SNL Reviews: Dua Lipa (5/4/24)

 Cold Open: Community Affairs

Parents discuss college protests.

• “You’re watching NY1, which means your wi-fi is down.” UGGGHHHH!!!!

• Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Longfellow I see with a lead role????

• Kenan’s role here is another typical fast-talking Kenan role that he can play in his sleep by now.

• I’m also disheartened to see Longfellow fumbling over his lines. Maybe he’s just a little rusty since he hasn’t had a lead role in forever.

• Yeah, this cold open is just a bunch of nothing. Already a bad sign that we’re gonna have a rough episode…

Monologue

Dua Lipa takes questions from the audience.

• I like it when we see the host’s parents.

• Really? A Q&A monologue? Something tells me this was a rough week backstage.

• Bowen is the only person in the cast who doesn’t look funny in a mustache. He just looks gayer than usual.

• Random and pointless appearance from Heidi as the South Dakota governor.

Sketch: Young Spicy

An up and coming rapper needs help with his producer tag.

• This sketch from the Ana DeArmas episode is now recurring for some reason. The only thing I can remember about that sketch is that it had Kenan shouting like an annoying stereotype.

• Eh, this isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen all season, but it’s unremarkable.

• Ego: “Ooh, Spicy, why you DMin’ high schoolers?” Okay. I will admit that this line gave me a laugh.

• I also got a chuckle from Ego asking why he’s so limp-wristed.

Film: The Anomalous Man

A young lady’s Elephant Man-esque lover is sexting behind her back.

• Gorgeous sets and costume design here.

• Perfect casting of James as an English nobleman.

• This actually starts out pretty promising, but then we actually see the titular Anomalous Man, and it turns out to be Sarah in drag yet again. I don’t care that it’s “deformed” drag, it’s still drag!

• In all fairness, the makeup on Sarah is amazing. You’d swear they actually got Rick Baker or someone to do it!

• Ugh at the twist with the Anomalous Man somehow having a modern day cellphone for “sexting” people.

• I can’t believe they would ruin it like that! Man, Sarah just keeps disappointing me lately. There’s still two episodes left for her to turn it around, but it doesn’t look good.

Sketch: Good Morning Greenville

News anchors obsess over the Kendrick/Drake feud.

• James’ intro song is pretty funny, but that only gives you the false impression that this sketch will be good.

• Heidi and Mikey’s Southern accents are giving me bad vibes, as is the fact that Heidi’s name is “Gail Gohnson”. Despite these Anderlette-esque traits, this sketch was apparently written by Colin Jost and Bryan Tucker.

• I am not a fan of the focus suddenly switching to the Kendrick Lamar/Drake feud, something that I was totally unaware of when this aired, because I don’t give a shit about rap.

• None of the mispronounced rapper names from Mikey and Heidi are making me laugh.

• I did kind of chuckle at Mikey asking the black weatherman (Devon) what his thoughts were, with the implication being that since he’s black, he must like rap.

• “Wanda Wheems”??? This really does feel like an Anderlette sketch.

• Dua’s Southern accent is surprisingly good, but it feels disheartening to see her in this crap.

• Heidi brings back awful memories of the previous episode when she starts cracking up during her “diss track” about Mikey.

• The shot of the weatherman hiding is pretty funny.

• No comment on the scene where the anchors start using stick puppets of Drake and Kendrick.

• Overall, this episode continues to die a horrible death. Devon was the only saving grace here.

Sketch: Sonny Angels

A woman’s obsession with “Sonny Angel” dolls creeps out her new boyfriend.

• Finally, Marcello with a role that’s more like how he used to be.

• Oh no, all of a sudden we have Bowen as one of the dolls. And, unsurprisingly, he’s playing this particular role as you would expect: gay as hell.

• At one point, Marcello blatantly calls attention to the fact that they’re using music from Challengers. Whew, thank goodness they pointed that out, because I thought this was an advertisement for the movie!

• No comment on the bizarrely sexual churro eating scene.

 • This episode is just killing me so far!

Fake Ad: Penne alla Vodka

The treat that unites us in times of tragedy and sadness.

• Molly’s only appearance in this episode. Could it be any more obvious that they’re not coming back next season?

• I’ll be honest, I don’t get the joke here, but compared to all of the shit that we’ve seen in this episode so far, it’s brilliant.

Musical Performance: “Illusion”

• What’s with the random Troye Sivan appearance? I take it Sarah was responsible for getting him on?

Weekend Update (featuring Kristi Noem’s dog, JoJo Siwa, and Jerry Seinfeld)

• Another fucking “seen here” joke.

• God, these Updates have gotten way too loose. Che and Jost can’t go a minute without cracking up at themselves.

• A genuinely strong joke from Che about Japan’s xenophobia.

• Oh shit, it’s another Marcello commentary. This time, he’s wearing a “silly” dog costume. I liked this commentary better the first time…(David Spade voice) when it was Daniel Radcliffe doing it! (Spade voice off) Yeah, I know I already did the Spade joke last time, but I couldn’t resist!

• Does Marcello have the record for the fastest decline from a cast member? I know Sarah’s pretty close, but it really shocks me how quickly it happened to him. The first half of this season, I was actively cheering whenever he got a lead role, but now I dread whenever he does.

• Are you serious?!?? Now we have a Chloe commentary??? This episode really has it out for me!

• This time, she’s dug out her old JoJo Siwa “impression” thanks to her recent change in appearance. As soon as she comes out (lol), she starts going spastic for the camera like the fame hungry hack she is.

• I honestly don’t know what to say about this one. Having never heard a single piece of Siwa’s music, this holds no interest to me. Surely the next commentary won’t be any worse…

• Holy shit, Jerry Seinfeld???!!?? Boy, does he look tired as fuck. I would be too if I had to sit through two fucking awful commentaries.

• Please don’t mention Ryan Gosling! I’ve had enough of his shitty antics lately!

• When I’m not even laughing at a Jerry Seinfeld commentary (sorry, Jerry!), you know things are fucked up. This is one of the worst Updates I’ve had to sit through in a long time.

Sketch: OBGYN

Two new parents visit an OBGYN for the first time.

• The set-up of this sketch had me worried that it would be another one of those baby monitor sketches with Sarah and Bowen.

• “Fat Daddy”? Oh boy, what am I in for this time?

• This is a typical modern Kenan role: overly loud, hammy, and annoying.

• Not helping matters is Mikey’s typical reacting routine.

• Punkie makes her sole appearance of the night as a silent extra. This is honestly getting depressing. 

• Speaking of depressing, this fucking episode. 

Musical Performance: “Happy For You”

Film: Teeny Tiny Awareness Pins

The perfect way for celebrities to show their support for important issues.

• As someone who’s tired of celebrities feeling like they have to speak up about things they have no involvement in, this is a pretty good concept.

• I like the shots of various people trying to get a closer look at the pins.

• Random appearance from Chloe as some celebrity I’ve never heard of.

• Some funny examples from the “Vague Collection” of pins.

• Wow, an actual strong bit of satire? I thought modern SNL was allergic to satire!

Sketch: Jingle Pitch

Soul Booth guys pitch sexy songs for a flooring company.

• We’re bringing back the Jingle Pitch guys again? The original sketch was one of my favorites from last year, but I’m wary of how well a sequel is going to go.

• I’ve been enjoying all of Dua’s attempts at American accents tonight. This one, where she’s trying to do like a Brooklyn accent or something, is probably the best/worst.

• Rightful applause when Andrew and James enter.

• I like how James’ keyboard starts making music before he even touches it.

• A big laugh from how their first jingle is just them shouting each individual number of the company’s phone number.

• Bowen’s character is kind of annoying, but thankfully he’s not the main focus. Also, why does he keep looking away from Dua when he says his lines?

• Once again, the last jingle is really catchy.

• I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, this was just as good as the original! 

Final thoughts: Thank God it’s over!!! That was one of the most painful episodes I’ve had to sit through in a long time! While Dua Lipa did her best all night, it couldn’t save the horrible material she was forced to take part in. 

Best sketches: Jingle Pitch

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Good Morning Greenville, Sonny Angels, Weekend Update, OBGYN

Next review: NOOOOOO!!!!! It’s fucking Maya Rudolph!!!

SNL Reviews: Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton (4/13/24)

 Cold Open: Close Encounter

Mrs. Rafferty and others have been abducted yet again.

• What. The. Fuck? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Not this shitty sketch again!!!!! Why are they doing this to me??? Last time I checked, they already gave it a proper conclusion in Season 47! 

• So, yeah, that means we get an unwelcome return from Kate McKinnon and her dumb mugging face.

• The giggles from Gosling have started already…

• Fun fact: I came into this episode’s premiere late, and the first thing I saw when I turned it on was Kate getting between Ryan’s legs. Needless to say, it was a horrifying sight.

• What else is there for me to say about this horrid crap? If this ends up being the final installment of this sketch, I will be very, very happy.

Monologue

Ryan Gosling reminisces about starring as Ken in the Barbie movie.

• Jesus Christ, a musical monologue. I was kind of expecting one given the movie he was just in, but still, this is not the way I want to start an episode.

• Huge applause when he puts on the fur coat he wore in the movie.

• Emily Blunt is now here for some reason. And then the two of them sing a Barbie number. I hope they weren’t trying to surprise us with that, because I could see the “Barbieland” sign when Ryan walked onstage.

• Oh, but it gets worse. Now they start to sing about, *sigh*, Oppenheimer. Get it??? Because it’s like those retarded memes that were popular last year!!!!

Sketch: The Engagement

A newly-engaged man whispers his escape plans to a friend.

• Not sure about this turn with Ryan whispering everything he says to Andrew. What is this, an ASMR video?

• Aw shit, the Gosling Giggles are back, complete with a long applause break when it happens.

• Yeah, this sketch is not for me. If you’re into ASMR or unprofessional giggling, you might like it.

Film: Get That Boy Back

A woman gets revenge on her boyfriend.

• Ugh, Chloe Fineman’s latest annoying Southern-accented character is the first thing I see. Thankfully, the other Chloe is here, too, so we might not be in for a bad sketch just yet…

• Nice to see Chris Stapleton involved with this.

• I’ve lost count of how many times Heidi has worn that wig and glasses.

• I’m surprised, this song is actually a lot of fun so far. But I feel like the reason it works so well is because of the visuals. If you only heard the song, you wouldn’t think it was so special.

• Nice prosthetics on Troast’s Romanian disguise.

• Troast’s unexpected appearance in a green bodysuit caught me off guard.

• Overall, probably the best musical piece in a while.

Sketch: Can’t Tonight

Two guys try to convince their friend to go out with them.

• Uh-oh, time for another Marcello sketch. It’s finally gotten to the point where seeing him in a lead role fills me with dread.

• Also worrying me is the sight of Kenan in that wig and the horrid voice he’s doing.

• Sarah’s bizarre “I love countries!” statement made me laugh.

• What is even happening? So far, the only joke is that Hispanic people talk funny. 

• This whole “Paramount Ploos” routine is extremely hacky.

• You know what this sketch feels like? It feels like an unironic version of Fericito, Fred Armisen’s stand-up comedian from Venezuela. The only difference is that Fericito was supposed to be unfunny. This, on the other hand, takes all of the overdone stereotypes that Fericito embodied and just plays them all straight. All that’s missing is an annoying catchphrase.

Sketch: Beavis & Butt-Head

A serious discussion on AI is interrupted by two suspicious looking characters.

• Hooooo boyyyy….this is a sketch I’ve been dreading to watch again…

• This sketch was originally written for Season 43, but Mikey wasn’t able to get it on the air until now. Why do I bring this up? Because we are then given the sight of Gosling in a shitty Beavis costume. That’s right, this sketch is a semi-sequel to the hilarious Google Talk sketch with Mikey as “Bert Sampson”. Unlike in that one, where they gradually reveal Mikey’s character, here they just drop in Beavis for no reason.

• It should be noted that Beavis’ shirt says “Death Rock” instead of AC/DC, just like on the toys. 

• In the original Season 43 version, Beavis was played by Alex Moffat. I definitely would have preferred his take.

• Heidi breaks a bit when she sees Gosling in that costume, but holds it together for the most part…

• The only laugh I’ve gotten so far is Heidi saying that she’s never seen the cartoon because she was busy being pretty. But even that is just recycled from Jessica Chastain’s great line from the original: “People called me a nerd before I got, like, pretty.”

• It should go without saying that I do not care for Kenan pointing everything out as it happens.

• Now there’s a Butt-Head lookalike too, and the whole routine repeats itself.

• Heidi takes one look at Butt-Head, and completely loses it. When I saw this live, I couldn’t believe what was happening. This isn’t the fun kind of breaking like in the original Debbie Downer sketch, this is just plain unprofessional. From what I’ve heard, the breaking was even worse in dress rehearsal.

• Even after Heidi is finally able to say her line, she just won’t stop chuckling. Was it really that funny, Heidi?

• The tweet asking if Cornholio needs TP for his bunghole is just a ripoff of the original Bart Simpson version.

• Ugh, now Gosling is laughing again.

• The ending with the King of The Hill lookalikes (complete with Molly as Bill because isn’t typecasting great?) was just awful. 

• Overall, what a giant mess. They took one of my favorite sketches from the past decade and shit all over it. And the worst part is that this sketch actually became a hit! The shill media just went crazy for it, unaware that it was an inferior rewrite of a much better sketch from six years ago!

Musical Performance: “White Horse”

Weekend Update (featuring Michael Longfellow and Caitlin Clark)

• Since OJ Simpson died the week before this episode, we get some pretty good OJ jokes here. Kenan also had a commentary as an angel version of OJ that was thankfully cut after dress rehearsal.

• Jesus fucking Christ, enough with the “seen here” jokes!!!!

• For the first time in forever, we get a Michael Longfellow commentary. He was on every other week last year, so why are they afraid to use him now? Oh right, I forgot, they need more time for “wacky” costumes and Bowen acting like a stereotype!

• Something about Longfellow’s dry delivery is making his lines funnier than they actually are. He would make a great anchor for Update.

• “Hey, girls, it’s Longfellow. Don’t get excited, it’s just a name.”

• While this wasn’t terrible, it was kind of bland compared to the last one he did with the cigarette.

• Color me shocked! Michael Che just told a sexist joke about a WNBA player!!! I have never seen that before! 

• Oh, fuck, it turns out that the reason for that joke is because they were setting up a “surprise” cameo from Caitlin Clark.

• While it is satisfying to see this douchebag get put in his place, I kind of feel like it’s way too late for this to be happening. Maybe in his third or fourth season it would’ve been cute, but not in his TENTH.

• Overall, another lousy Update. This season just gets worse and worse.

Sketch: Doctor

A doctor weirds out an entire family by munching on Cookie Crumbles.

• Why has James barely been in this episode?!? He made a three second cameo as Hank Hill earlier, but this is his only lead role! And, of course, it’s just a “reacting” role.

• UGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! Bowen enters as that weird character he played in the airplane sketch from the Nate Bargatze episode. For some reason, he’s now been given his own sketch.

• And now Gosling enters as another crazy character? I am not liking this sketch so far…

• Oh shit, now the giggles are back! This time, it’s Bowen who’s being an unprofessional asshole.

• Now this sketch has degenerated into Ryan and Bowen feeding each other just so they can crack up about it. Please end this fucking shit!!!!

• Overall, one of the worst sketches of the entire season, and it encapsulates everything I hate about Bowen Yang and Ryan Gosling. But mostly Bowen.

Musical Performance: “Mountains Of My Mind”

Sketch: Erin Brockovich

A deleted scene from Erin Brockovich is shown.

• Ah, yes, the current and relevant movie Erin Brockovich. This sketch sure would have been a great idea…twenty years ago!!! What is it with this season and parodying out of date movies???

• Now Gosling is laughing for no apparent reason. Can someone tell him that this isn’t high school anymore?

• While a lot of my fellow reviewers like this sketch, I’m not really feeling it so far. Maybe I need to have seen the movie to understand it?

• Okay, I will admit that Kenan’s character is really funny with his random sound effects. I’m shocked that Kenan is my favorite part of a sketch for once!

“GO TO YOUTUBE, X, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK TO SEE PAPYRUS 2 LATER TONIGHT”?

What? WHAT THE FUCK?!!??? I have never seen SNL do something like this before!!! What a fucking lazy and awful decision! But, hey, let’s do what it says and finish this review!

Cut for Time: Papyrus 2

After spending years trying to avoid it, Steven is finally confronted with his nemesis once again…

• A sequel to a very popular sketch from Ryan’s last episode. I must confess that I have never seen the original, but I’ll go into this with an open mind because I’ve heard so many good things about it.

• I like how they’re giving a recap of the original sketch for those who haven’t seen it, which is really handy for me! Now I’m all caught up!

• Great to see Kyle Mooney again!

• Nice special effects when Ryan starts to hallucinate seeing the Papyrus font everywhere.

• I like how his character’s name is “Steven Wingdings”.

• Kyle’s dramatic speech is actually kind of heartwarming. 

• I’m glad I was still able to enjoy this even without seeing the original. But what does it tell you that the best sketch of the night was cut at the last second???

Final thoughts: Jesus, what a mess. I feel like I’ve gone back in time to Season 30 or something. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it still made me feel dead inside. Words can not describe how unprofessional and unfunny a lot of this episode was, with most of the blame going to Ryan “Giggles” Gosling. I hope they never have him back as a host.

Best sketches: Get That Boy Back, Chris Stapleton’s performances, Papyrus 2 (Cut)

Worst sketches: Close Encounter, Can’t Tonight, Beavis & Butt-Head, Weekend Update, Doctors

Next review: Dua Lipa

SNL Reviews: Ayo Edebiri/Jennifer Lopez (2/3/24)

 Cold Open: CNN Town Hall

Trump’s latest speech is interrupted by Nikki Haley.

• Ugh, it’s Trump again. I can only imagine how many more times we’re going to be seeing him this season.

• Rare appearance of the host in the cold open. 

• Now we come to the most infamous part of this cold open. For some inexplicable reason, Nikki Haley makes an appearance. Yes, the REAL Nikki Haley! I was under the impression that they’d never let a Republican on this show again!

• Kind of like the way they’ve portrayed Liz Cheney in the past, Haley is depicted as a brave freedom fighter who’s going to stand up to Trump. I assume their rationale for getting her to appear on the show was, “Hey, she’s a Republican that hates Trump, so she must be cool, right?!?” 

• Needless to say, this pathetic attempt at stunt-casting was met with criticism from both sides of the aisle. Democrats were offended by the show giving Haley a platform, some Republicans were offended by Haley’s anti-Trump statements, and I’m offended, because this cold open is a piece of shit! (Give yourself a pat on the back if you know what that’s a reference to)

Monologue

Ayo shares some ideas she wanted to pitch.

• I haven’t laughed so far. Modern standup comedy is extremely bland and inoffensive to me.

• Ayo’s brief mention of the Black Jeopardy sketches made me realize that we haven’t seen it in quite a long time. I’m pretty sure the last one was in the Eddie Murphy episode.

• The aforementioned Black Jeopardy reference leads to a lame and pathetic joke about how she tried to pitch a sketch called White Jeopardy, but failed.

• I did like the suppressed anger in her voice when she orders the crew to burn her rejected ideas.

Sketch: Why’d You Post It?

Contestants are quizzed about why they posted certain things on Instagram.

• Of all the sketches to rehash…why did they choose “Why’d You Like It?” from two seasons ago?

• Even the exaggerated way that Kenan says the title of the show is the same as last time.

• The lack of Chris Redd in this one is a definite strike against it, because he was the only thing I liked about the first installment.

• Kenan at least has some funny lines here.

• Andrew’s series of horny comments about AOC are pretty funny, especially the one about how he accidentally wrote the post because he was sitting on his phone.

• I love Chloe’s disturbing song about how alcohol made her commit arson.

• Nice ending where Ayo comments, “What disease he have?”, on a picture of the host and his son.

•  Call me crazy, but I think that was better than the first one.

Film: Dune Popcorn Bucket

People sing about losing their virginity…to a bucket.

• Is it a requirement for each episode to have a musical number now?

• A lot of other fans have noticed how the show seems to be pushing Marcello as the second coming of Pete Davidson, and this horrible sketch right here is a prime example of that.

