Louis CK makes everything look easy. He makes stand up look effortless. He makes having a hit show seem like a
piece of cake. He also makes
Saturday Night Live better than it usually is.
At least that’s how things turned out last time he hosted
SNL. Given his performance last
time, the expectations are high for a repeat performance. Will he deliver?
Before he look at the results, our rating system;
Phil Hartman – Comedic gold
Chris Farley – Definitely funny, but
kinda messy
Norm MacDonald – Funny, but not for
everyone
Kristen Wiig – So-so premise saved by
performer.
Tim Meadows – Didn’t hate it, didn’t love
it, dripping with adequatulence
Darrell Hammond – Funny, but overstayed
it’s welcome
Jim Breuer- Crowd pleaser, but a bit
obvious
Robert Downey Jr – Brilliant performer,
not a lot to work with
David Spade – Trying too hard
Janeane Garofalo – Weird weird, not weird
funny
President Obama Cold Open – With this sketch SNL raises some
interesting questions; is it worth diminishing the office of the Presidency to
make sure your signature piece of legislation is a success? Is your Presidential legacy worth going
viral over? What will the history
books remember; Healthcare.gov or the lengths Obama went to promote it? Unfortunately none of these questions
are anywhere close to funny. But
they are interesting.
Rating: David Spade
Monologue – Glad to see Louis CK stuck with his signature
look for the monologue. And again,
CK eschews doing a bit and does an actual monologue. God as a single dad is pretty funny. I imagine that this monologue turned
off as many people as it entertained, but for me, it was great.
Rating: Norm MacDonald
Black Jeopardy – This sketch stood a great chance of being a
completely offensive debacle, especially with #CancelColbert blowing up this
week. That said, it balanced
things pretty well. Instead of
making the punchline about Black people they made it about Mark trying to
figure out how the game works, which Louis pulled off perfectly. And as Mark, CK’s answers were
great. Equally great; Steve
Higgins’ blaccent.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Mr. Patterson – I was wondering when this character would
return, as when he debuted it seemed like something SNL would try to milk. After Beck messing up his initial line,
things went pretty smoothly. I dug
the taking the sketch further, with the spit up on the tie and Patterson not
wanting to be held. Not terribly
funny, but decent.
Rating: Tim Meadows
Jos. A Bank – Yeah disposable suits are funny. I guess. The funniest part of the ad were the spills in the
beginning. And given the lack of CK,
I’m guessing this is a filler ad.
Rating: Tim Meadows
Sam Smith Performance #1 – I really know Smith from this
collabo with Disclosure. The fact
that he’s backed by so many Black singers and musicians is mildly distracting,
but the performance is solid. It’s
really quite a beautiful ballad.
Weekend Update – I’m trying to figure out why Colin Jost
isn’t clicking with me. I think
it’s because he lines don’t feel witty or even smart funny, but rather goofy
funny. There’s no bite there and
I’m a fan of bite. Pharoah’s
Stephen A. Smith is as formulaic as they get, but it’s also equally solid
(though his Coack K bit fell way flat.)
I’m seriously trying to figure out who on SNL’s writing staff is
infatuated with Katt Williams? Are
they fans and they want him to be bigger?
Do they hate him and want to trash him on a weekly basis? I don’t get the almost weekly
references to Katt Williams.
Mr. Big Stuff – SNL has had success recently with
incorporating songs into the sketches and shorts and this one is no
exception. CK’s character
providing commentary on an obviously choreographed situation was great. I also appreciated Aidy trying to bring
it back. This was perfect.
Rating: Phil Hartman
It’s Better To Know – Mike O’Brien appearance? This is a great weird short that could
have easily played after the second musical performance. Who knew that having a Darth Vader
action figure in your butt was a common fear for men? Aidy’s addition of General Grevious was pretty perfect. It
is true; it is better to know.
Rating: Norm MacDonald
Pajamas – I love how weird this sketch is. It’s like a bad tv movie, the stilted
dialogue and dreadful acting. But
Brock’s fixation on having sex grows funnier as things progress. The discussion on pajama holes was so
off kilter. This was a sketch that you just had to roll with.
Rating: Norm MacDonald
Dyke & Fats – As a fan of 70’s era police shows (Police
Story, Police Woman, Quincy) this hit all the right notes. The title cards complete with character
names, Dutch Plains and Les Dykawitz and Velvy O’Malley as Chubbina Fatzarelli,
were so period perfect. But the
punchline of them taking ownerships was shockingly funny. Well played.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Sam Smith Peformance #2 – Let’s just be frank; this dude has
a voice. I dig that he’s confident
enough in his voice to be onstage with just a piano and a cello. I also dig that that confidence doesn’t
translate into being completely comfortable. I may have to check this guy out.
Chris Fitzpatrick for ASB Class President – Kyle Mooney
appears to have rebounded after a couple shorts that disappointed. This felt like it could be a real video
for a kid running for student government, from the bad puns (Christina
Crapulera) to referencing small bands (Subverted Consciousness) it felt
real. Chris seems like a kid
trying to be cool. It works.
Rating: Norm MacDonald
Loboland – I want to see more of Dave and Stacy. This is the quintessential five to one
sketch. “It’s not about the
bags. It’s not about me, it’s not
about you; it’s about the bags.” I
could not wait to hear what the next line out of Louis’ mouth was going to
be. And even though he was clearly
reading the cuecards, he sold those lines. And everything out of his mouth was quotable. So great.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Final Thoughts: This was a really good episode. Louis CK stuck to his wheelhouse, but
still gave it his all. Props to
the writers for going weird this week.
Next week is Anna Kendrick and Pharrell Williams. Should be interesting.
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