Cold Opening – VP Debate 2024
Kamala Harris (MAR) panics during VP debate
- After reading the comments section in regards to my review of the premiere’s cold open, I’ll go into this with more of an open mind. While I stand with what I wrote in the prior review, I appreciated the differing views commenters shared about it. So, I’ll try to give this cold open and the upcoming ones more of a fair shake.
- Maya flubbed that Bruce Springsteen line, but made a nice recovery afterwards. Andy, while as fun as ever, is just miscast as Doug – the “GRILF” line given to him was also downright embarrassing.
- Chloe is uncanny, looks-wise, to Margaret Brennan, so it was a no-brainer she would be cast as her. Yet, I hoped for someone else in the role, as a lot of Chloe’s impressions are interchangeable and leave me cold.
- Jim Gaffigan is one of my personal favorite comedians, but to see him stunt cast as Tim Walz instead of being booked as host still feels odd to me. I get why they choose him, as he has the lovably goofy Midwestern dad energy Walz has, but it says so much a cast member didn’t play him. It is clear, outside of JAJ, Lorne has no real trust in this cast to pull off big political impressions.
- I’m a few minutes into this cold open, and I have yet to laugh or smile so far. Jim Gaffigan is not working as Walz nor does he have any funny lines or moments. Bowen is being Bowen as Vance and is even less funny than how Vance actually acts in real-life.
- So, we are cutting back-and-forth “reacting” to the VP debate? This is so tired to me and we’ve only really done it during the prior election season’s own VP debate. It also doesn’t help that I’m completely burnt out on these “reacting” sketches from SNL. They treat us like complete fools who cannot grasp what happens. And the more celebrated sketches of late are the ones not following such format – an example of what should be the norm being a rarity, and thus, getting praised instead of expected.
- I still have absolutely no idea why Andy was cast as Doug, besides wearing a wig and getting an applause break each time he enters a sketch. Member Berries, I take it, with the casuals (not me) getting on their favorites for this election season. Reminds me of that security blanket ABBA sketch last season – very much “your favorites are here!” vibes.
- Great, now we get a hacky gay joke with Vance and Walz falling in love with each other. Fucking seriously, SNL? We are still doing these? Maya doing a tepid spittake in reaction to that (yet another “reaction” moment in this) made it even more desperate. Yet another very strong mid ‘00s SNL turn this season. Not good.
- It feels plain sad to watch Dana in this cold open, playing the President who longer has any real relevancy to this race. His whole bit with the ice cream is just…. sad for me to watch. Plain unfunny and desperate, despite his usual commitment.
- It might be me being in a bad mood or something (I’m not), but I found this just as bad, if not worse, than the first cold open. Hollow, boring and despite the runtime being less by 5 minutes(!) than last week’s cold open, it felt just as numbing and demoralizing.
Rating: *
Monologue
host does standup about community colleges, extra olive oil and DoorDash
- Considering how fantastic Nate’s previous standup set was, and how much I love reviewing these types of monologues (and we are getting another soon when John Mulaney hosts in November), I’m very excited to review this one.
- Already, from the funny community college bit, I’m getting more laughs from Nate than the dreadful cold open had in its totality. I loved also the “remedial classes” part, especially the speech class talk.
- The “We stay in the same room and our teachers rotate. How about you guys?” part is priceless.
- I love the whole “extra” joke when ordering Virgin olive oil. It is the usual relatable, mundane observation Nate can make funny with his delivery and standup style.
- To be honest, while I’m getting my expected laughs from Nate here (his delivery just tickles me so much), this isn’t as strong as I expected it to be. His whole processed food bit is pretty funny, though I feel it had more potential than it delivered.
- While I didn’t have as much to say for this monologue like Nate’s prior one, I enjoyed it a lot, got my expected laughs and it’ll probably stand out as one of the best monologues from this season as a whole.
Rating: ***1/2
Washington’s Dream 2
George Washington (host) rallies rebels with English reform
- Oh, what are you doing, SNL? You just cannot recreate the success of the first sketch. The first was such a wonderful surprise – one of those sketches that you realize, halfway through, you are watching an all-time classic being born, but you just cannot do it again, with the same people, hitting the same beats and expecting the same results.
