SNL Reviews: Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar (10/1/22)

 I’m back with another season of reviews! This time, we’re taking a look at Season 48.  

Cold Open

Peyton and Eli Manning break down the cold open of the season premiere.

• A rare appearance of the host in a cold open. He looks almost exactly like Peyton Manning! And it’s great to see Andrew get a lead role right off the bat.

• I was initially excited to see a non-political cold open for once, but then it cut to a view of Mar-a-Lago and I knew exactly what we were in for. Apparently SNL thought they could spice up their usual Trump nonsense by having sports guys comment on it.

• Our first look at one of the new cast members! I’m sure Michael Longfellow was thrilled to have his only line be “Right this way, ma’am.”

• Andrew as Eli: “And, you know, that might be the only time we see him tonight.” That line is kind of unfortunate in retrospect given how they’ve been treating Michael so far. At least it isn’t the only time he appears in this episode.

• Heidi as the South Dakota governor is literally portrayed as a vampire. This is the level of satire we’re at these days.

• Some meta-commentary where they point out how all of the “fun” impressions such as Fauci, Lindsey Graham, and Rudy Giuliani can’t be in this sketch because they were all played by Kate McKinnon.

• They make an attempt at “mocking” the show’s lack of political balance by having Peyton say that they spend too much time on Trump jokes while Joe Biden is losing his mind. So, let me get this straight. They know what the problem is, yet they’re not going to do anything to fix it???

• Another appearance of Mikey as Don Jr. While I hated those bits with him and Eric, it does feel a little sad seeing him doing this all by himself now that Alex Moffat is gone.

• Super random cameo from Jon Hamm for no reason. 

• I have no idea who the hell “Corn Kid” is, but it’s a terrible way for Devon Walker to make his debut.

• Marcello Hernandez and Molly Kearney make their first appearances by doing a stupid dance, which I’m going to assume is more TikTok bullshit. 

• We get another random guest appearance, this time from Shaun White. Oh, but they point out how random it is, so that makes it okay, right??? No, it doesn’t.

• I like how all of the new guys get to join in on the LFNY at the end.

• Jeez, that was such a chore to get through. It was just seven minutes of SNL acknowledging all of their problems, but laughing them off so they can keep doing them.

Notes: Not only do we have four newbies, but we also have a new logo for the first time since Season 39! Another important thing to note is that Cecily Strong is absent from the first few episodes of this season.

Monologue 

Our host talks about his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and growing up as a fan of SNL.

• The photo comparing him to Rachel Maddow was hilarious.

• After a slow start, he shows us a video he made as a child where he and his sister reenact a Spartan Cheerleaders sketch. As I said in my review of the Oscar Isaac episode, I love it when we get glimpses of our hosts as children.

• Funny twist where he says that his sister is playing Will Ferrell’s character. There’s also a glimpse of their other sister in the background, who he claims is supposed to be Lorne Michaels.

• I wonder what that is on the TV in the background.

• Overall, Miles pretty much won me over with this sweet little monologue.

Sketch: Send Something Normal

Celebrities are challenged to respond to their DMs in a normal way.

• Great, another game show…

• I’m guessing the host’s name (“Halen Hardy”) is some kind of dirty innuendo, because these game show sketches have become extremely predictable.

• Mikey doesn’t look or sound a thing like Adam Levine, who he gives a bizarre feminine voice. The reason Levine is even in this sketch is because he was in some kind of scandal that week related to messages. I’ve completely forgotten what it was.

• I’m not that familiar with what Armie Hammer sounds like, but I’m sure JAJ is doing a good job.

• Kenan is still on this show, and his impressions are just as bad as ever. Whose idea was it to cast him as Neil DeGrasse Tyson? Oh, and just to prove how out of place he is, he immediately stumbles over his lines.

• Bowen is also one of the contestants, and he gets in a pretty funny line about how he’s been able to do so well on this show because he’s gay. As a side note, I’ve decided to stop calling him “Asian Terry Sweeney” that much, because it was getting kind of old.

• This sketch is just washing right over me. Was this really a good choice for a lead off sketch?

Film: BeReal

Two bank robbers have their heist interrupted by BeReal.

• Mikey was born to play a bank robber.

• This looks like it was shot at an actual bank. 

• After a promising start, this suddenly takes an unwelcome turn where it’s revealed to be an advertisement for something called BeReal. I have no idea what that is.

Sketch: Charmin Bears

A Charmin bear comes clean to his family after getting accepted into Toilet Paper College.

• Ugggghhhh!!! For the millionth season premiere in a row, we have a sketch that’s meant to shill for someone else’s products.

• Punkie Johnson (who somehow got promoted this season) has a surprisingly big role in this sketch as the daughter bear. She looks upset at having to be in this.

• If you wanted to know just how bad this sketch is, Kent Sublette is credited as a writer for it. 

• These toilet puns are atrocious. But once again, they think that pointing it out will excuse it. 

• Yet another sketch that just ends with a random dance party. Seems to be a theme that I’ve been running into lately.

• If you thought this couldn’t get any shittier, well, guess what? This sketch is also plagiarized!!! A YouTuber named Joel Haver released a sketch a couple months prior to this which also revolves around a Charmin bear wanting to pursue a career in dancing. Even though Haver said this was probably just a coincidence, I have my doubts, especially considering that Sublette’s former writing partner James Anderson has been known to plagiarize material before.

Sketch: Rooftop Bar

Two finance bros try to make conversation at a bar.

• I think I see writer Gary Richardson as an extra in the background.

• Mikey and Miles have great chemistry as these annoying frat boys.

• Special props go to Mikey for all of those voices he’s doing. 

• I would rate this a little higher if it didn’t end so abruptly. But still, I find this sketch a little better than I did the first time I saw it.

Fake Ad: AMC Theaters

Nicole Kidman (Fineman) enjoys her time at the theater.

• Ugh, another Chloe Fineman vanity piece.

• Is this a parody of a real ad?

• For once, Kenan has some good moments here with his befuddled reactions to Kidman’s monologuing.

• I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t get a chuckle from the audience members all standing up and saluting the movie screen.

• A bizarre twist where Kidman suddenly displays demonic powers and starts speaking in a creepy voice. I don’t know why this is happening, but I think I like it.

• Punkie gets a great role as an usher who takes a look inside while all of this is going on, only to become terrified of Chloe Kidman’s powers.

• Kenan: “Da [bleep] just happened?!?” I guess Kenan’s shouting routine can still get me to laugh every now and then!

• Overall, this started out kind of slow, but the demonic finale saved this from being the usual annoying Chloe sketch.

• A weird note is that the bumper that follows this sketch still has the previous logo.

Musical Performance: “Rich Spirit”, “N95”

Weekend Update (featuring Mitch McConnell, Herschel Walker, and A Spotted Lanternfly)

• Despite the show’s new logo and identity, Weekend Update has not been updated (see what I did there?) to match.

• Sick joke about Carl DeSantis not wanting to teach children about Hurricane Ian in schools. 

