Cold Opening – Scary Halloween
President Trump (JAJ) interrupts David S. Pumpkins (Tom Hanks) sketch
- I was unfortunately spoiled this Tom Hanks cameo by mistake, in the usual getting online and seeing it pop up in your feed.
- As soon as I knew David S. Pumpkins would return, I knew it would be the usual Trump interruption cold open, which is so old hat by now, in particular having the cast freezing behind him.
- As much as I like both Grace and Jeremy, they aren’t as good in these straight man roles as Kate McKinnon and Beck Bennett were.
- The usual solid JAJ performance as the President. I do like his breakdown of how he and David S. Pumpkins are similar.
- I do enjoy Trump’s talk about his possible dementia and the weird noises he is making. JAJ is great alternating between that and his usual “weave” ramblings.
- Why are we repeating the whole part with Kenan leaving the set?
- Mikey Day is clearly amused by this whole rambling.
- Saidah finally getting an actual comedic role. About damn time SNL. She is doing a decent take on Nicki Minaj.
- Is it bad I already forgot about Katie Zacharia? Veronika is good as usual in this role, brief as she was on the screen. Nice LFNY meta with her.
Rating: ***1/2
Monologue
host talks movie career & Halloween costumes
- The cutaway to Inde’s “boyfriend” in the audience kinda bombed with the audience.
- Marcello dressed as a “sexy” TSA agent reminds me of a great piece the show did back during season 36.
- Jeremy actually seems fitting as a comics-accurate Wolverine. He is also making the most out of his appearance.
- Veronika as Kelly Clarkson seems really out of date with her AI story, in typical SNL fashion. Yet, her and Grace were still good in their whole portion.
Rating: ***
Queen Mary Ghosts
ghosts (host), (MAH), (MID) disrupt treasure reveal
- A very SNL Halloween sketch concept. The show has done these types of sketches a few times in the past. I am assuming this sketch is a Seiday piece, as it has a lot of their traits.
- The performers are good in this, but it is Kenan who is bothering and distracting me in this sketch. I am not at all buying almost all of his performances these past few seasons. The man is beyond checked out.
- Inde and Marcello are a fun team, and thankfully, unlike that awful NASA sketch from last season, this is a good use of Marcello’s typical energy.
- I have been so tired of Sarah Sherman as a cast member, but I will admit I like her work here, especially how she alternates between speaking and going mute while mouthing off her lines.
- I love Inde’s cross-eyed look.
- I usually enjoy Ben Marshall as a cast member, but as the sketch goes on, something about his performance isn’t clicking for me. I cannot put my finger on why. I would guess the pace of his delivery. He is not hurting this sketch for me or anything, though.
- Mikey is pretty fun in this role and his getup is cracking me up, as much as he played this type of role in the past.
- Sigh. Another sketch harmed by a typical bad Kenan Thompson performance. I griped about Mikey earlier in the season, but he is prime Phil Hartman next to this man.
Rating: ***
Delta Disruptive
Delta section for crazy passengers
- A decent premise of a Delta section for crazy people.
- A good commercial spokesman performance by Ashley as usual.
- Much like the past sketch, Mikey is fine here, but a role he played a lot already.
- I have no clue why the audience is almost dead silent during Inde’s whole portion. She is giving a solid performance and fitting as if she was a cast member. That also was the case during her also-solid work in the prior sketch.
- Rinse and repeat. Another bad Kenan entrance to harm a fine piece. I did not need to see this man playing a lispy, effeminate character yet again this season. I thought SNL moved on from these stereotypes for cheap laughs ages ago.
Rating: ***
The Uninterested Women Game Show
disinterested lesbian (SAB) struggles through dating gameshow
- A worrying sign of having the male contestants being played by women and the host in drag. An overdone SNL trope in recent years. With that being said, I will get into this sketch with an open mind.
- I really dislike this “funny” host name gag. A very hacky James Anderson trademark that should have gone out of the door with him.
- Between this and the cold open, this feels like the most airtime Saidah has gotten so far into her tenure.
- Saidah is solid and low-key in this sketch in general.
