This hasn’t been a good spell for Saturday Night Live. The last few episodes – Johnson, Simmons, Shelton, oh my! – have been on the losing side of hit or miss. I’m not sure what’s going. Maybe it’s the side effect of the massive SNL 40 or maybe it’s just a midseason slump. But the season started out really strong and this year has already brought us some really top-notch material, so I’m hopeful for a strong finish.
Like I always do, I’ll be writing the recaps “live,” meaning I’ll watch a sketch and immediately write a short blurb reviewing and recapping it. For each segment, I’ll rate it on a scale of 0-5 stars. At the end of the piece, I’ll share some quick overall thoughts and the best/worst sketch of the night.
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Hilary Clinton Cold Open: * * * ½
Specifics of the sketch aside, it’s great to see the hilarious Kate McKinnon got the Hilary Clinton role. Going into election season, a historically popular and fruitful time for SNL, this is pretty big. Perhaps because of this, this particular sketch feels a bit like a McKinnon Clinton audition. There were some great moments, including the visual of Clinton binge-watching House of Cards, but seemed a bit light on commentary.
Opening Monologue: * *
I must admit I don’t know much about Chris Hemsworth outside his Marvel resume. I think the only thing I’ve actually seen him in is Cabin In The Woods alongside that girl from House of Cards. But I digress. If I can make a prediction about this episode based on this monologue we’re in for a rough night. Hemsworth seems nervous and has trouble with cue cards already. Also, besides a cameo from the remaining Hemsworths, the only real joke is “hey it’s a black guy in a wig!” Ooph.
American Express Ad: * * * *
I get that this is a parody of that Mindy Kaling ad. And it’s an effective one with a solid premise and great execution. I can’t be the only one who felt it got a little too close to Hemsworth ego stroking, right?
Brother 2 Brother: * * * *
I grew up on ‘90s Disney channel sitcoms like Even Stevens and so I really wanted to like Brother 2 Brother. But the real bulk of the sketch was Strong’s takedown of Killam’s twin in comparison to his brother (Hemsworth). There were a ton of great lines here, especially from Bryant, and a fairly shocking final punchline. It’s interesting, though, even though it was very different from the previous sketch, tonight we’ve seen two skits about how amazing and handsome the host is.
White Guy on Empire: * * *
I don’t watch Empire so I can’t really tell how good a parody this is. As a non-Empire watcher, there wasn’t a huge amount of laughs but it wasn’t a total dud either. Jury’s still out.
Chicken Space Captain: * * * * ½
Yes, I just wrote “Chicken Space Captain.” When this sketch started, I was bracing myself for a Living Painting level train wreck of a sketch. I mean, c’mon, a chicken spaceship captain? Have the SNL writers finally run out of ideas? But once a live chicken was introduced and once we found out that Hemsworth was dating said chicken, things started to turn around. I must admit, when it was revealed that the chicken’s mission was going inside a space microwave I let out an embarrassingly loud laugh to my empty living room. This is a sketch that is ten-to-one bizarre it shouldn’t work, but it was so strange, wacky and spontaneous (thanks to that chicken), it was pretty damn hilarious.
Iggy Azalea Show: * * ½
McKinnon does a pretty hilarious Iggy and I have no doubt her single “Ass Money” could be a radio hit right now. But (the real) Iggy is such a strange pop culture figure and such a divisive “musician” and this sketch didn’t really have anything to say. With so much to make fun of with Iggy and what she stands for now, this just seemed like a waste of a good impression.
Weekend Update: * * * * ½
Leslie Jones is one of the best things to happen to SNL in a long time. Even when her material isn’t A+, Jones’ energy and intensity is so high you’ll laugh at just about anything she says. You know what else was great? The Ben Carson back and forth and Jost’s 36 inches flub. Seriously funny. What didn’t work? The Girl Who Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party who started out funny but has been so overdone and made so idiotic, she’s gone from chatty nitwit to brain damaged.
Action News 7: * *
I could watch Taran Killam’s Robert Downy Jr. all day. The rest of this sketch, based on Hemsworth playing a drunk frat boy Thor, is pretty dire. I mean, the energy is great but besides seeing Hemsworth in his Thor costume, what really was the point?
Soap Opera Direction: *
“This feels weird,” Hemsworth’s character said in this skitch. I would have used the word stupid.
So You Think You Can Live With Brian?: * ½
I used to like the Beck Bennett/Kyle Mooney shorts but they’ve been going downhill in a seriously fast fashion. This one just felt pointless and meandering and oddly dated.
Dolce & Gabbana (Ex-Porn Stars): * * * *
I used to love the Ex-Porn stars. They were hilarious and envelope pushing and perfectly weird. But the last few times Strong and Bayer trotted Brookie and Not Brookie out, the sketches felt tired and weak. But this iteration was back to form, especially with that hilarious prostate punchline.
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Best Sketch: Worst Sketch: The Soap Opera one.
Musical Guest: Zac Brown Band
As my friends know, the banjo is my musical kryptonite. After the didgeridoo and the bagpipes it is my least favorite instrument. That being said, I dug the Brown Band’s mix of country and rock, especially with Hillbilly Slash on hand.
Overall Thoughts:
Except for a (big) quality dip post-Update, this episode was pretty great. And despite a rocky start, Hemsworth proved to be a pretty game host.
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