• I did get a chuckle from Colin’s joke about Biden forgetting that Kamala Harris is still alive.

• JAJ takes over the Mitch McConnell impression here, while Kenan debuts one of Herschel Walker, which we’ll be seeing a lot in these next few episodes. By the way, this is apparently the first time James has ever appeared on Update, and thankfully not the last.

• McConnell’s voice needs some work, but JAJ looks almost identical to him. A hell of a lot better than Beck’s impression, though. I’m not that familiar with Walker, but I know for a fact that Kenan sounds absolutely nothing like him. This is just the first step towards the awful season Kenan will end up having.

• Newbie Michael Longfellow gets a commentary in only his first episode! He’s here to talk about his conservative family members.

• I liked the brief joke about how the anti-vax articles his father tries sending him keep giving his computer a virus. 

• Right off the bat, Longfellow is coming off as an extremely likeable person. And while I’m sure there’s some sarcasm sprinkled in there, he has a good point that we shouldn’t distance ourselves from family members that have differing opinions than us.

• Great dig at Bill Maher.

• Sadly, all the goodwill from that last commentary gets ruined by Bowen Yang dressed up as a bug. It’s just your typical showboating Bowen commentary and little else.

Sketch: Grimace

Grimace from McDonald’s shocks his fellow mascots with a new look.

• What’s with all the product placement in this episode? This is the third sketch to have some kind of real brand in it.

• Mikey is a perfect choice to play Ronald McDonald. I like all the airtime he’s been getting in this episode.

• Then Miles shows up as Grimace in the most disturbing makeup ever. The voice he’s using is great, but that makeup…UGH!!!!

• I have no idea what the joke with Grimace revealing himself to be bisexual is all about. It just seems like a random thing that someone came up with when they were bored.

• Awful tagline at the end: “Ba-da-ba-ba-ba, I’m lovin’ both.”

Musical Performance: “Father Time”

Sketch: Caribbean Queens

Two talk show hosts on a Caribbean vacation interview all of the guys at their hotel.

• Ugh, another talk show sketch.

• The use of the actual “Caribbean Queen” made me think that this sketch wouldn’t be uploaded online, but it was, and all they did was lower the pitch on the song.

• Punkie is totally wasted with a bit role where she has to speak in a stereotypical Jamaican accent.

• Kenan’s wearing his old Kenan and Kel hairstyle again.

• Yet another sketch that just ends with a random dance party. Why are there so many of these lately???

Final thoughts: I have no idea what to say about this episode. While there were some bright spots (namely the lack of Cecily), it has a feeling of “been there, done that”. Miles Teller was an okay host, but not too memorable.

Best sketches: Monologue, AMC Theaters, Longfellow’s commentary

Worst sketches: Charmin Bears, Grimace, Caribbean Queens

Next review: Brendan Gleeson/Willow

Season 47 overview

Let’s take a look at the cast of Season 47 and see how they fared this year…

Repertory Players

Aidy Bryant: In her final season, Aidy was more out of place than ever. You have younger guys like Dismukes and Sherman doing creative new stuff, while Bryant is still doing her same old shtick that grew old years ago.

Pete Davidson: It’s hard to judge Pete’s season. The first half of the year saw him with a lot of airtime, but it quickly dropped off after the Dafoe episode, as he was away filming a movie. And now, with this being his last year in the cast, I can safely say that I won’t be missing him.

Mikey Day: While he’s still my favorite member of the cast, I understand that he can be very hit and miss. His “Mikey explains” roles are still very much a thing, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be going away.

Chloe Fineman: Good lord, my least favorite cast member. Every time she gets a lead role, I immediately cringe. She was also reponsible for the worst commentary this season, maybe of all time.

Heidi Gardner: I feel so sorry for criticizing her before. Once I looked past all of her annoying roles, I realized how solid she actually is. I’m glad she decided to stay for Season 48.

Kate McKinnon: THANK GOD I’VE FINALLY REACHED THE END OF HER TENURE!!!! Those few episodes at the beginning of this season that she missed were some of the best in years, simply because she wasn’t there mugging up a storm. Once she came back, however, things started to suffer a bit. Still, I’m glad I won’t have to talk about her anymore.

Alex Moffat: Hoo boy, this season was awful for Alex. Not only did they barely use him, but he suddenly decides to leave during the summer break. It’s a shame, too, because I was finally warming up to him.

Kyle Mooney: You know how I said last year that I was glad Kyle was returning, right? Well, guess what happened? He goes on to have a pretty lousy season! It doesn’t surprise me at all that he decided to call it quits.

Ego Nwodim: My favorite female cast member just continues to get better. I’m really eager to see what she does going forward.

Chris Redd: Out of all the departing cast members, Redd is the one I’ll miss the most. Almost everything he did this season was funny, and it’s going to be hard to get used to not hearing his distinctive voice anymore.

Cecily Strong: Now that Kate and Aidy are leaving, she’s probably going to be the one who I focus most of my anger on. She got the third-largest amount of airtime this season, and not a single one of it was funny. If she doesn’t leave after the next season, then expect me to be even angrier in my next overview.

Kenan Thompson: Sorry, Kenan, but I’m just not feeling it anymore. You’ve been on for way too long, and, more importantly, I’ve seen everything you have to offer by this point. That being said, every once in a while, we still get a glimmer of hope from him, like that amazing noise he made in that Amazon commercial parody.

Melissa Villaseñor: Poor Melissa. I know it’s been a joke for years to comment on her lack of airtime, but it really became a problem this season. Somehow, despite missing several episodes, Pete Davidson had more screentime than she did. Thankfully, Melissa also left at the end of the season. Hopefully she ends up somewhere that values her talents a lot more.

Bowen Yang: His first year as a repertory player wasn’t too bad. I think he might be growing on me, as hard as that is for me to admit. As long as he stays away from any more iceberg commentaries, then he’s okay in my book!

Featured Players

Aristotle Athari: Jeez, I have never seen a cast member used as little as this guy. His one showcase character, Angelo, kept getting cut after dress, and he was left out of several episodes. It did not surprise me at all to find out that he wasn’t returning.

Andrew Dismukes: After a fairly decent first season, this guy quickly became one of my favorites this year. With Pete and Kyle out of the way for good, next season might be his time to shine!

James Austin Johnson: My favorite of the three newbies. He made an impression (no pun intended) almost immediately by taking over as Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as well as doing a lot of solid character work. 

Punkie Johnson: Oh, that’s right, there’s two black girls on this show. Man, Punkie just can’t catch a break. It’s so sad that they keep underusing her, because, when she does appear in live sketches, she always does a good job. How in the world did she get a third season?

Sarah Sherman: She got on my good side for how wonderfully bizarre some of her sketches can be. I get a Tina Fey/Will Forte vibe from her, and I’m eager to see what she does in the future.

Here’s the part where I rank the episodes. This one’s a lot harder for me, considering how most of this season was consistent at best.

