SNL49 Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Overall Thoughts on the Season:

Season 49, as a whole, was a pretty good year for the show. A bit unpredictable, yes, especially what was to me a bit of an up-and-down back half, coming after a consistently strong first half, though it had enough average-to-strong shows to make it a good back half. Yet, its unpredictability, to me, was more often than not, in a good way, as I did not expect the Kristen Wiig-hosted episode to be as strong as it was, or to have an episode, here being the Nate Bargatze one, to smoke entire recent seasons’ finest efforts with its consistently fantastic quality. I seem to be in the minority of preferring this season over the prior one, but I think it didn’t have as much pandering and pushing of “stars” with the most tepid material (which now seems to be on Update this year, and we’ll get there soon), as well as several cast members being so shut-out as the prior season had, as well as just more standout, strong episodes and sketches.

Season 49 was a fun, silly season that aimed more often than not to just make us laugh, instead of lecturing or wanting us to be “amazed” by the incredible stars its supposedly has. And the shutting out of endless, aimless social commentary that has no jokes or actual points to be made, as well as Yas Kween sketches, was another positive aspect that I appreciated from 49, even when it’s partly, I feel, due to NBC/SNL itself trying to court more and more viewers from the right (and we will get there in a moment). You would be also pleased to know that I enjoyed this season as a whole to the point where it absolutely revived my interest in reviewing after being demoralized to a great extant by the worst elements of Season 48, to the point that I hopefully can see this blog going a decade in the future, as it brought back that unpredictable edge and hidden gems to be found I always love to get while watching SNL, amongst other fun factors, and great arcs to watch, such as the comeback of Andrew Dismukes and the continued rise of James Austin Johnson into being that beloved, essential Glue of the show.

The flow of the episodes was more consistent than in Season 48, with an impressive number of strong, memorable sketches and standout episodes in both halves of the season. With that being said, both seasons are still in the range of having one or two things missing from them in order to be really great, and do represent, in their weaker episodes, a show on autopilot, much like how I felt of Seasons 35-37 and 44-46 did. However, I feel season 49 as a whole is definitely a season I had a lot of fun watching and reviewing, especially that what hit with it was absolutely fantastic (as we shall see several paragraphs down this post), and what flopped badly for me, was thankfully minimum, and a lot of the weaker material had a ho-hum, meh feel instead of anger-inducing.

The season, however, was not flawless, as we got the major decline of pre-tapes, as well as Weekend Update over the course of the year; both segments were routinely regarded as the most consistent factor of the show during the prior era, and now seem something, at times, to dread. The quality of pretapes became so wildly hit-or-miss as soon as we got into the December run of shows, with either overlong, one-joke shorts beating its same point to the ground (e.g. The Hitman, We Got Too High, etc.), or just plain desperate in its search for laughs (e.g. Dune Popcorn Bucket, The Elevator, The Anomalous Man, etc.) We still did get some standout, excellent shorts in both halves of the season, with some of them feeling SO out-of-the-norm with modern-day SNL in the best possible way (e.g. The Age of Discovery, Shrimp Tower), as well as ones delving into old-tropes, between sentimental (Can You Pick Me Up), musical (Lake Beach, Get That Boy Back) and satirical (A Stab At Love, Bowen’s Straight) and coming out of it triumphant and providing genuine laughs and entertainment. Even PDD had their finest run of shorts, in my opinion, since their rookie year, with especially being so self-deprecating in a clever, likable way (Roast) or tackling hot topics in a creative, silly fashion (AI). As for Update… sigh.

