Cold Opening – Hegseth/Patel Iran Press Briefing
Pete Hegseth (COJ) & Kash Patel (Aziz Ansari) brief press
- Groan.
- Fucking ugh at the visual of the large scotch glass with Colin. Considering how he horribly bombed the last time he showed up (much to my amusement), I am not surprised the audience’s laughter is quite mild so far, especially that one loud lady.
- “Hilarious”, as get homophobic jabs at the reporters, for the billionth time this season. And, considering the five minutes humiliation sketch Jeremy Culhane was in last episode, not even going to pretend this isn’t a not-so-subtle digs at the newbies in these reporter roles.
- And of course, we are getting smiley/giggling Colin Jost. Who thought this “new era” would be throwing a graying 20+ seasons veteran all over the show.
- I see the show has finally addressed Kash Patel, by having the umpteenth press conference cold open this season, complete with a random comic in the role.
- Instead of the show aiming for a more diverse cast, able to play various ethnicities convincingly, the mistake is “corrected” by a phone call Lorne made 12 hours before the cold open. And, since when Aziz Ansari is back? Is this another example of the bubble Lorne is living in?
- Man, this cold open is TERRIBLE. Way too long and practically zero laughs to be had. And, yet another example of how dead this era is. Between the hollowness with the barely-audible laughs and lack of energy in the actual cold open, it is a rough watch.
- I’m glad that one screeching/hollering audience member is loving these lame-ass lines by Aziz’s Patel. Because I’m not laughing at all at these Jost/Hegseth rewrite
- Holy hell, this cold open is now at the seven minutes mark! End this now!
- All-in-all, I found this completely laughless. As you can see above, practically nothing here worked for me, and making it even worse, between the deadness and lack of energy, the hackiness of the writing was on full display.
Rating: *
Monologue
host talks being young & sings a song
- Despite a decent delivery by Olivia, I groaned at the favorite cast joke at the start.
- Some lame jokes so far in general, despite, once again, a likable presence by Olivia and her clearly trying with the writing.
- I remember seeing that footage of Olivia falling. She really did a great job recovering from that, especially considering how young she is.
- They should have had Olivia singing from the get-go, as most of the start was mediocre.
- This is more nice than flat-out funny, but I’m enjoying this turn. The audience, however, is still hesitant to laugh much so far tonight. The wretched, endless cold open is probably a big part why.
Rating: **1/2
Edge of Destiny
stairs interrupt soap opera confrontations
- I’m not the right audience for these soap opera parodies, especially considering the show’s track record of them in recent years. So, I get the feeling this won’t work as both a soap parody and a functioning sketch.
- I cringed at the “pratfall” by Chloe, complete with her screaming. She is genuinely unwatchable in more recent seasons of the show.
- Not even the “physical” Marcello can make his pratfall funny.
- A good mock-dramatic soap acting by Olivia. The only highlight so far.
- While she is committed, Olivia is a bit too fixated on the cue cards. I sure hope that’s just for the first sketch of the night.
- Yep, this is just lame and repetitive sketch. Soap operas were a big part of my childhood despite not watching much, as my mom was a massive soaps fanatic, so this is even worse for me.
- Of course we get an extended mugging and yelling portion with Kenan that practically takes over the back half of this sketch, complete with stepping over Mikey’s line and giggling at himself. Fucking kill me.
- What’s with the audience applause? Did they just realize Olivia Rodrigo is the host? Real dead energy tonight.
Rating: *1/2
My Room
girl (host) sings about protective insect family
- Ah, a Dan Bulla short film. Considering how much I loved all of his prior ones, I’m excited for this. A damn shame this is only his second (with the CFT from December) film this season, but I know he wasn’t there most of the first half.
- The usual catchy lyrics and bittersweet atmosphere from Dan Bulla, and Olivia’s vocal style and presence is perfect for this.
- A great visual of the grasshopper aliens outside of Olivia’s fake room. This reminds of the usual great, classic sci-fi I would read from the ’50s/60s’.
- This is more sweet than funny, and even with the creative premise and Olivia’s strong work, I still feel the premise could have been a bit stronger. Still, I am really liking this.
- I love the whole awkward part with JAJ. He is so good giving these affable weirdo roles such a life and likability.
- Yet another very solid Dan Bulla film, even when I prefer a few others. This was still a real keeper.
Rating: ****
ShopTV: Lava Cake
anus-shaped cakes bring disaster to show
- Mikey Day continues to “earn” his salary with the return of this tepid recurring sketch. Did we seriously not only need this back (with another mega pop star, nonetheless), but having this go on for a FIFTH sketch? To say the show’s writing is in the toilet is being too nice frankly.
- The part with JAJ at least went into a more different route than the prior times.
- Now, after endless dick and balls “gags”, Seiday are now tackling buttholes as their next “daring” venture into comedy. These are 40+ years-old men, by the way….
- Wow, “outrageous” energy with Ashley sniffing the asshole and Mikey full-on fingering it….
- Screeching Mikey Day is getting on my last nerves throughout this sketch. A “new era” with two 10-20+ seasons vets dominating airtime while half the cast gets scraps or sits backstage. I’ve been positive enough on Mikey this season (when he does good work), but he needs to go two weeks from now.
- Not even the Andrew call could save this embarrassing mess. You see, this SNL era genuinely makes me feel embarrassed for the cast a lot of the time. Just infantilizing and desperate, even moreso than ever with this season.