• First off, let’s talk about that bucket. Around the time of this episode’s premiere, there were a lot of memes about some promotional popcorn bucket for the new Dune movie, and its unfortunate resemblance to a certain part of the female body. I was totally unfamiliar with any of this because I have better things to do with my life (like review shitty SNL sketches), so when I saw the premise of this song, my reaction was “Huh?”

• Yeah, this is definitely not for me. Aside from all the juvenile sex jokes, there’s also Dune references that are going over my head.

• The various shots of people dancing with the bucket are so dumb, and not the good kind of dumb.

• I was rather surprised to find out that this song was written by Dan Bulla and Steven Castillo, the same guys that gave us Tiny Horse, and, more recently, that hilarious sketch with the bowling pins. They can do so much better than this lame Pete Davidson pastiche.

Sketch: Drugs on Campus

Zack does shrooms for the first time, much to the consternation of his fellow students.

• Mikey looks so out of place here with all of the younger cast members. He also looks waaaay too old to be playing a college kid.

• What is even going on in this sketch? Is the focus supposed to be on Andrew’s character, or is it supposed to be focused on Mikey and Ayo’s characters?

• As if to prove my point from earlier, here comes Marcello in another role that doesn’t really suit him.

• Well, that just came and went.

Sketch: Bad Couples

A news reporter interviews random couples in New York about how they met.

• Do my eyes deceive me? Both Molly and Michael with actual screen time?!? 

• Ugh, please stop trying to make Bowen Yang a leading man. It always ends up the same: he derails the sketch with his campy shenanigans.

• Oh, and his name here is “Danny Love”. The writer’s guide I use doesn’t say who wrote this, but I don’t even need it to know that this was likely the work of Sublette or Fowlie.

• This seems to be yet another variation of the red carpet format this show loves doing lately.

• Who’s the guy with Heidi? SNL Archives doesn’t say, so he probably isn’t a crew member. Is it someone from Heidi’s family, perhaps?

• Nice dark joke with Mikey confirming that the girl with him is both his sister and his girlfriend.

• Believe it or not, Bowen isn’t doing as bad as I feared, especially considering how terrible his last showcase sketch was.

• Another unidentified extra is seen with Punkie. Is that her dad?

• Extremely random appearance from Martin Herlihy of Please Don’t Destroy as Ego’s partner. He rightfully receives a huge round of applause from the audience. As someone in the comments said, it seems like it should be illegal for the PDD guys to appear in live sketches.

• Kenan’s character (who seems to be a pimp) saying “Pass” when asked how he met his girlfriend was pretty funny.

• Another very Pete-esque role for Marcello. It’s shocking how fast he has declined in the last few episodes.

• That was honestly better than I remembered. Probably the best of this type of sketch since, I don’t know, the one with the Halloween costumes?

Musical Performance: “Can’t Get Enough”

Weekend Update (featuring CJ Rossitano)

• Yawn, more bland Trump jokes, including one that tries to implicate him as being involved with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Fun fact: none of the girls on the island have ever claimed that they saw Trump partake in any of the “activities”.

• I liked the joke about Joe Biden’s only black supporter being Obama’s white half.

• It’s kind of an easy joke, but I still laughed at the joke about police shooting a Jackie Robinson statue.

• I’ve been going on all season about how bad Sarah has gotten, and we’ve now arrived at her absolute low point. In this commentary, she plays a fan named CJ Rossitano who has gotten tickets to the show. Even when I saw this episode live, I knew exactly where this commentary was headed once she started talking to Colin.

• The running “gag” where they keep showing closeups of Sarah mugging the camera while “Cat’s in the Cradle” plays is so bizarre. Like, I don’t even know what the point of it is.

• Is that James singing the song? What a huge waste of his talents. Ever since he was in the cold open, he’s been mostly underutilized in this episode.

• I’ve run out of things to say about this commentary. Were there no other ones during dress that they could have used?

Sketch: Trivia Quest

A game show host purposely gives away all the answers to a contestant.

• Two game show sketches in one night?

• Oh, wow, I forgot all about this truly awful gaffe. Ego gets the names of Sarah and Ayo’s characters mixed up when interviewing them, and she has to ad-lib to get her way out of it. What the fuck is happening to Ego?!? This is her first lead role in a while and this is what she has to show for it?!?

• Mikey’s mention of Ithaca College gave me a nice feeling inside, as I have a cousin who went there.

• Hoo boy, I am not liking Ego’s character at all.

• She flubs another line near the end, but I can’t even tell what she was trying to say. Some kind of insult, maybe?

Film: The Elevator

Stuck elevator passengers seize the opportunity to create a new society.  

• This is such a blandly-shot film. Not only is it not funny in the slightest, but it has that same ugly orange-blue color scheme that most movies have these days.

• “Why are you guys so obsessed with hooking up?” I’m with you, Kenan. That gag is so stupid. 

• I have little else to say about this horrible sketch, so here’s a hilarious comment from Jesse Nathan’s review, which I hope he forgives me for borrowing: “Y’know, I know I shouldn’t take this seriously, but honestly, I can’t help but tell everyone here ‘get out of the elevator, you morons! I mean, come on, the firefighters are right there!’”.

Sketch: Hypnotist

A boy is accidentally hypnotized into revealing that he is bisexual.

• The heavy amount of Andrew in this episode pleases me.

• Was it intentional to make Ayo look like Julia Sweeney as Pat?

• Another similarity this character has to Pat is that they both have extremely annoying voices. To quote Jesse Nathan once again, “Will someone tell this kid to SHUT UP already?”

• I have no idea what to say about this bisexual routine. Like that awful Grimace sketch from last season, I guess the “joke” is just supposed to be that he’s bisexual, because that’s apparently funny.

• Kenan’s janitor character is completely unnecessary. It’s a role he’s played way too many times by now.

• Predictable ending where Ayo reveals she was making this all up.

Musical Performance: “This Is Me…Now”

Sketch: The People’s Court

A lady sues her former hairdresser for exposing her brain.

• According to Blood’s review of this episode, this sketch is based on some viral video I’ve never seen. I know I’ve said this a million times in the past, but SNL really needs to stop doing sketches based on viral videos that people will forget about in two months.

• Nice ghastly visual of Ayo’s exposed brain. Aside from that, there’s not much to laugh at here.

• Kenan’s mispronunciation of “Marge Simpsone” is all I needed to know that this is a Jimmy Fowlie sketch.

• No comment on Ego blowing on the back of Punkie’s exposed brain.

Final thoughts: Yet another rough episode. These last few episodes since Christmas break have been absolutely terrible. I also didn’t really care for Ayo Edebiri as a host. There was something about her that kind of came off as, I don’t know, tryhard? Maybe that’s just how she is in her standup act.

Best sketches: Why’d You Post It, Bad Couples

Worst sketches: Nikki Haley’s appearance, Dune Popcorn Bucket, CJ Rossitano commentary, Trivia Quest, Hypnotist

Next review: Shane Gillis/21 Savage

SNL Reviews: Ana de Armas/Karol G (4/

Cold Open: First Warm Day Of The Year Arrivals Show

Two reporters interview random people in Central Park.

• A variation on that Halloween red carpet sketch from the Jack Harlow episode.

• Perfect casting of James and Michael as pervs. For some reason, this is the only time we see James tonight, which is a sad way for his great season to end.

• Nice pratfall from Molly, continuing the Chris Farley similarities. We’ll get another example of this later on…

• Ego gets some good use out of her usual “bitch” routine. 

• Kenan once again comes off as out of place in this sketch with his overused shouting shtick.

• Nice fakeout with the LFNY at the end.

• I didn’t think this was as good as the Halloween version. I guess I need to be a regular visitor of Central Park to get it.

Monologue 

Ana talks about learning English and reflects on her amazing year.

• I must admit that I have no idea who this gal is.

• Seems like we’ve had a lot of Hispanic hosts lately. In fact, for the first time, both the host and the musical guest are Hispanic.

• I wonder if her story about learning English from Friends is true, or if it’s just some sweet NBC synergy.

• Not too much to say about this monologue, but I found her charming enough.

Sketch: The Dome

Matt Schatt competes on a game show with his new wife.

• For once, the game show host has a normal name, instead of a “funny” pun or sexual reference.

• Sudden return of Matt Schatt for the first time since Season 45. 

• No matter how many different settings this guy appears in, the joke is always the same: the host of some show (usually Kenan) is puzzled as to why someone as lame as Matt Schatt is married to a hot woman.

• This probably goes without saying, but Kenan has reached the point where I am actively rooting against him in sketches. That line he screams about Matt eating dog food was particularly cringeworthy.

• No comment on the reveal of Matt’s many nipples. I also definitely could have gone without seeing Kenan pinch one of them.

• This sketch was thankfully kept at a short enough length. Can you imagine how much lower I’d be ranking it if it was ten minutes of Kenan screaming?

Film: American Girl

American Girl dolls travel to the present day.

• What’s with all the American Girl product placement lately?

• The reveal of Ego’s slave girl character was good for a laugh.

• Nice awkward silence after Ego reveals that she doesn’t know when her birthday is because she’s a slave.

• Sarah: “Look what I can do!” *coughs up blood, and the scene cuts to her getting covered by a tarp*

• I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying this despite not being a little girl. 

• We end on a funny callback to Sarah’s death from earlier when Heidi announces that she’s going to cure cholera, before coughing up blood herself, and getting thrown out the back of the wagon.

Sketch: Recording Session

Two voice actors help a music producer with his new album.

• Uh-oh, there’s Kenan again. I hope we’re not in for more shouty shenanigans.

• I’m about halfway through this, and Kenan’s goofy voice shtick is ruining this otherwise blandly average sketch.

• Between the American Girl film and this, Ego’s been having one of her best nights in quite a while.

• Not too much to say about this one, other than the fact that I’m extremely tired of Kenan.

Sketch: Spanish Class

Spanish class gets interrupted by two new students. 

• The exterior shot of the school looks very familiar. I can’t remember where I’ve seen that school before, but it must have been in some movie or sitcom.

• Mikey’s hilariously badly-pronounced Spanish immediately got a laugh from me.

• Marcello, naturally, has a big role in this sketch. He has pretty good chemistry with Ana.

• As good as Marcello and Ana are, Mikey steals the show with his awkward teacher character. 

