April 7, 2018 – Chadwick Boseman / Cardi B (S43 E17)

Cold Opening – Outnumbered

• I love Leslie’s smile as the cold open begins.
• Much like her casting as Omarosa, Leslie looks NOTHING like Harris Faulkner, as this is a role that the soon-to-join Ego Nwodim would’ve been perfect for.
• Some decent lines from Leslie, even when some of them are too on-the-nose, such as calling her Fox co-workers idiots.
• Meh, the return of Trumpwin. I’m not very pleased to see this tired impression back.
• Boy, Alec is half-assing this impression even more than usual, which is saying something. He’s killing this episode’s energy DEAD right from the start.
• Man, this cold open is BORING, sleep-inducing mess of a “satirical” piece as well. Even the audience isn’t that much into it.
• The whole Borat bit didn’t even manage to get a smirk out of me.
• The most interesting thing in this cold opening is that writer Will Stephen is the one dressed as the Easter Bunny next to Trumpwin.

Rating: **

Monologue

• I’m already enjoying Chadwick’s charming presence and energy right from his entrance.
• Funny bit from Chadwick about hosting long after Black Panther was released, and how there were no good Black Panther sketch ideas this week.
• Funny entrance from Kenan as Panthro, his look alone is worth a good laugh.
• Some fun back-and-forth between Kenan & Chadwick, and Kenan exclaiming “15 seasons, baby!” as he leaves is a very funny meta bit.
• Love the ending with Chadwick giving us some of his James Brown impression, which is a reference to his 2014 movie “Get On Up”.

Rating: ***1/2

Nike Pro-Chiller Leggings

• Great visual quality, and as usual with SNL’s commercial parodies, this is perfectly capturing the look & feel of the type of commercial it’s parodying.
• A good laugh from the contrast between the jogging women wearing the liggings and the ones just sitting on their couches doing nothing.
• Blah, I spoke too soon, as this fake ad is now repeating that once-funny bit ad nauseam.
• At least the reliable Aidy gave me a laugh from her delivery of her lines.
• Boy, this is really just the same gag over and over and over. Next, please.

Rating: **

Black Jeopardy!

• A very famous installment of this sketch.
• Good contrast between Chadwick’s T’challa’s answers & the answers from Leslie and Chris.
• I love Chris, but he’s really going heavy with his wide eyes shtick in this sketch.
• Such a charming & fun rapport between Kenan & Chadwick, which is the second time this happens in tonight’s episode, after the fun interaction between them in the monologue.
• T’challa’s answer about honoring his grandmother was great, and Chadwick didn’t lose a touch when it comes to playing this character it seems.
• I absolutely love the whole bit about T’challa answering the potato salad question, such a memorable part from this excellent sketch.
• An overall wonderful installment of this recurring sketch, and the use of Chadwick’s Black Panther character, as well as the contrast between his African character & the African-American characters was very well-done & escalated.

Rating: ****1/2

Medical Breakthrough

• A pretty random & tricky premise to pull off.
• A good laugh from Chadwick’s reveal that the triplets will be delivered from Mikey’s urethra, and Mikey’s reaction in the background was perfect.
• Meh, after the initial cheap laugh this sketch is now totally predictable and pretty dull, with Chadwick as the doctor going on and on and on about the procedure. As I stated before, you don’t just reveal a wild premise and never build on it after the initial shock reveal.
• Very lethargic & quiet sketch, continuing the trend of having awful sketches containing that notoriously quiet, hollow feel this season.
• Ok, as a Looney Tunes fanatic (and generally speaking, a fanatic of classic cartoons from the 20s/60s) I did appreciate the Elmer Fudd reference.
• Overall, despite some initial laughs, this whole sketch was a big ol’ flop.

Rating: *1/2

Aidy B & Cardi B

• It feels like a while since we last got a major Aidy Bryant showcase, and even the last one I could think of (Bunny) was back in February. This has been a quiet season for her in general, which makes me theorize that most of her sketches got cut after dress.
• Good use of Cardi B, and she seems fun enough & a good sport for doing this short with Aidy.
• Another music short from this era that cuts between calm & chaotic scenes, much like Aidy’s Sarah Huckabee Sanders short earlier in the season.
• Interesting that you can see the show’s breakdown in one of the shots, including the sketches that got eventually cut, the Sesame Street one seemed promising & I’m sure is much better than a very infamous sketch coming soon post-Update.
• Good ending.