Best episodes: Jason Sudeikis/Brandi Carlisle, Kieran Culkin/Ed Sheeran, Simu Liu/Saweetie, Willem Dafoe/Katy Perry, Oscar Isaac/Charli XCX

Worst episodes: Ariana DeBose/Bleachers, Will Forte/Maneskin, Selena Gomez/Post Malone

And lastly, we have the sketches…

Best sketches: Funeral Song (from Wilson), The Switch (from Kardashian), Hard Seltzers (from Kardashian), Celeb School (from Malek), Rami Wants A Treat (Cut), The Ghost Of Biden Past (from Sudeikis), Devil commentary (from Sudeikis), What Up With That? (from Sudeikis), The Heist (from Culkin), Dionne Warwick’s cameo (from Culkin), Wake Up Rhode Island (from Culkin), Calling Angie (from Culkin), Audacity in Advertising Awards (from Majors), Man Park (from Majors), Laughintosh 3000 commentary (from Majors), Monologue (from Liu), Karaoke Recap (from Liu), Thanksgiving Baking Championship (from Liu), Touch Up (Cut), Kyle’s Holiday (from Eilish), Future Selves (Cut), NBA on TNT (from DeBose), Urkel (from DeBose), Kid Klash (from Forte), Clancy T. Bacheleratt and Jackie Snead (from Forte), ESPN’s First Take (Cut), Tenant Meeting (from Dafoe), Now I’m Up (from Dafoe), The Mirror (from Dafoe), Martin’s Friend (from Dafoe), Nice Jail (Cut),  Cold Open (from Mulaney), Good Variant (from Mulaney), Five-Timer’s Club (from Mulaney), Podcast Set for White Guys (Cut), Monologue (from Isaac), Meatballs (from Isaac), Pauline commentary (from Isaac), Aidy’s Dream (from Isaac), Fiction Workshop (from Isaac), Aerotoilet (Cut), We Got Her A Cat (from Kravitz), Old Home Movies (from Kravitz), Terry Fink commentary (from Kravitz), Scattering Remains (from Carmichael), Three Normal Goths (Cut), Flowers (from Gyllenhaal), Chucky (from Gyllenhaal), Couples Counselor (from Gyllenhaal),  Lizzo Has Writer’s Block (from Lizzo), Beanie Babies (from Lizzo), Blue Bunny (from Cumberbatch), Chain Gang (from Cumberbatch), ReKhline (from Cumberbatch), Chuck E. Cheese (from Cumberbatch), American Inventors (from Gomez), Stupid People (from Lyonne), The Places We’ll Go (from Lyonne), Forgot About Lorne (Cut)

Worst sketches: Mail-In Testing Service (from Wilson), Aladdin (from Kardashian), Lotto Drawing (from Kardashian), The Bug Assembly (from Malek), Squid Game (from Malek), Parent-Teacher Conference (from Sudeikis), Both Judge Jeanine cold opens, Goober commentary (from Culkin), Cruz Street (from Majors), Strange Kid Tales (from Majors), Republican or Not? (from Liu), both Baby Yoda commentaries, Fauci cold open (from Eilish), both TikTok sketches, Hip-Hop Nativity (from Eilish), Lonely Christmas (from Eilish), HomeGoods (from Rudd), Elmo commentary (from DeBose), Sappho (from DeBose), The Ingraham Angle (from Forte), MacGruber (from Forte), Cinema Classics (from Forte), Chen Biao commentary (from Forte), Nugenix (from Dafoe), every Trend Forecaster commentary, Good Morning Columbus (from Dafoe), Subway Churro (from Mulaney), Cold Open (from Isaac), Inventing Chloe (from Isaac), Maid of Honor (from Kravitz), Study Buddies (from Kravitz), The Princess and the Frog (from Kravitz), FOX and Friends (from Carmichael), ShopTV (from Carmichael), Story (from Carmichael), Cold Open (from Gyllenhaal), Dream Home Cousins (from Gyllenhaal), Lights! Camera! Achoo! (from Gyllenhaal), Orchestra (from Lizzo), Roe vs. Wade (from Cumberbatch), Landsdowne House (from Cumberbatch), Johnny Depp Trial (from Gomez), A Peek At Pico (from Gomez), Irish Play (from Gomez), 9:15 to 5:10 (from Lyonne), Grey Adult Pigtails (from Lyonne)

Stay tuned for a closer look at the other Cut for Time sketches that I didn’t already review!

SNL Reviews: Natasha Lyonne/Japanese Breakfast (5/21/22)

 Cold Open: Final Encounter

Three people are once again grilled by the government after getting abducted by aliens.

• Well, we’re finally here at Kate’s final episode. And I immediately worry about which annoying characters of hers I have to endure one last time, starting with this annoying Colleen Rafferty character.

• At least they waited a while to bring this shit back. It hasn’t appeared since Season 44.

• It turns out that not even the long absence did this sketch any favors. It’s just as unfunny as ever, and Kate’s over-the-top performance is still terrible.

• You know what else doesn’t help? This sketch is eight minutes long! Sheesh, talk about overkill!

• At least this ends in a somewhat unique way, where we actually get to see the alien spaceship.

• Kate looks genuinely sad as she says “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” I almost feel sorry for her, but then I remember that this is Kate, and I’m not going to be sad to see her go.

Monologue

Natasha Lyonne reflects back on her career.

• Man, her voice is NOT healthy! Did she smoke a six pack before the show?

• Some applause when she mentions that she co-created her Netflix show with Amy Poehler.

• UGGGHHHHH!!! Another Fred Armisen cameo, and he’s brought Maya with him. 

• This is surprisingly the first time Maya has appeared since her hosting stint last season. Thank goodness for that!

• I want to laugh at their impressions of our host, but I can’t, because I’m so tired of seeing them hog up screentime that underused cast members need to stay on the show.

• Aaaaand…their cameo is over already. Well, that was a waste of time.

• John Mulaney apparently came back to help write the monologue. I sure hope it wasn’t his idea to have those two make a cameo!

• I love the clip Natasha showed of her on Pee-wee’s Playhouse when she was a child.

• Another laugh from the photo of Fabio.

• Despite the second half of this monologue improving things, that first half with the gratuitous cameos ruined it. Fred needs to stop coming back every year.

Film: Stupid People

A reminder for stupid people to go out and vote.

• First time in quite a long while that we’ve had something right after the monologue without a commercial break.

• I love the part with Cecily speaking with an electrolarynx, only to reveal that she’s just using it to sound cool.

• Random turn where this becomes a political ad.

• Kenan’s cat drawing that says “HORSE” on it was good for a laugh.

• Aidy: “The computer screen said, ‘prove you’re not a robot’. So I cut myself.”

• Another surprisingly funny short film. Thank goodness Kate wasn’t there to ruin it!

Sketch: Baseball Broadcast

Yankees announcer Dizz Newsom (Lyonne) goes crazy after taking new medicine.

• Mikey’s voice is perfect for a 50s radio announcer.

• Random casting of Natasha in drag, but her smoker’s voice really fits this character.

• Is that a modern Yankees poster I see in the background?

• Another “retro” role for James. As expected, he is also perfect for this type of role.

• I’m a little cautious about the turn this has suddenly taken where Dizz Newsom reveals that the new medicine he’s been taking is methamphetamine. 

• Some laughs from Newsom making rowdy comments about Joe DiMaggio.

• Natasha: “You know he’s Italian, right? They’re not even white!”

• Boy, Natasha is really giving this her all! This sketch wouldn’t be nearly as funny if, say, Kate was playing her role.

• Even if it gets a little less funny as it goes on, this wasn’t too bad for a Seiday sketch. I appreciate that they didn’t resort to their usual “Mikey explains” routine.

Sketch: Summer Gig

Treece Henderson’s latest performance is interrupted by internal squabbling.

• First appearance of this character since the Seth Meyers episode in Season 44. Everyone’s “favorite” writer James Anderson came back to help write this.

• Not a big fan of his rant about Nasonex.

• Unnecessary appearance from Cecily as a “WACKY” character, in case you needed proof that these Treece Henderson sketches are the work of Anderson and Sublette.

• Bowen, after Kenan calls him and Chloe a couple: “Oh, we’re not a couple. I’m gay, and she’s my sidekick.”

• Kenan: “So there is an ‘R’ in your life?!? Is it R. Kelly?”

• Now I’m starting to see why this character hasn’t appeared in a while. He isn’t as funny as usual tonight.

• Natasha: “But Treece, it’s just clothes!” Kenan: “You’re just clothes!!!”

• Overall, quite a step down from this character’s usual appearances. Maybe they should have kept him retired.

Film: The Places We’ll Go

A man (Andrew Dismukes) looks at what his classmates are up to now.

• This looks like it’s going to be a variation of the classic Neurotology short. I remember they did another one just like it in the Adam Driver episode from 2018, but that one really sucked.

• Nice to see Andrew get the lead role. An early sign of how good he’s going to be in Season 48.

• Funny twist where it’s said that Chris’s character made it to the pros…professional pornography.

• “Billy Wendell followed his dreams. Unfortunately, he only dreamed about killing his grandparents.”

• A particularly funny reveal that two of the characters lost their virginity to the prom DJ.

• Aristotle Athari makes his final appearance as a cast member…and his character is revealed to have been murdered. A sad summary of his time on the show.

• Not a big fan of Cecily’s character ending up at the Capitol riots.

• I am howling at Bowen’s character being revealed to have jumped off the roof of the Winter Garden theater.

• Solid ending where it is revealed that our narrator was dead the entire time.

• A worthy successor to the aforementioned Neurotology film. I like how almost the entire cast got involved!

Musical Performance: “Be Sweet”

Weekend Update (featuring The Guy Who Just Bought A Boat, Trend Forecasters, and Pete Davidson)

• Here we go, our final Update of the season…

• None of these jokes are landing for me so far.

• Alex Moffat’s final desk appearance, and it’s as that stupid Boat guy again! Ugh, at least it’s the last time we’ll be seeing this unfunny routine. Even worse, this is the last time Moffat appears in this entire episode! I don’t think he knew he was leaving at the time, but that was a horrible way to go out.

• We get more unfunny reprisals of characters, as those god-awful Trend Forecasters make their third and final appearance. What is even the joke with these people?

• That whole Arby’s “pee-pee shakes” bit was just awful.

• And now, it’s time to say farewell to Pete Davidson. This is his first appearance in months, and, call me crazy, I think I’m actually gonna miss him.

• He shows a picture from his first episode, back when, according to him, “no one knew what race I was.”

• Pete: “And Colin still looks like the only Kennedy who doesn’t drink!”

• And he just keeps going after Colin, including an implication that his father is Tucker Carlson.

• Even his joke about the Oscars slap was pretty funny, because of his comments about how he isn’t the only SNL alumnus to make a joke about someone’s medical condition.

• His Lorne impression was dead on!

• Unfortunately, they don’t do their usual end of season joke trade-off this time. But they didn’t need to, because Pete’s commentary was pretty good.

Sketch: 9:15 to 5:10

Three co-workers try to cover up the fact that they killed their boss.

• Ugh, there’s another “We now return to” intro. I’m in for some pain…

• Another drag role for Natasha? The first one was okay, but I’m not sure it’ll work a second time.

• Wow, her reaction to being “shot” was so bad, it was funny.

• No comment on the tickling scene.

• Dear God, Fred’s back. Why is he even here? There’s nobody in the cast who needs airtime, right?

• Okay, I did get a guilty laugh from Fred randomly saying that women aren’t funny.

• This sketch just gets worse as it goes on. Who even wrote this nonsense? *looks it up* Ah, it was Kent Sublette. That explains it.

Musical Performance: “Paprika”

Sketch: Grey Adult Pigtails

A hair product that helps women look as young as they feel.

• Seriously? This is how we end the season? Another lame McKinnon/Bryant commercial? Thankfully, it’s the last one I ever have to review.

• It really pains me to see Melissa in this, especially knowing in hindsight that this ends up being her farewell sketch.

• I know this won’t come as a surprise to any of you, but Kate and Aidy have degenerated into complete cartoon characters by this point. Every single sketch that stars them immediately falls apart.

• We also get to say goodbye to Kyle here, and he’s playing a thankless role as usual this season, though he does have a funny gaffe where he saves one of his sculptures from falling off the rack.

• Overall, a terrible way to end this season, and a fitting conclusion to Bryant and McKinnon’s tenures. And by that, I mean it’s fitting that their time on the show ended by them annoying me.

Cut for Time: Forgot About Lorne

Pete pays tribute to Lorne Michaels in the style of Eminem.

• Yeesh, Natasha sounds even raspier here. Go see a doctor about that, girl!

• You know how I mentioned Pete’s Lorne impression earlier? Well, now he gets to RAP in that voice!

• Some great jabs at Lorne in this song, including his overreliance on Paul Simon appearances.

• The parts where he “deepfakes” Lorne’s face over his own are kind of creepy, but funny as well.

• Great to see the iconic clip of Lorne’s Beatles offer in this!

• Oh, and I absolutely LOVE this part where he raps the names of several great cast members, such as Farley, Belushi, Carvey, Ferrell, Forte, Radner, and *sniffle* Norm. You don’t know how happy I was that the clip they used for Ferrell was his Harry Caray impression.

• He even takes the time to shout out the cast members that are leaving with him, which I thought was really nice.

• This film has put me in such a good mood that not even the predictable cameo from Eminem at the end can ruin it. But at least with that, we get him calling all of Pete’s raps terrible.

• I cannot understand for the life of me why they would cut this out of the live show. It would have made a great final sketch of the season!

Final thoughts: Overall, another mixed episode, but what was good in this episode was really good. Lyonne made for a game host, even if her raspy voice made me a little worried. 

This is also the point where we have to say goodbye to EIGHT members of the cast, the largest exodus since Season 20, I think. I’ll expand more on this when we get to my end of season overview, but for now, let me just say that I am SO GLAD that I don’t have to deal with Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant anymore!!!!!

