Cold Opening – Pete Hegseth Address
Pete Hegseth (COJ) addresses generals, Trump (JAJ) interrupts cold open
- Sweet seeing Jeremy Culhane being the very first cast member opening the season, especially before he is even credited in the montage.
- That ridiculous Trump/Hegseth meeting with the generals seems like a decent way to open the season, alongside I’m sure some government shutdown mentions.
- A good no-nonsense general performance from Jeremy.
- I thought Colin playing Hegseth last season was a fun one-time thing for his potential goodbye, but he is now playing him regularly? I won’t be surprised if some big names turned down a cameo to open the season with him for clicks.
- As always with SNL, the reality is funnier than this supposed parody, and Colin Jost isn’t helping with his performance. I never really mentioned how incredibly bland he is as a performer, and so much of his shtick seems to be “hey, look at this handsome, Harvard-educated white guy saying edgy shit for giggles!” Practically any other white guy in the cast would’ve done a better job here, even as Colin is trying.
- This isn’t even nailing the cringe-inducing Hegseth moments that were unintentional comedy gold (such as saying FAFO and the “dramatic” pause for an applause that never arrived after it), which reminds me how SNL is almost always less funny than the things it attempts to parody.
- And here comes JAJ-as-Trump pausing the sketch, as this turns into another fourth wall break.
- I admit getting a cheap laugh from the visual of Trump’s hand with all that makeup on it.
- Why is Mikey “S20 Kevin Nealon Cosplay” Day still on the show? At least his bit was short enough.
- JAJ is trying to save this sketch, which I appreciate. Still, outside of his always-strong performance, there aren’t any lines standing out to me, excluding the aforementioned moment. This isn’t a howler, but outside of a few lines, feels dull.
- Always sweet to see the great JAJ getting a solo LFNY, especially in the premiere episode of a new season.
Rating: **1/2
Opening Montage
- Is it bad that I already terribly miss Heidi & Ego?
- Goodbye to Ego Nwodim. Ego leaves after 7 seasons and a particularly great, prolific tenure on the show. I’d actually rank her tenure the strongest from this whole cast, right after JAJ’s tenure these past 4 seasons. Despite a rather slow start, Ego showed much promise, real energy and personality, and consistently reinvented herself, especially during her peak seasons (S46-47 & S50). And, while some of Ego’s humor didn’t work for me (mainly some stuff in S48), I always appreciated where she was coming from with them. Her departure leaves a huge void and makes the female cast even weaker and shakier, especially how male-dominant these past few seasons have been. I’ve got tons of hope in Sarah (sans Fowlie), Veronika and especially Ashley to carry that side of the cast, till we hopefully get a few strong women the coming seasons. (Lisa Gilroy & Eilise Patton, anyone?)
- Joining the cast this season are Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska. I already wrote about them in this comment for those interested. I do not feel I need to repeat myself here. I’ll just say that I hope the hiring of both Jeremy & Veronika is the start for us getting more Dropout regulars, the Almost Friday TV guys and more improv players/actors in general.
- I need to address it, but I’m stunned we are getting an SNL season without a WOC. I remember complaining how they didn’t hire another black woman last season, but now the show has none. Is this a Maya situation? If so, I call bullshit on that, as there are tons of amazing WOC on Dropout for example, let alone the comedy scene in Chicago (how the charismatic Adisa Williams wasn’t hired is beyond me). If we get one midseason, then it’ll just be a bad look, as 1) it would get DEI accusations and SNL being Woke, and 2) would show lack of faith in whoever is added that they weren’t “good enough” to be on from the get-go. This whole rollout pre-season was such a fiasco.
- I have always believed the show should hire people based on their talents, not skin tone. But, you are telling me there are no great WOC around? No great Asian American guys? No South Asian talent? Are we gonna get Kenan wheeled out of his dressing room to berate black women again? The fact all the black men not named Che hired with Kenan were fired says so much of SNL. Not even sure if Kam surprises and be good, he’ll last more than 2 or 3 seasons. And with Bowen “Did You Know He’s Gay?” Yang being the Asian AND sassy gay guy in the cast, why bother hire another Asian guy besides him? Other queer performers? I guess Che is right: the ‘90s are back.
- Speaking of the cast, why the hell is Chloe Fineman still on? After such a terrible season last year, where her airtime was even lower than some recent newbies, Lorne still retains her? How does that man’s mind work exactly? How many more shutouts with her this season do we need for him to realize she’s beyond her expiration date?
- Not even going to spend much time speaking about Jane Wickline being back. It’s incredibly unfair to all the amazing women out there who would be much better fit for SNL. But alas, guess nepotism and having an online army of stans defending and babying you every step of the way is enough. I’ve seen one fan saying people are being tough on Jane for being “subtle”. That’s BULLSHIT and you know it. Subtle, deadpan is someone like Vic Michaelis, who can deliver with such quiet charisma and confidence, yet can go wild and you won’t notice the shift till you are laughing. Not be as monotone and deathly to sit through as possible. But then again, seeing the marked decline in SNL’s quality in general these past few seasons especially, I’m not even sure the aforementioned Dropout & Almost Friday TV talent would fare well on the show. But, I digress.
- No PDD anymore. I feel this is the right time for them to move on, especially as Ben is now a cast member. I understand my reviews of them are usually more positive than how quite a number of fans seem to perceive them, but they had a pretty solid run overall, even when they clearly seemed burnt out by the end. Both the animated shorts and the Dan Bulla Midnight Matinee films were such a refreshing, consistently reliable part of an otherwise weak season last year that it makes sense they are now the new featured pretaped segments.
