March 17, 2018 – Bill Hader / Arcade Fire (S43 E16)

Cold Opening – Anderson Cooper 360

• Did we really need Kate’s Jeff Sessions ONCE AGAIN?! This era has been REALLY pushing this impression as one of its biggest.
• Not caring for Kate’s Sessions openly talking about how bigoted he is. This lazy & cowardly writing that plagues this SNL era is getting on my nerves, these bigots would NEVER say that they’re bigoted live on the air, and this “satirical” take from the show is a complete flop with no laughs from me.
• No comment about John Goodman’s return as Rex Tillerson. I love John, but this cameo & impression are doing nothing for me, and that Foghorn Leghorn-esque voice he’s using for Tillerson is unnecessary.
• Good to see Bill right from the start. And Fred is also here, for cameo #47727 this season alone.
• I’m not caring at all about Bill’s impression of Anthony Scaramucci, much like Fred’s Wolff, Bill’s just using his New York Italian stock voice that he’s used many times throughout his tenure.
• The running gag with Scaramucci revealing important details while forgetting he’s being recorded isn’t working for me at all. The show would do a far better & funnier running gag with Bill when he returns to cameo in John Mulaney’s hosting stint from next season.
• Overall, the usual overlong, mostly laughless, and toothless cold open that one would expect from SNL these last twenty years or so.

Rating: *1/2

Monologue

• Nice energy & enthusiasm from Bill right from his entrance.
• Some charming & silly comments early on from Bill. You could tell how excited he is to host the show.
• An interesting conceit to this monologue, with Bill explaining to us the typical SNL monologue.
• Impressive how quickly the wardrobe department is preparing Bill for the post-monologue sketch while he’s speaking to us.
• Ugh, I hoped this unique monologue-to-sketch segue would be for a better sketch than The Californians. At least the monologue was generally good.

Rating: ***

The Californians

• Our obligatory Californians sketch of the night, considering that Fred is in the building as well.
• Oof at the eerie silence in the studio after the mention of Trump.
• The “joke” of this recurring sketch being just a whole bunch of goofy voices & road directions is the death of comedy.
• Man, this sketch is DEAD so far, no laughs from me & barely any from the studio audience. Without the self-indulgent & inside-joke breaking, this sketch has NOTHING else going for it.
• Why did some in the studio audience clap after the end of the first scene? Did they think that the sketch was over already? Oh, if it did…
• At least Cecily is a natural in this James Anderson & Kent Sublette-written sketch.
• What’s with the random meta bit with Pete’s character? Was that supposed to be a “new” and “different” direction that this installment was supposed to take?
• The mugging during the “hilarious” dramatic closeups isn’t doing anything for me.
• Ah, at least Kate gets a good laugh from me with the visual of the wine glasses in front of her face. Good old Kate, a shame she couldn’t save this for me.
• Overall, just as dull & bad as the other installments.

Rating: *1/2

Kiss Me I’m Irish

• An already hacky & lame premise. Making me worried about what kind of a sketch awaits me.
• Hey, at least it’s good to see Beck finally playing a game show host, as he barely played ones for several seasons now.
• Great Irish accents from Kate & Cecily, respectively. The former’s has now grown to be pretty much perfect.
• This sketch has now taken a pretty lame & dull turn with the whole interactions between Bill and Kate & Cecily.
• Aidy gave me a good laugh from her reliable delivery when being ignored.
• Is this Irish stereotype of everybody relating to each other prevalent? If so, it isn’t laugh-worthy enough to base an entire sketch on.
• This sketch feels like it’s going on forever.
• A damn shame that this gorgeous set was wasted on a lazy & dull sketch that relied on hacky stereotypes for cheap laughs.
• Man, between the shit cold open & the first two sketches of the night, the episode is already getting BRUTAL with all of its terrible sketches.

Rating: **

Girlfriends Game Night

• A famous sketch from this season, and a one that I always enjoyed, even when I don’t love it like some others. This is also one of the rare solid James Anderson & Kent Sublette collaborations that work for me (and the next episode has a wonderful gem by both).
• Already a solid laugh from Bill’s look as the old man, and I especially love his hairstyle in particular.
• Aaaaand we get Bill’s obligatory breaking as he barely can keep himself from laughing.
• Some good laughs from the back-and-forth between Cecily & the girls, Aidy’s always- reliable delivery is shining here, as her lines are easily the best from the group.
• Very funny sudden outburst from Heidi in reaction to Aidy’s suggestion that Bill & Cecily should have intercourse in the bedroom.
• And we now reach the most famous part of this sketch with the chaotic sequence with Bill’s wild moans, Cecily trying not to break, and the motorized wheelchair wrecking the room, which causes a very rare & brief break from Melissa. Heidi, showing what a pro she is, is completely STONE-FACED throughout this whole sequence.
• A solid & silly sketch overall, and the first piece tonight that was actually above being just ok.

