Cold Opening – Christmas Address
President Trump (JAJ) talks Epstein Files & Patriot Games
- I’m surprised we are getting another Trump open, especially that the last two Christmas episodes had apolitical opens.
- A laugh from the we “added a fourth ho” line.
- The usual good laughs from JAJ’s Trump. I know some fans are plain sick watching political cold opens (though that seems to be a minority, considering the praise this impression [rightfully] keeps getting). I am fine with them myself, however.
- Not caring for the various pictures JAJ is holding. Not even he can make prop comedy work, at least not this time around.
- The obligatory Epstein Files mention.
- I got a huge guilty laugh from “redacted” being JAJ’s Trump “second favorite R-word”.
- JAJ’s Trump is getting even more uncanny than ever (which is saying something, as this is an incredible impression in general), especially in lampooning the deteriorating, slurring phase the President is at by this point.
- I love the “Patriot Games” turn, especially loved JAJ’s Trump saying the best way to distract from the Epstein Files being inviting a bunch of teens to his house.
- An awkward moment with the graphic displaying later than expected.
- Lots of solid, sharp lines in general in this cold open.
Rating: ***1/2
Monologue
host sings about buying Christmas presents for acquaintances
- As expected, a musical monologue with Ariana.
- Surprising no one, Ariana is doing a spot-on Mariah Carey impression.
- A nice applause for Bowen’s entrance for his final SNL episode.
- The premise of Ariana singing about Christmas gifts is a bit too “cute” for me, but her charisma and natural endearing presence is making this work fine.
- No idea what to make of the whole Ariana/Marcello portion.
Rating: ***
Elf on the Shelf Support Group
therapy session held for the Elves
- A laugh from the visual of the cast in the Elf costumes. I really liked the one they did with Jason Momoa in season 44, so I’m looking forward to this. The premise here alone is solid and creative.
- I love Andrew’s performance in this. He also looks exactly, and I mean exactly, like a fellow teacher I know in those glasses.
- I love the visual of Jeremy with all those gums and chips and all. He is absolutely hilarious in his brief meltdown.
- Ariana looks adorable. Love her character’s name. In fact, the names of everyone kept me cracking up.
- A hilarious, shocking visual of Ariana’s bottom half being torn up. I also love how she is getting the audience on her side.
- As much as I love Mikey, I am not caring for the whole portion with him.
- Kam briefly steals the entire sketch, especially when he exploded due to…. you know what.
- Jane is an absolute natural for this role. And wow, she totally killed it in her portion. She’s been improving of late, despite some awkward pauses here and there.
- I am not sure I needed Kenan’s Elf to explode by the end, but this was an overall very solid sketch. Writerly, creative.
Rating: ****
Home Alone
Kevin’s (host) traps cause a massacre to his entire family
- Home Alone is a favorite of mine and I’m always a sucker to see parodies of it.
- Ashley is an ideal casting for Catherine O’Hara’s character. She is also rightfully playing the lead next to Ariana in this pretape.
- Funny casting of Ariana as Kevin.
- Nice seeing Colin in a pretape for a change. Fun casting of him as Buzz, even when I’m surprised Ben didn’t play the role.
- A huge laugh from Mikey’s hair burning, thus turning this pretape into the traditional Colin Jost-written gory pretapes.
- The death sequence has its share of good laughs, but what is really making it for me is Ashley’s performance as Miss McCallister. Her reaction to the carnage is having me in absolute stitches.
- A solid and surprising twist with it all turning out to be a dream. Love Ashley’s thoughtful look as Ariana’s Kevin tries to get her attention. So many little subtleties there. This brilliant performer is way too good for sketch comedy.
- A fun ending.
- While this doesn’t hold a candle to the classic installments with Farewell Mr. Bunting and A Christmas Carol, I enjoyed this overall more than the Grinch one last season and Scooby-Doo before it, and Ashley gave a killer performance in this. A nice bookend to a phenomenal first half for her.
Rating: ****
Dancing 101
choreographers (host) & (MAH) offer unique dancing lessons
- JAJ has been in almost every single segment of the night so far. Always nice to see.
- Oh yeah, Marcello IS a cast member. Could’ve fooled me with his Luke Null-esque usage in most of this season.
- I know I am usually more tolerant of these Marcello sketches than many, so I’ll give this a fair shot, considering in particular how the night has been going.
- This is reminding me of a very bad sketch Christina Applegate did in her second hosting stint. The “absurdist” gags so far aren’t really making me laugh, despite the usual committed physical work from Marcello.
- Some weird breaking in this sketch. No clue what the hell happened for Ariana to be cracking up randomly. Was that (lame) RFK Jr. line that amusing to her?
- JAJ was freakin’ great demonstrating his version of the dance.
