Cold Opening – CNN South Carolina Town Hall
Nikki Haley [real] & others question Donald Trump (JAJ) at a town hall
- The opening with Kenan and Punkie was completely laughless, especially the done-to-death sponsors gag. How the hell is that supposed to be funny?
- As usual with these JAJ-as-Trump cold opens, my issue is with their writing, especially the lengthy monologues that rely on James’ impressive delivery, as well as how blatantly they present Trump as fully self-aware, with him in this cold opening admitting he is a con man towards Michael’s character.
- What the hell was it with Heidi’s bizarrely over-the-top acting during her brief scene, complete with the bug-eyed expression? Desperation for laughs?
- Man, this cold opening is death incarnate so far; not even James could do anything to elevate it. The whole Taylor Swift Midnights analysis is particularly painful to watch.
- Do we really need Kenan and Punkie to comment each time we cut back to them? This reminds me of the terrible, self-aware way SNL used debate/town hall anchors during the previous election-centric cold opens.
- And here comes our “surprise” political cameo of the season, as Nikki Haley shows up out of freakin’ nowhere to question JAJ’s Trump. I could go on a very lengthy rant right now about why I and quite a number of others would/should be unhappy about such a cameo, but this is the same show that had Rudy Giuliani, a racist, fascist thug, on for lengthy cameos and a hosting stint showing what a true savior he was and how much we should all love him and see him as the nation’s mayor, and not to mention a certain former gameshow host/coup leader twice, so I’ll just move on from this point to the rest of the cold open.
- I feel for James having to participate in this beyond overplayed corny habit of SNL cameos “confronting” either their impersonator or their rival on the show.
- Boy, so painful to watch James going back-and-forth with Haley, especially how smug Nikki’s written lines are coming off, especially the one about needing some money due to his legal fees. Haley’s delivery is fine for a non-actor, but this pandering and her trying to come off “hip” and “can take a joke” is so pathetic and unfunny to me.
- How the hell do you have our host tonight in a very rare appearance in the cold open and not have her deliver the LFNY? Did we really need Haley to deliver it?
- All-in-all, this cold open was just sad. A real lowlight from this season, between the endless number of unfunny, self-aware lines, the lack of any satire or point to be made, and not to mention the “badass” way it pandered to Nikki Haley.
Rating: *
Monologue
former stand-up host shares some of her misbegotten SNL sketch ideas
- Ayo is already coming off so likable and her genuine emotion and gratitude for being on SNL for the first time is delightful.
- Unlike some other monologues, Ayo’s mentioning of her personal background and career history makes sense here, and is actually mentioning them with some jokes that are well-delivered by Ayo.
- I love the turn with Ayo reading a packet of sketch ideas she once written for SNL and didn’t submit. This is a fun premise for a monologue and Ayo’s delivery and presence is making it work so well.
- I swear that (funny) catchphrase Ayo’s repeating is one I probably heard before. That or maybe I’m just being reminded of typical catchphrases on sketch shows in the past.
- Surprised by how quickly this monologue ended, but I guess that’s only a strong sign of how effortless Ayo would come off as the host.
Rating: ****
Why’d You Say It?
contestants admit their Instagram comment motivations
- I really enjoyed the first time SNL did this sketch, back during the season 47 Jake Gyllenhaal episode, but I’m not sure it can work out a second time.
- Kenan is even better this time than last as the gameshow host, and the performances, escalations and writing is quite solid from all involved. I especially enjoyed the song turn with Chloe, who’s always likable and underrated in such roles.
- Man, I absolutely loved Ayo’s delivery mentioning her past comments on a podcast making fun of JLo, considering she ended up being paired with her on tonight’s episode. This is easily the strongest individual for me so far tonight.
- For a sequel to a sketch I thought won’t recur, this was really solid and helped even further by some strong work from all involved.
Rating: ***1/2
Dune Popcorn Bucket
teens (MAH) & (host) will lose their virginity to the Dune popcorn bucket
- I’m not really getting a good feeling from this short, not even half a minute into it. I guess right from the way it’s being shot, with the unnecessarily dark grading, it’s going to not work for me.
- And here we get the “hilarious” twist with the short turning about Marcello singing about that viral Dune popcorn bucket. Meh.
- As I stated in a previous review, as a raspy-voiced, heavily-accented person myself, I cannot sing, and certainly not Marcello, especially that he isn’t really adding any comedic touches or quirks with his vocals nor expressions during this tepid, seemingly non-ending musical number of his.
- None of these visuals are working for me, and a lot of this short is only resting on Marcello’s looks and natural charisma. Trying to create our next Pete Davidson, SNL? Just sad. This is another overly-familiar piece that aims to be there to chase trends and soon to be forgotten.
- I am very surprised to be informed that this short is the handiwork of Bulla/Castillo, as both are some of the stronger, more consistent writers currently on the show and produced some true gems in the past. A shame after two strong weeks back-to-back for Steven, we get a rare miss with this soulless short.
- Very poor utilization of James Austin Johnson’s talents here.
- (*Blood looks at his watch mere seconds after this short ended*) yep, already forgotten about it.
Rating: *1/2
Drugs on Campus
melodramatic (MID) & (host) have zero tolerance for (AND)’s microdosing
- Heh, a sketch based in UCI. Nice to see my former school represented on SNL!
- Freakin’ Mikey Day as a teenager?! Come the hell on with this, SNL.
- Eh at Mikey freaking out, complete with his usual delivery of “Oh my God!” This role of Mikey’s feels very been-there-done-that to me; even his random outburst did nothing for me and Freaked Out Mikey usually slays me.
- Ayo is at least coming off really solid, especially enjoyed her quick moment next to the garbage.
- Andrew and the rest are fine enough, but Mikey’s yelling and freak-outs are not working for me, despite still not being over him as many SNL fans seem to be this season. This sketch is not horrible, but with Mikey being replaced by another performer, some edits to the script and better pacing would’ve improved this for me.
Rating: **1/2
New York Morning News
news reporter’s (BOY) meet-cute search yields only unromantic backstories
- Heh, I find it very funny how many, many anchors/presenters Bowen has played by this stage of his tenure. I guess his style of delivery just fits these easily.
- Bowen is getting quick laughs from the audience by just delivering the typical corny anchor lines.
- A full cast piece and the premise of a Valentine’s Day report outside of 30 Rock is promising enough.
- Some decent laughs from the various couples being interviewed, even when most of the interviews are just fine enough, but I did get a big guilty laugh from the interview with Punkie being married in a cult.
- So cute seeing Martin getting quick applause from the audience; Ego’s quick line about the rent keeping them together is funny.
- Man, yet another episode with James basically vanishing after being front-and-center in the cold opening. Why does the show keeps underutilizing this brilliant performer? He should be getting solid airtime on a weekly basis being a backbone to sketches.
- The ending with Bowen and Marcello is alright and has a sweet feel to it, though I got annoyed by the audience’s “Whoo!”-s during it. I guess they expected a “shocking” and “hilarious” turn with both cast members making out or something.
Rating: ***
Musical Performance – “Can’t Get Enough” ft. Latto and REDMAN
Weekend Update
COJ breaks down NFL/Taylor Swift discourse
COJ learns that 18 year-old audience member (SRS) is his illegitimate son
- Heh, I got a solid laugh from the opening joke about President Biden.
- As expected, I’m really enjoying the breakdown of the MAGA NFL/Taylor Swift conspiracy, especially Colin’s very solid breakdown of the many things MAGA hates; the clip of MAGA’s dear leader dancing with the pedophile Epstein is both hilarious and fucked up.
- Solid Obama white half joke from Che. The reaction from audience to his jokes always tickles me.
- The Nikki Haley/grumpy old men joke is the usual groaner that always works for me from Che.
- Loved the Suits spin-off joke, as the “unemployed immigrant” Prince Harry punchline is both very funny and accurate
- Man, the audience’s reaction to the Jackie Robinson joke being about police shooting him was already funny, but Che’s reaction to the audience’s shock was excellent.