I was a big defender of Che & Jost over the past two seasons prior to this one, being genuinely surprised at how some fans seem so over them, but with this season, besides a few solid-to-strong Updates spread through the first half or so of the season, their Updates mostly became serviceable, before dropping further and further through the back half into becoming pretty much unwatchable by the final two months. And to say nothing of the horrid quality of desk pieces, especially as I did not like a SINGLE desk piece throughout the back half, till Kristen Wiig brought back Aunt Linda out of the mothballs, and a solid character piece by Heidi in the penultimate episode of the season. The rest? Besides a few where I enjoyed a part or two (e.g. Tarot Reader, Truman Capote, Tim Scott, etc.), ranged from mediocre to downright horrible, in particular the overload of an endless rotation of “star” cast members dressing up in goofy outfits in order to go viral, with Marcello being the biggest culprit of this desperate stunt, and Sarah Sherman being right after him. It is clear that NBC or SNL itself is trying to court new viewers from the right, and while that is in theory probably a reasonable idea, the way they are trying to do it with such pieces, as well as having a cavalcade of unfunny, toothless “both sides” jokes is not the way to do it, nor is it a good way to appeal to anybody as far as I know. I cannot even imagine how further downhill Update could go next season, as it pretty much reached death zone status by the homestretch of this year.

And finally, as for the cast, while I previously pretty much trashed most of them, I do not actually hate them as individual performers, and two of them, Devon & Michael, actually improved this year, particularly the former. The thing is, it is obvious so much of this cast will be either fired or depart post-50. So, we should be having a solid backbone for post that season, right? Well, we do have a fantastic utility player in James Austin Johnson, who’s rightfully being utilized in such a capacity, despite an overstuffed cast, as well as a secret weapon in Andrew Dismukes – easily the MVP of the year for me, and a promising, versatile newbie in Chloe Troast. Of the rest of the newer group? Well, Punkie and Molly are beyond invisible, to no fault of their own, Marcello and Sarah ran their course with me (more on them later in this post, of course). So, if the show returns to hiring actual sketch performers that can work well together (and actually act, like how JAJ, Andrew and Troast do in sketches), instead of the group of individual voices that this current cast is, then we could possibly be looking at a stellar cast for hopefully a new Golden Age for SNL.

All-in-all, this season is one I feel will age better and better, considering the pressure on it as that season before the big anniversary. It had, of course, its flaws, as expressed above, but I’m proud to say that I had mostly a blast reviewing it, and even came around Bowen and Heidi in many of the episodes! They were thankfully not as heavily shoved down our throats as last season and were given fun sketch roles by the homestretch of the year, especially Bowen, who cracked me the hell up in the last two runs of the season especially. The over-the-top negative discourse around the writing of this season comes off to me absurd, as frankly the show always had its structural/supervision issues since the time Adam McKay left, but besides a few usual suspects in this writing staff, as well as trying to trot out old, unused sketches/concepts, we got a rather large number of fun, silly, solid sketch concepts in many episodes this season (and we shall see many of them highlighted in my favorite moments of the season portion of this post) that remind me of what SNL can bring at its best, such as the very fun, silly material in the Nate Bargatze, Kristen Wiig and (gasp!) Shane Gillis episodes. Episodes like these, that defy odds and skeptics, are why I go back to this silly, dumb sketch comedy show over and over, not matter how it frustrated me at times, and I hope I go back to it and review it, chat about it and even rant about it for quite a long while from now.

The Cast Breakdown:

Kenan: Certainly the performer with the biggest improvement for me this season, compared to where he was last year. Kenan, this year, despite odd usage of him at times, with utilizing his usual goofy/hammy tendencies from his earlier seasons (though in the Josh Brolin and Maya Rudolph episodes, he cracked me the hell up), was very reliable and as fun as ever – a major downturn from the desperation he (as well as others) displayed during the prior season. And, on the Ayo Edebiri and the aforementioned Maya Rudolph episode, did a great job in being a major highlight and fun presence (especially his “Glue” use in the former), as well as a return to his excellent straight man skills (such as in “Chef Showdown” and “Washington’s Dream”), all provided Kenan with a pretty solid, fun season that is one of his finest in several seasons. If he is leaving after the upcoming season (and I’m betting 90% he is), and keeps it up, then he is leaving on such a high.

And a new feature I am introducing in my cast breakdowns for this season and future ones….