Rating: ***1/2

Jurassic Park Auditions

• Yet another impressions showcase short this season.
• Solid Hugh Grant from Alex.
• Aidy was never a solid impressionist to me, as her Roseanne here is clearly showing.
• I love Pete & Leslie’s scenes as Adam Sandler and Whoopi Goldberg, respectively.
• A pretty solid Drew Barrymore impression from Heidi. Her scene was also good & captured Drew’s adorable demeanor perfectly.
• Really? Bill doing Pacino? Yawn.
• A freakin’ FANTASTIC Lisa Kudrow impression from Kate. Uncanny. I always feel that Kate never got her due with how damn strong of an impressionist she generally is.
• Yawn, another impression from Bill’s tenure, as he reprises his Clint Eastwood here. Why not have him do new, exciting impressions like what the show did during the occasions when Jimmy Fallon returned to host??
• An overall good piece with several fun impressions, excluding Bill’s tired ones that is.

Rating: ***

Musical Performance – “Creature Comfort”

• Jesse Nathan: You guys already know how I feel about this band, as evident by my review of their performances. I will say that the two songs they perform here are serviceable, even though they have nothing against the title track on the album.
• I like the metallic jackets worn by the members.
• Not loving this synth intro. It feels a bit too automated (for lack of a better word).
• Every time I hear this song, I always feel as though it’s a bit too over the place.
• Regine Chassagne still can’t sing for shit.
• These lyrics are feeling a bit too contrived, as if the song’s trying to sound deeper than it actually is.
• I feel that I can’t hear the guitar that Win’s playing.
• The green screen of the American flag went by too quickly for me.
• Why is Regine yelling at me?
• This didn’t do too much for me.

Rating: **½ (the latter for the presentation)

Weekend Update

• Che’s whole bit about worrying that Trump’s sex tape might actually be good had me laughing out loud.
• The whole bit about the media hyping up the Mueller report is coming off ironic, considering SNL’s myriad of political opens & Update pieces regarding how the Mueller report will expose Trump & end his presidency. Including the casting of an absolute black hole of comedy to portray him in a few episodes from now.
• The return of another political impression of Kate’s, this time her Betsy DeVos. I’m pretty much burnt out with politics while covering this season (and it will get even worse near its ending), but this impression works enough for me.
• A decent bit overall from Kate, and the casual way she’s portraying Betsy DeVos’ cluelessness is very solid.
• Our billionth Pete Davidson commentary, which is making me shudder knowing the hyperfocus on his personal life next season.
• As a person who lost his father before being even born, I can relate to Pete’s bit about his own father.
• I don’t know the guy Pete’s talking about here, but I’m not getting many laughs, even Pete’s whole bit about pretending to care is not working for me, and makes him come off very unlikable & arrogant, which is a shame as I kinda like him by this point of his tenure.
• And now, the obligatory return of Bill’s Stefon character. I love this character, especially that oddball, non-sequitur humor is one of my favorite forms of comedy (think Tim Calhoun, Guy Who Just Bought A Boat).
• The running gag with Denzel Washington’s movie, Roman J Israel, Esq. makes Bill lose it every time. Making it obvious that Mulaney wrote it after dress to make him break.
• Huge applause to the surprise cameo by John Mulaney himself, making me very excited that I’ll be covering him very soon.
• A good reference to Seth Meyers’ A Closer Look segment.

Rating: ****

Sacred Rock

• Oh, you gotta be kidding me! Creativity must’ve taken a vacation this week! Are we really bringing back this fucking awful sketch from season 38?!
• Are these dramatic closeups supposed to be funny? This sketch is godawful.
• Am I supposed to be laughing at this sketch? I’m about two minutes in, and I didn’t get a SINGLE laugh. The “funny” accent/voice Bill’s using in particular is not only grating to my ears, but makes it hard for me to understand what he’s saying.
• Aaaaaand now we get an anal-probing reference to make this sketch somehow even worse, making it official to me that this is a James Anderson-written sketch. I so want to consider this sketch a spiritual successor to that wretched gay aliens sketch from the dreadful Johnny Knoxville episode, with Bill’s survivor character telling us his experience with the mysterious aliens.
• Oh, the laziness of tonight’s episode has hit a low, as we now get a LITERAL recreation of the dull first installment’s ending, where Bill’s character is confronted by the creature he warned us off.
• Awful & lazy ending.
• Not a single redeeming factor or quality to be found in this entire sketch, overall. Good God, tonight’s episode is slowly murdering me as it continues to go along.