• Nice appearance from Karol G at the end, and even the cliche dance party that follows is pretty fun.

Please Don’t Destroy: Hangxiety

The guys overthink everything they did at the SNL afterparty.

• Sixth episode in a row with PDD.

• There appears to be a cue card from Megan Thee Stallion’s episode on Ben’s desk.

• Nice interaction between Ben and Michael.

• I love the scene of John getting hit in the eye by his phone.

• I’m surprised it’s taken this long for Ego to show up in one of these shorts.

• Nice ending with Mikey chastising the three for their rude behavior at the party, only for the camera to reveal that he has no pants on.

• I know I had very little to say about that one, but I think I‘m finally burned out on these guys. If they come back for the next season, try to space out their appearances more.

Musical Performance: “Mientras Me Curo del Cora”

Weekend Update (featuring Funky Kong, Genesis Fry, and Molly Kearney)

• Can Che go through a single Update without laughing at his awful jokes? That Clarence Thomas joke was particularly bad. And it’s the second episode in a row to have a bad Clarence Thomas joke.

• Oh shit, now it’s time for another horrendous Kenan commentary. Here, he’s playing Donkey Kong’s relative, Funky Kong, in yet another awful example of Mario movie shilling. 

• Am I the only one who thinks it’s kind of offensive that they’re having Kenan play a monkey?

• I could really do without the return of the Jean K. Jean dance break routine.

• So far, this commentary is pure cancer. I’ve said it time and time again this season, but Kenan needs to get the fuck off the show.

• What in the world is the “Monkey Kong/he’s a donkey” joke about? Did he flub a line and they just decided to leave it in to be “funny”?

• What frustrates me the most is all of the idiots in the comment section eating this shit up. Should I start compiling retarded fan comments on this blog?

• Overall, one of the worst commentaries I’ve ever seen.

• Ah, thank goodness Sarah is here to liven things up, playing a meditation guru named Genesis Fry.

• This really seems like a character that Heidi would play, but Sarah is making it work.

• We’ve gone back to the “roasting Colin” routine. I always keep expecting it to get old, but it never does. Why is that?

• Sarah briefly corpses during her line about nobody at the NBC Store recognizing who Colin is.

• Not the funniest Sarah commentary, but she’s the only person in the world who could make this material work.

• Now, Molly finally gets a commentary as themself, after being forced to play another fat guy a few episodes ago. 

• After being pleased about how SNL has wisely not made it a big deal that Molly is non-binary, they unfortunately throw that out the window with the “super special” introduction they give Molly here, where they get lowered onto the stage with wires.

• While I certainly admire the message Molly is trying to convey here, is a comedy show the right place for it? This gets me thinking about what some other reviewers have accused SNL of doing lately, by using certain female performers (like Kate, Cecily, etc.) as a “security blanket” for the audience. 

• Lots of cringeworthy clapter here. But Molly’s eternal likability is making it work.

• Molly rising from the desk with the help of wires is very Bennett Brauer-esque, and yet another example of Molly’s similarities to Chris Farley.

Sketch: Lisa From Temecula

Lisa disrupts a wedding her sister invited her to.

• Fuck, not this again. The first installment with Pedro Pascal was only a “hit” because of all the breaking. As we’ve seen in the past with Debbie Downer, trying to make a sketch recurring solely because of breaking will spell disaster. 

• I like all the airtime Molly has gotten in this episode.

• This sketch is so far just a lame rewrite of the already lame original, but she’s got a salad this time instead of a steak. Such a big difference!!!

• I kinda laughed at the line about the piece of meat looking like a Fruit Roll-Up.

• Ana is starting to smirk a little bit, but this sketch has thankfully not degenerated the same way the original one did.

• Mikey has been in almost every sketch tonight. Here he has one of his typical reacting/explaining roles.

• Ego’s line about being gay is just a worse version of her line about being black in the first one.

• Overall, this sketch is a perfect example of why certain characters should never become recurring.

Sketch: Acting School for Dogs

An acting school for good looking dogs.

• Are you kidding me, SNL? Is this Season 45 again?

• No comment on Chloe and Ana’s stupid “cute” faces.

• Also, Chloe’s name is “Donna Colonoscopini”. Can you guess who wrote this???

• The first dog they show off is already refusing to cooperate.

• That pug is not having any of Chloe’s antics.

• I have nothing to say about the awkward closeup of the dog saying “Le woof”.

• Usually these “cute animal” sketches elicit some kind of response from me, but I’ve lost all interest in them. The second half of this episode is pure murder so far.

Musical Performance: “Tus Gafitas”

Sketch: Nails

A trip to the nail salon doesn’t go as planned.

• Please kill me. Another “SILLEEE” Bowen showcase? 

• A big ol’ yawn from me at the reveal of Bowen’s long nails.

• The tape recorder bit fell flat.

• Now all of a sudden we get a random Twilight reference. What is the point?

• And this bland, underwritten sketch is how they end the season. I know this wasn’t supposed to be the finale, but it still sucks that we end things on a horrible Bowen vanity piece.

Final thoughts: The season comes to a premature end with a huge thud. The first half of the episode was merely average, but the post-Update half was a nightmare. Ana de Armas was an okay host. Not too special, but not awful.

Best sketches: American Girl, Spanish Class

Worst sketches: Funky Kong commentary, Lisa From Temecula, Nails

Stay tuned for my final overview of Season 48!!!

SNL Reviews: Woody Harrelson/Jack White (2/25/23)

 Cold Open

Donald Trump gives a speech in East Palestine, Ohio.

• Uggggghhhhh, enough with the Trump cold opens! He’s not president anymore, so stop giving him free publicity!

• Oh shit, I forgot all about that Ohio train crash. The media buried that story real good.

• I fucking hate Chloe’s mugging faces here. As if I needed another reason to hate her.

Monologue 

Woody talks about getting high in Central Park and his new movie Champions.

• I seem to recall there being a bit of controversy about this monologue, but I don’t know the specifics.

• He talks about how the last time he appeared on SNL was around Thanksgiving 2019, which is correct. He was playing Joe Biden that night in a godawful sketch about the Democratic debate.

• Oh, this anti-vaxxing material…I think I understand what the controversy was about now.

• I don’t know if it’s the pot speaking, but his monologue seems kinda rambly and unfocused. 

Sketch: Jail Call

A visit between a prisoner and his wife gets interrupted.

• Chloe doing yet another annoying cartoony voice.

• Woody’s wig makes him look like Billy Ray Cyrus.

• I don’t know what’s going on with Ego lately, but she’s been starting to get on my nerves. Her character in this sketch is no exception, constantly making annoying quips while Woody is trying to talk to his wife.

• As if that wasn’t bad enough, now Kenan is joining in on the “fun” with some annoying comments of his own. Can you please leave already?

Please Don’t Destroy: The Stakeout

Ben and Woody spy on the other PDD guys, and a shocking secret is revealed…

• We haven’t seen these guys in a while.

• Nice to see them outside of the office again. This stakeout premise seems very promising.

• Uh-oh, John and Martin are now making out with each other. I can’t believe SNL is still resorting to this cliche in 2023.

• Don’t know how to feel about the twist that they have a family together.

• Not sure I needed to see Kenan in this.

• Funny brief scene of the kids attacking a Ben punching bag.

• Another funny quick gag with the lineup of Ben replacements.

• Odd twist where Woody ends up replacing Ben.

• Can’t believe I’m saying this, but, I wasn’t a big fan of that short. Are the PDD guys starting to lose their magic???

Sketch: Slingshot

“Wacky” shenanigans occur on a slingshot ride.

• Kenan has been in almost every sketch tonight. Meanwhile, Andrew and Marcello are weeping backstage.

• Ugh, this has turned into another sketch where the only joke is Kenan overacting and bugging his eyes out. 

• Michael and Molly are wasted as the ride operators.

• Wait, Woody just suddenly left the sketch? Where did his character go? Guess we’re stuck with Kenan and his unfunny shtick.

• Now they’re resorting to peepee jokes? Please let this sketch end.

• Overall, this episode continues to be pure comedy cancer. 

Sketch: Submarine Launch

A captain and his crew discuss the odd name of their vessel.

• Nice to see a sketch that has the entire male cast in it.

• Decent reveal of the ship’s name.

• Not too much for me to say about this one, but it is tightly written and well-performed. Even Kenan manages not to overact for once.

Fake Ad: Cologuard

The Cologuard mascot shows up at Woody’s place and wants Woody to “get inside” him.

• Some really cute puppetry here with the mascot.

• I’m a little cautious at the turn this has taken with the mascot wanting Woody to fuck him.

• Turns out those fears were unfounded, because I’m actually really liking this. 

• Kenan’s creepy UPS guy is okay, but I don’t think he was the right choice to play him.

• Amazing twist at the end where Woody’s neighbors see him taking his pants off in front of inanimate boxes, suggesting that the whole situation was all in his mind. I love how Andrew stays there to watch it all unfold.

Musical Performance: “Taking Me Back”, “Fear of the Dawn”

• Funny intro from Woody asking where Jack White’s Five-Timers Jacket is.

Weekend Update (featuring Bill Walton and Gina Bianchi)

• I liked Colin’s slam at the Oscars.

• JAJ debuts an impression of some sports guy named Bill Walton. I have no idea who that is so I have very little to say about this commentary.

• This next commentary, though…hoo, boy, get ready for some pain.

• Anyway, Heidi shows up as her latest annoying Update character that talks in an annoying voice. I was not surprised at all to see Jimmy Fowlie credited as a writer for this. 

• I always feel kind of bad making fun of Heidi, since she seems like a really sweet person, but it’s hard not to considering the awful year she’s been having.

Note: A dedication to longtime set designer Eugene Lee is shown after Update. This must have been a very sudden death, as Lee’s name still appeared in episodes from earlier this season.

Sketch: The Hippo

A lead actor has a difficult time dealing with the cancellation of his film.

• Ego’s reference to a potential writer’s strike hasn’t aged well, considering what eventually ended this season early.

• OMG at Woody’s terrifying fat makeup.

• I laughed at the corny “triabetes” line. 

• Despite there only being one joke, I am loving this sketch. Just the visual of Woody Harrelson in a fat suit is making this worth it.

• Mikey is also getting some laughs as the director.