Season Highlights: “Chef Showdown” & “Washington’s Dream” (Bargatze), “Boogie Woogie Santa” (McKinnon), the Ayo Edebiri episode in general, “Erin Brockovich” (Gosling) “Monologue” & “Can You Pick Me Up” (Rudolph)

Che/Jost: I’ve already spoken of the decline of Update this season, and the same could be said of Colin and Che. I mean, I do not hate these two guys, but it is beyond clear that the ship has sailed with them. Several Updates this season felt so tired, half-assed and predictable (and not just the overload of awful goofy outfit pieces), but even how Che and Colin would act in them, between Che’s anger-inducing “genuine” reaction to the audience to his jokes, and Colin’s deadpan stares falling flat due to being overdone. Of course, both had standout jokes here and there, but it boggles the mind why Lorne didn’t let them leave two or three seasons prior. 

Mikey: I’ve been getting saltier and saltier with Mikey as this season continued. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think Mikey was BAD this year and he definitely had some strong moments throughout the year; it’s just clear he has reached his peak with the prior two seasons and really didn’t offer anything new this season in his lead roles, between doing the overdone “Mikey Reacts” in that “Old Friends” short (though it was still pretty good), as well as giving several deflated, tired performances, particularly in the back half. I know he is staying clearly as a favor to Lorne, and with now the Biden role in his pocket, he is on at least till the first half of S50 is done, so I sure hope Mikey gives me some of the moments I loved from him (he was very fun in “La Maison Du Bang!” for example), and phase himself out; bowing out gracefully for others to take over.

Season Highlights: “Airplane” (Bargatze), “Gym Call” (Chalamet), “Masters of the Pen” (Momoa), “Home Videos” (Johnson), “Gump” (Gillis), “La Maison Du Bang!” (Wiig), “British Cavemen” & “Lanzetti’s Lawn Care” (Rudolph)

Heidi: Much like her prior season, Heidi had a solid year in utility work (and rightfully being used as such, after years of endless bland roles in live sketches as third or fourth fiddle to others), but a hit-or-miss one in showcases. Compared to last season, I would say this year is an improvement for Heidi, even when she unfortunately had some weak pieces here and there. And, I hate to say it, some of these pieces have an off-putting, punching down, sexist vibes to me (e.g. “Woman Who Is Aging Gracefully”, “Bank Robbery”), despite the expected commitment and strong performance from Heidi. I blame Fowlie, the James Anderson wannabe writer for why Heidi’s lead work has declined this much, as he seems to not understand her strengths as a performer and sees her commitment as an excuse for hamminess. Still, Heidi had lots of standout moments this year (as we shall see in a bit), as she delivered a great straight man work in “Gym Call” as well as an underrated, strong commercial pitchman performance in the CFT “Paperless Post.” The latter makes me wonder, between it and the Wing Pit piece last season, why this current era isn’t utilizing her more often in such roles. And, after a string of terrible-to-middling desk pieces, Heidi gave me what I feel is her best desk piece since Season 46, with a priceless turn in “A Woman Who Insists She’s Not Mad.” Anyways, with next season most likely her last, I hope Heidi can surprise me with a few stellar moments and end her run as a whole on a good note. 

Season Highlights: “Airplane” (Bargatze), “Gym Call” (Chalamet), “Paperless Post” (McKinnon), “Church on Vacation” (Gillis), “People Pleaser Support Group” (Brolin) “TBS March Madness” & “Pilates” (Wiig), “Get That Boy Back” (Gosling), “A Woman Who Insists She’s Not Mad” (Rudolph)

Ego: To not repeat myself more than I already I am, this season I think is an improvement for Ego over the last. Yes, it is not as “big” for her like last season, with her really tapering off hard in airtime over its homestretch, but she was as solid as usual, and despite a few clunkers (such as that “duo” thing with Marcello back in December), Ego had lots of great support moments and was utilized as one of the primary female utility players (however, decidedly right after Heidi, who is clearly the primary female and main “Glue” of the current show by its writers, much like how JAJ is the primary male utility player). Most of Ego’s finest moments this season came in the form of support roles, such as her fun turns in “Chef Showdown,” “The Floor,” as well as “Church on Vacation,” as well as her funniest lead sketch work as the anchoring judge in the throwback-y “Big Bench.” Her savage Jada Pinkett-Smith impression was also a lot of fun, in probably my favorite desk piece of the season. All-in-all, I’d rank this season as Ego’s 3rd best, and just above S47, as a quietly solid, consistent one that shows her range, utility and general very fun style of performance. 

