S45.E03: David Harbour/Camila Cabello

[peeayebee]

I actually like that cut sketch. "Googliani." 😄

[VCRTracking]

"The Grouch" parody of The Joker is definitely the best sketch this season so far! Major props to David Harbour for coming up with the idea and everyone who helped execute it.

[vb68]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I actually like that cut sketch. "Googliani."

I liked it, too. David Harbour was especially good in it. I would have found a way to keep it in.  Honestly I could have trimmed Soul Cycle back some for it.

Edited October 13, 2019 by vb68

[Blissfool]

3 hours ago, Racj82 said:

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.

I like Kate, can't stand Wiig. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Bulldog]

2 hours ago, Macbeth said:

So Harbour came up with the Oscar the Grouch as Joker skit?

I should have known that nobody on the current writing staff came up with this on their own.

[Ottis]

Oscar was wonderful and brilliant. Bert and Ernie ... wow. That bit belongs in my favorite SNL bits of all time, along with Dick in a Box. 

They could have just used the actual SS characters, but the reimagined then. Liked Snuffy a lot. 

David H was game for anything, nice job. 

[augmentedfourth]

I'd never heard of David Harbour before this, but damn, this was one of the most consistently funny episodes in a long time. What I really appreciated was that they didn't go back to their most commonly used fallbacks, like the game shows. Everything seemed fresh and original. I initially didn't love the Italian sauce sketch, but I loved Cecily's "We can go out and come back so we can have a different time, something unlike what we're having now."

[willco]

5 hours ago, msrachelj said:

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. 

Yeah, agree 100 %. Assuming that's him and not makeup or something, he's in trouble, I think. He kind of reminds me of Chris Farley ( I'm THAT old !)-- I saw him on tv at a live event about 5 months before he died, and it was obvious that he was pushing way too hard. I know you can't help someone that doesn't want it, and that may be the case with Pete, but damn- SNL has a lot of experience with people who tread the edge, you'd think they would make an attempt. Maybe they are & we just don't know ?

Anyway, I loved both sets Camila did. I think I only saw Fifth Harmony perform once, but even then, to me, Camila was the standout. She's just so beautiful and like others have said, she can sing. Not a bad combo.

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, vb68 said:

I liked it, too. David Harbour was especially good in it. I would have found a way to keep it in.  Honestly I could have trimmed Soul Cycle back some for it.

I would have scrapped the horny grandparents sketch for this one.

[Pete Martell]

7 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I should have known that nobody on the current writing staff came up with this on their own.

It was written by two of the current writing staff - Harbour (and apparently Lily Allen) came up with the idea. It's a good idea (even if it's been done before, in one variation or another, like most things I guess), but I don't think it would have worked as well without Mikey and Streeter Seidell. They don't do a ton of pretapes but some they've done I've enjoyed quite a bit. Here's one.

Edited October 14, 2019 by Pete Martell

[Pete Martell]

11 hours ago, Racj82 said:

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.

I think Kristen suffered even more backlash because all the other women in the cast were given crumbs in her era. That's not her fault, but it helped lead to such a logjam, and since most female performers either never stayed or even if they did stay, had a limited role, it meant when she left there was a huge void for female performers. Kate helped fill that, and they've never made the same mistake with her to the degree they did with Kristen (as Cecily and Aidy have also had a lot to do, as did Leslie when she was in the cast), but since they started putting her in all the political sketches, alongside the other more goofy material she normally does, it's reaching overkill status. I think this is probably her last season, so they're probably doing even more with her, but I hope they will ease back and let the newer cast members (or others like Beck who are also likely in their last seasons) have more of a chance.

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

I think Kristen suffered even more backlash because all the other women in the cast were given crumbs in her era. That's not her fault, but it helped lead to such a logjam, and since most female performers either never stayed or even if they did stay, had a limited role, it meant when she left there was a huge void for female performers. Kate helped fill that, and they've never made the same mistake with her to the degree they did with Kristen (as Cecily and Aidy have also had a lot to do, as did Leslie when she was in the cast), but since they started putting her in all the political sketches, alongside the other more goofy material she normally does, it's reaching overkill status.

Having Kate do Lori Loughlin, when Cecily has a better physical resemblance to her, was the "overkill" moment for me.

I love it when this show makes fun of podcasts and YouTube, especially when you get to sponsors.

[Pete Martell]

Apparently, Cecily, like Mikey, was also sick this week. She told a sweet story about how the pug in the last sketch made her feel better. She also included a clip from the dress rehearsal version.

[helenamonster]

13 hours ago, willco said:

Yeah, agree 100 %. Assuming that's him and not makeup or something, he's in trouble, I think. He kind of reminds me of Chris Farley ( I'm THAT old !)-- I saw him on tv at a live event about 5 months before he died, and it was obvious that he was pushing way too hard. I know you can't help someone that doesn't want it, and that may be the case with Pete, but damn- SNL has a lot of experience with people who tread the edge, you'd think they would make an attempt. Maybe they are & we just don't know ?

I honestly think that they believe letting him stay on the show is helping him.

[HC87]

I thought that was one of the better shows in awhile, certainly this season.

Sexist alert.....I think a good male host (which Harbour was) plays much better with this cast which imo is heavily weighted to a more talented /funnier female cast than male.

[Cornhusker12]

Unfortunately Kate has reached a level of overkill for me. Even Kristen Wiig didn't make me roll my eyes right when she appeared onscreen. This was a great episode! BUT I still wish there was a smaller cast with a lot more turnover this season. Not sure what the plan is with the election coming up next year. More celebrities? Keeping Kate around for another election cycle to play ... everyone?

Edited October 14, 2019 by huskerj12

[peacheslatour]

On 10/13/2019 at 4:18 AM, Spartan Girl said:

"Grouch" won the whole damn night.

One thing I've noticed since I've been watching this how since the seventies. The serious actors are much funnier than the comedians who guest host. Patrick Stewart comes to mind as just one example.

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

One thing I've noticed since I've been watching this how since the seventies. The serious actors are much funnier than the comedians who guest host. Patrick Stewart comes to mind as just one example.

On second watching I realized David Harbour's Oscar was a lot like Phillp Seymore Hoffman. RIP

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, huskerj12 said:

Unfortunately Kate has reached a level of overkill for me. Even Kristen Wiig didn't make me roll my eyes right when she appeared onscreen. This was a great episode! BUT I still wish there was a smaller cast with a lot more turnover this season. Not sure what the plan is with the election coming up next year. More celebrities? Keeping Kate around for another election cycle to play ... everyone?

I have a feeling Lorne is just keeping Kate as long as she is willing to stay, and if she goes after this season, he'd have to either ask her to make a few cameos as Warren, or use an actual cast member. Chloe Fineman does a Warren impression, apparently. If they want to avoid backlash they could have a sketch where Kate passes the torch (or wig) to her. I'd think Lorne would not want ANOTHER situation where a non-cast member is playing the President, but who knows. 

[peacheslatour]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

One thing I've noticed since I've been watching this show since the seventies. The serious actors are much funnier than the comedians who guest host. Patrick Stewart comes to mind as just one example.

[lou ann b]

On 10/13/2019 at 4:08 PM, msrachelj said:

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. 

Absolutely.I know that Lorne (and probably others) are trying to help him,but I'm concerned too. I like Pete,always have,and I wish him nothing but good health and happiness. 

[Maverick]

 After Will Ferril left, didn't they do a sketch were every cast member tried out to play George W?   I can't remember who took over the role after he left.

[Milburn Stone]

I didn't think I knew who Harbour was but then I started to realize he was the "Not CNN" anchor whose timeslot preceded that of Jeff Daniels on Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom. (Or something like that. He was a rival anchor who we of course thought wasn't in the same league as our hero anchor, but then turned out to be a solid journalist and solid guy.) Versatile actor.

The whole show was good.

Pete Davidson may not be healthy, but he's using his unhealthiness to craft a truly original and funny comic voice that will be long remembered. I almost think if God came down and gave him a choice between being healthy-and-unfunny or unhealthy-and-funny, he would choose the latter. Not that those ought to be the only two choices. But for him they may be.

[Pete Martell]

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

 After Will Ferril left, didn't they do a sketch were every cast member tried out to play George W?   I can't remember who took over the role after he left.

I'm not sure if they did that with Bush, but they did with Clinton after Phil Hartman left. 

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clinton-audition-cold-open/n10580

The Bush impression went through Chris Parnell, Will Forte, and finally, Jason Sudeikis. None of them ever made much of a mark in the role.

[VCRTracking]

23 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

One thing I've noticed since I've been watching this how since the seventies. The serious actors are much funnier than the comedians who guest host. Patrick Stewart comes to mind as just one example.

I love the first time John Malkovich hosted back in the early 90s and he and Rob Schneider played the Menendez Brothers. Malkovich' fake crying is one of the funniest things I'd ever seen:

Edited October 15, 2019 by VCRTracking

[heatherchandler]

On 10/13/2019 at 12:12 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

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.

I don't think she has had good screentime.  She hasn't been able to show her comedic side at all, she has usually played the "straight man."  I can't think of one sketch she has been in, other than the teacher in the "Teacher's Pet" sketch.  That is the first time I even remember seeing her.

On 10/13/2019 at 12:32 AM, Lantern7 said:

*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.

It is so good!  Get it and watch it over time, it is good for a binge or a little here and there.

On 10/13/2019 at 12:41 AM, Arkay said:

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

Something was seriously off with Pete.  He looked AWFUL and he seemed really angry.  Not his usual self at all.  I always love his WU bits but this one was not funny and kind of unsettling.

On 10/13/2019 at 12:10 AM, Camille said:

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

I liked Dog Court, but as a dog lover, I was upset that the pug actually seemed terrified!  I don't like when dogs seem afraid, she should have just put him down.

On 10/13/2019 at 1:54 PM, 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.

Like @Ms Blue Jay, I also have only seen the trailers for Joker and I think I got the gist of the movie and the send-up.

On 10/13/2019 at 4:12 PM, Macbeth said:

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. 

Mikey Day just HAD to tweet that he wrote the sketch?  Just say that it was Harbour's idea and leave it at that.  It's like he didn't want Harbour to get all the credit or something.  I don't know why but his tweet rubbed me the wrong way.  Maybe I just don't like Mikey Day.

33 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

I love the first time John Malkovich hosted back in the early 90s and he and Rob Schneider played the Menendez Brothers. Malkovich' fake crying is one of the funniest things I'd ever seen:

This is one of my ALL TIME favorite sketches - I cannot watch it without crying-laughing.  My husband and I quote from it extensively!

I am off to watch it again!

[vb68]

It was very apparent to me this week that Kate gets some joy out getting to play Elizabeth Warren as a badass.  If Warren should happen to win the whole thing (And that's still a big hypothetical IF right now), I think  Kate may well want to keep doing it for awhile for the sheer historical nature of it. At any rate, it will be interesting how they navigate that.

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I don't think she has had good screentime.  She hasn't been able to show her comedic side at all, she has usually played the "straight man."  I can't think of one sketch she has been in, other than the teacher in the "Teacher's Pet" sketch.  That is the first time I even remember seeing her.

Ego was great in the Action News sketch the previous week. And she wasn't the straight person, either.

Edited October 15, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

9 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Mikey Day just HAD to tweet that he wrote the sketch?  Just say that it was Harbour's idea and leave it at that.  It's like he didn't want Harbour to get all the credit or something.  I don't know why but his tweet rubbed me the wrong way.  Maybe I just don't like Mikey Day.

The writers often tweet that they wrote a sketch (unless it bombs, I guess). I don't think he meant it as a slight against Harbour. 

[Pete Martell]

 

[Jody]

On 10/13/2019 at 3:37 PM, peeayebee said:

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.

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.

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.

     Actually, I thought it was kind of clever to have Kate be the man and the Host be the woman . You said this was a wasted opportunity. What did you want Kate as a man and the Host as a woman do in the Sketch ?

[Jody]

On 10/13/2019 at 6:29 PM, Blissfool said:

I like Kate, can't stand Wiig. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

      This is about that other poster that thinks Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon are both hams. Kristen is Always Hyper  ! She is like that commercial on Saturday Night Live ! Kristen is Puppy Uppers and Kate is like Doggie Downers ! Kate is NOT Hyper All the time ! All Kristen's Characters are ALL the same ! Kate does different types of Characters ! All Kristen's characters are Annoying ! Some Of Kate's Characters are NOT Annoying and Kate Is Much Funnier than Kristen like the alien Is Very Funny !