Farewell to SNL (Part 2)

 So, now that I’ve gotten my history with the show out of the way, let’s talk about the highs and lows of my reviews.

Worst Episodes I’ve Ever Reviewed

Martin Short/Hozier (Season 50): Ugh, talk about a major disappointment. I was looking forward to this one because Martin Short is one of my idols and every other time he’s hosted has been awesome. Instead, what I got was a never ending parade of memberberries, rehashed sketches, and, worst of all, Melissa McCarthy’s fat ugly face.

Chris Rock/Megan Thee Stallion (Season 46): The first episode back in the studio after the pandemic hit…and it’s a giant load of ass. You know it’s bad when the only thing that raised so much as a smile from me was when Kate McKinnon got hit in the face in one sketch.

Will Ferrell/King Princess (Season 45): 2019 will forever be marked as the death of Will Ferrell’s career. Not only did his awful film Holmes and Watson win four Razzies, but he also starred in this Godawful piece of shit episode. It could have been just the thing people needed to wash the taste of Holmes and Watson out of our mouths, but instead, Will played second fiddle to a bunch of unnecessary cameos, cameos which actively took up too much time from the show, forcing them to cut out the best sketch of the night. As for the stuff that remained…well, I never want to see that Thanksgiving sketch ever again.

Ariana DeBose/Bleachers (Season 47): The only reason I’m putting this one here is because of one single moment that almost made me want to break the TV. I’m talking about that hideous Elmo commentary that Chloe Fineman did on Update. To this day, it remains the single worst thing I have ever seen at the desk. Yep, even worse than Baby Yoda and The Movie Guy.

Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton (Season 49): They should have called this one “Gigglefest 2024”, because that’s all everyone did for 75% of the episode. It all culminated with that stupid, unfunny, overrated Beavis and Butt-head sketch which lasted way longer than it needed to because of all the laughing and caused the highly-anticipated Papyrus II sketch to get cut. 

Amy Schumer/Steve Lacey (Season 48): Nepotism sure is fun, isn’t it? Without it, there’s no way this unfunny, plagiaristic fatass would ever have a career. Normally, the episodes she’s hosted have been fairly unremarkable. But this one reaches a whole new level of crap. In particular, there’s a “joke” she does in her monologue where she insults people with Asperger’s syndrome like myself. That moment right there set a bad tone for the rest of the episode, which was full of some atrocious material.

What’s the worst episode I’ve ever reviewed, you ask? You probably knew this was coming…

Elon Musk/Miley Cyrus (Season 46): Without a doubt, this remains one of the lowest points in SNL history. When you’re making the Paul Reiser episode from Season 20 look like a masterpiece, you know it’s bad. Musk himself was a bland, uncharismatic host, but it didn’t help that he had to star in shit like “Gen Z Hospital”, or…*sigh*…that downright hideous Wario sketch…which is one of the worst things I have ever seen on television.

Now let’s look at some of the worst sketches I’ve ever reviewed. I’ll be going through these in seasonal order…

Season 43

Aer Lingus (from Saiorse Ronan): Five minutes of bad Irish stereotypes.

Season 44

Kavanaugh Hearings (from Adam Driver): Taking up airtime with pointless celebrity cameos sure is fun!!!

Bayou Benny’s Liberal Lagniappe (from Seth Meyers): Did you know that people from Louisiana talk funny? That’s the joke! 

Cuban Vacation (from Seth Meyers): Heidi and Seth keep saying “Cooba” over and over and that’s pretty much it.

Season 45

Stargazing (from Kristin Stewart): The only joke here is “durr, the constellations look like they’re having sex!!!” NBC must have thought this sketch was awful too, because it isn’t on YouTube.

The First Thanksgiving (from Will Ferrell): I already briefly mentioned this one earlier, but this has to be one of SNL’s worst attempts at satire ever. I’m still baffled by it all these years later.

White Male Rage commentary (from Adam Driver): Melissa’s Update commentaries were never her strong suit, but the negative reaction this one got from certain sides of the political spectrum is what I believe to be the start of her downfall on the show. She never had the best airtime before this, but in her remaining two seasons, she was lucky enough to even appear in an episode.

Season 46

Vice-Presidential Debate (from Bill Burr): This was the absolute low point of SNL’s election coverage that year. When a fly landed on Mike Pence’s head during the actual debate, there was no way SNL could have avoided talking about that. So, what did they do? They had Fire Marshal Biden inexplicably teleport himself to the debate and it turns into a parody of The Fly for no reason. That is an actual idea that someone came up with for the show. I cannot think of any other debate sketch that comes close to this one in terms of suckage.

Headless Horseman (from John Mulaney): SNL wastes an elaborate set for an extremely juvenile premise…does the Headless Horseman ever use his head to suck his own dick??? Yeah. That’s the joke.

Mario Moments (from Dave Chappelle): Ball jokes are so funny, right guys? Let’s keep doing them for an entire sketch so nobody notices how blatant our product placement is!!!

A Kamala Harris Unity Seder (from Maya Rudolph): All of the Kamala simping this show did was embarrassing as fuck. Until the cameo she made this past season, this was the worst example of the trend, in which she and her husband (Martin Short wasted yet again) host some kind of TV special at their house, and is treated in the most kiss-ass way.

Wario Trial (from Elon Musk): No comment.

Season 47

Squid Game (from Rami Malek): Hey, guys! Squid Game is getting popular, right? Let’s do a shitty song cashing in on it without bothering to understand the show’s message!

Goober the Clown commentary (from Kieran Culkin): Cecily dresses up as a clown and repeatedly dodges the subject of abortion while doing clown things.

Cruz Street (from Jonathan Majors): A right-leaning version of Sesame Street where the joke is that Republicans are KUH-RAYZEE!!!!!

Elmo commentary (from Ariana DeBose): Chloe Fineman is unfunny.

MacGruber (from Will Forte): SNL ruins MacGruber by turning him into a crazy right-wing conspiracy theorist who rejects vaccination and drinks bleach.

Roe vs Wade (from Benedict Cumberbatch): The point they’re trying to make here is that we’d be stuck in medieval times without abortion…or something.

Johnny Depp Trial (from Selena Gomez): Once again, SNL tries and fails to take on a popular news story. In this case, they spend the whole time making juvenile poopy jokes.

Season 48

Grimace (from Miles Teller): Aren’t bisexuals funny, guys???

Joker (from Jack Harlow): Five minutes of the cast constantly saying “Joker” over and over in annoying accents.

Tammy the Trucker commentary (from Amy Schumer): Cecily does a pointless sequel to the clown commentary, but this time she’s a trucker!!!!!

Avatar (from Aubrey Plaza): Boy, those lesbians sure are funny!

Garrett From Hinge (from Travis Kelce): Probably the worst character Bowen has ever done, and this is the same guy who created “Bottle Boi”.

Season 49

Wired Autocomplete Interview (from Pete Davidson): Pete is humiliated for pooping his pants on the airplane. Was this a rejected Jonah Hill sketch?

George Santos cold open (from Emma Stone): I really fucking hate Bowen Yang.

Antisemitism Hearings (from Adam Driver): SNL tries to comment on the bungled response to antisemitism on college campuses, but instead makes the sketch about how WACKY Elise Stefanik is.

ABBA Christmas (from Kate McKinnon): Four of my least favorite cast members take a dump all over classic ABBA songs.

Dune Popcorn Bucket (from Ayo Edebiri): The sketch that marked the beginning of Marcello’s downfall, a pointless meme-referencing song that literally nobody liked.

Hypnotist (from Ayo Edebiri): Some kid who dresses like Julia Sweeney is hypnotized into revealing that he is bisexual. Once again, what does this show have against bisexuals????

Moulin Rouge (from Josh Brolin): More annoying Bowen shenanigans, this time in a parody of a movie that came out 25 years ago!

Beavis and Butt-Head (from Ryan Gosling): The media just went crazy for this sketch for some reason, even though it was just an inferior rewrite of a sketch from six seasons prior.

Doctors (from Ryan Gosling): Bowen and Ryan Gosling waste time by cracking each other up.

Good Morning Greenville (from Dua Lipa): SNL tries to get media attention by doing a sketch about Drake vs. Kendrick. It fails.

British Cavemen (from Maya Rudolph): In which Maya and several others make noises that sound like they have special needs.

Coffee Commercial (from Maya Rudolph): Maya keeps farting. That’s it.

Season 50

Moo Deng commentary (from Jean Smart): Bowen dresses up as a hippo and gets water squirted on him. No further comment needed.

Talk Talk (from Jean Smart): Bowen dresses up in drag and hosts a talk show. No further comment needed.

Both Sàbado Gigante sketches (from Nate Bargatze and Martin Short): Marcello parodies a long-cancelled show because his fangirls will eat up anything he does.

All three Domingo sketches (from Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, and the 50th Anniversary Special): Another annoying Marcello character, except this one randomly blew up on TikTok, to the point that he was getting harassed in real life to do the routine.

Family Bonds (from John Mulaney): A pointless sequel to one of my favorite sketches ever, made even worse when Kenan hijacks it with his overused mugging routine.

Spotify Wrapped (from Paul Mescal): Some ugly fat woman named Trisha Paytas makes an appearance in this Jimmy Fowlie “masterpiece”.

Five-Timer’s Club (from Martin Short): Nine minutes of circle-jerking over how awesome it is to take screentime away from the cast.

Parking Lot (from Martin Short): A perfectly serviceable sketch from Season 48 is rehashed, except this time we have Melissa McCarthy rubbing her fugly face against the window.

Drone commentary (from Martin Short): Bowen acts like an annoying queen while dressed up as a fucking drone.

Nosferatu commentary (from Dave Chappelle): I can’t believe I used to like Sarah Sherman. 

AI Software (from Timothee Chalamet): Timothee and Bowen do annoying things while everyone keeps explaining the “jokes”.

New York Musical (from the 50th Anniversary Special): I’ve hated every single one of these Mulaney Musical sketches, but this one is the absolute worst. It was way too long and had several extremely annoying moments, such as TWO women in drag!

Both Movie Guy commentaries (from Shane Gillis and Walter Goggins): Yet another character from Marcello where the joke is that Hispanic people talk funny.

Mother’s Day (from Walter Goggins): A heartwarming Mother’s Day message is ruined by Trump interrupting it with his unfunny rambling routine again.

Tiny Baby Shoe (from Walter Goggins): Jane Wickline attempts to recreate the success of “The Wishin’ Boot”, but fails because she is a horrible singer and the song isn’t funny.

Service Dogs (from Walter Goggins): PLEASE LAUGH AT THE CUTE DOGS!!!!!

Elevator (from Scarlett Johansson): What if Mike Myers and Kanye West had an awkward conversation with each other??? Too bad SNL already did this premise 20 years ago!!!!

Victorian Ladies At Lunch (from Scarlett Johansson): The final sketch I ever reviewed…and it’s about Victorian women eating disgusting shit.

Farewell to SNL (Part 1)

 My History with SNL

The Beginning

When I was young, the only exposure I had to sketch comedy was via children’s shows such as The Amanda Show and All That. Looking back at them, a lot of the humor has aged poorly (and is downright pedophilic in some places), but they were a great launching point.