Season Highlights: “Jada Pinkett-Smith” (Bad Bunny), “Chef Showdown” (Bargatze), “Museum of Hip-Hop Panel” (Chalamet), “Rich Auntie with No Kids” (McKinnon),”Church on Vacation” & “The Floor” (Gillis), “Big Bench” (Sweeney), “Couple Goals 2” (Youssef), “End-of-Year Teacher PSA” (Rudolph)

Chloe: Continuing a theme with this breakdown, I felt Chloe experienced an improvement over her hit-or-miss prior year, especially that she, like Ego, benefitted this time around from not being in the spotlight as often, and her noticeable airtime decrease (though she still had an impressively large number of sketch roles) was a blessing in disguise. Chloe became even more reliable in sketches and shorts (with an underrated voiceover work) for me, and provided a likable presence when being just herself, and not a pale imitation of past stars. Her voiceover performance in “Ozempic for Ramadan” was easily her best use in commercial voiceover, which she and James seem to be the go-to for in the current cast, and had both her finest short and live sketch in her whole tenure, with “A Stab At Love” and “Erin Brockovich,” respectively. Seeing her rising profile elsewhere, I can see Chloe deciding to leave post-50 for greener pastures, so if she continues to have as solid a work as this year, then she is going to leave on a real high, in my view. 

Season Highlights: “A Stab At Love” (Bargatze), “Save The Last Dance” (Driver), “Crown Your Short King” (Elordi), “Why’d You Say It?” (Edebiri), “Detective Interns” (Sweeney), “Ozempic for Ramadan” (Youssef), “La Maison Du Bang!” (Wiig), “Erin Brockovich” (Gosling), “Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (Dua Lipa)

Bowen: I am surprised by how generally better Bowen has been this season with me, compared to how often he would annoy me through the back half of last season. I guess it is partly the way he’s been given material this year that made a difference, but he came off, especially in his support and bit parts, the fun, funny sketch-stealing cast member he was for most of his first three seasons, and he was even solid in some utility sketches! Such as “Acting Class” and “Tip Top Coffee.” Also, he delivered an excellent, satirical short in “Bowen’s Straight” that manages to revolve around him, but in a fun, clever way and make sharp points against the queer-baiting from some straight celebrities in current entertainment. While his lead sketches just do not work for me, most of Bowen’s support work mitigated a lot of that (which is the case also for Heidi, Ego and Chloe since last season, though all three definitely had better season this time around), and showed off he can be more than vamping or dressing up in goofy costumes. Like Chloe, I feel next season is Bowen’s last, so he should aim leaving on a high and make me remember him well. 

Season Highlights: “Airplane” (Bargatze), “We’re Trying” (Driver), The Jacob Elordi episode minus Sucka 2.0, “The Floor” (Gillis), “Bowen’s Straight” (Sweeney), “People Pleaser Support Group” (Brolin), “Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (Dua Lipa), “Tip Top Coffee” (Rudolph), “Snake Eyes” (Gyllenhaal)

Andrew: Ah, what’s there to say of Andrew this season? Where do I even begin with him?! There are absolutely no words that can convey how much of a saving grace this performer has been since his very first moment on the show, and to see him, despite airtime fluctuations, having an absolutely fantastic tenure that’s been strong since the start is more than gratifying. After a frustrating, albeit strong, material-wise, season last year. All I hoped is for Andrew to have a good comeback, but I certainly did not expect him to have such a phenomenal season from start to finish, with an impressive number of his sketches being some of his finest (which is saying something), such as his stellar work in “Beep Beep,” “Loud Table,” and “Ticket To Ride,” that showed his underrated skills, and in the case of Loud Table, an incredible, powerful melancholy, especially that final moment of the sketch. Andrew also proved himself not only a solid backbone this season, but a reliable straight man in a fresh way with particularly “Wine and Cheese Night” and “Dad Has a Cookie” being excellent displays of such. Much like his friend & collaborator, James Austin Johnson, I only have the highest hopes for Andrew going into S50 and hopefully a few seasons beyond, and to continue his quiet backbone status, in addition to more terrific oddball work – the two have been easily the best, most consistent, reliable and fun cast members this season and my personal picks for MVP’s of the year, with no second thoughts.

