S45.E03: David Harbour/Camila Cabello

[Princess Sparkle]

David Harbour as the host, Camila Cabello as the musical guest

[Pete Martell]

[ebk57]

Guest-Star-A-Rama for the cold open - and some of it was actually funny,

[freddi]

Cold open left me very cold.  All the crazy news this week, and they go with a debate?  Ugh.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I didn't know who David Harbour is until he mentioned Stranger Things. I'm one of the 5 people in the world who hasn't seen Stranger Things and has no interest in watching Stranger Things. 

Colin sounded extra-Kermity during the cold open.

[vb68]

"The Grouch" is an instant classic. That was genuinely hilarious and well done.

Edited October 13, 2019 by vb68

[Ms Blue Jay]

50 minutes ago, vb68 said:

"The Grouch" is an instant classic. That was genuinely hilarious and well done.

Absolutely incredible.

[Thumper]

1 hour ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I didn't know who David Harbour is until he mentioned Stranger Things. I'm one of the 5 people in the world who hasn't seen Stranger Things and has no interest in watching Stranger Things. 

Colin sounded extra-Kermity during the cold open.

I have never seen "Stranger Things" either.

The Grouch was excellent.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Thumper

[Mystery]

48 minutes ago, vb68 said:

"The Grouch" is an instant classic. That was genuinely hilarious and well done.

I loved the slow Sesame Street theme song that started playing in the background. I never knew it could sound so creepy. 

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: LGBTQ Town Hall. Well, better than another Trump sketch. "There's no wrong way to be gay, unless you're Ellen this week." Rare Colin in a sketch alert as he's still Mayor Pete. And now Lin Manuel is here as Julian Castro. And they brought back Woody as Biden.

Monologue: So the Upside Down is in the bowels of 8-H. Makes sense. So we got a Llama AND a Pete sighting! I really enjoyed this one. 

Little Miss Teacher's Friend: How weirdly specific, but we all know these kids. "Greatest wish is to be a pallbearer" was probably my favorite bit.

Grouch: A "Joker" spoof with Oscar The Grouch?! Oh my god this is genius. I was crying at the Bert & Ernie bit. Yeah, early contender for Sketch of The Year, and definitely the sketch of the night.

"You only arrest Elmo because Elmo Mexican!"

Soulcycle: This was silly. "You have sad eyes, ma'am."

Camila Cabello 1: Pretty interesting approach to the song. Gotta appreciate when the musical guest puts in effort.

WU: Once again, the news is way too stupid to write, but man, it's been getting easier to riff on it. I gotta appreciate a shoutout to the Frogger episode of Seinfeld. I'm pretty sure we've had a gay president. Buchanan never married, it was most likely him.

Loved seeing Bailey the teen movie critic again. And Pete's back! And...yeah, he certainly looks like he has all the VDs. Or at the very least looks like he just came from the set of Suicide Squad.

Peter, Paula, and Murray: I really liked the song. You know, I also watch this live on Reddit, and everyone kept waiting for Kenan to show up to sing "Electric Shoes" again.

"12 hours standing on a bridge saying 'do it, you coward.' Damn.

Father-Son Podcasting Microphone: This was definitely a Kyle sketch. The only way for Millennials to talk to their dads: via a podcast.

Nana's Sauce: David Harbour as an Italian Nana, and Kate as the Grandpa? Okay, I'm already sold. I loved their chemistry so much. Melissa barely keeping it together was great, too. THIS was probably my favorite live sketch.

Dog Court: Again, Kate and David's chemistry was great. And now they have dogs. This was extremely silly. That pug going wild definitely set off the rhythm, but who cares, cute dogs.

David Harbour was just a great host. Just so game for anything and was just so good, I hope he comes back. I honestly thought the show couldn't get as good as Grouch, but I was wrong. It just kept getting better. The show returns on the 26th with Chance The Rapper doing double duty.

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

"The Grouch" is an instant classic. That was genuinely hilarious and well done.

Absolutely. I loved it.

I laughed pretty often throughout this episode. That hasn't happened in a long time.