I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about Saturday Night Live, but I do remember the first episode I ever saw. From what I remember, my mom and dad were watching clips from the Taylor Swift episode a day after it aired. My brother and I noticed Kenan in some of the clips, and we marveled at the fact that someone we grew up with on Nickelodeon had made it to the big leagues. I can also remember watching clips from the Jennifer Lopez episode around that time as well, and I remember the hoopla surrounding Betty White’s hosting appearance, but that was about it.

Becoming a Fan

Several years passed before I ever thought about SNL again. My true first steps towards becoming a fan of the show came when we all watched the 40th anniversary special when it first aired. I also taped a rerun of the first episode that aired the night before. 

Then, in 2017, I discovered Stooge and Bronwyn Douwsma’s excellent blogs. These were the final catalyst towards my becoming a huge fan of SNL. I started watching regularly beginning with the Saiorse Ronan episode, and I’ve never looked back. By that time, the show was balls-deep in the Trumpwin era with all of the gratuitous cameos and shit. This was a very different show from what I had witnessed just a couple years earlier, but that didn’t matter. I was able to find copies of older episodes to watch.

This brings us to the matter of my own blog. When I started it back in 2016, I just posted whatever the fuck I thought was interesting. But I thought it needed something of more substance, so, after getting inspired by all of the SNL review blogs I was by now very familiar with, I decided to write my own! 

History of My Reviews

Looking back at my oldest reviews, all I can do is cringe. They were written at a time when I had just graduated from high school, and it shows. While I’ve gone back and touched up some of my reviews after posting them to fix things, I’ve mostly left those ones alone to show how far I’ve come.

As the Trump era continued to get worse, so did my sanity while watching it. A lot of my reviews from Season 45 (the first one I watched in full) are full of me getting overdramatic for little to no reason. Example: the J.J. Watt episode, where I spent a large amount of time whining about the numerous sex jokes. This was also when COVID hit, and that also put a damper on my ability to focus on the show.

I nearly contemplated ending my reviews after Season 46, because it was just so awful. I had reached my breaking point with Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, who still rank among my least favorite cast members of all time. But then, something happened to the show that made me want to stick around…

When I first read about the new additions to the cast for Season 47, I didn’t think much of it initially. We had just come off of Lauren Holt getting fired after a single season of underuse, so what was stopping the show from doing that again with these guys? And then I saw the season premiere…and a certain big-nosed impressionist from Tennessee started to win me over with his solid performances. You know who I’m talking about, right? The one, the only, James Austin Johnson. 

Thanks to him and fellow newbie Sarah Sherman, as well as the new shorts from Please Don’t Destroy, this season had a much fresher atmosphere than the previous few. I can honestly say that Season 47 was the most fun I’ve had reviewing a season.

Alas, it didn’t stay that way for long. Season 48 was looking promising with the arrival of FOUR newbies. Unfortunately, a lot of the material came off as half-assed, and formerly reliable cast members like Kenan and Heidi started getting on my nerves. We’ll never know for sure if it could have gotten better as it went along, because it ended early due to a writer’s strike.

In Season 49, things only got worse. After the Christmas break, it just…fell apart for whatever reason. We saw an increase in the amount of rehashed sketches, pointless cameos, and an odd focus on trashy Internet culture (courtesy of everyone’s “favorite” writer Jimmy Fowlie). It was during this season that I began having thoughts about ending my reviews, but I wanted to give the show another chance for its fiftieth anniversary…boy, was I stupid…

Season 50

I made the decision before starting Season 50 that it would be the end for me, but that my opinion might change if the season turned out to be good. These hopes were quickly dashed when I saw the endless parade of cameos in the first few episodes, all culminating in a pathetic, last-minute appearance from Kamala Harris in the John Mulaney episode that may have cost her the election. 

The actual sketches didn't help much, either. We've gone back to the Season 29/30 route of basing a lot of them on trashy pop culture. I'm talking about shit like the Charli XCX talk show sketch in the premiere or that one where Trisha Paytas showed up for no reason. Oh, and I can't forget about all of the pathetic simping towards the TikTok audience when they brought back Domingo only FOUR episodes after he first debuted.

The Martin Short episode was when it truly set in for me that this season was never going to get better. So many baffling decisions here, including the decision to sideline most of the cast in favor of pointless cameos. 

There was a brief rise in quality around the time of the anniversary special, but this was short lived, and we quickly went back to everything sucking. That’s when I decided once and for all that this season would be my last.

Season 50 overview

 I gotta be honest, that was one of the worst seasons I’ve ever reviewed. We started off on an awful note with some of the worst election coverage ever, featuring a shitload of unnecessary cameos. This all culminated in probably the worst Christmas episode I’ve ever seen.

There was a stretch in the middle where we got some okay episodes like Chappelle and Gillis, but then everything got really bad again. I don’t know if it’s the supervisors to blame, but there is a serious lack of cohesion in the writing staff. I’m not surprised if they end up firing a bunch of people before the next season.

Oh, and I have to bring up the cameos. Every single episode had some sort of cameo in it. We’ve gone back to the hellscape of the Trumpwin years where cast members get shut out all the time due to all of the cameos taking away their scenes, as we saw this year when Mikey lost the Biden impression in favor of Dana Carvey’s corpse.

One last major thing that bugged me about this season was how it didn’t feel like an anniversary season to me. Sure, we got the awesome anniversary special, but other than that, you could put any of these sketches in another season and nobody could tell the difference.

Repertory Players

Mikey Day: Mikey’s time is clearly up. After getting the Biden impression taken away from him, there were a lot of times this year where we barely saw him. Add to that his unenthusiastic performances in most episodes, and you’ve got a cast member who’s just riding out the clock. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though, because we did get some amazing Update commentaries from him near the end of the season. (Best moment: My Best Friend’s House)

Andrew Dismukes: Oh man, Andrew. Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. Once again, he gets my pick for the season’s MVP. In this season of member berries and lame rehashes, it’s good to see someone who always gave 100%. Amazingly, he also appeared in more sketches than anyone else!!! (Best moment: Bald man commentary)

Chloe Fineman: Was Chloe even in this season? Not that I’m complaining, but it seems like all of the roles she would usually have were given to other people. There were even some episodes that she didn’t appear in at all. If this is her last season, then thank the Lord! What a horrible cast member she was!!! (Best moment: NONE!)

Heidi Gardner: I’ve heard so many rumors about this being Heidi’s last season, and if it was, she sure didn’t act like it. This was probably one of her best seasons in a while, getting cast in so many “glue” type roles in sketches. Her Update commentaries are still a problem, but she didn’t appear there as much as she usually does. (Best moment: Office Christmas Party Extravaganza)

Marcello Hernandez: There were a lot of really stupid things he did this year (Domingo, Sàbado Gigante, The Movie Guy), but he also had some surprises here and there, like that sketch he did with Lady Gaga. I’d definitely be happy if he came back again, just as long as he doesn’t bring back Domingo. (Best moment: A Long Goodbye)

James Austin Johnson: JAJ continues to prove how essential he is to the cast. I wish the show would understand that, because there were a lot of episodes in the first half of the season where he barely appeared. There’s also the matter of his Trump impression…dare I say that it’s actually kind of growing on me? (Best moment: The Best of Snake Skin)

Michael Longfellow: I still don’t understand why SNL continues to misuse this wonderful performer. Instead, I’ve noticed that they would much rather make “jokes” about how little he gets used, like the one we got in the finale. (Best moment: TikTok commentary)

Ego Nwodim: Ego is just as good as she’s always been. The lack of Lisa from Temecula certainly helped, as well as her appearances on Update, which were consistently a highlight. (Best moment: Two Bitches vs. A Gorilla)

Sarah Sherman: I’ve run out of things to say about her. While she did a lot less annoying things this season, the edge that she used to have is completely gone now. I miss the bizarre, creepy shit she used to put on the air, but now we have awful audience-pandering moments like her “impression” of Matt Gaetz, and the less said about that fart CPR thing, the better. (Best moment: Friendly’s)

Kenan Thompson: Our eternal cast member was barely a factor this season. At some points, it got depressing how little he was used. On the bright side, I think he did a pretty good job when they actually did use him. Almost like he knows that his time on the show is up, so he’s giving more of a shit. (Best moment: Police Station)

Devon Walker: Poor Devon Walker. Once again, he has the least amount of screentime in the entire cast. What does the show have against this guy? I think he’s really funny whenever we do get to see him, and the Dave Chappelle episode was a great showcase for his talents. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they end up firing him. (Best moment: Evacuation Alert)

Bowen Yang: There were actually quite a few moments this year where Bowen genuinely surprised me. That being said, he also gave us some absolutely wretched material, such as that Charli XCX shit and his drone commentary in the Christmas episode. (Best moment: Trauma Support Group)

Featured Players

Ashley Padilla: As the season went on, Ashley gradually proved herself to be the most talented of the three newbies. By the end, she came off like a series veteran! I can’t wait to see what she does in Season 51!!! (Best moment: Joann commentary)

Emil Wakim: Generally, they only used this guy if they needed Muslim/foreign roles. That sucks, because I see potential for him. (Best moment: Doctor’s Visit)

Jane Wickline: Nepotism sure gets you far, huh? Not a single thing this woman did impressed me. She was barely a factor at all, and most of her lead roles were horrible musical numbers, which just makes me even sadder that they got rid of Chloe Troast. (Best moment: NONE!!!)

Michael Che and Colin Jost: I’ve lost all patience with them. While not official yet, this is most likely their final year behind the desk. If it is, it’s about time, because Update has been on auto-pilot for way too long now. I’m sick of their constant unprofessional giggling and inside jokes. There needs to be a change, and fast.

As for the best and worst episodes of this season, it was really hard for me to pick the best, because so much of it was just awful. But I’ve tried…

Best episodes: Ariana Grande/Stevie Nicks, Bill Burr/Mk.gee, Dave Chappelle/GloRilla, Shane Gillis/Tate McRae

Worst episodes: Jean Smart/Jelly Roll, Charli XCX, Martin Short/Hozier, Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire, Scarlett Johansson/Bad Bunny

Best sketches: A Father’s Promise (Cut), My Best Friend’s House (from Grande), Charades With Mom (from Grande), Monica commentary (from Grande), The Hotel Detective (from Grande), Skydiving (from Keaton), Beppo (from Mulaney), Harvey Epstein (from Mulaney), Monologue (from Burr), The Best of Snake Skin (from Burr), Bald Men (from Burr), Thanksgiving Baking Championship (from Charli XCX), Paul Mescal is Daddy (from Mescal), Brilliant Lawyer (from Mescal), Bald Guy commentary (from Rock), Monologue (from Chappelle), Evacuation Alert (from Chappelle), Police Station (from Chappelle), Pop The Balloon (from Chappelle), Medcast (from Chalamet), New Barista Training (from Chalamet), Andrew’s Puppet Dad commentary (from Chalamet), Black Jeopardy (from 50th Anniversary), Anxiety (from 50th Anniversary),  Bill Murray commentary (from 50th Anniversary), Scared Straight (from 50th Anniversary), Monologue (from Gillis), CouplaBeers (from Gillis), Dad’s House (from Gillis), The Sound (from Gillis), Doctor’s Visit (from Gillis), A Long Goodbye (from Gaga), Pip (from Gaga), Lord Gaga (from Gaga), Friendly’s (from Gaga), Jury Duty (from Madison), Joann commentary (from Madison), Mikey Madison Is Squidward (from Madison), Love Match (from Black), One Uppers (from Black), both “Miss Eggy” commentaries (from Black and Johansson), Herpastopper (from Hamm), Icebreaker (from Hamm), Two Bitches vs. A Gorilla (from Brunson), The Greats (from Brunson), Spiderweb commentary (from Goggins), Boss’s Bathroom (from Goggins), Local News Stories (from Johansson)

Worst sketches: Cold Open (from Smart), The $100,000 Pyramid (from Smart), Moo Deng commentary (from Smart), Talk Talk (from Smart), Cold Open (from Bargatze), both Sabado Gigante sketches (from Bargatze and Short), Mile High Burger Challenge (from Bargatze), Bridesmaids (from Grande), Maybelline (from Grande),  The Kamala Interview (from Keaton), ShopTV (from Keaton), TikTok (from Keaton), Cold Open (from Mulaney), Port Authority Duane Reade (from Mulaney), Family Bonds (from Mulaney), Cold Open (from Burr), Rorshach Test (from Burr), Cold Open (from Charli XCX), Babymoon (from Charli XCX), Wicked Auditions (from Charli XCX), It Girl Thanksgiving Special (from Charli XCX), All Male Revue (from Mescal), Spotify Wrapped (from Mescal), Grandpa’s Magic Car (from Rock), Gallbladder Surgery (from Rock), Five-Timer’s Club (from Short), Parking Lot (from Short), Airport Parade (from Short), Weekend Update (from Short), Cold Open (from Chappelle), Immigrant Dad Talk Show (from Chappelle), Nosferatu commentary (from Chappelle), AI Software (from Chalamet), Dog Run (from Chalamet), The Lawrence Welk Show (from 50th Anniversary), Two Best Friends From Who Gives A Fuck commentary (from 50th Anniversary), New York Musical (from 50th Anniversary), both Movie Guy commentaries (from Gillis and Goggins), No More Slay (from Gaga), Big Dumb Line (from Madison), Midwife (from Madison), Planning New York (from Madison), The First Play (from Black), Times Square (from Black), The Cleansing of the Temple (from Hamm), New Parents (from Hamm), Leadership Summit (from Brunson), Ferry Altercation (from Brunson), Barflies commentary (from Brunson), Mother’s Day (from Goggins), Tiny Baby Shoe (from Goggins), Service Dogs (from Goggins), Deathly Diner (from Goggins), Monologue (from Johansson), Couple at the Bar (from Johansson), Elevator (from Johansson), Weekend Update (from Johansson), Intimacy Coordinator (from Johansson), Victorian Ladies At Lunch (from Johansson)

Stay tuned for one last megapost where I look back at my history covering SNL!!!!!

SNL Reviews: Scarlett Johansson/Bad Bunny (5/17/25)

 My final Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Since these seem to be so popular on the internet, I thought I’d try my own. Now, SNL needs no introduction. It was once the greatest comedy in history. Nowadays, it’s no different from the other late-night shows. Is it really as bad as everyone says it is? Let’s start with the first episode I watched all the way through, the one with Saoirse Ronan that aired in December 2017. Each sketch will be rated on a scale of 1 to 5. So, what are we waiting for? As Bob the Builder used to say, ‘Let’s get started!’” (from Saiorse Ronan/U2, 2017)

It’s only fair that I start my final review with the introduction of my first review. Well, let’s get to it…

Cold Open

Trump discusses the Middle East and the end of the season.

• Whew, the last time I ever have to talk about this impression…

• It’s great to see Emil in a lead role right at the beginning of the show. 

• Unfortunately, SNL doesn’t seem to know which country Mohammad Bin Salman is actually the leader of. He’s supposed to be the ruler of Saudi Arabia, but the set designers put up the UAE flag!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!

• Then Trump starts breaking the fourth wall for some reason, as if to mock all of those people who complain about this impression taking up so much screentime.

• I actually really like the part where he goes into the audience and starts flirting with the women seated next to him. That’s a neat way to spice things up. 

• At least this cold open ended on a pretty positive note for me. Why is it positive? Because it’s the last one I ever have to cover!!!

Monologue

Scarlett and the cast perform a song about how special SNL is to them.

• One last musical monologue…yippee…

• The fact that Bowen, Heidi, Chloe, Ego, and Mikey are all front and center here makes me think that this might be their final episode. Pretty sure the line about Sarah leaving is just a joke, though.

• Nice fakeout with Scarlett announcing “Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Joel…wrote this song.” I like Mikey’s disappointed reaction to this.

• They even work in a Q&A bit with Kenan as an old man. This monologue has everything I hate and more!

• Longfellow gets in a nice jab about his lack of airtime, claiming he’s only been in 4 sketches. And just to prove his point, he doesn’t appear again for the rest of the show!

• UGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! There goes another “joke” about how expendable the new cast members are. Why do they keep doing this??!???

• Aside from a couple things I mentioned above, this was an absolutely wretched monologue. The sad thing is that there are people out there who eat this shit up, like all of those lobotomy patients in the YouTube comments.

Sketch: Local News Stories

Anchors of a morning news show use lame puns while reporting stories.

• What is the deal with that intro where Emil sings a parody of a Chappell Roan song? Why is Chappell Roan constantly on the show’s mind this year?!?? 

• I like Kenan saying that his co-anchor gave birth to “something”, which has a number of implications that all unnerve me…

• Okay, this is really strange. This is the third lead role Ashley has gotten this year that involves telling bad jokes.  Is someone in the writer’s room playing a prank on her?

• It takes a little while, but the horrible puns Scarlett makes are gradually getting funnier.

• I especially like the one about the cannibal. 

• Hilarious scene with Devon making a bad pun about a mother whose daughter has been kidnapped.

• Kenan’s line at the end comparing his job to having sex with his wife was probably my favorite part.

• An excellent way to start the episode.

Please Don’t Destroy: First Class

A first class trip with Scarlett is interrupted by Newark news.

• My last Please Don’t Destroy film. They’ve been really hit or miss lately, but I hope I can get one last surprise for them.

• Aaaaaand it’s another musical one. I think I’ve been pretty open about how much I’ve hated most of their musical attempts.

• So far, this isn’t doing much to change my opinion.

• I think this might be better if they got rid of all the music portions and they just focused on the dialogue scenes.

• That being said, I did like the part with Martin sings about having the Lost pilot on his phone.

• Ugh, pointless appearance from Bad Bunny as an air traffic controller.

• Overall, this was a pathetic way for me to end my coverage of these guys. When they first popped up, they were such a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the show, but now, they’re just as stale as everything else.

Sketch: Couple at the Bar

Two couples confront each other at the bar.

• *sigh* Marcello’s doing that accent yet again…

• Great, now we have another Bad Bunny appearance. Get this smug little bastard off of my screen!

• This sketch suddenly turns into a Spanish argument between Bad Bunny and Marcello. Why is fucking Bad Bunny slowly taking over this episode????

• It goes without saying by this point that I am beyond tired of Marcello’s goofy accent shtick. He was doing pretty well for a while, but then he brought back the Movie Guy for no reason last week, and he hasn’t recovered from that.

• God bless JAJ and Andrew for trying to liven things up with their characters. JAJ also ends the sketch on a positive note with an impressive knowledge of Spanish.

Film: Bowen’s Still Straight

Scarlett flirts with Bowen.

• I take issue with Ego referring to Longfellow as “creepy”.

• You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. Now we have an unnecessary sequel to that film about Bowen being straight from last season?!?? Must this show ruin every sketch I like????

• Scarlett is nowhere near as good as Sydney Sweeney was in the first one.

• Because this show hates us, there are two cameo appearances in this sketch, making this the first season since 43 to have a cameo in every single episode. Jesus Christ. I thought they’d learned their lesson, but apparently not.

• Unsurprisingly, they throw in a cameo from Colin. That’s three episodes in a row that he’s appeared outside of Update.

Sketch: Elevator

Mike Myers has an awkward elevator ride with Kanye West.

• Mike Myers again? Don’t worry, he’s only playing himself this time. Why? You’ll see…

• After about a minute, Kenan suddenly enters as…*sigh*…Kanye West. WHYYYYYYYY?????????

• First of all, Kenan looks and sounds absolutely nothing like Kanye. Why couldn’t they let Devon play him?

• Second, why are they doing this now, in 2025? The incident with Mike and Kanye happened almost 20 years ago (Christ, I’m old…). And you wanna know something else??? They already DID a parody of it right after it happened when Kanye was a musical guest in the Season 31 premiere!!! So not only is this extremely out of date, it’s something that they already did better when it was still current! Who is this even for????

Musical Performance: “NUEVAYoL”

Weekend Update (featuring Ego Nwodim)

• I really, really, really hope this is the last episode for Colin Jost and Michael Che. If it’s not, then at least this is the last time I have to cover them.

• Enough with the Trump loves McDonald’s jokes!!!!

• I am so tired of these bozos cracking up at their own jokes. The extended laugh breaks often cause Update to last even longer than it should.

• Another stand-up commentary from Ego, because her last one was such a hit.

• While this is somewhat of a rewrite of the last one, Ego is still giving this her all.

• I’m amazed they let her (and Colin) get away with saying “Shut your gay ass up!”

• If this ends up being Ego’s final episode, at least she went out on a high note.

• Hideous joke about Stephen Hawking.

• The ONLY joke I laughed at from the anchors was Colin’s joke about some Amazon driver taking a shit on someone’s porch.

• Well, it’s the end of the season, and you know what that means…time for another joke swap. After the horrors of the last one, I’m sensing that this one won’t be any better.

• I noticed that Colin stumbles a bit when he says “season finale”. Hmmm, was he about to say something else???? Like, maybe this is his final episode as well? I hope!!!

• Shock of shocks, Colin just told a racist joke about black people…yay…

• Che just made an anti-white joke…double yay…

• We get our obligatory Scarlett appearance. 

• Stooge, if you’re out there, and by some miracle happen to come across this review, just be glad you don’t have to watch this. 

• IT’S FINALLY OVER!!!!!! I NEVER HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THESE TWO CHUCKLEUCKS AGAIN!!!!!!

Sketch: Intimacy Coordinators

Two intimacy coordinators have no idea how lesbians make love.

• What in the world is an intimacy coordinator anyway? The only other place I’ve ever heard of one was in that one sketch when Rege-Jean Page hosted a few years ago.

• I don’t know why Mikey keeps saying “sowwy”, but it’s kind of funny. I’m really gonna miss talking about him.

• Sarah’s character is non-binary for no apparent reason. Hey, remember when you guys hired a non-binary cast member to be on your show, only to treat them like shit and fire them after you got all the press you wanted???? That was awesome.

• What am I even watching here? Kenan doesn’t know how lesbians have sex??? What are they trying to imply?

• All of these penis euphemisms are so juvenile and unfunny. I was shocked to discover that the Please Don’t Destroy guys wrote this.

Sketch: TV Takes

TV stars are forced to answer uncomfortable questions about themselves.

• A sequel to a sketch from the Anya Taylor-Joy episode…which was FOUR seasons ago. What is with this season and bringing back old-ass sketches???? And, once again, it’s a sketch that I didn’t even like before!