Season Highlights: “Beach Day” & “Roadhouse Bar” (Davidson), “The Age of Discovery” (Bad Bunny), “Lake Beach” & “Airplane” (Bargatze) “Remember Lizards” (Momoa) “Beep Beep” (Driver), “Loud Table” (Sweeney), “Wine and Cheese Night” (Brolin), “Ticket To Ride” (Wiig), “The Engagement” (Gosling), “Roseman Family Flooring” (Dua Lipa), “Dad Has a Cookie” (Gyllenhaal)

Punkie: Unfortunately, I really do not have anything to say of Punkie this season. After a solid, promising start, she returned to being so shut-out to a brutal fashion. Often making measly walk-on roles or being there to react. Despite this being her fourth season, it doesn’t feel like it, as she barely has any highlights in this and prior seasons, despite being such a likable presence. I have no idea if the show is keeping her (alongside Molly) or not, but if it isn’t working out in your fourth season, I feel it is best to look for greener pastures.

Season Highlights: “Telenovela” & The Right Track” (Bad Bunny), “A Stab At Love” (Bargatze), “Monologue” (Chalamet), “Please Don’t Destroy – AI” (Stone)

Sarah: Sadly, unlike the amazing year her classmate has had, Sarah took an unfortunate, big step down this season as a whole, after a mostly-strong tenure in her first two-seasons-and-a-half, as soon as the second half of this season began, she became a lot more hit-or-miss than usual, and not even in lead roles alone here. A lot of her sketches and desk pieces started to have a dead feeling and dull atmosphere, with the thinnest of premises being as poorly-executed as possible (e.g. “Waiters,” “Makeup Artists,” and “The Anomalous Man”). To say nothing of how overly long and indulgent her desk pieces have been, to the point that I dread having Sarah back on the desk. With all of that being said, Sarah did have some solid moments throughout the season, even when a lot of said moments are pretty much cancelled out, for the most part, due to the high number of flops. Hopefully, Sarah can have a major comeback next season, as it feels she already ran her course and feels gassed-out, despite being on for no longer than three seasons.

Season Highlights: “Glamgina” (Davidson), “Gym Call” (Chalamet), “UNTOLD: Battle of the Sexes” (Momoa), “Airplane Baby” (Driver), “Pongo!” (McKinnon), “Fugliana” (Gillis), “Shrimp Tower” & “Sandwich King” (Brolin), “Pilates” (Wiig), “Snake Eyes” (Gyllenhaal)

James: Much like Andrew, there are simply no words that can give JAJ the credit he deserves. His importance to the show over the past three seasons, and in particular since the back half of last year, is so vital when thinking of it, that it is absolutely surreal in hindsight to see his position now, as the primary male utility player on the show, compared to how hard he was shut out just as early as early last season, with mostly walk-ons or the cold open and nothing else. The show seems to nowadays treat JAJ as a go-to “Glue” to sketches and pretapes, with an endless number of commercial spokesman, dads, authority figures, gameshow hosts, anchor and the occasional fun, silly weirdo roles (such as in “Lanzetti’s Lawn Care”) as well as standout, excellent pretaped performances (e.g. “The Right Track,” “Lake Beach,” “Giant Horse,” and reliable VO in “A Stab At Love” and “Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” amongst others) – becoming, to me, the best pretapes actor in the cast and the best since the days when Beck Bennett was on the show. James also managed to shine brightly, and show his wide, impressive range in lead sketches, especially how excellently deadpan he was in “Go-Karts” and how fun and goofy he came off closing out both his amazing year and this season in “Snake Eyes.” I still remember being absolutely struck by James coming off pretty much a New Age Phil Hartman/Dan Aykroyd in both not only possessing a wide range, similar performance style, but even just how he looks so eerily like them at times, and now that he both rightfully got to become one of the show’s major utility players, as well as a much-respected “adult in the room” cast member by the show, I only hope he gets to reach higher highs by next season and onwards; eventually becoming the undisputed, beloved cast leader of the whole show, much like how Phil and Dan were before him.

