Pete Martell

I think Seth brings out the best in SNL people on his show, but also it was more interesting to me because he was on the backfoot with the audience and had to adjust to them. I still enjoy him on Update but one of the reasons I'm hoping this is his last season is because everything there has become very cozy and centers so much around him to where I don't think he has to push as much anymore.

PDD Bowen Yang Colin Jost. (this has two parts)

The elderly prank pre-tape had a strange tone which came across as someone possibly realizing during the process that the joke wasn't actually there. Moments that on paper I would have thought might be mocking, like the old man who pees his pants, or the old woman who is lied to by her grandkids about their sexuality, or the grandmother who thinks she's going to have dinner with Jesus, were taken seriously in the footage. I've seen a few people say they should have ended with the seniors pranking the teens. That would have been a little trite, but at least had the comedy elements. I am not sure what was going on here, although at least some of the lesser used cast members got to do dramatic work. I don't think SNL has ever had a uniform vision, which is a good thing, but when the show isn't properly supervised (which I think has been the case for a while now), you get very perplexing pieces like this pre-tape or the cold open (in my opinion). I don't even want to get into the topic at hand, other than saying it's so far out of the depth of what SNL could cover even in most of its best years. I don't know how that cold open got on the air...if there is any humor, it wasn't going to be found in another version of "both sides are nutty."

I didn't pay any attention to Olivia Rodrigo's songs (I tried to watch the second performance but it just felt like a lot of silly posturing) but I saw that she is apparently a fan of one of Julia Stiles' biggest movies (10 Things I Hate About You). I noticed they were talking on the stage at the goodnights. I'm happy for her if she got to meet an idol. I haven't seen Julia Stiles in anything in a long time (I know she was in Hustlers, the movie JLo hosted for in season 45 around this time), but I remember her SNL episode from 2001. She was a very likeable host. She even came back to cameo. She said years later that she wished she could have hosted again. I was never expecting her to be on this show again, but I was happy to see her. This is the type of surprise cameo I want...not Alec Baldwin. I am not into Chloe Fineman's work on SNL but I preferred this experiment away from the desk to more of her impressions or characters (she's at her best in support parts - she was great in the Old Friend pre-tape tonight). As for Adam Driver, I think he is a genius SNL host, one of the best they've ever had. He's so good that a part of me was nervous about him hosting again because of high expectations. His season 44 episode had so much content exploiting Pete Davidson's relationship with Ariana Grande that it's still something I wouldn't want to rewatch. Adam's first three episodes did have a big "event" sketch for him that I'm not sure this episode had, but other than how forgettable the prank PSA and bag sketches at the end were, I thought he was well-used through the episode. The baby sketch was one of those pieces I can see very few other hosts pulling off. He made all the emotions and reactions oddly believable, endearing and insane all at once. And the "beep beep" sketch with Adam and Andrew Dismukes facing off (Andrew helped write the Del Taco sketch from Adam's last episode so I was glad to see them together). Even the home shopping sketch, which was just a rewritten version of the same sketch a few years ago with Jerrod Carmichael, he helped to sell (although my favorite part of that was the callers, especially Kenan). Or the sketch where he and Bowen were partners, which could have been lazy gay jokes but instead turned into an interesting character piece. Of course, Adam helps make anything better, but I do think there was a lot of decent writing in place for him too. This was the second-best episode of the season for me, after Nate Bargatze's, which probably shows how uneven the other episodes have been but is still good enough for me as after how exhausted they seemed with Emma Stone last week I thought this might have been a snooze, or an outright dud. I do wish they'd shortened Update and put on a few more sketches, as so many of the jokes went right over me. I don't think their hearts are in it anymore, and it's getting harder for me to watch Che tell odd jokes, then burst out laughing at them, or at the audience not responding. Amazingly, for the first time in what seems like a year (the last I remember is one from Austin Butler's episode, although I may be wrong), SNL's Youtube account uploaded two cut sketches. I would have put both in the episode (I think the film panel sketch wasn't put in because of a technical error in dress rehearsal - the other I would guess might be because of the dark humor).

This is one of the oddest SNL stories I've heard in a good long while. Apparently (there was talk about this on Twitter and later on the Saturday Night Network podcast), Cecily Strong played this role (Elise Stefanik) in dress rehearsal. There is no word of why she wasn't on the live show. I've seen fans speculate SNL decided to save her first cameo for Kate's upcoming episode. Or that she backed out because of the subject matter or how incredibly questionable the writing was. Or that Lorne pulled her out because he didn't want her to get a negative response. Whatever the reason, I felt very bad for Chloe Troast. Yes, it's her job, and I could say hey, look at the faith they have in her to give her this big part in only six episodes. But the circumstances, and the timing, and the likely hate she's going to get that had nothing to do with her and she was pushed into last minute...oof.

A 2019 Robert Smigel interview with the TV Academy has been uploaded in full. https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/robert-smigel Kenan has a new production company, and a new autobiography. https://www.ign.com/articles/kenan-thompson-is-turning-a-mystery-playstation-game-into-a-cartoon https://ew.com/kenan-thompson-almost-quit-saturday-night-live-after-rookie-mistakes-8411031 Kenan and Ego also have new-ish ads out. (I've seen several Ego ads for Pizza Hut) Bob Odenkirk's AMC show was canceled, but he is appearing on David Cross' new podcast.

Chloe Fineman: https://www.today.com/video/chloe-fineman-talks-interior-design-relationship-with-sister-snl-199651397899 https://www.today.com/video/see-snl-star-chloe-fineman-s-hilarious-meryl-streep-impression-199648325515 Sarah: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/sarah-sherman-snl-talking-meatball-vomit-1235814253/

Mikey is not very good at British accents (as many American actors aren't, and vice/versa). I was glad they at least admitted it and had fun with it. I think it's down to how in flux the cast and writing rooms are. Some people who should leave haven't, others who were talented did leave. That and I guess they don't know what people want to see. I feel like they've been trying to bring back recurring characters in the last season or two, maybe because some fans want them...most of the time when they try I'm just reminded why I don't need them. I have enjoyed this season more than last season, but you could definitely feel how tired everyone was.

I liked everyone you listed (some more than others), but I think their staying as long as they did helped lead to some of the current problems, because the writing became so tailored to their voices. As a result, a number of cast members left in their wake are trying to be them, or fill a "star" void, rather than what is true to themselves. The cast members I struggle to watch most in the last few seasons - Bowen, Heidi, Chloe Fineman - all feel like they are constantly being put in the idea of what Kate would be, or what Cecily or Aidy would be, rather than what suits them most. I got such terrible deja vu with Bowen and the piano to Kate and the piano that I actually had to mentally check out the rest of the cold open because otherwise I would have shut the episode off. And when Heidi and Chloe were doing that kiln sketch all I could think was I'd seen this with Kate and Aidy, and seen it with Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer, etc. Many of the better writers of those years are also gone, replaced by writers who don't have as unique of voices, or aren't having their voices amplified in ways they could be. Most of my favorite current cast members are people who have more of their own voice, or who can use some old styles but make them their own. If not for cast members like Punkie, JAJ, Dismukes, and to a degree Michael Longfellow, Marcello, Ego (now that she isn't trying to do "wacky" recurring characters), I'm not sure I'd keep on watching. Dress rehearsal report for the episode.

Aidy Bryant is hosting the Independent Spirit Awards, haven of a number of SNL cast members and writers. https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/aidy-bryant-hosts-independent-spirit-awards-1235814033/ Nasim Pedrad. https://www.irvinestandard.com/2023/profile-nasim-pedrad/ Luke Null. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2023/11/28/luke-nell-snl-teaming-up-wayne-brady-chase-crawford/71574205007/ Kenan is in Good Burger 2 and Trolls World Tour. (a ton of SNL alum made cameos in Good Burger 2) Adam Sandler, Cecily Strong and Rob Schneider are in Adam's new Netflix animated film, Leo. Rob Riggle and Jay Mohr will be in the upcoming "adult animated comedy" Mr. Birchum. Eddie Murphy has a new Prime Video movie, Candy Cane Lane.

You get a flash of a ton of other cast photos here. The cast photo was also released around this time last season, which is making some fans speculate on possible Christmas departures a la Cecily.

The next three Vintage episodes are the three December episodes from last season (Keke Palmer/Steve Martin and Martin Short/Austin Butler).

I remember a lot of comment last season. I imagine this is why when they had the "I'm Just Pete" short at the start of the season, Devon was there as "black Pete." Anyway, sorry, meant to post this after the episode aired, but here's the dress rehearsal report, via Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/LiveFromNewYork/comments/17z7xy9/dress_rehearsal_report_jason_momoatate_mcrae/ It reminds me a great deal of the sketch where Mikey Day and Chris Pine were prancing around wearing backpacks and the feds were watching them. I liked Andrew and JAJ on Update, the castaway sketch, and Sarah's body horror pre-tape. The rest...eh. Momoa felt like one of those returning hosts who was still dealing with first time host nerves. Didn't quite mesh for me, although I'm not a huge fan anyway so that may be a factor.

Cut sketches from this episode.

Britney's manager has now said the post claiming to be from him blasting the show (and Chloe Fineman) was fake. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/britney-spearss-manager-calls-out-saturday-night-live-for-pathetic-britney-sketch

Twitter is becoming more and more irrelevant by the day. Many (including her manager apparently, who went on a rant) were also convinced SNL was attacking Britney Spears (the show has never been as respectful about Britney, or most celebrities, as it is these days) and were insistent that the show was attacking Nicki Minaj by having Punkie play her and rap along with Timothee and Marcello. Most of these people didn't even watch the material. There is so much performative nonsense on there about SNL - I still remember when some people were insisting that Bowen was doing his Chen Biao character as a psyop for the CIA trying to make us hate China. Or how many times they dredge up a selectively edited clip of an anti-war sketch from 2002 to try to make it seem like it was pro-war. I think the joke was a lazy gag, maybe it should have been cut, but the whole "people are dying, how dare you" crowd must have zero awareness of this show, or of any satire. And if they actually watched the show, they would know the Please Don't Destroy guys are so risk-averse, you can almost see training wheels any time they appear. I have criticized SNL until my fingers are numb, so when I have to defend it against such opportunistic stupidity I end up feeling even worse.