• “Danny Cheeks”??? I see Sublette has gone back to his old dirty name routine.

• Said character is played by Marcello, who is being treated like some kind of mega-popular star that everyone loves. Ugh…

• I feel kind of sorry for Sarah being cast as someone who is “ugly”. This may sound kinda weird, but I’ve always found her much more attractive than any of the male cast.

• Jane Wickline sounds so bored. What a diverse cast member.

• I just want to punch Bowen here. He sounds so smug and unlikeable.

• In a season full of unnecessary rehashed sketches, that had to have been one of the worst.

Musical Performance: “Perfumito Nuevo”

Sketch: Victorian Ladies at Lunch

Proper ladies dine on repulsive food.

• Well, this is it…my final sketch as a reviewer…aaaaaaaand it’s a pointless piece of shit where Victorian women eat disgusting garbage.

• Let me take one final moment to say how much I hate Kent Sublette (and his buttbuddy James Anderson for that matter). As soon as I heard the accents and saw the premise, I knew this had to be his work. Sure enough, it was.

• Not even Andrew and his hilarious voice are enough to salvage this.

• It’s kind of sad, really. My final episode as a reviewer ends, not on a high note, but on a wet fart. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Final thoughts: The nightmare is finally over! With the exception of that news sketch early on, I hated every single thing about this episode. So many rehashes and awful premises, you name it, this episode had it. I didn’t even mention Scarlett Johansson, because she was just kind of there. How did this woman even make it to the Five-Timers Club when a good chunk of her episodes are absolute shit?

Best sketches: Local News Stories, Ego’s commentary

Worst sketches: Monologue, Couple at the Bar, Elevator, Weekend Update (except Ego), Intimacy Coordinator, Victorian Ladies at Lunch

Coming up will be my Season 50 overview, and after that, a special farewell post!!!!

SNL Reviews: Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire (5/10/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Before any of the candidates show up, we get a gratuitous cameo from some guy named Billy Porter. I had no idea who he was when I first saw this, but then I found out that he’s a guy who likes wearing dresses. Yeah....” (from David Harbour/Camila Cabello, 2019)

Cold Open: Mother’s Day

A heartwarming Mother’s Day message from the cast…or is it???

• I love when they do these Mother’s Day messages. It’s fun seeing the cast’s parents.

• What the fuck???? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Why did they have to have Trump interrupt this?!!???? Fuck you, SNL! I was actually enjoying where this was going!!!!! But you just had to throw him in for the hell of it!!!! I hate it! I HATE IT!!! I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• And, just to mock me even more, they throw in Cecily as Jeanine Pirro for no apparent reason other than “look, member Cecily???? Ooooooh, I member!!!!” 

• TLDR: SNL sucks and I’m glad there’s only one more cold open left for me to review.

Monologue

Goggins talks about Mother’s Day and his being a sex symbol.

• Who the fuck names their kid “Walton”? That sound like an old prospector’s name or something.

• I kinda liked his blunt admission that his character in The White Lotus dies.

• I really hope that Cosmopolitan article (“Are We All Horny for Walton Goggins’ Receding Hairline?”) is fake, because I can’t imagine anybody genuinely finding this guy hot. He looks like the creepy guy you see at the back of the subway.

• Oh, okay, that Yahoo! headline is definitely fake, so I’m assuming the Cosmopolitan one is as well.

• I like the soft-shoe number he performs with his mom.

Sketch: Second Amendment

A look back at the writing of the Second Amendment.

• Uh-oh, a historical sketch. I have no idea why these are so popular with everyone else.

• JAJ is perfectly cast as a Founding Father.

• Looks like we’re in for some anti-gun commentary here…

• No, we don’t get that, but we do get a lot of really dumb shit, along with portraying the Founding Fathers as dudebros.

• It’s hard for me to pin down exactly why I’m not a fan of this sketch. Nothing about the performances is particularly bad (in fact, Walton’s doing a great job), but I find it all…boring. Surely the next sketch can’t be any worse…

Film: Tiny Baby Shoe

I love nepotism!

• This should be titled “Please like Jane Wickline, you guys!!!!”

• WTF even is this song so far??? Singing about a tiny shoe in a heavily Auto-Tuned voice, with “wacky” props and all that? Who comes up with this shit?!?

• This feels like a rip off of the classic “Wishin’ Boot” song with Blake Shelton. The difference is that Shelton can actually sing, and the song was actually…you know, heartwarming.

• Goggins appears as a man with tiny Dooneese-esque feet…which is honestly kind of disturbing.

• Now we’re getting into jokes about tiny penises.

• I kinda liked Sam Rockwell’s random appearance as a balloon vendor with even tinier feet.

• I’m sure Jane Wickline is a nice person behind the scenes and all that, but she just doesn’t fit on SNL at all. Send her back to TikTok or wherever the Hell she originally came from, because she’s clearly not working, and this lame Wishin’ Boot knockoff is further proof of that.

Sketch: Mother’s Day Brunch

A waiter gets flirty during brunch.

• Kind of ironic how both this sketch and the preceding film take place in Central Park. 

• There’s a dude in the background who kinda looks like Beetlejuice from The Howard Stern Show.

• Are most of the sketches just going to be people fawning over Walton? I hate these kinds of episodes.

• Throw in some Mikey Reacts, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for blandness.

Sketch: Service Dogs

Canines are bored by a dramatic play.

• NOOOOO!!!! Not another dog sketch!!!! Why do they keep doing this?!???

• The Southern accents are a dead giveaway that Kent Sublette wrote this. 

• Walton: “Sorry to break character, but I do notice that the dogs keep leaving.” No fucking shit!!!! We can see that with our eyes!!!

• What a criminal waste of Longfellow’s talents.

• Bowen certainly isn’t helping matters with his usual shtick.

• You gotta be kidding me with the dog checking his watch. This feels like a rejected Carol Burnett sketch.

• No comment on the ending where Walton’s character kisses his own sister (which Jane “helpfully” points out in case we’re blind).

• How did this even make it on the air? Was this a slow week in the writer’s room?

Musical Performance: “Pink Elephant”

Weekend Update (featuring The Movie Guy, A Guy Who Just Walked Into A Spiderweb, and Dianne)

• Since this was the first episode after the election of the new Pope, we’ve got a lot of anti-Catholic jokes here.

• I laughed at the Harry and Meghan joke.

• Oh, fuck you, Che! You just had to sneak in a pedophile priest joke, didn’t you?!??? I hate you so much!!!

• Fuck, not “The Movie Guy” again!!!

• He’s going through the same jokes as before, and his accent is even more cartoonishly offensive.

• This part about “Carly Sohandsome” (Scarlett Johansson) is hacky as fuck, but I did get a genuine laugh from Marcello joking that he’s married to Rihanna.

• Ugh, they even recycle his obsession with cartoon characters, except this time he’s talking about “Gary Fields” (Garfield).

• Marcello hasn’t been doing too bad these last few episodes, but this is a huge step back for him.

• The Rosa Parks joke was actually pretty great.

• There’s not one, not two, but THREE jokes about airplanes in this!!!!

• Mikey’s brief spiderweb commentary is so stupid, but really funny and committed. You can tell this is something he’s been trying to get on for a while.

• This Heidi commentary was cut from last week’s show, and after seeing it, I can understand why. It’s more of the same bootleg Kristen Wiig garbage she’s been doing on Update for the past three seasons.

Sketch: The Deathly Diner

A couple takes their kids to a horror-themed restaurant.

• Well, here’s yet another restaurant sketch for this season!!!

• Some nice set design here.

• I like that Ashley has another big role!

• It seems like they’re trying to recreate the success of that Friendly’s sketch from the Lady Gaga episode. 

• Unlike the Friendly’s sketch, this is NOT the right way to use Bowen. He’s gone back to his unfunny camp antics.

• Something about this sketch felt off to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I saw someone in the comments claim that this sketch might have been meant to promote some “spooky” restaurant at Universal’s new Epic Universe park in Florida. 

• We end on a pointless appearance from Kenan’s overused old man shtick.

• This was just a sorry attempt at replicating the Friendly’s sketch. Not only was it not disturbing at all, they forgot to add actual jokes to it. When am I going to find a sketch in this episode that’s actually good???

Musical Performance: “Year of the Snake”

Saturday Night Live Midnight Matinee: Boss’s Bathroom

A man makes an uncomfortable discovery in his boss’s bathroom.

• Please save this episode, Dan Bulla!!!!!!

• Great to see Andrew as a lead in this one.

• Not sure if it’s intentional, but I love the Shining vibe of the scene where Andrew enters the bathroom.

• I love the random closeups of the foot stool.

• Things are gradually getting more disturbing each time we cut to the bathroom. That shot of Sarah screaming on the toilet is honestly pretty creepy.

• The random caveman part was great, especially Sarah pleasuring her private areas with water.

• I like how they kind of keep it ambiguous at first as to whether or not Andrew is hallucinating all of this, but then he finds a creepy worm that we saw in the caveman scene and he jumps out of the window!

• It’s great to see that Dan Bulla has still got it! I’m sad that this is the last one of these I’ll be covering (assuming they keep doing these in Season 51).

• The card at the end has been changed again, with Pip being added.

Cut for Time: Amazing Anna

Toy company employees come up with ideas for a talking doll.

• This sketch was apparently written for the Travis Kelce episode. I’m guessing that the line about tariffs was not in that version.

• Chloe has barely been on lately. It’s safe to say that her time on the show is up…to which I say, YAY!

• The premise and general “zoomer” vibe I’m getting from this makes me think that Jimmy Fowlie has something to do with it.

• Walton is getting some laughs from his voice for the doll, but this sketch is just so damn repetitive.

• Oh, and we randomly end on a joke about some gay kid being a fan of the doll. Now I know for sure that Jimmy Fowlie wrote this!

Final thoughts: *sigh* That episode was brutal as fuck. I didn’t like a single thing in the first half of the episode. While we had Mikey’s commentary on Update, and Dan Bulla shined as usual, most of this was completely forgettable and occasionally frustrating. What a poor waste of Walton Goggins, who was trying his best to save this episode. But, do you know what the best thing is??? I have only one more episode to review!!!!

Best sketches: Spiderweb commentary, Boss’s Bathroom

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Tiny Baby Shoe, Service Dogs, The Movie Guy commentary, Deathly Diner

Next review: Scarlett Johansson/Bad Bunny. Just one more to go!!!!

SNL Reviews: Quinta Brunson/Benson Boone (5/3/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“The Trump parallels are so embarrassingly obvious. As soon as Will’s character said that he hopes the chief ‘builds that wall’, I immediately knew where the rest of this was headed. Then it gets even more embarrassing when he reveals that he gets his news from...a fox. GET IT? ‘CAUSE TRUMP GETS ALL HIS NEWS FROM FOX NEWS!!! DUH-HUH, WE’RE SO FUNNY!!!! And in case you didn’t get it, he says that the rest of the family gets their news from a peacock. LIKE NBC!!!! GET IT??!!!???” (from Will Ferrell/King Princess, 2019)

This is, without a doubt, one of the worst sketches I’ve ever reviewed. I still have no idea what they were going for with this one. 

Cold Open: Executive Orders

President Trump signs many executive orders.