- Meh. Yet another Roast Jost piece from Sarah? Really? I still like Sarah in general, but her wasting time doing the beyond overplayed routine of hers while other underused cast members’ better and more interesting pieces possibly getting cut feels plain wrong.
- Sarah is coming off so likable as always, but I’m not caring for this, despite the (very lively) audience reacting well. I will admit, however, the soft focus, complete with soap-esque lighting cracked me up.
- Ah, I got such a warm smile by the end of this Update with Sarah hugging Chloe as we fade to black. Still, this unfortunately makes Sarah 2-for-2 in terms of desk pieces not working for me with her this season.
Rating: ***1/2
Trivia Quest
quizmaster (EGN) assists her favorite contestant (host)
- Wow, not only we are getting two gameshow sketches tonight, but with Ego playing the host this time. Also, I wonder when will they have JAJ return to the role, as the writers seem to have leaned on him for such later on last season, alongside Bowen, as resident gameshow hosts.
- Big flub from Ego as she calls Sarah by Ayo’s character name, but corrects herself with a decent ad-lib. I also liked Ayo’s subtle ad-lib when Ego calls her by her name she just called Sarah.
- Meh at the reveal of the comedic conceit behind this sketch, with Ego and Ayo bonding over being alums of the same school. Such a retread of an ages-old comedic trope. And I’ve seen it being done better before.
- I’m not too crazy about how Ayo’s been utilized so far tonight, with her now playing her second gameshow contestant role. And, unlike the previous time, she really doesn’t get here a standout moment or two to show off her talents.
- Why in the world is Mikey Day cast in this role? Unlike some fans, I’m not over Mikey and he’s had some solid moments this year, but sketches like this, as well as his annoying performance in that UCI sketch, shows he truly has no place on the current show.
- Like a lot of her prior sketches that did not work for me, I sense some desperation from Ego as this sketch keeps going on. I hate to say it, but with this being the third piece Ego does the last few episodes that fell flat with me, as well as how she seems to really have lost the flair a lot of her early work had, it seems that Ego’s best days on the show are far behind her.
Rating: **1/2
The Elevator
stuck passengers seize opportunity to create new society
- Quite an interesting, rather random pairing of performers in this short.
- I’m absolutely not caring at all for this short as soon as the “hooking up“ premise has been established. Bowen, Ayo and the rest of the performers are doing a good job performing the material, but this is such a scant premise that cannot be sustained over a full-length piece.
- I’m all in for random, absurdist humor, but even for me, that whole ending sequence is a whole bunch of WTF?! for me to take. At least Sarah in that Marilyn Monroe getup seemed to be a subtle reference to the great Mary Gross sketch as her way back in the Ebersol era. She’s wearing the same exact outfit as well. An SNL nerd such as me appreciates such an Easter egg, even if it’s not intentional.
Rating: **
School Hypnotist
hypnotist (AND) gives teen boy (host) an excuse to come out as bisexual
- After getting wasted for what seems like an endless amount of sketches in a row, Ayo finally gets to display her comedic chops as the major focus of a sketch.
- This is a bit obvious, but I can tell Ayo’s look here is inspired by Julia Sweeney’s Pat, especially the hair and glasses.
- A bit of a questionable premise to base a sketch on, but this sketch seems to be a performance piece for Ayo to nail, and her performance is fantastic; completely elevating this sketch for me and making the tired trope of straight characters reacting to an oddball one come off fresh due to the execution.
- The ending with Ayo and then Troast singing did not work for me as much as I hoped it would, but it somehow feels fitting to end this offbeat sketch.
Rating: ***1/2
Musical Performance – “This Is Me… Now”
The People’s Court – Bad Hair Day
(host) sues over a haircut that exposed her brain
- No comment about SNL doing a People’s Court sketch in 2024. Also, apparently, this sketch is based on a viral video that’s been circulating online (and I certainly didn’t stumble upon it), so again: no comment.
- Considering her airtime struggles ever since December, it’s nice to see Ego starring in another sketch, but I had hoped the material would be stronger.