Season Highlights: “The Right Track” (Bad Bunny), “A Stab At Love” & “Lake Beach” (Bargatze), “Giant Horse” (Chalamet), “Remember Lizards” (Momoa), “Question Quest” (Stone), “ABBA Christmas” & “Gifts from Mom” (McKinnon), the Sydney Sweeney & Ramy Youssef episodes, “Go-Karts” (Wiig), “Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” & “Roseman Family Flooring” (Dua Lipa), “British Cavemen” & “Lanzetti’s Lawn Care” (Rudolph), “Snake Eyes” (Gyllenhaal)

Devon/Marcello/Molly/Michael:

I do not have too much to say of Devon this year, but that I felt he improved for me in general than last season, and thankfully, they didn’t shoehorn him into the Kenan mode of reacting as I feared. Much like Michael, Devon doesn’t exactly have the widest range, but he does quite well when he is in his wheelhouse.

As for Marcello, while he had a strong first half this season, especially in the Bad Bunny episode, he tapered off hard for me throughout the back half, especially doing the aforementioned goofy costume desk pieces, alongside Sarah, to an irritating extant. It is obvious the show is aiming to capitalize on his popularity with younger viewers, and I understand some of said desk pieces were not written by him, but it is a shame to see such a likable performer devolve into desperation and hunger for fame, to say nothing of the overabundance of his interchangeable Hispanic stereotype sketches.

Molly…. I sincerely do not have almost a thing to say of them. After a pretty good rookie season, they all but vanished this season, besides very few authority figure roles (which they’ve proven to be solid in), they are nowhere to be seen all season. Molly has unique offbeat vibes and can be a convincing mom, nun or an oddball figure in sketches, so it surprises me how they basically didn’t get anything for most of this season, including not having a single lead sketch. Like Punkie, I hope Molly is given another chance, but I got the feeling the end is near for their time on the show, but I hope not.

I am completely baffled by the near-total shutting out of Michael this year, especially after a strong, impressive rookie year, and showing eons of potential, being generally beloved by the hardest of fans, as well as general fans, Michael basically vanished in this season, besides two or three episodes. Like Andrew this year, I hope Michael gets to have a major comeback next season, as he brings a certain unique flair and great deadpan, likable atmosphere to his roles.

Season Highlights (Devon): “I’m Just Pete” (Davidson), “The Right Track” (Bad Bunny), “Republican Debate” (Chalamet), “Draymond Green” (Momoa), “Good Morning Greenville” (Dua Lipa)

Season Highlights (Marcello): “The Age of Discovery” & “Protective Mom 2” (Bad Bunny), “Monologue” (Chalamet), “Nightclub Line” (Momoa), “Depression in Men” (Driver), “Rock Bottom Kings” (Gillis)

Season Highlights (Molly): “Convent Meeting” (Bad Bunny), “Little Orphan Cassidy” (Chalamet), “Actor’s Journey” (Driver)

Season Highlights (Michael): “Nightclub Line” (Momoa), “Question Quest” & “Old-Fashioned Cigarette” (Stone), “Cancelling Flight” (Gyllenhaal)

Troast: Chloe, being the sole new hire of the season, had lots of pressure on her to deliver, even more than usual for typical rookies on SNL. And, after a quiet first few episodes, she had her undisputed breakout night in the Timothée Chalamet episode, with a priceless Maggie Smith impression and a stellar lead performance in “Little Orphan Cassidy.” And after a slump due to backlash against a cold open not worth mentioning, Chloe thankfully managed to bounce back with two solid shows, back-to-back, in the Kristen Wiig and Ryan Gosling episodes, especially performing one of the best female-led musical shorts in ages, in the form of “Get That Boy Back“. All of this makes for a fairly solid rookie year for her. Between her strong impressions, great, wide variety of character voices, as well as a natural, effortless presence with layered, lived-in characterizations in even the tiniest of roles (such as her role as the cigarette girl in the finale), all of which makes me confident to name Chloe Troast quietly the best & most promising current female cast member. I only hope she manages to get out of the singer impression many declared her (and want her) to be in, and to hopefully be pivoted into a reliable, solid utility player.