- Jeremy had me in stitches during his whole “dance”, especially his great delivery of his departing line. More of Jeremy, SNL!
- All-in-all, as you can tell by the review, this just plain didn’t work for me. It wasn’t horrible. I didn’t want to tear my hair apart watching, but besides the very fun parts with Jeremy & JAJ, most of this felt sloppy and inside joke-y. Not even the usually-strong Ariana Grande felt as in-character as you would expect her to be.
Rating: ** (the JAJ & Jeremy portions gave this a nice boost)
Random Duet Christmas Spectacular
celebrities sing Christmas duets
- Feels like ages since we last got this type of a pretape/sketch. In fact this season has been really low on impression debuts in general.
- A pretape in the tradition of those early ‘10s celebrity duets.
- Heh, JAJ’s Dylan is always so spot-on and hilarious. I also love Ariana’s take on Katy Perry.
- Blah at the Kate Bush take from Sarah. Besides how dead ringer she is to her physically, she is just being hammy and annoying here.
- A big laugh from Marcello’s(?) Benson Boone randomly flipping over Kenan’s Stevie Wonder’s piano.
- What the hell was that Veronika/Chloe part about? Couldn’t they find a female celebrity for Veronika to play? She is uncanny to Elizabeth Olsen. Have her play her randomly in this.
- A pretty big stretch having Jane play herself in this. However, I am sure that was all fun and games.
- Wow, a Cameron Winter impression on SNL? (And a freakin’ fantastic one by JAJ, surprising nobody.) So cool seeing a relatively niche artist parodied in such a piece.
- Not to be mean, but the difference between the JAJ-centric moments (thankfully, most of this pretape) and some of the other cast members is plain jarring. The lack of confidence from some is just startling.
- That ending duet….. wow. Not only nice to see Ariana’s great Celine Dion back, but her and JAJ were just amazing in this. Gave me goosebumps. I said it before, but I genuinely believe JAJ is an all-time great, in not only impressions, but singing. And, not only comedic singing, but country, rap, pop, rock, and now he is nailing opera?! I keep being in a state of awe watching this fantastic performer in his adept performances and deliveries, even four-seasons-and-a-half in.
Rating: ***1/2 (the rest of this was average, but the JAJ portions bumped up the rating by a full star)
Black Santa
criminal (KET) claims to be Santa
- Seeing Mikey playing a counselor/lawyer in a courtroom sketch is bringing back unwanted memories of that freakin’ terrible Wario sketch with a certain former host.
- Was I supposed to get a laugh from the reveal of Kenan? How many times am I supposed to LOL seeing this performer returning to his old bag of tricks, 23 seasons in?
- The turn with Kenan’s Santa singing an alternate version of Cher’s own “Believe” is doing nothing for me. While a tribute to the legendary performer is welcomed, this sketch’s whole premise is iffy and cannot sustain itself for a full sketch.
- Not caring for the reveal that Kenan’s supposed Santa is a thief.
- Poor utilization of Ariana Grande’s talents.
- This sketch keeps going on and on. I feel bad seeing Mikey in this role, as he is trying his damn best with his lines, as always.
- Kenan keeps cracking up at himself for no damn reason. Ugh.
- For the second week in a row, Kenan Thompson proves once again how washed he is as a cast member. I dread, with Bowen leaving, we get his tired self in such “showcases”.
Rating: *1/2
Musical Performance – “DJ Play A Christmas Song”
Weekend Update
MIC’s Nephew (KAP) threatens Santa
MIC surprises COJ with Joke Swap
Trend Forecasters (AIB) & (BOY) talk Chinese & holiday trends
- I got nothing much to say about the opening string of jokes/commentary, except that they are fine enough jokes.
- Nice seeing Kam getting another desk piece. I wasn’t big on his first, but I’ll give this a change, especially that he is playing a character this time around.
- Kam is a lot of fun in this so far. Tons of natural and likable charisma.
- A huge laugh from the Little Drummer Boy line. Kam is killing it in this in general and is having one great line after the other. Definitely better than his underwhelming debut piece.
- Man, this Joke Swap is plain not working. I understand this is a genuine surprise for Colin, but couldn’t they have written better ones? The billionth Scarlet “slam” felt especially tired.
- It is funny, part of me just knew Aidy would cameo for Bowen’s last episode. Nice to see this legendary alum in her first regular cameo since leaving the show four seasons ago.
- Feels rare seeing Michael getting the two Update correspondents this week.
- I was never that high on this sketch in the past, as harmless as it is, but this is fun so far. A sweet way to have Aidy’s sendoff brought back for Bowen’s final episode.
- As always, very fun involvement of Michael at the end.
