December 9, 2023 – Adam Driver / Olivia Rodrigo (S49 E7)

Cold Opening – College Presidents Hearing

Elise Stefanik (CHT) takes over congressional hearing

• Are we still really doing these C-Span cold opens? That tradition should’ve went away with Downey a decade ago.
• I’ll admit getting a laugh from the Taylor Swift/Marco Rubio joke at the start.
• Nice to see Molly getting a semi-big role right from the episode’s start, considering the terrible season they’ve been having in terms of airtime and usage.
• So, we are covering the Anti-Semitism hearings with the Ivy Colleges’ presidents? I’m not too familiar with this incident but read enough about it to “get” this cold opening. (Thanks also to fellow SNL reviewer John for sending me an article about the incident.)
• Feels odd seeing Chloe Troast in the context of this cold opening, as the show seems to be utilizing her previous to this episode in roles that I cannot think anybody else could nail in the current cast. I guess this role is another testament to Chloe’s range as a cast member. I wish she would get better dialogue, though.
• Man, this cold open is really dying during the whole portion with Troast, despite the committed performance. I’ve been greatly enjoying Chloe in her debut season, but the combination of her being new to the audience, poor writing and an audience filled with stans who are usually very tough on SNL’s cold opens (not that I blame them) is making this portion of the open, which is getting crickets, a very tough watch.
• Apparently, Cecily Strong played Elise Stefanik whom Chloe is playing here. Yes, dear readers, CECILY STRONG came back for a cameo playing a wacky Republican lady. I wonder what happened for Cecily to suddenly pull back and not appear in this cold open.
• Kenan’s bit near the end of this cold open is the funniest part here and is helping elevate this otherwise endless, poorly-paced cold opening. This feels like the usual fun, laid-back Kenan performance we usually would’ve gotten a few seasons ago. Thankfully, Kenan greatly improved this year.

Rating: **

Opening Montage

• Due to not having a PDD short this week, they are removed from this episode’s montage. I do love the extra shots replacing their part leading to the host/MG announcement used here (four screencaps above).

Monologue

host plays piano while delineating his Christmas wish list for Santa

• Man, it feels so good seeing Adam Driver entering that homebase stage for the first time in several years.
• Ah, a piano. This seems to be a spiritual successor to Chalamet’s first monologue.
• In a forum I’m a regular poster in, someone mentioned this monologue feeling like John Malkovich’s classic monologue from season 34; the one where he reads to children ‘Twas the night before Christmas. I can absolutely see that too. Replacing the classic poem here with Adam’s own Santa list.
• Adam’s delivery is simply perfect for such a silly premise, especially his “wokeness killed Han Solo” line which would’ve been pure cringe if it was delivered by a less fun, uncharismatic host.
• Adam’s intimidating stare to the side camera was great and had me in stitches.
• So many priceless lines here in general. Some of my favorites are Santa breaking into Adam’s house, Gingerbread Man’s house being made of his own flayed skin and the whole eggnog bit.

Rating: ****1/2

We’re Trying

gay couple (host) & (BOY) is trying to have a baby via intercourse

• Oh, no. A Bowen Yang sketch, and as the leadoff of the night? Adam Driver is possibly the only person on this planet that can salvage a sketch from this cast member.
• Surprisingly, this sketch is pretty good and relatable. The slice-of-life atmosphere around it, and the restrained performance from Bowen alongside Adam is enjoyable.
• I love the recurring “aww” bit between Adam & Bowen each time. Them being convinced they can get pregnant without a surrogate is hilarious.
• Showing what an amazing performer he is, Adam is convincing and funny as Bowen’s partner. It is usually cringe seeing a straight guy playing gay, but Adam is one of the only performers around that can make it work.
• The “for us” rambling from Bowen and Adam, as well as the baby coming out of Adam’s ass in a dream are my favorite bits here.
• Pretty good ending. Adam’s last “girrl” was a perfect way to cap this sketch off.
• An overall pretty strong, relatable sketch with lots of great, memorable lines and easily Bowen’s finest sketch performance in what feels like many seasons.

