October 19, 2024 – Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish (S50 E4)

Cold Opening – The Harris Interview

Bret Baier (Alec Baldwin) constantly interrupts Kamala Harris (MAR)

• Random Alec Baldwin as Bret Baier? Why not have a cast member playing this generic anchor? Does anybody really miss the era of frequent Alec Baldwin cameos or is this for the millions who watch the cold open this election season and turn off the how after it? Alec is an SNL legend, but if he should be back, it should be in a hosting stint, in my opinion.
• Typical self-aware Kamaya lines, now with the outdated-by-months (per usual, SNL…) “very demure” meme as she stops Alec’s Baier from interrupting her. I did appreciate that they called that out in the sketch, though.
• The back-and-forth between Alec and Maya is very well-performed, with some funny lines, impressive delivery by Alec as usual. This one is being helped by a few actual strong lines, unlike others.
• The whole YMCA part with JAJ cracked me up good. God bless you, JAJ….
• The Joe Biden segments are awful. I love Dana Carvey as much as the next SNL fan, but his overextended mugging as the President feels like something that would’ve been a riot 30 years ago, but nowadays, feels as outdated and old as it is.
• I’m actually surprised finding myself laughing at a good number of moments in this cold opening, outside of the structural issues with the various cutaway from the mostly-good Alec/Maya portions. Alec hasn’t also lost a beat with how damn strong he is in this so far – having one solid moment after the other.
• I’ll admit, the last 2-3 minutes of this cold open are actually better than before, especially I admit laughing at Maya’s “J’Biden, J’bright, J’brilliant…” spiel, as dumb as it was and Alec’s freakouts over abortion and other feminine-centric words.
• Anyways, had this cold open dumped the memes, the unnecessary bloat with various clips and tightened up, it would’ve gotten a higher rating than the one I’m giving it. This did have some fun moments with JAJ, some strong lines & rapport between Alec & Maya, but I hoped the show would refrain from the usual structural issues with its presentation (which has been an issue so far this season, BTW). Still, not bad.

Rating: ***

Opening Montage

• After not being credited the first three episodes, the Please Don’t Destroy guys get their credited short in the monologue, though in a similar fashion to how TV Funhouse used to be credited.

Monologue

(MID) & (ANS) celebrate host

• Knowing the legendary career Keaton had, I still cannot believe, early on, he was a PA on the beloved Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood (thanks to frequent commenter Monette Moradi for that info), as I cannot imagine those two worlds colliding personally.
• Expected, but I got a big laugh from Keaton’s “lots of puppets…. TONS of cocaine!” line. It is such a Keaton-y line it’s perfect.
• This monologue has now transitioned into a semi-Q & A/cast participation, with Mikey & Andy coming out as Beetlejuice. Mikey actually looks great in the part – uncanny to Keaton in the original classic.
• I didn’t care at all for the whole part with Andy and how they “needed” to include him as he wasn’t in the cold open, like if we were creaming our pants waiting for his Doug “impression” to come back. Gaffigan’s Walz isn’t in this episode as well, which is a good thing in my eyes.
• Good energy, but this is a mess so far. I don’t really need Andy in this, as fun as he usually is. I also feel Michael is being wasted, despite the monologue being a clear tribute to him.
• Not sure I needed the whole part with Sarah, even when she came off her usual adorable self.