Rating: ***1/2

Musical Performance – “Bodak Yellow” / “Bartier Cardi”

• Jesse Nathan: Ah, Cardi B–another musical guest that serves as a time capsule to this era. When the show first parodied her in November, I had no idea who this woman was. And once I did…boy, did I wish I didn’t.
• I’ve never been a big fan of this intro, and unfortunately, this is no different.
• As for the first song we’re hearing, I’ve never really cared too much for it. My problem with this song is similar to the one I have about her song “WAP”. Her rapping is on point, but the beat is so limp and nonexistent that it’s hard for me to get behind it.
• I have no idea what to make of Cardi’s look here.
• Not really caring for this choreography from Cardi’s backup dancers.
• Wait, so we’re already launching into the next song after about a minute? Then what was the point of starting with that song? Did she just want to grab the audience’s attention?
• I don’t like how we’re hearing all these prerecorded ad-libs during this second song. It’s making it hard for me to focus on Cardi’s rapping.
• This song is starting to feel a bit too repetitive for my likings.
• Why is Cardi bringing up Offset during her song? I know that they have some sort of connection, but why is she bringing him up here, of all places?
• It’s over already? Safe to say this was a bust.

Rating: **

Weekend Update

• Great to see the debut of Alex’s Mark Zuckerberg impression. Alex’s been carving a niche for himself & thriving behind the desk so far into his tenure.
• Solid & lived-in characterization from Alex, and even when I enjoyed Andy Samberg’s version, this impression of Zuckerberg is overall funnier & captures his persona well. The unsettling, creepy portrayal is great & is providing many laughs.
• Love Alex-as-Zuckerberg’s creepy laugh, and his ridiculous dabbing.
• Good to see another Heidi Gardner commentary, and Angel is an enjoyable enough character for me.
• Like last time, very strong characterization & dramatic work from Heidi & she’s doing a very solid job in capturing this movie trope so well.
• This is going in the same direction as the first one, and while I’m getting laughs, they aren’t as much as the first commentary, despite Heidi’s commitment.
• Ok the whole video tape bit made me laugh out loud, even when it’s a variation of something Heidi’s Angel did in the first commentary.

Rating: ***1/2

Magic Mirror

• Elaborate & very detailed set design. I hope this isn’t all that this sketch has going for it.
• Heidi & Kate are perfect as Disney princesses and they’re doing a good job in their respective scenes.
• This is starting to remind me of that great Future Self sketch from next season’s Sandra Oh episode (an episode generally filled with silly, solid, creative, and fun sketch concepts), but this one seems to be a little different in its execution.
• Great reveal of Chadwick as R. Kelly. And he’s doing a really good job of being unsettling & creepy.
• Good use of Leslie’s natural energy, as her hysteric lines here are good.
• A good laugh from Chadwick’s R. Kelly pushing away Heidi’s Elsa.
• A good ending with Beck assuming that Chadwick’s R. Kelly is a character from Mulan; a nice callback to Aidy’s line earlier in the sketch.

Rating: ***

Warehouse Fire

• Hoo, boy. I remember this being an extremely notorious sketch that bombed horribly & received total dead silence from the studio audience.
• That’s one expensive-looking set design & the fire effects are especially impressive to pull off in a live show such as SNL.
• Man, right out of the gate, this sketch is absolutely dying with the studio audience. And it seems to be dying early & HARD. You could tell that Chadwick & the performers know it.
• I love Chadwick, and what he’s been bringing to this episode, but his delivery could’ve been better, especially that the sketch is supposedly dialogue-driven. At least he’s committing to the material as one would expect, even when you could tell that he & the other performers must’ve known that they’re COMPLETELY BOMBING. Making this disastrous sketch even sadder, in my view.
• It’s a bit ironic that the sketch has a burning building, while the sketch itself is a metaphorical burning building that’s about to collapse.
• Overall, this sketch most definitely lived up (or is it down?) to my very negative memories of it. One of the most laugh-free SNL sketches in many long years, if not ever.

Rating: *

Musical Performance – “Be Careful”

• Jesse Nathan: Wait, so the basis of this song is an interpolation of Lauryn Hill? Sorry, Cardi, but Drake did it better.
• That one woman’s vocals were great. Too bad I have no idea who she is.
• Not loving Cardi’s rapping here. It doesn’t work too well here against certain beats.
• The beat here is better than what we got in the last performance, but that’s not saying too much.
• Seeing the camera pan out makes me wonder if we’re approaching the most famous part of this performance.
• Aaaaaannnnd there it is. We then see that Cardi is pregnant. That reveal alone is probably gonna raise my rating by half a star.
• This song is really starting to feel repetitive the more it goes on. I’m getting very sick of Cardi constantly saying “be careful to me”.
• Unfortunately, the baby bump is the only interesting thing going on here. Can we please move on to Jack White?

Rating: **½ (the latter for the baby bump)

Restaurant Complaint

• Ah, talk about a mood whiplash, especially after that fucking horrible Warehouse Fire sketch. I’ve always absolutely loved this sketch since I first saw it, back when this episode originally aired, and each time I think about it, a warm smile is all what I could come up with. One of the most pure & genuine sketches in a long time.
• Great voice & accent on Chadwick, and even the Anderlette trademark of crazy hairstyles is coming off very fun here, especially with the whole silly, warm vibe that this sketch has. Much like the great Spaceship Chicken Captain sketch from season 40 and the upcoming Hot Tub Christmas sketch from season 45. James Anderson & Kent Sublette always do a surprisingly great job when writing warm, fun sketches, such as this one as well.
• Very catchy & fun lyrics, and the energy level is so much higher than the dreary preceding sketch.
• I love the whole bit with Melissa’s character, and it’s such a good use of Melissa’s natural lovable & innocent demeanor. Her saddened look alone as they begin to sing about her says a lot, and is a testament of much she can add a sense of charm & warmth to a sketch; a damn shame she’s barely used in that aspect.
• Good reveal of Melissa’s lost teeth, and the immediate transition into singing a praise for her is so fun & infectiously charming.
• Love the moment where Melissa imitates Chadwick’s deep-voiced “Oh yeaaah!”.
• The ending visual of Melissa & Chadwick is really beautiful & fun, yet absolutely heartbreaking & soul-crushing in retrospect.

Rating: *****

The Game of Life: DACA Edition

• Very strong satirical topic for a fake ad, and this one seems to be one of the more biting ones.
• Yet another piece tonight that uses Melissa’s talents well, as her demeanor in this short is perfect for its satirical topic.
• The use of children’s toys is a brilliant way in addressing the short’s point, and is coming off both disturbing & clever, which is the point of this piece.
• Damn at the toy of the ICE van, and the way it’s represented here as a little children’s toy is very effective.
• The glee in Heidi’s face as she’s adjusting Trump’s wall was well-done, adding further to the unsettling, disturbing feel of the piece.
• Holy hell at the expansion pack bit, and the visual of the hellish landscape is fantastic.
• Solid ending line with Chris.
• An overall very strong & well-done piece of satirical commentary, with enough clever jokes and escalation not to make it come off as just depressing & dour. A major season highlight.

Rating: ****1/2

Wakanda Forever

• I’ve never seen this movie, nor any of the MCU/Marvel universe movies (beside the X-Men, as I’ve watched the movies & cartoon show since childhood), but I hope the sketch works fine for me.
• This seems to be a commentary on the whole Wakandan salute that I remember being everywhere when the movie was originally released.
• Beck’s whole bit about Wakanda is very funny, and he’s always so good in playing such roles.
• Wow, this is over? Yeah, this was definitely trimmed at the last moment to get on air. I would’ve loved a more fleshed-out version, but what we got was still good.

Rating: ***

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Restaurant Complaint

The Game of Life: DACA Edition

Black Jeopardy!

Monologue

Aidy B & Cardi B

Weekend Update

Magic Mirror

Wakanda Forever

Nike Pro-Chiller Leggings

Outnumbered

Medical Breakthrough

Warehouse Fire

Final Thoughts:-

• A pretty good episode as a whole, with some of what worked in this episode being FANTASTIC, some of the best sketches from this entire season aired tonight. There was also some truly BRUTAL things in this episode, including one of the absolute worst & laugh-free sketches in recent SNL history (Warehouse Fire), and some other weak pieces, yet those were thankfully kept to minimum. Chadwick Boseman, despite few stumbles & terrible material given to him at times, was a committed and fun host, who brought nice energy throughout the night, especially in both “Black Jeopardy!” and “Restaurant Complaint”.

Up Next:-

• Former writer & future five-timer John Mulaney makes his hosting debut with musical guest Jack White.