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”.

Shoot at the Stars

A brutal game show parody where contestants get to shoot annoying overexposed celebrities.

What’s My Shoe Size?

SCTV supposedly is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and they’re showing off some of their classic programs from years past. I could put any one of the clips they show in this spot, but I’m going with this one. Basically, it’s a parody of What’s My Line, except the celebrity contestants have to guess someone’s shoe size. Such contestants include Joe Flaherty unveiling his spot-on impression of Kirk Douglas (or “Dugglis” as he’s referred to here) and Catherine O’Hara as a vapid parody of Dorothy Kilgallen. 

Monster Chiller Horror Theater: Whisper of the Wolf

One of SCTV’s most iconic characters is Count Floyd (Robertson), the horror movie host who shows movies that aren’t scary in the slightest. It takes a little while for his format to be settled, but here’s where he finally comes into his own; a parody of depressing Ingmar Bergman-type movies with mock-Swedish dialogue and silly subtitles. 

Bad Acting in Hollywood

A parody of That’s Hollywood, Tom “Boslee” (John Candy) takes a look back at some of 

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 or whatever. 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/Cups, 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.

The Wall: Live in Berlin differences (Part 2)

 "Hey You": Graffiti is overlaid on top of the Wall during the opening shot in the home release.

Other than that, the rest of the song uses exactly the same footage in both versions.

"Is There Anybody Out There?": Mostly the same in both versions, except for additional footage overlaid in a few spots.

"Nobody Home": The live airing actually shows us what's on the "thirteen channels of shit" that Roger sings about. I assume this had to be removed from the home release due to rights issues?

The echo on "fly to" seems to be missing from the live version.

"Vera": The home release mostly focuses on an impressive panning shot of the entire Wall.

"Bring The Boys Back Home": The title of the song is projected on the Wall in the home release, while the live version only has the words in a few shots.

"Comfortably Dumb": There's a part during the second chorus that had to be replaced in the home release because the stage smoke ended up blocking Van Morrison and The Band from view.

The live feed goes out again during the final chorus.

"In the Flesh": When the limousine arrives, the pyrotechnics go off once in the live version, but twice in the home release.

More transmission issues occur during the intro. The home release replaces this with alternate angles.

Roger's vocals seem to be unchanged in the home release.

"Run Like Hell": The arrival of the pig balloon is spoiled a bit in the live version, as it can briefly be seen at the end of "In the Flesh".

During the keyboard solo, the home release has a lot more shots of skinheads coming down the Wall on ropes. One of these shots is also slowed down in the home release.

"Waiting For The Worms": An odd bit of audio interference occurs twice during the song. Since the home release uses a different take, this is not an issue there.

"Stop": The live version has more audio interference during this song.

The home release cuts to a closeup of Roger when he shouts "STOP!!!"

"The Trial": Probably the highlight of this version of the show. All of the characters in the song are played by special guests, such as Albert Finney as the Judge, Thomas Dolby as the Schoolmaster, German singer Ute Lemper as the Wife, Marianne Faithfull as Pink’s Mother, and, best of all, Tim Curry as the Prosecutor!!!

While the vocals are the same in both versions, some kind of technical glitch happened during the Wife's part where she isn't on screen for the first part of her verse. As a result, they had Lemper reshoot her scene at Brixton Academy in London for the home release. The difference in image quality is rather obvious.

The home release is missing a rather funny shot of Roger putting his face right up in front of the camera before the Judge's verse begins.

When the Wall first starts to fall apart, I like how the live version shows an angle where we can see the technicians pushing the bricks down. The upshot shown in the home release is more dramatic, and I can see why they used this angle instead.

A lot of unimportant far shots are cut from the home release before the start of the next song.

"The Tide Is Turning": This song was added to the setlist for this concert only. It was originally on the Radio KAOS album.

Only some of the singers (such as Cyndi Lauper) appear to utilize alternate vocal takes in the home release. The rest are all the same.

There's not a lot of alternate angles in this song. Those that do appear aren't during any of the vocal parts.

"Outside The Wall": The album that was released of this show cuts this song for some reason. To be fair, "The Tide Is Turning" does make a better finale for this particular iteration of The Wall. 

The credits font is different in the home release. Some of the names have been switched around, and the live credits are a little slower.

Rather amusingly, you can barely hear the song in the live copy that's currently available, as the Italian commentators talk over pretty much the whole thing.