Dog Court was ridiculous, but adorable--I'm absolutely crazy about dogs, so I enjoyed it.

[Ms Blue Jay]

26 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Grouch: A "Joker" spoof with Oscar The Grouch?! Oh my god this is genius. I was crying at the Bert & Ernie bit. Yeah, early contender for Sketch of The Year, and definitely the sketch of the night.

"You only arrest Elmo because Elmo Mexican!"

Same.  Not kidding.  I was blown away.

I watch the show every week and I only remember a few sketches that have really hit me like this in recent years.  The Avatar Papyrus one was one of them.  Maybe Come Back Barack.  And this.  LOL.  I'm missing 1 or 2 maybe but I really liked this.

26 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

David Harbour was just a great host. Just so game for anything and was just so good, I hope he comes back.

Unexpected.  Really appreciated.  I thought Camila Cabello was great too.

26 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

The show returns on the 26th with Chance The Rapper doing double duty.

Awesome!  Thank you.  I liked him his first time.

Ego is getting good screentime and she's just so good this season.  I'm happy about that.  And I'm obviously, I'm over the moon about Bowen Yang.  Just to hear his name in the opening credits, as an Asian person, it makes me pretty emotional.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Melina22]

18 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Dog Court: Again, Kate and David's chemistry was great. And now they have dogs. This was extremely silly. That pug going wild definitely set off the rhythm, but who cares, cute dogs.

The pug going crazy had me crying from laughing so hard. I can't believe she kept a grip on it and also managed to read her lines and keep her glasses on. 

[ebk57]

Oscar the Grouch was the best, but the whole episode had me laughing.  I don't really remember any of it in particular, but a thoroughly enjoyable show, including the music.  

Oh, and I always love seeing Lin-Manual anywhere!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Billy Porter was wonderful.  I loved the Cold Open, and I never do (I hate Alec Baldwin).  So I consider that one a victory also.  Weekend Update was pretty good too, but Pete was just ok.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[possibilities]

I liked quite a lot of this week's show. First one this season that I thought was truly funny and not totally forgettable.

Dog Court was a great concept, but suffered a little in the execution. It's risky to have live animals on set, and pretty much seems to always involve a few glitches. Fun, though.

Oscar Origin/Dark Sesame was true greatness.

The PPM song was probably funniest to people of my generation, who lived through that entire musical era, but young'uns need to just trust: hilarious, perfect.

Likewise, Soul Cycle and the Teacher's Friend competition. And Father-Son Podcast Mic. Really, the writing team actually seemed to show up this week.

[vb68]

Ok, I really loved this show. Sure, there were a couple of things that fell a little flat, but there was such a loose and silly energy and vibe that carried the whole show. Everyone seemed like they were genuinely having fun.

I thought the Town Hall was actually a step up from the other two so far this season. The writing was a bit better, Billy Porter brought the loopy energy early, and it just worked for me. I didn't miss them trying to get a handle on the 953 Trump headlines this week. And Woody has the Biden role for duration, I guess?  I didn't expect that, but he seems into it. For now. 19 clickety clack.

Teacher's Little Helper could have actually been pretty savage. Those kids were hardly ever popular.  And when I say hardly I mean "NEVER." 

"I googled racism, and it bummed me out."

Speaking of loopy, this week's Update. Jost and Che also seemed more looser tonight. Gay Lincoln jokes aside. What joke was it that Che said Colin was laughing too hard on?  And I guess I missed the part where Leslie was Che's wife. The correct answer as everyone knows is Kyle, but we will also accept Colin as her work husband. Watch the show, Bailey.   Pete's segment was... Pete.

The Peter, Paul. and Mary tribute/sendup was funnier than I expected. At first I was thinking  "Geez, how very timely guys." But it somehow worked.

David Harbour was giving me "Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child vibes" with his Grandma impression. Not a bad thing.

And I loved Dog Court because duh. the black lab looked just like mine. Total love. and I use to have a sweet bichon like Chris Redd was holding.  Yeah I love dogs. That pug stole the sketch.

The Grouch...mic drop.

Waves to Melina!  Nice to see someone I spent the summer with in here! 🙂 

Edited October 13, 2019 by vb68

[Lantern7]

Tonight's Winners: Oscar the Grouch, folk singing, unruly pug.  Was that the one from the "Translator" sketch? I hope so, only because I would find it funny that SNL always had a pug on standby,

1 hour ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I didn't know who David Harbour is until he mentioned Stranger Things. I'm one of the 5 people in the world who hasn't seen Stranger Things and has no interest in watching Stranger Things.

*sigh* I'm one of about ten people nationwide that still uses conventional cable services. I can get Stranger Things on DVD from the library, but I never have the time to binge. Comedy Central had to run back-to-back episodes of Bojack Horseman late Wednesday nights for me to "get" it. Also,I didn't see the new Hellboy movie, so I don't think I have ever seen Harbour in anything.

1 hour ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Colin sounded extra-Kermity during the cold open.

At least he owned up to how dumb he looked on WU.

[opus]

9 minutes ago, vb68 said:

What joke was it that Che said Colin was laughing too hard on?  

The name of the new news network for black people is cnn word.

[Arkay]

Was Keenan in the show at all after the monologue? I don't remember seeing him again and I didn't see him in the good-nights.

Oscar the Grouch origin was superbly done and the first thing I've laughed at on SNL in a long time.

I've never watched anything with David Harbour but he was excellent. The Italian Nonna sketch was amazing. 

I wish nothing but the best for Pete but he just was not funny tonight. 

[lovinbob]

David Harbour was excellent! Solid, a pro, and fun. And the wrote him some great stuff. 

I loved seeing Billy Porter! So fun! Also, I kind of wish they could bring back Brian Fellow so that he and Billy could go head to head—they seem like they could be related!

I loved Lin Manuel Miranda as Castro, but I didn't think Woody's Biden was so great that he should be brought back. 

[sheetmoss]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

"

Camila Cabello 1: Pretty interesting approach to the song. Gotta appreciate when the musical guest puts in effort.

I believe it was an homage:

[Pete Martell]

The first two episodes this season had individual moments I enjoyed more, but this episode felt very consistent, which is rare for SNL, particularly of recent years. There were a few moments I would have cut down (like the grandparents sketch and the folk song sketch) to allow for more time for others beyond Kate McKinnon, but even those had energy and the performances worked. I also could have done without Pete's commentary, but what can you say - Pete is Pete. At least he seemed happy enough to be back. 

The Grouch film, Kyle's podcast (I don't really mind if Kyle keeps re-using the daddy issues concept as long as the pieces are as well-acted and written as what we got here), and, surprisingly, the cold open (a little sluggish and too long, but still, lots of fun, and one of the best cold opens in quite a while - Elizabeth Warren gave Kate a real gift and Kate pretty much sprinted with it, Lin Manuel Miranda and Billy Porter were great, and Woody Harrelson's incredibly vicious take on Joe Biden continues to entertain me) were the highlights for me, but overall I enjoyed the whole episode. 

David Harbour was a terrific host, managing to shine in leading roles and blend in for supporting parts. He was incredibly charismatic yet was also a real ensemble player. He reminded me of the "utility hosts" that SNL once had a stable of, like Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, Buck Henry, etc. And his happiness in the goodnights was absolutely infectious. I'd love to see him host again. 

So much of the episode, from the use of most of the cast, to the tone of many of the sketches (especially the kitchen sketch and that long song of psychobabble nonsense), to Harbour's performance, to the backstage monologue and Lorne making a cameo, to being able to enjoy the show and not have to wince at dead spots, to those long goodnights, reminded me of the SNL I grew up watching in the early '90s. I accepted that that show was gone for good, and in some cases that is probably for the best, but for one night I felt like I got it back. And that made me feel good. That type of recognition, that "my" SNL is still there somewhere, is why I can never completely quit this show. 

Here is the cut sketch. Not too sorry that it went, although it's nice to see Beck Bennett serving Les Patterson realness. 

If you, like me, thought Mikey Day's absence was noticeable given how much he tends to dominate episodes, apparently his voice went out. Hope he's feeling better.

And speaking of that early '90s feeling, Julia Sweeney was in the audience tonight. 