• Funny twist at the end where we find out that the film was cancelled because the script was taken word-for-word from The Whale. Woody’s reaction upon hearing this is amazing.

Musical Performance: “A Tip From You To Me”

Sketch: Beautiful Gym

Two men get fancy at the gym.

• Ugh, another Bowen showcase. Making me even more wary is the fact that Sublette is credited as a writer.

• Bowen, as usual, is trying way too hard here. 

• At least Woody is his usual likeable self. Too bad he’s been overshadowed by all of the annoying cast members tonight.

• Overall, yet another example of Bowen Yang taking too much screentime from the others with his tired antics.

Cut for Time: Musical Promo

A new Broadway musical about the little songs that people sing to themselves.

• A promising premise. I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we sing little songs to ourselves.

• Why is there no audience response to Woody’s hilarious chicken song?

• I like Molly’s song about getting a box from Amazon. This would have been a much better use of Molly in the episode instead of that awful Slingshot sketch where they only had one line.

• Great fake review from Broadway.com: “Not sure why that cost money to see, but I loved it.”

• I like how The New York Times review is in the same style as the songs in the musical. Steve Higgins even reads this one as a song.

• A funny example of a “dramatic” moment in the musical where Woody throws away a loaf of bread.

• Great tagline: “C’mon, you know you do it.”

Note: A dedication to Richard Belzer is shown before the goodnights.

Final thoughts: Yeesh, that was a mess. In an episode where Woody Harrelson is hosting, I expect to see him in a lot of funny oddball sketches. Instead, I got a bunch of annoying performers (Kenan, Heidi, Bowen) relying on their same old shtick, all while overshadowing the host. When even the Please Don’t Destroy film is worse than usual, you know you’ve screwed up. 

Best sketches: Cologuard, The Hippo, Musical Promo (Cut)

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Jail Call, Slingshot, Heidi’s commentary, Beautiful Gym

Next episode: Travis Kelce/Kelsey Ballerini

SNL Reviews: Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith (1/21/23)

 Cold Open: NFL on FOX

George Santos is interviewed by the NFL on FOX crew.

• Mikey doesn’t look a thing like Howie Long.

• JAJ debuts an impression of Jimmy Johnson, complete with him plugging Extenze.

• I absolutely love Devon’s Michael Strahan impression. 

• Molly’s typecasting as fat male celebrities continues, as they are forced to play Terry Bradshaw here. At least it’s good to see them get a lead role here after not speaking a single word last time.

• The jokes about Cleatus the FOX Sports Robot are falling flat for me.

• Oh shit, I forgot the introduction of Bowen’s George Santos impression was in this. You see, Santos has become SNL’s new boogeyman since the last episode, so expect to see a lot of (unfunny) jokes about him for the remainder of the season.

• Why couldn’t they get Marcello to play Santos? My guess is that someone at SNL must have thought more Bowen equals more funny and gave it to him.

• All of these “wacky” Bowen sketches we’ve been getting lately are totally washing over my head, and this one is no different. He is quickly becoming one of the worst cast members on the show.

• No comment on the scene where he shows up in drag.

Monologue

Aubrey Plaza talks about her past and then gives a tour of the studio.

•  Nice appearance of Aubrey’s real grandmother in the audience.

• Super random appearance from Joe Biden (the REAL Joe Biden) congratulating Aubrey on making it out of Delaware alive. Remember when SNL used to poke fun at politicians they invited on to the show?

• Been a while since we had a backstage monologue. The last one I can think of is that awful one with Dan Levy.

• As someone who’s a big fan of television history, I don’t really care for Aubrey’s blatantly fake “facts” about Studio 8H. There used to be a time when SNL actually respected the history of NBC.

• A lot of backstage personnel make cameos here. The guy who she addresses as “Danny” is talent coordinator Jeff Blake. I don’t know why they couldn’t use his real name.

•  The shot of the pages opening the studio doors seems to be a reference to the Season 12/13 opening sequence.

• Another sighting of the showgirls and llama that usually appear in these backstage segments. No sign of Abe Lincoln, though.

• Amy Poehler returns for the first time in quite a while. I was kind of expecting it given who’s hosting.

• Another Akira Yoshimura appearance, this time accompanied by fellow production designers Keith Raywood and Joe DeTullio.

• Akira: “We always believed in you, Avery.”

• Not one of the better backstage monologues, but it was nice to see Amy again.

Sketch: Miss Universe

A group of women compete for the Miss Universe pageant.

• Ugh at the “We now return to” intro, followed by a lame plug for that 80 for Brady movie that no one watched.

• I remember this sketch being extremely terrible. I’m sure it is, seeing as it has FIVE different writers.

• What’s with Kenan being so giggly lately? Just now during his opening speech, he randomly started laughing for no reason. This man needs to leave SNL as soon as possible.

• An immediate groan from me when all the ladies start screaming which country they’re from.

• And then they repeat the screaming every single time Kenan asks them a question. It’s official. I am in Hell.

• I do kinda like Molly’s non-attempt at a Danish accent.

• Aubrey as Miss France is annoying me the most. I can’t stand her constantly responding to everything with “FRAAAAAANCE!!!” It’s like she’s a Kristen Wiig character or something.

• Super random cameos from the Property Brothers and Tony Hawk as the judges. Why the fuck are they here? I dunno, but they make fun of how random it is, so that makes it okay, right? Right????

• Okay, so, apparently this sketch was based on some viral video where the actual Miss France yelled like a retard or something. I haven’t seen the video, or even heard of it before I read Blood Meridian’s review of the episode, but it’s kind of annoying that SNL assumes that people will be familiar with the original video in order to find this shit funny. Well, it’s not funny. It’s rather irritating!!!

Film: The Black Lotus

Staff members of an exclusive resort deal with wacky shenanigans from the guests.

• Jennifer Coolidge again??!!?? We just fucking saw her!!

• I’m a minute and a half into this short, and everything is just washing over me. Is this a parody of a real show, or is it some bullshit they came up with? I have no idea! Where are the jokes???

• I do like how almost the entire cast is in this, which gives it a more professional feel. Well, everyone except for Molly, because of course.

• Not a big fan of Aubrey’s Latina stereotype character.

• Where in the world did they film this? It looks like it was shot at an actual resort hotel.

Sketch: Taboo

A game of Taboo goes off the rails.

• Thanks for explaining to us that Aubrey just said “gun”, Ego! 

• Mikey and Aubrey are coming off as a great duo here, and some of Mikey’s responses to her questions are actually funny.

• I love the disturbed closeup of Heidi’s face as Aubrey is trying to remember which household item Mikey threw at her last night.

• Wait, it’s over?!? I actually wanted to see more!

Sketch: Morning Announcements

Two nuns deliver the day’s announcements with help from students.

• Molly with a lead role!!!

• The Lady Gaga joke fell flat for me.

• Molly’s Irish accent keeps coming and going.

• I find it hard to say anything about this sketch. Maybe I’m just burned out on jokes about nuns after hearing every single one from my dad.

• ANOTHER sketch that just ends with everybody singing.

Film: M3GAN 2.0

The murderous doll is very popular with gay men.

• A parody of a movie that I haven’t seen, nor will I ever. Wanna know something else? It’s a Universal film! Yay for corporate synergy!!!!

• It figures Chloe would be cast in this role, and to her credit, she is pulling it off pretty well. She does kind of look like a killer doll already.

• Yippee, now we’re getting gay stereotypes as well. I get that this movie is popular with gay guys for some reason, but will that really sustain a whole sketch?

• Unsurprisingly, Bowen appears in this.

• This film is pretty well shot, I must admit, and the makeup on M3GAN and M3GAN 2.0 is really good. I’m just not laughing at this all that much.

• Random cameo from Allison Williams, who is actually in the real movie. The joke is that they all recognize her from the show Girls, and they let her in because she’s an “ally”.

• I noticed that one of the writers of this was Jimmy Fowlie. Ah, so that’s why it’s about gay stuff!

Musical Performance: “Unholy”

• Yeah, “unholy” is right! This is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen on SNL! It serves as a warm-up for Smith’s infamous performance at the Grammys later that year.

• It’s also worth noting that Kim Petras (who Smith is performing this with) is the first transgender woman to perform on SNL.

Weekend Update (featuring George Santos, April Ludgate, and Leslie Knope)

• Ugh, here come the George Santos jokes.

• Super lame joke suggesting that Marjorie Taylor-Greene is a drag queen.

• Bowen as Santos again??!!??? Didn’t we suffer enough from this impression back in the cold open?

• As with the cold open, none of these lies are making me laugh. The real Santos is way funnier than this “impression”.

• What annoys me the most about this are the comments on the YouTube upload, full of people making their own George Santos lies. Don’t give SNL any ideas!!!!

• Now Aubrey’s here as her Parks and Recreation character, April Ludgate. I hate to admit it, but I have never seen a single episode of that show.

• To no one’s surprise, Amy then appears as Leslie Knope. I’m a little more familiar with her character, so maybe she can save this.

• Somewhat amusing meta line from Leslie about how she used to watch this show when Seth Meyers was the anchor of Weekend Update “with no one else”.

• A funny reference to the Biden appearance earlier in this episode, where Leslie asks if Biden could see her.

• As much as this feels like a throwback to those insufferable years of Amy’s “cutesy” behavior on Update, I’m actually finding it charming here, even the lame “Rosa Barks” joke. All in all, this is the best commentary we’ve had in a while.

Sketch: Avatar

Jake Sully and the other Na’vi try to identify the sky people who have infiltrated their group.

• I have never seen Avatar or its sequel, but I like the makeup and costume design in this sketch.

• As soon as Heidi and Aubrey showed up as lesbian stereotypes, I knew I was in for a rough ride.

• Ugh, this is also a “Mikey Reacts” sketch.

• I have no idea what the purpose of the scene where they electrocute themselves with their tails is all about. Is that a reference to something in the movie?

• Did Mikey clear his throat just now? Was that even part of the script??? Please let this sketch end right now!!!

• Overall, wow. That is one of the worst sketches I have ever seen. It’s another fine example of how bad Heidi has gotten lately.

Musical Performance: “Gloria”

• Um, why is Sharon Stone there? And why are these sparkly black-hooded people all sacrificing her to the Devil? I dunno, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by Sam Smith's rapidly declining sanity anymore.