The Wall: Live in Berlin differences (Part 1)

 In 1990, Roger Waters came up with a brilliant idea to hold a performance of his masterpiece The Wall in Berlin, on the former site of the Berlin Wall. He quickly gathered an all-star cast of performers, including Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor, Thomas Dolby, Van Morrison, etc. The concert was held on July 21, 1990, and was aired live on TV in some countries. An album of the performance was later released, along with a VHS tape. However, these later releases contain several differences to what was seen in that live airing. Luckily, an Italian broadcast of the concert has surfaced, so we can use that for comparison...

Some common changes include different vocal takes for most songs, different camera angles, and the removal of all technical difficulties. I'll bring these up when I find them interesting.

"In the Flesh?": The concert starts with WWII veteran Leonard Cheshire blowing into a whistle, cueing the arrival of skinheads on motorcycles and limousines. 

The home release of this concert removes Cheshire's bit at the beginning, fading in just after he blows the whistle. The show's logo fades up differently between the two versions. During the performance, the home release tends to favor close up shots of the band, while the live version mostly sticks to wider shots.

"The Thin Ice": Removed entirely. This is because the band started to play the song despite Roger not arriving on stage yet.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1": During the sax break, the live version chooses to focus on the giant Schoolmaster puppet instead of, you know, the guy playing the sax. The live version fades out at the end, while the home release shows the arrival of the helicopter that signals the beginning of the next song.

"The Happiest Days Of Our Lives": The live version rejoins the show in the middle of the Schoolmaster's opening shouts. The home release favors disturbing close up shots of the Schoolmaster's eyes, while the live version stays far away for the most part. There's also some nice shots of the drummer in the home release.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2": The home release features a shot of Cyndi Lauper running onstage to begin the song. Some of the same shots are used in both versions, but one shot of Lauper running around has its frame rate halved in the home release.

"Mother": Some major alterations occur here, as technical difficulties plagued the live broadcast. The solution was to insert scenes from the flawless rehearsal take. 

The first major difference is when O'Connor sings the "break my balls" part. In the rehearsal take, she's holding the mike when she says this, while in the live version, she's not. 

Something seems to go wrong when the second verse starts. Rich Danko and Levon Helm (of The Band) come in too early with their vocals, and they have to start the second verse all over again. It's also at this point that the transmission gets really staticky. To cover all this up, the home release skips right ahead to the instrumental portion.

During the instrumental part, the live version shows a bizarre film of some kid wearing the faceless mask seen in the theatrical version of The Wall. The home release instead shows shots of the stage, including a giant piece of the Wall with Pink's Mother on it.

"Goodbye Blue Sky": The live version shows a film of a kid looking up at the sky as we hear Harry Waters' "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky". The home release replaces this with a shot of the crowd.

The live transmission briefly cuts out after the second verse, so the home release inserts different footage from the rehearsal at this part.

Very different takes are also used of Joni Mitchell's performance. 

"What Shall We Do Now?": The live version cuts away to a different angle about halfway through the "fucking flowers" animation, while the home release shows the whole thing.

A different closeup angle of Roger is used in the home release where he isn't wearing his usual shades. While this is going on, they also use different shots of the audience holding up two-sided masks.

Different takes are used of Bryan Adams' performance. In the live performance, he's holding the mike as he sings, while he doesn't in the version on home video.

"Young Lust": About 85% of this song uses the same shots in both versions.

"One Of My Turns": Jerry Hall's lines as the groupie are timed differently between the two versions, though they are the same takes.

When Roger is throwing various items out of the room, the live version focuses on him, while the home release intercuts this with shots of the guitarists.

"Don't Leave Me Now": The home release mainly focuses on shots of people putting the Wall together.

I'm not sure, but I think the vocals are untouched on this song.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3": There's a major lyrical difference between the two versions. In the live take, Roger says "I don't need no arms around me", like on the record, while in the other take, he says "I don't need your arms around me."

"The Last Few Bricks": This song is not on the original album, as it was meant to fill time for the technicians to finish building the Wall. Anyway, the live feed cuts out again during this song, so a shot of the drummer is inserted to cover this up.

"Goodbye Cruel World": Roger can be heard muttering something before starting the song in the live take. This is absent from the take used in the home release.

The live airing stays on the same shot of Roger for the entire song, while the home release inserts some close ups.

