Cold Opening – Oval Office Meeting
President Trump (JAJ) mediates between Marco Rubio (MAH) & Elon Musk (MIM)
- Considering I didn’t care for the cold open last week, and I know I’m in the minority here compared to many, I hope this one is a better use of JAJ’s take on the President.
- Marcello doesn’t have much of a take on Rubio, especially considering the hilarious impression done by Taran Killam. At least do something with the guy…. maybe some ticks with the lip smacks and all. Also, not sure having Rubio so far being a voice of reason in the administration is working for me.
- I cracked up at the “Mark Ruby” line from JAJ. Maybe partly because it sounds like a ‘20s gangster name.
- JAJ’s lines are better-written this time around than the prior cold open. Maybe because this cold open has an actual hook and premise behind it and not just endless mad libs like the prior one.
- I got a big laugh from “a scapegoat…. still a type of a goat” line from JAJ’s Trump. Him not caring about the presidency is an interesting take JAJ has been doing with the impression since November.
- Eh, not sure the Curb music kicking in part is necessary. Maybe because of all the Curb memes online.
- A nice mention of Adrien Brody’s insufferable Oscars speech.
- Guess Mike is the regular Elon Musk impersonator now? Also, they at least improved his wig and makeup compared to last time. Still, he at least looks the part more than Dana did, where it seemed he was thrown in the very last minute.
- Heh, Mike is cracking me the hell up, especially the manic dance moves. Nailing those bizarro moves Musk does at MAGA rallies/events. Part of me feels because, again, this cold open has an actual premise and structure.
- I’ll admit getting a smile from the Dr. Evil bit with Mike in spite of myself. The nice memories watching Mike in those films are still here I take it.
- Pretty good cold open as a whole. You see, SNL, you can write “scenes” with the Trump impression, instead of mad libs like last time, and make it work.
Rating: ***
Monologue
host talks acting career, Joker 2 and smoking
- Lady Gaga is coming very effortless and likable as expected.
- I knew the punchline to the 2013 SNL hosting gig (an underrated episode, BTW) would be Gaga performing with R. Kelly, but I still cracked up.
- Gaga is pretty good sport making fun of herself so far into this monologue, especially the Joker 2/Razzies mention. Even when the writing given to her isn’t anything special.
- The tone of this monologue is odd and defensive, especially that groanworthy EGORT joke. Gaga is still coming off likable and committing to the writing, even when it could’ve been better.
- I’m not sure I needed the random Bowen Yang moment. It made this monologue even more incoherent than it already is.
Rating: **1/2
A Long Goodbye
rideable luggage is used in faux-dramatic farewell
- The start of the sketch with the trope-y interaction between Marcello and Gaga is cracking me up so damn much. Maybe because I know there is a twist to it.
- A huge laugh from Gaga riding the luggage and taking a reverse to listen again to Marcello’s lame “delicious life” pun.
- I really love this dumb, silly sketch concept, especially for our cushy post-monologue spot. In some ways, this feels like a sketch from the late ‘80s era.
- The faux-dramatic take this sketch is executed in is making it even funnier than it is. I can see some disliking this sketch due to its inherent silliness, but I’m loving it.
- Loving the visual of Gaga riding the luggage on the highway. Ah, those late ‘80s flashbacks are just getting stronger and stronger.
- JAJ looks and sounds hilarious in that biker getup. Nice to see JAJMukes crumbs too, as I’ve been missing them together this back half so far.
- I’m really enjoying Marcello in this role. In fact, I feel this is one of his best roles in his entire tenure so far.
- I absolutely love the turn with Marcello following Gaga to the airport, especially the fun use of the SNL backstage. Not the last time tonight.
- Even Yelling Marcello worked with the ending, and the “fin” touch was sweet – further adding to the old-school feel of this piece.
- Such an upbeat, joy-filed sketch as a whole.
Rating: ****1/2
Pip
tiny mouse Pip participates in weight-lifting championship
- Ah, another Dan Bulla short! Very nice to see this brilliant writer finally getting another short on the air, especially considering what a breath of fresh air his prior shorts were.
- JAJ is absolutely perfect for this “Glue” role. Between this and Beppo, Dan Bulla seems to tap into this fantastic performer’s best abilities and using them to their full potential.
- Even if you didn’t show the Midnight Matinee title card, I would’ve known this is a Dan Bulla piece, as it has that absurdist, sweet feeling that’s been missing from SNL of recent years to it. The reveal of Pip was both great & endearing. Excellent work on him. Not sure if it is a puppet like Beppo or a combination of that with stop-motion animation. It still looks so real, much like the other well-loved Dan Bulla creations.
- I love the musical performance from Lady Gaga, not only wonderful vocals (as always) from her, but there’s a really sweet tone to it, in a way that doesn’t feel saccharine.
- I really like the montage of Pip working out for the championship, especially how Gaga’s vocals change to reflect the montage sequence.
- Marcello’s typical hammines is ideal for the role of a high-school jock. Sarah’s also good as his douchebag girlfriend.
- I say it all the time, but I just love JAJ’s performance in this short. Not only is he ideal as the Glue for this short (and the show hopefully more and more), but he adds lots of great little touches to all his roles.
- I got a good laugh from the badass visual of Pip entering the gym. Just the absurd visual of a jacked tiny mouse is priceless to me.
- I really like the sudden turn of the roof suddenly falling down on the students and then Pip coming back to help them. While a typical moment in these Bulla shorts, I really like them. I miss occasional heart on SNL that doesn’t act as a comfort blanket.
- LOL at the dramatic confession from Marcello towards Pip getting interrupted by the floor falling on him, crushing his body in the process.
- A solid, dark ending. The “It was an accident…. right, Pip?” part with Gaga was excellent. Great acting on her part.
- While I didn’t think this piece quite reached the fantastic highs of both My Best Friend’s House and Beppo, I still found it as a whole to be particularly strong & memorable.
Rating: ****1/2
Wonderful Tonight
dates (host) & (BOY) sing
- I’m already cracking up at the visual of Bowen Yang dressed up like that.
- A very beautifully-shot sketch so far. Nice lighting – making it truly feel like a fancy date downtown.
- I’m not usually into these types of musical sketches, but the rapport between Gaga & Bowen is charming and there are enough funny lines to make this OK. I can see how some others might be more into this than me, but I’m still enjoying it.
- I do love the birthday cake line, especially the mention of the crying children. Good oddball writing here.
- Poor Michael playing the waiter once again. I guess I should be glad he wasn’t shut out, but he deserves more to do, especially with the strong night he had with the Chalamet episode.
Rating: ***
Funeral Home
Roaring ‘20s funeral is proposed to the recently deceased’s relatives
- Heidi wouldn’t probably have been the cast member I’d expect to be paired with Gaga, Chloe that is. But, I’m glad to see this brilliant performer paired with the host in what seems to be a well-written absurdist piece thus far.
- Very solid, absurdist turn with the suggestion from Heidi & Gaga for the funeral to have a Roaring ‘20s feel to it. As a huge buff of that era, that concept just works for me.
- Kenan is hilarious as the waiter. A very Kenan-y, sketch-stealing part he always gets the most laughs out of.
- A very fun, bizarre turn with the whole Cabaret-esque turn with Andrew and Heidi/Gaga. The typical darkly bizarre Andrew Dismukes energy put into a good use, too.
- I love Heidi & Gaga doing Cabaret-esque number while Andrew does a great old-timey voice. A very fun way to end a solid, oddball piece.
Rating: ****
L’Oréal Easy Run Mascara
running mascara for women who want attention
- Nice to see an ensemble piece with our host & the female cast members. In a way, this short reminds me of the Diet Coke Pepsi piece from last season, except this one has our host in it.
- A fairly fun, relatable premise with a mascara that runs to give the implication of crying on cue. This feels like a piece Tina Fey & Paula Pell would’ve written two decades ago.
- Very fun performances from Gaga and the girls, especially Heidi and Ashley. Both of them seem to be giving some really standout performances in pretapes this back half in general.
- Another great voiceover work from Ashley Padilla. Nice to see her slowly becoming the female equivalent to JAJ with the voiceover work.
- Ashley absolutely steals this entire pretape with the quick montage of her laughing manically in various places. That was absolutely hilarious.
- I might be looking into it a bit much, but that closing moment with Ashley (looking fantastic, BTW) I feel is a sign of trust in her, as that’s a moment reserved usually for a star cast member or the host, and instead we have a rookie two thirds into her first season getting it.
Rating: ***1/2
Musical Performance – “Abracadabra”
Weekend Update
Kendrick Perkins (KET) on the 2025 NBA Playoffs
Lord Gaga (MID) speaks about his wife hosting
- The massive booing of Don Jr. cracked me the hell up. Felt oddly cathartic, too.
- Some pretty good jokes so far into this edition of the desk, though I’m waiting for real standouts.
- A fairly fun performance from Kenan. I imagine he is playing a real person here, but I do not have the time to Google him at the moment.
- Kenan got me good with the “James LeBron” moment towards the camera.
- The jokes are now getting funnier and funnier, as I loved that Cookie Monster joke as well as the Barbie one. Both are typical of this era, but won’t lie and I say I didn’t giggle at them good.
- Wow, this is Mikey’s very first live appearance of the night and we are halfway through the night. It also feels like it’s been a long time since we last had him doing an Update piece. Was that great Oscars one with Punkie Johnson two seasons ago the last time he did Update?
- Mikey is coming off very fun & energetic here. In contrast to how burnt out I feel he comes off these past two seasons. I see that he is using his goofy so-bad-it’s-good English accent from his earlier seasons.
- The concept of Lady Gaga being an actual noble lady and married to a lord named Gaga is freakin’ hilarious on its own, but this piece is also supported by a great performance from Mikey. Easily one of his biggest highlights this season.
- That “Born This Way” reference was hilarious.
- Even the roasting of Colin is coming off fresh and making sense in the context of a less-famous person marrying a superstar.
- A pretty solid edition of the desk with a standout Mikey Day piece in particular. A big step up from the very hollow one from last week.
Rating: ***1/2
Birthday at Friendly’s
group of friends get in trouble when lying about a friend’s (HEG) birthday
- I got a big laugh from the obvious lie from Bowen that Heidi is turning 50.
- Pretty funny how this sketch revolves around a birthday (or a lie about it), as this episode is airing on my own birthday. Turned 28 today.
- Lady Gaga is beyond perfect for this role, and I really love how we are getting practically the whole cast involved in this piece in a way that doesn’t feel convoluted.
- Very sweet to see JAJ getting strong airtime for the third show in a row. And, with this one having even more airtime for him it feels than the prior two where he was mainly front-and-center in the cold open (of course) and smaller roles later on.
- I really like the sudden turn with the horror-themed birthday party for Heidi’s character. And heh, between this and the Treasure Guy-Land sketch, she isn’t having the best celebrations this season.
- The whole moment with the blood spurting with Sarah was excellent. A great use of her oddball qualities which sadly seem to slowly vanish as her tenure continues.
- Marcello’s hamminess is ideal for this part, even when someone like Mikey or Kenan would’ve made it more memorable, but I understand the show is prepping for several of the male vets to leave anyways, so that’s why I assume he is getting some of these parts, alongside Andrew.
- Pretty good ending with the feasting upon Heidi’s heart. The silly visual of the cone and everybody being happy about it worked.
Rating: ***1/2
Musical Performance – “Killah”
- One of the most purely fun, infectious and fascinating musical performances on SNL in quite a long while. A fantastic way to utilize the backstage as well.
Little Red Glasses
women show off their little red glasses
- I was never that big into these Anna Drezen/Alison Gates pieces like many were, especially during the prior era’s Kate & Aidy routine. It doesn’t also help this cast doesn’t really have that sharp delivery the two aforementioned performers had.
- Sarah, Gaga and Ego are fun in their roles, but this has the air of a tired scrapped piece from, let’s say, season 46. Still, not bad so far.
- The concept of little red glasses isn’t exactly anything funny or relatable to me, but it is harmless enough.
- Interesting to see the Groundlings alums in the cast giving the testimonials. Heidi also had a really big night, often playing “Glue/well-loved vet” roles she’s been cast in these past three seasons.
- Ashley’s testimony was the funniest out of the three. And, maybe because of her being new, but she really manages to look very different playing various age groups effortlessly. No need for nightmare fuel makeup like the one Kate McKinnon used to wear often.
- I got a big laugh from Sarah’s line about being for gay marriage. My biggest laugh in an otherwise forgettable piece.
Rating: **1/2
No More Slay
(host) & (BOY) demand certain slang terms not be used
- Another restaurant sketch? Is this a record tonight with three sketches?
- Nice to see Ashley Padilla getting good airtime tonight. Compare that to how her two fellow rookies were used this episode and you see a real difference in trust and utility. I won’t be shocked if she is upped to repertory player next season if Heidi/Ego/Chloe leave.
- Not sure the “slay” concept is promising to mine laughs out of. It reminds me of another restaurant sketch Bowen did a few seasons ago when Zoë Kravitz hosted. I gained more appreciation for that episode recently (partly thanks to Carson’s review of it), but that sketch remains iffy for me.
- This is doing the “inside” reference better for me than the aforementioned sketch, especially that, while clearly cut down for time, there are funny lines sprinkled evenly between the performers.
- Andrew is one of the few that can make the joke of him naming his son “mother” funny.
- A good touch with the lyrics showing up on the screen as the sketch’s final number ensues.
Rating: ***
Goodnights
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
A Long Goodbye
Pip
Funeral Home
L’Oréal Easy Run Mascara
Birthday at Friendly’s
Weekend Update
Oval Office Meeting
Wonderful Tonight / No More Slay (tie)
Monologue
Little Red Glasses
Final Thoughts:
- Yet another very fun, reliable episode from this back half. Lots of memorable highlights and nothing that came off lesser than just average. I also appreciated the many silly, solid sketch concepts tonight, especially the more experimental pieces airing quite early in the night. There was also a wide & solid cast use with many getting at least one moment to shine tonight. Lady Gaga helped the night and added a fun-loving feeling to it. Delivered also standout musical performances, particularly the second performance which was outstanding and quite possibly my favorite of the whole season. I continue to greatly enjoy this surprisingly consistent and solid back half and I hope the remaining six episodes are mostly as good.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- N/A, for now.
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
As always, another fantastic review from you Blood!
I too was rather impressed with this episode, as I was expecting it to be a rather hollow night filled with starfuckery and dull pop culture pandering (like the Charli XCX episode for example). Instead, there were a lot of fun experimental sketches and the cast was used very well.
Dan Bulla continues to just knock it out of the park with another fantastic short. I continue to be amazed at how consistently great this guy is and how his shorts can veer between sentimental, bizarre, and dark, often within the same short. He reminds me a lot of Tom Schiller in that aspect, as his shorts feel uniquely disconnected from the rest of SNL. It also helps that he knows how to write for people like JAJ and Sarah in a way that shows off their best tendencies.
While I enjoyed A Long Goodbye fine enough on my first watch, rewatching it and reading your review has made me gain a new appreciation for it. I love how elaborate and “epic” it feels, with multiple locations being used, including Studio 8H itself. I always love sketches that MOVE like this rather than be stuck in one location. Looking at it again, I think I have a new favorite along with Dan Bulla’s short and Birthday at Friendly’s.
Speaking of which, I adored the latter sketch. It reminded me a bit of something Key & Peele would do where the sketch starts off in an ordinary mundane place/situation, takes a sudden dark turn, and just keeps adding up the ante again and again via outstanding escalation. Great use of the whole cast (a recurring theme tonight) and one of the best uses of Sarah and Bowen in this shaky period of their respective tenures. Sarah’s part definitely felt like a throwback to her audience testing material from her first season and Bowen’s casual sarcasm really cracked me the hell up.
Continuing a theme with the back half of this season so far, even the weaker sketches weren’t awful, but rather just on the meh/okay side. It absolutely cannot be emphasized enough what a fantastic host Lady Gaga was. From her musical performances to her fun and game performances, she really gave the whole evening a very fun party-like atmosphere (something which I feel is a common aspect of many of the best SNL episodes). It’s baffling how this brilliant performer has only host twice and we had to wait almost 12 YEARS for a follow up! I sincerely hope she comes back and hosts/pulls double duty again soon because she was a delight tonight.
Finally (and I hope I don’t jinx things when I say this), I remain pleasantly surprised at how strong the back half of this season has proven to be, especially after the shaky and at times hollow and dead feel the first half had. Really hope the momentum continues, as this has proven to be quite the turnaround.
Thank you as always. Reading your reviews reminds me of some of the perspective that I tend to miss while watching live. For one, in the cold open – I was so annoyed at the internal monologues, Marcello’s presence, the attempt to make Marco the voice of reason, etc. that I did miss more of the positives, like the attempts (halting as they may be) at giving Trump a perspective beyond listicles, and some sharper criticism of Musk. This still wasn’t anything I want to see again, but it could have been much worse. Cutting the time in half compared to last week was also a blessing.
I didn’t have a great feeling about this episode, due to the extremely poor, desperate quality of the camp and pop culture material in recent years. Luckily, Bowen was trying his best (I guess due to his clearly seeing Gaga as such an icon) and the biggest purveyors of, frankly, trash the last two seasons, Fowlie/O’Sullivan, were barely involved. Whatever the reason for the shutout (much as I would love to believe Gaga shot down Charli XCX Talk Show 2, it was probably just luck of the draw or a savvy dress audience), I’m glad.
(I see that Fowlie did co-write the flapper funeral sketch with PDD, but while it did have some of his struggles to construct, the performances and fun final turn of snappy talk and Charlestons made me put this in the enjoyable bracket [I can’t say no to an ending with Andrew doing ’30s/’40s comedy patter])
I was impressed with the quality of the lighting and staging in the Bowen/Gaga sketch (the piece was fine, but staging was the best part) as well as the Friendly’s sketch. It didn’t quite come off there, due to so many moving parts, and there was not enough intensity to deliver the horror that should have been key. SNL hasn’t known how to bring this element to live sketches since the late ’90s. I am still glad they tried, and I hope they keep trying. And seeing the freakout from certain quarters over this sketch reminds me why the show is so hesitant. Maybe they will respond by doubling down on taking chances with sketches as even pulling punches brings out hysteria.
JAJ and Ashley both had parts in this episode which showed a quiet trust in them, and both helped make anything they appeared in feel much more natural.
I am very glad they put Ashley in the “don’t say slay” sketch as she gave an effortless performance, with none of the self-aware dramatics that Chloe would have offered. She was also great in the eye makeup sketch, adding some freshness to a piece that was decent but suffered from the usual padding and repetition. If her Update piece had gotten on, she would have had a starmaking night, but she is still on a slow but sure path – you can see more and more fans genuinely behind her instead of feeling manipulated into loving her. She’s well ahead of Jane and Emil now, and of the three the most likely to return (Jane is lucky to have family in the industry – Emil I don’t see coming back).
Gaga was so brittle in the monologue, I wasn’t entirely sure how she’d fare elsewhere, but she was good through the night, a worthwhile lead in her few substantial parts and a giving support player elsewhere. That she was able to have such a solid presence in everything even as she gave two incredibly demanding musical performances was extremely impressive.
Just as I thought Bulla’s movies were done, he has a comeback. I am not sure anything will ever top My Best Friend’s House, but structurally this may have been the best…and the ending was perfect. This also had a good use of Marcello, which is a rarity.
The “don’t say slay” sketch was a very rare pop cultural commentary from recent seasons that actually worked for me. Initially, I wasn’t interested, but it got better on rewatch. I especially enjoyed the synchronized head tilt during the song. I had a feeling Celeste Yim was involved in this as the tone reminded me of the onesie pre-tape from the Jerrod Carmichael episode. It was trying to “say something” in a manner beyond throwing out catchphrases to show us how cool and online the writer is. Yet it was also funny, with good lines and performances. This was one of Yim’s best pieces in a long time.
Update was clear counterprogramming to the rest of the episode, but many of the jokes, cheap as they were, amused me (particularly the Honey Smacks joke) and Mikey gave his best work in the last few years as all of his old Mikey-isms had some freshness behind them.
I also have to praise Ego for her quietly strong support work through the night, best shown when she stole the red glasses sketch with her response to Heidi saying she went down on Leonard Cohen (“we all did”). Speaking of that sketch, it made me feel ancient to wait for the Sally Jesse Raphael reference that never arrived.
The last episodes of 2024 were so shaky, including one that should have been a surefire effort (Martin Short), I was very uneasy over what the back half would bring, but so far, the four episodes have all been solid, with tighter writing and good (if not great) cast use. I hope that can continue through yet another lengthy break.
Happy belated, Blood! You’re not lying about that, are you? You’re not actually 50, no?
I had mentioned to you in private that these “types” of episodes are ones I rarely look forward too. One reason for that is I’m just rarely drawn to the personalities that comprise the music industry (before Chalamet, I don’t know if there was ever a double act I’d ever really looked forward to). These types of hosts also tend to bring along hordes of screaming sycophants to pad out the audience, which has always just kind of irked a fundamental part of myself. I tend to prefer situations like last week (and I swear this will be the only time I bring up Gillis) where the show has to win over a hostile audience with only the quality of the comedy (and it still couldn’t win over the “spells Trump with asterisks” crowd). My fear with these episodes is an obsequiousness that pulls towards the saccharine. And my fears aren’t necessarily unfounded – Gaga’s previous ep, while solid (I loved the Milheiser piece), dipped into that terrain from time to time.
So it’s with a sense of relief that this outing didn’t go to that place. Instead, it was consistent with what we’ve seen from the rest of the 2025 run so far – increasingly confident ventures into new and interesting territory. For as stuck in second gear as the 2024 portion of this season felt (save for some highlights), 2025 has been navigating the road at a more impressive pace and appears ready to completely open up to cruising speed (as tortured a metaphor as that was, at least I stuck to just the one metaphor).
I watched this episode with my 16-year-old son and it was interesting to note that his favorite sketch was the cold open. As jaded SNL fans, we have seen years of SNL reverse-engineering these sketches in the full splendor of its contrivances in ways that bow to contrivance instead subverting them. And yet, for a Canadian kid beginning to develop a taste for geopolitics (it’s essentially been forced on us these last few weeks), how much of a thrill is it to see the most powerful people in the world get kicked in the teeth? For me, it’s more generally agreeable gruel with a couple moments that pop (I liked the internal monologue thing and Myers’ arms), but for me son it really was a 100-level course in satire.
The monologue was the sole bum note of the entire evening, with Gaga neither having an understanding of what to do with her hands or her hurt feelings. Bowen, ever the superstar-whisperer, cameos to no effect whatsoever.
The Long Goodbye (is that what it’s called? It just makes me think of my favorite movie of all time) was great, silly fun and a true breath of fresh air. It honestly was almost good enough to make me forget that Marcello was in the lead. I think that over the last few seasons, SNL has been trying to make inroads with sketches that just exude silliness without having to be weighed down by concept. They are incredibly easy to dismiss in these corners of SNL fandom, but they are a vital flavor to the entire SNL vibe and it’s cool to see something like this lead off the show. It feels like we’re starting to finally move away from the Seiday formula being the biggest voice on the show. Also, how nice is it to see a sketch with multiple sets?
I once referred to the Dan Bulla shorts as being like if Gary Weis did Toonces and I really stick behind that accurate description/subjective diss. That said, I enjoyed Pip. Certainly more than Beppo which, I still feel, was all style and no substance. Pip had a nice narrative build that used Gaga very well led to a satisfying conclusion (Marcello goes splat). Bulla likes the long builds and sometimes, as is the case of a few of his pieces, the builds actually never build, but Pip does move past its own visuals in due time and resulted in a funny, if not quite hilarious piece. Maybe I’m coming around on Bulla, I don’t know. I think he does interesting work, but I just really want it to make me laugh more than anything else. Pip did that.
Agreed with John that Wonderful Tonight had something special going on with the camera work (that soap opera soft lighting). It really was just one of those pieces – like the Singing Bros from the Hader years – where it’s just a silly framing device trojan-horsing a one-liner bit, but when the jokes hit, than I have no issues.
The funeral director piece carried with it the threat that so many Heidi pieces do of becoming the wrong kind of Heidi piece, but full credit to her, she hasn’t really devolved much into full vamp this season (even last week’s girlfriend sketch kept its head above the water). I think this piece had one of the biggest laughs of the night when Andrew just randomly proposed to Ego. I don’t know why, but that had me howling.
The L’Oreal piece filled time agreeably, nothing more. It was odd to me how the piece kind of frontloaded the main female group and then just sort of snuck Ashley and Jane in halfway through. Still, more fine fine work from the increasingly invaluable Ashley.
Update was a hoot. I mean yes, the Kenan piece came and went as Kenan pieces are wont to do, but it felt like Che and Jost were cooking with gas (and yes, John’s right, the Honey Smacks joke was a humdinger) and then Mikey showed up with all the right energy for his silly piece.
Friendly’s gets an A for effort and a B for execution – so pretty good! In a way, this reminded me of the Birthday Song sketch from Jack Black’s 2002 episode. But…you know, half as good. The interesting wrinkle was the hostility in Bowen’s performance. I think it made for a fun contrast, but was almost too actually off-putting, but still, I liked it. Nice work from Sarah too. I think it’s just shy of great, but it fills a similar space.
Red glasses was more time filler, but with some nice one-liners and another great performance by Sarah. But yeah, we’ve seen this thing a thousand times before and I’d generally like to see less of these pieces.
Don’t Say Slay was, I think, a more successful “The kids today are crazy” sketch than similarly themed sketches with Elon Musk and Pedro Pascal. It wasn’t douched in cringe like the Musk sketch and it wasn’t hampered by inscrutability like the Pascal sketch. Also, Andrew was wearing the worst shirt I’ve ever seen in this sketch and that was good for a laugh.
Anyway, yeah, we’re four for four for the year with another episode defined by consistency. What’s more, it was nearly devoid of star-fucking. It has felt that this current era (2020-25) was a concerted effort for the show to move away from its resistance and star-fucking era (2015-2020) and while it has backslid at times, I get that sense that SNL being able to pull of a solid, even humble episode with Lady Gaga should be a clear sign that the show is in a different place than it was five years ago.
Oh, trust me, I’m 28 years-old…. though most think I *look* younger and come off older at the same time – if that makes sense. It’s pretty funny to be told that personally.
I do think this back half has been very impressive. Not one episode dipped below solid for me, the cast mainly is good (Marcello & Sarah, outside of Update and one sketch each, are giving some solid performances – A Long Goodbye easily one of Marcello’s tenure highlights). I also am glad JAJ is getting lots of airtime again, especially seeing he had three shows in a row being underused, after a few amazing episodes in the front half.
The Bulla shorts are ones I really love. I do think they go My Best Friend’s House, Beppo and then Pip for me, but I love how they tell a whole a narrative and are very well-structured. Beautifully shot and directed. Also, Bulla really gives JAJ some excellent roles in those (notice the “Glue” use here and in Beppo – not to mention stuff like Giant Horse & Home Videos written by Bulla & Castillo). And Marcello and Sarah shined quite well, too! Marcello especially always gives solid work in pretapes.
I only hope the remaining 6 episodes are mostly good and we get more of Ashley, who’s been quite a delightful addition to the show. I also like that the vets who are about to leave are giving some of their best material in some time, as is the case with Heidi & Ego. Mikey also had some of his best performances of late as Lord Gaga and in Dog Run.
Always love reading your feedback.
Happy late Birthday Blood!
I wasn’t able to watch this episode live, and throughout this past week, I kind of procrastinated on watching it for some reason. But I was finally able to watch it yesterday and I can give thoughts.
I thought this was a good episode, but it felt a little average to me. Rideable Luggage, and Pip were the only sketches I felt that stood out as strong. Everything else, while very consistent, didn’t really stand out to me.
Rideable Luggage was a fun, silly sketch, and I agree that Marcello gave a strong performance here. Dismukes, JAJ, and Jane as biker-style luggage drivers were great.
Pip was another strong Dan Bulla short. The main thing I loved about this short, and the previous one in the John Mulaney episode (which I just realized I never commented on) is that they both feel like mini-movies, and it gives them a feel that many sketches nowadays don’t have.
I enjoyed the concept of Friendly’s, and it was executed well.
Update felt a little more above average this week, and it was helped by Mikey’s strong performance as Lord Gaga. Speaking of which, that commentary feels like the first real showcase Mikey has gotten all season (though I could be forgetting something). I put that aside though, as Mikey was really fun here.
Everything else in this episode was very average to me.
Overall, a good, but noticeably average episode in my opinion. It’s probably my least favorite episode of the 2nd half of the season so far (the Timothee Chalamet episode has grown on me A LOT), but that doesn’t make it bad.