Rating: ****

Old Friends

(MID) learns that his boyhood friend (host) is now rather problematic

• The setting of this short reminds me of that great Lonely Christmas short Kate McKinnon did with Billie Eilish two seasons ago.
• A big laugh from this so-far sentimental short turning bizarre with Adam’s character asking if Finnegan’s is a gay bar, and then wondering if it is a 1000 feet away from a school.
• Mikey Reacts on full display here, but we got a good break from this trope of his that it is working fine for me. It also helps there’s an actual premise to this short and Adam’s performance is pretty strong as always.
• Love Adam’s creepy look to the camera in the Netflix documentary about his character.
• Devon’s look as “Big Filthy” is hilarious and he sounds and looks very unrecognizable.
• Really? The usual plugging of a random product as the ending? At least what came before such a lousy ending was solid enough for me to forget the lazy way this short ended.

Rating: ***1/2

Beep Beep

(host) & (AND) vie for dominance while attempting to park potluck dishes

• James’ different look this season is particularly noticeable to me here. I do not know if it is weight gain or loss, but he looks a lot better nowadays to me.
• Loved Adam’s “let me just go right past ya!” complete with that look of his. Funny seeing such an intimidating, charismatic performer such as Adam playing such a folksy role.
• Hell yes! Not only we are getting a patented oddball Andrew Dismukes sketch, but one pairing him with Adam! This is like a dream of mine coming true. This has been a quietly strong season for Andrew, especially after the very demoralizing underuse of him last season. So, to see him leading such a sketch, alongside Adam Driver himself, feels incredibly rewarding to me as a big champion of his.
• Man, I’m LOVING this sketch. The various “beep beep”-s by Adam and Andrew are hilarious, especially as the sketch gets more and more tense as both confront each other. This piece, in general, feels like a spiritual sequel to the classic Del Taco Shoot from Adam’s previous episode.
• Fantastic sudden tone change, complete with the background music. Adam is legit intimidating here; our very first example in tonight’s episode where Adam gets to showcase his usual intense commitment.
• The whole tense beep beep/car talk between Andrew and Adam is brilliant, especially as the sketch slowly turns into basically a duel talk about beep beep. The Stuart Little/tiny car and “scoot past right ya”-s are some of my favorite lines here.
• The addition of Kenan, intimidating Adam and Andrew with his gun, after saying his beep beep is fine, though the ending could’ve been a little better.
• All-in-all, I loved this sketch. Not only a brilliant display of both absurdist and Andrew Dismukes’ patented humor, but also is a sketch that I can already tell will have such a tremendous replay value for a long, long while. I cannot wait to discover bits here and there that make me appreciate this gem even more.

Rating: *****

ShopTV Christmas

when unwrapped, (host)’s chocolate Santa looks like a penis

• Odd seeing this sketch back after two seasons. While it feels wrong seeing Adam in a piece that could be trotted out with any other host, I can tell he’ll be elevating the material given to him.
• Is SNL kidding me giving James the 10-seconds cutaway treatment as if he’s some featured player? He at least tried to make the most out of scraps, as always.
• The random scream effect both startled me and gave me a solid laugh. Mikey’s reaction to it was equally funny.
• Cheap, cheap laughs from the Phallic shape of the chocolate. While I can tell the sketch will most likely get old, it is Adam’s characterization and performance that are holding it for me.
• Adam trying to gobble down the phallic-shaped chocolate gave me a huge laugh, and the rest of this sketch is certainly fine, better-paced and funnier than the first installment.
• Kenan’s creepy character enjoying Mikey eating the tip gave me another huge laugh. The second segment tonight that Kenan steals after that cold open.

Rating: ***

Musical Performance – “vampire”

Weekend Update

MAH thinks depressed men should be more like women & support each other

CLF & Julia Stiles [real] demo sexy Save The Last Dance street ballet

• The Hunter Biden rant from both Che and Colin isn’t as strong as I would’ve expected. Hell, even the sentence slam against President Biden wasn’t as funny as I expected.
• Ok, the Cuba joke was pretty good. Although, I can see Twitter moms melting down over it.
• Hilarious “Seen Here” joke about Mitch McConnell bringing peanuts into a pre-school cafeteria. Maybe the funniest of these in a pretty long time.
• I saw the Bill Cosby punchline to the McDonald’s joke from a mile away.
• Nice seeing Marcello doing another desk piece. This has been quite the solid year for him in general, so it is nice to see it continue.
• Good topic for this desk piece, with Marcello speaking about depression in men. I’m enjoying this piece more than laughing out loud at it. Marcello is coming off very likable, charming and funny here. The whole robbing banks/“at least, he has a passion” bit was my biggest laugh.
• The string of jokes post the Marcello commentary are fine, but nothing very memorable. I’ll say, however, some of them getting mixed reactions gave me bigger laughs than the actual jokes.
• Chloe Comeback continues through December as she now gets a desk piece. I realized recently that my coverage of Chloe’s run has been a lot more positive than the fan consensus around her, especially after her huge upswing in airtime with the previous season onwards. I think Chloe had a good run as a whole so far, with many shining moments (she was excellent in A Stab At Love, for example, just a few episodes back), but it is her trying to ape other cast members that hurts her more than anything else, such as that god-awful kiln thing she did last episode.
• Amazing how likable and warm Chloe comes off just playing herself. Instead of, like I said, trying to be a cast member she isn’t. This desk piece’s focus on Save the Last Dance is fine, even when it’s beyond dated by now. It at least allows Chloe to display solid physicality for a change.
• Julia Stiles! So nice seeing her back at SNL, considering the very underrated host she was back in season 26. It shows what a great sport she is doing such a silly piece. Sweet seeing her get such a lengthy applause break from the audience, too.
• A decent ending to an overall fun, harmless desk piece.

Rating: ***1/2

Airplane Baby

during his first plane ride, (SRS)’s 11 month-old (host) gets emotional

• Tons of airtime for Sarah in tonight’s episode. I’m more and more getting comfortable seeing Sarah playing these utility roles.
• Speaking of having lots of airtime, Heidi has been quite dominant tonight. Even moreso than usual for her standards these last two seasons with her as the lead female of the cast.
• Great reveal of Adam as a full-grown baby next to Sarah’s seat. This is such a silly, dumb sketch concept, but it is perfect for both Sarah (giving a strong supporting performance) and especially Adam.
• I don’t know why, but Adam calling the iPad “the Peppa Pig device” gave me a big laugh.
• Troast going “baby monster!” unintentionally in reaction to seeing Adam is very funny. Nice seeing Chloe getting a quick solid moment after a cold open that wasted her talents.
• Man, Adam is going all out, complete with tantrums, crying outbursts and lots of baby-esque physicality. He is beyond excellent here and is having me laughing non-stop.
• The whole Teddy Bear sequence, especially as Sarah hides the Teddy Bear is fantastic and so dead-on of toddlers’ behavior; Adam going “he vanished!” when Sarah hides him and then “you killed him you bitch!” the second time had me in stitches.
• Adam in general is killing me throughout this sketch; easily my favorite performance by him this whole episode.
• All-in-all, our second classic sketch of the night. Glad we are getting so many strong showings for Adam this episode.

Rating: *****

Musical Performance – “all-american bitch”

Elder PSA

seniors (KET), (HEG), (host), (PUJ), (JAJ), (MOK) dislike being pranked

• Is this James’ first appearance since pre-Update? Either way, is SNL fucking kidding me underusing this fantastic performer to this degree, and, in an episode hosted by Adam Freakin’ Driver of all hosts? I cannot wait when the vets are out for James to hopefully get the airtime he truly deserves on a regular basis. This up-and-down utilization of his talents is so damn frustrating to witness.
• Moving on…. an ok premise with elders doing a PSA about being pranked for viral TikTok videos.
• I’m not seeing myself laughing much here, outside of the owl possession prank with Punkie. This is nothing bad, but it feels too bloated and directionless to me.
• The cast is doing a fine job playing older people and Adam himself is giving it his all like always, at least.
• I feel so bad for James having his whole bit being basically a cheap visual of him pissing himself. What a waste of his great talents.
• Forgettable, dull piece overall.

Rating: **1/2

Tiny Ass Bag

(MAH), (EGN), (musical guest), (host) tout the low-capacity Tiny Ass Bag

• Are we seriously still doing these types of sketches? The whole goofy, poorly-written attempt at absurdist humor?
• I love Marcello, but seeing him, as a straight guy trying to act “gay,” complete with that getup, is just sad.
• I guess this sketch is an answer to those fans wondering if Ego is leaving the show, considering that she barely did anything in terms of showcases outside of her (great) Jada Pinkett Smith piece two months ago. Ego’s been having, much like several cast members this year, a solid season, but I sure did not miss these types of sketches, and it hurts seeing such a reliable pro like Ego trying to ape Kate & Cecily instead of showcasing her own style of comedy.
• I assume this is a James Anderson-written sketch. Either that, or the wannabes in this current writing staff: Fowlie and O’Sullivan, are behind this one.
• As I expected, the cutaways to Adam are giving me solid laughs and elevating an otherwise tepid sketch. The lines and moments given to him are nothing special on paper, but like the brilliant performer he is, he makes them a lot funnier than they have any right to be. The whole “Tiny Ass Luggage” bit, for example, is making me laugh hard, when it would’ve been the death of comedy if another host delivered it.
• Nice seeing Olivia Rodrigo, coming off effortless as always, in a sketch tonight. I guess the show’s testing waters regarding a possible double duty stint with her either next season or the one after it.