- Sigh. This sketch is endless….
Rating: *1/2
My Ex
exes (host) & (BEM) try to make each other jealous
- This type of premise is the type I do not care about, as it was also done with Bad Bunny in last season’s finale. The whole “let’s fake it”, and seeing Ben, my least favorite of the rookies front-and-center, alongside his naked desperation for approval and pandering (a trait I can’t STAND with performers), makes me skeptical.
- Yet another “hilarious” gay joke involving Ben, for the second week in a row. Either this guy should come out of the closet or stop this pandering. Also, Ashley Padilla will lose her voice once again this season with all the Groundlings screeching.
- Despite the “outrageous” turn with Ashley and Ben licking each other, this sketch is just dead. Low energy. The audience, which is now slightly more into this sketch, aren’t screaming and hollering as you would expect. They have been flat-out rejecting sketches left and right tonight.
- A very dull, “high energy” sketch so far. Screeching, licking, and now stripping. And, despite getting laughs, this ain’t a Bird Family or Massive Headwound Harry-levels piece. (In fact, there was a great Dana Carvey/Linda Hamilton sketch where they act like babies, and, of course, Sloppy Eater, a favorite of mine, with Robert Wagner and Jan Hooks.)
- I can see some saying Ashley “Jesus” Padilla “saved” and “elevated” this. As I said before, how many sketches should she save before we notice the piss poor writing? Reminds me of the PR press around the show in recent weeks that never mentions the writing and focuses on creating “stars”. Making one think SNL is in a golden age, and then you watch the episodes….
Rating: **
Musical Performance – “drop dead”
Weekend Update
Alix Earle (VES) & Alex Cooper (CHF) on their beef
KAP on the Megan Thee Stallion & Klay Thompson’s breakup
- Chloe Fineman back on Update for the first time in almost two full seasons. The dozens of fans are erupting with celebrations.
- Excuse me, but what the fuck is this? Who are these people? I am only 29, but I got zero clue who these people are. And, besides both Chloe and Veronika looking great, there are no laughs here.
- Another “funny” involvement from Colin in a desk piece. New era, folks…
- Meh at the “gag” calling Michael a racist.
- Kam again on Update? I get the feeling the show is trying to justify keeping him for another season despite the guy’s complete lack of giving a fuck (and not in a fun, Norm-type way) about the show. After all, it is “too gay” for him. Hey, I was told Kam would be bringing so many new fans to the show by his sheer presence. How are those ratings holding up? Peacock suffering multiple crashes I heard due to the millions tuning for Kam and Kam alone.
- Anyways, to be serious for a moment, I do not dislike Kam. He is extremely likable and easy to root for, but I do not see a reason to keep him as he does practically nothing anywhere else on the show. Sad to say, I think he is in a safer position than Tommy and Jeremy for now.
- Another gossip desk piece that is going completely over my head. I also heard from some this is really old news by now. So, why even bother. I also am not crazy about the lighting choice, as it was done with Leslie Jones and (sob) Michael Longfellow before.
Rating: **1/2
Busted
multiple characters bust on each other
- I got worried as soon as Marcello started to sing before I got where this sketch is going. A fairly fun premise.
- Marcello is committed as always, but the guy is not a singer. Not even his typical energy is adding much to this. Another example of this era’s deadness.
- I Love how Marcello accidently confessed to cheating.
- JAJ in his usual sketch stealing appearance. The best part in this so far.
- Jane popping up from the couch cracked me up.
- Not sure I needed Chloe as JAJ’s mistress, alongside Kenan as a very Kenan-y landlord.
- Despite the lack of energy and the odd voice mic work, where I barely could hear some of the lyrics, I found this fun enough. A decent semi-ensemble sketch.
Rating: ***
Musical Performance – “begged”
Rasta Driver
driver (AND) randomly sings Rasta song
- Good, realistic acting and performances by all involved. Nice to also see a lot of Veronika tonight, considering how little she did on the show lately.
- I got a huge laugh seeing Andrew randomly going on a Rasta singing session, especially with the beat and his facial expressions. I also love the WTF looks from Veronika & Olivia in the background.
- Loving Andrew’s shifty eyes and behavior after his singing.
- Is that JAJ doing the announcer through the radio? It sure sounds just like him.
- I love how this sketch is now revolving around Andrew’s awkward singing, especially his great defeated acting.
- Considering how dead the audience have been of late on the show, it is nice to see Andrew waking them up and having them on his side throughout this sketch. He has so much life. So much to give.
- A very fun sketch, overall. An Andrew Dismukes gem.
Rating: ****1/2
SafeGuard
security system makes burglars into celebrities
- The usual solid voiceover work from JAJ. I love how spot-on he is to the announcers in these security commercials.
- For some reason, I cracked up at the visual of Ben as the burglar.
- A fun premise and Olivia is perfect as the typical TikTok influencer. The interviews with the burglars are fun so far.
- Solid testimony from Ashley. She always steals these parts.
- OK, this fun pretape is kinda trailing off for me with the random celebrity impressions.
- The Kam Patterson part I feel was meant to get a “whoo!” but it was treated with almost total silence. In fact, the audience has been pretty dead this whole episode, despite a super popular pop star as the host.
- A pretty good commercial, overall.