[Peace 47]

I can’t say anything about the Oscar the Grouch sketch that hasn’t already been said, but that was true brilliance.  From the “twisted minds at Sesame Workshop”, to Guy Smiley from ABC ... DEFG News to Alex Moffat’s dead-on Bert impression with his anguished “Ernie!!!” to the orchestral arrangement of the theme song, it was the sketch that kept on giving. 

6 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

I gotta appreciate a shoutout to the Frogger episode of Seinfeld. I'm pretty sure we've had a gay president. Buchanan never married, it was most likely him.

I loved the Frogger reference, too!  I also enjoyed Michael’s dishy delivery of the line about how it’s not a matter of whether we’ve had a gay president, “but which one?”  I run a little hot and cold with Jost and Che these days, but this WU was quite enjoyable.

I also liked Soul Cycle.  “My name is Flint, like the water.”  I feel like each of those trainer stereotypes was pretty accurate.

[Spartan Girl]

"Grouch" won the whole damn night.

[Writing Wrongs]

David Harbour reminds me of Ty Burrell.

The dog that Kate had was gorgeous. And that pug was going crazy.

[Melina22]

5 hours ago, vb68 said:

Waves to Melina!  Nice to see someone I spent the summer with in here! 🙂 

I know! I've been running into various BB alums here and there - sometimes in the weirdest places. It makes me nostalgic already! Glad we got to laugh at pugs together. 😊

[nickp1991]

 Sign me up for the Grouch origin movie

[rmontro]

Best bits were Peter, Paula, and Murray, and the Grouch.  Especially the Bert and Ernie part, seemed true to their personalities too.  If Bert and Ernie were mugged, it would definitely be Ernie who would resist.

I've never heard of Camila Cabello, and it's not my kind of music, but she has a great voice.

Sheetmoss above noted that her first number was an homage to Madonna.  When I was watching it, I was actually wondering if it had something to do with Hamilton, since Lin Manuel Miranda was on the show (which was nice to see).  The period piece costumes seem very similar.

[Melina22]

7 hours ago, lovinbob said:

I loved Lin Manuel Miranda as Castro, but I didn't think Woody's Biden was so great that he should be brought back. 

Maybe, but I crack up every time he stands there beaming and flashing those fake teeth. That alone makes me enjoy him as Biden. 

[Bulldog]

The Good:  Grouch and the pug.

The Bad:  Everything else.

McKinnon has truly morphed into Wiig (that is not a compliment).

ETA:  My local news ran over and cut off most of the cold open, so I can't really judge it.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Bulldog
ETA

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, Bulldog said:

McKinnon has truly morphed into Wiig (that is not a compliment).

I agree.

[Thumper]

3 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

David Harbour reminds me of Ty Burrell.

The dog that Kate had was gorgeous. And that pug was going crazy.

Yes, I kept thinking "he reminds me of Ty Burrell."  The voice, face and slight lisp are the same!  Uncanny.

I wasn't paying attention and with the white wig, thought Woody was playing Pence at first -- except for the smile.  Not a fan of his Joe.

[vb68]

I loved Lorne's oh so meta "He knows my name!" in the Stranger Things monologue. At least Lorne gets the joke or seems to at least.

I have to agree about Woody's Biden.  I don't see that much effort there beyond the teeth. He uses his real speaking voice.  

Looks like Kyle's Dad pre-tapes are going to be a theme.

Edited October 13, 2019 by vb68

[possibilities]

I like the Biden impersonation, but I think the Castro and Buttigieg ones need a lot of work.

[meep.meep]

11 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Oscar the Grouch was the best, but the whole episode had me laughing.  I don't really remember any of it in particular, but a thoroughly enjoyable show, including the music.  

Oh, and I always love seeing Lin-Manual anywhere!

The other part that had me cracked up was when he got 1 second into the opening of Hamilton.  Another great American hero who has been forgotten:  "How does the …"

[BobH]

I know they want to play up the "Live" in the title, but I always wish they would at least put the audience reactions way down in the mix on pre-tape bits like "Grouch". My actual preference would be to cut the crowd noise completely from those bits, or at least make a clean version available on-line. It was a good piece, but would have been better without the over-laughing.

[helenamonster]

It's felt like Kate's been sleepwalking through the show for the better part of a year, but getting to impersonate Warren seems to have given her some of her zip back, and it carried throughout the episode. Still won't be surprised if this ends up being her last season, but I'd love for her to go out on a high note.

Gotta give it up to the props/set dec team once again. Turning the hallway into the Upside Down (complete with llama) was really well done.

My favorite sketch of the night was Folk of the Past. I have a weak spot for non sequitur humor, especially when it's done well. I never knew what crazy thing they were gonna say next and it worked.

12 hours ago, Melina22 said:

The pug going crazy had me crying from laughing so hard. I can't believe she kept a grip on it and also managed to read her lines and keep her glasses on. 

Cecily's a champ. I've never seen anybody consistently push through unexpected live TV curveballs like her.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Also,I didn't see the new Hellboy movie

Don't worry--per David's monologue, nobody did.

[Hanahope]

Fantastic episode!  

I always love seeing Bailey because that’s my teenage daughter to a T.  

Grouch, truly sublime.  

Harbour was great.  

[opus]

33 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

Still won't be surprised if this ends up being her last season, but I'd love for her to go out on a high note.

Can't see Lorne not convincing her to stay at least through the election.

[methodwriter85]

There's this teenaged movie Youtuber who just reminded me so much of Bailey. Her name is Trin Lovell and I thought they nailed the general feel of the videos.

The Grouch is an instant classic. As someone who's seen the Joker, they really put a lot of attention to detail.

[Ohwell]

Before last night I had never heard Camilla Cabello sing anything other than that "Havana" song in which she sounded drunk and/or stoned, and that I got sick and tired of hearing.  However, I was pleasantly surprised last night that she actually can sing. 

[Blissfool]

13 hours ago, vb68 said:

Teacher's Little Helper could have actually been pretty savage. Those kids were hardly ever popular.  And when I say hardly I mean "NEVER." 

I teach first grade and thank goodness they are still popular at this young age. Those little people pleasers make my day a little more bearable. It warms my heart whenever the class is starting to get a little loud and one of my teacher's little helpers exclaims in a loud and clear voice, "Miss B likes peace and quiet!" They're still at a young enough age that they take it as a friendly reminder and oblige. However, I'm aware that in a few years cynicism will creep into their little minds and the TLH's will have to adapt in order to survive.

Needless to say, this skit was relatable and  I enjoyed it.

12 hours ago, lovinbob said:

David Harbour was excellent! Solid, a pro, and fun. And the wrote him some great stuff. 

I had never heard of him before, but I am now a fan.

7 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

David Harbour reminds me of Ty Burrell.

Me too. 

12 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

The Grouch is an instant classic. As someone who's seen the Joker, they really put a lot of attention to detail.

I wonder if people who haven't seen the movie enjoyed it as much as people who have. I get that the whole bullying thing is universal, but the skit borrowed a lot from the movie.

[Ms Blue Jay]

25 minutes ago, Blissfool said:

I wonder if people who haven't seen the movie enjoyed it as much as people who have. I get that the whole bullying thing is universal, but the skit borrowed a lot from the movie.

I haven't seen Joker, but of course I've seen the promotion for it.  I thought the sketch was brilliant.  And, well, I'm sure most people know the Sesame Street characters.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Racj82]

14 hours ago, Thumper said:

I have never seen "Stranger Things" either.

The Grouch was excellent.

I have seen stranger things. All of it. Because it's a genuinely entertaining show with characters I've grown to love.

And Yes, Grouch was an instant classic for sure. It's sad how much better a show named Saturday night live nails taped segments over live ones.

[msrachelj]

I am really concerned for Pete. He looks terrible. My husband said no way his the skin around his eyes were that puffy and brown, had to be makeup. He must not be doing so well. He can be pretty funny but this looks like a tragedy waiting to happen. 

[Racj82]

6 hours ago, Bulldog said:

The Good:  Grouch and the pug.

The Bad:  Everything else.

