S45.E13: RuPaul/Justin Bieber

[Princess Sparkle]

The amazing RuPaul and unfortunately Justin Bieber is the musical guest. 

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, Princess Sparkle said:

The amazing RuPaul and unfortunately Justin Bieber is the musical guest. 

With RuPaul you get two different personas in one.

[vb68]

RuPaul hosting this week sure seems like a makeup for people not impressed that a NFL star hosted last week.  Very yin yang-ish.

Edited February 8, 2020 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

On 2/7/2020 at 6:58 PM, vb68 said:

RuPaul hosting this week sure seems like a makeup for people not impressed that a NFL star hosted last week.  Very yin yang-ish.

I think it also sort of shows how much of an identity crisis SNL has had in more recent years, although they will probably get the chance to make big chances next season...

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I actually like that new Justin Bieber song "Yummy".  It's catchy.

[Robert Lynch]

That tattoo on his neck and the pornstache look is so distracting. He looks like he smells, too. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Chloe Fineman did a great job on Weekend Update.  Perfect opportunity here.  Pretty much every female Oscar nomination is a blonde, and she's great at impressions.

RuPaul is great at this.  A pretty good episode.  Thank goodness after that horrible thing I experienced when JJ Watt hosted.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

44 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

That tattoo on his neck and the pornstache look is so distracting. He looks like he smells, too. 

And the difference between his and Pete Davidson's aesthetic is what, exactly?  LOL

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Dem debate time once again! Joe Biden's gonna do what he does best: creep up from behind! And Larry David and Rachel Dratch continue to kill, and well, I was liking everyone here. Was not expecting a 4chan reference on this show, I'll tell you that.

Monologue: Already killing it a minute in. I got high hopes, especially after last week. I'll know he'll bring the goods. And just like last week, I appreciate monologues that are, you know, actual monologues.

Charades: RuPaul looks so weird in normal clothes. It was so distracting from the sketch, which was okay at best.

The Queen: CHAD IN DRAG! Yes! This was everything I hoped it would be.

Splitting The Check: Cecily and RuPaul right out of Designing Women for some reason, but I loved it. I thought Cecily was supposed to be Judge Jeannie.

Boop-It: A Bop-It reference in 2020? Okay... I liked the one parody from this show where it was horny. But then this went into a dark, depressing place.

Library: I'm okay with spending the rest of the show being RuPaul roasting the covers of children's books. My favorite was covering the Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

WU: The news got very, very stupid this week. Yeah, President Donald Trump giving Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom and then celebrating starting the Space Force seemed like something out of Mad Libs. I loved all of Che's jokes, especially the 3/5ths one and all the groans it got.

Chloe Fineman finally got to do something and I thought she did well, and it was great to see Cathy Anne again. Cathy Anne is 21?!

Thirsty Cops: This was perfect for someone like RuPaul. He was rocking that stache better than Bieber. Yeah, Pete knows how wrong this premise is, but I think this sketch worked because RuPaul was one of the cops this time around.

The Old New York Show: This was weird as hell. I just know that Kate and Aidy just talked like that around the offices and made a sketch around it. Someone on Reddit said this sketch was the female version of Oh, Hello and it's honestly perfect. I loved RuPaul here. "My apartment's been a CVS for 20 years" killed me.

Well, I predicted last week that RuPaul was gonna bring the weirdness and I was more or less right. But man, was this show disappointing. Mulaney hosts on the 29th and I can't be more hyped for it.

5 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

And the difference between his and Pete Davidson's aesthetic is what, exactly?  LOL

Pete never grew a mustache and can pull off drag?

[Mystery]

I have to admit, I was bewildered for a lot of this show. The "reading in the library" thing (thankfully, after a while they explained it to me), the Boop Boop game, the "Old New York Show" ... I was shaking my head a lot. 

I gave Bieber the usual 30 seconds I give the music acts, then skipped ahead. 

Things I liked: RuPaul's monologue.

Although overall the Italian restaurant sketch wasn't great, Cecily's Dixie Carter/Designing Women impression made me laugh out loud. 

Chad as a drag queen! 

WU: I liked Chloe's Oscar actresses review, especially when she did ScarJo and said "Do you feel like you're at home, Colin?" And I always like Cathy Anne; I don't know how she doesn't crack up doing that bit. 

I noticed that for once, Pete stayed for the end but he was far far away from Larry David. 

eta: I had the tivo frozen on the end credits and just noticed Melissa Villasenor. Was she in anything tonight?

Edited February 9, 2020 by Mystery

[vb68]

23 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

RuPaul is great at this.  A pretty good episode.  Thank goodness after that horrible thing I experienced when JJ Watt hosted.

I'm completely the opposite. I thought this episode was mediocre at best. I was expecting it to be really fun, and something was missing. I thought most of the sketches were trying way too hard.

Please, please, please if Pete Buttigieg continues on, move on from Colin. He's terrible. I don't even care if it's Paul Rudd. At least he'll try something with it. Warren got more time here than the actual debate. Just saying. I know Cameoes don't go over well, but Dratch can stay. I like what she's bringing to Klobuchar.

I did laugh at Chad. That was pretty funny and Update was on fire. By far the best part of the show. Che really had some good zingers tonight, especially Rush trading his Medal of Freedom for a bottle of oxy. Damn.  I love seeing somebody kill on Update for the first time, and Chloe had a great showcase. I laughed out loud which she messed her hair and did Timothee Chalamet. And did the Scarjo impression.  Busting Colin on that always works for some reason. And it feels like ages since we have seen Cathy Ann.

Thank God Bieber wasn't in any sketches, so he was easy enough to ignore. it would had been so easy to put him in Thirsty Cops. 

[vb68]

13 minutes ago, Mystery said:

I noticed that for once, Pete stayed for the end but he was far far away from Larry David. 

They were in the Cold Open together, too.   Wonders never cease.

I was also genuinely surprised Sudeikis stayed for the end as well.

[ebk57]

18 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Well, I predicted last week that RuPaul was gonna bring the weirdness and I was more or less right. But man, was this show disappointing. Mulaney hosts on the 29th and I can't be more hyped for it

This 

2 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I'm completely the opposite. I thought this episode was mediocre at best. I was expecting it to be really fun, and something was missing. I thought most of the sketches were trying way too hard.

Please, please, please if Pete Buttigieg continues on, move on from Colin. He's terrible. I don't even care if it's Paul Rudd. At least he'll try something with it. Warren got more time here than the actual debate. Just saying. I know Cameoes don't go over well, but Dratch can stay. I like what she's bringing to Klobuchar.

I did laugh at Chad. That was pretty funny and Update was on fire. By far the best part of the show. Che really had some good zingers tonight, especially Rush trading his Medal of Freedom for a bottle of oxy. Damn.  I love seeing somebody kill on Update for the first time, and Chloe had a great showcase. I laughed out loud which she messed her hair and did Timothee Chalamet. And did the Scarjo impression.  Busting Colin on that always works for some reason. And it feels like ages since we have seen Cathy Ann.

Thank God Bieber wasn't in any sketches, so he was easy enough to ignore. it would had been so easy to put him in Thirsty Cops. 

And this.

Thanks for saying it better than I could.  I didn't hate it, but it could have been so much more.

Justin Bieber is awful. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

21 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Pete never grew a mustache and can pull off drag?

But when Kate is in drag she is Justin Bieber!  Maybe he can pull it off too.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Lantern7]

Good episode. I'm guessing Pete will go into cold storage until John Mulaney needs him for his next epic sketch in three weeks.

29 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Cold Open: Was not expecting a 4chan reference on this show, I'll tell you that.

Or Dragon Ball Z, for that matter. The president did go Super Saiyan, this week, didn't he? I'm thinking Alec got a new cell phone so that he couldn't be asked to swing by.

30 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Boop-It: A Bop-It reference in 2020? Okay... I liked the one parody from this show where it was horny. But then this went into a dark, depressing place.

I think Robot Chicken did it better.

[possibilities]

Say what you will about Rush....

 

[rmontro]

Another weak show, but better than last week.  I liked the library reading skit the best.

Also enjoyed Chloe Fineman on Weekend Update.  I don't know if it was because it was good or just because she presented it so warmly.

RuPaul with the glasses kept reminding me of someone, but it didn't hit me who until the end - I thought he looked like Brian Fellow.

I don't find Justin Bieber impressive, but I liked his second song better than the first.

[GoldenGirl90]

I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said, but I loveeeee me some mama Ru! I’m biased so I loved everything with RuPaul in it. 

[Pete Martell]

Cold open: Ugh, a debate sketch. Positive: more energy than many of these have; Dratch, Sudeikis and Jost had some funny lines (Biden cardboard box, white Obama). Negative: way too long, and while I don't always agree with the criticism of the Bernie writing, this one just felt really cheap and lazy to me. 

Monologue - I've said this before but I'm always happy to see direct monologues. Ru seemed a little ill at ease but I was glad he got to have that moment, and I liked the life lessons aspects. Sort of a less cringey version of the JLo monologue.

Charades - Another for the wanted to like this more than I did pile. Ego, Kenan and Chris were great, and there were some moments (like when they guessed "12 Years a Slave" by pointing at Beck) but it really needed to be more polished and coherent than it was.

Chad - Chad is the only (?) modern recurring character who plays the beats of past where we see him in different situations. Chad in drag could have been a trainwreck, but I thought this worked, with genuinely funny pratfalls and a good performance from Pete Davidson

Dinner - I have a feeling this is one of those I will enjoy with rewatches, as Ru and Cecily Strong were in good form and I can be happy for a Julia Sugarbaker homage. As a sketch...eh. I will say I thought Heidi Gardner did well in her role - she made her unease believable.

Reading - This was mostly a Ru showcase - certainly deserved. I think he would have been better served with a bit of a trim. Still, the idea was cute and I know Ru and a number of fans probably enjoyed themselves. Wasn't really for me, but for the most part it was carried off.

Bleep Blop Bloop - I'm just going to flat out admit my bias. Beck Bennett is one of my favorite cast members, but the show struggles to write for him. Surprisingly the last 3 weeks have been decent for him, and he was just great here. Without Beck, I'd be a little less generous.

Update #1 - A strong night for Jost and Che. Less goofiness and much sharper jokes - a few, like the Manhattan, Kansas one, in particular. The Rush joke was another favorite. Even without the strong correspondents I would give this best of season, better than much of last season.

Update #2 - Chloe Fineman - a star is born. Again just a little long, but her confidence and her level of performance, especially for her first time at the desk, were amazing. I especially enjoyed the Chalamet impression, for some reason. I'm so glad SNL gave her this chance.

Update #3 - I'm guessing this was one last Cathy Anne, and one more goodbye moment in the long goodbye for Cecily (happy birthday) Strong. Cathy is almost always crisply written and feels more honest than most character pieces now. If this was it, she left on a good note.

Thirsty Cops - A different tone than last year's, where Seth's character genuinely felt harassed for much of the skit. The most I get out of this is being glad Ego Nwodim gets a showcase. Pete Davidson also did well in a reminder that he can be a competent sketch performer.

Talk show - Honestly I tend to zone out of Kate/Aidy material. Nothing against them or anyone who enjoys them, we all have our own taste, and sometimes I do laugh at their sketches. This one was another zone out period.

Final thoughts - They leaned less on the camp aspect than I'd expected with RuPaul (I thought we'd get more Drag Race and more Bowen). Ru did a decent job with mostly supporting roles and one big showcase. I was unsure of how he'd translate to SNL, but as someone who still misses his VH1 talk show, I was glad he got this moment. The sketches probably won't linger in my memory (the live sketches continue to be the show's biggest problem point in recent years, especially how incoherent they are), but there were some laughs. Update was absolutely fantastic, and good pre-tapes helped round out an OK night.

I will add I was disappointed Melissa Villasenor and Alex Moffat got so little to do. This has happened over and over with Alex and it's such a huge waste of his talent and charisma.

[Peace 47]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Dem debate time once again! Joe Biden's gonna do what he does best: creep up from behind!

That line put me in a pretty good mood and mindset for the whole show.  Very funny.  RuPaul’s best moments to me were the library sketch and the monologue.  I like his energy.

I was surprised that they had Bieber back in any capacity after cast members said what a nightmare he was when he hosted, and I was surprised he agreed to come back, given he must know that he is so disliked, as it’s not like the cast had been shy about trashing him.  That said, I actually enjoyed both his performances, even though his music is not my thing.  I suspect, though, I am just easily amused by Kanye-style “light box” stages.

Update was fantastic, and Che had some killer lines that the audience seemed kind of tepid on, but that I thought were fab.  I was kind of surprised by how much the audience (and I guess everyone here) liked Chloe’s bit.  I’m truly happy for her; I just didn’t find the impressions to be so uncanny or funny that I was wowed.

As is my plea for the “Charlie the Sexual Harasser” sketches with Kenan, please let “Thirsty Cops” die.  It’s not funny enough to overcome my confusion at what they’re trying to say with this type of sketch.

I did not get the “Designing Women” reference until RuPaul’s very last line about tonight being the night that the lights went out in Georgia, and then I was like “ohhhh”.  There was probably a good idea in there somewhere but it needed to be retooled.

I thought it was a very uneven show:  high highs and low lows.

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

I'm completely the opposite. I thought this episode was mediocre at best. I was expecting it to be really fun, and something was missing. I thought most of the sketches were trying way too hard.

Please, please, please if Pete Buttigieg continues on, move on from Colin. He's terrible. I don't even care if it's Paul Rudd. At least he'll try something with it. Warren got more time here than the actual debate. Just saying. I know Cameoes don't go over well, but Dratch can stay. I like what she's bringing to Klobuchar.

I did laugh at Chad. That was pretty funny and Update was on fire. By far the best part of the show. Che really had some good zingers tonight, especially Rush trading his Medal of Freedom for a bottle of oxy. Damn.  I love seeing somebody kill on Update for the first time, and Chloe had a great showcase. I laughed out loud which she messed her hair and did Timothee Chalamet. And did the Scarjo impression.  Busting Colin on that always works for some reason. And it feels like ages since we have seen Cathy Ann.

Thank God Bieber wasn't in any sketches, so he was easy enough to ignore. it would had been so easy to put him in Thirsty Cops. 

Bieber's performance reminded me of that Kyle Mooney character who is always rapping about his family problems (I almost said that on Twitter but didn't want to get hate). 

If Pete gets the nomination then I think they may have to recast, but for what he is now I think Colin is fine. He plays up the awkwardness pretty believably, even if he doesn't play up some of the other traits (for instance the real Pete is I'd say much more confident). Paul Rudd mostly just played him in a generic manner the first time so I do wonder what we'd get now, but I guess he's too busy for more than the occasional cameo.

I wasn't expecting much from Ru because while I like him, he has a persona which can feel very stilted, something that doesn't translate well to this format. By that measure he did better than I expected, especially since they downplayed an element he might have been more at home in. My complaint as per usual is just how much the sketches struggled - there were good moments, but not enough for me. Update and pre-tapes are fine but having stronger sketches would help make for a better experience.

[Pete Martell]

That was a little closer to what I thought we'd get in the episode. I can see why it was cut but I enjoyed the interplay between Ru and Bowen (and when Beck said "that's my cape!" I laughed).

[Robert Lynch]

3 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

That line put me in a pretty good mood and mindset for the whole show.  Very funny.  RuPaul’s best moments to me were the library sketch and the monologue.  I like his energy.

I was surprised that they had Bieber back in any capacity after cast members said what a nightmare he was when he hosted, and I was surprised he agreed to come back, given he must know that he is so disliked, as it’s not like the cast had been shy about trashing him.  That said, I actually enjoyed both his performances, even though his music is not my thing.  I suspect, though, I am just easily amused by Kanye-style “light box” stages.

Update was fantastic, and Che had some killer lines that the audience seemed kind of tepid on, but that I thought were fab.  I was kind of surprised by how much the audience (and I guess everyone here) liked Chloe’s bit.  I’m truly happy for her; I just didn’t find the impressions to be so uncanny or funny that I was wowed.

As is my plea for the “Charlie the Sexual Harasser” sketches with Kenan, please let “Thirsty Cops” die.  It’s not funny enough to overcome my confusion at what they’re trying to say with this type of sketch.

I did not get the “Designing Women” reference until RuPaul’s very last line about tonight being the night that the lights went out in Georgia, and then I was like “ohhhh”.  There was probably a good idea in there somewhere but it needed to be retooled.

I thought it was a very uneven show:  high highs and low lows.

I think the reason Bieber's here is because he is married to the niece of Alec Baldwin. So there is a little family connection there that gets him a pass. Interesting they didn't have him do sketches, but it must be in his contract or something.

[Not4Me]

I think RuPaul was best at playing variations of himself, whereas other sketches that required him to be part of a typical ensemble, like the terrible charades one, didn’t work.

And someone in costuming clearly did him dirty with that terribly ill-fitting dress and that busted wig he wore during that Designing Women parody sketch. #readingIsFundamental

[MrWhyt]

5 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

I think the reason Bieber's here is because he is married to the niece of Alec Baldwin. So there is a little family connection there that gets him a pass. Interesting they didn't have him do sketches, but it must be in his contract or something.

it's more likely that it was because he is a pop artist with a new album that he/his record company wants to promote.

[sempervivum]

 

It certainly looks like Buttigieg is going to be around for a while, so they need to find somebody to take over from Colin, who STINKS. 

Ru Paul was good, he deserves another appearance someday.

I don't really follow him, but I usually like whatever Bieber is selling. However, I had to go online to see what the actual lyrics were to 'Intentions', as I thought I must be mis-hearing something. But no, the line actually is 'Heart full of equity, you're an asset'! Somebody's been paying attention to his investment advisors 

Edited February 9, 2020 by sempervivum

[helenamonster]

I think the only reason they have Colin do Buttigieg is because they were dormmates at Harvard and it's a cutesy little in-joke. I personally would like if they gave it to Mikey--he and Buttigieg have a similar bone structure.

I go hot and cold on the Chad sketches (I liked the original and the Scream parody), but this one changed up the formula enough to really work. Having the host-of-the-week's character simply lust after him is getting stale. Something like transforming him into the next star of the drag world is much more interesting.

Beck was good in the Boop-It sketch but I think Heidi was the secret sauce that really made it work. She completely sold the tension of that frosty divorce.

I wanted the library sketch to go on forever, even if it was full of missed cues on the parts of the camera operators.

So happy for Chloe that she got such a great showcase on Update. Between her this week and Ego last week, it seems like they're really trying to build up the newer cast members in anticipation of some heavy hitters leaving after this season.

We brought back Thirsty Cops? Really?

This was definitely a weird one but I enjoyed it overall and thought RuPaul was fantastic.

Justin Bieber needs to fire whoever on his team told him that mustache/eyebrow combo were a good idea. Dude looks like he's got a court order to stay at least five hundreds yards away from school zones and playgrounds.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

It certainly looks like Buttigieg is going to be around for a while, so they need to find somebody to take over from Colin, who STINKS.

Well, as long as they keep using guest stars for these, I think Jim Parsons would do Mayor Pete really well. But then I also wanted Jim Parsons for Mr. Rogers in It's a Beautiful Day.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, rmontro said:

Also enjoyed Chloe Fineman on Weekend Update.  I don't know if it was because it was good or just because she presented it so warmly.

For me it was both. But yes, Chloe was charming as hell in that segment, a breath of fresh air.

[vb68]

10 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I wasn't expecting much from Ru because while I like him, he has a persona which can feel very stilted, something that doesn't translate well to this format. By that measure he did better than I expected, especially since they downplayed an element he might have been more at home in

 

4 hours ago, Not4Me said:

I think RuPaul was best at playing variations of himself, whereas other sketches that required him to be part of a typical ensemble, like the terrible charades one, didn’t work.

I agree with both of these quotes. I think they both explain, with the exception of the Library sketch and Chad filmed piece, why Ru's hosting didn't gel for me. I hate to say it, but it kinda felt like a walk through most of the show. It's weird to even think about, but JJ Watt was a better fit for me. At least they figured out how to write to his strengths.

The Charades sketch is on my list for worst of the season.

7 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

I think the reason Bieber's here is because he is married to the niece of Alec Baldwin. So there is a little family connection there that gets him a pass.

I don't know about that. I'm with Peace 47 on all of that. It's extremely rare for the cast to openly trash a host out in public.  They really, really didn't like him. The only hosts I've seen get that treatment are Steven Seagal, Paris Hilton, and Justin Bieber.  I was stunned he'd go back. And I kept thinking how awkward it must be with him and Sudeikis in the same building and up on the stage for goodbyes together.  

Edited February 9, 2020 by vb68

[peeayebee]

13 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Splitting The Check: Cecily and RuPaul right out of Designing Women for some reason, but I loved it. I thought Cecily was supposed to be Judge Jeannie.

At first so did I.

13 hours ago, Mystery said:

The "reading in the library" thing (thankfully, after a while they explained it to me)

Yes, I hadn't heard that meaning of "reading." I enjoyed this a lot.

11 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I did not get the “Designing Women” reference until RuPaul’s very last line about tonight being the night that the lights went out in Georgia, and then I was like “ohhhh”.  

I didn't pick up on that at all. I was wondering why Cecily and RuPaul were dressed from the 80s, but of course now that I think about it, Cecily did come across like Dixie Carter's character.

2 hours ago, helenamonster said:

We brought back Thirsty Cops? Really?

Had they done that before? I don't remember it. I didn't like it, though.

I love RuPaul. I've never watched his show, but whenever I see him on something, he is so entertaining and fun. I thought he did great thruout.

I also love Cathy Anne.

The Old New York Show sketch could have been a lot better. I like that weirdness, but something was off.

The Miner cut sketch also had some possibilities, but it wasn't executed very cleanly.

[vb68]

2 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Had they done that before? I don't remember it. I didn't like it, though.

Yes, they did Thirsty Cops last season when Seth Meyers hosted. It wasn't very good then either, but it made me miss Leslie. That was the kind of sketch she could help sell.

[SomeTameGazelle]

13 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Splitting The Check: Cecily and RuPaul right out of Designing Women for some reason, but I loved it. I thought Cecily was supposed to be Judge Jeannie.

I got the Julia Sugarbaker vibe from the start and it was only in the middle that I thought Cecily's voice slipped into the Judge Jeannine range. 

I didn't enjoy the scenario as much as I wanted to because covering for the birthday meal doesn't require the rest of the cheque to be split evenly. You split the honoree's cheque equally but then each individual pays for what they ordered.

[cpcathy]

H lord, what happened between Sudeikis and Justin Bieber??? I remember Bill Hader told a story that Bieber had a rude entourage including someone to hold his pizza slice for him.

 I agree that Ru is best at being Ru, him in regular clothes playing a regular character did not work. The reading sketch was the best of the night and it still had awkward camera things happening. 

Next show is John Mulaney! Cha Cha Slide is one of my favorite sketches ever.
 

 

[DEL901]

Pete’s transformation. 
 

https://ew.com/tv/2020/02/09/snl-pete-davidson-in-drag-with-rupaul-saturday-night-live/

[Blakeston]

13 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I was kind of surprised by how much the audience (and I guess everyone here) liked Chloe’s bit.  I’m truly happy for her; I just didn’t find the impressions to be so uncanny or funny that I was wowed.

Before I watched the episode, I saw all these raves about Chloe on Facebook, going on about how she nailed her Weekend Update bit. I was expecting something really special, and I thought she was...fine? Those seemed like the kind of impressions my friends and I do for shits and giggles.

I liked the reading sketch a lot, but what went wrong there? Did someone screw up their cues?

[vb68]

It's so weird they didn't do anything with or even reference Pelosi tearing up the State of the Union.

When that happened, I immediately thought "oh boy, SNL is going to have a field day with that!"

[eskimo]

I've been in-and-out for the last couple of years, so I'm not up to date on the tension mentioned between Pete and Larry David, or between JB and Jason Sudekis.  Can someone help a broad out? 

Possible UO here, but I've never cared for Chad.  The only funny part I've seen from any of them, ever, was at the end last night when he called RuPaul 'Ruples'. 

Loved the Reading sketch.  A lot.  I also loved Splitting the Check, though I don't know why. 

I thought it was a good show overall. 

[helenamonster]

12 minutes ago, eskimo said:

I've been in-and-out for the last couple of years, so I'm not up to date on the tension mentioned between Pete and Larry David, or between JB and Jason Sudekis.  Can someone help a broad out?

Pete used to date Larry's daughter Cazzie--she was his girlfriend right before the whole Ariana Grande fiasco. I think it was a bad breakup/there was some overlap with Ariana...at the very least he was declaring his undying love for Ariana mere weeks into their relationship and very shortly after he broke it off with Cazzie.

Not sure if there's a specific issue with Jason and Justin, just that Jason has been outspoken about what a little shit Justin was when he hosted a few years back. Cast members very rarely rag on a host unless they're an absolute nightmare.

[eskimo]

Thank you helenamonster.  I didn't know Pete dated LD's daughter at all.  It makes a lot of sense that they steered clear of each other.  Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing that JB was a pain in the ass last time he was there.  If he had matured at all he would have taken the time to genuinely apologize for being an asshole.  A genuine apology goes a long way.  But I don't follow JB, so I don't know if he's actually grown up, or just gotten older. 

 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I need more of Chad in drag, please. 

Gotta love a grown 20-something man singing “yummy yummy” over and over again. What a turn-on! 😶

[madpsych78]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Well, as long as they keep using guest stars for these, I think Jim Parsons would do Mayor Pete really well. But then I also wanted Jim Parsons for Mr. Rogers in It's a Beautiful Day.

I've thought about Jim Parsons as Mayor Pete. He certainly resembles him, and they are both gay. 

But of all the existing cast members, I think Mikey Day would have been a better fit as Mayor Pete. Certainly better than as Stephanopolis.

And actually, Colin would actually have been decent as David Muir.

Edited February 9, 2020 by madpsych78

[vb68]

1 hour ago, helenamonster said:

Not sure if there's a specific issue with Jason and Justin, just that Jason has been outspoken about what a little shit Justin was when he hosted a few years back. Cast members very rarely rag on a host unless they're an absolute nightmare.

When Bieber hosted, there was a sketch where various cast members did impressions of Bieber. Jason really stuck the knife in being pretty vicious. He was basically mocking him to his face on the air. It seemed like it went over Justin's head at the time, which only seemed to egg Sudeikis on.  I remember thinking at the time that I had never seen someone try to take a host down a peg or two on air.

I assume someone clued Bieber in by now.😂 

Edited February 10, 2020 by vb68

[Robert Lynch]

I feel some sympathy for Bieber. He did have a father who was a big jerk and that might affected his growth as an artist/human being. I remember all the horrible stories about his dad. 

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Robert Lynch said:

I feel some sympathy for Bieber. He did have a father who was a big jerk and that might affected his growth as an artist/human being. I remember all the horrible stories about his dad. 

Whenever I see Justin I remember the very first videos of him. Very young, adorable, musical, full of energy and passion and optimism. When I saw him on the show tonight, a ghost, a  hollow shell of a person, I felt sad and sick at what fame has done to him. We've seen it so many times. It's like no one's psyche can handle being world famous at a young age. So tragic. 

[rmontro]

I'm no fan of Bieber, but he was practically just a kid (or was at least pretty young) when he hosted SNL.  Maybe he's grown up a bit since then?

Looks like I'm the only one who doesn't think Chad in drag works.  But hey, to each his own, right?

[Pete Martell]

6 hours ago, vb68 said:

I agree with both of these quotes. I think they both explain, with the exception of the Library sketch and Chad filmed piece, why Ru's hosting didn't gel for me. I hate to say it, but it kinda felt like a walk through most of the show. It's weird to even think about, but JJ Watt was a better fit for me. At least they figured out how to write to his strengths.

The Charades sketch is on my list for worst of the season.

I don't know about that. I'm with Peace 47 on all of that. It's extremely rare for the cast to openly trash a host out in public.  They really, really didn't like him. The only hosts I've seen get that treatment are Steven Seagal, Paris Hilton, and Justin Bieber.  I was stunned he'd go back. And I kept thinking how awkward it must be with him and Sudeikis in the same building and up on the stage for goodbyes together.  

I think it can be a little easier with a host like Watt if you have 'bro' pieces because the show's main writers for male jock/beefcake/macho type stuff (Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell) are pretty solid (they wrote the video game voiceover sketch which I thought JJ excelled in). Ru is more known for shade and camp, which is tougher to write - a lot of that stuff is written by James Anderson and Kent Sublette, who are mixed at best. That Designing Women sketch, which was one of the pieces I thought Ru was most fun in, was still so messily constructed and relied mostly on viewers who knew of Designing Women and on Cecily and Ru storming through. 

I did go back and watch that talk show sketch again, trying to ignore the Aidy/Kate parts, and I thought Ru was great. A "what might have been" moment I guess.

I can understand their booking Bieber a little more now that the ratings have come out. They went up from 1.7 to 1.9 in the 18-49 demo everyone tends to crave. Ru may have been a factor, but I'm guessing Bieber still has a bigger following than I'd realized. (the link may have Oscar spoilers, just to warn)

https://deadline.com/2020/02/saturday-night-live-ratings-host-rupaul-musical-guest-justin-bieber-1202855036/

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

I feel some sympathy for Bieber. He did have a father who was a big jerk and that might affected his growth as an artist/human being. I remember all the horrible stories about his dad. 

I feel for him too.  No one should become famous when they're young.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[TV Diva Queen]

On 2/9/2020 at 2:11 AM, Peace 47 said:

That line put me in a pretty good mood and mindset for the whole show.  Very funny.  RuPaul’s best moments to me were the library sketch and the monologue.  I like his energy.

I was surprised that they had Bieber back in any capacity after cast members said what a nightmare he was when he hosted, and I was surprised he agreed to come back, given he must know that he is so disliked, as it’s not like the cast had been shy about trashing him.  That said, I actually enjoyed both his performances, even though his music is not my thing.  I suspect, though, I am just easily amused by Kanye-style “light box” stages.

Update was fantastic, and Che had some killer lines that the audience seemed kind of tepid on, but that I thought were fab.  I was kind of surprised by how much the audience (and I guess everyone here) liked Chloe’s bit.  I’m truly happy for her; I just didn’t find the impressions to be so uncanny or funny that I was wowed.

As is my plea for the “Charlie the Sexual Harasser” sketches with Kenan, please let “Thirsty Cops” die.  It’s not funny enough to overcome my confusion at what they’re trying to say with this type of sketch.

I did not get the “Designing Women” reference until RuPaul’s very last line about tonight being the night that the lights went out in Georgia, and then I was like “ohhhh”.  There was probably a good idea in there somewhere but it needed to be retooled.

I thought it was a very uneven show:  high highs and low lows.

yeah, me either.  I DVR'd it and thought I FF'd past the beginning of the sketch where maybe it mentioned it was Designing Women.  I didn't miss it.  🙂

22 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

it's more likely that it was because he is a pop artist with a new album that he/his record company wants to promote.

agreed.  Personally, I liked both his songs and performances.  

[heatherchandler]

Are we sure it was a "Designing Women" sketch?  I don't think it was, I think they were just southern women.