Season Highlights: “Protective Mom 2” (Bad Bunny), “Airplane” (Bargatze), “The Woman in Me: Auditions” & “Little Orphan Cassidy” (Chalamet), “Make Your Own Kind of Music” (Stone), “Cinema Classics” (McKinnon), “Chanel & Chanel” (Sweeney), “Go-Karts” & “La Maison Du Bang!” (Wiig), “Get That Boy Back” (Gosling)

And yet another feature I’ve decided to add to my wrap-up posts from here on out….

My Ranking of the Entire Cast from the MVP to LVP:

Andrew / James (tie)

Heidi

Kenan

Ego

Chloe

Mikey

Bowen

Troast

Sarah

Devon

Marcello

Jost/Che (tie)

Michael

Punkie

Molly

And now, here are some stats:

Episode Averages:

4901: 6.2 (Pete Davidson / Ice Spice)

4902: 6.7 (Bad Bunny)

4903: 8.3 (Nate Bargatze / Foo Fighters)

4904: 7.0 (Timothée Chalamet / boygenius)

4905: 6.5 (Jason Momoa / Tate McRae)

4906: 5.9 (Emma Stone / Noah Kahan)

4907: 7.1 (Adam Driver / Olivia Rodrigo)

4908: 6.6 (Kate McKinnon / Billie Eilish)

4909: 5.1 (Jacob Elordi / Reneé Rapp)

4910: 6.1 (Dakota Johnson / Justin Timberlake)

4911: 5.4 (Ayo Edebiri / Jennifer Lopez)

4912: 7.2 (Shane Gillis / 21 Savage)

4913: 6.8 (Sydney Sweeney / Kacey Musgraves)

4914: 6.1 (Josh Brolin / Ariana Grande)

4915: 5.9 (Ramy Youssef / Travis Scott)

4916: 7.6 (Kristen Wiig / RAYE)

4917: 5.1 (Ryan Gosling / Chris Stapleton)

4918: 5.3 (Dua Lipa)

4919: 6.9 (Maya Rudolph / Vampire Weekend)

4920: 6.5 (Jake Gyllenhaal / Sabrina Carpenter)

Best Episode: Nate Bargatze – 8.3 (Runner-Up: Kristen Wiig – 7.6)

Worst Episode: Jacob Elordi & Ryan Gosling – 5.1 (tie) (Runner-Up: Dua Lipa – 5.3)

Season Average: 6.4

Highest-Rated Sketches:

5 Stars:

Chef Showdown (Nate Bargatze)

Washington’s Dream (Nate Bargatze)

Beep Beep (Adam Driver)

Airplane Baby (Adam Driver)

Bowen’s Straight (Sydney Sweeney)

Loud Table (Sydney Sweeney)

Ticket To Ride (Kristen Wiig)

Can You Pick Me Up (Maya Rudolph)

Dad Has a Cookie (Jake Gyllenhaal)

4.5 Stars:

The Age of Discovery (Bad Bunny)

Protective Mom 2 (Bad Bunny)

Monologue (Nate Bargatze)

A Stab At Love (Nate Bargatze)

Lake Beach (Nate Bargatze)

Airplane (Nate Bargatze)

UNTOLD: Battle of the Sexes (Jason Momoa)

Question Quest (Emma Stone)

Please Don’t Destroy – AI (Emma Stone)

Monologue (Adam Driver)

Please Don’t Destroy – Roast (Dakota Johnson)

Wine and Cheese Night (Josh Brolin)

Shrimp Tower (Josh Brolin)

Go-Karts (Kristen Wiig)