SNL Reviews: Shane Gillis/Tate McRae (3/1/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Who’s the black lady sitting next to Ego in the audience? I thought it was Michael Che in drag at first.” (from Jake Gyllenhaal/Camilla Cabello, 2022)

Cold Open

Trump’s meeting with the president of Ukraine is a disaster.

• Great, more unfunny Trump antics. The actual meeting that this is “parodying” was already a joke. We don’t need SNL making it worse!

• Bowen’s JD Vance is still horrible. Whoever thought it was a good idea to portray him as a sassy queer needs to be fired.

• Elon Musk is back, and thankfully, it isn’t Dana Carvey this time. Unfortunately, it’s now the corpse of Mike Myers who is playing him. 

• This impression is exactly what you would expect from modern Mike Myers. Loads of unfunny mugging, inconsistent British accents, you name it.

• SNL’s political writing continues to flounder in this era. Luckily, I’ve got only eight more cold opens to look at before I’m done with this shit for good.

Monologue

Gillis talks about Trump, Biden, dating, and historical documentaries.

• Starting off with his political material this time.

• I like how the audience starts laughing before he even gets to his dating jokes.

• The run of jokes about his friend Jamal are pretty great.

• Great jabs at Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary, which he calls “Kryptonite for women” and goes on about how boring it is having to watch the camera zoom in on old photos.

• Particularly great part when he makes fun of an old historian in the documentary who’s clearly bitter about the South losing.

• While not as consistent as his previous monologue, the whole Civil War part at the end made it worth the watch.

Sketch: Winery Tour

A woman tries to get the perfect picture while touring a winery with her new boyfriend.

• Man, Ashley’s airtime seems to have exploded lately. I like to see it!

• There’s a strange rustling sound throughout this sketch which is honestly kind of annoying. Is it something on the set or are their microphones malfunctioning?

• Speaking of annoying, Heidi’s character is her typical, air headed millennial type that we’re all sick of.

• Oh, and I definitely didn’t need to hear Heidi speaking in baby talk.

Fake Ad: CouplaBeers

The new product that’s just what you need to get through a stressful day.

• Nice to see Shane as the spokesman, just like that gambling ad in his last episode.

• The writer’s guide credits this to a guest writer named John McKeever, who I’m guessing is a friend of Shane’s because of how different this feels to SNL’s usual fake ads.

• I like how the beer cans are designed to look like medicine bottles.

• Nice disclaimer at the bottom: “A COUPLE OF BEERS COULD MEAN TWO, OR TEN, DEPENDING ON DOSE SIZE”

• Heidi: “Honey, can you come sit down? We need to talk.” *brief silence* Shane: “No.” *end of sketch*

Sketch: WANU Mid-Day News

White & black anchors use news stories to make points.

• Random return of this sketch from the Phoebe Waller-Bridge episode in Season 45? Why do they keep bringing back all of these old-ass sketches?!???

• I didn’t even like the original, mostly due to an allergy to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, so I imagine I’m gonna like this one even less.

• Baltimore native Ego sneaks in a reference to Reiserstown Road, which is a major road in that area.

• I kinda like Ego and Kenan whispering to each other about “hwite” people.

• Nice suspect photo of a Walter White-esque man.

• More Baltimore references with a mention of Hunt Valley.

• Call me crazy, but this isn’t too bad so far.

• I like the story about the barber shop shooting having started over an argument about Drake and Kendrick.

• Kenan: “Who the heck is Shaboozey?!?”

• Ego, complaining about an underage girl in a relationship with her teacher: “LaKeesha, girl, what is you doin’???”

• Nice awkward moment when Shane refers to his black co-anchors as “chicken people”. 

• Overall, I thought that was a lot better than the first incarnation of this sketch. Maybe I’d like that one better if I watched it again? Then again, maybe not, because Phoebe Waller-Bridge is in it.

Sketch: Dad’s House

A divorced dad attempts to host his children’s television show while his kids are visiting for the weekend.

• “You’re watching PBS Kids!” Stop doing that!!!! TV channels don’t work like that anymore!!!!

• Shane is doing a really good job at subverting your typical kiddie show host portrayal. This is a guy who just wants to die.

• His unenthusiastic mail song got a good laugh from me.

• Nice running gag where he can’t remember his son’s name.

• Man, that is some nasty-ass food.

• Another big role for Ashley!

• I love the look of JAJ as Ashley’s new boyfriend.

• This sketch is a perfect example of how to do cringe comedy properly. Shane’s character is rightfully painted in a negative light for his horrible actions, whereas if this were a show like Family Guy, we would be expected to laugh and agree with him.

Please Don’t Destroy: The Sound

On a knockoff of The Voice, contestants are judged based only on their voices.

• Interesting to see the guys playing actual characters instead of themselves for a change.

• Great name for Ben’s character, “Cody Swiggums”.

• Priceless reveal that the person who is singing so beautifully looks like a child molester, complete with Bruce Vilanch’s hairstyle, and creepy glasses.

• I love the bit about how his greatest influence is Chris Brown. 

• Is that Shane’s actual voice doing the singing, or is it someone else?

• Great twist where it’s revealed that he doesn’t actually need the wheelchair, and is only using it to get laid. I half expected him to pull a Guy Caballero and say he uses it for respect.

• I absolutely love the ending with him releasing a duet with Tate McRae, which is an “Otaku Style” version of “Amazing Grace”.

• Nice to see that Please Don’t Destroy can still give us a great short when they switch things up. Of course, the real star here is Shane’s hilarious character.

Musical Performance: “Sports Car”

Weekend Update (featuring The Movie Guy and Jane Wickline)

• Like I said, trying to mine jokes from the Trump/Zelenskyy meeting is impossible when the actual meeting was already a joke.

• They’re still doing “seen here” jokes.

• The Andrew Cuomo joke is pretty good. 

• Che has a pretty good joke about how he’s the only black anchor left at NBC.

• Now we get a commentary from Marcello as “The Movie Guy”. Who’s that, you may ask? It’s a guy in an old-timey usher’s uniform who speaks in a thick Hispanic accent.

• Man, even by Marcello standards, this is pretty bad. How many times are we supposed to laugh because he has a thick accent and speaks in lame one-liners? I’ve brought up this comparison before, but he reminds me of an unironic Fericito. He even says “I’m just keeding!” at one point.

• Some hacky-ass shit regarding his opinions on “‘Punbob” (SpongeBob) and “Po-Pye-Yay” (Popeye), where the only joke is that Hispanic people talk funny.

• To make matters worse, Marcello starts cracking up at himself. He’s clearly more amused at this than I am.

• I loved Colin’s jab at Captain America: Brave New World.

• Again with the 90’s, Che? You’re the only one who finds that “running gag” funny. Stop doing it!

• Yawn, another unfunny Jane Wickline song. I wish they’d get the hint and stop trying make her a thing.

Sketch: Wedding Interruption

Coupons reveal an ex-boyfriend’s broken offers in the past.

• The beginning had me worried that Garrett from Hinge was going to appear, but thankfully it’s just Shane playing a different ex-boyfriend character.

• I’m getting several laughs from all this talk about an “open eyes hand job” coupon. It reminds me of that sketch from Shane’s last episode where he ordered the Green Bay Packers buttplug.

• Shane: “I thought being with you meant ‘handies’ would never go away.” This is the first time I have ever heard someone refer to hand jobs as “handies”, but I think I like it.

• Devon’s “Butt Stuff” coupon is also pretty funny.

• I like the implication that Kenan’s minister character has a dark past when he says, “I can’t be a judge with the record that I have.”

• This is also one of Sarah’s best performances in a while.

• I find it hard to believe that Michael Che wrote this sketch, because it’s actually funny, and there’s no anti-white jokes in it.

Musical Performance: “Dear God”

Sketch: Doctor’s Visit

A patient recognizes his doctor and takes him on a trip down memory lane.

• Holy crap, Emil finally gets a lead role for the first time in months!

• I don’t know what “beef to teeth” means, but it doesn’t sound pleasant.

• All of this self-fellatio talk is seriously disgusting, but I won’t pretend that it isn’t making me laugh.

• Someone in the comments said they couldn’t believe this made it on air. Where have you been the last few years, anonymous commenter? They talk about this kind of stuff all the time now!

• Shane: “So, can you still do it? You know…use your Slinky as a binky?” I want to use that phrase on my wife when I get married.

• Okay, that may have been the greatest sketch of the entire season right there. Props to whoever let it get past dress rehearsal.

Note: A memorial is shown for Buster Poindexter before the goodnights.

Final thoughts: While not as good as his first episode, this is easily a highlight of this troubled season. Shane was once again an amazing host. Can we start calling him a future Five-Timer yet?

Best sketches: Monologue, CouplaBeers, Dad’s House, The Sound, Doctor’s Visit

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Winery Tour, Movie Guy commentary

Next review: Lady Gaga