Rating: *

CBC Report

• Only half a minute into this, and I’m already very worried about what type of a sketch awaits me.
• Is SNL fucking kidding me tonight?! Did the writers take a nap this week instead of writing any original material?! Are we seriously doing an “LOL! Canadians are nice!” sketch, in an episode filled with some of the shittiest, laziest, and hackiest sketch concepts this season?! Tonight’s episode continues to hit new lows in its post-Update half to some spectacular degrees.
• And now Bill’s Canadian Weinstein’s crimes are revealed as being too nice & complimentary to a female worker? Hehe, haha?
• Haha! Canadians say sorry in a funny way! Did you guys know that?!
• Not even Arcade Fire’s obligatory sketch appearance is doing a thing for me here.
• Overall, one of the most pointless sketches in recent SNL history. Boy, this episode is starting to DESTROY me with its badness.

Rating: *

Musical Performance – “Put Your Money on Me”

• Jesse Nathan: I like the usage of penny slots onstage.
• Nice opening piano.
• I actually like this chorus, but it’s not being executed too well in this performance.
• Why are all these members onstage when the song only has a few instruments?
• I like the green screen visuals.
• Why is the post-chorus being sung after the second chorus when it doesn’t come until the third?
• This is actually a strong post-chorus. It’s just a shame it doesn’t have its impact.
• Boy, the vocals on the second post-chorus didn’t mesh well at all.
• So they removed the bridge? Oh well.
• This overall performance was better than the last one, but that’s not saying too much.

Rating: ***

Undercover Office Potty

• Ah, God bless Beck & Kyle who are saving me from this dire episode with their fun & silly oddball humor that feels even more refreshing than usual in an episode filled with wall-to-wall hacky & lazy stereotypes sketches.
• This short is a solid use of Cecily’s voiceover work, as she’s PERFECT here & her delivery is excellent. Beck is also always in his element when playing the unaware idiot.
• A very silly & hilarious idea for a traditional fake ad, and the way this is one is presented with a narrative makes it even more interesting, if not better than the usual fake ada from this era.
• LOVE the memorable visual of Beck’s smug smile while a half a dozen lamps are occupying his desk.
• Bill looks just like both Rainn Wilson & Stephen King here, it’s no wonder that he impersonated both on the show during his tenure.
• I love the intense back-and-forth between Beck and Bill, especially the very random “You went to the bathroom in the lamps!”
• Great absurdist escalation with the HUGE office supplies, the visual of the stapler in particular slayed me.
• Hilarious shouting match between Beck & Bill, especially Bill’s angry face.
• I love the very disgusting ending visual of the diarrhea all over the office space’s floor.
• Overall, another Good Neighbor winner & another killer fake ad from this era. The streak of fantastic, silly, creative, and purely hilarious ads from this SNL era is honestly incredible.

Rating: *****

Cut For Time: St. Patrick’s Day

• The fifth, and so far last, of these oddball holiday-related pieces. I have no memory of this one, but I’m sure it will be better than most of what ever the hell I just sat through.
• Solid characterization from Beck and I love the subtle unsettling vibe around his character.
• Like always, solid & well-delivered one-liners throughout the sketch, as well as creepy props to increase the unsettling, absurdist aura around these pieces.
• I absolutely love the creepy visual of the rock with the eyes & huge lips with red lipstick.
• Bill is very solid here, with strong characterization & reliable line deliveries; a shame how poorly used & wasted he was throughout the ACTUAL show that aired.
• The lamb is adorable and is stealing the sketch for me.
• Beck is funny in his interaction with the lamb, even when it feels that he’s trying to control it so it doesn’t derail the sketch.
• Pretty great sketch overall & around the same level of quality as the Thanksgiving edition with Kristen Wiig last season. A baffling decision to cut this piece as it would (alongside Undercover Office Potty) give the dire post-Update half some life and end the night on a good note.

Rating: ****

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Undercover Office Potty

CFT: St. Patrick’s Day

Weekend Update

Girlfriends Game Night

Monologue

Jurassic Park Auditions

Kiss Me I’m Irish

Anderson Cooper 360

The Californians

Sacred Rock

CBC Report

Final Thoughts:-

• A weak episode. I enjoyed very little in this one, and it was filled with some of the shittiest, laziest, and hackiest sketches that I could think of. I was made very miserable reviewing this episode, especially the brutal one-two punch of Sacred Rock & CBC Report, and as evident throughout my review, I was very frustrated with the material in tonight’s episode, and leaving aside the monologue & Weekend Update, this episode was mostly one laughless dud after another & was somehow getting EVEN WORSE in the post-Update half of the show till a wonderful gem by Beck & Kyle showed up out of nowhere and cut that disastrous downhill slide short. And aside from the aforementioned short, the rest of this episode’s highlights (not including the CFT sketch) didn’t rise above being just “pretty good”, and A LOT of the sketches tonight flopped HARD, some of the worst of this entire season aired tonight alone. Also, this episode felt like an early season 44 show, with its lethargy, laziness, and focus on some of the shittiest & laziest forms of “humor” imaginable. All in all, definitely one of the worst alumni-hosted shows in SNL history.

Up Next:-

• Chadwick Boseman hosts for the first (and sadly) only time with musical guest Cardi B.