- Same montage as the last season. Shame, as much as I liked it, I wanted a new one. At least Veronika, Tommy and Jeremy looked great in their parts here.
Monologue
host talks Super Bowl, speaking Spanish
- Considering the mediocre monologue Bad Bunny had the last time he hosted, I hope this one is an improvement. While I’m not a fan of his music, he is a likable presence, despite me not caring about his acting transition.
- Oh, and with Bad Bunny booked for the premiere, alongside Sabrina Carpenter two weeks from now, the show is going hard trying to court younger comedy fans who seem now more into Dropout and other creative, less formulaic comedy teams. While SNL been booking big pop culture figures since its inception, with this current era’s hyperfocus on gossip and pandering, it comes off so sad, pathetic even. As I said before, each time SNL attempts to be hip and “current” it comes off as ancient and as old as it is.
- Back to the monologue, I see Bad Bunny’s English improved and he seems more comfortable up there than his prior episode.
- I liked the brief cutaway to Marcello. He is strangely a lot more likable as himself than when playing his various interchangeable loud characters.
- A big laugh from the random Jon Hamm(!) cameo in one of the clips.
- This monologue feels messy and wandering, as usually is the case with these non-comedian monologues.
- That whole “you have four months to learn” joke by the end with Bad Bunny is based on a tweet I saw online. Way to be original, SNL writers.
Rating: **1/2
Jeopardy!
contestant (host) fails to phrase his answers as questions
- I always enjoy Andrew Dismukes but he is no impressionist, which is why I’m puzzled the show still gives him such roles.
- A groan from the “dirty” surname of Kenan’s character. Such a lame and overdone SNL trope.
- I’m not caring for this premise with Bad Bunny not phrasing his answers in the form of a question, as is the rule for Jeopardy.
- Pretty dull sketch so far, though I see Veronika is coming off a natural right from her very first sketch appearance, with likability and spark.
- I didn’t care at all for that ending, even when performed adequately. How the hell a sketch this dull got to be the leadoff sketch of the season?!
Rating: **
ChatGPTío
a more relatable ChatGPT assistant
- Will someone at 8H please escort Chloe Fineman out from the premises?
- At least they waited a good while for a Marcello screaming moment. I’ll give the show that.
- Meh, a lame and hacky premise of a Spanish Tío version of ChatGPT, complete with of course Marcello screaming it and hamming it up.
- Ben & Tommy making their SNL debuts as part of this pretapes. I also believe this is Ben’s only appearance all night, in a part where he barely says a word. Ouch. After all that fan hype, he debuts in such a low-key way. [ADDENDUM: Ben also had a brief role in Inventing Spanish later tonight, but I didn’t notice him during said sketch.]
- Mikey is coming off so out-of-place in this pretape next to the newer players. I’m also not caring for Chloe’s performance. She doesn’t hold a candle next to Heidi Gardner.
- Great disturbed reaction from Veronika during her brief part. Easily the best thing in this piece so far.
- This tepid short is going on WAY longer than needed. This didn’t need to be three minutes long. I guess John is right: they indeed fired their editor.
Rating: **
The Donor
sperm donors (host) & (KET) try to score date
- With the reveal that Chloe & Sarah are playing lesbians, I’m getting worrisome flashbacks to that horrible intimacy coordinators sketch from last season’s finale.
- I didn’t care for the reveal of Bad Bunny’s character, especially its “kooky” look. I’m getting the feeling this is a Fowlie/O’Sullivan piece as it features their wandering and typical DOA attempts at absurd humor.
- This sketch is dull so far. Has a really empty feeling to it as well. And, needless to say, Chloe and Sarah are no Ego and Heidi. I have to wonder why Ashley Padilla wasn’t given either of these two roles tonight.
- Not caring for Kenan’s character. Between this and the leadoff sketch, he’s been treading old territory with nothing new or interesting to say.
- I guess Marcello was trying to save the sketch by his ending appearance, but I’m afraid his attempt failed.
Rating: **
KPop Demon Hunters
KPop band discussion dominates dinner
- A second restaurant sketch in a row? And featuring Chloe and Sarah in similar roles? Was this written during a coma?
- Chloe Fineman is getting more airtime than she got the entirety of last season in a single episode. I guess this is justifying bringing her back for an unnecessary seventh season.
- So far this episode, I can really tell the show is struggling how to utilize Mikey Day. Reminds me of his bizarre utilization in a lot of these past few seasons. (Remember the 40+ years-old Mikey playing teens/college kids?)
- A very dull sketch so far. I’m noticing quite the theme with this episode so far.
- Am I supposed to be laughing at the niche references to this K-pop group? I actually heard of this Damon Hunters thing vaguely some time ago, but I surely didn’t want a full-fledged sketch in the premiere for it. At this rate, is a Labubu piece next on queue?
- Ugh at the whole portion with Bowen, especially having to sit through the campiness with him.
- Of course, we end yet another sketch with everybody dancing. Way to show creativity, SNL.
- This episode has been pretty rough so far. Not anger-inducing….. Just dull.
Rating: **
Musical Performance – “Aaahh Men!”
Weekend Update
KAP does stand-up re: FCC limitations
Dobby (BOY) on JK Rowling’s transphobia
- Remind me please why Colin & Michael are still on? I know, like PDD, I’m a bit more positive on them than some fans, but 12 seasons? Seriously? Sorry to rant in half this episode you guys, but how many “sexist” Che rants we need? How many “jokes” about Colin being racist? Calling it now, sooner or later, we’re getting Kam to do “shocking” race and sex-related jokes, alongside some form of piece on Labubu (and don’t even ask me how I know that damn doll) – maybe Jane mumbling a song about it. But, I digress.