Rating: ***
Goodnights
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
Rasta Driver
My Room
Busted
SafeGuard
Monologue
Weekend Update
My Ex
ShopTV: Lava Cake
Edge of Destiny
Hegseth/Patel Iran Press Briefing
Final Thoughts:
- Outside of a few solid highlights, this was yet another fairly poor outing this season. The third weak show in a row. Despite the aforementioned highlights, the rest was between forgettable and utterly painful for me to watch. The lack of energy and the unresponsive audience made matters even worse.
- Olivia Rodrigo, much like most hosts this season, was game, committed. However, the writing given to her was simply weak, outside of a few standout roles. I will say, at least, they used her a bit more than I expected, considering how young she is and the double duty task. She did quite well, and much like Sabrina Carpenter earlier in the season, I wouldn’t mind another hosting stint with better writing. Oh, and needless to say, I also loved her musical performances, especially the first one.
- This season seems to gradually trail off for me by its last few months. Ever since the forgettable Harry Styles episode, every single show is getting worse and worse. (That seems to be an eerie trend in this era, as the past few seasons [S50 especially] died off towards the finish line.) I’m not sure if it is a me thing or is the show simply cannot function properly and write coherently and use its cast, instead of tired crutches in both writing and select cast members. The less formulaic, more innovative UK version, with its stellar cast, is probably another factor in me feeling down, but that might be giving the show we have here to much leeway.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
lots of screeching, yelling and mugging in this episode. Def. feel like they expected the Ex sketch to get bigger laughs. Bulla short was okay but wasn’t exactly funny. Uber sketch was probably my favorite with a nice turn
hopefully they can close with a couple nice shows
I don’t have too much to say about this one, other than I completely agree with you on pretty much every segment.
I liked the Monologue and the Chloe Update. It felt like that Detective sketch with Sydney Sweeney (Which I enjoyed). I will argue the Update bit is probably the strongest we’ve seen from Chloe this year, If this is her last year, She’s going more Heidi than Ego.
That’s All.
This was a very difficult show to figure out. Like most episodes this season, there was a certain “X factor” that was lacking. Not helping matters was the dead audience. I AM glad that people are rejecting the show’s pandering and star fuckery more and more, but it definitely threw off the vibes. To make matters worse, the camera blocking and cue card positioning tonight was as bad as I’ve ever seen it. Seriously, why the hell did they have Olivia facing a completely different direction from who she was speaking to? I’m not sure if it was nerves on her part, poor eyesight, or just shoddy direction, but regardless, it was very distracting.
It really became clear watching this episode just how predictable, formulaic, and lazy the show has become of late. A tired Mikey Day screeching sketch here. A pervy Kenan cameo there. But the thing that has most annoyed me of late is watching the show shove Colin Jost down our throats more and more in recent weeks. Did this dude just wake up one day and decide, after more than a decade on the show and two decades writing for it, that he suddenly wants even more screentime and be treated more as a star? Why is he/the show so desperate to try and make his Hegseth a “Tina Fey as Sarah Palin” level of viral impression? Why is he popping up more in sketches and Update pieces, all while half-assing it by smirking as if winking to the audience no less, to try and “save” them? If this is his way of bowing out of the show (which I sincerely hope happens at the end of this season though I’m not holding my breath), why can’t he just gracefully phase himself out (at least as much as an Update anchor can) and stop subjecting us to this stuff? Judging from the audience response to his schtick lately, it seems the show thinks he’s way more popular than he actually is, much like Marcello. I can only hope somebody behind the scenes recognizes this and stops it because I’m not sure how much more of this aging greying “star” I can take.
Anyways, moving on to the actual sketches.
The My Ex sketch is one that I suspect will be the most divisive sketch of the night. And I can see both sides of the coin. On the one hand, these Groundlings-inspired “Ashley yelling” sketches are becoming a crutch that the show is definitely relying on too much of lately. Much like Chris Farley, Ashley has a charisma and star quality that leaps off the screen, but reducing the dynamics of this performer down to just being at level 100 all the time isn’t doing her any favors. On the other hand, this sketch at least had a clear cut premise and the writing was constructed around the performers (well, mainly Ashley) much more so than usual. Compare this to something like the Melissa McCarthy/Jack Black sketch from a few weeks ago, and the writing is much more focused. Does that equal success? Not necessarily, and I think it’s safe to say this sketch didn’t garner as much of a reaction among the audience as the show hoped. But these Groundlings type pieces can really hit well if done properly (just look at some of Melissa McCarthy’s best work while hosting the show). It’s not a well I want to see the show return to all the time, especially with Ashley, but it’s something that has the potential to hit well if used sparingly.
The Andrew sketch (which I enjoyed a LOT more upon a rewatch) reminded me not only of what a great performer he is, but how he’s not afraid to challenge the audience. Having him suddenly bust out into a Rasta song, then letting the characters and the audience sit back and digest what just happened is a big gamble, and it thankfully paid off here and FINALLY woke up the crowd. Proof that, even in this quiet season of his, he can still hit well.
I enjoyed Safeguard more than you did, and actually have it pegged as the best sketch of the night along with Andrew’s. Yeah, the Chloe portion was thoroughly unnecessary and you could argue Kam’s portion was calculated to make him more of a star, but this was a good way to incorporate social media trends into a fake ad without making it seem cringey or dated. It was pretty well paced mostly and reminded me a lot of the always solid and fun fake ads from the late 2010s era.