• Opening up with a text crawl…this is gonna suck.

• I actually got a genuine laugh from Trump talking about how Elmo has been apprehended by ICE, and that it was brought to us by the letter “L”, for “El Salvador”.

• We get “spooky” music when Mikey enters as Stephen Miller? How scathing! At least it’s better than portraying him as a snake like they did that one time.

• Trump just mentioned Kylo Ren! It’s funny because he would have never seen those movies!!!

• Another surprise laugh from me when Trump mentions Childish Gambino as an example of an Italian-American.

• Nice slam at Bill Belichick.

• Again with the Marco Rubio shit? Please stop it!!!

• Overall, your usual Trump shit, even though I laughed a frighteningly large number of times.

Monologue

Quinta sings about being short.

• Our 1,000th musical monologue of the season. Sheesh, is it Season 36 again? 

• At least there’s some hot gals as backup dancers instead of using the cast.

• What the fuck is with all of the Sabrina Carpenter shilling lately? I hate it!!! Can we go at least one episode without a pointless cameo????

• Make that TWO pointless cameos, because now we have Dwayne Wade for some reason.

• Pointless Marcello appearance to make the TikTok fan girls in the audience happy.

Sketch: Will & Todd’s Radical Experience

Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman refuse to go back in time.

• A Bill and Ted parody in 2025? I fail to see the point. I also don’t understand why they couldn’t use the actual names.

• Andrew and Marcello are at least perfect in these roles.

• I agree with Jesse Nathan’s opinion that Chloe’s Queen Elizabeth voice is terrifying.

• What is Mikey going for with that Italian accent? Guess we can add that to the list of accents he can’t do!

• As soon as I saw Douglass and Tubman, I knew what the joke of this sketch was going to be.

• I certainly understand the point they’re trying to make here, but is a Bill and Ted parody really the best outlet for racial commentary?

• I feel like we’ve barely seen Devon lately. 

• Epic special effect failure at the end where the smoke from the time machine gets cut off by the background layer.

Fake Ad: OnlySeniors

An elderly couple tells their children about their new life insurance policy…a seniors’ version of OnlyFans.

• Uh…what a concept…

• Quinta’s performance is really good.

• The scenes of old people getting freaky with each other are honestly kind of disgusting.

• I thought I would like this more than I did, but it was a little too bland and focused way too much on the shock value.

Sketch: Leadership Summit

Product pitches go haywire. 

• Emil with a lead role!!!

• The way some of the characters are dressed is giving me bad vibes…

• I don’t get all of this sandwich talk.

• Kenan’s horrible wig made me think that this was Jimmy Fowlie’s work, but, apparently, the Please Don’t Destroy guys wrote it.

• Stop trying to make Marcello and Kenan a duo, SNL. It ain’t funny!

• Bowen brings back that horrible doctor character he played in that cookie sketch with Ryan Gosling. All you need to know is that this character still isn’t funny.

• Definitely a contender for one of the worst sketches of the season.

Sketch: Ferry Altercation

I love rehashes! Do you love rehashes?

• Yep, that’s right! We’ve got yet another installment of this sketch that only worked the first time!

• Maybe this would have worked better if we didn’t already get an unnecessary reprisal of this sketch in the Martin Short episode?

• The dialogue is basically all rewritten from the original version, with Chloe’s “You suck!” line being changed to “You’re nuts!”, which isn’t nearly as funny.

• Random appearance from Colin at the end as himself. You see, the joke is that he has a ferry in real life, so let’s put him on this ferry! LOL XD!!!!!!!

• Man, this episode is just killing me so far.

Fake Ad: Forever 31

The clothing line that keeps you at 31 years old,

• Guys, you do realize that Forever 21 is gone now, right?

• Nothing too special so far, but I am getting some eye candy, so at least there’s that.

• Nice shot of Ashley in a giant David Byrne-esque suit.

• Heidi: “I make Diane Keaton…look like a prostitute.”

• The Jeff Probst line from Ashley was pretty funny.

• So far, this is the most tolerable thing I’ve seen in this episode.

Sketch: Two Bitches vs. A Gorilla

Two “bitches” attempt to ward off a gorilla.

• Not another text crawl opening…

• This is different. A sketch shot entirely from someone’s POV? You don’t see that every day.

• This ghetto humor is kind of old hat by this point, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh at the GloRilla line, and there is a certain uniqueness to this premise.

• LOL at James’ zookeeper character and his Ronald Reagan wig.

• Did some of that fake poop land in Ego’s mouth? Ewwwww…..

• Ego: “Imma bout to beat the Gorilla Glue outta you!”

• Nice gravestone at the end: “Two Bitches: They Ain’t Even Do Nothin”

• For some reason, this stupid sketch actually made me laugh harder than anything else so far. 

Musical Performance: “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else”

Weekend Update (featuring Michael Longfellow and Two Applebee’s Barflies)

• I love the fake photo of Colin as Queen Elizabeth.

• That Kanye joke was so lame.

• Ah, another Longfellow commentary to provide us some relief.

• He gets in a jab about how little he’s been used this year.

• While not his best material, his interplay with Colin is good as always. Too bad this is the last Longfellow commentary I’ll get to cover.

• We’ll be getting a lot of Diddy jokes for the rest of the season. The one Che just told was very funny.

• Jesus Christ, what is with all of these “jokes” about killing animals??? 

• *groan* Bowen and Sarah again?!!??? Didn’t we just have them on last time? I am not looking forward to this pairing at all.

• You’ve gotta be kidding me with this shit. The annoying voices, the muggy performances, the corpsing, this is everything I complain about with these two rolled into a single commentary.

Sketch: Addicts Anonymous

A man freaks out during his AA meeting. 

• Hmmm, I’m liking this performance from Kenan. It’s a subtler, more emotional performance that we’re not used to.

• Why is Mikey so perfect as a drug addict?

• I like Kenan referring to cocaine as “booger sugar”. 

• The ending was a little abrupt, but, overall, this is one of Kenan’s best performances in a long time.

Musical Performance: “Mystical Magical”

Sketch: The Greats

An overlooked boxer named Jerry “Jackrabbit” Tulane is profiled on a sports documentary program.

• My first laugh came from JAJ’s ridiculous glasses.

• Seeing Quinta in drag as a boxer makes me weary, but let’s give it a chance.

• Turns out my fears about her being in drag were unfounded, because as soon as she started talking, I was on board.

• Longfellow has the perfect voice for this old-timey setting.

• This reminds me of that sketch from the episode Conan hosted in Season 26 where he played a boxer who kept getting beaten up.

• Quinta: “He’s so ugly that he went to the zoo and they charged him rent!”

• I like the casual mention of Quinta’s character getting busted for pedophilia.

• Great bit of realism with how Quinta is so battered by the end of the sketch that she can barely speak coherently.

• While not as iconic as the aforementioned Conan sketch, this is definitely a highlight of this weak episode.

Final thoughts: Man, these last few episodes have been killing me. And from what I remember of the next two, it looks like my tenure isn’t going to end on the best note.

Best sketches: Two Bitches vs. A Gorilla, The Greats

Worst sketches: Monologue, Leadership Summit, Ferry Altercation, Barflies commentary

Next review: Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire

SNL Reviews: Jon Hamm/Lizzo (4/12/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Oh, that’s right, there’s another black woman on this show. Given how rarely they use her, I’m surprised that she’s the only black character in the sketch. And I’m even more surprised that she got a second season.” (from Kristen Wiig/Dua Lipa, 2020)

Even back then, I could tell that Punkie Johnson would be eternally underused.

Cold Open: The Cleansing of the Temple

Jesus and his disciples are interrupted during the cleansing of the temple.

• A Bible-themed cold open? Gee, wonder what’s gonna happen?

• Surprise, surprise! Trump has interrupted it yet again! I hate how this is becoming a trend lately.

• I’ve already said enough about this routine, so let’s move on.

Monologue

Jon Hamm talks about all the cameos he’s made since his last hosting appearance.

• It feels so satisfying to see him host again. Hard to believe that the last time was almost fifteen years ago! Jesus, I’m old!

• Great montage showing all of the times he’s made cameos since then.

• Ugh, did we really need to see a clip from that awful “Days Of Our Impeachment” thing again?

• And because this season can’t go twenty seconds without a cameo, Kieran Culkin is there for no reason.

Sketch: Check-to-Check Business News Channel

Business related news items for regular folks.

• We’re doing sketches about stocks now??? Who the fuck gives a shit?????

• Some of the knockoff food that Kenan’s showing off is kind of funny, which he then ruins by cracking up in the middle of his scene. Get the fuck off this show, please.

• As if things weren’t desperate enough, now they’re talking about…*sigh*…Funko Pops. Say it with me…HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS????

• This has to be the most nothing sketch ever. Whose bright idea was it to lead off with a sketch about fucking tariffs and stocks?

Please Don’t Destroy: Missing Person

Detectives order food while solving a case.

• Haven’t seen these guys in forever. I only have one more of these to look at before I’m done.

• I like how they’re playing actual characters in this one, which they don’t really do too often.

• Was this filmed in an actual police station? 

• Not gonna lie, Jon’s character is kind of annoying me.

• Stop trying to make Jane Wickline a thing. Ashley Padilla, on the other hand, just keeps getting better.

• Sorry if I didn’t have much to say there. This has to be one of the most unremarkable Please Don’t Destroy films ever.

Sketch: Guess! The Correct! Answer!

Contestants struggle to answer correctly.

• Is it a requirement for every episode to have a game show sketch now?

• Michael has been playing a lot of game show hosts lately. But who decided that his name should be…ugh, “Marky Mark Brandon Marcus”?

• Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Emil I see in this sketch? 

• Nice bit with Jon using himself as the answer to a question about things that are racist.

• WTF? Now we get random farting??? Give me a break!

• And that’s the punchline of this entire sketch????? What a shame! I actually liked where this was going!

• Did they have to cut this down or something? We didn’t even get to see the other two contestants play the game!

Film: The White Potus 

Trump and his administration try to relax on a fancy tropical holiday.

• What is this show’s obsession with The White Lotus? 

• Chloe takes over as Melania, giving her a Parker Posey voice for some reason. I know Posey is in the actual show, but why couldn’t she just do an impression of Melania? Oh, wait, I’m sure that would have sucked too, so I’m actually kind of glad she took this route instead.

• I’m glad they decided to do something different with the Trump stuff, though I’m kind of lost since I’ve never seen this show. JAJ seems to be going for a more subtle approach to his impression as well.

• Trump just opened a McDonald’s pill bottle! Get it? Because he’s fat!!!!

• Random return of Alex Moffat as Eric Trump. While I was never the biggest fan of those routines, I’m certainly not complaining about seeing Moffat again!

• I do admit to actually getting a laugh from Eric putting his gold watch in a blender because his brother told him “It’s about time”.

• Yay, more member berries! This time, it’s Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka. Remember that “iconic” impression she only did like a couple of times?

• My God, why can’t Chloe shut the fuck up??? Her voice is seriously annoying!

• They actually have Don Jr. bring up how Melania sounds nothing like she’s supposed to, as if that’s supposed to make it funnier.

• Eric continues to give me my only laughs here. I can’t believe I said that.

• Hamm’s RFK Jr. impression is pretty funny.

• I don’t know if Sarah’s playing someone from the show, but she looks really disturbing with those fake teeth.

• Again with portraying Marco Rubio as a decent person? Give it up, SNL! People aren’t going to suddenly like him if he’s played by Marcello!

• No…NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! IT’S THE SHIRTLESS VLADIMIR PUTIN AGAIN!!!!!!!! This is what they bring Beck Bennett back for?!??? Was anybody really clamoring to see his shitty Putin “impression” again???? I sure as fuck wasn’t!

• That part with Trump attempting to shoot Uncle Sam (what?) is so on the nose, and, most importantly, not funny.

• Oh fuck, as if it couldn’t get any more annoying, they’re STILL doing jokes that imply Donald Trump was elected by the Russians, even though that shit was debunked years ago!!!!

• While I definitely liked that they did something different here, it still left a lot to be desired.

Musical Performance: “Love In Real Life”, “Still Bad”

Weekend Update (featuring Chen Biao, Emil Wakim, and Dawn Altman)

• Been a while since Che did a child labor joke.

• I laughed at Colin’s joke about a reporter named “Sheher Theythem”.

• *sigh* As if this episode didn’t have enough pointless returns already, we now get an out-of-nowhere return of Chen Biao, Bowen’s trade minister character that he hasn’t played in years. It sucked like all of his other appearances, so let’s move on.

• I loved the LeBron doll joke.

• Another great joke from Colin, this one about a lazy Mexican Power Ranger.

• Hey, Emil gets another commentary! I can’t wait for more material about how the Middle East was “fine” before America started fighting there!

• I like his series of jokes about Uber Eats drivers.

• Colin has a great line at the end of the commentary about how he can’t wait to see all of the YouTube comments.

• Geez, what does Che have against animals?

• Great joke about putting googly eyes on subway trains.

• Uh-oh, here comes Sarah again. I wonder what’s gonna happen here…

• Yep, more Jost roasting! It’s pretty sad that I can immediately tell what’s going to happen whenever Sarah comes on Update. What happened to those news segments she did a couple of times?

Sketch: New Parents

Two new parents bring their baby to meet their friends. 

• Now we’re doing a rehash of an unfunny sketch from the Adam Driver episode from last season?

• So, I guess Bowen had a divorce, because his character is now married to Jon Hamm?

• I’ve lost count of how many couples Heidi and Mikey have played by now.

• I liked Andrew’s line about a place called “Bulge Dungeon”.

• I groaned so loud when Bowen said “The transphobia is real!”

• One positive I can give is that Jon is a lot better in this role than Driver was.

• Random horrifying ending with Lizzo as the baby.

Musical Performance: “Don’t Make Me Love You”

Fake Ad: Herpastopper

 The correlation between herpes and recreational activities.

• Here’s a sketch I’ve been waiting to see. My brother told me it was pretty funny.

• The slow-motion footage is already making me laugh. SNL’s been getting some good mileage out of that lately.

• Jon: “If you find yourself doing any of these activities in slow-motion, you may have herpes.”

• Some great satire regarding how a lot of these types of commercials show people doing outdoor activities and other “normal” things.

• Ego’s testimonial is really funny.

• I liked the slam at those annoying Jardiance ads.

• I love the ending scene with Jon rock climbing…which unfortunately means that he has herpes.

• Finally, another strong sketch! This is the kind of stuff I’ve been waiting to see him do!

Sketch: Icebreaker

An office ice breaking session goes horribly wrong when one of the participants shares way too much information.

• Has Bowen been in almost every sketch tonight or what?

• Jon accidentally begins to say his first line when Bowen is about to speak. Such a glaring error that I’m surprised wasn’t edited out for the YouTube upload.

• Jon: “I am Greg, and my mom killed my dad, naked on TV.”

• Okay, this is the second time in the last few episodes that they’ve used my name in a sketch. Is someone at SNL reading my blog????

• I like how all of the questions are gradually becoming about the death of Jon’s father.

• Funny brief mention of Raven-Symone as one of the things that apparently happened to Jon’s father.

• I forgot to mention it, but Andrew is doing a solid job as the anchor of this sketch.

• Great ending where everyone gathers around Jon to watch the video of his father’s death.

Final thoughts: This is definitely a step down to Jon’s past hosting appearances, but, compared to a lot of the shit we’ve had this season, it’s brilliant. Only three more to go…

Best sketches: Herpastopper, Icebreaker

Worst sketches: Cold Open, The White Potus, New Parents

Next review: Quinta Brunson/Benson Boone

SNL Reviews: Jack Black/Elton John & Brandi Carlile (4/5/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“I laughed at the part with Maya seeing a ghostly image of Sum41 on the musical guest stage and saying, ‘Now that’s when music was music’” (from Maya Rudolph/Jack Harlow, 2021)

Cold Open: Trump Tariffs

Trump addresses his tariffs and their impact on the stock market.

• Ugh, a crawl of text to start things off. I can tell I’m gonna hate this…

• I hate that I laughed at Trump’s line about how “tariff” is short for “tariffic idea”.

• Ha ha, Trump just made a joke about Severance! It’s funny because he wouldn’t have any reason to know what that is!

• The joke with the Cheesecake Factory menu was just awful. Get it? He’s fat!!!!

• I have no idea who Andrew’s supposed to be, but the fact that he is bald is more amusing than the intended “comedy” here.

• More fat jokes?!!?? Come up with some new material!!!

• Speaking of a lack of new material, Mike Myers is back as Elon yet again. Thankfully, this is his last appearance so far, but that doesn’t stop Myers from making a pointless cameo in the finale.

• Ugh, how many more of these do I have to watch? *checks notes* Only four? Whew! I’m in the homestretch!

Monologue

Jack Black performs a song about returning to the show after 20 years.

• Let’s address the elephant in the room first. A day after this episode aired, I went to go see the new Minecraft movie with Jack in it. I thought he did a perfectly okay job, but the movie itself was one of the most miserable experiences I’ve ever had in a theater. The audience was severely rowdy and annoying, constantly applauding whenever someone mentioned something from the game. 

• Anyway, that whole experience kind of clouds my memory of this episode, so let’s put all of that aside and focus on SNL.

Sketch: Love Match

A game show contestant bears a strong resemblance to Indiana Jones.

• Great to see Dismukes as a game show host again! I think the last one he did was that awful “momhole” sketch with Zöe Kravitz.

• JAJ’s character is hilarious, as is his lame pun on his name.

• Marcello: “Hey. I’m Dan, and daaayun, girl! Let’s do this!”

• I knew I was gonna like this sketch as soon as Jack’s chair turned around to reveal him in a shitty Indiana Jones costume.

• Jack’s mic doesn’t seem to be properly applied, as he sounds a lot quieter than the other performers.

• Jack’s lack of knowledge of Indiana Jones is really funny. I like how he asks if it’s a clothing brand.

• Special mention goes to Andrew in what might be one of his best performances ever.

• Great moment when Jack accidentally reveals he knows who Indiana Jones is.

• Andrew, describing Marcello and JAJ: “Okay, you look like a twelve year old, and you look like Jane Lynch.”

• I liked the twist at the end with Bowen dressed as a Jack Sparrow lookalike.

Fake Ad: Flamin’ Hot Preparation H

A Cheetos ad randomly turns into an ad for Preparation H.

• I find it odd that this is the second different sketch I’ve reviewed with Cheetos product placement.

• Who are all of these random extras in the ad? I find it kind of funny how there are no cast members in this (except for Andrew doing the voice of Chester Cheetah).

• I’ll be honest, while this is indeed a well-produced fake ad, I didn’t exactly find it as funny as a lot of other people did.

Sketch: One Uppers

Restaurant patrons continually one up each other.

• I agree with the person in the comments who says they get nervous every time Ego is at a table in a sketch. Thankfully, this isn’t a Lisa from Temecula reprisal. I think they gave up on those after the last one flopped.

• Andrew has been all over this episode so far! 

• I love the random hawk screeching noise whenever the camera zooms in on Jack.

• You can see Bowen enter the sketch before he’s supposed to.

• Okay, the hawk sounds are starting to get old.

• Bowen has been surprising me a lot lately. His performance in this sketch is honestly not bad. I’m sure he’ll find other ways to annoy me, though.

• Nice switch up with the various sounds being used for Ego, including a snippet of “Down With The Sickness”.

• Jack: “But I don’t go to the beach, I only go to black-owned pools.”

• Even the fart joke amused me.

• I like the random twist at the end where it’s revealed that the bird sounds were coming from Heidi’s pet eagle.

Sketch: The First Play

A look back at the very first play.

• Another text crawl? Jeez, at least try to come up with a better way to introduce each sketch!

• Yet another appearance from Andrew!

• I got a chuckle when Jack cheerfully waves to Emil when he comes out on stage. Speaking of Emil, where’s he been?

• Since when were there Chinese people in Greece? Ugh. I can’t believe Ancient Greece has gone WOKE!

• The reacting and explaining is getting really tired.

• I would have liked this more if it wasn’t so reliant on the reacting formula.

Film: Goth Kid on Vacation

A reggae song about going on vacation.

• Kenan’s first appearance of the entire episode…aaaand he’s singing in that Jamaican accent he seemed to rely on a lot last season.

• Longfellow is almost unrecognizable as the goth kid.

• Why are these musical pretapes so bland? Can’t we just have a normal pretape for once? SNL used to have an awesome film department…now we’re stuck with this. A performer who’s way past his prime singing in a bad Jamaican accent.

Musical Performance: “Little Richard’s Bible”

Weekend Update (featuring The Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together and Ego Nwodim)

• I forgot to mention it last time, but Morgan Wallen abruptly walked off stage during the goodnights for some reason. I bring this up now because Colin makes a reference to it in one of his jokes.

• I like the Storm Thurmond joke.

• *deep breath* Yet another motherfucking “seen here” joke…

• That Matt Gaetz joke is just a lazy rewrite of something they had Sarah say in that Church Lady sketch.

• We’re bringing these two back again? Okay.

• Once you’ve seen one Marcello commentary, you’ve seen ‘em all, so I’m not gonna bother with this.

• I liked the slam at Russell Brand, which involved showing a clip of him introducing Chris Brown in Season 36.

• Great joke about ICE offering free tacos in the back of their vans.

• This next commentary, oh boy…just you wait…

• Ego is finally doing a commentary as herself again, in which she does standup about the food at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

• For once, I don’t blame the anchors for laughing their way through this, as Ego’s performance here is masterful. In hindsight, I know that they probably let her do this because she might be leaving soon.

• Unfortunately, the online version has muted out the audience yelling “SHIT!” in response to Ego’s joke about Cory Booker. As a result, Ego saying that the show will get fined for this no longer makes any sense.

Sketch: Making Love

A couple performs a song about making love for the first time.

• Uh-oh, I don’t like where this is going…

• Yep, now we get a random rehash of that awful flying sketch with Cecily and Chance the Rapper. 

• I apologize if I’m sounding like a killjoy here, but I just don’t see the appeal of these sketches where the premise is just people singing a bland song. Jack and Sarah are performing this just fine, but I’m not exactly laughing. 

Sketch: Bass Lake

Big Ricky and The Minnows host a potluck jam where the audience members are welcome to join in.

• Another musical sketch? Okay, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge this one. After all, there are some amazing wigs.

• Jack: “Is that a McDonald’s No. 2 on your chest?” Mikey: “Yeh, cuz I’m lovin’ it.”

• It feels like Heidi has barely gotten any screentime lately. She is definitely on her way out.

• I love how cacophonous the song is gradually becoming due to all of the bass players coming on stage.

• Great ending where everyone drowns.

Musical Performance: “Who Believes in Angels?”

Sketch: Times Square

A behind the scenes look at the iconic photo of a sailor kissing a young woman.

• Heidi is a natural for this kind of sketch, but I’m a bit weary of where this is headed.

• Jack’s character voice is hilarious.

• I like the reveal that Jack’s character served his country by drawing racist propaganda for the Army.

• I am not caring for the main joke of this sketch at all, which seems to be predicated on the idea that the iconic photo is “creepy” because the woman didn’t consent.

• What a lousy way to end the episode.

Note: A memorial to Val Kilmer is shown before the goodnights.

Cut for Time: The Great Battle

Two men attempt to fight during a battle.

• Here we have the last of the animated shorts so far. 

• The art style is a little more appealing than the one from last week, but it still looks choppy and awkward.

• Jack is doing his typical ancient warrior voice.

• Quite a lot of blood in this.

• After watching this, I think I can see why it was cut. For one thing, there’s all the gore, but the main reason is probably because it wasn’t funny. Just like all of the other animated shorts we’ve gotten this season.

Final thoughts: As we reach the final few episodes of this season, I’ve lost hope that we’re ever going to get another strong episode. The end of my tenure as a reviewer is looking mighty grim…

Best sketches: Love Match, One Uppers, Ego’s commentary

Worst sketches: Cold Open, The First Play, Making Love, Times Square

Next review: Jon Hamm/Lizzo

SNL Reviews: Mikey Madison/Morgan Wallen (3/29/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Overall, a surprisingly funny and sharp satire, especially with the advanced knowledge that COVID is no longer a national health emergency.” (from Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy, 2022)

Fun fact: Not long after I posted that review, I came down with a case of COVID myself!

Cold Open: Group Chat

In which SNL poorly attempts to parody that Signal group chat thing.

• Wow, here’s a very topical cold open that nobody will remember in three months!

• Nice to see Madison in the cold open. Oddly, there’s no applause when she shows up.

• “Banessa”? Do I detect Kent Sublette?

• Ugh, this Internet slang is the kind of shit I don’t want to hear on this show. Who is this even for???

• It’s sad to see Andrew reduced to performing in this garbage. He’s way better than that.

• Stop trying to make Bowen as JD Vance a thing. It isn’t funny, it’s not biting, and it certainly isn’t going to offend him like you clearly think it is.

• While I liked the change in format, that doesn’t change the fact that this is still a steaming pile of nonsense.

Monologue

The host talks about her new movie, her twin brother, and doing stunts.

• Having two Mikeys is gonna be a bit confusing, so I’ll just be referring to her by her last name.

• No idea what to think about those movie scenes where she gets set on fire.

• Is that guy really her twin or is it just a joke?

• And we end this with pole dancing? Okay, I think I’m gonna enjoy this host…

Sketch: Acting Teacher

Isn’t rehashing fun?

• We’re doing this sketch again? Come on, the previous one was only 10 episodes ago!!! But, hey, we gotta give the Marcello stans what they want, right?

• Marcello is playing this role much louder and broader than he did last time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, because his character is supposed to be whacked out.

• Love how Marcello’s headshots are his mugshot photos.

• Bowen: “Why is this class $2,000?”

• I love the line about Gordon Ramsay calling Madison a donut.

• The ending was kind of abrupt.

Film: Big Dumb Line

Waiting in lines in New York is the hot new activity to do.

• As soon as they started singing, I immediately skipped this sketch. There’s no point in me going over my hatred of Bowen and Chloe again, and this sketch has them doing their usual shenanigans that I’m sick of.

Sketch: Jury Duty

Idiots are interviewed for jury selection.

• Our latest variation of what I’ve decided to call “parade of idiots” sketches.

• Mikey appears to be wearing his Don Jr. wig here. Just you wait until the Jon Hamm episode…

• I groaned so loud at the appearance of Kenan’s character.

• Great line from Madison about how she was allegedly hit by Caitlyn Jenner’s car.

• I don’t know what to make of Sarah’s character. Again, I have to ask, what does SNL have against bisexuals?

• I like how Andrew’s bizarre man-bun wearing character gets sentenced to 16 months for trying to suck up to the judge.

• Glad we get to see JAJ’s impression of Jay-Z again, even if he isn’t downstairs.

• Bowen seems to be doing a Steven Seagal impression here. His scene was admittedly pretty amusing.

• Great callback to the Jay-Z thing from earlier when Jane says that he’s going to be dining at her restaurant.

• I criticized him earlier, but I do like how Kenan’s character suddenly appears next to the judge and asks to see Heidi’s nude photos.

• Seeing Chloe (playing herself for some reason) getting carried away by the bailiff for doing an annoying Parker Posey impression was so cathartic.

• Another great callback when Luigi Mangione shows up to clarify that he has indeed been receiving Heidi’s nudes.

• An otherwise pretty funny sketch is sadly ruined at the end by the pointless Marcello bit.

Film: Spring Break

Chaos in the background ruins a tense teen drama.

•  Yet another variation of the Waffle House sketch? Are they going to be doing one every season now?

• Things have gotten desperate with Sarah vomiting on some dude.

• Okay, Madison jumping from the hotel balcony caught me off guard.

• They have Sarah vomit again at the end. A fitting end to a pointless sequel.

• And, for the record, I’m still not going to eat a house made of waffles. BEEEEEEEEF JELLY!!!!

Musical Performance: “I’m The Problem”

Weekend Update (featuring Devon Walker and Joann)

• When will the “seen here” jokes end?!?

• That Kash Patel photo never gets old.

• They HAD to throw in another “seen here” just to mock me!!!!

• Wow, a Donald Trump hamburger joke. So original!

• Great to see Devon doing another commentary as himself, and not as a celebrity for once. When was the last time he did a commentary as himself? His first season?

• While not the best commentary he’s ever done, it’s quick and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

• I saw the punchline to the Will Smith joke coming from a mile away, but I still laughed.

• Another “Hear Me Out” segment, this time on Paddington Bear. This was better than the first, mainly because it involves Colin threatening to call ICE on him.

• Ashley Padilla finally gets a chance on Update after getting cut numerous times. She’s playing “Joann” from Jo-Ann Fabrics, a craft store that was closing all of its stores when this episode originally aired.

• “Closing a Jo-Ann’s in the suburbs is like closing a Planned Parenthood in a college town!!!” LOL!!!!!!

• This is definitely something Ashley has been trying to get on for a while, judging from how experienced she sounds here.

• I love all of the lines about the type of annoying hipsters that shop at Jo-Ann.

• Ashley’s liquor-induced freak out about how feminism is to blame for the death of her store is probably the best thing she’s done on the show so far. I see a lot of good things in her future!

Sketch: Pop’s Big Regret

A mob boss tells horrible jokes while dying.

• I’m glad that JAJ has been getting more airtime as of late. A huge step-up compared to how he was utilized in the first half of the season.

• I knew this was gonna be a great sketch as soon as Andrew entered doing a shitty Brando impression.

• Nice effects work when Andrew gets “shot”.

• This feels like a spiritual successor to that sketch from last year with Andrew as a David Caruso parody who wouldn’t stop making jokes at a crime scene.

• I admire the anti-humor in this piece. Kind of reminds me of something Fred Armisen would have done in his early seasons, before he got annoying and unfunny.

• Love Madison’s attempt at a New York accent.

• I actually think her character slowed this down a bit for me, as everything before that was undeniably stronger than the aforementioned Caruso sketch.

Musical Performance: “Just In Case”

Sketch: Midwife

An annoying character returns for no reason.

• Ugh, the return of this horrible Bowen character that literally nobody was asking to see again.

• This encapsulates everything I hate about Bowen Yang: his smug fucking face, his annoying voice, his slow-ass delivery, etc. In fact, let’s just move on to the next sketch before I go on a twenty-minute rant about Bowen.

Please Don’t Destroy: Mikey Madison Is Squidward

Madison wants to play Squidward in a pretape.

• Random sequel to that Shrek pretape with Bad Bunny, except this time the host wants to play Squidward.

• I like how she gets offended when Ben brings up the time Squidward ate all those Krabby Patties and it went to his thighs.

• Nice authentic SpongeBob style time card! 

• Amazing visual of Ben as SpongeBob, although his laugh needs some work.

• Despite my hatred of SpongeBob memes, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a blast from the past. I especially love Martin’s depressed portrayal of Mr. Krabs, and the scene of John as Patrick at the doctor’s office made me chuckle too.

Sketch: So Like…What Are We?

A woman hosts a game show where she questions a man she’s dating.

• Great to see Longfellow with a lead role again.

• I like the “hungry for butt” text message.

• Longfellow’s deadpan voice is even funnier than usual. I get the feeling he wrote this.

• Did this have to get cut down for time? The ending was very abrupt.

SNL Animated Short: Planning New York

Two men imagine and plan out New York City.

• Another one of these, huh? Apparently, this has been in waiting since the Bill Burr episode.

• The animation is even worse in this one. Am I watching a shitty flash cartoon from Newgrounds?

• I can tell that’s you, Bowen. Your voice is hard to disguise!

• This seems to follow the exact same format as the last animated short, except there’s no slacker dude God in this one.

• Again with the random closeups?

• The actual humor is just a bunch of lame inside jokes about Manhattan that only people living there would get. 

• Unsurprisingly, there hasn’t been another animated short on SNL since this one. There is one that got cut from the next episode, but more on that next time.

Final thoughts: There was some absolutely atrocious material in here (looking at you, Bowen!), but most of it was pretty average. Mikey Madison has to be one of the most wasted hosts in SNL history. All she did was play bland straight roles.

Best sketches: Jury Duty, Joann commentary, Pop’s Big Regret, Mikey Madison Is Squidward

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Big Dumb Line, Midwife, Planning New York

Next review: Jack Black/Elton John & Brandi Carlile

Essential SCTV sketches (Seasons 1 & 2)

 I’ve mentioned it a few times in my reviews, but I’m a big fan of the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV. Featuring members of the Toronto branch of Second City, the show ran from 1976-1984, and during that time produced 135 episodes (later edited to 185 for syndication) of great sketches. Unfortunately, apart from Bronwyn Douwsma’s excellent series of ongoing reviews of the show, I’ve never been able to find any in-depth articles telling you which sketches to watch. So, I decided to create my own!

A quick disclaimer before we begin: The show has never been released in its entirety on DVD, and those that have been released are edited to remove copyrighted music. So, for my reviews, I will be going by a mix of syndicated and DVD versions of episodes.

SEASON 1 (1976-1977)

The first season aired on Global TV in Canada, and as such only aired in Toronto and a couple of other cities. It was syndicated to America a year later by Filmways (later renamed Rhodes Television). The cast in this season features John Candy, Joe Flaherty (credited by his real name of “Joseph O’Flaherty” in the first few episodes), Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis. 

