I’m glad Tracy Morgan is host SNL. I’m glad he’s well enough to perform and that he’s getting
the chance to. I’ve been rotting
for him since he first started on SNL.
But I’m also terrified about Tracy Morgan hosting Saturday
Night Live. Is he going to mess up
and drop the ball? Can he still
perform? Mind you, his baseline
wasn’t all that great to begin with, but now post accident what’s he going to
be like?
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 the host rating scale;
Drake – Outstanding
Edward Norton – Impressive
Josh Hutcherson – Fine Enough
Charlize Theron – Essentially an Extra
Seth Rogen – Expectation, Unmet
Jim Parsons - Awful
Democratic Presidential Debate Cold Open – Naturally this
had to be the cold open. It was
the biggest political thing this week.
Mooney gets another disposable and forgettable impression. And new guy’s Anderson Cooper just felt
off. But of course all anyone is
going to talk about are the guest appearances. Alex Baldwin as Webb was solid, but Larry David’s Bernie Sanders
killed. And while I appreciated
the reality of the scene, it does feel weird to see SNL following the
internet’s lead.
Rating: Kristen Wiig
Monologue – This is a tough one. Technically I should downgrade the monologue, because it
barely featured the host and relied heavily on nostalgia. But the nostalgia worked. As a 30 Rock fan, I got a kick out
it. It was also nice to see it fit
perfectly with the tone of 30 Rock by making jabs at NBC.
Rating: Chris Farley
Family Feud – How refreshing; a new spin on a tired
concept. I applaud the writers for
actually putting effort into this Family Feud sketch. It should also be noted that this sketch shows the importance
of having a diverse cast. While
race wasn’t integral in the sketch, the sketch certainly benefited from it,
even just visually. I even liked
how it sort of had an ending.
Rating: Norm Macdonald
Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet – Obviously I’m glad that we
get to see one of Morgan’s signature characters so early in the show. I also appreciated how the animals,
particularly the camel, reminded us that we were watching live television.
Rating: Chris Farley
Mitchell’s Fake Cocaine – I dug the escalation in this
sketch, from the covering up of the dump with the fake cocaine to the fake
spray to the clogged toilet. For
me the line of the sketch was Bennett’s blow up “there are other people at this
party you know. You don’t have to just talk to me!” That line reading was perfect.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Demi Lovato First Performance – I can’t front; I found the
fake horns to be distracting. I
didn’t care for the Robert Palmer-esque horn section. It took me out of the medley and the performance. I’m sorry that I couldn’t see past
that. It’s my failing.
Weekend Update – I liked how awkward Che’s alien rant
was. I’m still a fan of Che and
Jost ping-ponging a single topic.
Tina Fey did a fine job riffing on Playboy, but the star of Update was Willie. Willie may be my favorite current
Update correspondent. And of
course the Woodrow was the cherry on top of the doo-doo pie. Seeing Woodrow made me so happy.
The Loveliest Kingdom – Nice to see Cecily Strong make an
appearance. This sketch existed in
a weird gray area. I guess the
implication that the pastor had his eye on the kid and waited until he was 18
is what made him a creep and worthy of being ostracized, right? This one felt a bit off.
Rating: Tim Meadows
The Standoff – The story in this sketch was so well done and
Morgan’s character so well developed.
This was so fully realized.
It was really just perfect.
Rating: Phil Hartman
Demi Lovato Second Performance – I really felt the emotion
in this song. I loved how her
voice was raw and breaking. I
added a level of earnestness to the performance that really contrasted with her
first performance. This one was
impressive and had my attention.
Yo! Where Jackie Chan At Right Now – How can anyone hate his
Peabody Award winning show? I
liked this sketch because of how committed everyone was. I believed that both Morgan and
Thompson were indeed looking for Jackie Chan. The quick hit impressions we got were funny, particularly
the more random they got (Owen Wilson, Lynne Thigpen’s The Chief). I also liked how they were actually
working the case and had a file.
Nutty and funny sketch.
Rating: Norm Macdonald
Astronaut Jones – Perfect for the show to end with another
of Morgan’s characters. This was
short but sweet.
Rating: Norm Macdonald
Final Thoughts – I don’t know who Cecily Strong pissed off,
but she’s been getting very little play the last couple weeks. Also, I just realized Zamata received a
promotion and I find it baffling considering her lack of substantial screen
time.
The writers certainly wrote to Morgan’s
strengths/limitations. But both
Astronaut Jones and Brian Fellows reminded me how much I miss when sketches had
theme songs. I guess they don’t
anymore before so few shows have theme songs now, so they’d be anachronistic?
Tracy Morgan did a really good job, on what I’m sure was an
emotional night for him. He didn’t
really have to stretch too much, but consider his horrific accident; it was
still an impressive outing.
Host Rating: Edward Norton
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