Best sketches: Stupid People, Baseball Broadcast, The Places We’ll Go, Pete’s commentary, Forgot About Lorne (Cut)

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Fred and Maya’s cameo, Trend Forecasters commentary, 9:15 to 5:10, Grey Adult Pigtails

Next: Stay tuned for my end of season overview!

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.

SNL Reviews: Benedict Cumberbatch/Arcade Fire (5/7/22)

 Cold Open: Roe vs. Wade

A flashback to 13th century England shows the exact moment that abortion was outlawed.

• For those unaware, this was not long after it was leaked that Roe vs. Wade might be repealed. So we get a lame allegory for it in this cold open by setting it in the 13th century.

• Now I know this sketch is going to suck because it’s starting with a text crawl.

• Rare instance of the host appearing in a cold open.

• So, the point that they’re trying to make here is that, without abortion, it would be just like living in medieval times. Or something.

• I wish they’d stop adding “eth” to the end of every word. This isn’t Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

• Cecily’s reusing her Gemma voice for her character. As if I needed to be reminded of those awful sketches.

• *groan* Kate shows up as a ogre, which is giving me bad memories of that horrid witch character she played on Update last year. She’s even doing that annoying arm-waving thing that the other character did. 

• TLDR: this cold open sucked. What’s next?

Monologue

Cumberbatch takes a moment to wish his mother and wife a happy birthday.

• Ugh, another Will Smith slap joke. Are we done with those yet?

• I wish Cummerbund’s fanbase wasn’t so annoying, because he’s a very talented and charming actor. 

• I liked the photo of his awkward smile.

• As is usual for Mother’s Day monologues, there’s some nice heartwarming stories from our host. Best of all, there were no stupid songs or questions.

Sketch: Mother’s Day Gifts

A mother (Aidy Bryant) gets some unusual novelty signs from her family for Mother’s Day.

• This sketch feels familiar. In fact, this is a rewrite of that gift sketch from the Regina King episode.

• For once, Aidy is actually pulling this off well.

• I think the sketch would work better if she didn’t read what’s on the signs. We can read it for ourselves, you know!

• A laugh from one sign that says: “Were Your Ears Ringing? I Was In Therapy”.

• Cucumber’s attempt at an American accent is hilarious.

• Another problem I have with this is the length. This did NOT need to be five minutes long.

• I did like the twist at the end where one sign that has a genuine heartwarming message flips down to reveal “We Suspect Dad Had A Secret Family”.

• Despite some laughs here and there, this was overall mediocre.

Sketch: Blue Bunny

A focus group meeting goes off the rails.

• Alternate title: “Please sponsor us, Blue Bunny!”

• Another hilarious attempt at sounding American by Cantaloupe.

• I find it funny how SNL is insulting their potential sponsor by blatantly calling their ice cream disgusting.

• This sketch is coming off better on this rewatch than I remembered it being. Heidi and Crocodile are giving great performances.

• What was the point of having poor Melissa in this sketch if she didn’t have any lines?

• Not a big fan of the cliche ending where this turns out to be a commercial for something else, but this was a surprisingly good sketch.

Film: Just Like You

A family flashes back to their childhood when trying to discipline their children.

• I liked the brief flashback with Cecily and her friends dancing to “Tubthumping”.

• Okay, now the flashbacks are starting to get annoying.

• This is starting to remind me of that abusive family holiday film that Eddie Murphy did a couple seasons ago.

• Third episode in a row with Kate playing an old lady. What is she trying to tell us?

• Not even Condiment’s great performance is enough to save this.

• Overall, a fairly weak film. It’s a concept that was done better in the past, but is pretty stale now.

Sketch: Chain Gang

Prisoners in Georgia find out something unusual about one of their fellow inmates.

• Kenan doing THAT VOICE again. At least we got a break from it for a while.

• Alex’s performance as the warden is great. He’s perfect at this type of character.

• Suddenly this turns into a musical sketch. I’m a bit wary, but let’s see how this goes…

• The guys all have pretty good singing voices.

• Yet another funny accent from Copperhead, though it slips a little when he’s begging the warden not to throw Kyle in the box.

• Heidi is perfect as the warden’s wife, especially when she asks Cuttlefish if he’s a “naughty boy”.

• Chris Redd steals yet another sketch with his delivery of “What the hell?” Something about that reminded me of Tracy Morgan.

• Another strong sketch. Tonight’s episode is turning out better than I remember.

Musical Performance: “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”

Weekend Update (featuring Amy Coney Barrett)

• We get a bunch of lame jokes about the abortion thing.

• Ugh, yet another outdated Kavanaugh beer joke.

• Even worse, Che compares abortion to the Capitol riots.

• Okay, Colin just gave me a chuckle when he wished Vladimir Putin would die of cancer. 

• *headdesk* Kate appears as Amy Coney Barrett. Thankfully, this ends up being the last time we ever see Kate at the Update desk, after years of annoying us with her terrible impressions.

• As is to be expected, Kate’s shtick is totally played out by now. *sigh* Two episodes left…

• The only joke I laughed at during this entire update was a joke about a lady wearing a penis costume getting stabbed. Other than that, it’s the same old shit as usual.

Sketch: Landsdowne House

A young man (Alex Moffat) delivers shocking news to his parents.

• “We now return to Landsdowne House.” This is gonna suck.

• This was cut from the Kieran Culkin episode.

• Something about Alex’s look in this sketch reminds me of Jim Broadbent for some reason.

• There goes Cecily breaking out her tired old cartoony British accent again.

• Cecily’s first pratfall would make Chris Farley proud.

• Sadly, pratfalls turn out to be the only joke of this sketch, all while Cecily keeps blathering on in that annoying accent. Why, oh why is she not leaving at the end of the season?

Fake Commercial: ReKhline

The toilet you can recline in.

• A variation of a fake ad called “Koohl Toilet” from Cockroach’s previous episode.

• I like how this starts out extremely serious and moody, only for Condominium to suddenly enter and unzip his pants.

• The mere visual of a distinguished British actor sitting on a toilet is funny.

• Unlike the Gift sketch from earlier, this was kept short, sweet, and to the point.

Sketch: Chuck E. Cheese

When the animatronic band isn’t working, Chuck E. Cheese’s patrons are treated to an unusual performance by a different band.

• I think this aired not too long after it was announced that the restaurant chain was getting rid of its classic animatronic characters and replacing them with a “modern” dance floor.

• I groaned when Asian Terry Sweeney entered.

• My inner New Wave fan loves the aesthetics of the song that Yang and Carburetor perform.

• Epic dance moves from Moffat! 

• Kenan almost steals the entire sketch with his AMAZING robotic arm movements.

• Aristotle makes his customary single appearance of the episode with his brief (but amusing) cameo as Pasqually. 

• It’s kind of funny how a sketch about Chuck E. Cheese is the best sketch of this episode. At least in my opinion, anyway. Who knows how I would have felt about this if I wasn’t such a big New Wave fan?