- A big laugh from the gruesome visual of Ayo’s brain being clearly seen. It reminds me of a particularly graphic scene from Hannibal (which SNL parodied in the Ray Romano episode from season 28).
- This sketch is getting too loud and fast-paced for me to keep up with it and get some of the jokes, but I did get a good laugh from Ayo’s line about her memories blowing away from her brain when it’s windy outside.
- The performances and general atmosphere of this sketch is very likable, especially Devon and Kenan’s performances (great night for Kenan, BTW), as they as well as the rest of the performers here are making this sketch a little better than it is.
Rating: **1/2
Goodnights
- No tribute for Carl Weathers? Really, SNL?
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
Monologue
Why’d you say it?
School Hypnotist
Weekend Update
New York Morning News
The People’s Court – Bad Hair Day
Drugs on Campus
Trivia Quest
The Elevator
Dune Popcorn Bucket
CNN South Carolina Town Hall
Final Thoughts:
- My continuing gradual disinterest and boredom with this group of performers and writers seems to have reached a peak, as I found most of this episode to be a complete bore. Keep in mind, I didn’t find this episode to be outright horrible, but just extremely…. dull. There were, of course, a few highlights, but even with them, there was a high number of flops which were mostly, once again tonight, plain dull. (I do not understand how this season had such a consistently strong first half to start rapidly going downhill in its second half – was that first half just a fluke?) So many retreads, laziness (that Mikey sketch and [especially] the awful Dune pretape, lookin’ at ya), as well as further evidence of how poor a cast this crop of performers continue to prove themselves to be for me. Anyways, to say something positive tonight, Ayo Edebiri gave A+ performances from beginning to end and tried her best to elevate what’s given to her, especially how many of her parts in this episode felt like a waste of her talents.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- After being fired before making his on-air debut, Shane Gillis returns to 8H as the host, with music from 21 Savage.
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
Shane about to
Have episode of the year the comeback is real, also nice review gang
I may have misheard, but in the UCI sketch, weren’t they supposed to be grad students?
This wasn’t as *bad* as the last couple of weeks–Ayo was really funny and game, the sketch pacing was solid, and the audience seemed lively, but it did have the worst moment of any of them and the season with Nikki Haley’s cameo.
Look, I get that sometimes you have to play for clicks or buzz and put despicable people on TV. I don’t approve, but I understand the logic. What I don’t approve of or even understand is when you don’t even try to tell any jokes when you do so. The sketch from the moment Haley entered was just reinforcing all of her points and mocking Trump (but not in a funny way). Even the zinger about slavery came off as Haley winking how she goofed but all is forgiven now. Like when the real Sarah Palin was on there were at least attempts at actual jokes and Palin came off as fairly self-deprecating.
Like…why not put Haley as the surprise guest on “Why’d You Say That?” and roast her further there. She can still rehab her image somewhat but there can be more humor at her expense in the build-up. If Haley insisted on only doing that puff piece opener, then the show should have told her to buzz off (at the risk of offending no one, since nobody is that passionate about Nikki Haley).
I typed up my comment in my notes app before the review dropped so I could copy and paste, but looking at how negative you were in the review, mine is just completely opposite, so I’m just gonna give a short re-review.
I actually really liked this episode, I’m sorry. I think it’s a return to form after two episodes that felt sub par for this season (still liked Dakota episode though)
I didn’t hate the Dune pretape, probably because it didn’t know it was a viral thing.
I honestly just liked everything tonight more than you did to be honest. The one exception was the Classroom sketch.
I really liked the UCI sketch and Mikey’s performance didn’t really bother me.
I’m also still not annoyed at Marcello the way you are right now.
The Nikki Haley cameo was unnecessary, that’s all I’m saying about that.
I’m sorry if other people didn’t like this episode, but I really liked it. Ayo was also great, and I thought the show utilized her well for the most part.
6.8/10
“I’m also still not annoyed at Marcello the way you are right now.”
I do not dislike Marcello, but the show’s clear attempt to make him their next Pete Davidson, as well as creating a “star” out of him so quickly rubs me off the wrong way and is not the way to move forward with the show; being so focused on making “stars” and a new caste system instead of building a solid, versatile cast is coming off more and more blatant ever since last season, and especially returning with full-force this back half thus far.
