to see Jimmy Fowlie credited as a writer for this.
• I always feel kind of bad making fun of Heidi, since she seems like a really sweet person, but it’s hard not to considering the awful year she’s been having.
Note: A dedication to longtime set designer Eugene Lee is shown after Update. This must have been a very sudden death, as Lee’s name still appeared in episodes from earlier this season.
Sketch: The Hippo
A lead actor has a difficult time dealing with the cancellation of his film.
• Ego’s reference to a potential writer’s strike hasn’t aged well, considering what eventually ended this season early.
• OMG at Woody’s terrifying fat makeup.
• I laughed at the corny “triabetes” line.
• Despite there only being one joke, I am loving this sketch. Just the visual of Woody Harrelson in a fat suit is making this worth it.
• Mikey is also getting some laughs as the director.
• Funny twist at the end where we find out that the film was cancelled because the script was taken word-for-word from The Whale. Woody’s reaction upon hearing this is amazing.
Musical Performance: “A Tip From You To Me”
Sketch: Beautiful Gym
Two men get fancy at the gym.
• Ugh, another Bowen showcase. Making me even more wary is the fact that Sublette is credited as a writer.
• Bowen, as usual, is trying way too hard here.
• At least Woody is his usual likeable self. Too bad he’s been overshadowed by all of the annoying cast members tonight.
• Overall, yet another example of Bowen Yang taking too much screentime from the others with his tired antics.
Cut for Time: Musical Promo
A new Broadway musical about the little songs that people sing to themselves.
• A promising premise. I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we sing little songs to ourselves.
• Why is there no audience response to Woody’s hilarious chicken song?
• I like Molly’s song about getting a box from Amazon. This would have been a much better use of Molly in the episode instead of that awful Slingshot sketch where they only had one line.
• Great fake review from Broadway.com: “Not sure why that cost money to see, but I loved it.”
• I like how The New York Times review is in the same style as the songs in the musical. Steve Higgins even reads this one as a song.
• A funny example of a “dramatic” moment in the musical where Woody throws away a loaf of bread.
• Great tagline: “C’mon, you know you do it.”
Note: A dedication to Richard Belzer is shown before the goodnights.
Final thoughts: Yeesh, that was a mess. In an episode where Woody Harrelson is hosting, I expect to see him in a lot of funny oddball sketches. Instead, I got a bunch of annoying performers (Kenan, Heidi, Bowen) relying on their same old shtick, all while overshadowing the host. When even the Please Don’t Destroy film is worse than usual, you know you’ve screwed up.
Best sketches: Cologuard, The Hippo, Musical Promo (Cut)
Worst sketches: Cold Open, Jail Call, Slingshot, Heidi’s commentary, Beautiful Gym
Next episode: Travis Kelce/Kelsey Ballerini
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