- I remember reading about some fans, due to the administration we’re currently under, wondering if SNL would express more “anger” towards Trump and his lackeys. Well, 1) this is SNL, not a soapbox, and 2) SNL’s political satire is often toothless, and not as cutting edge, in recent decades, as South Park’s brilliant satire of not only Trump’s 2nd term, but its satire on race and culture in general. So, wanting SNL to be like South Park is something that won’t happen. Better take the show at face value than a version that won’t materialize.
- What the hell with that Trump/Coolidge bit? That was baffling. Also, that didn’t sound like Chloe to me. Is that newbie Veronika’s voice I’m hearing?
- As expected, we get Kam Patterson having his first showcase behind the Update desk. I’ve seen enough of this guy’s material to know he is not for me. I actually enjoyed some of the Kill Tony regulars in the past, but his whole routine just comes off dull and hacky. With that said, and despite not being a fan of his hiring, I’ll be open-minded in this piece of his.
- At least Kam is coming off energetic and likable, which was the only positive I had watching his standup pre-SNL.
- Despite a likable presence, I’m not caring at all for Kam’s commentary. It feels unfocused, messy and his delivery is a bit too quick for me (and the audience) to understand what he is saying. I’m also just disinterested in this whole “will he say the word?!” premise. Hell, I remember John, the fellow SNL reviewer/commenter, wondering if Kam would debut with such a premise. Guess he got his answer.
- I admit getting a cheap laugh from the Kramer mention. Otherwise, despite Kam’s likability, this wasn’t for me.
- It is the usual shock punchline, but that AI actress/Weinstein joke in general made me laugh harder than it should’ve.
- It is not an SNL premiere in this era without Bowen Yang showing up dressed as some character.
- Meh at the dull “wardrobe malfunction” moment from Bowen. Guess we are supposed to lap this all up because Sassy Mascot is up there for our enjoyment.
- Not only am I not caring for this premise, especially more J.K. Rowling discourse, but the preachy approach here is falling flat for me, complete with the usual overlong, indulgent Bowen Yang desk piece length.
- If you want to “meet the moment” like I remember many fans want from the show, the people themselves should be out there defending their rights, and not give me a poorly-masked plea without the humor to not make it come off preachy, and in a city about to elect a socialist, instead of the places where the LGBTQ+ community is being targeted and harassed. Next, please.
- A fairly tough edition of the desk. Two mediocre desk pieces, lots of jokes just felt the same old same old, and the length was felt.
Rating: **
Inventing Spanish
medieval Spaniards puzzled by language’s masculine/feminine naming system
- I always enjoy sketches set in an era centuries ago. Always fun seeing the cast dressing up in medieval/Renaissance costumes.
- A good sketch concept revolving around the Spanish language. I imagine this is a Seiday sketch? They often write around such concepts, such as The Age of Discovery, Making Man, etc. These types of sketches give me nice Mitchell & Webb/Fry & Laurie vibes as a big comedy junkie.
- Odd usage of three of the new guys standing behind JAJMukes.
- This type of role is one Marcello often makes funny, as I especially like his facial expressions here. With that said, he’s been tripping over some of his lines and this sketch has some odd pauses, which I’d chalk to Bad Bunny not being an actor.
- Funny how the concept of a language having feminine and masculine names (which is a trait in Latin languages) is treated as odd by the characters. My native language, Arabic, also has that trait and believe me, I even struggle with that aspect myself sometimes.
- Mikey and Kenan are really paling next to the more natural JAJMukes. This is just more evidence they didn’t need to come back. Will this be another season with both of them vanishing for most episodes while JAJMukes, Sarah, Marcello, get most of the airtime? I’d add Ashley to that group, though she has yet to show up surprisingly so far.
- Despite the solid premise, this sketch is turning on the average side. It is good, I’m enjoying Bad Bunny and Marcello, JAJMukes are fun in their supporting roles, but a lot of these lines are just mildly funny, instead of the LOL-worthy ones we had in the classic Washington’s Dream.
- A laugh from Mikey being beheaded halfway through the sketch. If this wasn’t a clue how unnecessary it was for him to return for a 10th season, I’m not sure what is.
- Random Benicio del Toro cameo.
- Andrew was endearing trying to sound sexy in Spanish. JAJ’s subtle annoyed facial reaction to him was the typical great subtleties he effortlessly can showcase without taking over the sketch.
Rating: ***
Musical Performance – “Gorgeous”
Student Drawings
principal (ASP) is attracted to handsome father (host)
- Is SNL kidding me finally giving Ashley a role tonight? I’ll let it slide for the premiere, but this fantastic performer deserves to be utilized all throughout the episode. I’m at least glad she’s deservedly playing the lead in this sketch.
- Not exactly the most original premise, as the show did a lot of these chucking sketches before, but I’m liking this so far. Marcello’s look alone cracks me up.
- Ashley is fucking fantastic in this! After an endless string of dull sketches and performances, glad to see her showing them how it’s done.
- One of the reasons Ashley Padilla is such a dynamic performer, why so many of us rave about her, is how she just inhabits her characters. She makes even the tiniest of roles into living, breathing people you could meet in real life. Not just staring at the cue cards and reading her lines cold. I know some would say she stands so much due to how mediocre this cast in general is, but even in an all-star cast, she would be a rockstar.
- I loved Ashley’s reaction to Bad Bunny speaking Spanish. Her putting a spin to all of Marcello’s horrific drawings of her is very funny and there are tons of Ashley-esque great subtleties all throughout this.
- Some of my favorite moments here are Ashley’s delivery of “single”, her calling Bad Bunny’s deceased wife a bitch, before she even realized he is widowed.
- Ashely: “Then the bitch is I”.
- A good ending.
Rating: ****
El Chavo del Ocho (English Version)
SNL’s version of the sitcom is as wacky as the original
- Fun seeing an El Chavo sketch, and I’m often a sucker for sketches in a language other than English.
- This is an absolutely dead-on recreation right from the opening credits of the show. This is such a fun way to open a sketch.
- Great announcing from JAJ as always and it is fun seeing such meta opening credits with cast members credited with their characters’ names.
- Between the Spanish Language sketch and now this, Marcello had a solid night this episode. You see, this is the type of humor he excels at, even when I do not see him as that lead some see him as.
- Bad Bunny’s voice and acting is cracking me up so much. Maybe the sketch he felt most natural in tonight.
- The absurd-humored sitcom gags in this, with how the performers are hamming it up, is so fun to watch. I especially like the classic Three Stooges-esque pie-in-face gag repeated over and over with Sarah.
- A fun and silly sketch so far. I might be enjoying this more than some, as this is straight into the type of silly sitcoms, I’m familiar with and have nice memories of.
- I’m not sure I care for Kenan’s performance. I know he is trying to emulate the style of these shows, but he is paling next to much-younger performers once again.
- Nice to see Jon Hamm in a sketch tonight, as brief as his role here was.
Rating: ****
Goodnights
- Jane Wickline is “earning” her salary standing around in the goodnights. It says so much I didn’t even feel her absence all night. What a way to prove us right showing all what an expendable, failed experiment she was as a hire, SNL.
Segments Ranked from Best to Worst
Student Drawings / El Chavo del Ocho (English Version) (tie)
Inventing Spanish
Pete Hegseth Address
Monologue
The Donor
ChatGPTío
Weekend Update
Jeopardy! / KPop Damon Hunters (tie)
Final Thoughts:
- While not exactly as terrible a premiere as the one from last season was, and this show did have some solid highlights, much of it was sadly on the forgettable side. There weren’t any true howlers, but the night was simply very… dull. This actually makes it worse to me than being outright bad. As I said before, with bad sketches, there is that car crash feel where you can riff on it and have fun, but with dullness? You get nothing; it’s suffocating. (That reminds me of a major gripe I’ve been increasingly having with S48-present SNL. That and the forced “fun” episodes, such as that wretched show with Martin Short last season.) I genuinely feel bad for shitting on SNL so often of late, as I really think these writers want to make us laugh, and yet…. THIS is the best they can come up with.
- It doesn’t help matters that watching the likes of Almost Friday TV and Dropout, amongst other online sketch/improv shows, on a regular basis and seeing how a lot less formulaic they are and how creative and confident their performers are, alongside the refreshing type of humor on display, makes the mediocre quality of this era of SNL pale even more in comparison.
- Bad Bunny, while often game on the show, isn’t exactly the type of performer who can elevate the night, especially if it is a season premiere in a markedly declining show. Not that he was exactly a laugh riot in his first episode anyways. This episode also pales badly when compared to his S49 episode, which is one of my favorites from this otherwise weak era.
My Favorite Moments of the episode, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- Hosting right as SNL first aired, 50 years ago, the legendary Amy Poehler.
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
Yayyyy, we’re back! Great job as always, Blood!
Great to see you back Blood!!!!
Going into this, I feel a lot of fans, including myself had many questions of what we would see and what we did see I felt was just okay. And ask for what I expected for tonight’s episode in terms of who is hosting I am not at all surprised at this was basically the Bad Bunny and the Marcello Hernandez hour.
The cold open overall I felt was just fine. It was very fun seeing Jeremy right out the gate and Colin gave a hilarious performance in my opinion even though I definitely see what you are saying in your criticism about his performance. I absolutely could have done without this turning into another Trump ramble for the last like 2 1/2 minutes even if it did have a few chuckles in there thanks to how well James performs him still.
Completely agree with you saying if the show did hire a POC woman mid way it will definitely look bad as it basically is saying without saying “you wanted this right, there ya go, happy?”. Also loved the shots of the newbies in the intro, especially Veronika.
The sketches is in the first half I have nothing to say really and anything I would say you already took the words out of my mouth. I will say that at the beginning of the Demon Hunters sketch I didn’t care about it, but something about the ending really worked for me that at that time watching live and ended up being my favorite moment of the night. Also at the start of the sketch I slowly started to realize we were seeing way too much Chloe and Sarah and yes, there is very little women on the show, but you still have three other women you can use and it doesn’t help that Ashley only made one appearance and Jane didn’t make a single one which is absurd again given that there’s only five freaking women on the show right now.
It’s always funny because like you and a lot of others I am also super ready to have new update anchors yet somehow in someway, Che and Jost still managed to tickle me with their stuff even if it’s still very old. I believe that was Chloe‘s voice, though funny enough I also thought a bit of Veronika in there too. I actually am surprised that I enjoyed Kam‘s update piece because it definitely felt like he was aware of the type of comedian he is and that translating to SNL is likely going to be a failure and also the line “this is what Jimmy Kimmel fought for” cracked me up.
I am so much on the same page as you with the Drawings sketch. Man I could go on and on and on about how much I truly love Ashley as a performer! This definitely was such a “been there done that” premise and could’ve been super weak, but Ashley‘s capability made this much better than it really could’ve been in a lot of funny lines from her as well mainly the ones that you already pointed out.
The 10 to 1 was probably my favorite of the night mainly just because it was such a 10 to 1 sketch and hearing this was an actual show made me appreciate this more and makes me want to check out some clips from the real life thing.
Overall, I would actually argue this is one of the better premieres in recent time even if I’m still calling this episode just alright even the sketches. I didn’t really care too much for I still feel they had a nice atmosphere around it, which I feel is always needed for a premiere episode.
Stellar review Blood with some nice thoughts on everything that happened. Hopefully Amy Poehler will save the day for next week!
As always, a great review Blood! Just wanted to thank you once again for reviewing these episodes as your reviews are always fun to read.
The first half/two thirds of this episode exemplifies how weak, tired, and formulaic the writing for this era truly is. While I know we’ve had some changes in the writer’s room, I genuinely think there needs to be a top to bottom overhaul behind the scenes, up to and including Lorne himself. So many sketches recently have had such a dull and hollow feel to them, with rather weak premises, poor escalation, and rather generic jokes.
I’m also not crazy about how this current era is emulating some of the worst elements of the latter Tina Fey era with its obsession with pop culture pandering and gossipy stuff, which is exemplified in that dull K-Pop Demon Hunters sketch. I’m not opposed to niche pop culture references, but there needs to be a hook. Something to draw in the wider audience. That entire sketch seemed to be “hey, this is the hot new thing now. Let’s reference it!” and that was it.
Another problem with this episode was that the show tried to push Marcello and Chloe very heavily. To put it mildly, these two are NOT cast leaders. They are not Glue/utility players and do not deserve to be front and center in so many sketches. I’ll be slightly fair to Marcello and say that he was mostly tolerable tonight, but that is still not enough of a justification for him being so front and center.
Thankfully, the quality finally improved towards the end of the night. That Student Drawings sketch, on paper, was just another “host is hot” sketch, but Ashley elevated the hell out of it thanks to her performance and made the sketch, all by herself, great and a highlight. If that is not the mark of a great cast member, I don’t know what is. I sincerely hope Ashley will get utilized more heavily while Chloe fades into the background, much like she did last year.
The El Chavo del Ocho sketch, while not a classic, is at least a step in the right direction when it comes to niche pop culture references. I’d never even heard of the original show, but I enjoyed the offbeat and silly vibes this sketch had. In a night full of dull and forgettable sketches, it stood out.
Bad Bunny was…fine I guess? He was charming and likable and did fairly well considering English is not his first language. That said, I do not think he’s the kind of host that warrants being invited back so much. Then again, with how hyperfocused this era is on social media and pop culture chasing, it’s probably more due to how popular he is.
A disappointing and mostly dull start to the season. Here’s hoping Amy can inject some energy next week!
I’m just gonna add some brief thoughts of some of the sketches, since I’m no longer in the reviewing game, and some of the comments have already given detailed thoughts.
When the cold open started, I wasn’t sure which newbie I was looking at. And with Colin playing Hegseth, I have a feeling that he’s gonna alternate between sketch performer and Update anchor, which might be how he’ll go out. I certainly hope so.
The only interesting thing about the Jeopardy sketch is the fact that we rarely get a sketch focusing on regular Jeopardy.
The KPop Demon Hunters sketch didn’t work for me. It just felt too obligatory like they had to reference it. And don’t get me wrong, I loved that movie, but this felt like it was pandering to those fans. And honestly, even though it was surprising to see the actual Huntrix, I was honestly waiting for them to appear on Fallon in order for me to be surprised.
Of course Bowen is the one playing Dobby. Of fucking course.
The Benicio del Toro cameo was a real “WTF?” moment for me, because I’m pretty sure that most people who watch SNL don’t even know who that guy is (I mean, I know who he is, but that’s only because I watch a lot of movies).
The drawings sketch I was mentally checked out on while it was airing, but it was worth it just to see Ashley hitting on Bad Bunny.
The 10-to-1 is probably my favorite sketch of the night, mainly because of how offbeat and goofy it was.
As for the newbies, I felt like they were barely on the show. It seems that Kam and Veronika were the only ones who got the chance to leave an impression, whereas the other three were just extras. Hell, I’m gonna be having a hard time telling Tommy and Jeremy apart.
So on the whole, this was another lackluster premiere, which is kinda to be expected at this point of the show. Bad Bunny was a pretty unremarkable host, and the overall episode felt very dull. But hey, look on the bright side: at least T-Swizzle didn’t make a cameo like some people speculated.
Watching this episode was one of the most taxing experiences I’ve ever had to suffer through.
To put it simply, I am not a fan of Bad Bunny. He is an annoying smug motherfucker that I don’t understand the popularity of.
That said, he wasn’t the problem with this episode. It was the writing. Did a bunch of writers inexplicably quit over the summer and they left the entire episode up to Jimmy Fowlie/Ceara O’Sullivan?
Hey, Blood, good to see you back. I’m going to be reviewing new episodes starting with this one. Here’s my site:
https://jamessnlreviews.blogspot.com/p/bad-bunny-doja-cat-october-4-2025.html
Hope to see some of you here.
I was disappointed with how little the new cast members were featured. Is this going to be a Season 39 repeat? Sure feels like it. Also not sure why they brought Bad Bunny back so soon after he was musical guest.
Anyway I don’t want to repeat what I said in my review too much, but great review as always. Excited to have SNL back because however often episodes flop, there’s something comforting about looking forward to a new episode every week.
I wish you all the success with the reviews and don’t forget to have fun most importantly doing them!
Thanks a lot! And yes as long I enjoy writing them I’ll keep on doing it.
In the “You didn’t like it, You do better” Area; Here’s how I would’ve fixed sketches/appearances I didn’t like:
Cold Open: Maybe have cast members play troops that ask questions to Pete… and Him. Also JAJ needs to slur his words, ramble off, and put on WAY more makeup to do an impression.
Jeopardy: Instead of Bad Bunny not knowing the rules, Maybe make it where ALL 3 don’t know the rules and just say the names of Various Celebrities?
ChatGPT: SCRAP IT! Replace it with a Impression showcase of the 2nd Annual Riyadh Comedy Festival? With Mulaney (Squirm), Louie CK (JAJ), Bill Cosby/Sindbad/Steve Harvey (KT), Sebastian Maniscalco (Marcello), and others both good and bad.
Donor: How about Bunny is the friend and he doesn’t know how to get the couple pregnant? Have Dismukes as a nice guy who does know but the girls aren’t interested in him?
Demon Hunters: Instead of Bunny thinking about them, Maybe have him turn conversations to just be about them? Also this should’ve been the 10-1 sketch
Update: I didn’t like Cam’s bit so I don’t know. Dobby: Maybe replace it with a cast member as JK Rowling or Emma Watson?
Inventing Spanish: Maybe replace it with a Karoline Levitt sketch? How she hasn’t been mocked is insulting. Or a sketch where MTG (Veronica?) and Loomer (Fineman) do Yo-Mama Jokes at each other?… I have a 3rd but it’s REALLY Dark so I’ll keep it to myself in public.
Fine with Student Drawings but maybe put Mikey or JAJ in the Dismukes Role? Also maybe have the ending be that they’re dating?
Final Sketch: WOW I didn’t like this. Maybe have a sketch about the AI Celebrity in front of Investors and the AI says inappropriate things like that Scarlett Dog sketch? Or even bring back Banger Boyz with Ashley in the XCX Role? Could’ve been funny with the Manosphere turning on… You know who.
Welcome back Blood! Nice to see new reviews from you again.
Not bad, but very shaky, and not a promising way to start the season.
The show started and ended good, but everything else ranged from wasted potential (Inventing Spanish, Jeopardy, The Donor) to flat-out rough (K-Pop Demon Hunters). Even in the good segments, there was a very off vibe throughout the night, that prevented many sketches from taking off like they could’ve.
Adding to the off vibe was Bad Bunny giving surprisingly rough performances in certain points throughout the night. K-Pop Demon Hunters in particular was NOT the right sketch for Benito. Even during the points where his performances were fine, he was completely forgettable as host this time around, and wasn’t really utilized well. It’s a shame, since he’s proven he can be solid, and fun on the show.
There was also WAY too much of certain cast members, while others weren’t given much to do, or nothing to do AT ALL (I feel bad for Jane honestly). I’m a lot more tolerant of Marcello than most others are, but when there’s too much of a performer, it only makes it more clear on how expendable they are. Sarah simply doesn’t work in utility roles in my opinion, and it honestly feels weird to see her on the show now. Chloe was actually pretty good in most of her roles in my opinion, but aren’t Ashley and Veronika RIGHT THERE???
In terms of the newbies, Kam and Veronika were the only ones who made a real first impression as performers. Kam did pretty well in his Update commentary, though his delivery could use some work. Veronika did good in the Jeopardy sketch, and I can see her being a solid utility player.
This episode reminds me a lot of the Quinta Brunson episode from last season. Most of the actual material isn’t bad, but a very dull and off vibe, and a host that’s off their game stops the episode from taking off.
I’m not one to theorize, but I think the threats to late night TV lately might’ve worried the cast and writers into taking it safe, but that’s just what I think.
I’m hoping Amy Poehler can provide us our first good episode of the season.
That’s actually a pretty good theory. As for Amy, there’s definitely hope for her, but I feel like it’s best for us to not set our expectations too high in this current era.
This is the most beating a dead horse era of the show ever. They’re not even beating a dead horse, they’re tickling it. If they keep it up much longer, they’ll be picking the carcass.
That said, maybe Amy will help us next weekend.
So great to see your reviews again. I say this every season, but I can’t imagine the time and effort it takes to get all this done – reviews and screencaps – at such a brisk pace. It’s tempting for me to pop on and complain about what I disliked in last night’s episode, rather than to say thanks, but you already managed to put across what went wrong better than I could have.
To get some positives – like you, I was impressed by the two last sketches of the night. In terms of writing I didn’t think the Ashley sketch was up to much (and Marcello was badly miscast), but Ashley was so dynamic, so fearless. She’s willing to throw herself in there instead of wanting to be “cute” or caring about how much viewers want to be her friend.
I liked the last sketch a lot, especially the choice to have a homage of the original show while making it clear they were doing a very SNL interpretation, not making fun of the original performers. I don’t usually see that distinction on the show. I’m not sure if Bad Bunny brought it up or if it was the idea of the writers. Seeing a lot of people talking about how much the original show meant to them makes me appreciate the homage even more. I also just enjoyed the weirdness and energy, which felt very fresh compared to how labored most of the night was.
I also enjoyed Jost in the cold open. I agree he can’t be as absurd as the original Hegseth, but I still like seeing him tested outside Update, and frankly, he was a better sketch performer than about 5-6 members of the current cast.
I have so much respect for JAJ, but I continue to be disappointed that he mostly just gets on as Trump. He’s excellent as Trump but he can also be so much more. Not for the first time I noticed that he had to work to get the audience to respond to him. He had some genuinely sharp lines that died because the audience just didn’t notice, like when he casually mentioned having a stroke. I don’t know if it’s down to Trump burnout or that he’s never going to be the Trumpwin blustery figure that some of the bigger SNL devotees want, but I feel like as long as he is shackled to Trump, he’s never going to give the show what he can give. And when your male cast is this weak, you should use him as much as you can, not just for cold opens and bit parts.
I will keep beating this drum, but the cast (mis)use is a huge issue. I am aware the premieres often feature the “star” cast members, but it speaks volumes on the weakness of the cast that the “stars” they featured like Chloe, Sarah and Marcello were so unsuited to central roles. Even Andrew, who is my favorite cast member at present, could have had some of his parts played by the other men in the cast.
Chloe and Sarah just don’t have what it takes to be lynchpin cast members. We’re getting the same song and dance we get at the start of seemingly every season with Chloe, where she gets a lot of focus, oh is this her year, and her general limitations and lack of presence slowly whittle away her presence. Maybe this year will be different, but there’s no reason why Veronika, Ashley, or hell, even Jane, can try some of those parts. No amount of Heidi wigs will give her Heidi’s core.
As for Marcello – I just don’t believe he will ever be what he is intended to be. He lacks the necessary warmth or gravitas. He has no range, as shown in that school sketch. I would have likely had no patience for that padded, one-note GPT pre-tape anyway, but as soon as he started shouting, I was done. And he was remarkably stumbly in that language sketch, which also served to remind of how little Mikey has left to offer. Lisping jokes…is that the best we have? And even Andrew mostly managed that part better.
I felt a little bad for Benicio del Toro, who got that awkward reception many cameos get where the audience applauds because they’re meant to applaud and then have nothing else to say.
Speaking of cameos, that Demon Hunter sketch was a great example of how hollowed out endless pop culture chasing leaves the show, and how pointless it is. I’ve seen a few people point out that the sketch took way too long to get to the cameos. So the gen z or alpha crowd SNL is trying to attract will probably just see a chopped up third of this sketch, and will watch nothing else on SNL, ever. They may even see the show as trash, like a lot of BTS or Troye Sivan fans did. They will never be watching SNL. If the point is to grow viewers, then these sketches will never do that – the intended audience will take the crumbs and walk away.
The Kam debut – one of the worst debuts I’ve ever seen on Update – is the other side of the same failing. I knew they would do the whole “n word” routine, hacky as it is, but I was shocked at just how little effort was put in, by him or by the writing. We were clearly meant to just be shocked over him talking about whether he’s going to use a racial slur, but it just reinforced how ancient and out of touch SNL is. You can hear that slur all over social media or in the tombs of Kill Tony and other outlets. Is this meant to thrill us? Is it meant to bring in the millions of right-wing viewers who see SNL as the enemy and haven’t watched in years? They aren’t watching because of Kam. So it almost feels like he is as much of a degraded token for SNL fans as he is for Kill Tony fans. I don’t want it.
I think you said everything about Bowen on Update better than I ever could, so thank you. Everything I hate about “resist” elements on SNL – bad flashbacks of Kate and Cecily, only without some of their sincerity as Bowen just can’t resist going into vamping, vamping, vamping. The last thing anyone wants to see is beef between JK and SNL, two entities who last had interest for a lot of people 15-20 years ago.
From what was said on SNN last night, Jane was cut from Update, doing one of her “relatable” songs as Harry Styles. That she got in nothing else last night (not even dress rehearsal sketches) tells you the show has no idea what to do with her beyond greatest hits that were never really hits in the first place. Sad to say I would have taken her over Kam or Bowen. Update going from a clunky, non-rehearsed “edgy” Kam slur to an endless and empty Bowen “resist” piece shows just how unifying the show can be – managing to half-ass and suck on all sides of the cultural spectrum.
I am not expecting much improvement with Amy Poehler, as neither of her previous episodes were that great and she is probably too busy to help backstage, but I hope she might be able to at least remind those who work at the show how to construct a basic sketch.
I’ll end this by offering a bit of praise for Bad Bunny, as I’ve seen some criticisms of his work. I’m not really a fan, but I can’t think of anything he brought down. Nor do I think they made the show worse to be on his level. The episode was, somehow, better than those hosted by Miles Teller and Jean Smart, both of whom were more adept at the format. He was at least always present and frankly was better at the material than a disappointing number of the actual cast members. I’m not in a huge rush to see him on SNL again, but I thought he was fine. He surpassed my expectations, whatever those are worth, and if modern SNL is about nothing else it’s about surpassing minimal expectations.
“Worst Update debut”
I mean, Colin Jost is sitting right next to him. 2014 wasn’t THAT long ago
I forgot to say earlier that I was genuinely very unhappy over Emil’s firing. Unhappiest of all because I couldn’t even act surprised, as the show clearly cut him off by midseason. It still cast a pall over my enjoyment going into this season, made worse by such a terrible rollout.
I actually feel a little better now, as I realize if Emil had stayed, he would have likely just stay backstage watching the “stars” get all the focus, or if he was lucky, have an Update piece reacting to what slurs are or aren’t going to be said or over Jane singing a song about how she likes to eat pistachios while watching Mayberry RFD episodes. Now he can go out and actually use his talent and building a future in comedy.
Thanks, SNL, for knowing how to make me feel better.
Welcome back, Blood. It’s great to see this site back up and absolutely booming. Hard work and true enthusiasm breed success.
And I’m excited to be back to do a little Monday morning quarterbacking myself.
On to the episode, was it good? Not particularly. Was it bad? Not in any kind of lingering way. Bad Bunny is kind of a weird host to start the season off with because the show really can’t deliver a straight down the middle fastball with him. He’s a novelty host with pretty distinct limitations. That said, there is charm there (not sure why his detractors always seem so hot and bothered) and when he finds his comfort zone – as he did during the night’s wonderfully weird final sketch – the results kind of speak for themselves.
As for the cast…I think the devastating departure of Ego actually caught the show flat-footed. It’s a glaring hole in the cast, but I wouldn’t say it’s the same easily avoidable flub as what happened in 2013-14. I think Ego truly caught them off guard.
Also, jumping ahead a bit, but I kind of think it’s perfectly fair that Ben Marshall got relegated in his “first” episode. We know him. He can wait a week or two.
I’ll echo a few others here in saying that I liked Colin as Pete Hegseth. More than, say Norm, but less than Dennis Miller, utilizing Jost or Che in sketches contains a little bit of metatextual fun (remember Miller as Gary Hart?). Casting Jost is part of the joke and I think he did well here. I agree, however, that parodying an absurd moment didn’t really do much to draw out the absurdity or add on to it in any meaningful way, but the target was massive and the show was wise to go after it to start the year. Pivoting to the Trumpologue is a YMMV scenario, but I like these pieces a lot more than the audience ever seems to.
Most of the sketches this week (save the final two) were pretty marginal without ever really bottoming out. It was a LOT of Marcello, which is a lot to ask from me, an active non-fan. He did fine in the sense that I didn’t want to Elvis Presley my TV set. Seven years in, Chloe remains a cast member without a gear. That said, the Jeopardy had the nugget of an interesting idea (“What’s The Who?”), but it took too long to get to the fun part and then they seemed to fumble the ending. I thought the Sperm Donor thing was fun, if slight. I’ll be honest, I kind of enjoyed Kenan’s character, if only for the hair. I think the K-Pop Demon Hunters was at least less egregious than last season’s Charli XCX Show sketch, so that’s something. The Inventing Spanish sketch had a couple silly pieces that made me smile. The Benicio Del Toro cameo was probably the fastest I’ve ever gone from “Oh he should host!” to “Never mind.”
I get why we keep going “STILL??” with the Update duo, but in a season with a lot of flux, they remain the best vets to hold it down. You and I may be ready for a change, but I feel like the Lorne would want the rest of the show to feel stable before he fucked with the flagship. And I think that’s a much bigger discussion – how does one stabilize the rest of the show when the writers AND the audience keep leaning toward the kind of performers who have zero utility. Sarah Sherman being your female lead is a big reason why Michael Longfellow was unable to enjoy his natural home at the Update desk. The timing stinks. But it’s a problem that everyone – cast, writers, producers, audience – are complicit in.
Oh, and Kam Patterson debuted. Blood didn’t like it and John HATED it. The rest of us found it pretty enjoyable. Listen, I’ve got as many issues with the Kill Tony crew as the next quasi-informed, bad faith, reactionary lib, but this whole thing reeks of the Gillis situation in that the Daily Beasts and Cracked Magazines of the world are playing into a culture war that no one else is interested in waging. Not trying to be an apologist, Kam looks raw as hell with a mouth full of marbles (and a pocket full of rocks), but the “Kam Patterson is far right” articles are the kinds 2019-era liberal shittiness moves that do more damage than good. We all got played by the GIllis cancellation, I suggest we retract the knives for a guy that basically amounts to “edgy black comedian from the south who has a writerly focus if you care to look under the hood.”
The Teacher Drawings was a little sketch comedy 101, but got elevated to advanced level thanks to Ashley’s perfect performance. To contrast what she did with this sketch to what Marcello did (with this or any other sketch) is looking trying to swim across the ocean. I know she gets a little online hyperbole, but she has all the chops to become one of the greats (that’s no guarantee to success on the show though – look at what SNL did to Michaela Watkins).
The final sketch was a hoot in the way it refused to play to the audience. And credit where it’s due – Bunny, Marcello and Sarah were great here. I like when the show moves in defiance to the easy laugh. It makes for far richer moments. In an episode that could have been entirely dismissed, the night ended with a couple of justifications for real hope.
Great to have the community back.
Thanks for your comprehensive feedback and sweet words. Much appreciated.
I personally do not think Kam is far right or really that political, besides his edgy jokes. He just seems to want to mine laughs from controversial topics, as a comic would. And frankly, I do not care what a performer’s politics or gender or identity is to me. I only care for their work. Those garbage clickbait publications will forever clickbait and I never pay them attention nor should anyone else.
Kam’s debut behind the desk, I wasn’t hot on as I stated, but I’m going clean slate with him and seeing if he’ll win me over. He has charisma and is quite likable, yet with him still being himself. He has a lot of room to improve and impress me, so we shall see.
As usual, this wasn’t a good season premiere, although more drab and uninteresting than flat out horrible. In terms of the new cast members, I generally like rolling them out as we go than trying to push them hard (last year, the new people did nothing to start, and I thought at least Ashley and Emil proved really good).
The biggest issue I see is the loss of two major female cast members and the lack of any real replacements. You can argue if Sarah or Chloe are as funny as Heidi/Ego (well, you can’t but you know what I mean), but even Sarah or Chloe’s biggest partisans would say they are more niche/zone type people, not glue cast members. Heidi and Ego, even if they had some lows, were glue people, able to play straight roles and quietly anchor sketches.
The show’s final sketches did finally show more potential–a well-performed, actual sketch premise (even if slight) and a silly, fun sketch that featured good work from the well-cast people I sometimes find exasperating.
Bad Bunny is an enjoyable presence but not much of a host who can really elevate things. I might have liked him just to show up in cameos.