SNL 39.13 Review - Melissa McCarthy, Imagine Dragons

Original Airdate - 2/1/14

Melissa McCarthy is the first repeat host from last season to come back for Season 39, and it is one of the last ones I wanted to come back.  McCarthy's turn hosting in Season 38 was possibly the biggest disappointment of the season.  Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this episode.  Then she goes and does something like this ... and TOTALLY REDEEMS HERSELF!!!  Everything that came off as stupid and juvenile last time around worked for the most part this time around.

Cold Opening

This episode originally aired on the eve of the Super Bowl, the first New York City Super Bowl in fact.  SNL couldn't resist commenting.  In their hypothetical situation, Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers got caught in traffic on the way to the Super Bowl and couldn't perform at the halftime show.  So they brought in some Broadway talent that didn't quite understand the essence of football.  What follows is a Super Bowl themed Broadway number that causes one to drop their jaw in utter shock.  It also includes a rare appearance by the host in the cold open (something that has been happening more and more recently).

Monologue

Although this episode was a lot of fun, the monologue was pretty stupid.  Bobby calls Melissa out on a disagreement they had the last time she hosted, and they fight to the death Japanese style while suspended from the ceiling.  It was pretty pointless, but at least it's interesting.

Weekend Update

This was it.  This episode marked the end of Seth Meyers's run on SNL.  They tried to play it off as just another Weekend Update until the end.  Several people came by to bid Seth farewell and good luck on Late Night.  Cecily was moved almost to tears.  It was a great moment for one of the show's standards over the last decade.

Best Sketch

February is Black History Month so SNL decided to take advantage of their latest push for diversity on the show.  The show's three black cast members play three students in a high school history class that are asked to give a special report of their ancestry.  They sing a song called "28 Reasons," giving 28 reasons why African Americans should be celebrated during the 28 days of February.  Believe or not, the list was easier to come up with than you might think.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Mooney hits the streets to interview people about the upcoming Super Bowl.  You couldn't write this stuff.

Worst Sketch

The worst sketch from this episode was the one repeat offender from her last turn as host.  This time around, the abusive Sheila Kelly has become a US Senator as she terrorizes reporters passers-by and cops.  I didn't particularly find it funny when she did it the first time as a basketball coach, and it wasn't funny this time either.

Dark Horse Sketch

There are few hosts that can come in and be truly featured like one of the cast members.  This sketch shows that Melissa McCarthy is one of those hosts.  A women's group is meeting to talk about their passions and dreams.  Well, there's one that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the group, and she really doesn't fit in.

Grade

Melissa McCarthy really shows why she is such a popular comic personality in this episode.  Not every sketch hit perfectly, but like I said, it went so much better than her last effort.  Add to that the end of the Seth Meyers era, and this really turned out to be a pretty solid effort.

***B***

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SNL 39.6 Review - Lady Gaga

You know when Lady Gaga is involved with something, it is going to be interesting to say the least.  Make her host of SNL, and who knows what is going to happen.  Gaga got the second double duty gig of the season after Miley Cyrus who produced the best episode of the season so far.  In Gaga's first time hosting, she produced a top notch episode that hits on almost every cylinder.

Cold Opening

To start the episode, SNL goes after the latest "You can't make this stuff up" story of the week in the person of Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto.  His completely outlandish behavior was something SNL just couldn't pass up, especially when Bobby Moynihan can be a dead ringer for the guy.  It's something they had to comment on, which they did a decent job at, but there was no way they could make something up here that would be better than the premise itself.

Monologue

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One of the show's favorite things to do with the monologue is bust out a song.  When you have a host like Gaga, again, SNL can't resist.  They took one of her hit songs and gave it a twist, giving up one of the best tricks in show business.  It is slightly ironic though, Gaga singing about living for cheap applause when that seems to be the last thing she wants.

Weekend Update

This week's edition of Weekend Update brought about a first in SNL history.  Taran Killam cracked.  It's never happened before, and man have they tried!  I mean, he played a corpse that Bill Hader basically played the drums on and he didn't even budge.  But this time, he lost it.  He was playing Jebidiah Atkinson, speech critic that dissed the Gettysburg Address.  He was going through a bunch of speeches in history he hated when he completely screwed up his line.  Then came the first honest smile he has cracked on the show.  However, he once again showed why he is the star of this season.  He recovered so well, it probably turned out better than the original sketch.

Best Sketch

This was hard to figure out because, honestly, Gaga rocked.  She was perfect in almost every sketch she appeared in, either making fun of herself (like saying "Born This Way" ripped off Madonna) or just being a quirky character (like an Apple Genius Bar employee or the person Marisa Tomei's character was based on in My Cousin Vinny).  However, her best by far was what I claimed to be the best sketch.  The Spotlightz Acting Camp for Serious Child Actors is a place where children learn the method and reenact scenes from movies like Training Day and Forrest Gump.  Enter Lady Gaga who stole the show.  Enjoy.

Worst Sketch

This category was just as hard to determine because of how good this episode was.  All sketches in this episode worked on some level.  However, our worst sketch of the night once again addressed something SNL couldn't help but mention: the death of Blockbuster.  The last stores in America are set to close, and SNL decided to give their requiem to rental stores.  Again, something they had to do, but the execution wasn't as good as the premise.

Dark Horse Sketch

Another perfect example of why Lady Gaga is a perfect host is this sketch.  It also gave one of the first opportunities for John Milhiser to shine outside of being the back half of a centaur.  The two play the parents of a little girl in a talent show who act out every move of her routine from the front row.  The two make a perfect pair as they make complete fools of themselves.

Grade

Like I said, Gaga is the perfect host.  She is a performer to the max and is definitely not afraid of doing anything.  She will host again very soon, and if it is anywhere near as good as this episode was, she will continue to host for years to come.  As it is, this was a great first effort.

***B+***

Watch the full episode here:

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