Fred Armisen/Courtney Barnett May 21, 2016

It’s here! The season 41 finale! On the last episode, Drake returned as host and musical guest and did a great job. Some highlights from the last episode include:

-The return of “Church Chat”.

-An “American Ninja Warrior” sketch.

-The return of “Baby Boss”.

-The return of Olya, Leslie, and Jay at Update.

-The return of “Black Jeopardy”.

For the season finale, Fred Armisen returns for his first time hosting and Courtney Barnett makes her SNL debut. Here’s my take on the season finale.

Sketch Rundown:

Bernie and Hillary Cold Open:

I thought it was funny how they had Kate and Larry in a sketch again as Hillary and Bernie. I loved how they danced through the studio and she pushed him into the elevator. I thought it was great they included the whole cast in saying “Live from New York…”. I thought this was a funny cold open.

Fred Armisen Monologue:

I loved the monologue and it felt very Fred. I loved the one man show and how he called it the next Hamilton.

Lewis & Clark:

I thought this sketch was funny but weird. It looked like Cecily almost broke during this sketch, which is rare to see.

Finest Girl:

I wasn’t expecting a digital short but it was fun to see The Lonely Island again. The short was funny but also a little weird.

Regine:

I thought it was great to see a Fred character again. It was great to see Jason again. I thought it was funny how everyone kept breaking throughout the sketch, especially Vanessa.

Farewell, Mr. Bunting:

I thought this was a hilarious parody of Dead Poets Society. I thought it was funny yet scary to see Pete’s head cut off by a ceiling fan. I don’t know why that was so hilarious!

Courtney Barnett “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party” Performance:

I had never heard of Barnett before the show but I thought this was a really good performance and song.

Weekend Update:

I loved the Trump jokes, especially the Law & Order joke. I loved seeing Maya as the former president of Brazil. The Hepatitis Testing joke was funny. I loved the cut Update joke segment. I’m not sure why they brought back Willie. I was certain they would use another Fred character. Overall, I thought this was a great season for Update. I can’t wait to see what next season brings!

Spaceship Disaster:

I thought this sketch was okay. I liked the pre-launch checklist, the deep tissue massage, and the escape pod flying straight to the sun.

Theatre Showcase:

I’m glad they brought this sketch back. I thought it was funny how Larry David left after the first sketch. I thought it was funny the students dedicated this show to Prince but had a photo of Michael Jackson on the program. Overall, I thought this was a funny sketch.

Courtney Barnett “Pedestrian At Best” Performance:

I thought this was a good performance and I really liked the song.

Fayetteville Summer:

I thought this was a great way to include the cast in the final sketch of the season. I had a feeling Carrie Brownstein would be there. I thought this was a fun sketch and a great way to end the show.

Overall, I thought this was a fun episode. I was surprised Kristen and Bill didn’t show up. I can’t believe the season’s over!

This has been my take on the season finale with Fred Armisen and Courtney Barnett. It’s been awesome tweeting with y’all. Have a great summer and see y’all in October!

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Drake May 14, 2016

On the last episode, Brie Larson made her debut as host and Alicia Keys returned as a musical guest. Both ladies did a great job and I’m sure both will be back to the stage in the future. Some highlights from the last episode include:

-Several sketches about Mother’s Day.

-A sketch about a President Barbie Doll.

-Another version of the “Alien Abduction” sketch.

-The return of Laura Parsons, Sasheer, and Pete to the Update desk

-The return of Chris Fitzpatrick

This time, Drake returns as host and musical guest. I thought Drake did a good job hosting and I’m pretty sure he’ll be back to host again. Here’s my take on the episode.

Sketch Rundown:

Trump VP Cold Open:

I loved one of the opening lines. “Mr. Trump is the real life inspiration for Iron Man. Who am I? I’m his publicist Joey Pepperoni”. I loved seeing Bobby as Christie again. I loved the idea of them laughing at the idea of Jeb as VP. I loved the option for Bruce Springsteen. I loved seeing Jay’s Ben Carson again. I thought this was a funny cold open.

Drake Monologue:

I thought this was a funny monologue. I loved the memes and Drake putting on a wig pretending to be Rihanna.

Rent-A-Car:

I thought this was an okay sketch although I loved Jay’s character.

American Ninja Warrior:

I loved this sketch and I also love the show. I loved Bobby’s character and the T-shirts with his face on it. I honestly didn’t realize Bobby was so athletic. I thought it was funny was trying to walk across the water.

