January 16, 2016 – Adam Driver / Chris Stapleton (S41 E10)

Cold Opening – Republican Debate

• Great to see Beck’s very funny Jeb Bush back, also Darrell’s Trump is here.
• Taran’s Cruz is back. I still don’t think that Taran nailed the voice, but the mannerisms are spot-on.
• Hoo boy, the debut of Kate’s Lindsey Graham. The version here is nothing like her now more well-known portrayal of him from season 44 onwards. Yes folks, we’re slowly approaching the Trumpwin years on this blog…
• I’m really enjoying how increasingly desperate and crushed Beck’s Jeb is becoming over the course of his campaign. While Beck’s doing an excellent job, and the whole rivalry between him & Darrell’s Trump is played well, it’s not as funny and sad at the same time as it was in the real-life debate.
• More and more, I’m loving Jay’s Ben Carson; his long and creepy speech here steals the entire open, as well as Bobby’s Christie moving himself AND his podium away from him. Easily the biggest highlight of this debate sketch.

Rating: ***1/2

Monologue

• Already, Adam Driver is coming off excellent here with a very natural stage presence and an approachable, likable demeanor.
• I do feel the Star Wars-centric turn that this monologue took is starting to lose me, as I NEVER watched a single Star Wars movie, being only familiar with the franchise’s iconic soundtrack, as I’m a massive John Williams fan, and I regularly listen to his music. Yet, the cast is pulling off this premise well.
• Adam’s showing some great straight man reactions here, which will come in handy in this episode & particularly his third hosting stint.
• Some laughs from the whole scene with Leslie.
• Overall, a pretty good monologue, even when it kinda felt like a waste of Adam’s talents (just wait till I reach his next monologue, in which SNL’s disgraceful treatment of Adam in that episode was really shown right from the monologue, but I’ll save my complaints till I reach his next hosting stint). Considering how memorable & beloved his third monologue will go on to be, I did get my fair share of laughs here, and Adam already came off very promising.

Rating: ***1/2

Football Night America

• Watching these early seasons of his, I forgot how likable Pete can come off and how naturally funny he is, without all the annoying tabloid stuff.
• Holy hell at the horrific injury Pete suffered here, and a great visual with his legs like that.
• Adam & Beck are doing such a spot-on job as the typical sport announcers/hosts; Adam here feels just like a cast member to me.
• I’m loving how they are milking the HELL out of the footage of Pete’s injury, which is yet another spot-on trope of these types of sports programs.
• A great lead-off sketch overall.

Rating: ****

Undercover Boss: Star killer Base

• Needless to say, an extremely popular short from this era that would go on to be recognized as an SNL all-time highlight.
• A great idea for an Undercover Boss parody, taking place at the Starkiller Base, and especially Kylo Ren disguising himself as “Matt, radar technician”.
• The scene in the cafeteria is not only a spot-on recreation of these types of shows. but is awkwardly priceless.
• Leslie’s whole part about wanting her muffin while at the same time yelling at Matt is absolutely hilarious.
• I love the very awkward admission by Kylo Ren that he murdered Taran’s son.
• A great bit with Kylo Ren raging at Bobby and using the force to him fly through a vending machine, very good visual effects.
• Great delivery from Bobby of his line “Dude! Matt straight up SUCKS!”
• I love how everyone at the end could easily tell that Matt is Kylo Ren.
• A great, great ending with Kylo’s whole message to the camera after the end of the episode. A fitting ending for such a bonafide SNL classic.

Rating: *****

Aladdin

• This is giving me flashbacks to the sketch with Jason Sudeikis & Rosario Dawson back in season 34. And also, yes, some unwanted flashbacks to the Kim Kardashian episode from season 47.
• A good laugh from the first hit that Cecily’s Jasmine takes.
• This sketch, while not bad so far, seems to be going through a one-note bit with Cecily’s Jasmine constantly being hit by objects, yet the commitment to this bit from Adam & Cecily is helping to sell it.
• The final part of the sketch with Beck & Leslie helped improve the sketch from its slump halfway through and concluded it nicely.

Rating: ***

America’s Funniest Cats

• The debut of this short-lived, yet very memorable sketch.
• Once again tonight, Adam’s straight man reactions here are killing me, and the voice he’s using and the demeanor he’s displaying, which are both a great contrast from his deep voiced, serious personality, are a great showcase for his talents and him playing against type.
• A somewhat rare, or at least it feels rare to me, Cecily & Kate pairing in a sketch, both are equally excellent here as the French commenters.
• I’m loving the contrast between Adam’s comments on the cat videos, and Cecily & Kate’s, the commitment by all three performers here is selling this sketch more than it should.
• A solid ending.

Rating: ****

Musical Performance – “Parachute”

• Jesse Nathan: As I mentioned before, Chris Stapleton is one of the very few artists in modern country I actually like.
• The opening guitar is freakin’ great.
• I love the addition of the harmonica.
• Chris Stapleton sounds amazing here. Not only were his gritty vocals great, but he was actually mixed well.
• Great melody to the chorus, and I love the way the instruments sound here.
• Great usage of the organ during the second verse.
• Having a hard time coming up with stuff to say while I’m jamming.
• I love the breakdown after the second chorus.
• Chris is killing it on the guitar.
• The guy on the harmonica is also killing it as the song ends.
• Overall, freakin’ amazing.