Despite the aforementioned cue card issues and the writing, once again, being mostly tepid, Olivia was a very solid and fun host. She, much like Dua, Sabrina, and Charli, is one who I would love to host again…provided that the show’s writing actually does them some justice. It’s just a shame the show’s track record with double duty hosts has become so poor lately.
I have to say, tho, that Sabrina could join the cast tomorrow in my opinion (much like Ariana).
Blood, you are absolutely spot-on. I have given up on this era and I’m not surprised that anyone else would. What does surprise me are the complacent fans of this stuff who will attack you for pointing out the valid flaws of this cast and writers. Thank fuck for JAJ.
By the way, I know it might be a bit time consuming, but have you ever thought about doing a whole season review from a year before 40? I’ve read your throwback reviews and I think you could make some great reviews out of that. But I understand if you’re not interested.
“By the way, I know it might be a bit time consuming, but have you ever thought about doing a whole season review from a year before 40?”
I’ve been getting busier and busier, especially since last year, in my personal life. I’m also most likely facing some major changes in my life soon (good ones, don’t worry), which will make it hard for me to do more than my usual reviews for a good while. I’d love to do S45 and then perhaps do a full vintage season. Maybe an OG era season or the late ‘80s.
Thanks for the kind comments.
The Andrew Dismukes sketch is easily one the best sketches of the season.
To be honest, I don’t think this episode was THAT bad. Sure, there was some tough spots now and I agree with your point that the writing and some of the acting feels a little more mediocre in comparison to the rising SNL UK’s, but I still thought it was good. Olivia was a solid host, and most of the sketches were fine (including the Soap Opera and Ashley one, which were in. my opinion some of the funniest sketches of night for me alongside the Rasta Driver one). I think the only one the flopped with me were ShopTV and the Security one (although the latter may have to do with me being frustrated when that came on because my little sister asked me right at that moment to grab her charger from the car). But overall, this was still a mostly solid night. I just hope the last two episodes are good enough knockouts to end this season with.
Oh my goodness I’ve been hunting for an actual reviewer and not some lame recap article and finally I find you!
I’ve watched since the very first episode and I’ve read the book and I’m a fan and your review is so spot-on.
Can’t wait to start digging into your archives.
Oh I did think the Rodrigo short singing about a perfect house totally sounded and at first reminded me of the better “The Smell of my Best Friend’s House.” I did like it as you did.
Aaand since I’m new here (A Blood Virgin), here are some overall cast impressions:
Kam can’t read. He has improved with speaking clearly, but SNL isn’t supposed to be a training ground. Kam needs to go back to Kill Tony and a good longterm improv class.
Every time I hear Mikey Day say “Ohhhhkay” I want to choke my phone screen. It’s a bad 1st year improv class reaction, even worse when overused. Mikey as Butthead? Legend. Otherwise time to go.
I love Colin on update. Where he should stay.
I like Ben. I’d give him one more season, but he’s nowhere near as good as his short film career on SNL.
Ashley as the glue with Kenan as the veteran just isn’t enough. Marcello’s willingness and energy is terrific.
But it’s all about JAJ. The more diversity they give him the better.
Sarah is my favorite, she brings it whether as the girl next door or the talking boil underneath. I wish she was on every other Update with her Sarah News.
If Jane gets the Chloe Troast treatment I’ll screen. Chloe was iconic, could’ve really been amazing.
I like Jeremy and Tommy but Tommy is just another hunk and Jeremy kinda doesn’t fit with the youthful attractive cast.
Andrew is necessary. But I miss Bowen badly. Veronika needs better material. And Kenan can stay as long as he wants, he’s earned it…but I won’t notice when he’s gone.
Blood, the obvious question for you: Is this the last year for 80yo Lorne?
Thanks again for this site, it’s awesome.
First of all, thank you for the kind words.
“Blood, the obvious question for you: Is this the last year for 80yo Lorne?”
About 50/50 on it, tbh. I still think he most likely would stay a season or two if he remains in good health and then hand the show over. I know he’s been handling the show less since S49, so I assume there is a succession plan for a post-Lorne SNL.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the site and coming reviews. Much appreciated.
I didn’t know he’s been handling the show less since S49. Where did you hear that from?
IIRC, he mentioned being less hands-on behind the scenes since around that season in multiple interviews, including his pre-season Puck profile.
Thanks as always. Your work gets better and better.
Cut sketch material from Saturday Night Network:
From SNN:
Brad and his Dad (the same one cut from Colman’s episode)
SITUATIONSHIP ROOM – This was briefly shown during a Kentucky Derby live rehearsals cut in. Olivia is on a date with Marcello. He invites her to a family event. She keeps leaving to go to the bathroom, which is actually the situationship room. This also features JAJ, Ashley, Veronika, Jane, Kenan, Ben.
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS – Ashley, Olivia, Chloe, Sarah.
TALK SHOW – Kenan is the host, laughing and singing. Olivia and Jeremy are siblings; JAJ is also in it.
UPDATE: Jeremy as Tucker
This was an okay episode–there actually wasn’t a ton of lame, overused material…but what there was really dragged the episode down.
Five quick points:
1. Olivia was fine in her role. I don’t think she really brought enough to the table to justify another double duty role, but she was fine and didn’t hurt the show at all. Being cast in a decent share of straight roles indicated a potential lack of confidence from the show.