Rating: **1/2

Cut For Time: Actor’s Journey

oddball former apartment neighbors take over actor’s (AND) film presentation

• Andrew always looks more adorable than usual in blonde. He should seriously consider having it as a permanent look.
• Feels odd seeing Adam looking and sounding like that. I don’t think he ever used such a voice before.
• Solid twist with Andrew suddenly being confronted by his apartment’s landlord, as played by Adam.
• Great part with Adam forcing Marcello to sit down, to continue his rant against Andrew. Chloe’s usage in this utility role is also solid; one of the examples showing what an underrated stabilizer to sketches she could be.
• Heidi’s look is hilarious as the other resident from Andrew’s previous apartment building.
• Bowen almost steals this sketch as the gay resident who just got outed by mistake by Andrew. Much like his hilarious bit in that airplane sketch a few episodes before.
• Great absurdist escalation with several oddball residents from Andrew’s apartment building showing up during his film presentation. Andrew is doing a great job being the straight man instead of playing it wild. Yet another example of how criminally underrated Andrew is in general.
• Love the silly ending with Molly showing up as God; their final line delivery was such a perfect way to end this sketch.
• An overall great absurd piece. Shame it got cut and we got that derivative 10-to-1 instead.

Rating: ****

Cut For Time: Court Case

defendant’s (host) case takes a dark turn

• Santa is real! We now get our second cut piece in a row! Adam must’ve pushed for these to get posted online, considering his SNL hosting legend status. If so, kudos to him.
• A quiet start to this sketch; Adam’s acting is bringing a sense of realism to his character. 
• The reveal of Adam’s case being around using the trademarked Thursday Night Football is odd, but it certainly could have potential.
• Oh, it turns out it is not what this case is about, heh. I write these reviews in real-time, so it is funny getting that twist so quickly. 
• Damn, I love how that the tender, emotional speech by Adam at the start of the sketch eventually leads to him being tried for kicking French puppies across a football field, complete with footage of said horrific act. Great buildup towards the sketch’s actual premise.
• Adam is doing an excellent job defending himself and bringing up Ego & Sarah’s jurors; the cutaway to James as Adam’s creepy old dad is great. An actual good use of James’ talents, unlike what we saw in the aired show.
• I love Adam defending his kicking of puppies that they liked it and that he used soft shoes.
• Solid twist with Adam being tricked into believing he got out of it and then being sentenced to prison for animal cruelty. 
• Adorable ending visual of the puppies’ “parents” wishing Adam would fry in jail.

Rating: ****

Goodnights

a bumper marks the passing of Norman Lear

• Wonderful tribute to the legendary Norman Lear. There are just no words that can give Norman justice with all that he did for civil liberties and human rights throughout his career. Rest in peace.

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Beep Beep

Airplane Baby

Monologue

CFT: Court Case

CFT: Actor’s Journey

We’re Trying

Old Friends

Weekend Update

ShopTV Christmas

Elder PSA

Tiny Ass Bag

College Presidents Hearing

Final Thoughts:

• As highly anticipated with Adam hosting, there were some absolutely fantastic Adam Driver-centric pieces in this episode that are surely to be some of my favorite pieces of the whole season, and I loved that all of them were silly, solid, original, fun sketch concepts. Much like Adam’s stellar previous episode. Adam also got mostly well-utilized, stole sketches, elevated others and was given yet another excellent monologue. All-in-all, this was a pretty strong effort as a whole, with barely any real duds and several very memorable, excellent pieces throughout the night. My second favorite show of the year, after the amazing Nate Bargatze episode. Finally, I cannot wait till Adam is back for his well-earned entry into the Five-Timers Club soon.

My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:

• Kate McKinnon returns home with the return of Billie Eilish as the musical guest.

My full set of screencaps from this episode is here