SNL 41.2 Review - Amy Schumer, The Weeknd

Original Airdate - 10/10/15

This summer, Amy Schumer went from having a cult following in the comedy world to being a household name after the debut of her movie Trainwreck.  It is always great to see a hard working comedic talent finally get their due, especially considering it means we can see people like Amy Schumer (or Louis CK or Sarah Silverman) host Saturday Night Live.  Although the episode was fairly average overall, Schumer brought an energy that will definitely warrant an encore hosting gig.

Cold Opening

One of my favorite sketches this current cast pulls out is their "Fox & Friends" parody.  This is because they make this so ridiculous and so cartoonish to shed light on just how crazy some of these TV personalities can sound.  The best part of each of these sketches is the list of errors.  It is worth pausing or slowing down so you can read them all.

Monologue

I have always said the best monologues come from those used to giving monologues.  The writers are able to take the night off for this one particular segment as the host can just work through some of their standard material.  When that material has unique style of someone like Amy Schumer, it truly becomes a highlight of the night.

Weekend Update

This is now officially the best part of every episode.  Jost and Che are on a great roll as their unique chemistry produces memorable joke after memorable joke.  Their debate about guns to open Update was something they hadn't done before, but something they should continue to do.  The more they are able to play off each other like that, the better it all gets.  I used to watch Update to see which characters would pop up as the guests.  Now I get disappointed when the guests appear because it interrupts the momentum the hosts had going.  This Update brought about a new guest in Update researcher Solomon, who was okay, and repeat guest Mrs. Santini, who is getting more and more ridiculous.  I am glad they only had two this time though, so we could see more from Colin and Michael.  On another note, I hope the "Weeknd Update" becomes a regular occurrence.

Best Sketch

For as good as these pieces of the episode were, the regular sketches were a little bland.  The best of them was probably this sketch about an over-zealous flight attendant crew that forgot one little detail upon take off.  Amy Schumer and Vanessa Bayer have great chemistry together as is shown here.

Worst Sketch

Amy Schumer's brand of comedy lives in the awkward and controversial.  When you live in this realm, some lines work and some don't.  This one, although not terrible, really didn't hit.  An over-zealous actor adlibs and butchers a Lincoln reenactment.  It teetered on the edge of irreverent and unnecessary, which is probably right where Schumer wanted it.

Dark Horse Sketch

This sketch was definitely awkward, but what made it work was the fact that everyone knows a person like this.  A baby shower gets interrupted by the uninvited guest that takes a simple mistake as a personal attack.  Again, Amy Schumer loves to live in the awkward, and this is a sketch that worked much more than the last one.

Grade

It was about time Amy Schumer got a chance to host.  Although it didn't go as well as it could have, it definitely showed why she has finally worked her way up the ranks.  She is unique, controversial, and hilarious.  I compare her hosting gig a lot to when Louis CK hosted for the first time.  It was a little rough, but there was potential.  Her brand of comedy certainly brought a breath of fresh air to the episode that is worth bringing back at some point in the near future.

***B-***

View the full episode here:

SNL 39.14 Review - Jim Parsons, Beck

Original Airdate - 3/1/14

The show took a month off from filming thanks to the Olympics.  When it came back, SNL was starting a new era.  (By the way, I have never seen a show make so many significant changes in the middle of a season.)  Seth Meyers had moved on, and head writer Colin Jost had moved into the Update desk to take his place.  This now makes 7 featured players in the cast.  I know Weekend Update is just a small part of the show, but it has been the backbone of the show since the first episode.  This was a big deal.  Add to that the first hosting gig for Sheldon, I mean Jim Parsons, you have quite the episode of firsts to start a new era in Saturday Night Live.

Cold Opening

How do you start the show airing the night before the Oscars?  Well, when you have possibly the best impersonator of the host on the cast, it only makes sense to start with the Ellen Show.  Kate McKinnon, as always, gives a haunting impression of the Oscar host (it's actually like a strange mix between Ellen and McConaughey, but whatever).  Her guest was Johnny Weir, played by Jim Parsons, making the fourth time in five shows the once-rare occurrence of the host appearing in the cold open has happened.  What makes this sketch work though is McKinnon.  She has definitely emerged as the new leader of the ladies with some of the best characters since Wiig was around.

Monologue

One of the time-honored traditions of Saturday Night Live is making a host (especially a first-time host) give a little song and dance number in his opening monologue.  I'll admit, I never thought I'd see Jim Parsons sing a song, and I don't really care if I see it again, but it was a fun way to start the show.  The best part of the song was seeing everyone's impressions of other actors who are known more for their characters than their actual personalities.  I would really like to see some more of Bobby's George Kost ... I mean Jason Alexander.

Weekend Update

The big question going into this episode was how would Colin Jost's debut as Weekend Update co-anchor go.  The verdict turned out to be a solid effort for a first-timer.  He definitely has some potential, but you can tell he's been stuck in the writer's room for a few years.  He needs to get used to being in front of the camera, which shouldn't take long.  Outside of Colin's debut, this turned out to be one of the strongest Updates of the season.  It featured another appearance from SNL's favorite basketball commentators, Charles Barkley and the absolutely ridiculous Shaquille O'Neal.  The best part of this bit is how much Kenan and Jay just make each other crack up.  It also featured what has the potential of being the new Stefon, Taran Killam's 19th century critic Jebidiah Atkinson.  With the Oscars the next day, the obvious topic of Jebidiah's disgust was the Oscar nominees.  You know it's funny when Killam, possibly the actor with the straightest face SNL has ever seen, cracks himself up with something new every time Atkinson pops up.

Best Sketch

Parsons's song in his monologue was entitled "I'm Not That Guy" as he tried to prove Jim Parsons is not Sheldon Cooper.  The sketch that best proved this was the hunt for the Dance Floor Killer.  Parsons makes a pretty convincing sociopath as he plays a serial killer that hides in plain sight.  It's stupid I know, but it's pretty hilarious at the same time.

Worst Sketch

As has been the case with most episodes recently, for every great sketch that comes along there have been some real clunkers.  More times than not, these clunkers have been placed at the beginning of the show where they normally place their strongest sketches.  This episode, the sketch right after the monologue turned out to be the weakest of the night.  The sketch showed Parsons being cast all too perfectly as Peter Pan, coming back to take the children back to Neverland.  However, Tinkerbell was not available so her crude sister showed up instead, Tonkerbell.  The idea was original, but the sketch just wasn't funny.

Dark Horse Sketch

There is something in the hearts of every boy and man in America that makes us laugh every time at poop jokes.  I don't know what it is, they're just funny.  Here is the latest one.  I have nothing else to say ... just enjoy.

Grade

Every time something happens on SNL where a star moves on to bigger and brighter things, everyone freaks out and thinks the show is coming to an end.  However, that's the great thing about Saturday Night Live.  It creates stars, and lets them move on and become the bigger stars they are meant to be.  When they leave, the next man steps up and becomes the next star.  Seth Meyers moved on, but the show will be fine; a little different, but just fine.  On the other side of things, Jim Parsons proved his point he set out to prove in his monologue, he is much more than the nerd from The Big Bang Theory.  None of the sketches were landmark in any way, but it was a solid episode that was still entertaining.

***B-***

Watch the full episode here: