Phishbulb

The only reason I can figure is that Hamm had an affinity for that particular cast, the Bill-Kristen-Andy cast (especially Kristen), and he doesn't have the same connection with anyone who's on the show now. He last hosted in 2010- if he hosted now the only person he's worked with before would be Kenan (who's kind of his way out the door this season now anyway). He has made cameos though (most recently as "Hamm Solo" in the 2015 Matthew McConaughey episode) so hopefully he'll host again. I would also really like Anne Hathaway to host this season- with her movie "The Hustle" coming out, she has something to promote, and it's been a while since she last hosted too (2012). She's always been a great host.

You know, this just occurred to me, but it would be kind of cool if the host for Kenan's last episode was Jack Black, who hosted Kenan's FIRST episode when he started on the show in 2003. Would be a nice closing-the-circle thing for the show's longest-running cast member. JB doesn't really have anything to promote though- unless you count the Jumanji sequel later in the year.

I remember Julio Torres wrote a funny tweet about a turtle who attempts to storm out of a room dramatically, but because he's a turtle is forced to do so very, very slowly. That would make a funny short film, although it might be better as a cartoon.

Maybe it's me, but it seemed like to me she was kind of doing an imitation of Awkwafina in that sketch. Maybe as a nod to the fact that Awkwafina played her when she hosted?

I could appreciate the old-timeyness (and obvious Julio Torres-ness) of the "Cheques" piece, but it also made me kind of sad. Are we really SO digital now in everything that writing checks has become something "old-timey"? I was under the impression people still wrote checks.

Yeah, they did a better job of integrating the teacher's stories with the student's stories in this episode. "He's gonna insist you give him an A!" "More like this A, am I right?" "Yeah, more like this ass!" (Awkward pause; Mary glares at Michelle) I do like how Michelle is kind of the "Meg" of the group that they all hang out with even though no one really likes her much.

This was weird that God is the "youngest" even though the little girl was there- maybe part of her living on an utopian planet is that no one grows older there?

They really back-loaded this season with all the Fred Armisen-centric eps. He was the focus of last week's and of this week's too, which looks like another typical "Fred as a musician" things (he did so many of these types of sketches on SNL). We probably didn't need TWO musical episodes in one season, to be honest. The season finale with Michael C. Hall and Bobby Moynihan as the bowlers should be fun though.

It turns out that Bill Hader did have something to do with this season after all- he cowrote this week's episode. It was all right, but given Hader's penchant for going dark with his comedy, I felt like it could've gone even further out into the realm of Fred Armisen's character becoming a creepy, psychotic stalker hell-bent on meeting his idol Gary Larson. I did like how they made his character a complete self-centered dick who was neglecting his wife and newborn child to make his dumb movie.

I thought the magician sketch with Leslie was just mean-spirited towards Leslie. The joke of it just seemed to be that she is a "bigger" lady and just putting her through a lot of abuse to no real comedic effect. The twist of the sketch being that Kenan's character was trying to kill his wife all along didn't help.

The likelihood that Emma Stone will be the next five-timer is pretty strong at this rate (assuming she hosts again within the next couple of years).

I realize this is a petty thing, but I was following this show from the pilot stage when it was announced that Vanessa Bayer was going to be on the show. She was going to play the role that Jean Villepique ended up playing. It's semi-annoying to me every time I watch the show now that she plays it so much the way that Bayer probably would have played the role- she's the typical mousy sad-sack that Bayer played so often in sketches on SNL. Despite the three teachers not being great, I do find other parts of the show funny, especially Jack and the kids and Paula Pell. Pell wandering around with a canoe on her head was so goofy but hilarious. There's a surreal element to some of the jokes sometimes that I like (like the kindergarten teacher with the puppet).

My online TV guide confirms Perry's episode is being rerun this Saturday as the SNL Vintage.

Are you talking about the blonde? Because that's Abby Elliott, who was in the cast at the time.

To be fair, Rag n' Bone Man told you "I am a giant" right there in the song he performed :)

I thought it was funny that the woman playing the head of the Christian comedy tour was Eve Plumb (aka Jan Brady), and over the end credits they played a song by the Brady Bunch (featuring Jan doing a solo).

I'm holding out hope that now that Olivia Colman won, they might be able to get her to host, maybe the remaining show in March or if not then in April. I don't know what her schedule is like with filming the new season(s) of "The Crown", but I think she'd be a great host. She has a long resume of doing sketch comedy in the UK.

Another interesting thing tying this episode to the current episode this week was that Family Feud sketch, which was a nice bit of darkness written by John Mulaney, Marika Sawyer, and Simon Rich. The three of them frequently wrote together while at the show, and Sawyer and Rich returned this week to work with Mulaney on the "Toilet Death Ejector" piece, which was an idea they had that they never got to air while they all worked at the show.

There are seven episodes: http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/miracle-workers-tbs/listings/

I was wondering if the new guy who showed up at the end of the second episode (thwarting Radcliffe and Viswanathan's goals) is maybe the devil in disguise. If this turns out to be the case, I'll pat myself on the back for figuring this out I guess.

I thought it was funny, but unfortunately SNL already did a parody of "Wild Wild Country" around the time the real documentary came out, so it seemed like well-trod territory at this point. Also, the SNL sketch got Nasim Pedrad to play the Indian woman from the real documentary, which is a role she was born to play- she looks just like the real woman. The actress in this episode did a good job though. I actually don't know if Bill is in this season at all. I don't see him anywhere in that trailer that was posted above. He may have been busy filming "Barry" and "It Part 2" and not had time to participate in this season.

Yes! As funny as it was, the whole time I was thinking. "Wait, this is already a show!"

Same! I was trying to think of Paul McCartney songs, even though the question did say "Beatles" song. Yellow Submarine's a Ringo song, really- and if you have a "yellow submarine", consult your doctor. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is a pretty perfect answer though.

Promo

Well, Avengers: Endgame (if 3 months from now counts as "soon".)