As for the Dune pretape, I think I made it clear why it didn’t work for me, as it was so hollow, nakedly desperate for attention and going viral. I’m also pretty much over these hollow, soulless pieces.
Please understand that everything I write in these reviews is just my opinion on a silly sketch comedy show, with these reviews being written for fun. Even *I*, as the creator of this site, do not take these episodes that seriously in the end.
Alright, sry for making things kinda weird. It just feels weird for me when opinions differentiate. Thanks for being understanding about it 👍
Absolutely no need to apologize, Nylan. I just wanted to make it clear that it’s OK for you, or anybody else to disagree with my takes, as these are our opinions at the end. Thanks for understanding.
Nylan, don’t even apologize for having an opinion! Humor is entirely subjective and I hate the elitism that people sometimes have towards someone liking something that they don’t (not saying Blood or anyone else here is doing that, I mean in general).
I also want to mention that this was the first time that Sarah’s bullshit worked for me.
Once again, great review as always from you Blood and always appreciate the hard work and effort you put into these!
This is a weird episode for me. On the one hand, I felt the writing was, at best, just a mild step up from the previous two weeks. On the flip side, Ayo was a MUCH better host than Jacob and Dakota. Her total 110% commitment as well as her genuine enthusiasm and likability really elevated a lot of the material. I feel that her joy rubbed off on the cast, crew and audience as well. It really felt like everyone was genuinely into the show in a way that wasn’t apparent in the Jacob and Dakota episodes. The whole show seemed to have a fun, party vibe. All of the ingredients were there for a classic episode…except for the writing.
This essentially meant that the sketches lived or died depending on what Ayo was able to do. When she was able to stretch her wings (ex. Why’d You Say It?, Drugs on Campus, School Hypnotist, People’s Court), it worked. When she was just kind of “there” like with the Dune Popcorn Bucket or the cold open, it didn’t really work.
There are two notable disagreements I have with you: Sarah’s Update piece and Ego’s performance in Trivia Quest. While I fully understand you being burnt out on Sarah’s roasting of Colin, for me, this had just enough of a unique twist and bend to it that worked. The “Cats in the Cradle” angle was pretty funny, as were the potshots about him and Scarlett. Plus, as you pointed out, Sarah’s just so darn likable in these pieces that it’s hard to really be down on them.
While I agree that the Trivia Quest piece was nothing special (a classic case where you can see where things are going as soon as the joke is revealed), I felt Ego did very well in this, maybe her best performance all year. Although granted, that’s not really saying much. Still, I liked how she played off that flub and you could feel the great chemistry between her and Ayo in both this and People’s Court. It felt like Ego was truly committed and lively for once, which is sadly pretty rare this season.
All in all, this is a weird one for me to rate. I can’t say it’s great, but I can’t really say it’s bad either (outside of a couple of lowlights like the cold open). I suppose this just barely managed to be “good enough”, but I’m really grading on a curve thanks to Ayo. She was an INSANELY good host who fit perfectly into the ensemble and really felt like a veteran cast member. She really elevated the material (especially the Hypnotist sketch) and helped give the episode that fun vibe. One thing I’m sure of: I really hope she comes back and hosts soon!
I agree that SNL pulls punches with the political hosts. Also the last time there were two game show bits in one episode was when Garth Brooks hosted in 1998, with Old French Whore and Who’s More Grizzled?
This is a prime example of how a game host can make a difference. Writing wise this wasn’t that strong of an episode but Ayo’s enthusiasm and commitment elevated the material.
I also have to disagree about Sarah’s segment. I totally get being burnt out on her roasting Colin and I didn’t love the one she did earlier this season. But dammit if she didn’t make me laugh. I also just love Jost’s and Sarah’s chemistry. She is like the Bugs Bunny to his Elmer Fudd. I love when Sarah is an agent of chaos and whenever the show let’s her be that. For some reason this one also had a tinge of sweetness it. You can tell they have a good relationship outside of the show.
