Cold Open: Press Conference
President Biden holds a press conference after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• It still feels so wrong seeing Mikey as Biden.
• Hey, did you know that Joe Biden is OLD? That’s the joke!!!
• UGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Our latest annoying Bowen showcase! He’s been doing somewhat fine for the past couple of episodes, but now we get a reminder of how WACKY he is.
• This time he’s a panda, because that’s not stereotypical at all.
• I thought I was going to vomit when he talked about how “thicc” he is.
• I refuse to comment on that godawful Panda Express pun.
• It especially feels wrong seeing JAJ as a reporter in this sketch, stuck as a straight man to the one who replaced him as Biden.
• Overall, this sketch encapsulates everything I hate about Bowen, and that’s not even the worst thing he does in this episode!!!
Monologue
Jason Momoa talks about living out his dream as a marine biologist.
• Jason, about his mom: “If you see her, be careful, she’s still recovering from giving birth to me!”
• Some nice stories about how he wanted to help save the ocean when he was young, and how he’s now living out that dream as Aquaman.
• To quote somebody in the comments, “You just can’t help but like Jason Momoa”. And, you know what, that person’s right!
Sketch: Masters of the Pen
Old footage of L. Frank Baum is interrupted by two wacky onlookers.
• The cringy banter between Heidi and Bowen has me worried about what awaits me.
• Michael Longfellow still exists! He actually has a big role in this sketch as L. Frank Baum.
• Just as I’m about to praise SNL for finally giving Longfellow such a meaty part, the conceit of this sketch is revealed to be these assholes getting in front of him and ruining the shot.
• Mikey is doing a great job matching the framerate of silent film footage. I’m guessing this is a sketch that he wrote, because Bowen and Heidi won’t stop explaining everything that happens.
• I got a genuine laugh at Kenan popping up to show off his hot dog.
• This was a nice and silly little sketch.
Film: Rome Song
Some guys sing a song about Rome or something.
• Good to see Troast get another singing showcase only a week after the last one. Too bad this is her only appearance in this episode.
• Something that really hate about these modern musical sketches is how heavily Auto-Tuned the vocals are. Can’t they just leave them as they are without any processing?
• I’m sure this has to be parodying something, but I’m afraid it leaves me quite cold. These hip-hop pretapes are so overdone, even without Pete Davidson being there.
Sketch: Nightclub Line
The adventures of two wacky bouncers at a Miami nightclub.
• Another lead role for Marcello! His role here kind of reminds me of that Towel Boys sketch he did with Kenan last season.
• It’s pretty funny hearing Momoa trying to speak in a Spanish accent.
• Longfellow’s back, only to be manhandled by Jason Momoa.
• I liked Marcello worrying about Longfellow’s character leaving a bad review on Yelp.
• Unfortunately, this comes to a screeching halt when Kenan arrives and starts talking in what is basically his David Ortiz voice. He’s been doing surprisingly well this season, and it’s a shame that he regressed to his unprofessional Season 48 self here.
• This was a little too long, but mostly harmless.
Sketch: Airport Parade
Two TSA agents introduce various travelers at the airport.
• A variation of the Halloween costume sketch and the Central Park cold open from last season. I don’t know why this has become a recurring theme lately.
• The opening show tune and the presence of Bowen are all I needed to know that this is a Jimmy Fowlie sketch.
• “Chartreuse Hamilton”? Who the fuck comes up with these names?
• Even in a small role, Chloe is playing her character way too big.
• I like the voice Jason is using here.
• We get more of Kenan’s tired shouting shtick.
• HUGE applause when the little girl says “Screw you, bitch!”
• Yet another role for Longfellow tonight in which he’s getting humiliated. Do they have it out for him or something?
• I’m guessing Sarah’s character is based on some kind of viral video. Whatever it was, it didn’t make me laugh at all.
• The gay flight attendants bit is straight out of Season 30. Yet another obvious sign that Fowlie wrote this.
• Overall, my least favorite of these parade sketches.
Please Don’t Destroy: Ramen Order
The guys attempt to order food.
• I liked Martin’s reference to the “More Cowbell” sketch.
• Didn’t they already do a film where their girlfriend breaks up with them over the phone?
• Not a big fan of this one so far.
• The mention of “baby bok choy” immediately made me think of Stefon.
• Well, that one just went by without me saying much about it. What is happening to these guys lately?
Musical Performance: “Greedy”
Weekend Update (featuring George Santos, Daymond Green, and Remember Lizards)
• I got a big laugh from the clip of Biden calling LL Cool J “LL J Cool J”.
• I’ll never get tired of seeing that photo of a smiling Colin holding his thumb up.
• NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Not George fucking Santos!!!!!! I refuse to say anything more about this terrible “impression” and the untalented idiot behind it!!!
• Thankfully, Devon is here to save the day. I have no idea who Draymond Green is because I don’t follow basketball, but I’m sure Devon is doing a good job.
• I laughed at the line about having a “seven-foot baguette” in his face.
• Devon: “Look, I had to kick him in the groin. That’s where his nuts at!”
• Not much to say about this commentary, but Devon’s likeable performance makes it fine with me.
• Ah, now here’s what I’ve been waiting to see again! Andrew and JAJ show up as “Remember Lizards”, an Imagine Dragons parody band. I’m getting Jon Bovi vibes from this.
• The way these characters look is amazing. I like the detail of Andrew’s shirt being black on one side and white on the other. Who does he think he is? Two-Face?
• JAJ isn’t trying to hide the fact that he’s not really playing that guitar. I find that charming for some reason.
• Whoever wrote this wisely gave both James and Andrew a chance to sing. James is unsurprisingly great, and I never knew that Andrew had such a good singing voice.
• I love how all of these songs sound exactly the same. Kinda like Imagine Dragons! *ba-dum-tssh!*
• A big laugh from the Christian song at the end.
• Overall, amazing work from JAJ and Andrew! And we end this up-and-down Update on a high note!
Sketch: Cast Away
A woman invites her ex over for dinner.
• I cringed at Andrew’s “kinda sus” line at the beginning.
• Speaking of Andrew, it’s nice to see him with another lead role here. Also, he has a mustache, which automatically makes him a winner in my book.
• When this episode first aired, I distinctly remember my cats getting spooked when the doorbell rang in this sketch.
• Chloe is surprisingly acting like a normal person in this sketch instead of an annoying alien like she usually does.
• The ladies in the audience go wild when Momoa pours his drink on himself.
• Surprised it took this long for Momoa to take his shirt off. He got that out of the way immediately in his last episode, so I appreciate the restraint here. This is then followed by Andrew taking off his own shirt, and we get to see his disturbing chest hair.
• How in the world is Momoa moving his chest muscles like that?
• Andrew’s pathetic attempts at push-ups are hilarious.
• I enjoyed this sketch a lot more than I thought I would. Andrew and Jason make a great team!
Musical Performance: “Grave”
Film: Battle of the Sexes
The forgotten story of Charna Lee Diamond is told in this Netflix documentary.
• An initial laugh from how Momoa’s character towers over the rest of his team.
• And then, the amazing gory twist, where a tennis ball goes right through Sarah’s body, followed by another one taking her head off!!! This is the hardest I’ve laughed at SNL in quite a while!
• Nice running gag with a random black guy (played by Devon) stealing the ball after it goes through Sarah. Then, after her head comes off, he returns and takes that as well, only to drop it once he realizes what it is.
• Amazing “In Memoriam” card with Sarah’s headless body in a triumphant pose.
• Overall, another delightfully bizarre sketch from Sarah!
Sketch: Cab Driver
A cab driver receives medical news while driving a passenger.
• Is this the same taxi from the “Friggin’ Giuliani!” sketch?
• Apprently this was cut from Kieran Culkin’s episode a couple years ago. I assume he played Jason’s role.
• This would normally be a sketch that I should absolutely hate, given that it has both Kenan and a poopy joke in it. But Jason playing this material straight is making it better than it has any right to be.
• Kenan’s tired reacting routine is actually getting some good use here.
• Never thought I’d see the day that modern Kenan was my favorite part of a sketch.
Final thoughts: Better than I remembered, to be honest. While I’d still give the advantage to his first episode for having one of my favorite sketches in it (The Elf on the Shelf), this one was a little more consistent. Jason Momoa was a great host yet again, and he’s more than welcome to come back a third time!
Best sketches: Master of the Pen, Remember Lizards commentary, Cast Away, Cab Driver
Worst sketches: Cold Open, George Santos commentary
Next review: Emma Stone/Noah Kahan
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