Rating: **1/2

ShopTV: Halloween Cookies

guest’s (host) cookies look like breasts

• I guess SNL heard my talk about Mikey Day having a reduced presence this season, as between the monologue and now this, he is dominating the night so far.
• The usual fun chemistry between Mikey and Heidi. I prefer them in these much more than that forgettable Drake/Kendrick sketch from last season’s Dua Lipa episode. It also feels fresh, so far, seeing Heidi play such a role, as she barely played this type of a Southern-accented straight woman in her tenure before these latter seasons of it.
• Cheap laugh from the moaning sound being played instead of a spooky sound. It isn’t as funny as the random scream from the prior sketch, but I got a good laugh from it.
• This is such a cheap recurring sketch, based on obscene visuals (and I remember kinda trashing the first sketch), but it has now become a guilty pleasure of mine (not as much as Kenan’s nightclub singer sketches – those seem loathed by most), and Michael is excellent playing it creepy, so I’m getting into this with an open mind.
• The visual of the nipple is cheap, but I’m cracking up throughout this sketch, and Heidi & Mikey’s straight man reactions are good, especially the way they try to keep their cheesy banter intact.
• While a typical Mikey Day moment, I got a big laugh from his “BLUR IT!” line. An overall pretty good sketch, though the Adam Driver one remains my favorite of these.

Rating: ***

Please Don’t Destroy – Skydiving

revelations are made before skydiving

• Interesting to see the boys outside of the office, and actually playing characters this time around.
• Good role for Michael and his look in this is great, though as much as I love him, I feel PDD’s usual style doesn’t fit his style of performance as well as some other hosts.
• Some good gags, and I appreciate this one isn’t as frantic as these have been for years, even when that gay joke felt oddly shoehorned in, but this was fine as a whole. I have reached the point where I basically have nothing to say about these, to be honest.

Rating: ***

Forbidden Romance

white (AND) sings “Hey, Soul Sister” to an increasingly uncomfortable black family

• For some reason, the opening with Detroit and then getting 1955 afterwards made me laugh.
• Good we are getting a patented oddball Andrew Dismukes showcase. Ego’s straight man skills have been underused as of late, but I can tell she’ll be solid here.
• Couldn’t they have had Maya as Kenan’s wife in this sketch? I like Devon, but odd not to see a similar couple like Keaton/Heidi. This sadly shows how the show only has one black female cast member in Ego. I cannot believe they didn’t add more WOC over the summer.
• Andrew’s sudden singing of “Hey, Soul Girl” is hilarious! This continues the great season he’s been having so far, and I love how Andrew is going all out with his singing – the part where he sings to Kenan & Devon is absolutely priceless.
• Not sure what to make of that typical “let’s dance together!” ending, but I guess it fit this sketch’s fun feeling.

Rating: ***1/2

TikTok

TikTok clips mask a troubled relationship

• Wow, we haven’t done those TikTok pretapes since season 47. Seeing them on this season brings back to me nice memories of reviewing that season when I first started as a reviewer and how much the show’s cast changed in just a few years since then. I also think I showed lots of growth in my writing since those days.
• I swear I’ve seen that guy Emil’s playing, who does dance moves with his cat, somewhere online. (I do not have TikTok myself, but I’m positive I know the guy parodied.)
• Ashley is likable as always in her part, though I’m sure I didn’t need another remainder of that “very demure” meme.
• The random part with Mikey dancing, with that facial expression of his, had me howling. That came so out of nowhere.
• This is fine so far, and a good use of the cast, considering how up-and-down their utilization as a whole has been (which I imagine would improve post-election), but nothing has been really standout for me so far, besides that random Mikey moment.
• Oh, Heidi is great as the tradwife – showcasing humor & heart within pathos, like how her better moments often showed.
• Weird utilization of Maya & JAJ’s impressions, though I guess it is better than having them in another live sketch after the cold open. I’ll say, however, the fancam with Kamaya made sense for this short.
• That whole “black wife effect” part with Ego & Michael is freakin’ hilarious! I’m not even familiar with what it’s parodying, but it killed me.
• A good way to include Billie in the short, though that whole bit felt a little awkward. Bowen at least is a natural playing intentionally-cringey characters like this.
• All-in-all, this was hit-or-miss for me, but with more of the former than the latter, which means it gets this rating:

Rating: ***

Musical Performance – “Birds of a Feather”

Weekend Update

EMA talks being Arab Christian

SAS talks Victoria’s Secret, hygiene

• Typical overextended giggling and supposed commentary on the terrible time Trump’s campaign been having of late. I am so checked-out of this Update era that I have no reaction. Not even to Che’s sad attempt at trying to emulate Norm with his recurring ‘90s “jokes.”
• As expected, new cast member Emil Wakim gets his first showcase behind the Update desk. He is already coming off as likable as he was during last week’s Charades with Mom (as small a role as he had there).
• As an Arab myself, it is exciting for me to someone who looks like me on the show, even when I am always a bit wary of how representation is used by entertainment, especially by SNL, considering its past when it comes to race. With that said, I’ll get into this desk piece with a clean slate and root for a newbie in their first big showing.
• Solid, fast-paced delivery from Emil and I love his physicality, especially his whole “white guys only” part with his mannerism. As a person who still has his native Arabic accent, I love Emil’s dead-on Arabic accent throughout this commentary.
• I’m really liking this commentary, and there are a lot of fun, solid lines, especially that it thankfully doesn’t go lecturing, and the whole Greek/Arab comparisons is one I’ve always heard about myself. I’m sure fellow Persians around here would get that comparison.
• Great ad-lib blaming Colin when one of Emil’s jokes doesn’t get as good reaction from the audience.
• As a bi, the whole portion near the end with the villager realizing he is bisexual as his village is being bombed is even more hilarious to me. It’s so true (and funny) in a sad way.
• An overall impressive first showing for Emil behind the desk. I’m glad this wasn’t a lecturing piece like I was worried it could be, as it had relatable lines, solid humor and a lot of funny observations.
• Hmm, between her commentary last week with JAJ (where is he so far tonight, BTW?) and now getting to do an actual standup piece, I see Sarah is actually trying this season, compared to how consistently she flopped during most of last season’s back half.
• The usual laughs from Sarah’s lines, even when this topic about Victoria’s Secret is more women-centric than male, I do enjoy Sarah’s rapport with Colin, and this feels like a nice throwback to Sarah’s first season. Her joyful nature and charm are so damn infectious here. The Tuberculosis line from Sarah being one of my favorites in this good commentary.

Rating: ***

Think About It

Uber ride turn conspiracy theory gameshow

• Big night for Sarah and Ego so far. Bowen is also playing it low-key and restrained in this sketch, which is always nice to see.
• I love the random game show turn inside the cab, especially the whole conspiracy theory route.
• The questions are very funny, as well as how straightforward the presentation of this whole sketch is. The “Kamala Cabello” option is freakin’ hilarious. Such an Ego-y line.
• Great look and characterization from Keaton. I like how they are finally giving him more weirdo roles. His rapport with Ego is also well-done and he feels like a natural part of the show in this.
• Very strong sketch as a whole. One of Ego’s finest pieces in some time as well.

Rating: ****

Musical Performance – “WILDFLOWER”

Horror Choreographer

horror actor (MID) is flamboyant during shoot

• This is the sketch that was shown rehearsals of before the show (image of that can be found here – credit to Shawn for screencapping it as well).
• Yet another utility role for Andrew, which clearly shows trust in him. Seeing how shockingly little a lot of the cast has been doing tonight, I should at least be happy he’s in this.
• I actually got a good laugh from Mikey’s flamboyant entrance as the movie is being shot, but after that, this sketch started to get repetitive, despite a fun performance from Mikey.
• I love Michael’s look and characterization in this sketch. He really adds those little subtleties in all his roles that I love.
• This sketch screams Jimmy Fowlie. I absolutely could’ve seen him personally performing this material. This type of Groundlings physicality can work at times, but with such flat presentation (in a very tired movie/commercial shoot formula), as well as the typical structural problems with modern SNL, makes this sketch an honorable failure.

