SNL 39.21 Review - Andy Samberg, St. Vincent

Original Airdate - 5/17/14

This has been a season unlike many others in recent memory for Saturday Night Live.  Most of the cast members considered the show's "stars" have left in the last few seasons, and the show went scrambling to discover its next set of leaders.  As always, the season finale is a star-studded event, and this time it seemed like most of the stars were the ones that created this season of newbies.  You start with first-time host Andy Samberg, whose digital shorts introduced a new generation to SNL during his time as a cast member.  Added to the mix were recent departures Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen among several other surprises.  They obviously decided to make this season finale a sort of family reunion.  It led to a funny episode at times, and in a strange way, showed that the show's new cast is handling this landmark American franchise well.

Cold Opening

As always, the cold opening addresses a recent bit of current events.  This time around we have a recent bit of security footage released of Jay-Z getting in a little spat with sister-in-law Solange Knowles.  Any excuse for Jay Pharaoh to give one of his signature impressions makes the sketch worth it, but it also once again showed off a bright spot of the second half of the season in Sasheer Zamata.  Just when you thought the sketch had run its course, in comes the first surprise of the night in the woman whose shoes Zamata is trying to fill, Maya Rudolph as Beyonce.  This took the sketch to a whole new level as Rudolph shows once again why she is one of the greatest cast members of all time.

Monologue

My question coming into this episode is how Andy Samberg would do being the focal point for an episode.  As a cast member, he shined in little bit parts and his digital shorts.  He rarely was ever featured in a live sketch.  How would he do?  Well, apparently this was Andy Samberg's concern as well as he made light of that fact during his monologue.  How will he carry the show?  We truly start to understand that the answer to this question will be ... with a little help from his friends.  Cameo #2 came from Seth Meyers, who moved on earlier in the season but just moved down the hall to his Late Night set.  He comes on to help Samberg try to break a record for impressions currently held by his buddy Bill Hader.  He needs 23 impressions to set the record so in a lightning speed round, he rattles off enough to eclipse the record.  Well you knew Bill Hader would have something to say about that, which he did as he made his first appearance on the show since leaving last season.  This sure set the stage for the finale and also informed us of one piece of depressing news.  Justin Timberlake was on tour in Russia and wouldn't be showing up.  Sad, but he did leave Andy a message of encouragement.

Weekend Update

For some reason, seeing Colin and Cecily wrap up the season at the Weekend Update desk validated their roles as anchors.  They had arrived and officially etched their place in the show's history.  For this final episode, there were two repeat guests coming to the Update desk, one was an obvious choice and one was an odd one.  Both worked perfectly though.  The first guest was one that showed up for the first time in the first episode of the season: Kyle Mooney's New York comic Bruce Chandling.  The crux of the sketch is Chandling is a failed comedian for a reason: he's not funny.  The first time around, nobody got it.  The audience didn't know how to take it, and I didn't know how to take it either.  An entire season has passed since that first failed bit, and more importantly we have had a season to get to know Kyle's different style of humor.  I believe this was the main thing that changed this time around.  Everything that didn't work the first time was hilarious this time.  This character is just ridiculously awkward, and now that we get that this is the point of most of Mooney's comedy, this sketch was very well received.

The second guest was an obvious choice.  With Samberg hosting, we had to go "In the Cage" as Andy busts out his iconic Nicolas Cage impression.  His guest was yet another cameo, this time from Paul Rudd.  These sketches are almost all the same as they mock Cage's bizarre mannerisms, choice of films, and just different way of going about life.  Samberg is silly enough to highlight these quirks perfectly which makes them work every time.

Best Sketch

The sketches on the whole were fairly average, but there were two that really shined above the rest.  First came a sketch about summer camp that featured Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant as kid troublemakers at Camp Wicawabe.  Samberg plays an older camper that wreaks havoc on the camp at a level that the girls don't even understand.  Then comes Kyle Mooney as their 6 year old assistant with a xylophone and a great spot on little kid speech impediment.  Maybe it's being a teacher, but there was something about this sketch that just made me laugh.

The second sketch was one of the more anticipated sketches of the season.  What kind of digital short (or shorts) would Andy Samberg and the Lonely Island crew bring to his debut hosting gig?  He brought two shorts, the first of which was the better of the two.  Samberg plays a world famous DJ leading a concert by hitting buttons on his panel.  The suspense builds as the song asks the question, "When will the bass drop?"  No one quite expected the craziness that commenced when it finally did drop.  This wasn't the best the Lonely Island crew has produced, but it was a welcome return.

Worst Sketch

Like I said, one of the questions coming into the episode was how well will Andy Samberg carry the average sketches on his own.  The answer was, when he wasn't helped by his buddies, not well.  This is the perfect example.  Here he plays a confident hunchback as he wanders the bars hitting on women.  That's really all there is to it.  Doesn't sound that funny?  There's a reason, it wasn't.