- While this English language reform concept isn’t as funny as something like the electoral college that I’ve seen online fans suggesting, I admit getting a big laugh from Nate’s “that one stays” regarding chicken.
- They are really trying to shoehorn in the race element into this sequel when it isn’t needed at all. There are some funny moments in this (I howled at JAJ being thrown out of the boat), but this is too structurally similar to the first, despite a few winner lines, uninspired in a few places and truly rests on Nate’s very strong work to get over.
- This started a bit uninspired, and, despite some structural similarities, I did find more good highs in this than bad (especially upon a rewatch), Nate also was fantastic like last time and elevated it, so I’m going with a decent sequel route, though one that wasn’t needed, in my opinion.
Rating: ***
Golf Tournament
golfer (host) hits unfortunate shots
- I’m not into golf (nor any sports), but are the anchors Mikey & Heidi playing real? Their looks seem oddly specific.
- A short in the tradition “everything’s going wrong in a mundane setting” – a well SNL certainly went into quite a lot in recent years. However, I did get a laugh from the first time Nate accidentally killed the bird.
- Marcello is cracking me the hell up as the assistant. While a silent role, him running around and his reactions are pretty funny.
- This is turning into a bit of a wash, as the escalation isn’t anywhere near as funny as other times SNL did this type of a piece. With that said, the cutaways to the other golfer being so mundane and boring in contrast to Nate’s portions is a decent and kept me entertained.
- This short is going on for a lot longer than it needs to. It’s beginning to lose me, but Nate’s performance is keeping it afloat.
Rating: ***
Sábado Gigante
American (host) is lost in Spanish program
- I’m telling you, I’m very shocked Marcello is doing a sketch relying on his Hispanic voices/accents shtick. Shocked, telling you.
- To be serious here, this sketch at least has energy, even when I can tell it is trying to replicate the basic concept of the classic Japanese Game Show sketch from Season 20. I adore that sketch, but trying to replicate something from that season, as well as trying to evoke seasons 28-30 (and seasons 48-50 already feel a lot like those seasons, except less bad and more accessible), is not a good sign.
- As expected, lots of screaming and mugging from Marcello. I’m sure casuals would get a kick out of this, but it feels like a typical shitty MADtv sketch to me. And, if you know me, you know that’s not a good thing.
- God bless Nate Bargatze, as his excellent straight man reactions are elevating this tepid sketch. I love his WTF faces in this.
- OK, Marcello is cracking me up as the sketch goes along, and this has some energetic, fun performances by the cast and extras. I definitely can see why some would enjoy this harmless sketch, but the OTT humor, mid ‘00s SNL flashbacks, as well as the recycled concept bring this down for me. Still, nothing horrible.
Rating: **1/2
Waterslide
EMT’s (host) & (MAL) attempt to solve a waterslide tragedy
- This is a sketch Michael Longfellow has been trying for a while to get on the air. From all that I heard about its concept, it sounded promising.
- Michael is a cast member I’ve gotten bored by, especially seeing how little he did last season and how seemingly no value he has to the show itself. And, when your appeal is being lacking in what other cast members have you’ll eventually end up feeling thin. With that said, I’ll try to review him this season fairly, leaving aside my frustrations with him & others in this cast.
- Jane Wickline is coming off…. wooden. Just as flat as she was last week. I understand she is a new cast member and I’m giving her some slack, but not sure how she has sketch experience when she seemingly comes off so wan live.
- I do love the reveal of the kids next to the waterslide, which gave me a pretty big laugh. Good dark humor.
- This is a solid, writerly sketch, and, while I’m only really enjoying Nate in this, the other cast members aren’t dragging this sketch down. I still think changing some cast members would’ve improved this for me but guess I should be happy seeing newer and underused cast members getting airtime.
Rating: ***1/2
Musical Performance – ”All My Love”
Weekend Update
JAW sings about Gen-Z partying
- I didn’t care for the opening joke about the election being over in 30 days. Jost shouldn’t attempt to care if said election will even impact his personal life. This is another example of how very “inside” this Update era has become as it went along, and with it, lost so much of its spark and freshness.
- (Blood sees Che “reacting” to that telegraphed Diddy joke by pointing at the audience and then explodes to a thousand pieces)
- This whole Diddy talk is washing over me, as well as the string of Trump/Kamala jokes. This is a far cry from the season 46 Updates covering the election.
- (Blood sees a tired “Jost is a racist” Jan 6 joke and gouges his eyes out)
- OK, I did like the RFJ Jr./Vance joke, as mediocre as the prior jokes were, that one at least a buildup to me that made sense. The latter Jimmy Carter joke was also good.
- Hey, a new cast member! Between the endless cameos and select “stars” this season, it is nice to see a newbie get a big showcase behind the desk – an area that’s been a stars-only since last season.
- I’m still not sure what to make of Jane’s delivery, as it more and more seems part of who she is as a performer/her personality. She is, with that said, coming off fairly likable and endearing in this piece.
- I do not even remember the last time we got a full-on musical piece behind the desk that wasn’t in-character. The concept of a Gen-Z party is decent, and it speaks to me as I’m Gen-Z myself, though never attended any parties that weren’t family events – it’s just me being very to-myself in real life.
- As this commentary is going along, I’m finding Jane’s song to be cute and fun, and she herself is coming off very lovable performing this (and it feels so rare to see music-based humor outside of pretapes as of recent decades), but…. to not come off like a Scrooge…. this isn’t working as much as I want it to be. This is miles above the typical garbage desk pieces as of late, absolutely, but it is going on too long for my taste, though it is resting on Jane’s charm and likability.
- Anyways, some good jokes in the middle of dreck, as well as a charming-though-not-funny desk piece from Jane Wickline and a tight edition of the desk makes this one better than the usual to me as of late.
Rating: **1/2
Mile High Burger Challenge
sibling (HEG) distracts during sober family talk
- This sketch is coming off like the typical desperate, over-the-top Heidi Gardner showcase from these latter seasons of her run. I don’t even need to ask which certain writer backstage had a hand in writing this sketch.
- Feels sad seeing Nate Bargatze in such a sketch, even when he is displaying his usual commitment and classy presence. To his credit that he is trying with such a concept, despite the gross & unfunny presentation of this.
- OK, there are actually some good parts in this sketch, as I love Andrew as the waiter (second episode in a row with a fun waiter role for him) and Nate is excellent in reacting to Heidi, who is giving an actual strong performance, as much as I am not into this sketch’s premise. Her commitment is winning me over.
- The contrast between Heidi chomping that burger and the serious conversation about the siblings’ dad is funny, as well as Heidi’s mouthful line deliveries. However, something about this sketch needed to get to second gear for me, but isn’t so far.
- Ugh at the breaking from Bowen & Mikey. Not even the others are breaking with them. Not helping is the odd direction, as we aren’t able to see what caused them to crack up.
- I’m very mixed on this sketch. There’s much to both hate and admire in this piece – Heidi is giving a very committed, strong performance, despite her fellow cast members clearly struggling to keep a straight face (besides the very professional Sarah) and I loved her moment right now giving a tense talk to Sarah, but this just feels incomprehensible and without proper construction in parts. I have a feeling I’ll enjoy this sketch much more a year from now, or maybe if I read a fellow reviewer’s take on it. But, for now, I’ll give it what my gut tells me to:
Rating: ***
Musical Performance – ”WE PRAY”
Sushi Glory Hole
controversial glory hole is a hit
- Wait, “An SNL Digital Short”? Are we seriously randomly bringing back The Lonely Island and in a Nate Bargatze-hosted episode? I’m sure I would’ve been excited in S40 or S41, but now… not sure. And I had to state this in the cold open review: “…with the casuals (not me) getting on their favorites for this election season. Reminds me of that security blanket ABBA sketch last season – very much “your favorites are here!” vibes.”
- Besides the hardcores, many don’t seem to remember how hit-or-miss The Lonely Island became by their last two seasons, especially the final one. Instead, most seem to remember their hits and not duds, which were aplenty by that point. So, I’m not exactly creaming my pants in anticipation for this short. Not helping it also the lame concept of it revolving around glory holes.