Rating: **1/2

Tableside

patron (host) confuses server (HEG) with a woman from his past

• Maybe because of how new she is by this point, but Ashley looks very convincing as a typical middle-aged mom. Between this and her roles in the first two episodes, she’s been displaying quiet versatility with how she disappears into her roles. Her season as well seems to be quietly showcasing her as a stable presence in sketches.
• Strong night for Heidi. In a season that so far felt light on her (as did with Mikey – both had a huge showing tonight). This role, much like her others, feels right up her alley.
• Solid dramatic turn as Michael seems to recognize Heidi from years back. This sketch (and the Mile High Burger, which I’d admit I probably underrated it a bit [Carson’s commentary on it, per usual, made me appreciate it more]) seem to tap into Heidi’s best parts, and she is really shining in this role. Between this, and her work throughout the season so far, Heidi really seems to be back to be the performer I loved so much in the first five seasons of her tenure.
• Heidi’s sweet delivery of “so, what was Beth like?” with her usual smile was great. Ashley’s reaction to it was also well-done.
• I’m not sure if the term slice-of-life is the appropriate way to call this sketch, but I love the low-key, realistic way it’s being presented and performed. No mugging, no screaming, no crudity. The acting by Keaton & Heidi, as well as Ashley’s lived-in, solid characterization as the complacent, nice wife slowly losing it in the middle of all of this, is truly selling this sketch for me and making it come off timeless – fitting in any prior era of the show.
• I love the monologues with the background music, especially the whole Benny monologue from Heidi & Keaton, as well as Ashley’s frustrated comments throughout Keaton’s parts of the monologue – solid, understated straight man work from her.
• The “that’s your opinion!” outburst from Heidi was excellent and gave me one of my biggest laughs of the night. Kudos to Ashley as well for performing her biggest role so far in a restrained, focused way without trying to make it about her like some other performers in the past would’ve made it out to be.
• A strong closing sketch, and, much like the Ego sketch, a clear highlight from the season so far.

Rating: ****

Cut For Time: Two Guys Dressed as Doctors

two guys (MAH) & (MIC) give Halloween costume suggestions

• Fascinating to get a Marcello/Michael pairing, as besides close bonding backstage between them, they were never really paired together on-screen.
• Fun & solid performances by Marcello and Michael. There’s lots of fun rapport between them in this piece which baffles me why they never really worked much together before this one.
• The whole coming to Argentina/US in 1945 bit from both Marcello & Michael is great and my favorite from this desk piece as a whole. Fun, solid stuff.

Rating N/A (though had it aired, it would’ve bumped the edition of the desk to ***1/2 from ***)

Goodnights

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Tableside

Think About It

Forbidden Romance

The Harris Interview

ShopTV: Halloween Cookies

Weekend Update

PDD – Skydiving

TikTok

Horror Choreographer

Monologue

Final Thoughts:

• An alright episode. However, outside of three main highlights (two of which heavily featured Ego Nwodim, interestingly), the rest of the night was between ho-hum to OK. The night did have a likable atmosphere which made the higher-than-usual number of average/OK segments be more forgiven. I do understand the fatigue the cast and writers must be at doing a fourth episode, in the middle of a presidential election nonetheless, in a row, which is why I am probably more positive about this episode than some (and a little lenient on some of the retreads). While this episode pales when compared to Keaton’s season 40 episode, Keaton himself did his best and gave fun performances, even when he felt underused before a few post-Update roles (which has been the case with this season’s hosts so far, besides Ariana Grande). I also enjoyed, like always, the music from Billie Eilish and they added nicely to the proceedings.
• This season as a whole so far has been interesting. The first two episodes underwhelmed me so much and felt tired, old and creatively bankrupt, but these last two episodes are having the show moving into a better direction. We still have occasional weak sketches and wildly uneven cast utilization, and not to mention cameos (though they were better handled than I expected so far), yet there are promising signs, some highlights, tons of OK stuff and better moments for veterans in the cast. I am hoping the next few shows aren’t wobbly like the start of the season and we keep improving more and more, as well as use as much of the cast properly as possible. I imagine things will stabilize after the election, much like the prior election-centric season.

My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:

• John Mulaney is back, with music from Chappell Roan. November 2nd is the date.

My full set of screencaps from this episode is here