Sketch: HIV Commercial

Filming for a commercial about an HIV pill goes off the rails.

• Aubrey seems to be wearing her April wig here.

• I like the sudden reveal that this shoot is for an HIV commercial.

• Who’s the black extra sitting next to Marcello? Whoever he is, he’s really getting into the dancing scenes in the commercial.

• Devon is really good in this sketch. I wish they used him more often, instead of just waiting for black-hosted episodes to use him.

• There’s also some nice satire here about how these commercials usually only feature gay guys in them, as if HIV is just a gay disease.

• Devon: “What if my guy got HIV from basketball like Magic Johnson?”

• The ending was kind of abrupt, but I really enjoyed this sketch for the most part.

Sketch: Film Noir

A man investigates a woman accused of murdering her husband.

• JAJ is perfect for a sketch like this! Too bad I can barely hear his opening narration because the music is mixed too loud!

• Aubrey is really good in this too.

• James: “I’m 33, I just look older because I’m an alcoholic.”

• Another Sharon Stone appearance. I still don’t know why she’s here.

• I liked Sharon’s line about JAJ’s big nose.

• Not the funniest sketch, but it didn’t need to be. I just enjoyed this for the authentic film noir atmosphere.

Final thoughts: Hoo boy, that was quite a rough episode. There was a good chunk of stuff here that I absolutely hated, as well as quite a number of things that I didn’t get because I had to be familiar with the source material. None of this was Aubrey’s fault, though. She did her best despite the awful material, and I like that her chemistry with Amy is still there.

Best sketches: Monologue, April and Leslie commentary, HIV Commercial

Worst sketches: Miss America, Morning Announcements, George Santos commentary, Avatar

Next review: Michael B. Jordan/Lil Baby

SNL Reviews: Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy (11/5/22)

 Cold Open: New Democratic Candidates

President Biden announces his new team of advisors.

• First time we’ve seen JAJ as Biden in a while. If you can believe it, this ends up being the ONLY time we see his Biden impression all season!

• You won’t believe how hard I grimaced when Biden made an Among Us joke.

• We then get a parade of impressions, starting with Chloe as Marianne Williamson, who she previously played back in her first episode. Something about the voice reminds me of Kate McKinnon, which is the last person I want to be reminded of.

• Molly introduces a Guy Fieri impression. This marks the start of a troubling trend with Molly being typecast as fat male celebrities. The impression itself is nowhere near as good as Bobby Moynihan’s take.

• Marcello as Tekashi 6ix9ine was so bad it was funny.

• An unwelcome return of Cecily’s Stormy Daniels impression. Can you please leave already?

• I did get a laugh from Ego as Azelia Banks and her ridiculous outfit.

• Kenan couldn’t sound a thing like Tracy Morgan if he tried. 

• Wow, that was awful. It might be even worse than the one from two episodes ago.

Monologue 

Schumer does stand-up about pregnant women and being intimate with her husband.

• That midterm abortion/election joke was terrible.

• Right off the bat, we’re getting vagina jokes. I knew she couldn’t resist.

• At least the vagina jokes were brief, but now she spends most of the rest of this monologue talking about fucking her husband.

• As if I couldn't hate her any more, she does a "joke" about Aspergers' syndrome having Nazi ties.

• TLDR: not a fan.

Sketch: Soup

Lunch gets interrupted by some shocking news.

• So far, absolutely nothing funny is happening. 

• What’s the point of that scene where Amy glares at Marcello and Sarah? Is it a reference to something?

• As if this couldn’t get any worse, Kenan randomly appears in a bubble and starts singing for no reason. Did I mention that this was written by Kent Sublette?

• Overall, this sketch was extremely weak and confusing. This episode is already making me cringe.

Fake Ad: COVID

The best way to get a 10-day break.

• A pretty good concept of people intentionally getting COVID to keep others from bothering them.

• I like the logo a lot (it’s a COVID spore with a little happy face). For some reason it reminds me of the National Science Foundation logo.

• Nice to see Michael get a big role here. I like how he says he’s been “quadruple vaxxed”, if you count his shot for HPV.

• The scenes of Sarah jumping on the bed and coughing are great.

• I like how one of the things you can get out of doing is “friend’s improv show”.

• Even the random reference to the Capitol riots was funny.

• Overall, a surprisingly funny and sharp satire, especially with the advanced knowledge that COVID is no longer a national health emergency.

Sketch: Jurors

Three jury members struggle to keep their excitement under control during a trial.

• This sketch was originally cut from last season’s Jerrod Carmichael episode.

• Marcello gets another big role here as the defendant.

• As soon as I saw that shot of Amy, Bowen, and Sarah in the jury, standing out from everyone else, I knew we were in for a rough sketch.

• Sure enough, the only joke of this sketch is the three of them overreacting to everything.

• I cringed at Bowen asking the sketch artist to “yassify” him.

• Making matters worse is Judge Kenan delivering all of his lines extremely over the top as usual. Have I made it clear that I absolutely hate Kenan now?

• That open mouthed face Sarah keeps making is very distracting and so unlike her. Who does she think she is? Chloe Fineman?

• Predictable ending where the three jurors end up solving the crime. We then get the sketch of them that they requested earlier, complete with a “yassified” Bowen.

• A rare miss for a Sarah Sherman sketch. I can’t believe she would go along with this crap.

Sketch: Twitter Council

Twitter’s Content Moderation Council tries to decide whether or not to unban several previously-banned accounts.

• Our latest variation of those town hall/meeting sketches. The last one from the Willem Dafoe episode was pretty good, so I had some high hopes for this one…hopes which were immediately shattered by the overused text crawl opening.

• Cecily has played way too many of these right-wing conspiracy nuts in her career. I think it’s supposed to be the same one she played in an earlier installment of these.

• Funny twist how Bowen’s “veteran” character is actually a veteran in Call of Duty. The reason he got banned (he doxxed a middle-schooler) was also pretty good.

• I actually thought Amy’s character was one of the better ones here. I especially love how she almost seduces Kenan into revealing his Social Security number before Chloe cuts him off. 

• Speaking of Kenan, he actually isn’t doing too bad in this one. These low-key performances are the ones he excels at.

• Punkie still exists! She tells everyone that she and her buddies from Black Twitter are going over to revive MySpace, to which Kenan responds with a perfect, “I’ll see you there!”

• Unfortunately, this sketch comes to a screeching halt with the unwelcome return of JAJ’s Trump. I guess I should have seen it coming with the premise being people getting banned from Twitter.

• Super lame and predictable ending where Chloe and Kenan’s characters get fired.

• This sketch was actually somewhat okay for the first half, but the part with Trump just ruined it. SNL needs to just let Trump go and focus on other Republican idiots.

Film: The Looker

A family receives a strange letter after moving into a new home.

• Marcello with another big role!! Good for him!!!!

• I like the creepy vibe this has. There’s also some unique camera angles that you hardly ever see on SNL, like the POV shot from the bushes.

• Great shot of Amy creepily staring out the window as her husband (JAJ) leaves for his jog.

• I got a big laugh from Amy jerking off to an episode of The Property Brothers.

• Stalker: “Why is she so aroused by that show? Is it the brothers? Or is it the property?”

• And they just keep going back to the Property Brothers after this! 

• All of Amy’s attempts to cover up her weird habits are great, like how she tries to excuse her downloading every episode of the show by saying someone broke into their house and did it.

• I absolutely love the ending where Amy makes the rest of the family stay in a hotel for the night while she stays behind in case the stalker comes back. How does she spend that time? By staying in her room and watching Property Brothers with her pants open!

• Overall, this was a great short film. I can’t believe Amy fucking Schumer made me laugh so much.

Musical Performance: “Bad Habit”

Weekend Update (featuring Tammy the Trucker)

• I got a chuckle from Che’s “Hebrews II Negroes” joke.

• Another great Che joke about China sending children into space to assemble their space station.

• *sigh* I totally forgot that the following commentary was in this episode. Anyway, remember that awful clown commentary that Cecily did last season? Well, now she’s dressed as “Tammy the Trucker, who’s here to talk about gas prices and definitely not abortion”. I kid you not. After the horrible reception that last one received, you’d think she wouldn’t try this again. But I guess not!

• Just listen to the dead silence from the audience for most of this. Even they’re not impressed with this awful, showboating performance from a hack who’s way past her prime.

• As bad as the Goober the Clown commentary was, I think this one might be worse. Definitely a low point of Cecily’s career, and, believe me, that’s saying something, considering all of the shit she’s appeared in.

Note: After Update, a dedication appears for someone named “Take Off” Ball.

Sketch: Jets Fans

Rowdy Jets fans annoy everyone (including me).

• Ugggh, I forgot all about this sketch. I remember it being extremely awful.

• Yep, here comes a shouting festival from Cecily (man, this has not been a good episode for her).

• Longfellow appears just so he can get mocked for being a Bills fan. What a waste.

• After having such a good season so far, this is only the first time we’ve seen Mikey in this episode. This was a sketch he wrote, by the way.

• The scene where they all yell at a bunch of children makes me feel uncomfortable.

• Awful, awful scene where Amy assaults a guy in a wheelchair. 

• Wow, that was extremely painful. I can’t believe how rapidly this episode is falling apart.

Fake Ad: Pinx Period Underwear

A new option for women having their periods.

• More vagina jokes? I’m surprised this entire episode hasn’t been nothing but that.

• I’m not quite sure I understand the “gag” with all of the animals being attracted to Amy’s underwear. Is there something in them that attracts animals? Gee, it sure would have been nice if they established that!

• Ugh, this episode just continues to die.

Sketch: WKTVN News

Victims of a fire are interviewed.

• Uh-oh, a news intro. I’m getting worried…

• Michael’s name is “Chance Harmstrong”? Gee, I WONDER who wrote this?!!?? (*sees Kent Sublette’s name*) What a shock.

• Another sign that this is a Sublette sketch is when Cecily shows up and starts talking in a cartoony Southern accent.

• This sketch is just nothing but bad accents and “wacky” characters. In other words, a typical Kent Sublette sketch.

• Not even the fact that Molly gets a second appearance tonight is enough to make me smile.

• No comment on the scene where Cecily and Amy flash the camera.

• What the fuck is happening to this episode? This is the third sketch in a row that made me want to puke.

