October 10, 2020 – Bill Burr / Jack White (S46 E2)

Cold Opening – Vice Presidential Debate

Bidenfly (Jim Carrey) teleports to Mike Pence’s (BEB) head during debate

• Yet another wink wink, tell-don’t-show opening lines from the moderator, as played here by Kate, about the debate much like the previous by Beck. This only shows to me the level of self-satisfaction and flat-out giving up on even trying to parody these debates by actual satire than anything being done later on.
• The super hacky Pence-doing-a-curtsey bit is yet another “lol gay!” moment that poor Beck got stuck with while playing this role for four-and-a-half seasons. At least he tried, like the consummate pro he is, his best while performing it.
• It’s truly sad that the audience goes crazy for a cameo & sits dead silent when Beck comes out as Pence. You cannot find a better example of how indifferent & disrespectful SNL generally is towards the majority of its ensemble & fans over select cast ”stars” and cameo orgies. I’ll get to why they’re doing that a little later in this review.
• Not caring for anything so far into this dull, lifeless, meandering cold open.
• I still do not understand why in the world they’re portraying Kamala Harris as some badass, sassy, borderline deified figure. What is the satirical point in this? Where is the joke? Why this open sycophancy? Not only her but several others in this era (Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Ruth Bader Ginsburg).
• At least Beck is here to give this open some life, even when he’s used as a dull straight man to Maya’s lame Kamala’s mugging & smug line deliveries. And thank goodness we now know how the election went at the end, because these are written just as smugly as the ‘16 ones (but much less funnier).
• I’m about five minute or so into this open, and I’m not laughing yet, not even a hint of a smirk on my face.
• I’m sure that I did not need Carrey’s Biden to show up in this open. I guess he’s here to “save” it for us.
• Again, a baffling portrayal of Joe Biden, especially coming off a particularly dark impression by Woody Harrelson, one of the strongest-written satirical takes on a politican in SNL’s recent history (till the soon-to-come possible classic Eric Adams Press Conference sketch in season 47).
• I would assume SNL went soft on Biden due to their main demographic target, establishment liberals & wine moms who bitch & moan on Twitter & the ”resistance” people being angry at SNL for portraying Biden as a senile, liar, out-of-touch politician when Woody & then Jason regularly played him during the primaries last season.
• Back to the open, I’m not caring for the turn when Jim Carrey transforms into a fly. It’s dumb, and not the good kind of dumb. And why are doing some reference to a 30-year old movie here? Only further proof of how bankrupt & satire-free this open is.
• This sequence is going on FOREVER.
• Believe it or not, as insufferable as this open was, it was still better than having fucking Trumpwin mugging his way through it. It still sucked hard for me and will not get a rating higher than the one I’m going to give it right now.

Rating: *1/2

Monologue

host does stand-up about coronavirus, woke white women, gay pride month

• Unlike Chris Rock, Bill Burr is a comedian that I’m generally a big fan of, and couldn’t be more excited to review him throughout this episode.
• Very inspiring words by Bill before he begins his stand-up routine.
• By the way, you could tell already that Bill will be a FAR better & more energetic host than Chris Rock.
• Ok, here’s Bill’s standard stand-up routine with him ranting about social issues, with now about people getting canceled. I won’t delve into outrage culture and ”cancel culture” in my review of this monologue and the episode as a whole as it’s too absurd for me to point out the difference between fake outrage and standing up against racists, sexists, fascists, homophobes, etc. And knowing Bill’s a progressive in real-life, I’m sure that’s what he means in his stand-up.
• I’m loving Bill’s rant about why black people have the shortest month of the year to celebrate their history. Knowing Bill is married to a black woman and is the head of an interracial family, it makes his rant here even funnier.
• Great part with Bill demanding that black people should get two months in the summer to celebrate and have fun instead of the cold, short month of February.
• Here comes the most controversial part of this monologue back when it aired, with Bill attacking white women & white people in general for taking advantage & attempting to take over the struggles of minorities & the LGBTQ+ community for themselves. I do agree with Bill in many aspects of his commentary here, and did get a strong laugh from the ”Gucci” line. But knowing Bill’s good intentions, he could’ve phrased that better.
• An iffy, if not somewhat funny part about Bill not knowing what Pride Month is, and why it’s in June, of all months.
• A solid monologue overall. Yet, knowing Bill, I’m sure he could’ve given us that five-star worthy monologue. I’m hoping that he’ll come back and host soon.

Rating: ****

New Normal

upon emerging from isolation, (host) & (KAM) are called out for malaprops

• An interesting, yet fitting casting of Bill and Kate as a couple.
• Some good relatable laughs from this slice-of-life piece which feels very atypical to the current era of SNL.
• An ok bit with Bill & Kate mixing up “unprecedented” with “un-president-ed”.
• Ok, Kate seems to overact a bit in this part, unlike Bill’s restrained, solid performance. Nothing new with THAT.
• A good sketch overall, certainly FAR better than our first lead-off sketch of the season. I did enjoy the slice-of-life feel, and the low-key vibes.

Rating: ***

The Blitz

sports teasing is sour in wake of police shooting of Black man

• I’m loving Bill’s smug behavior and the various ways he’s mocking Kenan’s loss in the game.
• Funny visual with the hat Bill’s wearing.
• Solid laughs from Bill’s smug moves in this, and Kenan’s doing a great job in his dramatic, serious, restrained performance.
• Knowing in hindsight what this sketch will be about makes the beginning even better in retrospect.
• A good laugh with the steak being brought up to Bill, and the escalation that’s about to begin is one of the reasons why this piece works so well for me.
• Bill’s dramatic turn here is fantastic & being very well-performed by him. You could tell that he knows how important this topic to him, and considering that his own family is interracial, it makes his performance and commitment even more meaningful in retrospect.
• Uh-oh, Bill’s character cannot even remember the murdered black man’s name.
• Bill’s “and that’s the problem!” gave me a great laugh, again due to his reliable, sharp delivery.
• Cheap laugh with the baby bottle bit, and yet again Bill’s performance and excuses are great.
• This is such a bold, meaningful sketch, and the performances with Bill’s lead role make it even better.
• A true hidden gem & our first true great sketch of the season.

Rating: ****1/2

Enough Is Enough

 (BEB)’s political viral video try is poorly received; Jason Momoa cameo

• A variation of the brilliant Pepsi commercial from the Louis C.K. episode in season 42.
• I’m loving the very intentionally-corny delivery during Beck’s anti-Trump message.
• On a lesser note, Beck looks very hot in this pretape, even when he’s intentionally being obnoxious & ”woke”.
• Aha, here comes the turn in this pretape, with several people calling Beck about how bad his video was.
• A particularly hilarious, yet welcomed cameo from Jason Momoa. Considering how much I like him & his previous cameo and hosting stint, I’m pretty happy with his presence in this short.
• A great ending, and one of the first of many fantastic showcases for Beck throughout his final season.

Rating: ****1/2

Musical Performance – “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, “Ball & Biscuit” & “Jesus Is Coming Soon”

Weekend Update

Dr. Wayne Wenowdis (KAM) holds forth on pandemic-related epistemology

KAM explains that Dr. Wayne Wenowdis is a coping mechanism for hard times

Harry Potter tattoo-owning PED is unhappy with J.K. Rowling’s transphobia

• A surprising amount of mediocre & ok jokes so far into this Update.
• A good laugh from Michael’s “This is a dark show.”
• The debut of Kate’s Dr. Wenowdis, which is yet another security blanket piece from this era’s female stars.
• While I understand what this commentary is going for, with the whole setup about how much the pandemic fucked up with people’s mental health (it certainly did with me), this piece’s overlong, inside-y feel is not working for me. Kate’s very Kate-y delivery and performance is a big reason why.
• While I generally have no problem with Pete’s Update commentaries, something about his delivery here seems off.
• Some ok laughs from Pete’s relatable situation about his mental health during the pandemic.
• While it pains me to give this Update the rating I’ll give it right now, due to some subpar jokes and an insufferable, overlong commentary, I’ll have to be honest with myself and to you all at the end.
• So, without further ado:

Rating: **1/2

Don Pauly

after 20 years behind bars, mob boss (host) lacks modern sensibilities

• Yet another setting & role that is perfect for Bill in this episode.
• A good commentary on ”woke culture” and the changing social norms.
• Some good laughs with Bill’s fellow mobsters being sensitive and cautious when it comes to every single thing Bill’s mob boss character is doing or saying.
• Punkie is very solid & charismatic in her part in this, you cannot tell that this is her second episode on the show. Stuff like this makes me wonder why in the world isn’t she featured more on the show.
• A solid sketch overall.

Rating: ***1/2

Samuel Adams Jack-O-Pumpkin Ale

real Bostonians like coarse (host) appraise Samuel Adams pumpkin ale

• A variation of the great Dunkin Donuts commercial from Casey Affleck’s episode in season 42.
• Great look & color grading to this commercial.
• Bill is PERFECT for a Boston-themed commercial, and his natural heavy Boston accent is the icing on the cake.
• Bill’s is absolutely slaying me with his part as he describes the beer.
• I’m enjoying Mikey’s performance, and he and Bill are making this commercial even better than it is.
• The fight between Bill & Mikey is hilarious and elevates this already-great commercial even higher.
• A great commercial & yet ANOTHER strong pretape this season, the film units continue to deliver so far into the season.

Rating: ****1/2

Musical Performance – “Lazaretto”

In Memoriam – a video of Eddie Van Halen marks his passing

Cut For Time: Gospel Play Promo

play depicts white takeover

• A spiritual sequel to the fantastic Divided We Stand piece from the Jonah Hill episode in season 44.
• A solid & very creative premise.
• Beck is absolutely fantastic in his performance as the evil white landlord. I do recall this being a phenomenal final season for Beck, one of the very best for a departing cast member.
• This strong piece comes to a bit of a halt, with the baffling sight of Pete playing himself, I did get a good chuckle from his scene.
• Overall, a strong piece with solid & creative concept pulled off strongly, and one of the many hidden gems in this frowned-upon season.

Rating: ****

Goodnights

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

The Blitz

Samuel Adams Jack-O-Pumpkin Ale

Enough Is Enough

Monologue

CFT: Gospel Play Promo

Don Pauly

New Normal

Weekend Update

Vice Presidential Debate

Final Thoughts:-

• A solid, consistent, refreshing episode & a huge turnaround from the trainwreck that preceded it.
• Bill Burr was an absolutely fantastic host, being funny, likable, game, total professional & consistently committed performer, especially in the great Samuel Adams Jack-O-Pumpkin Ale commercial & particularly his enthralling and emotional turn in The Blitz.
• Here is an audio clip of Bill talking about his experience during the week of his hosting stint. The humility, gratitude, and appreciation for the cast and the crew is heartwarming to witness. This makes me like Bill even more than I already do. I wish that he’ll return to host very soon, he did a fantastic job and elevated a lot of the material throughout the episode.

My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:-

• Issa Rae hosts with musical guest Justin Bieber.

My full set of screencaps from this episode is here