Woody Harrelson is hosting SNL again. The only thing I asked was that the
writers didn’t do a Cheers sketch.
I was totally fine with True Detective making it’s way onto the show,
but Cheers was way past it’s pop cultural relevance.
So did the writers for Saturday Night Live let me down? And did Kendrick Lamar knock my socks
off?
Read on.
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
And introducing our new Host Rating Scale;
Drake – Outstanding
Edward Norton – Impressive
Josh Hutcherson – Fine Enough
Charlize Theron – Essentially an Extra
Seth Rogen – Expectation, Unmet
Jim Parsons - Awful
Cold Open –
President Obama and Mitch McConnell bond over some liquor. This is best kind of topical sketch; it
features players that are known, but doesn’t have anything specific that it has
to stick to. Watching them bond was fun, as was the awkward race talk. The ending kind of undermined the
bonding that happened during the sketch, but still this cold open was better
than most.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Monologue – I’ll admit to bracing with fear when Woody
reached for the guitar. SNL has
worn out the welcome for the musical monologue. But everything clicked with this one. Woody’s take on Taylor’s song was
genuinely funny, as were his Hunger Games guests. Jennifer Lawrence’s messing up her line was just one of
those endearing things that she seemingly does on command. It reminded us that the show was
live. Also, Woody’s exaggerated
version of himself was highly enjoyable to watch.
Rating: Phil Hartman
The Dudleys – Wow, this was an incredibly on point
sketch. From the milquetoast
nature of television shows, to the immediacy of social media critiques to the
demographic that still mails letters, everything was on point. Loud and Clear. Seriously.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Martch’d – I would have been fine if this was just a sketch
about three horny guys trying to one-up each other for the chance to score with
Desiree, but the turn was perfect.
The backpedalling, the ass kissing, the ending every sentence with
“Sir”; that was comedy. And
Strong’s Desiree had great lines like “can’t shake hands with a ghost” which is
part of the reason I was attracted to her. Wait, did I just type that?
Rating: Phil Hartman
A New Day – This was a really well shot short. Seeing all of the stoners venture into
the light of day and celebrate freedom was funny to witness. (Though Leslie Jones’ character doesn’t
really fit thematically, because, she’s already out in the world.) The realization that they can’t smoke
in public harshing their high, was a great touch.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
New Tackles – I can’t think of something on SNL being this
sharp in awhile. To poke fun at
the overzealousness of new safety protocols for football players while also
showing why the protocols are in place it a great idea and it was executed
perfectly. It was funny before
Kenan’s DC came into the scene, and he elevated it. Poking fun at both sides of the issue and doing it
well. This sketch was great.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Young Tarts & Old Farts – Conceptually, it’s a lazy
sketch, but the odd pairings redeem it.
My personal highlights were Sam Smith and James Taylor and James Taylor
and Two Chainz, though Barry Manilow and Kendrick Lamar was also a good
pairing.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Kendrick Lamar Performance #1 – I really dig the
theatricality of this performance.
I dig the contact lenses and how isolated he is onstage. For most of the peformance he’s
stationary, yet very kinetic and every movement has some flair. I truly believe in Kendrick Lamar.
Weekend Update – Right off the bat I dug how the audience
didn’t appreciate Jost’s perceived shots at Che. The writing didn’t really shine on Update this week. Again, Che flubs a joke, which is
getting to be a pretty bad habit.
While I’m happy Leslie is getting her time to shine, I’m tired of her
doing her stand up on Update. If I
wanted to see Leslie Jones do stand up, I’d go see her do stand up. The best part of Jones on Update is her
interplay with Jost, which is troubling because it plays up racial
stereotypes. Che’s joke about
Jimmy Carter on Tindr was a highlight.
Of course seeing Killam and Woody was funny. Killam really cut loose with his McConaughey. And they both clearly enjoyed it.
NYC Reminiscing – Having a crack aficionado chime in on the
conversation about the glory days of NYC is a funny idea, that’s completely
sold by Harrelson. This could have
been a one-note sketch, but he gives it life and practically causes Moynihan to
break. It even had a an ending.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Apples…the Usual Way – This will be a sketch that you either
love or hate. At Fission
Spaghetti, it’s loved. A song that
sound half formed and mostly made up? A weird group of friend? Woody’s character only having two possessions? The two splashes? Woody pulling a Lindsey Buckingham, by
pouting and then coming around?
This sketch had just the right amount of nuttiness to be right up my
alley.
Rating: Norm MacDonald
Kendrick Lamar Performance #2 – If I’m not mistaken, this is
a song that Kendrick Lamar is only featured on, which makes it an odd choice
for his second performance.
Granted, it is out right now, but it still feels off. Speaking more generally of Lamar, I
think I like him because he was positioned as a savior of West Coast Rap, yet
has clearly pivoted to become an artist.
I dig that.
Last Call at Donnelly’s – It sound weird to say, especially
considering how many times this sketch has closed out SNL, but this was the
best and most well written one so far.
“I pick out the nasty ones” “You sure do!!” “ST-Detroit” and
“Dejaculated.” Some thought went
into this sketch. And again,
having Kenan’s bartender being an actual moving part of this sketch is a great
touch.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Final Thoughts: I don’t know what happened in the off week;
maybe the writers got received an ultimatum. Maybe they got fired and replaced. Maybe Woody shared his primo weed with them. Who knows, but the writing for this
episode was head and shoulders above anything thus far this season. It’s not a matter of the writers
hitting their stride, because they were clearing hurtles I could have thought
them capable of even attempting.
Sadly, Strong, Bryant and McKinnon got limited sketch time
this week. Also, it feels like
Jones has been in more sketches than Zamata, which doesn’t seem like a good
sign.
Harrelson performed spectacularly. When he needed to carry things, he did. When he needed to be a role player, he
was. Very good job.
Host Rating: Edward Norton
Next Week: It’s Cameron Diaz with Mark Ronson and Bruno
Mars. I’m actually looking forward
to the music more than the host.
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