These early episodes look really really cheap. Dave Thomas has gone on to admit that the director of the early shows (Milad Bessada) was a foreigner who didn’t understand North American comedy. About halfway through the season, a new director named George Bloomfield takes over, and the show starts to look a little better.

But enough history, let’s get into some sketches!

The Johnny LaRue Show: Exercise 

This sketch from the first episode is a great way to introduce us to Candy’s most iconic character, the sleazy Johnny LaRue. While on the surface just a simple fat joke (as are many Candy sketches), he rises above the material and manages to make such a despicable character lovable. We also learn about the rumors that he’s gay, something he will continuously deny in his later appearances, often bringing it up for no apparent reason.

SCTV News Today: Alternate Perspectives

This is admittedly a hard sketch to watch now, given that Dave Thomas’ character is wearing Al Jolson-style blackface, but the fact of the matter is that his character is clearly depicted as being in the wrong for doing so. When even a dullard like Floyd Robertson is calling you out, you know you’ve screwed up. Special mention must also be given to Eugene Levy in drag, which is something I never knew I needed in my life.

An Evening With Col. Sanders

Basically a short promo, this one features character actor James Whitmore playing Col. Sanders in a one-man show. Thomas’ impression is perfect, and it’s inherently hilarious to hear Col. Sanders talking about how Adolf Hitler apparently disliked chicken.

Welcome Back, President Kotter

One thing SCTV loves to do is combine various dissimilar things and mine comedy out of it. There are funnier examples later on in the series, but a great early example is this one where Gabe Kaplan as Mr. Kotter is now the President, and his cabinet is made up of rowdy assholes that make life difficult for him.

20 Depressing Hits by Connie Franklin

Another favorite target of SCTV was record ads. This one features a depressing album of hits as sung by Connie Franklin (Andrea Martin), with such songs as “Stop Slapping My Face” and “I’ve Got One Week To Live”. Martin’s performance is stellar, and perfectly parodies a lot of the schmaltz that was popular at the time.

Leave It To Beaver 25th Anniversary Party

As someone who loves Leave It To Beaver, this sketch is already a treat for me, but all of the little details make this one a highlight of the first season. For example, there’s the fact that Ward Cleaver is shown to be intoxicated throughout, Eddie Haskell embracing his newfound homosexuality, and, of course, John Candy’s amazing performance as Beaver. My personal favorite part is Ward telling his son that he thought he was killed in Vietnam, a reference to those inexplicably popular rumors in the 70’s.

The Uncle Earl Show

Incompetent news anchor Earl Camembert (Levy) has been a staple since the first episode, but this sketch establishes that the news isn’t the only thing he sucks at. Here, he tries (and fails) to host a children’s show, which is cancelled while he’s on the air, and they have to drag him off the set. The reason you should watch this one is simple…it involves Eugene Levy attempting ventriloquism.

The Babe Ruth Story

A parody of the infamous biopic of Babe Ruth (Candy). In this version, when Babe makes his promise to the young boy (played by Candy’s nephew Donald Cowper) that he’s going to hit a home run, the boy keeps asking him to do even more ridiculous favors, such as eating 50 hot dogs. This drives Babe crazy to the point that he tries strangling the kid! What makes this sketch even funnier comes later on at the end of the main story of this episode, in which Toulouse Lautrec hallucinates Babe Ruth along with the other people in his life.

SEASON 2 (1978-1979)

By this point, Harold Ramis was in Hollywood writing Animal House, and he only appears in the first and third episodes of this season. He was able to write scripts for a good chunk of the season, though. Despite all that, the rest of the cast still does a great job without him, and the show looks a lot less cheap this time around.

As was the case with the first season, this aired on Global TV in Canada, and in syndication in America.

Lola Heatherton In Concert

Here, we meet Catherine O’Hara’s most iconic character, Lola Heatherton, a vapid, showbiz starlet who is starring in her own variety special where she (poorly) sings today’s hits. What’s remarkable is that, despite never playing her before, O’Hara already has this character nailed down.

SCTV News: Kidnapping of Moe Green

This sketch was written to explain the departure of Harold Ramis, in which his weaselly Moe Green character has been kidnapped by “Leutonians”. Earl and Floyd have little to no sympathy for his plight, despite the fact that he is clearly heard being tortured on an audiotape released by the kidnappers, and has been forced to change his name to “Bruce Feinstein”.

SNL Reviews: Lady Gaga (3/8/25)

 Cold Open: Cabinet Meeting

Trump tries to keep the peace between Elon Musk and Marco Rubio.

• The text crawl at the beginning already has me dreading what’s to come…

• I did laugh at Trump talking about how “incredible” SpaceX has been doing in terms of their rockets exploding. See? These shitty cold opens are still capable of laughs every now and then!

• Why are they portraying Rubio as the straight man? That guy’s a fucking loon!

• Mike Myers’ corpse is still playing Elon Musk. There’s no improvement from last time at all. At one point, he literally does the Dr. Evil finger in mouth thing. Get it? Because Elon Musk is a supervillain!!!!

• Basically, that fucking sucked. How many more of these do I have to cover?

Monologue

Lady Gaga showcases her “serious” acting skills from Joker 2 and talks about her new fiancée.

• I like the reference to the musical guest of her previous episode…R. Kelly.

• At least she seems to be aware of how bad her role in Joker: Folies A Deux was. Incidentally, I saw that when it came out and it was one of the most miserable experiences I’ve ever had in a theater (right behind the Minecraft movie, but more on that in a couple episodes…).

• I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of Lady Gaga’s music at all, but she’s coming off pretty well here.

Sketch: A Long Goodbye

A man regrets letting his lover leave him for cooking school, and rides his luggage along the road to see her again.

• That dog looks like it wants to die.

• For once, Marcello’s hammy tendencies come in useful.

• Funny twist with the rideable luggage.

• Andrew was simply born to play an asshole biker. As for Jane Wickline…what the fuck is she doing there? Is she supposed to be playing a male character?

• “The Sons of Samsonite” is such a good name for a biker gang.

• I love the “Go around!!!!” running gag.

• Marcello, upon seeing the dog arrive to save the day: “Oh, you beautiful son of a bitch!!!” Oh…I get it now. It’s a dog pun!

• Now this is getting crazy with them riding through the studio! 

• An actual sweet ending where they decide to go to Paris together, which is then followed by the “Go around!!!” gag again.

• This sketch had an amazing, epic feel to it that you just don’t see on SNL anymore.

Midnight Matinee: Pip

A mouse named Pip strives to be the best weightlifter in school.

• Glad to see one of these for the first time since Mulaney’s episode. A lot of us were worried that they had been dropped entirely.

• Already a big laugh from the look of James’s character.

• Between the previous sketch and this one, Marcello seems to have had new life injected into him. He is perfect as the douchebag who insults Pip.

• As with the other Dan Bulla masterpieces like Tiny Horse and Beppo, I like the use of an actual physical model for Pip, which gives this a warm, nostalgic feeling.

• Something I missed the first time: Pip has a copy of Of Mice And Men outside of his hole.

• Even Gaga’s song isn’t that bad.

• Sarah’s stiffly delivered cliche dialogue is hilarious.

• Great ending where Pip saves the day, only to “accidentally” crush Marcello under the bleachers.

• The Dan Bulla slate at the end has been altered again, this time adding Beppo in place of the singing pillow.

Sketch: Wonderful Tonight

Two people on their first date sing and dance in the middle of the restaurant.

• The look of Bowen’s character has me worried.

• He starts singing…okay, I think I can skip this one…

Sketch: Funeral Home

A Roaring Twenties funeral is proposed to the recently deceased’s family.

• I’m trying to ignore all of the obvious Jimmy Fowlie-isms and enjoy this sketch on its own merits.

• Great name for a burlesque group: “Big Momma and the Flapper Girls”

• For once, Kenan’s character is actually pretty funny. I like his reference to having seen a podcast about the murder of Ego’s father.

• You know…for a Jimmy Fowlie sketch, this isn’t too bad so far.

• As soon as I say that, of course there’s a fucking dance routine.

• Yet another ending where everyone dances, but I was actually amused by this one.

Fake Ad: L’Oreal Easy Run Mascara

The new mascara for women who want attention.

• A semi-sequel to that Coke facial cleanser ad from last season.

• Pretty good concept.

• The visual of the mascara running down their faces reminds me of when Jan Hooks as Tammy Faye Bakker would get all emotional.

• While I prefer the Coke ad, this was okay too,

Musical Performance: “Abracadabra”

• Hey, this isn’t the Steve Miller Band song!!! I want a refund!

Weekend Update (featuring Kendrick Perkins and Lord Gaga)

• The Linda McMahon joke was pretty good.

• I’m glad they stopped using that exact same picture of Trump that they always used during his first term.

• No idea who Kendrick Perkins is, but I’m going to guess that Kenan looks and sounds nothing like him.

• I did like his jab at Che for dressing like he’s “about to speak to the vice-principal”.

• Can’t go wrong with a Stallone joke.

• Okay, this next one’s a doozy. Mikey shows up as Lady Gaga’s “husband”, Lord Gaga. It’s been a couple seasons since he’s been at the desk.

• It appears that Mikey has finally realized how horrible he is at British accents, so he’s milking this one for all it’s worth.

• The various corny puns on Gaga’s song titles are all funny.

• This is the kind of stuff I like seeing at the desk, not stupid “mascot” commentaries where they have a famous character talk about their penis size. Mikey has an even better one coming up a few episodes from now.

Sketch: Friendly’s

A group of diners must pay the ultimate price for lying about their friend’s birthday.

• WTF at the sudden horror turn this takes…

• I gotta say, I love Bowen’s douchey character in this. He should play that type of role more often instead of acting like a diva.

• That shot of Sarah drooling blood is really freaky. I assumed this was a sketch she had a hand in, but to my surprise, this was actually the work of…Colin Jost. WTF?!!?? 

• The live airing had a major gaffe where a stagehand was visible handing Marcello a fake heart. This has been fixed in the rerun version by using the dress rehearsal take.

• This is another one of those sketches that I’d suggest you go watch yourself, because my words can’t do it justice.

Musical Performance: “Killah”

Sketch: Little Red Glasses

Women show off their little red glasses.

• I’m sick of these awful commercials about mundane objects (Big Dumb Hats, Tiny Ass Bags, etc.). Do they just use a random word generator to come up with these?

Sketch: No More Slay

Two people sing a song demanding that certain slang terms not be used.

• Blood Meridian and several others have pointed out the bizarre obsession with restaurant sketches this season. I’ve started to notice it, too, but it’s really egregious in this case because we just had one like fifteen minutes ago.

• “Slay”? Oh no, I think I’m gonna hate this sketch…

• Another Bowen and Gaga musical sketch?!?? Pass.

Final thoughts: While not as awful as I was anticipating, given my hatred of Lady Gaga’s music, it certainly was a small cut above a lot of the garbage we’ve had to sit through this year. And, despite my not liking her music, I thought Gaga did just fine as a host.

Best sketches: A Long Goodbye, Pip, Lord Gaga commentary, Friendly’s

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Wonderful Tonight, Little Red Glasses, No More Slay

Next review: Mikey Madison/Morgan Wallen. I never saw this episode, so I’m kind of excited to review it.