Sexy Kinda Evening with Dennis Walls:

I thought it was funny how Leslie was standing in front of Kyle and saying his lines. I loved the tiny stool, the autotuned mic, the tiny sax and the spinning bed.I thought this was a funny sketch and one of my favorites of the night.

Baby Boss:

I was surprised they brought back this sketch but I loved the setting. I loved the peekaboo with the file. I thought it was funny how he was waving the gun I’m surprised I actually liked this sketch.

Drake “One Dance” Performance:

I was surprised to see Chris Rock introduce the performance. I thought this was a good song and a good performance.

Weekend Update:

I thought this had a strong start with the Trump jokes. I loved seeing Olya again and that she said “black Colin” and “white Che”. I loved seeing Leslie again and I had no idea that she tore her ACL doing the ninja sketch. I loved the joke about Doe v. Wade but disappointed in Jost for saying “deers”. I loved seeing Jay again and I loved his impressions. I thought it was cool how Drake showed up alongside Jay.

Black Jeopardy:

I was glad to see this sketch back but surprised it was in the second half of the show. I loved Drake’s character and thought the sketch was funny.

Drake’s Beef:

I loved the behind the scenes clips and the beef with the janitor and Lorne. I thought the references to Josh Gad.

Drake “Hype” Performance:

I thought this was another good song and good performance.

Spring Fling:

I thought this was an okay sketch but not surprised it was on at the end of the show. I also thought the ending was weird.

Overall, I thought this was a good episode and I’m pretty sure Drake will be back.

This has been my take on the SNL episode with host and musical guest Drake. I’ll be back soon with a review of the SNL season finale hosted by Fred Armisen with musical guest Courtney Barnett. Please spread the word about the blog and subscribe to the blog. Also, follow the blog on Twitter @SNLblogger. I live tweet during new episodes on the blog’s Twitter so feel free to join in on the conversation. Feel free to start your own conversations about episodes in the comments section but keep them clean. Also, please feel free to give me constructive criticism about the blog so I can improve the blog in any way.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Brie Larson/Alicia Keys May 7, 2016

My last post had a lot to do with the tribute special “Goodnight Sweet Prince” due to the sudden death of music legend Prince. Jimmy Fallon showed a tribute of performances, “Prince Show” sketches, and a never before seen video of Prince performing at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special after party. I thought it was a beautiful tribute and really captured how much of an influence Prince has been on SNL.

On this episode, Brie Larson makes her debut as a host and Alicia Keys returns to the stage. I thought Larson did a great job hosting and I would love to see her host again. Here’s my take on the Mother’s Day episode.

Sketch Rundown:

Church Chat Cold Open:

I wasn’t expecting to see Dana Carvey as the Church Lady. I loved the descriptions of a lot of the dresses from the Met Gala. I loved Church Lady’s lemonade. I loved how Ted Cruz was compared to Satan. One of my favorite lines from this included “Love thy neighbor as thyself and like a good neighbor State Farm is there”. I thought Trump, Melania, and “another model,” who I thought was supposed to be Tiffany or Ivanka, was funny. I thought it was funny that Cruz came back as the Devil and Jon was playing the panflute. I also loved the line “I’m going back to Hell. They’re nicer there!” I thought this was a fantastic cold open.

Brie Larson Monologue:

I thought this was a good monologue which included messages from Beck, Bobby, Pete, and Kate to their moms and Brie having her mom in the audience.

President Barbie:

I thought this was a funny sketch. I thought it was funny how the girls were playing with a broom. However, I felt that Brie’s character was just placed in the sketch.

Near Death:

I didn’t think they’d bring this sketch back after doing it with Ryan Gosling. I loved how Kate’s character said she was “full Donald Ducking it” and she had the soul of a Scottish Terrier in her body. Even though I thought the one with Ryan Gosling was better, I did enjoy this sketch.

The Cut:

I thought this sketch was funny but a little creepy. However, it was fun to see a sketch with all the girls. I loved the lines “Bathrooms are oceans but the kitchen is a farm” and “There are only seven bags in this entire county”. I liked how the sketch ended with “Happy Mother’s Day from SNL”.

Alicia Keys “In Common” Performance”:

I liked this song and thought it was a good performance.

Weekend Update:

I thought it had a strong start with the Trump jokes. I loved seeing Laura Parsons again. I was happy to see Sasheer at the desk. I loved her analogy of using McGriddle as a replacement for the N-word. I was so surprised to see Sasheer say the N-word. I’m sure Lorne approved of it because it had to do with the segment about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. I loved seeing Pete again and how he talked about his mom, who was in the audience. I love his mom! I thought this was a great Update.

Game of Thrones:

I felt like this was the millionth GoT sketch we’ve seen this season. I did, however, like Cecily and Brie’s characters. I thought Pete popping up periodically was funny. I thought this sketch was just okay.

Quiz Whiz 2018:

I thought this sketch was pretty good and it was nice to see someone other than Kenan play a game show host. I felt that the transgender joke didn’t go over too well when they said everyone was transgender in 2018. I thought it was funny that Brie played Heidi Cruz and that they were saluting President Trump.

Chris Fitzpatrick:

I honestly was surprised they brought this sketch back. I thought the donation rewards were funny. I thought this sketch was just okay.

Alicia Keys “Hallelujah” Performance:

I thought this was good performance and a good song.

Dead Bopz:

I really loved the hologram work on this sketch. I loved Tupac singing “Shake It Off”. Although I thought the sketch was funny, the artist selection seemed a little old for this generation.

Overall, I thought it was a good episode but I wish Brie’s characters were a little more complex. However, I think both Larson and Keys will be back in the future.

This has been my take on the SNL episode hosted by Brie Larson with musical guest Alicia Keys. I’ll be back soon with a review of SNL with host and musical guest Drake. Please spread the word about the blog and subscribe to the blog. Also, follow the blog on Twitter @SNLblogger. I live tweet during new episodes on the blog’s Twitter so feel free to join in on the conversation. Feel free to start your own conversations about episodes in the comments section but keep them clean. Also, please feel free to give me constructive criticism about the blog so I can improve the blog in any way.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Goodnight Sweet Prince April 23, 2016

On the last episode, Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her return to SNL and Nick Jonas made his debut as a solo performer. Both did a great job and I’m sure they’ll both be back. Nick Jonas could even pull double duty on an episode. Some highlights from the last episode include:

-A cold open about the Democratic debate with JLD reprising her Seinfeld role and Larry David as Bernie Sanders.

-An appearance from one of JLD’s Veep costars in the monologue.

-Nick Jonas featured in two sketches.

-The return of “Cinema Classics”.

-The return of Charles Barkley and Shaq as well as the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male Driven Comedy to the Update desk.

-A possible new recurring Update character for Aidy.

-A parody of the God’s Not Dead movies.

It was heartbreaking to hear about the sudden death of Prince. I think it’s safe to say he was a legend and a musical genius. I’m not a Prince super fan but I do love his music. When the special first came on, I was surprised to see Jimmy Fallon host the special. Regardless, I thought he did a great job with telling backstories of the performances and the sketches. I loved how they showed his performances from 1981, 2006, and 2014 as well as his performance from the 15th Anniversary Special. I loved how he threw down the mic during his 1981 performance and at the end of “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed” he did “Superstar” at the end in tribute to Mary Katherine Gallagher. When they showed the 2014 performance it brought me back to when it first aired. Of course, I knew I was witnessing history with that performance. One thing that I loved about this special is that they showed a never before seen video of Prince performing at the after party for the 40th Anniversary. Seeing that video made me wish I was at that after party. I also loved how they showed several episodes of “Prince Show” with Fred Armisen as Prince. I thought this was an awesome tribute and I loved how they used the goodnights from 2006.

This has been my take on the SNL special “Goodnight Sweet Prince”. I’ll be back soon with a review of SNL hosted by Brie Larson with musical guest Alicia Keys. Please spread the word about the blog and subscribe to the blog. Also, follow the blog on Twitter @SNLblogger. I live tweet during new episodes on the blog’s Twitter so feel free to join in on the conversation. Feel free to start your own conversations about episodes in the comments section but keep them clean. Also, please feel free to give me constructive criticism about the blog so I can improve the blog in any way.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Nick Jonas April 16, 2016

On the last episode, Russell Crowe and Margo Price made their debuts on the SNL stage. It was an okay episode and I’m not sure we’ll be seeing Russell Crowe host again anytime soon. Some highlights from the last episode include:

-A cold open about Hillary Clinton reaching to voters.