Musical Performance: “The Lightning”

Film: The Understudy

Chloe talks about being a full-time understudy for SNL.

• Ugh, here comes another Chloe Fineman vanity piece.

• Her impression of Kate is just as annoying as the real thing, which I didn’t know was possible.

• Okay, her Cecily isn’t that bad.

• Random cameo from Computer’s co-star, Elizabeth Olsen.

• Her impression of Aidy is spot-on. And I also like the exaggerated Jewish voice she uses for Sarah.

• Sarah: “Do I sound like a Jewish parrot?”

• Despite my hatred of Chloe Fineman, this wasn’t too bad for one of her pieces.

Final thoughts: This is one of the strongest episodes of this season. While not perfect, Cumberbatch (finally got his name right!) brought an amount of class to even the weaker material.

Best sketches: Monologue, Blue Bunny, Chain Gang, ReKhline, Chuck E. Cheese

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Just Like You, Weekend Update, Landsdowne House

Next review: Selena Gomez/Post Malone

SNL Reviews: Lizzo (4/16/22)

 Cold Open

The Easter Bunny invites some friends over to celebrate the holiday with him.

• Bowen is surprisingly fitting as the Easter Bunny.

• UGGGHHHH!!!! Kate’s “impression” of Dr. Fauci is back yet again! Thankfully, this is the last time we ever have to see it.

• As usual, this Fauci routine is leaving me completely stone-faced. 

• Fucking kill me, now we have an appearance by Cecily Taylor Greene. Is it just me, or is that a toy gun she’s holding?

• Horrid jokes about how “straight” Christianity is, citing how we eat the body of a shirtless dead guy.

• Chris Redd’s Eric Adams becomes recurring, and it still isn’t very funny.

• Mikey debuts a baffling Elon Musk impression that sounds more like Hans and Franz. I did giggle at his corny attempt at a laugh, though.

• Chloe’s awful Britney Spears is back. It’s official, this episode wants me to suffer.

• Kyle as Jared Leto totally fell flat for me.

• Just when it seems like this is wrapping up, we get an unwelcome return from Trump. I find it hilarious how the audience doesn’t even applaud when he shows up, as if they’re tired of his constant appearances as well.

• His rambling dialogue routine has gotten extremely stale. The real Trump is far more comedic with the shit he says than any parody of him could ever dream of.

• Yet another horrid cold open. When was the last time we even had a good one?

Monologue

Lizzo addresses rumors about herself.

• What the hell is she wearing?

• I wonder if her story about hosting a TED Talk about twerking is real.

• Despite not being a fan of her music, I thought Lizzo was really charming here.

Sketch: Guess That!

A trivia game show where one contestant (Lizzo) won’t cooperate with the rules.

• Ugh, the host’s name is “Clint Litoris”. Despite this not being an Anderlette sketch, that is very much something that they would come up with.

• SNL’s game show sketches are getting very stale, and this one is no exception. 

• Lizzo is still doing a great job despite the weak material.

• Kenan has to stifle back his laughter at one point during Lizzo’s tirade.

• I love Chris’s delivery of “And funky towels!”

• When Kenan asks if any of the contestants have ever been on a game show before, I like Ego’s response that she’s been on The People’s Court.

• The other contestants starting to side with Lizzo’s character is kind of lame and predictable.

• Were we supposed to see a cameraman at the end?

Film: TikTok

More scrolling through various TikTok uploads.

• Not this crap again! Why are they making this recurring?

• Hey, Aristotle still exists! At this point, the writing is already on the wall for him and it’s sadly obvious that he won’t be back next season.

• No comment on that makeup we briefly see Andrew wearing.

• As you can imagine, I’m laughing even less at this installment.

• Second episode in a row with Kate as an old lady. 

• Somehow, this TikTok sketch was worse than the original. It still baffles me that the Please Don’t Destroy guys are responsible for these.

Sketch: Black Eyed Peas

The singing group tries coming up with new song lyrics.

• Really? A Black Eyed Peas sketch in 2022? 

• I do not buy Cecily as Fergie AT ALL. Kenan’s will.i.am impression is at least funny in how bad it is.

• Chris Redd’s apl.de.ap is probably the strongest, though that isn’t saying much.

• This sketch makes me feel really old, as I remember when “Boom Boom Pow” was a new and relevant song. Where did the years go? I could’ve gone to college and got a diploma, but instead I’m stuck reviewing shitty SNL sketches like this one.

Sketch: Six Flags

A man finds out that his date’s grandfather is Mr. Six.

• Speaking of unwanted reminders of the 2000s, now we have a sketch about the dancing Six Flags guy.

• Sarah Sherman joins the drag club by playing Mr. Six. To her credit, though, her dancing is really on point.

• Thanks for explaining who Mr. Six is, Mikey! I couldn’t tell at all!

• Ego with a bald cap is not something I ever wanted to see.

• Of fucking course Kate had to be in this too. We all know how much she loves dressing as old men!

• And there’s Aristotle again! This has to be the largest amount of screentime he ever gets in an episode.

• Weak dance party style ending.

Please Don’t Destroy: Lizzo Has Writer’s Block

Lizzo gets the help of the PDD crew in writing new songs.

• Always nice to see the host get involved in these.

• The guys’ pathetic attempts at song “lyrics” are great.

• The best part is when Lizzo pukes after hearing Martin sing “My girlfriend dressed like SpongeBob!”

• Lizzo: “Guess I gotta go get killed by Andrew Dismukes.”

• A funny conclusion where, out of all the ideas they come up with, she picks the one about a horny zookeeper.

Musical Performance: “About Damn Time”

Weekend Update (featuring Cesar Perez)

• Funny to hear the audience’s boos and hisses after Colin’s joke about Kamala.

• I chuckled at Michael’s ghost guns/Ghostbusters joke, despite how lame it was.

• They just had to sneak in a “cops are bad” joke, didn’t they?

• Melissa appears for what I believe is her final time at the Update desk. This time, she’s Colin’s “driver”, Cesar Perez. This is the second week in a row that she’s played a man.

• Something about this character reminds me of Fred Armisen as Fericito, except nowhere near as funny.

• I like the goofy pictures he’s showing of his relatives, especially the one of his nephew.

• Despite my initial skepticism, this commentary wasn’t too bad. It’s always nice to see more Latin American representation on this show.

• Overall, one of the more tolerable Updates we’ve had in quite a while.

Side Note: We get a dedication to Gilbert Gottfried, who died not long before this episode. Even though he was only on the show for 12 episodes (and made a voice cameo in that “Titey” cartoon for Smigel), it’s great to see SNL acknowledge him.

Sketch: Throne Room

Two planners organize a party for their god-king.

• Ugh, another Cecily-starring sketch. This is gonna suck…

• Is that a real snake that Kenan’s holding?

• No comment on the scene where Andrew gets his ass slapped by Punkie.

• I have no words regarding Aidy’s character.

• Aristotle in his third sketch of the night! Too bad he has only a couple lines.

• Super lame twist where it’s revealed that the king is just a young child. It looks like the same kid who was in that Please Don’t Destroy sketch a while back.