McKinnon has truly morphed into Wiig (that is not a compliment).

ETA:  My local news ran over and cut off most of the cold open, so I can't really judge it.

From the moment Kate came on I was wondering why people would spend all day complaining about Wigg while also exclaiming how awesome Kate is.

I've never seen the difference. They are both over the top hams. I don't even hate them but there was no morphing here. She's always been this way.

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Blissfool said:

I teach first grade and thank goodness they are still popular at this young age. Those little people pleasers make my day a little more bearable. It warms my heart whenever the class is starting to get a little loud and one of my teacher's little helpers exclaims in a loud and clear voice, "Miss B likes peace and quiet!" They're still at a young enough age that they take it as a friendly reminder and oblige. However, I'm aware that in a few years cynicism will creep into their little minds and the TLH's will have to adapt in order to survive.

Needless to say, this skit was relatable and  I enjoyed it.

I had never heard of him before, but I am now a fan.

Me too. 

I wonder if people who haven't seen the movie enjoyed it as much as people who have. I get that the whole bullying thing is universal, but the skit borrowed a lot from the movie.

You literally only needed to see the trailer or commercial spots for Joker to understand the and enjoy the Grouch segment.

Every direct scene reference is in the trailer. All the other bits were more expanding on the whole sesame Street vs Joker thing.

[peeayebee]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

Dog Court was a great concept, but suffered a little in the execution. It's risky to have live animals on set, and pretty much seems to always involve a few glitches. Fun, though.

I thought they actually did pretty good with all the dogs. Risky, yes, but except for the pug (and a little with the little white dog Chris was holding) the dogs weren't a problem. I loved this sketch, esp Cecily's character. She creates terrific, distinct characters.

15 hours ago, vb68 said:

I use to have a sweet bichon like Chris Redd was holding. 

I didn't think that was a Bichon. Maybe a Maltese or even Coton de Tulear. 

What kind of dog did Kate have? It was grey and black, but the coloring looked pretty distinct.

14 hours ago, lovinbob said:

I loved Lin Manuel Miranda as Castro, but I didn't think Woody's Biden was so great that he should be brought back. 

I agree on both counts. LMM was fantastic. His Castro was good, and he was just damn funny. Harrelson's Biden, however, doesn't do much for me. Good lines, but no impression attempt.

I liked the Little Miss Teacher's Friend sketch, but I would have liked it better if Aidy and Kate had seemed younger. One could say they were supposed to seem older, but for me it would have been great if they sounded and acted younger. Actually, I don't know what age they were supposed to be.

Grouch was outstanding. Perfect. Mikey Day's tweet above says this was David Harbour's idea. Extra bonus points to him. 

I also loved the Soul Cycle sketch. Everyone was good.

The Folk of the Past was yet another good sketch. My one complaint is that several times I couldn't understand what Kate was singing. I even put on CC, but it was lagging behind and actually skipped a lyric or two. One thing I didn't hear was in her second singing of "1, 2, 3 years ago...." I'd love if someone would transcribe the song.

And the Father-Son Podcasting Microphone sketch was also good. Wow. I didn't realize there were so many successful sketches.

The one I didn't like was the Italian grandparents one. What was the joke? This elderly couple was getting all hot and bothered in front of their grandkids? Ha? First off, I wish they hadn't used the Italian accents. That was unnecessary. Second, old person wanting to have sex isn't particularly funny. I was actually excited when David and Kate came out in drag. It was a great visual to have a tall, beefy woman and a short, slight man, but it was a wasted opportunity. When the kids leave, Kate drops the accent and tells David, "It's not working for me anymore." OK, so the accents were just role-play,  and they used to get off on making out in front of their grandkids? I don't know.

But other than that, it was a great show.

Edited October 13, 2019 by peeayebee

[Macbeth]

So Harbour came up with the Oscar the Grouch as Joker skit?  Good for him. Never saw him in anything before and now I am a big fan. 

Please more dog skits. Those dogs were well behaved except the Pug who was way off script 

I loved that the Pugs scrip had the Judge saying he was disabled as he ran about a mile on Cecily's chest.