Dark Horse Sketch

Some of the best dark horse sketches of the season came from classic dark horse sketches coming back from past seasons with former cast members returning.  This is a perfect example as we got to see the return of the Vogelchecks.  All the former cast members on set popped out with Taran Killam, the closest thing to a star left on the cast, to display the over-affectionate family that loves to kiss each other.  It's a classic sketch of waiting for the cast members to break.  The out-of-practice cast alums broke a lot which added to the hilarity.

Grade

What was needed to make Andy Samberg a successful host made this a great season finale.  The cameos are a welcome sight, but seeing this many former cast members show up add the nostalgia that make for a great final episode of the year.  (It seemed like the only non-star was the musical guest who I had never heard of before.)  However, also seeing the former cast members mingle with the current cast members really validated, in my mind, everything the current cast has accomplished this season.  Many people have criticized this season as not being as funny as the past seasons or the so-called "glory days" of SNL.  I think people confuse different for funny.  This cast, 8 of which made their debuts this season, has some great potential moving forward.  This wasn't the best episode of the season, but it was a fitting finish.

***B+***

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SNL 39.15 Review - Lena Dunham, The National

Original Airdate - 3/8/14

Coming into this episode, I'm not sure how many people in the general public knew who Lena Dunham was.  I'll be honest, I knew Lena Dunham as the weird girl that randomly won a Golden Globe last year.  However, Dunham is becoming a household name as her hit HBO series Girls continues to rise in popularity.  SNL even parodied this show in one of the first sketches of the season.  How well would she perform on the live stage though.  Well, it turned out she did pretty well.  The material seemed to be fresher than it had been in recent episodes, which may have something to do with Lena Dunham being a writer as well.  Here's how the episode went.

Cold Opening

There's a lot of stuff going on in the world around us.  One of the biggest controversies out there right now is the situation in the Ukraine and the reaction of Russian president Vladimir Putin.  You know it's an important news story because SNL decided to use their cold opening to talk about it.  President Obama has tried everything to get Putin under control, so he had to bring in some outside help: a man with a particular set of skills.  It was a perfect cameo for the perfect moment.

Monologue

Much like Kerry Washington's monologue earlier in the year, they decided to use Lena Dunham's monologue to explain to the average viewer why their host is culturally relevant.  In the show Girls, Dunham is naked a lot (apparently ... I've personally never seen the show ... However, when they take two different opportunities to make light of this fact, it must be true.).  Since she is naked so much, many people ask her advice about their own sex lives like cast members and her grandmother.  It's not a particularly funny bit (until Kate McKinnon opens her mouth), but it is effective in letting people know who she is.

Weekend Update

This was a fun Weekend Update.  With Colin Jost's sophomore turn at the desk, you can tell he is settling in nicely.  In fact, the fresh blood has infused some new life into the segment.  Jost is willing to be a little edgier than Seth Myers was, which will be a great breath of fresh air moving forward.  The two groups of guests to come to the Update desk made this one of the stronger Weekend Updates of the season.  First was Matthew McConaughey brought to you by Taran Killam.  The recent Oscar winner that was also starring in the new hit show True Detective is an easy target for SNL with his southern drawl, many eloquent acceptance speeches, and a character on True Detective that makes a habit of speaking in a way that makes you unsure whether he is the smartest man or dumbest man in the world (mainly because you can't figure out what he's saying half the time).  Killam does a great caricature of Mr. McConaughey.  Following him was a comeback of Fred Armisen, now working just down the hall with Seth Meyers, teaming up with Vanessa Bayer as Vladimir Putin's friends from growing up.  It's a bit that really never gets old.

Best Sketch

The tone for the show was set with the first sketch following the monologue as it became the best sketch of the show.  Four friends got into the car and were singing along with a song playing through someone's cell phone.  However, that phone was also giving directions to their destination, and the directions would always come whenever Lena Dunham tried to sing along.  It was a funny premise and a solid sketch, however it's twist ending no one saw coming took this one over the top.

Worst Sketch

You know you have a solid show when the hardest thing to do is pick a bad sketch.  For shows like this, the category turns into the least good sketch because none of them were really bad.  The closest thing to a bad sketch was Mike O'Brien going to his girlfriend's women's group where it is revealed that he is an men's rights activist.  As you can imagine, this news does not go over well.  The sketch still has its moments, but it just didn't deliver quite like some of the other sketches did.

Dark Horse Sketch

I have to be honest, I don't know who Katt Williams is.  I've heard about him, I've seen some video clips of him, but I really have no idea what is significant about him.  However, Jay Pharaoh hosting the Katt Williams Show "Pimpin, Pimpin, Pimpin" showed me what he was all about.  This sketch was great because of the impressions that were brought to it.  First, Pharaoh's Katt Williams is scary good.  Next came Brooks Wheelen's Jared Leto accepting his Oscar.  It wasn't a great impression, but he said what everyone had on their minds, "I'd like to thank me band 30 Seconds to Mars for not being good enough to keep me away from acting."  Lena Dunham's take on Liza Minelli was just fun, but my favorite came last: Taran Killam's Harrison Ford.  If you haven't heard, Harrison Ford has become quite old and senile in his public appearances recently, and Killam brings this to life to perfection.  This is the type of sketch in past episodes that they would try to feature as one of their first sketches of the show and be disappointing.  Putting this sketch at the back end puts a sketch like this in the perfect spot to succeed, and it shows the strength of this episode.

Grade

This show surprised me.  I did not expect it to be this fresh and funny, especially considering some of the lack of originality that had been coming out through the recent episodes.  However, with Shasheer Zumata now firmly apart of the cast, Colin Jost settling into his new role, the show finally has stopped worrying about transitioning and adjusting and started with this episode to focus on being funny.  That's what this episode did.  Let's hope this is a trend and not an anomaly.

***A-***

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SNL 39.8 Review - Paul Rudd, One Direction

Coming down the stretch to Christmas at Saturday Night Live, a dream lineup had been assembled to make for a run of shows that would go down as SNL classics.  The first of the three, comparatively, was bound to be the worst of the group when you consider John Goodman (one of the greatest hosts of all time) and the Jimmy Fallon / Justin Timberlake explosion were going to follow it up.  However, Paul Rudd is no slouch, and once I realized he would be there promoting his upcoming movie that stars possibly the most beloved SNL cast members of the last 20 years, I knew we might be in for something special.

Cold Opening

I knew we might have an appearance of Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team because Paul Rudd was hosting.  What I did not realize was that the random guest stars that always seem to pop up around the holidays would not just be confined to the one Christmas episode this year.  It would be a 3 episode star-studded affair.  This became evident right off the bat when SNL made their statement on the live broadcast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood.  Enter Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen, two former cast members that really could never be replaced.  They pull out one of their old classic bits that is endlessly entertaining, and I still have no idea why.  Enjoy.

Monologue

If I thought the Cold Opening got the show off to a great start, that was before the Monologue made it perfect.  Paul Rudd, a great actor, has always seemed to be overshadowed in his hosting gigs by his musical guests.  First it was Beyonce, then it was Paul McCartney.  I mean a Beatle and Sacha Fierce?!?  How do you compete with that!  Paul Rudd was determined this would not happen this time, but there was a threat with One Direction as the musical guest.  When One Direction shows up in his monologue, he is determined to make sure he isn't overshadowed by the boy band.  So he brings out his man band.  Newsteam Assemble!!!  Enter David Koechner, Steve Carell, and yes, Will Ferrell.  So what happens in the boy band vs. man band showdown?  A sing off.  What song?  "Afternoon Delight" of course, which was brought back to prominence by the first Anchorman film.  This show couldn't have been off to a better start.  It could only go down from here, right?  Yes, yes it could...

Weekend Update

It's not that the rest of the show was terrible.  It just never reached the perfection that were the first two sketches.  Weekend Update brought back two very popular characters, one brand new and one that has been around for a year or so.  First was Bar-Mitzvah Boy Jacob who is always fun.  It also brought about one of the first blatant references to Seth Meyers's upcoming departure for the new Late Night show as Jimmy Fallon takes over for Leno.  (By the way, odds Fallon has a moment of advice at the Weekend Update desk for Seth Meyers in his final episode?  I would say high.)  The next act, Jebidiah Atkinson, has become an instant classic as he berates and rips apart anything that America holds as beloved.  Today's subject of his attack?  Christmas stories.  Taran Killam can do anything and has quickly become the new Will Ferrell.

Best Sketch

The rest of the sketches after the first two were solid for the most part, but nowhere near great.  The best of these others just happened to also include One Direction as Paul Rudd played their biggest fan, Dan Charles.  The best part of this sketch is watching him talk to all the teen and tween girls waiting in the same line he is in.  They obviously don't like the fact that he is there.

Worst Sketch

Usually the mock movie trailers are my favorite parts of this season.  However, this trailer for White Christmas falls flat.  The premise was to take a basic movie trailer for a Tyler Perry movie or any other recent Black comedy and swap out all the cast members for the whitest people you can find.  Is it still funny?  No, it's not.  And maybe that was the joke.  Maybe it was purposefully stupid.  Either way, the only thing worth seeing here is Paul Rudd dressed as a white Madea.  Once you see it though, there is not much else to see, besides the confused looks on Kenan's and Jay's faces.

Dark Horse Sketch

Like I have said before, this spot is reserved for the fun, off-beat, surprising sketch after Weekend Update that stands out for its odd-ball comedy.  With Will Ferrell in town, they couldn't resist dusting off the greatest Dark Horse Sketch in recent memory: Bill Brasky.  If you haven't seen a Bill Brasky sketch, here it is in a nutshell: Will Ferrell and his cronies dawn bad suits and buck teeth and spout out the most random crap they can think of about their dear friend Bill while drinking from over-sized scotch glasses.  It is so stupid and so hysterical all at the same time.  I wish we didn't have to wait 10 years to see a new one.

Grade

This show got off to the best start it could possibly have.  Although it fizzled a little in the middle, it ended with another classic and got the holiday season off to a great start.  If what I thought before the show is true, and Paul Rudd's turn as hosting would be the jumping-off point for this run of three great episodes leading up to Christmas, then I can't wait to see what kind of genius we have waiting for us in the coming weeks.

***B+***

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