-A “Politics Nation” sketch with an appearance from Al Sharpton.

-The return of Deenie and Bruce Chandling to the Update desk.

-A possible recurring character for Leslie.

-The return of Mike O’Brien and Jason Sudeikis for another “A Mike O’Brien Picture”.

On this episode of SNL, Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns to host and Nick Jonas makes his debut as a solo performer on the SNL stage. I thought this episode was very funny and I would love to see both of them back on the show. Hopefully, Nick gets a chance to pull double duty some day. Here’s my take on the episode.

Sketch Rundown:

CNN Democratic National Debate Cold Open:

I loved the opening line “I’m Wolf Blitzer and believe it or not I shaved five minutes ago”. At this point, it feels like Larry David should be an honorary cast member. I loved the slap fight and the noogie with Kate saying “you feeling that burn”. I loved Kenan as the black moderator. I thought it was great to see Julia reprise her role of Elaine. I also loved seeing Vanessa as Rachel Green again. I also loved the subtle Seinfeld references. I thought this was a great cold open.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Monologue:

I thought this was a good monologue. I also loved the clips and the Tony Hale cameo. I still can’t believe this is only her third time hosting!

Heroin AM:

I thought this was a good sketch and I do understand the controversy around it. I loved the line “From the makers of Cocaine PM”.

Huge Jewelry:

I thought this sketch was funny but felt as if it was like the former pornstars were from Long Island. I thought the shoulder brace that came with the earrings was funny. I loved getting to see Nick appear in the sketch!

Pool Boy:

I thought this sketch was funny and I thought Pete was really funny as the pool boy. He was totally oblivious to everything. To me, it kinda felt like this sketch had kind of a Desperate Housewives feel to it. I loved Nick as the lawn boy. I thought it was funny when Julia said “I wanna fuck that kid!”. Me too, JLD, me too.

Cinema Classics:

I love this sketch and I love seeing Reese De’What. I loved the lines around the set. I loved how Julia read “Made in China” around the set. I also thought it was funny how there were lines on Taran’s chest. I thought this sketch was great and Julia was great in this sketch.

Duracell:

I thought this sketch was funny. It seemed like it was a real ad. I thought it was funny that the car was powered by 9,648 AA batteries. I loved the ribbon release auto dump feature. I thought it was funny how batteries were not included.

Nick Jonas “Close” Performance:

When I first heard that Nick was going to be the musical guest, I was so excited! I love this song and I’m so glad Tove Lo was able to join in on the performance. I loved this performance and I love him!

Weekend Update:

I thought Update had a strong start, especially with the political jokes. I loved seeing Charles Barkley and Shaq again and I love Jay’s Shaq impression. I love how they made up the number “twive”. I loved the new Aidy character and I really hope this becomes a recurring character for her. I thought the iguana with the tiny hat was funny. I loved the joke where the next Burj Khalifa would be Wiz Khalifa. I’m so happy that the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male Drive Comedy came back! I love this character so much! I loved how she “turned off” at the end of Update. Overall, another solid Update.

Who Works Here?:

I thought this was an interesting concept for a game show. I also thought Julia would make a great game show host. I thought Bobby doing a cartwheel was impressive. I also loved the Lightning Round.

Nick Jonas “Champagne Problems” Performance:

I thought this was another great performance and it makes me excited for his new album. I love this song and, again, I love him!

Meet N Match:

I thought this weird sketch. The black contacts and the voice changers were creepy. It was a funny sketch but a weird concept for a sketch.

God is a Boob Man:

I thought this was a good sketch. I understand why there would be controversy but it’s no reason for conservatives to declare a war on SNL.

Overall, I thought this was a great episode. I was really impressed with both of their performances and I would love to see them both back on the show again.

This has been my take on the SNL episode hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus with musical guest Nick Jonas. I’ll be back soon with a review of the SNL special “Goodnight Sweet Prince”. Please spread the word about the blog and subscribe to the blog. Also, follow the blog on Twitter @SNLblogger. I live tweet during new episodes on the blog’s Twitter so feel free to join in on the conversation. Feel free to start your own conversations about episodes in the comments section but keep them clean. Also, please feel free to give me constructive criticism about the blog so I can improve the blog in any way.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Russell Crowe/Margo Price April 9, 2016

On the last episode, Peter Dinklage made his debut as a host and Gwen Stefani made her debut as a solo performer. I thought both did a great job with this episode. Some highlights from the last episode include:

-Several references to Game of Thrones.