2. For people who gave the S20 veterans crap for being lazy, jeez, Jost is really giving them a run for their money. I like Colin and in the past, his few sketch appearances were so rare that they usually generated some silly laughs. I could even tolerate one Hegseth sketch to give him a LFNY. His Update stuff, while still kinda funny, is hampered by him laughing after every joke. The Hegseth material just isn’t funny enough to justify his constant appearances. At this point, I’d take more tired cameo appearances over Hegseth.
3. I liked the My Ex sketch, although I get why people might find the material kind of pandering and obvious. While this was an ideal role for Ashley, it almost seemed too ideal–I might have been more interested to see what a different cast member (or host on another week) could have done in her part. In particular, I’d be interested what Veronika/Jane might have done.
4. I wish the ShopTV sketches were more oriented around various weird people showing off a variety of weird things–JAJ’s small parts in these are always hilarious. I also got some laughs from Ashley’s rant at the beginning about her daughter’s failed emancipation.
5. One problem this season has is really struggling to establish a good tempo early. The soap opera sketch was an intentionally dumb-but-fun thing that might have worked as a late show palate cleanser, the same way that the Busted sketch did. But to lead off doing such a one-joke, kinda draggy premise…eh. Busted at least had good escalation (almost too much escalation, I agree Chloe and Kenan were unnecessary), and some pretty funny lines before things got insane that the audience might have had a hard time hearing (Marcello saying he got like 12 hours of sleep was funny). The soap sketch didn’t escalate things until the end, and even then that was done rather tepidly.
I again maintain that Kenan needs to be let go or at least moved into Fred Armisen “I cameo every other week” status. Day still has some comedy zing, but he really needs to stop doing his overused lead roles and let other people step in. Sherman and Dismukes seem played out lately (although the latter still has juice). Fineman has become absolute nails-on-a-chalkboard for me this season, and both Ashley/Veronika do everything she does much better. Cast really needs, besides more diverse folks, someone to fill the Heidi/Ego/Aidy role of veteran female cast member–aside from Ashley, who is getting really driven to a niche, all of the current female cast members are pretty niche type performers (at the moment).
Questions (for Blood):
1) If a sketch is just downright worthy of jeering and boos rather laughs like today’s “COs”, is it possible to just give them no stars at all? Like 0 stars?
2) In your honest opinion, do you believe that starting with Harry Styles’ return trip, the quality of these shows overall has plummeted faster than the common rock?
1) I could see why some would give a 0 stars rating, and certainly some material in these past few seasons deserved it, but I feel a 1-5 stars rating is for the best.
2) Overall, yes. This is an uneven season overall, much like last season. I do not recall the front half being hot either (especially the first and third runs), but we had a good streak of a few episodes this back half, but now we are seemingly heading on a downward spiral. There is just no energy. No care. I just hope the final two weeks are better.
In your honest opinion, which writers HAVE to go?
Sublette, Fowlie, anybody else?
You were WAY TOO GENEROUS with your ratings and comments this week, in my humble opinion.
This was one of the WORST episodes in recent history. Olivia is cute and all, and her songs do appeal to a young audience Lorne is probably trying to attract, but I was shocked and annoyed at how she couldn’t keep her eyes off the cue cards for more than 2 seconds. Since she has Disney acting experience from her childhood (doesn’t she?) or at least definite acting work, I found it incredible she was glued to the prompter.
Trying to decide, as a forever viewer, is the problem the writing? The performances? The misuse of cast? All of the above. I don’t know but I am damn angry at this waste of time.
You say “prompter.” Check online for a COOL 360 view of a recent show. You get to watch how they do the cue cards (no prompter) which was SO interesting. Then you can turn to the audience, the set, watch update with the crew involved…coolest thing ever.
Even worse than Colman Domingo’s episode?
Sorry to be new and asking something I’m sure you’ve been asked before, but do you ever do an SNL AMA? Or do a live chat where you answer previously submitted SNL questions?
Already I’m amazed at your incredible knowledge base. You know sketch writers, all the cut for time sketches, and history I thought I was pretty solid on, but you remember and cite old episodes!
I wonder if you ever do SNL trivia online (I do funtrivia.com for fun, but the ‘difficult’ quizzes are too much for me).
Let me know when you’re tired of me gushing about this site. Cuz every archived review is both a visit down memory lane and an honest evaluation by a superfan.
Oh! One more Q: are you like me and dream about working at SNL? I’ve never been to 30 Rock, but I do have those dreams where I’m busy and tight with the cast. My dreamspace has to make up the actual layout based on BTS videos, and for some reason there’s always a standard stage for leading to the studio from some alley.
Sorry, your site has this old fan excited.
I appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm, @Steph, it means a lot. No, I do not do AMA and never did. I’m available to my readers through my Gmail linked above and in the comments. As much as I love SNL, I never dreamed to work there, but can see why so many would love doing so.
And @Zachary, I think the whole writing and cast structure should be changed, especially the latter. Unless, you know, we get an actual overhaul two weeks from now. Not fire two or three newbies and have a vet or two leave and call it a “shakeup,” like how access media called this failed season and how it apparently “recovered” from such “shakeup”.
Well this was one of those episodes I felt like I was too old for, much like whenever pop stars host, lots of stuff that seemed aimed for the teenage girl audience. Only thing I really liked a lot was the Andrew Dismukes sketch, he’s been missed much of this season.
I thought teenagers weren’t in the ad execs’ target range. Why would they want to attract them?
Engage the teens now and you get early customer loyalty for life
My rock bottom expectations for most of this season since around December seemed to benefit me as with a few notable exceptions, I was mostly OK with the episode. It’s a nice feeling, I have to say, as I got such bad vibes from Colman’s episode (through no fault of his own) it took me weeks to get through the whole thing.
I barely know anything about Olivia, which was another positive, as I couldn’t be disappointed by her use. She was very earnest and straightforward, which helped with the state of the current cast. She wasn’t on the level of Connor Storrie or especially Colman Domingo, who could have done more, but she also didn’t feel as off or checked out as Finn Wolfhard, Jack Black, Harry Styles. She was given several roles which were fine for her (like Midnight Matinee or the cab sketch) and others she just seemed too young or bland for. This wasn’t always a bad thing (her being so passive meant the soap sketch was less of an overfamiliar campfest) but was still another sign of the show not knowing where to take hosts.
BAD:
The slow regression of the cold opens back to the dregs of the late ’10s hasn’t been fun, to say the least. The material for Colin and Ashley was remarkably poor. Aziz did a capable enough job adding an Urkel tone to Patel, but this is at best a passable one-off (I assume due to not wanting to show JAJ Trump after the press dinner incident and because they know Patel could be gone by October). His script was just recycled Hegseth material and also has a sad tinge as not only does his casting remind you of how white the cast is, but it also reminds you that his career is so dead, this cameo was somehow a career highlight for him. It was also demoralizing to know this was Jeremy’s only role of the night and to know one of his only other roles would have been bringing back Tucker Carlson. The show has truly dropped the ball with Jeremy, taking what was a prize hire and someone who genuinely had buzz several times this season and making them seem like an afterthought. There’s a good chance he will come back, but even if he does, I struggle to invest as it’s clear they don’t see him as “star” material. Then there’s Sarah, whose role in these as the self-degrading reporter always feels like just trying to give her airtime and feels a little sad (although her performance is good enough).
As is often the case, I enjoyed the contributions of JAJ (in Alex Moffat’s old part) and Andrew (as the pervy caller), but this was a very dispiriting, broken-down Shop TV. I didn’t hate Mikey’s yelping as much as I had feared I would, but the cheapness was on display in a way which went beyond the old innuendo. I genuinely felt bad for Ashley when she had to stick her face in front of the old cake hole prop from Bake Off. The part where fluids started emerging from the hole and they had to use toilet paper was even worse. It would be like if the Delicious Dish sketches had had the ladies unknowingly wearing manure face masks and joking about what that smell was. These sketches have reached a well-past-the-natural endpoint.
The Chloe/Veronika Update piece was a hot mess, as Chloe might say in a distorted accent. It came across to me as a pity booking for Chloe. Her gratitude toward Veronika at the end makes me wonder if Veronika was the main reason this even got through. The subject matter was dated and too inside – so much so that Che and especially Jost had very outsized roles, even more than usual this season. They clearly knew this wasn’t good enough to get on the air and were doing all they could to hide it. Everyone remember that Chloe is in her seventh season and is the veteran woman in the cast.
I am not a Kam fan, I’ll admit that, but I was surprised at just how much of a regression this segment was. To me it was his worst yet. The material was lazy even without the garbling – I’ve seen such misogynistic shaming of Megan over her “body count” and I kept thinking tackling that might have been more interesting (especially given the manosphere pipeline the show wanted in hiring Kam). The material was also very badly performed by Kam, who struggled to get his lines out. He’s clearly meant to be a spark plug like Pete, but even though he does have charisma, he’s not as together as Pete was even in his worst early desk appearances. He’s also not Leslie Jones or Tracy Morgan, as I’ve seen some say. I’ve also seen people say give him another season because Jane got another season. What helped Jane was Ego and Heidi leaving. If Mikey, Kenan and Andrew all leave, then maybe keep Kam, but as it is now, I genuinely don’t believe he should stay if this is the best he can do. Yet he is likely to stay, and we are likely to keep getting this, or his last desk appearance, where he mostly just sat there while Marcello screamed. This is another case of the show having an idea of someone being a “star” and ramming that through.
OK:
Surprisingly, I did not hate the soap opera sketch. As your eloquent words about soaps remind, they mean a lot to some of us, so I tend to get in a sour mood with many of SNL’s takes, especially of the James Anderson/Kent Sublette variety. This sketch had the trapping of those where they are just parodies of parodies, but the focus on the stupid stairs contraption and the choice of Olivia in the lead role cut out some of the worst of zoom-ins and dramatic music. Olivia was much too straight for a Cecily-type role, this probably should have gone to Ashley, but Olivia’s more muted work (and seeming need to keep staring at the camera) also meant none of the old Wiig-out mugging. Instead of damning this, I just see it as a not great but interesting experiment.
Another week of “Ashley saves the day…or does she?” This amounted to a lot of forced wackiness with Olivia and Tommy barely even used (Tommy at present seems to just be cast due to pretty points). I’m never going to be a fan of these Groundlings-gone-wild performances and any time Ashley does them I find myself distracted by wondering which Groundlings would have done a better job (this one I’d say Mo Collins). Ben was…fine, and for once I can say his whole beta persona was the right choice for the role, but it was a thankless role in a thankless sketch which, as you mentioned, didn’t seem to hit with the crowd the way the show had anticipated. Kenan’s role at the end reeked of security blanket, as if the show had realized something wasn’t clicking.
The Home Security ad had a creative idea (Tiktok influencers as home security systems), which was stopped dead by Chloe’s Chickenshop “moment” and by, as you said, the expectation that Kam as himself was meant to get a big response. Up to that point there were some fun moments, including what amounted to Ashley’s best moment this week (her disbelief that tiktokers had so little time on their hands). With a few changes I would have bumped this up to good. Oh, and I was amused by Andrew looking about 12 when he crawled through the window.
GOOD:
I was torn on where to put Busted, as I do not think Marcello and Olivia were the right choices for the lead roles. It was a very “obvious” casting choice as Marcello is billed as the hot male lead and we have a hot female host, but they lacked the gravitas. As a result, the start of this had some of the biggest “dress rehearsal cut” vibes of anything that has ever gotten on SNL. JAJ and Veronika should have been in these roles. However, I really liked the premise of this sketch. Similar to the Levels sketch in Glenn Close’s first episode, I like seeing the singing in a way which doesn’t fit the usual SNL musical trappings. When they got to the part about the dog, I laughed. Then JAJ and Jane popping up was a nice bonus. I would even say for once this season Kenan’s Kenan-isms worked out. Sadly, I cannot say that for Chloe, who was NOT needed and was genuinely bad.
Midnight Matinee has often been a segment I appreciate more than enjoy, but I respect how Dan Bulla just does his own thing. Never has that been the case more than here, where the hot pop starlet warbles about being an exhibit for bugs. This is probably my favorite after short of his after My Best Friend’s House. I liked that this was just a very calm detailing of her life rather than trying to build to something. The little details, from the protestor bug Olivia had a connection with, to the treats and dolls sold with her image, to the League of Their Own VHS, were perfect. JAJ was also great in his brief turn as the dumb guy brought for her to mate with.
Andrew has been one of my favorite cast members since season 46. There are some people you just feel a connection with, whether the show tells you to or not. That doesn’t mean I can’t criticize his sketches or admit that with a few exceptions, the last two seasons have mostly shown that his time on SNL is winding down. Luckily, that didn’t have to be the case here, as I thought this sketch was just about perfect. The start, with Olivia and Veronika well-matched in their insane party rambling, is a good distraction until we get to Andrew’s dancehall glory. I love the way Andrew plays the whole thing, as if he was possessed. There’s a mix of reality and lunacy within Andrew’s work which makes him stand out. Sometimes his sketches peter out toward the end, but that wasn’t the case this time (maybe I should give some kudos to Streeter Seidell and Jake Nordwind, who helped write it). Instead, we get the back-and-forth that is so typical of Andrew’s question mark characters, with Veronika and Olivia trying to reassure him over his insistence that he must give up everything for his rasta calling by saying he wasn’t that great. He pushes back every time, making you see the fragile ego, adding more layers to the sketch. Not only was this one of my favorite sketches of the season, probably of the last few seasons, it’s one of my favorite ever Andrew sketches. I genuinely do think Andrew is leaving this season, and much as it will annoy me if Mikey, Kenan and Chloe are still there, I think it’s probably time. If he is going, this was a hell of a way to say goodbye. And one last reminder to never write him off as a cast member or as a writer, no matter which hot new hires arrive.
Finally, what a delightful, touching surprise to see Debbie Harry on SNL one last time.
We can agree on one thing: Kam does not belong in 8H and Chloe has got to go, even if it means losing Nordwind as a writer.
I really hope Andrew doesn’t leave. Though no one could really fill his shoes in my eyes, I have seen him as the heir to Will Forte’s brand of committed oddball sensibility. This season has really lacked his comedic voice though when he is given the spotlight he can still knock it out of the park. I’m holding on to hope that he stays one more season and gives us a few more classics. If not, I agree with John that Rasta Uber Driver is one of his best performances and one hell of a way to go out. Not only the biggest laugh of the night for me but of the whole season.
Late to the party, but I have thoughts.
It’s funny how this season has progressed, an episode can feel like an absolute drag (as the episode often did), but we end up walking away with a classic and a handful of other great/good/interesting/promising pieces. Yes, the vibes were a bit off this episode, a bit due to a DOA audience and a stilted host, but if we extract the episode’s strengths, you hardly notice the issues. This is why, back in the 90s and 00s, Comedy Central used to do one-hour cuts of SNL episodes. With the exception of the very best episodes ever, most SNL’s thrive when you remove the weakest half hour. My best advice is to discard the dross (ShopTV, cold opens, monologues, Chloe) and embrace the small and big victories.
So let’s jump to the victories.
After a season of speculation about an impending departure and a relative lack of screentime, Andrew has ripped off a string of MVP-calibre episodes. Blood et al have complained about the last few SNLs, but if you are a Dismukes partisan, you have to be suddenly feeling very good about your man. This week’s Uber sketch was probably the most we’ve been really able to see Dismukes go for it this season (his other work has been more subtle, which is great too) and this was just a damn delight. It’s especially telling how Dismukes was the sole person all night to really be able to drag the dead crowd into the fold. I think we sometimes downgrade Andrew’s talent, especially when contrasted with JAJ, but Andrew has just a lovely mix of wild-eyed commitment to go with his boyish impishness (even when playing old men). The audience loves him.