• What a boring, unfunny sketch. I did like how nearly the entire cast is in it, though (except for Che, Jost, Pete Davidson, and JAJ).

Musical Performance: “Special”

Sketch: Orchestra

A twerking flautist attempts to join the symphony orchestra.

• Chris playing one of those “sleazy” roles of his that I love so much.

• Any promise this sketch had fizzles away as soon as Lizzo…*sigh*…starts twerking.

• Kenan seems to be wearing a wig of his old Kenan and Kel hairstyle.

• Even in a small role, Kate is mugging up a storm. Just three episodes to go before I’m rid of her…

• I feel sorry for poor Alex. He has to remain still while Lizzo twerks her fat ass in front of him. I don’t know how he isn’t breaking.

• Lame and predictable twist where she reveals that she has to twerk, or else her playing is terrible.

• I thought I was going to puke when everyone else started doing it too. What a shitty ending.

Sketch: Beanie Babies

Steve (Andrew Dismukes) learns that his Beanie Baby collection is worthless after trying to invest in them.

• This sketch caught my interest when I saw it was about Beanie Babies! For those who don’t know, I absolutely love these little guys, and we have a whole bunch of them at our house.

• The ones on Andrew’s dresser that we happen to have are Inch, Rocket, Echo, Batty, and Saffire. Most of the ones I don’t recognize are Beanie “BOOs”, and there’s another shelf of them that the camera doesn’t show us.

• I like Andrew’s slow-burn reaction when he finds out that his collection is worthless, followed by him angrily tipping the dresser over. Ouch, I feel sorry for those poor Beanies!

• Loved the random reference to “talking out of (his) butt like Jim Carrey does!” Even better is when he bends over and shows us what that looks like.

• Andrew’s shitty picture of Luigi is great, as is his insistence that it’s Mario.

• Lizzo’s “crying” looks more like laughing.

• Not a big fan of the “text crawl” ending, but this sketch was mostly solid.

Cut for Time: Food and YouTube

A song about watching YouTube videos while eating.

• The look of Chris’s character is hilarious.

• I liked the brief glimpse of a video called “White dudes that CAN jump”.

• This song is kind of catchy. It also has a nice Lonely Island vibe to it that I really like.

• Chris: “Did you know that George Washington’s real name is Malcolm X?”

• It figures that Bowen’s character would be interested in The Golden Girls.

• Even Lizzo is coming off pretty well in this song.

• Great final verse where the lyrics are indecipherable because they have food in their mouths.

• Overall, a nice little music video that should have been in the episode.

Final thoughts: Another mixed bag, but it was better than I thought an episode hosted by Lizzo would be. She made even the weakest material come to life with her enthusiasm. Would I be okay with her hosting again? Yeah, I guess.

Best sketches: Lizzo Has Writer’s Block, Cesar Perez commentary, Beanie Babies, Food and YouTube (Cut)

Worst sketches: Cold Open, TikTok, Black Eyed Peas, Throne Room, Orchestra

Next review: Benedict Cumberbatch/Arcade Fire

SNL Reviews: Jake Gyllenhaal/Camilla Cabello (4/9/22)

 Cold Open

Ketanji Brown Jackson receives advice from several other trailblazers.

• Ugh, now they’re trying to pathetically suck up to the new Supreme Court Justice. This can only end so well.

• I liked Ego’s reaction to JAJ as Biden comparing her to “wearing Crocs in public”.

• FUUUUUCK!!!!! Kate’s horrible Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back from the dead for no fucking reason! I thought we were safe from seeing it ever again, but not even death can prevent SNL from digging up tired old routines!

• To further prove how tired this impression is, she does that awful “Ginsburn” shit again. I am in Hell…

• The only line I’ve laughed at so far is Kenan’s Thurgood Marshall asking if Joe Biden is still in politics.

• Why is SNL even doing a Black History sketch in April? They’re two months late!

• Overall, this is one of the most pathetic cold opens I’ve ever seen. 

Monologue 

Jake talks about the last time he hosted, and how much he’s changed since then.

• Nice of Jake to put his last appearance into perspective and talk about some of the outdated things in the episode, such as a joke about the original iPhone. What I’m not a fan of is him saying it was “400 Marvel movies ago”. Does anybody know what the deal is with all of these lame Marvel references we’ve been getting lately?

• A big laugh from the photo he shows of himself in drag during his monologue, where he did a number from Dreamgirls.

• Normally, I’d complain about the ensuing musical number, but it’s actually a nice tribute to that first monologue of his. Plus, there’s no sign of Kate in it, which is always nice!

Sketch: Why’d You Like It?

Contestants are asked about why they liked certain photos on Instagram.

• Not caring for Kenan’s increasingly hammy delivery of the game show’s name.

• Who’s the black lady sitting next to Ego in the audience? I thought it was Michael Che in drag at first.

• I kind of chuckled at the random reveal that Megan Thee Stallion posted the painting that Chris’s character liked.

• So far, this is just a one-joke sketch where the only reason the contestants liked these photos is because they want to have sex with the ladies that posted them.

• Now they do something different with Chloe’s character liking a photo of her ex-boyfriend’s sister.

• Chris continues to provide my only laughs. I liked his cheerful delivery of “Pass!” after being told that Round 2 will be “Why’d You Follow Them?”

• Another laugh from Chris saying that he follows Joe Biden because “he knows Obama”.

• Jake’s character at least has an amusing resolution to his arc where he admits he can’t change after liking, disliking, and reliking a photo from the same lady he expressed sexual desires towards earlier.

• While still not perfect, this was a lot better than the last game show sketch we got.

 Film: Dream Home Cousins

A couple’s dream home gets ruined thanks to the Dream Home Cousins and an annoying relative.

• This is a parody of HGTV’s Property Brothers show, which my mom watches, so I get the basic gist of it.

• Mikey and Jake’s chemistry is great!

• After a promising start, this quickly turns sour as soon as Kate enters as an old lady.

• Kate’s character is totally ruining this for me. Also, I hate how she has subtitles, so you have to read her terrible jokes as well as hear them.

• I feel sorry for poor James and Heidi in this sketch. 

• Overall, this started out nice, but it got ruined by Kate and her tired antics.  Only four episodes left…

Sketch: Cabaret Night

A singing group performs for people who aren’t special.

• A slight chuckle from Mikey’s intro, where it seems like he’s addressing somebody to move their car, only for him to reveal that he has the same car.

• That’s, uh, quite a wig Jake is wearing.

• Uh-oh, it looks like we’re about to get a musical number from Asian Terry Sweeney. Also, Kate and Cecily are there, which is a bad sign.

• Jake’s character reminds me of some of Martin Short’s more theatrical characters, which is awesome!

• Unsurprisingly, Kate and Cecily’s parts are the worst. They’ve been on for way too long, and I’ve already seen all their tricks.

• Bowen’s flamboyant shtick is fitting for this sketch. This is the stuff where he really shines.