Rating: ***1/2 (the latter 1/2 for the desk pieces)
Love Is Blind Reunion
The Grinch (MID) is reunited with lover (host)
- Considering that freakin’ awful reality show sketch from a few seasons ago (the Chloe & Travis Kelce one), I am getting into this with caution.
- A laugh from Mikey entering the sketch as Ariana’s love: The Grinch. Funny seeing him playing the role in two episodes in a row. Also, odd how they didn’t give JAJ the role, as he does that podcast and all. Although, considering how family-friendly said podcast apparently is, guess it would be odd.
- Barely any Ashley and Sarah tonight. Surprised for the former, as she is so clearly the female lead of the show (and rightfully so) by now. The latter? Meh.
- Really awkward seeing a black female extra instead of a cast member. I am still shocked the show didn’t bother to hire another black woman before Ego left (sob).
- A baffling sketch so far and not that funny.
- They are absolutely wasting Ariana in such a role.
- Now, much like that choreographers sketch, this is taking the tired Seiday route of having to explain the weirdness to us. Meh.
- I’d say at least nice to see lots of Kam for a change.
- Is this Ben’s first (and only) appearance tonight? And, playing a bland straight role? Oof.
- A groan from the reveal that Mikey’s Grinch is pregnant. This is the type of goofiness Mikey used to able to sell earlier in this tenure, and while I’ve been mostly positive on him this season, this is not one of his brighter moments.
- An overall waste of time. A rare, big miss from Mikey.
Rating: *1/2
Musical Performance – “Run Rudolph Run”
Antonio (host) introduces MG
- Huh, I fucking LOVE that Ariana does the intro playing her castrated character from her episode last season. Always a blast seeing these out-of-the-ordinary musical guest intros.
Delta Sky Lounge
(BOY)’s last shift has him remembering what he made in the past
- Even before we got into the sketch proper, I knew this would be a sendoff for Bowen Yang. It isn’t exactly as big or epic as the Kate and Cecily sendoffs (then again, Bowen isn’t up to their status – nothing against him), but the low-key and classy way is fitting for him. He always seemed like a wonderful and smart human being.
- This being Bowen’s character’s “last shift” is a decent concept behind this goodbye, even when it feels similar to Cecily’s. With that said, I know I’ll enjoy this.
- A really cute and meta turn, with Ariana’s message to Bowen’s character.
- While a sweet sketch an idea for a sendoff, the turns between meta and sketch are handled rather awkwardly.
- A nice way to include Cher in a sketch. I’ve read some theorized she was asked to show up for Black Santa but turned it down. Good taste on her.
- Man, and now Bowen is starting to cry as the sketch is about to conclude. This is getting to me.
- An overall sweet way to sendoff Bowen Yang. I had my issues with his pieces over these past few seasons, but he was always very reliable team player and certainly gave me more laughs than not. Goodbye, Bowen.
Rating: N/A (I don’t rate farewell pieces)
Cut For Time: Espresso Martini
dangers of Espresso Martini are exposed
- An interesting sketch concept already. The reveal of the beverage is already a good laugh.
- Funny delivery from Jeremy.
- The cam footage is very funny. Chloe’s crazy characterization is especially priceless.
- Bowen is hilarious as the “Thoughtful Gay”. This is the type of sketch-stealing role I’ll greatly miss from him.
- Funny random inclusion of Ashley as the expert researcher. Loved her professional delivery of “bitches” especially.
- Very solid turn with Ariana sipping the Espresso Martini.
- Strong piece overall. Baffling this got cut if I am being honest.
Rating: ****
Cut For Time: Last Stop Christmas Shop
weird Christmas trees are advertised
- Ugh at the drag visual of Sarah & Ariana to open the sketch. So unnecessary. I am beyond sick and tired seeing Sarah Sherman playing these types of roles. And I was hoping the hacky drag trope would go when Kate McKinnon left the cast.
- Moving on to the sketch. A tepid and mediocre sketch in general. Poor attempts at absurdist, random humor for me. Not even the Marcello portions are giving this any “pep”.
- Shame two Jeremy appearances were cut from the live show.
- Ugh at the breaking from Sarah & Ariana. So self-amused, as if we didn’t get enough of that with Kate back in her time and Sarah isn’t half as good as Prime Kate, to put it mildly. At least nice to see that Jeremy can easily break hosts and fellow cast members so early in his run.
- This sketch is fucking HORRIBLE so far. How did this mess get to dress? Sarah goes from Pongo! and Meatballs to this?! No wonder she became Reddit’s darling.
- The “weird” visuals of the trees feel like something out of a lame kids’ show.
- Guess this being cut was my Christmas gift coming early. Thank you, Santa!
Rating: *
Goodnights
- Sweet tribute to the legendary Rob Reiner.
- Man, seeing Chloe crying while hugging Bowen is getting to me.