- I’m positive I didn’t need Maya Rudolph in this short, in a role any cast member could’ve played. Guess they need to shove as many cameos into these early episodes as possible.
- The usual visuals and “fun” performance from the guys. Yet, despite the aforementioned “fun” there’s nothing in this popping up for me to enjoy or laugh at. Fun in the most hollow, superficial way possible. It might be the Member Berries this season seems to be going hard with doing its work, but I’m very bored by this.
- I know there were other cast members in the same position, but seeing JAJ, basically the closest the modern, cold show could get to a new Phil Hartman, sucking on a glory hole, is just insulting to me. I just cannot wait till these vets get out and he gets the respect and airtime he deserves on a weekly basis.
- The weirded-out looks from the execs are an overkill by now. We get it, the Sushi glory hole idea is really, really kooky.
- I’m so checked out that I just realized Jorma wasn’t even involved in this one. What happened there? Him not being in this adds to its hollowed-out “fun” feeling.
- God bless Andrew, who seems to already be having a quietly strong season, as his whole part in this was hilarious and gave my only real laughs in it.
- Very boring “fun” turn with Bowen being chased by Andy & Akiva – that ending with him getting scared (with his typical half-assed performance) felt 15 years too late.
- Overall, this just didn’t work for me. Pretty sure I will forget it by the time this review is posted.
Rating: **
Coach Allen
coach (host) demands his 20 paid correctly
- I honestly expected a band shot instead of a 10-to-1, but I am not mad we are getting what seems to be an Andrew/Nate teamup piece.
- I got a solid laugh from the sketch turning from a typical locker room motivational speech into Nate asking the players to pay him his 20 for the jerseys he bought them.
- This sketch is super tight so far, focusing on alternating between Andrew motivating the players and Nate’s very Nate-y delivery demanding his 20 bucks are paid and sent to him correctly. I especially liked the part where Nate tries to let them know to write his surname so the money is sent appropriately.
- Pretty good 10-to-1, though I have to wonder how a less-truncated version would be like.
Rating: ***
Goodnights
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
Waterslide
Monologue
Washington’s Dream 2
Golf Tournament
Coach Allen
Mile High Burger Challenge
Sábado Gigante
Weekend Update
Sushi Glory Hole
VP Debate 2024
Final Thoughts:
- A pretty mixed episode as a whole, and sadly, a disappointing return for Nate Bargatze to SNL, after his amazing first episode. No standout sketches tonight and besides a few highlights, nothing was rated above ***1/2 and while there weren’t exactly many bad sketches tonight, the elements from the premiere and the worst of the past two seasons still were present: the cameos, pop culture chasing, Member Berries, evoking the worst elements from seasons 28-30, poor cast use, etc. It is so clear the show itself is aiming hard for an audience that I am no part of, between the push of certain muggy, desperate cast members over the better ones and relying hard on bland nostalgia. Still, this was as a whole, a move into the right direction for the season.
- Nate Bargatze, despite most of this episode not really being in his unique voice as his first and giving a weaker-though-solid standup set, delivered a very strong hosting performance like last time. Gave me most of my biggest laughs and elevated even the weaker segments with his professionalism and presence. I won’t be surprised if he comes back year-after-year as a big recurring host, as he certainly earned it.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- Ariana Grande hosts for the second time, and, after 40 years, the legendary Stevie Nicks returns as the musical guest.
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
I checked two SNL veterans thoughts on the Sabado Gigante sketch with you and Soaps and Sc-Fi and you both thought it was a tired sketch that reeked of the bad 2000s SNL sketches but from what I see a lot of the general public really loved it and I did too. High energy, lots of little gags, great production at recreating the set and feel of the actual show.
Also really enjoyed the golf sketch and all in all enjoy this episode more than Nate’s first buuut the cold open does suck, which is an aggregate taken with the majority of good modern SNL episodes, the washington retread was lazy and the lonely island was fine for a chuckle but felt middle of the road for them.
Another great review from you as expected Blood!