Also I wish they would use JAJ to his full potential. He should be the glue of this cast.
I saw someone saying it’s rare that an episode which is not bad makes them so angry. I would probably agree with that, although I’m less angry and more incredibly fatigued. This type of episode is nothing new for SNL, but that’s exactly why it’s so fatiguing – at a time when the show seems to have no idea what it wants to be or where it wants to go, seeing them lurch backward into their starfucking politicians era is incredibly demoralizing. I have rarely seen such lavish attention paid to a politician who has no past relationship with the show and also has zero chance of winning anything beyond a trip to Mar-a-lago to beg Trump’s forgiveness. It’s pathetically subservient for no apparent reason, aside from assuming that someone at NBC loves her and is hoping to get her on another one of their failing news shows.
I am seeing this episode getting torn apart in a way I haven’t seen since the Elon episode, and it’s an episode that essentially exposes SNL’s underbelly – using new, buzzed-about artists to launder tired old content. Using Ayo, who is extremely big with a very online and leftist group of people at the moment, to do so was a great way to have them broadcast all of the tedious, nakedly desperate content we have become numb to (like that Dune short).
I’ve seen some fans talking about how Ayo is sure to host multiple times, but if I were her, I’d question why in the world I’d ever want to go back to SNL. They had her (and I know she wasn’t forced to do this) go out there and, in her very first moment being introduced to SNL viewers, help to soft-sell Haley, who “joked” about deporting an African-American senator, downplayed racism and slavery, and so on. In today’s world, where people are still proclaiming they will boycott Timothee Chalamet’s next trip outside because of his appearance in a PDD short, this is probably going to follow her around for a long time. If I were one of her fans I’d be pissed.
As I have no real awareness of her beyond a few clips, I can say that I thought she made a good impression with the energy and commitment she brought through the night, but I don’t think she got anything that truly made her stand out. The closest was probably the classroom sketch, but that sketch was so jumbled, I couldn’t go beyond a mildly positive response. The first game show sketch seemed to get a negative response, but that was the other moment I thought she had the material which most let her shine.
As someone who was a fan of much of Ego’s run on the show up to mid-season 48, and still enjoy at times, I was happy she got more airtime this week, but that game show sketch didn’t work for me. After seeing how much praise it received, I decided to rewatch, and it still didn’t work for me. I’m not going to say, “thank you for sharing my opinion,” but I’m glad you expressed many of the reasons why this didn’t connect. Beyond how frantic Ego’s work seemed, the material itself (essentially another joke of very white Mikey being stuffy and out of touch) felt 2-3 seasons old. Making matters worse is this is the type of material which Ego put across effortlessly in those years. I can’t say that now. Ego, similar to Heidi, has a certain sense of frailty hanging over her work now which I have a hard time describing, and an even harder time watching, although I still think she has some good individual moments. I would not say this was one of them.
I appreciate how positive you still are about Mikey, as he can be over hated at times, but that anti-drug sketch, which mostly seemed to confuse viewers as far as I saw, was the best example yet of why he should have left last season.
I did enjoy this Jost Roast more than I expected, due to Jost’s increased involvement and the more lighthearted elements, so that’s one positive.
I know that the show probably isn’t going to improve until after the 50th, if at all, and even “improvement” is qualified with SNL, but knowing this and sitting through week after week of a show that no longer seems to be able to construct a basic sketch and which can’t even accomplish the laziest trawling in pop culture for viral views are something else entirely.
I’ve long said that I watch the show more for history, narratives, and some fan discussions than because of the show itself, and that’s never been true than it is now. Your reviews are a key reason of why I still bother. Thanks.
I don’t think it’s completely wrong to have anger, frustration or disappointment at SNL right now. I just think people should sort out how much of that is directed at this episode or the one we haven’t seen yet this month.
Are we aiming just a small portion of our frustrations on this episode just for the Nikki Haley moment alone or for the writers for saddling someone as transcendent and brilliant a host as Ayo proved to be with such tired worn out premises?