• I am beyond tired of Kate by this point of the episode. She’s been in half of the sketches, and she’s ruined all of them.

Sketch: Flowers

A garden of flowers get excited for spring, but bad things keep happening to them. 

• Kenan’s bizarre accent as the gardener is hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him do that particular voice before.

• Are you kidding me with this premise, SNL? Is this a rejected Laugh-In sketch? 

• I am not surprised at all to see Kent Sublette’s name as one of the writers.

• No comment on Jake’s name being “Jake Flowerhaal”. I am loving his voice, though.

• The “late bloomer” pun, with Jake having to clarify that it isn’t the sexual meaning, was kind of funny.

• I could have done without Bowen as a bee jerking off.

• Sarah: “It looks like you’re having sex with his head!” Yeah, thanks for explaining the joke, Sarah. I never would have been able to guess that.

• Chris gets a big laugh from me yet again with how eager he is to get his pollen sucked. Have I ever told you how much I love Chris Redd?

• For once, Kenan’s yelling shtick is working for me.

• Kyle’s voice as the weed is fucking horrible. What’s been happening to him lately? Has he started half-assing his performances because he knows he’s on his way out?

• I appreciated the lack of a marijuana joke.

• Now a dog pisses on them. I would normally criticize such a thing, but there’s something odd about this sketch that’s keeping me from hating it.

• Nice dark ending where the gardener grabs Jake so he can put him in a vase, leaving “blood” spurting everywhere.

• Overall, I love how bizarre this sketch is. It’s a delightful absurdity that we rarely get from this show anymore.

Film: Chucky

Janet’s co-workers get caught gossiping about her by the evil doll Chucky.

• After a dull beginning, it’s time for more corporate synergy when Chucky from the Child’s Play films shows up. Chucky currently has a series on a fellow NBCUniversal channel.

• Chucky himself is played by a puppet with Sarah’s head digitally placed on top. It looks terrifying, which is of course their intention.

• Sarah does a better Chucky voice than you might expect. She really nails his grim one-liners!

• I love the boardroom scene, although I could have done without Aidy’s brief part. She’s so out of place among all the newer cast members in this.

• Great ending where Chucky blows the whole room up, with a freeze-frame on his head flying by the camera.

• For a corporate synergy sketch, this was actually pretty good! Sarah continues to be a welcome new addition to the cast.

Musical Performance: “Bam Bam”

Weekend Update (featuring the Trend Forecasters)

• We’re still making “Kavanaugh likes to drink” jokes?

• Again with the bad “Mitch McConnell takes pleasure from other peoples’ suffering” material? This “gag” has gone on long enough.

• Colin gets in a nice dig at the time he and Che hosted an awards show. I can’t remember which one it was, but it was pretty bad.

• I hate to admit it, but I even laughed at Michael’s “tragically suspicious” joke about Lucky Charms.

• UGGHHHH! Not those “trend forecasters” again! I have nothing to say except for the fact that this sucked just like their first appearance.

Sketch: Lights! Camera! Achoo!

Presenting a 1992 film about a cowboy who tries to keep his illness a secret.

• Cecily’s bland intro is doing nothing for me. Could she give any less of a shit?

• This is surprisingly the first we’ve seen of Andrew all night, after the huge amount of airtime he got in the previous episode. 

• Alex Moffat in a cowboy hat is inherently amusing to me for some reason.

• Not a fan of Jake randomly sneezing blood all over Alex and Andrew.

• Jake is at least selling his role really well. It helps that he was in Brokeback Mountain.

• Now we get a fart joke? Ugh. I was hoping SNL had given up on those.

• A big groan at all the fake snot getting sprayed.

• I laughed at Kenan’s delivery of “Dis ain’t no CVS!”

• Aaaaand there goes another fart.

• What a horrible ending.

• Overall, this sketch is such an odd mishmash of ideas. Part of it is a traditional western sketch, while the rest of it is a horrid “bodily fluids spraying everywhere” sketch. Not helping matters is the fact that this apparently had SIX different writers, including the Please Don’t Destroy guys. I have a hard time believing that they wrote this, because it is so unlike their humor.

Sketch: Couples Counselor

A couple’s counseling session gets interrupted by an unexpected guest.

• This sketch was cut from the Kieran Culkin episode.

• Holy shit, Punkie with a lead role! That never happens!

• Melissa with a lead role too! She’s been getting fewer and fewer lately, another sign that her days at SNL are numbered.

• Jake: “It’s manga, sweetie. It’s only the most important art form of the 21st century!”

• Punkie angrily yelling at her partner on the phone is a great showcase of her talents. Why don’t we get to see more of that?

• I love Jake reading Punkie’s partner’s angry messages in a completely serious voice.

• Now things get epic when Ego shows up as Punkie’s partner, brandishing a water gun.

• I love how they keep asking Jake not to read the messages in a “black” voice.

• Surprisingly heartwarming part where reading the message causes Jake to reconcile with his wife.

• Funny ending where Punkie and Ego threaten the couple with violence if they don’t pay up.

• This is a great sketch, and a perfect example of why they should give Punkie more screen time.

Musical Performance: “Psychofreak”

Sketch: Truck Stop CD

A trucker shows off a collection of hits by her favorite singer, Johnny Goblin.

• I groaned as soon as Aidy showed up as a trucker.

• Jake is perfect in the role of a singing truck driver. Also, he has a mustache, which makes it even better.

• Cecily’s scene is surprisingly good. It helps that singing has always been one of her strong points.

• I like the lighting in the “ghost trucker” bit.

• Andrew’s singing voice is pretty good too. I didn’t know he had it in him!

• Melissa gets some laughs from her brief appearance as El Chapo. She didn’t even need to say anything, just the visual of her with a mustache was funny.

• Overall, this sketch was really dumb, but it’s a good kind of dumb.

Cut For Time: Serious Night Live

Jake and Michael Che uncover Kyle Mooney’s problems in a new, dramatic comedy series.

• Che in a sketch? This sounds interesting…

• Kyle: “I don’t need to listen to you, you jealous n****r!” LOL!!!

• I like the credits roll for Kyle’s new show, where most of the roles credit himself, while Gyllenhaal and Che’s names are in very small text.

• Ha, one of the segments listed is “Colin Kicks My Ass”!

• A quick laugh from all the children auditioning for the role of “Young Kyle”, complete with hair and glasses.

• I love the Three Amigos poster we briefly see in Lorne’s office.

• I howled at the brief glimpse of a “de-aged” Kyle saying “Let’s make a video!” in a child’s voice.

• While this wasn’t as funny as some of Kyle’s other backstage films, I still got enough chuckles from it.

Final thoughts: A mostly consistent episode. It started off a little rough, but by the end, we got that great counseling sketch with Punkie and the trucker thing. Jake Gyllenhaal was a really good host, even if this wasn’t as strong as his last episode.

Best sketches: Flowers, Chucky, Couples Counselor, Serious Night Live (Cut)

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Dream Home Cousins, Cabaret Night, Lights! Camera! Achoo!

Next review: Lizzo