Frankly, I’m surprised at how down you seemed to be for much of this episode and even how your highest ratings were merely okay/slightly above average.
Personally, while this episode indeed does not hold a candle to Nate’s first episode, there’s a lot to love here. What you didn’t like about the golf sketch (the lack of escalation) is precisely what I enjoyed about it. It would have been easier and predictable for them to get progressively more gruesome and OTT with the gore (ex. having Nate throw the golf club and having it decapitate someone). But this stayed in a more low key lane that worked well, especially with the quiet low energy golf broadcast used as a framing device. Nate’s delivery in this was super great and I got a lot of laughs out of him.
Likewise, the water slide sketch was a fine display of both Nate and Michael’s comedic/standup sensibilities. This is a sketch I could easily see fitting into any era of SNL. Just a solid writerly premise that could fit well in any medium, whether it be a sketch, a standup piece, or a sitcom. I’m glad Michael was finally able to get this sketch on, as this is definitely something that has his fingerprints all over it and makes me remember why I’ve been routing for him ever since he got on the show.
Like you, I have very mixed feelings on that Heidi piece. On the one hand, her commitment and physicality are certainly worth heaping praise upon. Say what you will about Heidi as a performer as of late, she never half-asses it. But this really felt like a forced attempt at trying to get the other performers to break (which mostly succeeded). I’m not opposed to breaking as long as it’s truly spontaneous and earned, and this was too telegraphed for that. The directing/blocking was also rather off, as we got too much of a focus on Bowen and Mikey breaking and not enough on Heidi’s eating. At least let us see what’s making them crack up! That said, big props to Sarah for not breaking when Heidi had her hands in her mouth and on her face smearing the food all over her.
I’m in the same boat with you on Jane’s Update piece: I wanted to like it much more than I actually did. It was cute and endearing and fun to see something different and unique on Update, but Jane is still a big question mark to me. We’re still VERY early in her tenure, so I certainly don’t want to write her off, but her woodenness and nerves are still very apparent here. I’m hoping she’ll manage to get comfortable with time, but we’ll have to wait and see.
As for Washington’s Dream 2? Definitely pales badly in comparison to the first, but this second installment was overall fine and had several funny lines, helped greatly by Nate’s delivery. An unnecessary sequel, but it was certainly better than it could have been.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode fine. Not a home run like Nate’s first episode, but certainly a major step up from last week’s episode. I definitely think Nate has the potential to be a 5 timer, as he’s the kind of host who always elevates a sketch or episode just by his mere presence!
After reading how you weren’t crazy about this episode, this is how I feel praising it in a comment:
Look here’s the thing, and by the way here’s the deal, okay look… come on
Also, here’s a Reddit comment someone made summarizing the episode: “this episode is the Joker 2 to Nate’s 1st episode”
I loved this episode and thought it was strong. It’s obviously not as good as his first episode (which is expected) but I liked almost everything in this one.
Waterslide was perfect in my eyes, I loved EVERYTHING about this sketch and it’s definitely one of my new favorites. Nate and (especially) Michael EXCELLED here and I love how the audience already knew what the joke would be before it got to that point. While Jane was wooden here, it didn’t hurt the sketch for me.
I also loved her Update commentary, the song was catchy and the joke was funny, plain and simple. She also came off very likable and way more comfortable than she did in the Waterslide sketch.
I saw a Reddit comment saying that she seems like someone who would be better being a writer than a cast member (Ex: Mike O’Brien) and I definitely agree. She’s likable but she seems way too uncomfortable performing in sketches that isn’t her own material. So if she did go from cast to writer after this season, I wouldn’t complain.
Mike High Burger Challenge is definitely a new guilty pleasure sketch of mine. It has elements of a sketch that I wouldn’t like, but it manages to do it so damn well and I can’t explain why. Heidi was COMMITTED to the material and didn’t crack a smirk, which helped the material a LOT.
I’m really happy that the sequel to Washington’s dream wasn’t bad as it could’ve REALLY sucked. But it didn’t! It was really good and I’m happy that the formula isn’t that repetitive to the point where it didn’t feel like the same thing.
I also really liked the Digital Short and the concept, while not being the funniest on paper, was executed REALLY well in my opinion. But despite the fact I liked this one, it still makes me worry that my theory that PDD stopped doing shorts this season is true.
The not good thing about this episode…
I actually preferred this cold open to last weeks (despite hoping that we didn’t get a political cold open this week). It seems like there were actual jokes here. But it went on too long (I’m noticing a theme in these political cold opens). Why didn’t they do just a straight up debate without Doug and Kamala? Why did Dana’s Biden show up at the end for no reason?
And to be completely honest (as someone who’s gotten tired of Bowen), I don’t mind his JD Vance. While it’s basically Bowen doing a deep voice it could’ve been a LOT more self-indulgent and hammy. It also helps that Bowen didn’t take over this episode like he did last week.
Overall, I loved this one and I’m hoping next week can at least be decent (but to be honest, I’m going into next week with high expectations). If
7.6/10
I liked this episode, aside from the atrocious cold opening. It felt like a fairer attempt to distribute roles, there were a fine amount of good-natured “silly premise” sketches (I am a gigantic sucker for the type of humor in the final sketch, perfectly played by Nate), and Nate was a very funny host.
The Washington’s Dream II sketch is probably like the best completely unnecessary, lazy sketch out there. It just retread the same bits, but Nate was funny and some of the lines were really good (maybe even better than the original). But it was just so lazy.
I liked almost everything else–Sabado Gigante had a good straight man role by Nate and a cheerful insanity, the waterslide sketch was funny, the golf short had some silly escalating comedy (and I agree, Marcello’s silent role was hilarious), and the burger sketch avoided being simple idiotic gross-out humor by having the competing plot threads of the serious conversation AND Nate really pushing Heidi to win the trip.
The opening is one of the worst things on SNL I have seen, right up there with the Nikki Haley appearance last season. I could at least understand the humor they were shooting for last week, but this was just so lazy, out of touch, and unfunny. Both Maya and Andy are charming performers, but their “impressions” are ludicrously off and their dialogue is ridiculous. Jim Gaffigan makes *some* sense as Walz, but his depiction just has the vibe of somebody reading some Politico headlines. Oddly, I think Bowen’s Vance is actually pretty good–he and an actual cast member as Walz might have pulled off an interesting sketch premise.
Thanks as always for all the time you take on these reviews and being balanced in your opinions.
Wow, the Jean Smart treatment, eh? Tough crowd.
Once of twice a season (I think of the Josh Brolin one from last year) there’s a review where I’m like “Did Blood and I watch different episodes.” Looks like it’s going to be Nylan and I vibing hard for this episode.
I’ll start with the Cold Open. While I agree with the AVClub (who recently got good again, shockingly enough – the last two SNL reviews have been really spot-on), that these cold opens feel like they are dispatches from a completely different SNL, I’m still kind of…not…hating them. Like, I absolutely see how facile they are, but I’m still finding them generally pleasing in a sort of “accept that death is inevitable” kind of way. Honestly, I think the sketch, cobbled together as it was, felt generally well-structured, with the sketch splitting between the general debate parody (I wouldn’t dare say satire) and the domestic reaction. I don’t know, if nothing else, it really just goes to show how much better Dana Carvey is at this than everybody else. I see John took to Twitter to deride the Carvey performance. I think he’s way off on that take.
Interesting to see this monologue get a lower grade than Ramy Youssef’s awful monologue from last year. I’ll concede, the crowd gave very little and the Door Dash bit had a laborious air to it, but I wouldn’t be shocked if this were to hold serve as the best monologue of the season.
Washington’s Dream…OK, I took a shot at John (well, not a shot, but a nudge), so I’ll concede he had the best line on this: “In true SNL fashion, if it ain’t broke, break it.” Conceptually I see why re-hashing this hurts. Honestly, only absolute morons NEED to see a concept-based sketch recur (hello Mulaney Musicals), but beside the ingenuity deficiency, these are really a test to see how much meat these sketches have left on their bones. On the other site, I went to bat for re-hashes of the Mother’s Day Gifts sketch and the one where Kate and Aidy play the two tween boys (and you will all HATE my views on Lisa From Temecula), so returning to the well doesn’t phase me quite so much (also, . Conceptually, I didn’t want them to bring this back, but really, there’s no knock on the execution. The thrill is gone, but there are more than enough solid beats that remain (and some new ones too!).