It’s funny to me how, over the course of the season, we’ve gone from “Ashley has all the tools to be great” to “Ashley’s the MVP” to “Ashley’s overrated” (my paraphrase, not anyone’s actual words). Here in this corner of the SNL online community, we are dismissing some perfectly strong, albeit not elite, Ashley sketches for fear that it’s becoming a Kristen Wiig scenario. I still think Ashley holds a key difference. Her characters serve the sketch, not the other way around. For instance, this week’s Ex Boyfriend sketch showed itself to be rooted in its concept and its game before Ashley’s character ever really factored in. These are not the vamps we’re all worried about. The sketch had a fun game and a fun characterization from Ashley. Could it have been MORE fun? Could Ashley have made MORE distinctive character choices? Could the other performers have been used in a more interesting? Yes to all three, but I’d still say the sketch set itself up well enough and Ashley had enough fun with it to make it all worthwhile.
I will also chalk up the Soap Opera sketch to good old fashioned “dumb fun.” It’s hard when repetition and broad performances are the essential ingredients of a sketch because if the viewer isn’t on the wavelength, it can feel like absolute death. That said, I thought this rode its silliness pretty well without falling into the indulgences of similar Anderlette pieces. Yes, it could have been tighter and Lord knows this was one of many pieces plagues by wobbly direction and an unsure performance by its host, but I was in tune with the spirit of the thing and thought it executed its stupidity rather effectively. Michael Cheyne was bang on (as usual), however, that a piece this knowingly dumb would be better served in the back half of the night.
Another sketch with a great spirit but even sloppier execution was Busted, piece that had a lot going for it, but a few things going against it too. The fixes are pretty simple here, however. You just need to realize that Marcello is not the man to push a musical sketch past the finish line (he was so atonal that it made me question if Rodrigo was the one who couldn’t sing) and that Chloe really doesn’t have to…ever appear. This was something of a noble failure, but it was SO CLOSE to being a successful curiosity.
Finally, I still fuck with Update. It’s all balls and strikes, but the duo always do just enough to keep me content. I get that the current Colin Jost Porblem that we have been discussing, but I largely thing it’s not an Update problem. The meta joke doesn’t have the same power, but it’s still good for a couple of jokes a week. For the commentaries…glammed up Veronika is a sight to behold. Also that segment was mercifully short, so I can skip it. As for the Kam Patterson of it all. I’m a fan. Not to call out John, who is an invaluable commenter here and elsewhere and says many things that are very accurate about this episode, but the subtext that has been put on Kam (as opposed to someone like Pete, who put all the subtext on himself) feels really unfair and borderline problematic. Why should Kam have to bear the entire weight of the Kill Tony extended universe. Why should Kam have to be a surrogate for anything other than his own comedy? Is this something that we put on anyone else who came from a different comedy incubator? Of course not. So why do we insist on doing this to only Kam.
Also, he’s not that hard to understand.
OK, quick hits:
– Aziz was fine, but John is right that the cold opens are starting to revert. This sketches aren’t saying or doing anything. I think the show started tipping off that the cold opens were written last minute not so we would go “Wow, can you believe they were writing this right up until air?” but instead so we would say “Well of course this sucked, they didn’t even finish writing it.”
– I actually was feeling bad for Rodrigo for how little the audience gave her in the monologue. To be fair, the monologue stunk. But most monologues stink and they’re given a whole lot more.
– The Dan Bulla shorts will always just sort of exist to me. John made an astute, if generous, observation that Bulla’s shorts aren’t desperate to win over the cheap seats and I do think that’s admirable. Then again, I will always just sort of be waiting for the sketches to be MORE. This one was perfectly fine work. I had no major structural qualms. But I think the current show is more about the live sketches, which is why many people who grew up in the post-Digital Short era are fulling a little cold on the show. The new pre-tapes rarely inspire.
– Speaking of, the insurance piece was good but should have adhered to the one key lesson of the season: “When in doubt, cut Chloe out.”
Bravo. A well written review, sir.
I felt this episode was a pretty fun. It could’ve had a better use of Olivia, but not too
I’m actually much higher on you on the Cold Open because I felt to have some good energy even if it was the usual stuff that we keep seeing with Colin as Pete but I think Aziz is joining in as Kash Patel really added some energy to it and just provided a nice atmosphere that made me vibe with it.
I was scared I seemed to like more than you was the Edge of Destiny sketch because I really like the unique contact ahead and I love wanting to show always experiment with. It’s technical ways and I’m just a sucker for goofy humor in general so yeah it worked for me.
Yet another thing that I liked more than yourself was My Ex sketch just because while, I agree that it was another over top premise for Ashley (though that’s most Groundlings people on SNL to be fair) that she does seem to be doing a lot. It still never bothers me because the way she does her performances in them cracks me up all the time and the pure confusion from Ben throughout it also really tickled me.
Now to change things up one thing that you are higher on than me was the Rasta Driver sketch as well I’m a fan of Andrew like everyone else I felt sketch just needed more than what I got let me satisfied, but was just getting craving more from it, but I get why people are going crazy for this, especially with the lack of Andrew for most of the season as of late. And the selfish part of me was disappointed that this wasn’t a Veronika lead sketch because it seems like she’s just there and sketches not really contributing anything which obviously sucks.
But overall, a pretty fun episode not sure where I would put it out of this entire season, but I feel it’s definitely somewhere around the 6 to 11 slot. As always, incredible review from you and see ya for next week!!!!