La Maison Du Bang! (Kristen Wiig)

4 Stars:

Please Don’t Destroy – The Original Princes of Comedy (Pete Davidson)

Beach Day (Pete Davidson)

Please Don’t Destroy – Bad Bunny Is Shrek (Bad Bunny)

Weekend Update (Bad Bunny)

The Right Track (Bad Bunny)

Museum of Hip-Hop Panel (Timothée Chalamet)

Gym Call (Timothée Chalamet)

Giant Horse (Timothée Chalamet)

Please Don’t Destroy – Jumper (Timothée Chalamet)

Little Orphan Cassidy (Timothée Chalamet)

We’re Trying (Adam Driver)

CFT: Actor’s Journey (Adam Driver)

CFT: Court Case (Adam Driver)

Pongo! (Kate McKinnon)

Weekend Update (Kate McKinnon)

Boogie Woogie Santa (Kate McKinnon)

Bowling Pins (Jacob Elordi)

Home Movies (Dakota Johnson)

Weekend Update (Dakota Johnson)

Monologue (Ayo Edebiri)

Monologue (Shane Gillis)

Church on Vacation (Shane Gillis)

Rock Bottom Kings (Shane Gillis)

White Men Can Trump (Shane Gillis)

CFT: The Adventures of LiMu Emu & Doug (Shane Gillis)

Big Bench (Sydney Sweeney)

Chanel & Chanel (Sydney Sweeney)

People Pleaser Support Group (Josh Brolin)

Sandwich King (Josh Brolin)

Monologue (Ramy Youssef)

Monologue (Kristen Wiig)

The Engagement (Ryan Gosling)

Get That Boy Back (Ryan Gosling)

CFT: Papyrus 2 (Ryan Gosling)

Roseman Family Flooring (Dua Lipa)

Lanzetti’s Lawn Care (Maya Rudolph)

Snake Eyes (Jake Gyllenhaal)

Lowest-Rated Sketches:

2 Stars:

Secretary (Pete Davidson)

House of Representatives (Bad Bunny)

Rap Battle (Bad Bunny)

Biden Panda (Jason Momoa)

Posters (Emma Stone)

College Presidents’ Hearing (Adam Driver)

ABBA Christmas (Kate McKinnon)

Courthouse Address (Jacob Elordi)

Crown Your Short King (Jacob Elordi)

Club Shay Shay – Extended Cut (Jacob Elordi)

Waiters (Dakota Johnson)

Lost Bag (Dakota Johnson)

The Elevator (Ayo Edebiri)

Makeup Artists (Sydney Sweeney)

Hooters Waitress (Sydney Sweeney)

State of the Union (Josh Brolin)

Please Don’t Destroy – We Got Too High (Ramy Youssef)

CFT: The Hitman (Ramy Youssef)

Close Encounter (Ryan Gosling)

Can’t Tonight (Ryan Gosling)

Beavis & Butt-head (Ryan Gosling)

Weekend Update (Ryan Gosling)

The Anomalous Man (Dua Lipa)

Sonny Angels (Dua Lipa)

OBGYN (Dua Lipa)

Weekend Update (Jake Gyllenhaal)

1.5 Stars:

George Santos Address (Emma Stone)

Dune Popcorn Bucket (Ayo Edebiri)

Bank Robbery (Josh Brolin)

Moulin Rogue (Josh Brolin)

Lisa From Temecula: Sports Bar (Josh Brolin)

Weekend Update (Dua Lipa)

1 Star:

Spaceship (Pete Davidson)

What’s in the Kiln? (Emma Stone)

Garrett From Hinge: Wedding (Jacob Elordi)

CNN South Carolina Town Hall (Ayo Edebiri)

Cookie Crumbles (Ryan Gosling)

My Favorite Moments From the Entire Season, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:

• Nothing! For a while at least. I’ll be resuming my Season 44 reviews later this summer, as well as working on adding content to the rest of the blog, but for now, I think I deserve a good, long break from blogging in general. To the rest of you, have a great summer and see ya at the premiere of Season 50!