Golf was fun, delivering a fun visual surprise followed by several effective variations on a theme. It would have been in the top 90th percentile of last year’s pre-tapes.
Sabado Gigante was an effective use of Nate’s deadpan. I agree it paled in comparison to the Japanese Game Show sketch of yesteryear, but I am almost certain it was leagues better than whatever Season 28-30 sketches other people are comparing it too.
Waterslide – the class of the episode and, I’ll echo Nylan here, a perfect sketch. Loved seeing a new generation being given a chance to lead a sketch that was, frankly, so understated (despite its premise). When Michael’s voice is allowed to shine through, I still think it’s incredibly effective (despite Blood’s misgivings). I hear this is a sketch that has been in the making for quite some time, but I can’t think of a single host who could manage the material as well as Nate. This felt like the kind of piece that a Harry Shearer might have done at one point – talky, low-key, inherently absurd but treated with a sort of realism. Really, a total delight and, as the AVClub astutely noted, a nice throwback to the Doctors vs. Lawyer sketch from Nate’s last episode – another talky outing that very subtly stole that episode.
Update was fine – the usual fare. Good jokes and bad with some decent interplay with the hosts. I don’t know if co-sign the catastrophizing of Update (that’s not really my brand), but I wouldn’t quibble with a change. I think I was a minute into Jane’s commentary before I realized I had missed the premise entirely and wasn’t following along at all. I’ll need a re-watch. I suspect comedically it was really solid, but it’s difficult to execute the comedy when it’s literally difficult to hear.
Mile High Burger is sort of a Rorschach on how you view Heidi. Undeniably she makes a meal out of the scene as much as she does her burger, but the sketch is built on a really solid foundation. I wouldn’t bat an eye if someone claimed this as their favorite of the night. It’s basically the exact opposite of the waterslide sketch (absurdity on top of banality as opposed to banality on top of absurdity), but I think it really works for me. I think the direction of the piece is trying to nudge it towards some kind of Lisa From Temecula corpsefest, but I didn’t find the mild breaking particularly galling. I dug this one just fine.
The Lazy Sunday piece was classic late-era Lazy Sunday – I dug it, I won’t remember it.
So yeah, if this wasn’t quite the classic that the last Bargatze episode was, I still think this episode was made up of much goodness. Waterslide was fabulous, Mile High was great, the Washington Retread still strong and, if you are a little bit galaxy-brained, the open was totally reasonable in a “what kind of standard were you expecting?” way.
“On the other site, I went to bat for re-hashes of the Mother’s Day Gifts sketch and the one where Kate and Aidy play the two tween boys (and you will all HATE my views on Lisa From Temecula), so returning to the well doesn’t phase me quite so much (also, . Conceptually, I didn’t want them to bring this back, but really, there’s no knock on the execution. The thrill is gone, but there are more than enough solid beats that remain (and some new ones too!).”
There’s apart I bungled in the middle. I think I was trying to make a point about how much y’all love every damn iteration of What’s Up With That.
Well…
SNL, Are we at the point where someone gets applause after correcting a flub? Eddie Murphy did it better.
I truly believe Squirm had a hand in the Golf Sketch.
I notice how you compare Marcello to MADtv when I’d argue Johnny Sanchez had more variety in his 2 seasons than Marcello has had.
There actually is a slide in Denmark (Not water) where you climb up a dogs tongue and slide out it’s butthole.
Neutral on Update, but not Bowen; So an improvement over last week.
I actually liked the Hamburger sketch. It’s pretty tough to make Mikey break.
Digital Short reminded me how much I got annoyed by Digital Shorts, I guess PDD ran out of ideas?
Dismukes was a little too young to play a coach IMO.
Better than Jean Smart but that’s not tough.
I’ve crossed the red line with people making jokes about P-Diddy not just the the extent of his crimes, but the fact that minors are involved. They are lazy “jokes” to begin with