SNL is somewhat notorious for a bad sound system.

Sorry, I was just assuming (they stepped down as headwriters last season, write very few other sketches on the show these days, the shorter Updates, etc.).

I know of Timothee Chalamet more through the whole social media phenomenon than through his actual work. I've seen Little Women. Most of my exposure to him as a performer is through SNL. I'm never going to see Wonka, for me there is only one and that's Gene Wilder (you can hear Roald Dahl screaming as I type these words), so I'm glad they kept the promotion to a minimum. I half-expected them to have that Charlie's grandparents set on standby for a third outing. I tried to keep my expectations low for last night, because his first episode felt very fresh after a dry spell, and he brought such a youthful energy. And the last episode, with Nate Bargatze, was one of the consistently strongest in some time. I liked this episode more than a number of the other comments, but I do have a few complaints: - Update has become the weakest part of the show for me. I assume we are getting such short Updates because they know Jost and Che are on the way out. I don't mind the decision, but when you have short jokes contrasted with an overfamiliar commentary, it's the worst of both worlds. I didn't enjoy this Heidi character before, and I did not enjoy it this time. I want to see someone new on Update. I don't want more Bowen, or Kenan, or Heidi. - I groaned when I thought we were getting a debate sketch. Trump interrupting was not an unwelcome turn, but I also don't want to see Trump (neither does the studio audience, it seems). The meta jabs at the show's casting decisions amused me in places (especially pointing out how little they care to cast one of the PDD guys as DeSantis), but meta jabs can veer on, "You can do better, and you know you can." - Similar to after Adam Driver hosted and had viral sketches, we had returns for two of Timothee's popular sketches. I didn't dislike either of these (the hip-hop sketch was almost as good as the original) but seeing them both added a very samey air which wasted the cast and the potential of Timothee as a host. The best part about both of them was seeing JAJ get to be weird and not be Trump. - I just don't care about impression parades. I felt like this one existed solely to try to give Chloe Fineman a big moment. We got so many scattered images of the rest of the cast, the equivalent of the meme about Oprah and the car. I enjoyed a few (especially Werner Herzog, and even though we barely saw it, Bill Hader being impersonated made me smile), but not enough to care. - I don't want to see Alec Baldwin on SNL. I didn't even before what happened on that set. The whole thing deflated my mood, and I felt bad for Andrew and Punkie that their work was thrown out by him being shoved in at the last possible second (so short the audience didn't even get to react). If this cameo was meant to help rehab him, that shouldn't be his priority and it sure shouldn't be the show's. This season has had some retro touches I've appreciated, but being reminded of the show that paraded Joey Buttafuoco around is not one of them. The rest of the episode I was able to enjoy, even when I felt like I should know better. - The monologue was a mess, clearly rewritten during and post-strike, but I still enjoyed Timothee's cringe-with-commitment rap, well-paired with Marcello, who is just beaming with star power these days. I also enjoyed Punkie's turn as Nicki Minaj. - The gym sketch I expected to dislike, but as they zeroed in on the stupidity of the Mikey/Timothee/Sarah characters, I began to enjoy myself. The performances were funny to me, how they each doubled down on the same beat. This was the most I've enjoyed Heidi lately, reacting to them, especially her flinching every time they blared the hold music. Even in his eight season, Mikey is surprising me. - I would normally hate that Troye Sivan sketch, just such obvious pandering to a certain demo, which often makes SNL look about 100 years old. I still enjoyed myself, because everyone was enjoying themselves so much, but not in a way that acted like the audience wasn't there. Timothee was just so inside that impression, and when Boygenius joined him, I couldn't help being entertained. - My near-permanent reaction to PDD is like, not love, which was also the case here, but I thought this was a great use of Timothee and PDD going back and forth with him as the situation got worse. Killing himself when he realized who they were was a strong ending...or would have been if it hadn't felt cut up at the end. - I loved the moon sketch. Having to reply to Chloe Troast just at the right time between her song seemed hard, but Timothee got better as it went along. Chloe, meanwhile, was an absolute revelation, especially for her fourth episode. I'm pleasantly shocked this got on the air, as so many new cast members are constantly kept in their place (look at Michael Longfellow's airtime this season). Something about her extremely vibrant vocal performance, and how much time was spent just on her and the host, felt a world away from how cold and bloated the SNL of recent decades can be.

An oral history of the Washington sketch. https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/washingtons-dream-oral-history-nate-bargatze-snl-george-washington-interview-1234924966/