February 27, 2021 – Nick Jonas (S46 E14)

Cold Opening – So You Think You Can Get The Vaccine

• A certainly creative & promising concept.
• Well, that promise is thrown right off the window as Kate’s self-indulgent & prosthetics-heavy Dr. Fauci impression rears it’s ugly head into my screen.
• What’s the deal with this era and multiple lame fake sponsors in half the opens and sketches?
• Ego’s stealing this open, but still cannot save this overlong, unfocused tripe.
• An alright laugh from Pete’s Cuomo’s lines toward Melissa.
• This open has been going on for 3,363 years and I still have to get more than some mild chuckles.
• OH NO Aidy Cruz is back.
• (*sigh*) And now she’s doing some stand-up.
• Good that Mikey is here to give me something to laugh at.
• Sadly, even Mikey with his professionalism can’t do anything to help this D.O.A mess.

Rating: ** (being kind)

Monologue

• Great look on Nick.
• An obligatory cameo from one of the other two Jonas Brothers, Kevin is coming off likable enough here.
• Not surprised that this turned into a musical monologue, due to who our host is. Yet, thankfully, this monologue is actually FUNNY, unlike the very underwhelming Kristen Wiig monologue earlier in the season. I also recall Keegan-Michael Kay’s musical monologue having actual JOKES.
• Kate’s very funny with that wine glass, and as always steals the spotlight immediately.
• Not caring for Cecily’s singing as this her singing instance #36367373 of her tenure.
• Good direction to this whole monologue.
• Overall, nothing much to say here, but it had charm & Nick is already coming off likable and game.

Rating: ***1/2

Workout Mirror

• Here comes a very famous & strong sketch from this season.
• I’m loving how this sketch so far is being played straight till we get the reveal of its main conceit.
• Whoa at Heidi’s look here.
• Aaaaand here comes the reveal of Kate’s character being trapped inside the mirror, I remember being slayed with laughter when I first saw this part of the sketch.
• Kate’s absolutely phenomenal in selling her despair and fear in this sketch, and her always-reliable delivery elevates the material incredibly well.
• While the REACTING might ruin this sketch, it’s written in a way, much like the classics David S. Pumpkins & Space Pants, in order to sell the premise.
• Great entrance from Pete as the demon Azuzal, and his height & commitment sells his role.
• Funny visual of Kate’s Shannon Delgado teaching Chris & Mikey how to stretch.
• Nick is doing a pretty good job himself in selling his character’s history with Shannon.
• A great ending with Mikey’s character being trapped inside the mirror and Shannon finally being free.
• Love Pete’s “You are Shannon now, work!”.
• Overall, this sketch basically to me represents how fresh the second half of the season after the election, with solid sketch concepts replacing the mostly-miserable and dull first ten episodes (it would be interesting to see how these last ten episodes compare to the first ten when Jesse calculates the overall average of the season).

Rating: *****

Murder Show

• I think it’s been ages since we last had this type of music video.
• Fun conceit to this video with the girls of the cast singing about watching murder shows during the lockdown.
• Ha! They just remembered that Melissa is still in the cast this episode.
• Some catchy music, chorus, and fun visuals in this video.
• Whoa at Melissa’s look in that red leather!
• I’m loving the various murder shows being discussed, and the cast, particularly Chloe & Kate are stealing this short.
• The expected turn with Nick himself now singing about cult shows.
• Funny visuals & lyrics about the various cult shows that Nick watched.
• Great ending with Melissa bringing up baking shows.
• A strong & catchy music video overall. It felt different, unique, creative, and with good heart and fun-feeling atmosphere. Definitely one of my favorites of the many music videos from recent seasons.

Rating: ****

Cinderella

• Kate’s using her Maggie Smith Dignified old English lady voice that she also used in her Stephanie Green commentary (*shudder*) a few episodes ago.
• Oh no, seeing how Melissa & Cecily look and sound like is giving me bad feeling about this sketch.
• Solid old-school voice and delivery from Chloe.
• A pretty good English accent from Nick.
• UGH at Aidy’s character reveal.
• Really?! We’re know getting juvenile and desperate with freaking fart jokes?!
• I have to thank Aidy for suddenly ruining this episode’s hot streak since the monologue with this dogshit of a sketch.
• Here goes the farting noises again, because repeating the same gag will eventually make it funny. [/end sarcasm]
• Now she’s singing.(*groaaaaan*)
• (*sigh*) Just end this sketch SNL, I cannot take it much longer.

Rating: *1/2

Bachelor Party

• Lots of bro-y sketches this half of the season.
• A decent premise to this short, even when it’s too bro-y for me, as I’ve disclosed before, I’m not that social in real-life. So, parties and what not are not of interest to me personally.
• Whoa at Heidi & Ego’s looks here.
• Pretty fun song at least.
• Not that much to say, but it’s still a decent short to me.

Rating: ***

Weekend Update

• A good laugh from Colin’s joke about Cruz’s looks.
• That Green M & M’s joke was funnier than it had any right to be.
• I’ve always felt like Kenan’s David Ortiz & Lavar Ball are pretty interchangeable as their writing generally collide and have the same comedic voice.
• What’s with the shoe bit just now & the giggling meltdown?
• A very average Kenan Update commentary, and surprisingly so.
• Not caring for Cecily’s MTG being on Update, and that voice she’s using.
• I’m not finding myself laughing nor getting any amusement so far.
• Ah, Cecily just got me with her sneezing bit just now.
• An ok commentary from Cecily, certainly much better than the majority of what she’s brought this season, considering how dreadful her season is so far, and how obviously more and more out of place she feels. I do recall, however, enjoying to my surprise her two upcoming Updates, and her so-called “sendoff” as Pirro by the finale.

Rating: ***1/2

Viking Voyager

• I like how Nick is very obviously glued to his cue cards at the beginning of this sketch, it comes off more charming than anything else.
• Did… did…. they… did they just call Kyle’s character Cuck? What is this? high school?
• A memorable visual of Kyle with inflatable of the guy from Soul, the only funny thing about this, is that the inflatable is now in Heidi’s dressing room.
• Ok, this sketch is revolving around bullying Kyle’s character with some weird subtle homoeroticism with the guy from Soul? it feels very confused and mean-spirited without being FUNNY.
• Geez, where was Punkie this entire episode? I know she’ll be in the Dionne Warwick sketch right after this one, but to waste her when she proved many times that she’s funny is unfathomable to me.
• An overall blaah sketch, confused, tonally incoherent, unfunny, but not too bad for me to give it a rating lower than the one it will get.

Rating: **

The Dionne Warwick Show

• Not pleased that this sketch is now recurring, although, mercifully, it appears that the upcoming installment that I reviewed early on in my reviewing tenure os possibly its last.
• I love Ego, but she’s so much better than this tired celebrity talk show format that SNL already beaten to the ground decades ago.
• (*groan*) They’re running that running gag of Ego’s Dionne asking celebrities about other celebs to the ground.
• Why have Nick play himself in this instead of another celebrity? It just feels lazy.
• Aww, here comes the memorable blooper with Andrew, it’s so cute to witness, and he handled it really well though.
• Terrible Dua Lipa impression from Melissa, turns out she’s not the mistress of impressions I once thought, even when she does an accurate one, it’s mostly just accurate and not funny, unlike Chloe who’s not only FAR stronger and more versatile than her, bit even a better impressionist in general.
• (*sigh*) Lauren’s stuck in thankless, dull, non-comedic role. When a newbie is stuck with nothing but silent or dull background roles, it means they’re done. I’m not going to say that current very struggling newbie Aristotle Athari will be a one-season wonder (I’ll make my call by Lizzo’s episode), but if he’s stuck in the same background, silent, non-comedic roles in those three episodes that he’s been getting since Ariana DeBose’s episode, then he’s done. Not to mention James & Sarah’s FAR stronger showing & how much they broke and blended into the show.
• The usual below average Dionne sketch, thankfully these are apparently over now with the supposed “confrontation” between Ego’s Dionne and the real Dionne.

Rating: **1/2

Dating After Lockdown

• Here comes yet another favorite of mine from this season.
• I LOVE the first twist with Nick not facing Kate in the right direction, I remember being immediately sold on this sketch with that joke alone.
• Kate’s great night continues, as she’s being her fantastic & talented self here (see what good writing does to a performer?).
• Solid chemistry between Kate & Nick in this sketch.
• Great laugh from the painting of the lion with an explorer’s head in his mouth.
• Good laughs from the various terrible pickup lines. there’s certain slice-of-life feel to this sketch, with warmth and heart, and in the same time, strong absurdist humor that’s right up my alley, and is my favorite type of humor.
• A memorable part with Kate ordering a bowl of milk, leading us to think it’s for the cat, before she herself drinks from it instead.
• Andrew is very funny in his brief bit in correcting his name from ”piano guy” to “guy piano”.
• Huge laugh from Nick’s name being “John Susanson” simialr to how Kate’s name is “Suzanne Johnson”. Just perfect absurdist and clever escalations throughout this sketch.
• A great ending, and an outstanding way to end tonight’s episode on a strong note.

Rating: *****

Cut For Time: Home Makeover

• Ah, seeing a pretape about homes is IMMEDIATELY reminding me of the all-timer House Hunters short.
• Heidi is very solid, as expected, in her role as the presenter.
• Good visuals from the improved couch.
• Yeah, Kyle can do this part in his sleep by this point in his tenure.
• Big laugh from “we took all your little ketchups and turned them into one big ketchup”.
• I seriously thought that this short would be turning more and more absurd, but I like the hints of weirdness in it without being over the top.
• An overall decent short.

Rating: ***1/2

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Workout Mirror / Dating After Lockdown (tie)

Murder Show

CFT: Home Makeover

Weekend Update

Monologue

Bachelor Party

The Dionne Warwick Show

Viking Voyager

So You Think You can get The Vaccine

Cinderella

Final Thoughts:-

• An episode that’s a little better than I recall, with fun, quiet, and warm atmosphere throughout the night and with some creative sketch concepts, namely the absurdist masterpieces Workout Mirror & Dating After Lockdown. Both are in my favorite list of sketches of the entire season, if not this whole era.
• Nick Jonas was a pretty good, and despite his nervousness in some sketches. He came off very likable and charming and worked perfectly with the cast. I won’t mind seeing him return to host soon.

Up Next:-

• Maya Rudolph returns to 8H with musical guest Jack Harlow.