Sketch: Big Penis Therapy

A discussion about the positive effects of destigmatizing therapy for men.

• I love all the airtime Andrew has gotten in this episode.

• Ugh at the reveal that the therapy Andrew has been going to is for his penis. We got a nice long reprieve from dick jokes for a while.

• I usually like Andrew’s sketches, but not even he can make a sketch where everyone keeps saying “penis” over and over a good idea.

Musical Performance: “Helmet”

Sketch: Big Dumb Hat

The new hat that’s perfect for any occasion.

• I’m sorry, am I watching a rejected Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant team up sketch? This is exactly like those awful ads they used to do. I’m guessing the reason is because this was written by Alison Gates, who wrote a lot of those sketches. Kent Sublette is also credited as a writer, which is another bad sign.

• Heidi’s voice in this is so annoying. This is just one of many annoying roles she will go on to play this season.

• Not even the pictures of them demonstrating the hats are making me laugh.

• I did get a surprise laugh from Heidi saying she made a baby while wearing that hat.

• The onscreen text that shows up when they say “Hat, Dumb, Big” is slightly delayed.

• Nice fake pizza you’re eating there, Heidi.

• The only other laugh I got was Chloe showing the crease on her forehead from the hat.

• I really wanted to appreciate this sketch for how much it’s trying to come off as intentionally cheesy, but it’s still just a throwback to an era of the show I’m glad we’re no longer in.

Final thoughts: Wow, that was one of the most bipolar episodes I’ve ever seen. While there was some good stuff in the first half, the show fell apart after Update and never recovered. While Amy Schumer wasn’t as annoying as I thought she was going to be, she didn’t help the show at all. I hope she never hosts again.

Best sketches: COVID, The Looker

Worst sketches: Monologue, Jurors, Tammy the Trucker commentary, Jets Fans, Pinx Period Underwear, WKTVN News

Next review: Dave Chappelle/Black Star

SNL Reviews: Megan Thee Stallion (10/15/22)

Cold Open

“Funny” things happen during the final hearing about the January 6th riots.

• Aw shit, we’re back to political cold opens again.

• A huge groan from that intro line about C-SPAN standing for “cocker spaniel”.

• I don’t know who Kenan is supposed to be, but I’m sure he sounds nothing like that in real life.

• Longfellow debuts an impression of Adam Schiff. I absolutely love the creepy smile he’s doing as him.

• I fucking hate the type of humor where they try to make politicians come off as relatable, as seen here when Andrew (playing Adam Kinzinger) begs to have a cupcake before the hearing.

• Heidi takes over as Liz Cheney, the third different person to play her. They’re trying to characterize her as some sort of “brave freedom fighter” who’s taking on the rest of her party, which is all sorts of cringe.

• Chloe Fineman takes over from Kate McKinnon as Nancy Pelosi. Unsurprisingly, she looks and sounds nothing like Pelosi.

• Sarah Sherman joins the SNL Drag Club by taking over as Chuck Schumer. I was hoping that the drag roles would cease once Kate and Aidy left, but I’m sad to see that this isn’t the case. Alex Moffat’s Schumer wasn’t perfect, but at least it was a guy playing him. I’m guessing they just gave the role to Sarah because she happens to be Jewish.

• The “Trump conversation excerpts” are terrible and go on for way too long.

• Speaking of Trump, JAJ’s Trump makes his first appearance of the season. In case you were wondering if they decided to do something new with him…they did not.

• After two decidedly different cold opens, we’re back to basics with this one. It also doesn’t help that this one was 9 minutes long.

Monologue

Megan talks about her many names and her love of acting.

• This episode came out around the time she appeared in Disney Plus’s She-Hulk show, in which she taught everyone…how to twerk. I can’t exactly say I’m excited to see what she brings to the table.

• I’m all for enthusiastic hosts, but Megan here is a little too overexcited. 

• It also doesn’t help that I can barely understand what she’s saying.

• At least this was pretty short, only about three minutes.

Sketch: Hot Girl Hospital

A preview for a new medical drama starring “hot girls”.

• I groaned as soon as I saw the title, as it brought back unwanted memories of the Elon Musk episode and its horrid “Gen Z Hospital” sketch. Coincidentally, that sketch was also right after the monologue.

• Am I supposed to know what “The Shade Room” is and why it’s allegedly funny that their Instagram page helped create this series?

• Punkie is stuck in a thankless role as one of the “hot girls”.

• The critic “reviews” are all falling flat for me.

• While not quite as wretched as the Gen Z Hospital sketch, this is still pretty bad. At least this one doesn’t have Elon Musk in it.

Film: We Got Brought

Three strangers sing about being brought to the club by mutual friends.

• Punkie and Devon have gotten some significant airtime in this episode so far. Obviously it’s because a black woman is hosting, so we can expect them to go back to being underused in the next show.

• It’s hard for me to detect any jokes in this. The set design and effects are okay, and they’re performing it well, but it’s a little too bland to me.

Sketch: Deer

A father can’t spot a deer outside his window.

• I have a distinct memory of absolutely hating this sketch.

• Molly gets their first speaking role in a live sketch. Too bad this is their only appearance all night.

• Kenan’s horrible season continues as his character in this sketch is extremely annoying and stupid as fuck. How the hell does he not see a fucking deer out in the meadow right in front of him? I’d understand it if he was going blind, but that’s never established.

• You can see someone moving around in the bushes just before the deer puppet is supposed to pop up.

• When the deer shows up at the window, I totally predicted that it was going to vanish as soon as Kenan turns around to look.

• Would it surprise you at all if I said that Kent Sublette wrote this?

• I finally got a laugh when Kenan notices the deer threatening him with a knife and then punches it in the face.

• Overall, an extremely long and pointless sketch filled with predictable jokes and an overdose of Kenan yelling.

Sketch: Girl Talk

A talk show host gives out advice to her guests.

“Mo’nique Money Mo’nique Problems”? Who comes up with these awful names?

• Kind of odd how Kenan plays a character named Willie here, as he already has a recurring character by that name.

• The main joke of this sketch (Ego and her guests constantly saying “girl” to each other) got old extremely fast.

• Yet another appearance from Punkie. This has to be her largest amount of air time ever!

• Not even the subtitles routine is making me laugh.

• Now we get a twist where Andrew randomly appears as a guest.

• The live airing had this weird gaffe where Kenan’s voice could be heard talking over part of Andrew and Ego’s conversation. It has been fixed in the online upload.

• My only laugh from this sketch came from Andrew saying “girl” in a stereotypical black girl voice and then getting blowback from the other guests.

Please Don’t Destroy: Wellness

The guys talk about what they do to stay healthy.

• Thank God these guys are here to save this episode.

• I can identify with Ben Marshall spending an average of 23 hours a day on his cell phone.

• Funny part with Martin hallucinating his therapist. I wonder who that is playing her.

• A good laugh from Ben’s disgusting teeth.

• While it is kind of odd that this turns out to be a commercial for Oral-B at the end, it was worth it just to see that image of Ben’s teeth again.

• Overall, a slight step up from last week’s installment.

Musical Performance: “Anxiety”

• Since Megan is the musical guest as well, Bowen (who’s had a pretty quiet night so far) does the intro.

Weekend Update (featuring Debbie Hole and Stacey Bussy, and Devon Walker)

• Yet another Mitch McConnell “seen here” joke. Can we please stop doing these stupid jokes already?

• Our first of many Kanye jokes within these next few episodes.

• “Debbie Hole and Stacey Bussy”? These names just keep getting worse. Incidentally, Kent Sublette had nothing to do with this one. It was his new partner in crime, Jimmy Fowlie, a fellow Groundling who has a lot of the same annoying quirks as him.

• The commentary itself is absolutely terrible. Chloe and Heidi play these characters with annoying Southern accents that are here to complain about Hocus Pocus 2. Chloe’s character, in particular, won’t stop staring at the camera, which is a problem I’ve noticed that Chloe has in general.

• After that abortion is done with, we get a commentary from a newbie for the third episode in a row. This time, it’s Devon Walker’s turn, continuing the great episode he’s been having.

• A funny story about how people always apologize to him when they find out he’s from Texas.

• I love the part where he asks the audience if he looks like a cat caller. You can hear some people saying that he does.

• Another great audience reaction when he asks “Where all my straight boys at?” 

• Great ending to this commentary as he announces he’s going to kiss Che. It would have been funny if Update faded out on the two of them kissing each other.

• Overall, a nice way for Devon to introduce himself. Too bad this is the last of these introductory commentaries. Molly has to wait until halfway through the season to get one.

Sketch: Workout Class

A workout class is led by three different teachers, each with their own unique style.

• Ugh, another sketch where Chloe and Heidi play characters with gimmicky names (“Kaley” and “Keeley”, in case you’re wondering). Jimmy Fowlie strikes again!

• For some reason, there were a lot of camera slip-ups in the live airing, all of which seem to have been fixed in the online upload.

• Remember what I said earlier about twerking? Well, we get that from Megan in this sketch, complete with a wild crowd reaction.

• The scenes of Ego, Bowen, and Sarah (who looks kind of hot in this sketch, by the way) reacting to everything are straight out of a “Mikey Explains” type of sketch.

• Overall, what a terrible, terrible sketch. It’s almost as bad as that She-Hulk scene I mentioned before.

Musical Performance: “NDA”, “Plan B”

• Kenan has the honor of introducing the performance this time.

Film: St. Andrew’s Center for Shivering Girls

An ad about the hardships women must face during chilly weather.

• The scenes of Kenan singing “Hallelujah” are giving me bad memories of the infamous Hillary sketch from Season 42.

• So far, I’m not entirely sure what the joke is here. This film is extremely boring.

• My only laugh came from Kenan randomly singing “Gangsta’s Paradise”.

Sketch: Classroom

Things don’t go quite as expected when a substitute teacher takes over.

• After a long and boring speech, we suddenly get some actual jokes when the students start picking it apart.

• I love when Ego calls Megan’s character “La’quantisha”.

• A funny gag with Ego giving kids detention for pointing out the flaws in her second speech.

• The ending where Ego dismisses everyone by activating the fire alarm was a nice capper.

Final thoughts: As I expected given the host, this episode was a whole lot of blah. When she wasn’t showboating for her audience, Megan was trying to work her way through extremely repetitive material that even Kristen Wiig would have rejected. The only bright spot of this episode was the Please Don’t Destroy bit, as well as the increased airtime that Punkie and Devon received.