Rating: ****1/2

Weekend Update

• I love the Trump/Cruz joke from Colin.
• Man hearing these jokes is reminding of how much of trainwreck the GOP primaries, that Azkaban joke is quite cheap, but I can’t lie that it made me laugh.
• Solid Oscars rant from Michael, and not only is it funny, but it has the usual sharp points that I come to expect from Michael.
• Some good lines from Pete about mental illness, and his whole bit about the founding fathers is solid.
• Great to see Vanessa’s Laura Parsons, this character always kills with me, as well as Michael’s solid interactions with her.
• Funny bit from Vanessa’s Laura about El Chapo, and the usual inappropriate dark turns here are as hilarious as always, thanks to Vanessa’s excellent delivery and strong characterization.

Rating: ****

Awareness Seminar

• A promising sketch concept, and another good pairing tonight of Adam & Cecily, reminding of how much I loved both of them in the Marrying Ketchups sketch from Adam’s season 45 hosting stint.
• Good to see Vanessa getting some good airtime, considering how underutilized she was in the previous season.
• Adam’s delivery of his story about “vampiring” his brother is excellent, helped by his intense way of delivering it.
• Bobby looks hilarious here, and a solid ending & tagline.

Rating: ****

David Bowie Tribute / In Memoriam

• (*Blood sees Fred Armisen entering for his 36,385th cameo since leaving the cast only few years prior to a wild, thunderous applause and then shatters into a million pieces*).
• In all seriousness though, some very nice words from Fred in tribute to David Bowie who just recently passed away at the time of this episode’s airing. And I do remember seeing his musical performance here & being blown away with how they managed to pull off these effects on live television.

Golden Globes

• A short in the tradition of chaotic vs. calm moments that this era will do many times in future seasons.
• Vanessa continues her incredible rise during her final two years on the cast with another excellent short, right after the fantastic Santa Baby short.
• Kate & Kyle are not very convincing as the two kids that await their parents, but are both very endearing and believable in their roles here.
• Adam is performing the hell out of his scenes here, which will came even more in handy in his second & particularly third hosting stints.
• Vanessa is as fantastic here as she was in Santa Baby, the way she plays against type in these final two seasons of hers is nothing short of astounding.
• Happy to see Liev Schreiber, considering how much I loved him & his episode from season 44.
• A great ending, with such sweetness from Kate & Kyle who both were standouts here with their endearing & realistic portrayal of kids.

Rating: ****1/2

Musical Performance – “Nobody to Blame”

• Jesse Nathan: Great intro, further solidifying why this guy is one of the very few good artists we have in modern country.
• Boy, these are some very deep lyrics at the start. In fact, whenever I hear this song and those lyrics, I always think of a guy at a bar drinking and sharing his sorrows with the bartender. That’s a pretty deep way to interpret the song, and it’s kinda sad when you think about it.
• Chris and his wife Morgane sound AMAZING together.
• Great guitar part after the first chorus.
• Chris is really diggin’ those gritty vocals, and I’m all for it.
• Boy, this band is so talented that the instrumental bridge sounds pretty much heavenly to me right now. I cannot praise their work enough.
• And now it’s over. Overall, let’s just say that what I said about Chris at the start still holds up for me.

Rating: ****

The Doctor is in… My Butt 4

• A huge, cheap laugh from the title reveal alone.
• Adam & Beck once again tonight make for a solid duo, as their intentionally bad acting here is hilarious.
• As usual, Aidy’s oblivious comments are providing good laughs, but they’re starting to become too by-the-numbers to me, which signals out how hard it is to write a good recurring character without it being run into the ground early on in its run.
• Overall, an alright way to end the night.

Rating: ***

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Undercover Boss: Star Killer Base

Golden Globes

Awareness Seminar

America’s Funniest Cats

Football Night American

Weekend Update

Monologue

Republican Debate

The Doctor is in… My Butt 4

Aladdin

Final Thoughts:-

• A fantastic episode, with lots of fun, memorable sketches and nothing that got a bad rating from me. Adam Driver was also a standout, phenomenal host tonight, and already displayed the trademarks that will make all of his hosting performances so beloved and acclaimed by both the fans & press. From his intense, committed performances, to his utter professionalism and displaying unique characterizations & versatility in his roles tonight, easily becoming an honorary cast member in the process. I do wish he had a solo character showcase in this episode, but I do know in hindsight what is in store for me in his next two episodes. Yet, I certainly cannot complain from what I got tonight. I’m looking forward to reviewing his two upcoming hosting stints, in particular his season 45 episode which is widely regarded as one of this era’s highest points and also happens to be amongst my personal favorite SNL episodes of all-time.

Up Next:-

• Ronda Rousey hosts with musical guest Selena Gomez.