-A couple sketches about couples on vacations.

-The return of Pete and Big Papi to the Update desk.

Russell Crowe comes to the SNL stage making his debut as host and Margo Price makes her debut as a musical guest. I wasn’t all that impressed with Crowe’s performance but I thought Price had two great performances. Here’s my take on the episode.

Sketch Rundown:

Message from Hillary Clinton Cold Open:

I loved seeing Kate’s impression and I loved this cold open. I loved how she couldn’t say “lose some”. I also loved how she said “Fat Apple” and how she wore hats with the price tags. I loved how she at the hot dog and threw the nuts. I loved how she talked about taking in the NYC popular musical Chicago. I loved the pre-taped bit in the subway. I also loved how she said the “New York Meats” and I loved the raven bit.

Russell Crowe Monologue:

I loved how Crowe said his costar is “a beautiful young woman named Ryan Gosling. I watched him host in December and I was like ‘Wow! Anyone can do that!’” I thought the movie clips were okay and I thought the monologue was just okay.

Preparation H:

I thought this was a funny ad. I loved Beck’s character in this ad. I thought this was a great ad parody to start the first part of the show.

Politics Nation:

Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t cut to commercial before this sketch. I loved how Kenan’s Al Sharpton said “Christ-it” and said “Not in my church”. I love the mispronunciation of words with this character. I was surprised to see the real Al Sharpton show up in this sketch as another character. I also loved how they said “Al Gore-rhythm”. I also loved the black approval rating scale. I thought this was a funny sketch.

Henry VIII:

I thought the sketch started off funny but it felt like they were running the same joke into the ground. I did love the hologram work. I thought this was an okay sketch and got weird at the end.

Match Finders:

I thought the sound effects in this sketch were interesting. I loved the work for Beck’s character’s glass eye. I thought Crowe’s character was a little disturbing at times. I was surprised he could actually get away with saying these words on TV. I did think Kenan’s ponytail was funny. Overall, I thought this was a really weird sketch.

Margo Price “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)” Performance:

Before this episode, I had never heard of Margo Price. I figured I would like her because I love Country music. I liked the song and I really want a microphone like hers. I loved the tribute to Merle Haggard after the performance ended.

Weekend Update:

I thought Update had a strong start this week. I loved how Ted Cruz was compared to Pizza Rat. I loved seeing Deenie again and her description of Brussels Sprouts. I thought it was cool to see Bruce Chandling again although this wasn’t my favorite appearance from him. Overall, I thought this was a solid Update.

100 Days in the Jungle:

I had a feeling this was a parody of Survivor. I thought it was cool but weird they had the uncle’s friend Terry. The puppy they showed was so freaking cute! I thought it was funny how Terry’s girlfriend showing up on the TV but also a little weird. I thought this sketch was okay but very weird.

Pogie Pepperoni’s:

I loved seeing Beck and Kyle play friends. I loved seeing Leslie as a more serious character. I thought Pete was hilarious as the mascot. The ending with the “In Memoriam” was funny. I thought this was a funny sketch.

Margo Price “Since You Put Me Down” Performance:

I thought this was another good song and another good performance. To me, her voice reminded me a lot of Alison Krauss.

Shanice Goodwin: Ninja:

I really loved this sketch and would love to see this become a recurring character for Leslie. I absolutely loved her ninja moves and how she set up a ladder. Kenan coughing during the sketch was funny. I loved the last line “I’m a ninja...and a cashier from Kohl’s”.

Oprah Winfrey: A Life of Love:

I loved seeing Mike O’Brien again and it was great to see Jason again. I loved this sketch and thought it was a great way to end the show. This sketch also reminds me about how much I miss Mike!

Overall, I thought this was an okay episode. I’m not sure if Russell Crowe will be back to host anytime soon but Margo Price could possibly come back in the future.

This has been my take on the SNL episode hosted by Russell Crowe with musical guest Margo Price. I’ll be back soon with a review of SNL hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus with musical guest Nick Jonas. Please spread the word about the blog and subscribe to the blog. Also, follow the blog on Twitter @SNLblogger. I live tweet during new episodes on the blog’s Twitter so feel free to join in on the conversation. Feel free to start your own conversations about episodes in the comments section but keep them clean. Also, please feel free to give me constructive criticism about the blog so I can improve the blog in any way.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren