May 16, 1987 – Garry Shandling / Los Lobos (S12E19) [THROWBACK REVIEW]

Cold Opening – Iran-Contra Hearings

• It feels weird seeing a congressional hearing as the cold open, as I’ve always thought that they only became regular on SNL around the mid 00s.
• I’m not that familiar (despite being very politically aware) with the man Phil’s playing, but his impression is cracking me up.
• I’m enjoying Phil nearly crying here each time & how the senators are trying not to make him feel upset. While not a thing I’d call a sharp political satire, it’s providing me with amusement & occasional good laughs.
• I absolutely love the part with the senators gasping in unison when Phil’s reaching for something in his pocket, as we’re led for a possible gun being there, only for Phil to have a tissue in his hand to wipe his sweat.
• I always love Phil’s fun LFNY deliverers & this one has to be among my favorites of his.

Rating: ***

Monologue

• Oh, I know I’m going to enjoy this stand-up set.
• Some good laughs from Garry’s whole talk about his dating life, and his impression of a Hollywood girl is pretty funny.
• I do like Garry’s bit about making love for an hour & fifteen minutes before revealing that it was on the day where you push the clocks ahead.
• Very funny line about Garry expressing his needs in bed to people he doesn’t know over the phone.
• Ah, and now the monologue is becoming meta, with Garry’s stand-up set now seamlessly transitioning into being a meta commentary on how to do an SNL monologue.
• I love the bit when Garry leaves the homebase stage and looks at himself on the monitor, thus beginning the very memorable meta runner throughout the episode.
• Great ending with Garry preparing for the sketch that we see in the background.

Rating: ****

Return Sweater

• I absolutely LOVE the transition to the sketch with Jan’s character suddenly speaking. This is excellent.
• Jan’s Marge Keister character returns, and I’ve always liked how this character showcases Jan’s natural charm & warmth as both a performer & a person.
• I’m enjoying Garry’s fourth-wall breaks to the camera & then asking the audience to applaud Jan.
• Fantastic character voice on Phil & his initial “YEEESSS!!!!” absolutely killed me.
• Man, Phil is KILLING me here.
• I’m loving Gary’s fourth wall-breaking stand-up set about sweaters being directed towards the camera.
• Great ending with Garry ruining the sketch. And I especially like how annoyed Jan & Phil are in the background.

Rating: ****1/2

The Puppy

• A very silly sketch concept, and is the type of humor that I enjoy.
• Love Phil’s look & voice, especially his delivery of his lines.
• Dana is doing a great job with his puppy mannerism throughout the sketch, especially when he’s getting distracted at times.
• Silly & fun sketch overall.

Rating: ***1/2

Support Group

• Dana’s voice & mannerism are basically proto-Garth.
• I’m enjoying the concept of the sketch, with Garry’s stories about his mother. Garry is perfect for this sketch.
• Great escalation with Stu’s fellow members of his support group going to confront his mom.
• Jan is great as the grumpy mother, and she has several good lines here.
• I’m enjoying how more and more dark the revelations about Gary is turning out to be, and the writing here is excellent, enhanced even more with Jan’s strong performance & delivery.
• Great disturbing bit with Garry’s Stu making out with his mom after reconciling with her.
• I love the ending with Garry’s fourth-wall break and his line towards the camera about this sketch being terrible, which perfectly ends the sketch.

Rating: *****

Weekend Update

• Some ok jokes so far, even though not as good as usual, but that’s probably due to me not being that familiar with some of the subjects.
• Boy, Dennis is speeding through these jokes.
• Ok. I did enjoy the whole comic strip bit, even though Dennis’ delivery was way too fast, not allowing these jokes to land.
• Dana’s Jimmy Stewart returns.
• As expected, Dana is doing a great vocal impression of Stewart.
• Dana’s rants aren’t as funny as I would’ve liked, and Dana’s delivery is really tiring me at times here.
• A groanworthy interesting people joke from Dennis.
• Not one of Dennis’ best Updates, but there were still a few good jokes & an overall decent Dana commentary.

Rating: **1/2

Teeny Café

• An extremely random Nell Campbell cameo.
• I see that this is another Babette sketch. I do know that some are not fans of hers, but she was always pretty average to me, despite Nora’s always committed performances.
• The sketch isn’t bad so far, but it feels a little dull, especially in such a unique episode. Nora’s doing a fine job like always, but the song isn’t that funny, even when it has some good jokes.
• I do love the bit with Kevin in the closet, at least.

Rating: **1/2

Redneck Airline

• I remember seeing this sketch many years ago, before I saw this episode in full.
• Oh, it looks like this is going to be a grossout sketch, which feels a bit rare to see on SNL. It only makes me wonder of what Sarah Sherman would do as her tenure progresses and she gets more chances (and we’re getting closer & closer to season 48 as I type this).
• Phil is excellent here, and this is yet another sketch tonight that he’s stealing.

Rating: ***

Hollywood Mom

• Wow, a random Tracey Ullman cameo!
• I’m enjoying the premise of this short, and knowing the always-reliable Tracey Ullman, I’m sure I’ll be satisfied enough from it.
• Good self-deprecation from Tracey with her playing herself as a self-absorbed, neglecting mom to her child due to her success & thriving career.
• The audience reactions throughout this short (and they’ve been pretty hot all night) are very amusing to listen to, especially their genuine concern for the baby.
• Solid dark ending with Tracey’s child shooting her, and in some odd, weird fashion, gets to also drive away with the car.

Rating: ***1/2

Happy Couple

• Garry is as funny as ever as the waiter here, his delivery always cracks me up for some reason.
• Dana & Jan playing a couple, once again in one of my reviews.
• A simple concept of an arguing couple on their anniversary, but the performances are enhancing what would’ve been a repetitive concept if performed by lesser performers.
• I love the ending where Garry signals to Dana & Jan that the sketch is over; a fitting & perfect way to end both the episode’s runner & the show as a whole.

Rating: ***

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Support Group

Return Sweater

Monologue

Hollywood Mom

The Puppy

Iran-Contra Hearings

Happy Couple

Redneck Airline

Teeny Café

Weekend Update

Final Thoughts:-

• An overall solid show, the first half was especially strong with two excellent pieces (Return Sweater & Support Group), and the typical great & meta Garry Shandling stand-up set. The quality cooled down with Update and onwards, but the whole show is still an entertaining watch. Garry Shandling was a wonderful host as expected & the whole fourth-wall breaking runner throughout the night was executed flawlessly by him.

Up Next:-

• Alec Baldwin / Radiohead.