Is the majority of it just directed at the show in general for booking Shane Gillis as a host right now or for not learning ANY FUCKING THING from the last time they “platformed” a presidential candidate (GOP or otherwise) during a time when the primaries were still ongoing?
Thankfully, I have yet to see any frustration or blame placed squarely on Ayo for anything she did in this episode, just disappointment on her behalf for one particular thing she was made to do.
Anyway, great review, Blood! Keep it up! You seem a little Hardee on the cast as a whole than me, but I can at least see where you are coming from.
@John I bet the only reason Mikey’s still on the show, is because of the Writers’ Strike; not because *he* wants to still be there, but because of the Writers’ Strike.
“dull” is actually the perfect word to describe what this episode was. After two hosts who failed with more challenging material, they gave someone who can handle that type of writing an easy episode just to get to the break. I do think Ayo should host again because she was fun but I’m hoping its with a different set of writers who re not are not as frustrated with the SNL writing process after so many years
“So close!”
That was what I said after the anti-drug sketch and its probably a good summary of the episode as a whole. It was so close to executing its ideas, so close to harnessing its host’s talent and likability, so close doing interesting things. And yet…not quite. What can you say? In the SNL-as-sports-team analogy, this episode was like a struggling team losing games that they really ought to be winning. Moral victories we call them.
Now “moral” is a loaded word right now. Is SNL bad for welcoming Nikki Haley on for a little apologia? As a Canadian, I feel a little out of the loop on this one, though I did notice that Seth Meyers’ recent “A Closer Look” segments have been really gentle to Haley…perhaps something is afoot. Then again, SNL has a long history of welcoming on rat bastard politicians on (yeah, even Liberal ones). It’s all a part of the disgusting game that the show has been playing since Season 1 (with host Ron Nesson!). I’m not one to be overly aggravated by this stuff. It’s not great sketch comedy, but I’ll leave the moral hand-wringing for those who traffic in moral hand-wringing.
Oh, but I will talk about Shane Gillis! I noticed many in the SNL community expressing confusion of who, exactly, an episode of SNL (“neoliberal clapterbait”) hosted by Shane Gillis (“racist, alt-right edgelord”) would even be for. Well, I’m here to say I resent the Carson erasure. I will 100% cop to Gillis’ vocal online fanbase being extremely annoying douchebag trolls (Norm had the same problem), which Gillis himself has lamented. But I would also note that I have observed the anti-Gillis crowd arguing in extreme bad faith. Bad faith about who Gillis is, bad faith about what Gillis said, bad faith about Gillis’ tone and perspective. The truth is, I think Gillis might be the best working standup today and is full value for this hosting gig. Yes, he is a little transgressive, but he is also extremely self-aware – the joke is on him and his identity more often then not. Anyway, I’m just trying to say…it’s going to be ok. The episode has a high high potential. Keep your mind open and just take a break from considering your role in the culture war.
OK, back to the show. I liked Sarah’s bit on Update. I don’t think they’ve overdone it. It’s a repeating bit with legs and full marks to Sarah and the writers for changing up the approach.
I also thought the hypnotist sketch was very good.
There you go, that’s it.
I know you that know, Carson, how I feel about Shane’s comedy, but to those who are still thinking about how I’ll cover him in the upcoming review, so to make it clear and simple to you all: I’ll strictly be reviewing Shane on the show, period. It also happens that I actually watched a lot of his sketch and stand-up work already and found some of it to be very solid, and in fact, a flavor SNL could’ve benefited from, but that’s a talk for another day.
Seeing how underwhelmed I’ve been with this back half (though only Elordi came off to me bad; the other two were just average as a whole), having a comedian with a unique style like Shane, might make his episode a major highlight from this season, such as how the Chappelle episode was, to me, probably last season’s best.
I cannot wait to eventually cover that episode, or any episodes with challenging hosts that might not, as a whole, adhere to my own personal ethos, comedically or opinion-wise.
You can’t convince me People’s Court was a Squirm written sketch.
Edit: Wasn’t
The SNL episode that had the Hannibal sketch was with Ray Liotta, not Ray Romano.