January 25, 2025 – Timothée Chalamet (S50 E12)

Cold Opening – Founding Fathers

President Trump (JAJ) interrupts the signing of the Declaration of Independence; Lin-Manuel Miranda cameo

• A cold open set in the past? I’m positive we are getting JAJ-as-Trump interrupting this one then.
• I forgot to mention this point during last week’s (terrible) cold open, but I just cannot buy a lot of these performers playing such roles. They are far too young and look as if they are playing dress-up in some school play. (Besides Mikey and Ashley in this cold open, to be precise.) And yeah, I know this is SNL, but having female cast members as founding fathers? Nice seeing Ashley & Emil right from the get-go, at least.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda?! And as Hamilton? Considering how fantastic Lin always is on SNL (his great cameo in S45 was probably the only new one that season I tolerated, alongside Lovitz being himself), I guess I shouldn’t complain, but this is even more cameos this season and they bring back unwarranted Trumpwin era flashbacks.
• And here is JAJ as the President. I love this impression and nice to see this brilliant cast member getting the spotlight after consecutive weeks of underuse, but I sure hope they use this impression in a new way outside of these Trumpologues.
• I got a big laugh from JAJ’s line about Barron smacking his head around every door frame.
• You know, while this format has been overused and relying on JAJ’s flawless delivery as the President, I’m getting some really solid laughs in this, lots of genuinely funny lines here and there, and as Carson said before, there is a Bush Sr.-esque feel to these. So, even as I want them to have JAJ play the President in actual settings, I can see why they are having him play him straight to camera so far.
• Great “A cross between hi and hello – we are calling it a Heil” line from JAJ’s Trump. Maybe the best zinger in this cold open so far.
• The fourth wall breaking with JAJ making fun of Lin-Manuel, to the point of getting next to him and calling him names is very funny, even when the one with Mikey from season 48 was a little better. Seeing a true professional such as Lin-Manuel Miranda clearly being very amused by JAJ and cracking up briefly is charming.
• A solid segue towards our LFNY with JAJ-as-the-President claiming Lin-Manuel donated 1 mil for his campaign. Fun back-and-forth between them.
• Wow, that has to be the most energetic LFNY I’ve heard in some time. Great delivery from both JAJ & Lin-Manuel.
• Anyways, maybe it was the terrible cold open last week, the generally horrible political cold opens of late, maybe it was seeing JAJ (my current favorite cast member) killing it for five minutes straight, but I enjoyed this cold open quite a bit. Yes, the format could (and should) change, but there was a clear through-line that they actually kept, lots of funny zingers, good fourth wall-breaking and it flew by very smoothly for me. So, I’ll go with my gut rating this:

Rating: ***1/2

Monologue

host talks about his awards losing streak

• Timothée Chalamet with a goatee is an odd visual.
• Timothée is his usual charming self, even when he is too young for this whole “where are my awards” concept. He is making it work fine enough, and his awards shows clips are decent.
• I really liked the turn with Kenan winning an award and Timothée reacting to his win sternly.
• An alright monologue as a whole, even when I feel Timothée got more fun monologues in his two previous shows.

Rating: ***

Bungee

instructor (host) uses harnesses for working out

• As the sketch started and I saw we were in a gym, I got flashbacks to that horrible flat asses sketch from the Megan Thee Stallion episode two seasons ago. I sure hope this sketch will only go but (no pun intended) up.
• A fun character look and performance from Timothée, and his mere presence alone makes it clear this sketch is no Flat Asses.
• Ah, this sketch is using Michael’s great straight man skills, which have been woefully underused of late.
• A fun sketch with solid energy to kick off the night proper. Real energy, and not the “energy” concept of some shouting their lungs at me for five minutes.
• I am really loving Michael’s befuddled reactions especially when contrasted by Heidi’s delighted reactions. This sketch seems to use these two performers’ real-life personalities rather well.
• The whole Jimmy Carter (RIP) part of the workout is freakin’ hilarious. I feel so bad that it left me in stitches.
• Very fun sketch overall.

Rating: ***1/2

Medcast

Medcast is a doctor’s appointment presented as a podcast

• Great seeing Heidi playing yet another commercial spokesman. A role I always felt she was criminally underrated in.
• An excellent concept for a classic SNL commercial, with a doctor’s appointment that feels like a podcast. Andrew being cast in that role is a great way to use his performance style.
• Nice detail with Andrew being styled upon Theo Von’s look, with that goatee and mullet.
• I absolutely love the back-and-forth between cheesy podcast-y chats and serious medical examinations – Andrew’s style is perfection for this and is making me laugh a lot. Keeping up his fantastic season in general.
• There is a subtle sense of pathos in those medical check & podcast chats portions in this short, intentionally or not, and Andrew, the master at showing pathos in this current cast, is once again perfect for this piece.
• The brief bits with Ashley doing serious medical exams as the nurse are very funny, especially the ear check, and she is coming off both effortless as if she has been a cast member for many seasons and genuinely charming. That showed up too in that barista sketch after this short.
• The whole part between Andrew & JAJ had me freakin’ howling!
• All-in-all, not only an easy “Best Of” candidate for the season but also for classic SNL commercial compilations.

Rating: *****

New Barista Training

new barista (host) is bad at banter

• Ashley Padilla has to be one of the most charming cast members the show hired in ages. Even just sitting in this sketch and the prior one before her parts…. so much charisma and real spark.
• It feels like Mikey has played this type of a utility role a lot in the past, but Heidi not as much, even when she became the go-to female utility player (with Ego) these past few seasons. She is coming off refreshing here.
• The whole awkward moment with Jane was fun and a good use of her natural awkwardness. I know I have been a bit tough on her before, but as a naturally extremely awkward and shy person myself (one of those that cannot even make direct eye contact), I relate to her in this, and it was a good use of her energy.
• Heh, I see Ashley is now the resident cast member with intentionally-cheesy jokes. Her natural charisma makes these moments so fun.
• The Def Jam style of Timothée’s jokes is a fun concept and his lovable energy makes this premise come off likable instead of groanworthy when done by a lesser host. Adam Driver is another I can see killing it with such a sketch – maybe even making it better, though Timothée is very good on his own here.
• This type of a sketch concept with that one person coming off odder than the others is tricky to pull off, and there are some structural and energy issues in this (outside of the Ashley/Timothée parts), but the flow is fine by me.
• Loved the quick exchange between Emil & Timothée.
• The latte/cold outside part with Ashley & Heidi was freakin’ priceless. Great delivery from Heidi of her “Is everything OK at home?” line.
• Fun energy from Kenan, even when I could have done it without this sketch going that route, but overall, this was pretty good.

Rating: ***

Oedipal Arrangements

Oedipal Arrangements are for sons too close to their mothers

• Two pretapes and no Timothée so far? Fascinating.
• Great to see (or rather, hear) Ashley doing Voiceover work after briefly doing live announcement a few weeks prior. Her Cecily Strong-esque usage thus far into her tenure continues to fascinate me. Also, wow, Ashley has been all over this episode so far and is giving some fun performances as usual.
• It sadly doesn’t feel that often seeing Heidi getting the chance to deliver strong pretaped performances in these latter seasons of her tenure, which I blame on said pretapes’ quality drop, so it is exciting to see her delivering a killer one in this, with great subtle sinister vibes. Michael’s typical charm is perfectly used as well as the subservient son/lover to his mom. between this and the gym class, about damn time the show used this performer.
• Loving the concept of this commercial, especially as we now get the dark concept about Michael “really” loving his mom – Ashley’s voiceover work is excellent here and reminds me so much of the ones Cecily Strong used to do in the previous era.
• The Mikey reacting routine is coming off well in this short, especially that it is contrasted with Ashley’s increasingly sultry voiceover work (loved her delivery of the melting boundaries line – keeping up a strong night for her) and the creepy mom/son dynamic between Heidi & Michael.
• Heidi is absolutely fantastic here. Keeping up what’s been such a great season for her in general. The whole Taboo moment especially is excellent.
• While not the right piece to say this, as a guy who swings both ways, this is also serving as a nice eye candy with all those flattering shots of Heidi & Michael under those filters and soft lights.
• I’m getting a huge kick out of the studio audience’s genuinely uncomfortable reactions to this short. This is already a strong piece, with great performances and terrific VO work by Ashley, but that outside aspect tickles me so much and makes this even better. This is the exact type of ballsy, offensive humor I love from SNL, not like that pathetic car short from a few episodes ago (still cannot believe how awful that one was….)
• Great ending tagline.

Rating: ****

AI Software

AI-generated podcast hosts (host) & (BOY) have glitches during class presentation

• Kyle Mooney’s legendary blonde wig makes its comeback, I see.
• A sketch taking place in two locations? These, much like the barista sketch above, usually have structural issues that make them rather leaden, but seeing I enjoyed the aforementioned sketch above, I’ll give this one a fair chance.
• I like the detail with the extra finger.
• People still use the word “bae” nowadays? I’m a very reclusive person myself, but I thought that word died out with Covid.
• Yeah, while I appreciate the concept behind this sketch and Bowen & Timothée’s performances, this isn’t going anywhere interesting, especially that a few lines are a bit lame, and the classroom’s reactions are quite leaden for me.
• We now have cast members calling out the weirdness like we cannot see it for ourselves. This sketch is still better than some, as there are some actual funny lines, such as that one making fun of that stupid candy crush game with its endless ads, but it could’ve been better.
• Not sure I cared for the whole ending.

Rating: **1/2

Musical Performance – ”Outlaw Blues/Three Angels”

Weekend Update

Giselle, A Concerned Business Woman (EGN) on President Trump’s Executive Orders

AND & his Puppet Dad talk crazy families

• Some great slams starting this edition of the desk towards the President and his early days in office.
• Hot damn at that Lincoln joke. These Trump-bashing jokes usually get stale, but this one a winner.
• Great seeing Ego behind the desk once again, considering how solid her pieces are and how much effortless charisma she has in them.
• Che & Ego are always lots of fun interacting with each other, especially loving the whole black celebrities mentions bit.
• The usual solid and fun Ego Nwodim performance.
• I loved that oatmeal joke and then the jeopardy one basically aced it. Colin with that gun and stern look on his face is pure comedy gold for me. Very meme-worthy.
• Fantastic to see another desk piece by Andrew this season, considering both what gems they often are and what an amazing night (and season) he’s been having in general.
• This was cut from the Jacob Elordi and Dakota Johnson episodes from last season.
• Ah, here’s the reliable Andrew Dismukes pathos, as I absolutely love his interactions with his puppet dad, and all the daddy issues that could hinder a piece, but actually adds to this one quite a bit. This piece also acts as a humorous way of skewering how often difficult it is for dads and sons to communicate with each other. I certainly can relate to this with my own stepdad.
• Andrew is simply amazing so far into this piece in how he alternates between himself and his puppet dad. If there’s a piece or two, I could use as an example to show what a genius this guy is, this easily would be one of them.
• Even the usual Jost Roast worked great here, especially with the “seventh most famous cast member” slam towards Andrew and the puppet dad calling Colin “the sixteenth most famous cast member.”
• This whole back-and-forth between tender moments and cheesy jokes is having me practically on the floor. Andrew’s killing me in both this piece and episode in general.
• An overall terrific desk piece by Andrew. A tenure highlight (and seeing the run Andrew’s had so far, it says a lot), and one of my favorite pieces, if not the favorite desk piece of the season for me.
• An overall very strong edition of the desk, for our second week in a row.

Rating: ****

Dog Run

dogs (host) & (MID) meet in park

• Very rare to see Mikey starring in a sketch this season, besides his utility roles. I still love Mikey and he definitely has his moments outside of the retreads and tired reacting roles, so I am giving this a chance.
• I love how this sketch, centered around dogs, is handled in a realistic, low-key way. No random crudity or attempts at cheap laughs. Not sure I would call this slice-of-life but it is much closer to the types of pieces I loved from SNL of the ‘70s & 80s’.
• Marcello’s typical shouting fits very well into this sketch, which is more than the awful showpieces he’s been getting lately.
• Heidi absolutely killed me as the poodle with her dead-on walk.
• Heh, even the dog antics, which could come off as dirty played by humans, are coming off fun, funny and fitting easily into this sketch’s vibes.
• This is turning more and more into such a fun and refreshing ensemble sketch, especially without the cast taking “turns” without any clear through-line and concept. The performers are getting some very fun moments and shining throughout the sketch.
• Andrew acted the hell out of his part. Hot damn that was great.
• This is sadly JAJ’s first live sketch role since the Paul Mescal(!) episode, several episodes back. He at least came off fun like the others with his bit. [ADDENDUM: JAJ actually had a live sketch role in Mall Santas, from the Chris Rock-hosted episode. Apologies.]
• I got a big laugh from Marcello humping Mikey as the sketch closes out.
• Cliché to say about her by this point in her tenure, but Ego was terrific near the end of the sketch. Much like her always-fantastic straight man work in Evacuation Alert last week, that straight work and these quick Ego moments that steal sketches are what I’ll truly miss about her when she eventually leaves.
• Such a very solid, fun ensemble sketch. Yet another very strong piece tonight.

Rating: ****1/2

Musical Performance – ”Tomorrow Is a Long Time”

Grandma’s Birthday

CPR technique goes haywire on grandma (SAS)

• I actually thought that was Andrew next to Kenan before it became clear it was Marcello. I also confused both in that Christmas Party short a few episodes back.
• Sweet to see the very solid Ashley Padilla all over the episode. Very satisfying especially for a newbie half a season into her tenure.
• Uh-oh, a sketch centered around an old lady and played by a past-her-prime cast member? I sense a potential trainwreck approaching.
• Sarah isn’t too bad in this, which is saying something, as I reached the point where I genuinely can’t sit through her stuff – a far cry from the days of loving her work as recent as earlier this season, but this sketch is just plain off. Won’t be shocked if it is the handiwork of the writing staff’s new designated stars (you know which two), but it is plain not working.
• We now get CPR with Timothée farting into Sarah’s face? I actually don’t mind fart-based humor, but the energy is not here for a full-on haywire sketch.
• The whole part with Kenan I guess was OK, and even that one could’ve went further.

Rating: **

God – An SNL Animated Short

angels help God (host) create the world

• Wow, very refreshing to see an animated SNL short for the first time in ages. I believe an animated short was cut earlier in the season, but I forgot from which episode. With these and those brilliant Dan Bulla shorts (hopefully getting another of those soon), glad to see the show branching out with the digital shorts. Guess that’s why PDD are about done by now.
• Mikey has been in practically every single sketch tonight and is thankfully giving some of his best performances of the season to boot. Heidi had a huge night as well, but that’s not surprising; she’s the unsung Glue of the show since season 48.
• A solid concept with an old-school feeling to it, much like many sketches tonight. This also reminds me of that great Making Man sketch from season 46’s finale. I am sure Mikey & Streeter are behind this as well.
• The animation style is absolutely fantastic in this short, especially when we see detailed paintings of various creations. Seeing how animators are getting screwed over in recent years (that monster Zaslav….), it is great an animated piece got on SNL with such quality, and hopefully not for just this one time.
• Love Timothée’s voice work as a very un-bothering God towards his angels’ creation pitches, especially the whole part about Kangaroos.
• A good ending with the whole frogs creation origin, and that image of a frog having the sun in his mouth looks straight out of ancient mythology.
• A solid piece overall. Clever writing, with standout work from Timothée especially. Hopefully, the first of many animated shorts to come.

Rating: ***1/2

Goodnights

Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Medcast

Dog Run

Weekend Update

Oedipal Arrangements

Founding Fathers

God – An SNL Animated Short

Bungee

Monologue

New Barista Training

AI Software

Grandma’s Birthday

Final Thoughts:

• Our second consecutive very solid & fun episode. Some really strong highlights in this, tons of other solid pieces, nothing that was terrible and the episode flew by very well. I have yet to calculate the average, but this episode will easily rank amongst the highest-rated episodes from this whole season so far. Between this episode and the also-solid prior one, it is nice to see this forgettable season be energized again before the big 50th anniversary. The wide & solid cast use was also very welcomed compared to some of the prior episodes, even when I would have loved more of a few – many of the cast had strong nights (Heidi, Mikey, Andrew, Ego, Michael, and Ashley in particular), and others had fun roles here and there and moments to shine.
• Timothée Chalamet was even better than his prior two episodes, despite surprisingly not being in two pretapes in the first half, got some very fun moments and added a lot of charm and likable energy to the night. This episode makes Timothée 3-for-3 in terms of solid episodes, and if I would rank his hosting performances, I’d probably put this, then his prior episode and then his season 46 episode, respectively.

My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:

• Get those tuxedos and gowns ready, ladies and gentlemen, the 50th Anniversary Special is next to review! By the way, please understand, that due to its extra length and the larger amount of screencaps I’ll have to make from it, it’ll probably be posted either a few hours later than usual or the next day – hoping for the former. Thanks for understanding.

My full set of screencaps from this episode is here