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
Elf on the Shelf Support Group
CFT: Espresso Martini
Home Alone
Christmas Address
Random Christmas Duet Spectacular
Weekend Update
Monologue
Dancing 101
Black Santa
Love Is Blind Reunion
CFT: Last Stop Christmas Stop
Final Thoughts:
- Outside of three poor pieces (interestingly, two of the three starring the two most senior sketch players in the cast), I liked this overall episode fine enough. There wasn’t much that I felt was great or memorable and the rating average won’t probably be that high (I have to wonder when will this season finally give me those super strong episodes), but there were enough solid pieces here and there that masked the blandly decent feeling of the episode. This was a nice sendoff for Bowen Yang, as he was utilized ideally and had a sweet goodbye sketch. The rest of the cast, however, felt barely on, besides JAJ (ending a quietly impressive first half strongly), Kenan and Mikey.
- Ariana Grande wasn’t utilized as well as her prior two hosting stints and seemed at times oddly out-of-character, but she was still reliable, especially in the two pretapes and Espresso Martini. I’d love to continue reviewing her till she enters the Five-Timers Club.
- I am struggling with my feelings towards the first half of this season. I do think, as a whole, it is a step up from last season’s first half and said prior season’s quality in general, but…. looking back at my rating averages and the highest and lowest-rated material, it is basically 50/50. I’d say this was an overall uneven-albeit-decent first half. I just hope the back half is a big bounce up and with a few strong episodes and keeps the solid ensemble feeling.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- Finn Wolfhard / A$ap Rocky. SNL is back January 17th. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
I think I might’ve been miserable when I watched this live, because I didn’t really care much for anything in this episode. I don’t have a whole lot to say that you didn’t already, but I will say that I’m shocked you gave a high rating to Home Alone, because I felt you were gonna rate it low. I’d say more, but I don’t wanna turn this into a mini-review.
See you all on January 17th!
I felt this episode was a decent (albeit flawed) way to close out the first half of the season. It got over the hump more on vibes than anything else, but for what it was, it was decent enough.
The night started off strong with the Elf on the Shelf and Home Alone segments. Jane’s performance in the former was easily her best performance yet (imho, her only good one so far). She actually gave me some laughs, emoted well, and her delivery was great. Idk if the voice modulator helped, but whatever the reason, I’m glad that she finally had a good moment (even if it took 1 and a half years).
The “sweet scene turns gory” sketches are always a fun watch even if they’ll never be able to top Farewell Mr. Bunting. With that said, this Home Alone was good. Ashley was absolutely fantastic in it. She totally nailed the vibes, facial expressions, and voice of Catherine O’Hara’s character. Her screams at all the horrific stuff happening was so well done. As you said, she is just too damn good for this show.
The Dancing 101 sketch was another awful Fowlie penned piece, complete with Bowen and Marcello hamming it up with each other. JAJ and Jeremy at least gave some laughs, but they couldn’t save this dreck. A waste of time.
Seeing Aidy return to help Bowen with his sendoff honestly made me emotional. I love Aidy and respect her so much for keeping her distance from the show (not counting the 50th) since her departure. It made her return that much more special. Like you, I was never big on these Trend Forecasters, but I can’t really hate them either because her and Bowen are clearly having a blast and you can see their close friendship on display. Kam’s piece, while not much of a stretch range-wise, was also fun and a nice performance from him.
I feel like people are finally waking up to how tired joke swap has become. How many times am I supposed to laugh at how Colin is a racist sexist pervert? How many times am I supposed to watch him giggle and fumble his way through his delivery because of how “shocking” the joke is? Exhibit A as to why Colin and Michael should have left years ago. With that being said: the Wednesday joke actually gave me a good laugh and reminded me of how good these used to be in their prime.
Strange usage of Ariana throughout most of the night. She was mostly great and committed (apart from the Last Stop Christmas Shop and Dancing 101 sketches where she oddly seemed to get the giggles), but a lot of her roles felt like after thoughts. Especially in Black Santa. I’d still love to see her come back and host of course, but hopefully the writing and usage will be better.
Was thrilled to see JAJ have such a strong night, especially in the Christmas Duets sketch which I think will easily go down as a highlight for him. This man’s talent and versatility truly knows no boundaries.
Finally, I’ve been pretty harsh on Bowen these last couple of years, but I will concede that he seems like a wonderful person and, when used properly, is a hilarious asset to the show. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. With that said, I can’t pretend that I don’t think his departure is a net positive for the show, as it will hopefully mean less hamminess and bringing the show back to a more ensemble feel. Still, it was sweet to see how much he meant to the show and vice versa. Him tearing up in the last part of his sketch got me.
I think this was a pretty great Christmas episode! Once again, Ariana Grande was absolutely fantastic as the host! Although be honest, I kind of wish she did double duty again like she did for her first outing (I would’ve KILLED to hear Twilight Zone and Past Life live 😭💙). But still, the musical guest they got for this episode, Cher, was nevertheless a fantastic and perfect choice to for Bowen’s farewell episode given that she’s one of his biggest idols.
The sketches overall were pretty good! My personal favorites were the Elf on The Shelf sketch, the Black Santa sketch, the Home Alone sketch, and most importantly, Bowen’s goodbye sketch. That drove me to absolute tears. To be honest, even though his humor can be a little bit hot and cold to me sometimes, Bowen was always and forever we will be one of the best and funniest cast members to me. I’m definitely gonna miss him on SNL. 🥺❤️🩹
But the one that ABSOLUTELY stole the freaking show for me was the RANDOM DUETS SKETCH!!! I mean, that ending with JAJ and Ari as Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion……wow……just FREAKING WOW!!!! That performance was so beautiful, I forgot for a moment I was even watching a COMEDY SHOW!!! I swear, those two are some of the greatest and most talented people ever known to man!!!
Once again, thanks for the wonderful review Blood, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 😊❤️🎄
An episode me as well as many people were hyping up and… I’m letdown extremely, let’s talk about!
Don’t get me wrong James does well with the Trump as usual, but I’m starting to run out of things to say about these, they are just THERE for me and again I’m starting to have a little to say about them that I might as well just hit fast-forward if I was watching on Peacock or something and this the shows. I will say the one line of the second R word I did get amusement out of but overall BOOF. Also, sidenote: was it the very first James completely solo Trump cold open?
The Home Alone sketch I only got more enjoyment (mainly thanks to Ashley’s O’Hara) before they went to the actual comedic premise of everyone hurting or killing themselves, which is a thing we go to too often, especially for the holidays sketches and ESPECIALLY for pre-tapes. The other cast members betrayal of the people from the movie were also pretty fun to all I say as well.
I too am higher on Acting Teacher (or in this case Dancing) than most and with that said I really enjoyed this version of it and I’m not even entirely sure why either. Maybe it was the performances from Marcello and Ariana or maybe it was the people particularly Jeremy joining in with their own dances but either way I enjoyed it.
The Christmas Duets was pretty is honestly a shockingly ****1/2 for me. I always get a kick out of cast members doing impressions very quickly in and out even if sometimes I know someone can make the argument of it, having no point and just the cast members doing impressions of people who we are aware of but now that ever bothers me and that’s probably why I always enjoy these. Well yes, Ariana and James did great in this I got a kick out of the Jane and Kam’s part too, mainly just for the reveal of Jane playing herself what I found pretty funny.
And speaking of Kam, I’m glad he got to do something before the second half of the season because boy has even been having an extremely quiet season and not in a good way. While I am on the “I like it” side for his VERY divisive debut Update piece from the premiere and definitely prefer that one over to this one, this was a nice character piece and a good showcase for Kam as well as a much needed one.
The Grinch sketch shockingly worked for me I guess, mainly for the second half of the Grinch showing up for Ariana in the black jacket and the chain trying to look cool in all even if I definitely agree that writing wise this was a nothing burger. I also am too surprised that not a whole lot of Ashley in this episode given that it seemed Ariana really loved being with her and wanted to have her and a lot based all the positive stuff she said about her (but I kind of predicted that she wouldn’t appear too much given that last week was another episode where she was all over).
The cut Espresso Martini sketch I feel if it was in the episode I would’ve called it my favorite of the night. Sarah and Chloe were cracking me up while they were in the room, I particularly love the part where I believe Sarah cut a picture of Jeremy and thought she killed him and tried to give him CPR and the sudden drunk performance of Ariana was hilarious and good straight man work from Jeremy and Ben. Solid stuff all around from this one.
I’m not too disappointed of the Tree sketch being cut, but I am definitely higher on it than you are mainly just because this was one of those “cast breaking” moments that I found actually charming and helped bring the energy to the sketch as well as my interest for it, but like I said, I’m not sad that this gotguy cut even if I didn’t hate this.
But overall, just a fine episode that I wish I expected more from but what we got I say was alright. See ya for January 17th with Finn Wolfhard and A$AP Rocky!
I liked the Espresso CFT. Nothing against Ariana, but I would’ve put Espresso in the Josh Episode replacing Bachelorette Party Strippers and having Veronika in the Ariana Role and Josh in the Jeremy Role.
Live Episode: I liked The Monologue (Only good one for me this season) and Tyson.
Blood, Your worried about Bowen Showcases, I’m more worried about more Marcello showcases/characters.
I actually really enjoyed this episode. There were certainly some duds (The Grinch, Black Santa) but I dunno the show had a festive spirit about it especially since every sketch was Christmas themed. I would have cut a weaker sketch just to put the espresso martini sketch which is an excellent use of Ariana, Sarah, and Chloe.
I think my favourite was the impression showcase. It’s certainly not groundbreaking but we rarely get these anymore and it’s too bad because JAJ really shined here. My god his operatic voice harmonizing with Grande was actually gorgeous and jaw dropping. Keep using JAJ SNL!
I also loved the Kam showcase. On paper it’s not much of a premise but his charisma and timing really elevated this for me. You can tell he’s still pretty green but there is electricity about him that is captivating to watch. You’re not quite sure what is going to come out of his mouth. He reminds me of a Tracy Morgan in that way.
Finally I LOVED the Bowen standoff. So much so that it might be my favourite in recent years (the Hartman goodbye is still my all time fave). Even though the emotional component is what made it great, I still think it had a solid skeleton with some funny lines. I think it perfectly captured Bowen’s tenure and I thought it was very self aware, charming, and warm. It made me tear up.
Bowen’s tenure is one that I think overall I enjoyed and would consider strong even though I’d compare it to Kristen Wiig. Amazing highs in the first few years, followed my popularity and unfortunately loose performance, mugging, and vamping. Thankfully like Wiig it ended on a much stronger year for Bowen. Besides that annoying 12 year old sketch from last week, I’ve found him much more committed and on point. Bowen was my fave for years and I consider season 47 to be his high mark. I was disappointed that he got broader and lost the edge that made him special. That said I think he stuck the landing and I will miss him. Even though I think it’s the perfect time for him to go. Despite his duds I think he was quite groundbreaking and wrote and performed sketches we had never quite seen before.
Also want to give a shoutout to Ariana Grande. She seemed more like a utility player in this episode. She is still one of my fave hosts this year and would love to see her get to the five timers club.
I might have to give this one a rewatch, because I thought this was another weak, and off feeling episode.
The send-off for Bowen was sweet, and a couple cast members had some great moments, but it feels like not much of the cast got anything noteworthy.
It also doesn’t help nothing here was strong (a recurring theme for the lesser episodes this season).
I really enjoyed the Elf on The Shelf sketch, which is the type of concept-driven, silly, ensemble sketch that has been becoming more common this season. And wow, Jane has REALLY been stepping it up ever since this December string started, she was great here.
Weekend Update was pretty fun, but even I can admit as a fan of the Joke Swap’s, that this years felt VERY half-assed. Thankfully, Kam’s great commentary, and Aidy returning with Bowen as the Trend Forecasters bumped it up.
My least favorite sketch was the Dance Class sketch, this felt WAY too all over the place. It also feels like Marcello and Ariana were way too self-amused for me to really enjoy their characters. I take it that there was more to this in dress, but it got cut down.
Ariana unfortunately didn’t get much this time around, despite some good moments throughout.
Overall, a fitting way to end a disappointing December string, and an interesting first half of the season.
While I did have many issues with the first half of this season (the main issues being the lack of a standout episode yet, and poor host utilization), I still think it was decent overall. It also helps that the newer cast members, and somewhat fresh writing style make the mistakes more forgivable for me.
I’m REALLY looking forward to Finn Wolfhard, since it always feels surreal to see someone from my generation hosting the show. (The Jenna Ortega episode is a forgotten highlight of S48 in my opinion)
Happy Holidays everyone, see you all in January.
I watched this episode late and felt checked out from early on, so I appreciate your review for helping me find some other perspectives.
I wasn’t looking forward to Ariana’s hosting stint last season, but she was a delightful surprise, enough to where she carried most of the night, with some great help from the Bulla pre-tape and the JAJ B&W sketch.
Much has changed in the last year, what with her extensive worldwide publicity tour for Wicked 2 and some of her struggles, so I knew history likely wouldn’t repeat itself, but I was still a little surprised at how little Ariana had to do this time and how she struggled even with some of what she had (she was especially “off” in the dance and Black Santa sketches – not that I can blame her). She was still a charismatic and likeable presence, but I got the sense that her journey with SNL has come to a natural end.
One of the reasons I struggled to react to this episode is because so much had a deja vu feel, so much lacked the experimentation and trust I thought the show was slowly starting to rebuild until hitting reverse with Josh O’Connor’s episode. I just have nothing to say now about the umpteenth Trump cold open (JAJ is doing well, and I appreciate some of the jabs at Trump’s decaying mental state, but the insult comic stuff still creeps in) or the umpteenth Mr. Bunting (the end made me wonder if even they have realized they hit a wall) or the umpteenth joke swap.
I think I would have enjoyed the elf sketch without the voice modulators and the photo gallery from Mikey – both felt very dumbed down. The concept and performances were there. I couldn’t even understand Ariana at times (I also couldn’t in the monologue).
Kam’s Update piece is another I had mixed feelings on. I appreciate he was trying something different than we get on Update these days – weird relatives of Update anchors is too untapped (who can forget Norm’s brother). The downside is I still don’t think Kam has the ability to make the improved writing work – in terms of diction or range, we’re still at the starting gate. He did a better job in the elf sketch.
Variety had a piece essentially saying what a loss Bowen would be to SNL because he was a star and they had already lost stars Heidi and Ego. Lorne and the others who run the show seem to get jumpy, which we saw in seasons 48 and 49 where they wrecked any potential for real turnover by trying to retrofit performers into recently departed cast members or by trying to force new stars through lazy vehicles and mascot roles.
That panic seemed to be back in full force tonight, with “star” vehicles for Marcello, Kenan and Mikey, presumably to try to reassure viewers that Bowen going won’t mean the SNL sky suddenly went dark. If so, this was very counterproductive, as these panic moments often are. The Grinch and Black Santa sketches were two of the worst of the season, and any positives in the dance sketch were down to JAJ and Jeremy, not Marcello, who seemed very depleted compared to some of his old energy levels.
JAJ was also the star (not “star”) of the impression parade, which was palatable otherwise but not much beyond palatable (the clever idea of Benson Boone flipping and crashing being repeated for no apparent reason says it all). I’m very glad they let JAJ sing an actual duet with Ariana, letting us hear his amazing voice. There was a clear mutual respect which lifted the entire piece.
I really liked the idea of Bowen’s goodbye sketch. I just don’t think the execution was there. They flipped between fictional world and real world without a great deal of ease, and this led the emotions to seem inauthentic, even though I am sure they were real. The best part was Cher’s small appearance at the end. The affirmation of Bowen, and of a gay man’s presence on SNL, a gay man who was competent in himself and camp and absurdity, is something that I shouldn’t take for granted on SNL, no matter how I felt about some of Bowen’s tenure. We may never have that presence again, given SNL’s history and regression.
Something did stand out for me in the tone of his goodbye. Many SNL goodbyes are about how much the show and the cast will miss the departing cast member, the last being Cecily, with that notable shot of Colin in tears. Clearly, many at SNL were devastated to see Bowen go, but the framing, complete with Bowen saying goodbye with the host and MG rather than the cast, was more about how much SNL meant to him and about his own journey. I think this may become the norm for cast departures as the ensemble frays more and more and we get emphasis on “star” moments. I hope the show will see just how much they will suffer in terms of quality and identity from that fraying, but…history would suggest otherwise.
The true goodbye to Bowen was the espresso sketch, cut for time, which utilized his mix of seriousness and camp to perfection. That sketch was just so good all around, and also Ariana’s best role of the night. If I remember anything positive of this very boilerplate season 51 episode, this sketch will be it.
Thanks as always for your wonderful work here, week in and week out. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your great comment section.
I think I generally had fun with the episode, but not so much in their being a ton of highlights, but more that I found the dregs of the episode to be more fun than is suggested here. It’s a Christmas episode – it’s almost 100% vibes.
For instance, I was dreading that dancing sketch as soon as it started up. We’ve seen this kind of sketch a thousand times before and they’ve all been abysmal. What’s more is it stars Marcello, who is on the perma-naughty list for this section of SNL internet. But then I had fun with it. It didn’t feel nearly as vampy as people would want to project on to it and the jokes that made up the piece were actually really fun (Ariana’s twirl after the vaccination line killed me). Marcello held his own, I thought. We talk about airtime struggles or whatever, but if he can deliver quality over quantity, that’s the way to go (the Sebastian Maniscalco piece being one of the season’s highlights). And finally Jeremy got a freaking applause break with his big moment. Celebrate the wins people. They can’t all be classics, but brush off funny trifles just because they feel rote.
The Black Santa thing twice as long as it should have been, but I will admit that I was tickled by the stupidity of it all. I guess Kenan is washed. I know I don’t need him on the show, but he has a certain silliness that can still battering ram through so-so material. I always said his superpower was his ability to float through any sketch unscathed and I felt that about this sketch. Ariana, who was endearingly loose all night, was straight up off here, but I don’t think it really mattered. For a couple minutes, the whole thing was just dumb enough.
The Grinch thing was the other notable “dud” of the night. The show put some big money down on a Grinch costume a few years ago and are probably still three or four sketches away from feeling like they got full value for it. This was low effort Seiday gruel, no doubt, but I thought the back half added a little bit of a fun twist. Nothing I loved, but better than I really expected.
As for the “upper” portion of the episode. I think the Home Alone sketch actually handedly beats out the Christmas Carol sketch for me (and naturally all the other non-Mr. Bunting gorefests) if only for the reason that the violence is justified within the sketch’s logic, which is a quality it shares with Farewell Mr. Bunting and that’s it. The other sketches (including Scrooge) were violence for the sake of violence. This one has a reason for the violence and also goes some way for exposing the vindictive heart of Home Alone (a film I have no affinity for). Also, some of the visuals of the sketch were truly disturbing.
I also want to mention the monologue, which is often the most easily brushed off portion of the sure. I want to commend the effort! Yes, it was a songologue, which is very 2017, but it was one with writing and a modicum of creative effort. It probably only is worth *** but on that scale, all the charmalogues need to be downgraded a full star.
Oh, Update was fun. The non-swap joke swap was sort of a half measure, but that Catholic joke was wild work. I also thought Kam did great (for a Republican, Kill Tony-pandering, “Lorne wants a new audience” token homophobe). He is a ton of fun as a performer and looks like he has that unique ability to steal scenes with little work. His lack of airtime really hasn’t concerned me, his role is to deliver when the opportunity strikes. He did that a few times tonight. My apologies to those who fear/hope/pray he is a slur waiting to happen. He might be better than whatever is being projected onto him.
I should note, this is another great review, Blood, but this: “She is uncanny to Elizabeth Olsen. Have her play her randomly in this.” That is” is some really bad advice. I enjoyed Veronika’s Post Malone. I also enjoyed Sarah’s Kate Bush. Having seen a bunch of Kate Bush videos, I didn’t think the depiction was that far off. It was also something when JAJ did Cameron Winter (Geese’s Getting Killed is my third favorite album of 2025). It kind of reminded me when Timberlake did Justin Vernon from Bon Iver – it’s just weird when a more niche contemporary artists gets parodied (Geese musical guest when????).
Quick hits:
– I’m with you Blood, I’m still down with the Trump COs. This is more about JAJ’s mastery than the political commentary. The freestyling is the thrill of it, people need to stop expecting trenchant political analysis. The show belongs to the performers.
– Agree with John that the voice modulators in the elf sketch were both distracting (it modulated the audience!) and basically muffled Ariana entirely.
– James said the elf sketch was Jane’s only good performance so far. Goddamn, y’all need to re-watch that boys podcast sketch. It’s like people don’t even want to use their eyes and ears anymore.
OK, finally, Bowen. The goodbyes were fine. Whatever. Who cares. But I do think he was an important (and valuable) castmember. I’m not sad he’s leaving, just like I’m not sad when anybody who’s put in six or seven seasons leaves. The show thrives on change and only really suffers when true utility players leave (Aykroyd, Hooks, Hartman, Ferrell). That’s not Bowen, so the show will be fine and we’ve got a million people to fill in the time in his absence. Bowen was well-fed by the show and thrust into the show’s templated star-system almost immediately. It was annoying, but it didn’t make Bowen bad. His presence expanded the palette and perspective of the show, which was incredibly valuable. That “inside” element made the show a stronger, funnier show. Comedically, it was clear that Bowen was brought up on those 00-05 Tina Fey years with its high camp and pop culture obsessions. I remember an old interview where Bowen referred to Gays in Space as one of his all-time favorites. I found that worrying and some of that played out on the show. That said, Bowen was clearly a funny guy with a high degree of self-awareness, so he had a subversive edge that could really power through, even in some of his most vamp-y material. Try as I might, I could never fully hate those damn Doctor sketches or that one time traveling hair sketch. Bowen took big swings and, if you could watch the show from a certain “this is all tongue-and-cheek” perspective (not a typical reviewer’s approach), you could see the true anarchic spirit of the original show.
So in the end, I think he had a good run. He came up in the Kate Mackinnon caste system where you had a few names and then a bunch of nobodies begging for scraps, but that was a mechanism of the show, not Bowen himself. His style wasn’t *my* style, but that’s part of what made him good, even great. He was an insider to a world outside of me. Sometimes I felt left out in the cold, but other times I felt like I was invited in. But take away all the trappings of “identity” and you have a castmember with surprising utility (he had a VERY effective deadpan) and a weirdo spirit that deserves to be celebrated.
Here’s our 3 hosts and musical guests for this month:
January 17th-
Host: Finn Wolfhard
Musical Guest: A$AP Rocky
January 24th-
Host: Teyana Taylor
Musical Guest: Geese
January 31st-
Host: Alexander Skarsgard
Musical Guest: Cardi B
Who, who, and who? (I guess I’m getting to that “don’t know who half the SNL hosts are anymore” level of old lol
Here’s what I vaguely remember:
Finn Wolfhard is from Stranger Things, Teyana Taylor was in One Battle After Another (and was also in Kanye’s second performance in S44), and Alexander Skarsgard was in Friday Night Lights (and is the older brother of Bill Skarsgard, as well as the son of Stellan Skarsgard).