- Jane by far has the funniest lines and performance in the sketch from the three contestants.
- Inde is coming off very Kate McKinnon-esque in her performance.
- The dumb answers are keeping me laughing, especially Ashley and Saidah’s reactions.
- The ending came off a bit abrupt. Overall, this turned out to be a solid, well-done gameshow sketch.
Rating: ***1/2
The Inventor’s Wife
PD-44 is protective friend of widow (host)
- I always love these melancholic Dan Bulla films and one for Halloween is perfect.
- Inde is giving a very solid performance as the grieving widow. This feels like her best use so far tonight.
- PD-44 is a cute and impressive visual. I am pretty sure he is meant to be a tribute to WALL-E. I am also getting Astro Bot vibes from his design.
- I really like the piano throughout the film.
- For a second, I thought Ben was Andrew in that photo. Not sure why, but maybe his expression.
- I love the scary turn with PD-44 transforming into a giant robot and tearing Ben’s character’s penis off.
- A good delivery from Ben in reaction to that.
- I got a cheap laugh from the reveal of PD’s name being Penis Destroyer.
- The visual of Inde all covered in blood is cool and seems fitting for Halloween. I understand this is a possible callback to a scene from Obsession. Although, I have yet to watch that film.
- I liked Inde’s ending line delivery. For some reason, how it came out after Ben being killed made it funnier. Maybe how unsettlingly calm she was after all this happened in front of her.
- Dan Bulla does it again with a solid and unique short. I know some fans feel these are overlong and weird in tone, but they work very well for me. I just cannot put it into words, but…. they just do.
Rating: **** or ****1/2
El Corazón Que No Siente
Sprite product placements interrupt telenovela filming
- It feels too predictable and safe to do a telenovela sketch with a Hispanic host. I am also not exactly a fan of the show’s soap opera parodies of late. Not only because they do not hold a candle to the phenomenal ones done in the ’90s and early ’00s, but because they are clearly done by people who are not soap fans.
- Another Marcello/Inde pairing. They have been a fairly fun team tonight.
- The premise of a telenovela being constantly interrupted by constant product plugs is not exactly funny to me, and considering how low energy the episode has been tonight, I am not sure it will work.
- I remember SNL fans being bothered a decade ago by the product placements in sketches, but the problem was to me, the sketches are just not funny.
- Yeah, Marcello and Inde are good, but this is a dull sketch.
- Jesus, Kenan is terrible in this and we are using this guy so heavily tonight? Why? Doing now goofy voices and shit? Sigh.
- The talk about how bad the taste is feels odd in a sketch that feels like actual product placement. More tonal confusion from SNL?
- Will this sketch please end?
Rating: **
Musical Performance – “Hit the Wall”
Weekend Update
Pennywise the Clown (BEM) on Gen Z Wellness Parties
Drunk Uncle (BOM) on the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series Win
- These clips of President Trump going on and on about men’s asses aren’t as funny when you have to comment on them. On their own, they are already funny.
- Colin’s opening rant is fine, but not much is standing out to me.
- The audience is just not this edition of the desk.
- The mugging from Colin in reaction to Michael’s Israel joke got far more laughs than that joke. Not sure what to make of that.
- Perfect casting of Ben as Pennywise.
- Ben is fine as Pennywise, but this doesn’t seem to have a premise so far and is simply resting on Ben affably not doing any character work.
- The whole tech startup turn did not work for me nor is the running gag with Pennywise asking Michael to check his “guns”.
- I got a cheap laugh from that Stevie Wonder joke.
- I usually enjoy the “Hear Me Out” segments, but this did not work for me.
- Drunk Uncle showing up in both of Bobby’s cameos feels predictable. Much as I enjoy this character, it feels best left to the past, in my opinion. We already did see all we can with it.
- I have no clue about this World Series win, though Bobby is giving his usual fun performance. It helps this piece go over.
Rating: ***
Paw Patrol: Special Victims Unit
Ryder (host) tries to solve a crime
- I have never seen this program as yours truly is not the right demographic for it, but I am reminded of the sketch done with Oscar Isaac from season 47.
- Grace is doing the best kids show acting from the whole cast, even Kenan, who actually was in one.
- A typical “dark” take on a kids’ show, which feels overdone by this point in SNL history.
- Why was Inde suddenly struggling to keep a straight face, without anyone else joining her in? What happened?
- JAJ is great as the bad guy here, though that Kristi Noem joke feels overdone.
- The sketch was kept short for such a premise. I do not recall the sketch done with Oscar Isaac off the top of my head much, but that one I still feel was better.
Rating: **1/2
Plates
falling plates causes Denise (ASP) to spiral
- Sigh. Andrew Dismukes just now making his very first sketch appearance of the night, in the freakin’ 10-to-1! Playing yet another dull, non-comedic role. Why was this man even brought back for another season when the show clearly moved on from utilizing him, with Ben especially taking many of his roles, Mikey and Kenan still being in half the sketches? Words cannot describe how bummed I am seeing this man’s solid SNL tenure die out like that.
- A usual Groundlings socially awkward character piece, which are wildly hit-or-miss for me. This sketch also feels way too similar to other sketches Ashley Padilla has done by this point in her tenure. It is odd how a cast member a few episodes into their third season feels spent to me. But, truth be told, that feels like the case with her this season, outside of solid support work.
- Another “moment” with Ashley breaking the plates on her head to pretend everything is fine. This got a big ol’ meh from me. This is a perfect example of how wrong it is to give some cast members special treatment over having an ensemble feel, the way SNL should be.
- The more this sketch goes on, the more it is turning into even more white noise to me than some of the past sketches Ashley Padilla has done. Unlike that awful gameshow sketch from two episodes ago, I can totally tell she wrote this, sad to say. Also, I feel I am becoming quite disillusioned with this performer. Perhaps it is how interchangeable her showpieces have been of late, in addition to the absolutely fantastic women on SNL UK, making it clear the hype is dying.
- An extremely dull, sluggish sketch in general. Even if this piece had a good comedic throughline and premise, this dull-as-hell pacing would have tanked it. That also was a problem I had with that overrated Kathy sketch last season as well.
- To complete the Groundlings/Anderlette vibes, we now get an extended “hilarious” farting sequence for no fucking reason whatsoever. You know, just end this sketch already before I shatter into a million pieces.
Rating: *1/2
Musical Performance – “Here You Come, There You Go”
Goodnights
- Many cast members were clearly dressed for the sketch cut at the very last minute.
Segments Ranked From Best to Worst
The Inventor’s Wife
The Uninterested Women Game Show
Scary Halloween
Queen Mary Ghosts
Weekend Update
Delta Disruptive
Monologue
Paw Patrol: Special Victims Unit
El Corazón Que No Siente
Plates
Final Thoughts:
- An extremely average, forgettable show. Outside of the Dan Bulla film, no other segments were standouts and almost nothing tonight even surpassed a rating of mere ***. With that said, not much else was also weak to me and Inde Navaratte was a likable, solid host. Even when she was a bit underused, considering her clear talent and being such a hot new name for the show to get.
- This was probably the weakest show overall of the season in terms of standout segments, but it wasn’t exactly terrible. This season has been just extremely average in general, outside of the very solid Shane Gillis episode. I have no clue why some fans are either treating this season as the worst or best thing ever, without any middle ground. Have some nuance, people. Frankly, some of the discourse around the show of late has been embarrassing. With that said, I do want the season to find its groove soon, though the host selections the next two weeks (and in general most of this season) have not been too exciting.
My Favorite Moments of the Episode, Represented with Screencaps:
My full set of screencaps from this episode is here
Honestly, this was a pretty “eh” episode for me, that generated no strong reactions from me, nor did anything really stand out. The only thing I’d add is that I’m surprised by how you felt about the lead-off sketch, because I thought that was dumb.
I loved the little robot, he was really cute! But everything else in this episode was just baffling (the women in drag game show) or downright atrocious (Ashley farting).
Did James Anderson come back to guest write this episode? The soap opera sketch felt very much like his usual work, and of course there was that awful pun in the game show sketch. Oh, and just for variety, there’s Kenan as a gay stereotype!
Great review as always Blood! I agree the show is just kind of…mid. It’s not great, nor is it terrible either. It’s giving me beginning of Season 48 vibes, which I hope means we’ll get some good episodes real soon.
I also agree with your assessment of the Ashley sketch. This is what I feared would happen to Ashley going into this season. They are leaning on her a lot to the point where we are already getting a sketch that’s a rehash of the Fart Surprise sketch and the Bad Haircut sketch. That said I loved Ashley’s work in all the other sketches she appeared in, so there is still hope they use her excellent acting skills and not lean into broad over the top sketches like the 10 to 1.
The lack of Andrew is so depressing! He got three sketches cut from the show, and one of them was a detective sketch that sounded hilarious and VERY Andrew. I hope they try that one again in a future episode. At this point, I’d be happy if we get at least one or two classic Andrew sketches this season before he rides off into the sunset.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t love the Bulla pretape, which is usually do. It just seemed kind of typical for him and the bloody reveal did nothing for me. Inde’s performance and all the little touches to the production design was well done. I kind of wish it just stayed in that low-key, sad mode for all of the sketch. The twist ending for these pre tapes are getting super predictable.
Anyway, here’s hoping the show gets it together soon.
Welcome back from the break. Thank you as always for the review. To be honest I am not interested in the current season so was just waiting for your review to see what I did or didn’t miss. At least Bobby came back. Always nice to know he’s around. He has the heart and the vitality no amount of hype and aggressive pushing can make up for.
Very sad, if not surprising for Lorne, to not mention Susan Saint James, who hosted the show twice.
Also not surprising that apparently the wonderful George Fouracres of SNL UK was in the audience. Once upon a time SNL would have had him in a sketch or at the desk. Those days are long gone, never to return.
The Reddit dress review:
This episode reminded me a lot of Mikey Madison’s episode from two years ago: an extremely average “safe” feeling episode where the host feels forgotten and side-lined in their own episode. Inde did her best and she came off likable, but most of her roles felt too generic to stand out. You could swap virtually any cast member into most of her roles and it wouldn’t have made any difference.
I actually felt a bit let down by the Dan Bulla short. I could see the gruesome punchline coming a mile away (something which is very much in the vein of the Jost/Day bloody sketches we’ve seen in recent years) and it didn’t get nearly as graphic and violent as I thought it could (I know that sounds weird to say, but you know what I mean).
The Ashley 10-to-1 was pathetic and desperate, plain and simple. It felt like “Ashley’s greatest hits” awkwardly clunked together in the most thin of premises. This makes me very worried as it feels like a textbook example of en-Wiig-ification that we already saw signs of with Ashley as early as midway through last season. Not to mention, as you said, the fact that we’re already getting the same beats from a performer who is only just starting her third season is a very bad sign that she’s already shown us all she can do and is spent. I hope I’m wrong.
The lack of Andrew so far this season is baffling and anger-inducing. It’s also a huge reason why tonight’s episode (and to an extent, the season so far) felt so bland and forgettable. The fact that the show is pivoting to Ben (who is just plain bland to me), Kenan (who is absolutely awful and has become a bad parody of himself), and Mikey (can be good, but it’s his 11th season and he’s clearly tired and, at times, unwatchable at his low points) is doubly frustrating if not entirely surprising. It’s reminding me of Will Forte’s last season.
All that being said, I didn’t hate this episode. I just felt very…bored and underwhelmed. Nothing was really offensively bad, but nothing really wowed me either. It felt very generic and “safe” and forgettable. I don’t think I’ll remember a single sketch from this episode in a week’s time. Nice to see Bobby come back at least, and I’m always a sucker for Drunk Uncle, so no complaints from me there.
Hoping we get a rebound these next two episodes, although I’m not really enthused about the host lineup.
You nailed it! This is feeling like Forte’s last season especially since I consider Andrew the heir apparent to Forte’s madness. That also gives me hope because as much Forte was sidelined he did some of his all time best sketches with Macgruber The Racist, Closet Organizer, Potato Chip Thief, and ESPN Classic. I’m really hoping we will get some final epic gems from him before his time is through.
I kind of agree on this episode being painfully average, unfortunately. If you haven’t seen Obsession, definitely go do it, especially for the performance Navarette gave. Going into this episode, I was expecting at least one sketch where she would be able to drive a comedic premise instead of just feeling like an accessory to other performers. Very disappointed considering she did show some energy and likability in her performances.
I’ve had a belief with this season so far that we’re so close to a start of a new era, but a couple of things are holding it back from really taking off. Namely, it’s just Mikey and Kenan. They’re just so…checked out of performances. I actually would’ve liked that Sprite sketch more if they had just swapped them out with different characters, since I felt Ashley was really running circles around them comedically. Why does the show insist on using them for multiple sketches when other cast members like Tommy are still relegated to pretapes?
Otherwise, I do think this episode was sorely lacking in Halloween energy. Besides the cold open, which I liked for mashing up two tired premises and making something greater out of them, arguably the lead-off (though I was lower on it than you because of the show continuing to push Mikey and Marcello as a key comedic duo – I liked the Emoji update bit they did but every other spotlight of theirs has just highlighted that they bring out the worst in each other comedically), and Ben’s Update bit. I was higher on Ben on Update than you were at least, I found his characterization pretty solid all things considered, plus Drunk Uncle is always a fun character to see. Update in general has been better than usual these past couple of episodes – if Colin and Michael are insistent on staying as long as possible, their performances should at least be tight and simple like we saw here instead of loosely stumbling through ad-libs and snipes at each other.
As for the other sketches, I did agree with you on the Bulla short, his pretapes are always a good time even if the punchline was not worth the windup. The game show was also one I enjoyed, even if the material wasn’t the strongest out there. Glad to see the women of the cast start to gel together more handily. Plus, we got Saidah in some meaty roles between that and the cold open! Also, was higher on the Paw Patrol sketch than you were. Maybe it was just a more high-concept premise like that feeling more fresh in a rather generic episode, but I got a few laughs from it, especially James’s part. With you on that Ashley sketch, though – what was going on there? That fart pivot felt especially baffling considering we had an entire sketch based on it last year. I’m still glad Ashley is turning good performances elsewhere in the show, because I’m worried they do not know what to do with her talent-wise. Also, why the hell was this Andrew’s only appearance all night? I’m starting to get offended on his behalf at how little they’re using him in his seventh season.
I will say, one unambiguous positive was that we got a near-full goodnights on this episode. As much as I have come to be tired of Mikey as a cast member, that Ashley haircut costume was very fun to see.
Great review btw, even if I didn’t agree with all of it. I hope we get a more solid episode with Druski next week, even if his past somehow makes Shane Gillis’ look pure.
My affiliate (WAVY) showed the “goodnights” in full, sans the closing logos, but I’m not that nitpicky. 😁
I hated the Bulla short. Guy builds a robot to try to control his wife’s life from beyond the grave, for me it was creepy and an example of the indulgence given to people who’ve been there a long time. Nobody else is getting a 5+ minute pretape with one joke on the air. Kenan in the Queen Mary sketch was also embarrassing. Anybody else and that role is cut in dress. What was with the extras just disappearing after a few seconds? Why bother having them there at all?
To me, and that is my interpretation, it felt, the ending especially to be unsettling how it ended yet again with Inde’s character & PD-44 having fun once again, back to square one with the relationship. Closing the character off from ever finding love again and still be in the shadow of her husband. That’s my two cents on it, but as I said in the review, I totally can get why some fans just can’t sit through his films.
I generally like Bulla’s work but he has pacing issues.
At this point safe to say any Seiday or Sublette/Gates piece for Ashley automatically get picked?
Crowd was kinda quiet in the game show sketch except for Ashely’s closing line which she kind of milked (don’t blame her)
Again tons of Mikey and Kenan
I don’t which is more stale. Jost’s writing in the cold opens or his update stuff but he really is a determinant with both at this point