Best sketches: Wellness, Devon’s commentary

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Hot Girl Hospital, Deer, Debbie Hole and Stacey Bussy commentary, Workout Class

Next review: Jack Harlow

SNL Reviews: Selena Gomez/Post Malone (5/14/22)

 Cold Open

In which the Johnny Depp trial is poorly re-enacted.

• Oh, that’s right. I forgot all about this joke of a legal battle. For those who don’t know, Depp ended up winning.

• Kyle Mooney is not the greatest impressionist, as his take on Johnny Depp is proving. 

• Ugh, don’t tell me this going to be nothing but poop jokes…

• Kenan: “Smell like poopoo in here!” Okay, I admittedly did get a chuckle from that line.

• Another genuine laugh from Ego saying that the poop came from “a dehydrated adult”. 

• Yep, a few minutes later, and all they’re doing is making juvenile poopoo jokes. Oh, wait, I’m sorry. They’re actually saying “booboo” for some reason. How old are these writers? Did the censors not allow them to say “poop”?

• Poor Melissa is stuck playing a stereotypical Latina maid. I find it odd how she never used to be typecast as Hispanic characters, but that’s basically all she’s played in these last few episodes.

• Overall, this may possibly be one of the worst cold opens of the entire season.

Monologue

Selena Gomez talks about her new show with Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the fact that she is single.

• Gomez is one of those people that I’m surprised has never hosted this show before.

• A huge laugh from the photo of her with Barney the Dinosaur back in her days as a child actress.

• She gets in a good dig at Steve Martin’s love of the banjo.

• Why does her voice sound like she’s pinching her nose?

• I got a laugh out of her (intentionally?) poor impression of Miley Cyrus.

• Ha, she pronounces Colin’s name as “Colon Jost”! You can hear a lady in the audience giggle after she does that.

• I like the fakeout where it seems like Selena’s about to say that SNL is where Pete met Ariana Grande, only to say Machine Gun Kelly’s name instead.

• Kyle plays a pathetic loser for the 1,000th time. I love you, Kyle, but that shtick is starting to get a little old.

• It feels weird seeing James as himself. I also like Selena introducing him as “Jeff”.

• Punkie exists! Hearing the audience applaud her entrance is so satisfying.

• Overall, surprisingly strong for a Selena Gomez monologue.

Sketch: Bratz Dolls

A girl (Sarah Sherman) copes with her parents’ divorce by consulting her Bratz dolls.

• I’m rather ashamed to admit that I owned Bratz “Boyz” dolls when I was four years old. What? Why are you giving me those funny looks? 

• Amusing unintentional grammar fail (“whose parents gets divorced”) from Selena.

• Bowen is PERFECT for this role.

• Something about Selena’s delivery in this sketch is really sloppy.

• Not a big fan of Aidy’s character, but I love the detail of her thick doll lips.

• I got an unintentional laugh from the use of the same whip crack sound effect from the Haunted Elevator sketch with David S. Pumpkins (man, I wish I could be watching that right now).

• As I was expecting, this sketch was a whole lot of nothing. The only thing I liked was Sarah. She’s really believable as a young girl.

Film: Old Enough! Longterm Boyfriends!

The hit show that follows boyfriends as they run errands by themselves.

• This is based on some Japanese Netflix show that I’ve never seen, so I’m already weary of this premise.

• How many of these films does Cecily have to narrate?

• Hmm, overexplanation of jokes? Yep, this is a Seidell/Day sketch!

• I do like the fact that there’s some location filming in this. They’ve rarely done that since the outbreak of COVID.

• I could do without the onscreen subtitles. I’m sure that’s something from the show this is parodying, but they need to let the dialogue speak for itself.

• Yeah, this is way too reliant on the source material for me to find it funny.

Sketch: A Peek at Pico

Hispanic talk show people have funny voices and that’s pretty much the whole joke.

• My description up there says it all. Not only do we have another cliche talk show sketch, but it’s also a funny accent sketch where the hosts talk like Speedy Gonzales.

• Second Hispanic role for Melissa tonight. Again, I ask, why are we suddenly typecasting her when it’s clear by this point that she’s not coming back?

• Okay, why is the camera suddenly moving around like that? This wasn’t fixed in the online version.

• I like the name of Chris’s character: “Li’l Hubcap”

• Overall, yet another horrid talk show sketch.

Sketch: Irish Play

Understudies attempt to perform an Irish play.

• Kenan’s intro where he explains the conceit of this sketch already has me worried. Also, he makes a gratuitous penis joke for no reason.

• That intro goes on for fifty-eight seconds. I kid you not.

• ANOTHER funny accent sketch? Jesus, show us some mercy!

• Please stop bringing up the penis! It would have been funny if Kenan just mentioned it once during his intro, but they keep going back to it!

• As if you guys needed further proof that this sketch sucks balls, it was written by Kent Sublette. Couldn’t you tell by the accents?

• “Oh my God, this is horrible.” Don’t rub it in, Mikey. This sketch is bad enough without your explanations.

• No comment on the random inclusion of live animals.

• The ending with Bowen unzipping his pants and showing off his penis was just horrible. Definitely a contender for the worst sketch of the season.

Film: American Inventors

We take a look back at when Archie Gizmo (Steve Martin) invented the whoopee cushion.

• Ah, for once I’m glad to see a gratuitous cameo. Hopefully Steve can save this rapidly-deteriorating episode.

• Not caring for the montage of fart sounds.

• Perfect casting of JAJ as a retro newscaster.

• For some reason, the “retro” scenes in this remind me of a Schiller’s Reel.

• I laughed harder than I should have at Aidy randomly getting struck by lightning.

• Even the constant repeats of the lightning gag are working for me because of Aidy’s surprisingly strong performance.

• I like how the fake retro magazine covers use actual pictures of Steve from the 70s.

• The picture of Aidy getting zapped while Sammy Davis Jr. looks on was hilarious.

• A great finale where we see how ragged she looks in the present day, followed by one more zap from the joy buzzer.

• Wow, somehow we managed to follow up the worst sketch ever with one of the best of this entire season! Steve, you’ve worked your magic again!

Musical Performance: “Cooped Up”

Weekend Update (featuring Baby Yoda and Sarah Sherman)

• Great, jokes about trying to feed babies things they shouldn’t eat. /sarcasm

• They’re still doing the Mitch McConnell “seen here” jokes. Please stop it.

• Nice ballsy joke from Che about how the iPod Touch has been around longer than “the kids who make them”.

• FUUUUCK!!!! Baby Yoda once again!!! Thankfully, this is the last time we ever see him before Kyle leaves!

• I’m amazed that this character has made six fucking appearances without being funny in a single one of them. It takes some special talent to do that. Just ask Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig!

• Whew, here comes Sarah to save this Update. This time, she’s doing something a little different by taking us backstage.

• Speaking of Wiig, I groaned a little when Sarah brings her up as a “legend” on the same level as Will Ferrell.

• Her typical Update routine of insulting Colin is a little fresher here.

• Was Sarah’s “Daily Affirmations” reference intentional? I can’t imagine she would be familiar with those sketches.

• I love the Post-it note on Colin’s mirror that reminds him about his alleged upcoming dinner with Giuliani.

• Another laugh from the Sarah shrine that she obviously put in there.

• I wonder who the guy in the “intern cage” is.

• The fake newspaper headline was a great way to end this. Sarah continues to impress me.

Sketch: The Three Daughters

A prince (Mikey Day) must choose which princess to make his bride.

• It’s become a running gag among fans to note how bad Mikey is at British accents. As we see in this sketch, that is totally the case.

• Kate isn’t annoying me so far, but I’m sure that’s not going to last.

• The thing that IS annoying me in this sketch is Kenan. I am so tired of that hammy voice he keeps doing. No matter how many new cast members come through, he’ll still be there doing his same old shtick for the rest of time.

• Super obvious ending where it turns out that Kate‘s character really is weird.

Film: Intuition

A couple’s relationship gets influenced by their intuition.

• Sweet! A lead role for Punkie! And she gets to rap!

• The lyrics could be better, but she’s making this work.

• Fun twist where it turns out that Chris’s character has an “intuition” too (played by Post Malone).

• Despite my initial misgivings regarding the lyrics, this was okay.

Sketch: Guidance Counselors

Guidance counselors give students advice.

• I like how the high school is randomly named after Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

• Selena looks really sexy in that dress.

• I laughed at Ego asking a student if he wants to live in Paris or Syracuse, though that may be because I have grandparents who used to live in Syracuse.

• This is more of an unintentional laugh, but Sarah is wearing a sweater that says “SATURDAY” on it, and the only letters visible for much of the sketch are “TURD”.

• Another sketch that just ends with a random dance party.

Musical Performance: “Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol”

Sketch: Baby Monitor

Babies keep interrupting a rowdy group of teenagers trying to party.

• This sketch gives us a somewhat creepy visual of Sarah and Bowen dressed like babies. Is this SNL or Children of the Damned?

• Selena’s delivery in this sketch is so awful. What the hell is wrong with her voice tonight? The part where she asks her friends if they want to have some beer was particularly hard to listen to.

• Yikes, and now the babies are staring at the camera with blank, empty eyes.

• This just gets more and more disturbing as it goes on. And yet I can’t keep my eyes off of it.

• Fairly funny part where Baby Bowen swings a Baby Sarah dummy around.

• Um, now there’s a Baby Post Malone in there with them. He’s clearly having a good time, because he can’t stop laughing!

• The ending where it turns out that the babies are actually watching them was kind of lame.

• This was slightly below the usual standards of Sarah’s sketches, but I admire how bizarre it is.

Final thoughts: This is a hard episode for me to figure out. On one hand, we have some of the worst material of the entire season, yet we also have that great Inventor short film. Selena Gomez herself seemed to be out of it for the whole episode. Something about her was a little sloppy, and I don’t know why.

Best sketches: Monologue, American Inventors, Sarah’s commentary, Intuition

Worst sketches: Cold Open, A Peek at Pico, Irish Play, Baby Yoda commentary 

Next review: Natasha Lyonne/Japanese Breakfast. We also bid farewell to Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and a fuck-ton of other cast members.