S46.E04: Adele / H.E.R.

[ahisma]

2 minutes ago, Winston Wolfe said:

I've read that Adele has what people in the music industry call "that thing" in her voice; it's an element you really can't really qualify or quantify that only the greats (like Aretha Franklin or Barbara Streisand among female vocalists) have.

I would agree with that. I was so happy that she sang in the Bachelor sketch. And even though the premise was silly, by the time she was singing at the end I had tears in my eyes just from her voice.

[Racj82]

4 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

What's bothering me very quickly is the righteous, moral indignation bubbling up in the Twitter-verse about the Africa sketch. I'm as left-leaning as they come, but give me a break. We intelligent adults (of all colors), know this to be true - some White women (divorced or not) travel to Africa and parts of the Caribbean primarily for one reason. Doesn't make it right or wrong, but we can have a little fun with it, yes?

If people don't believe it or don't get the joke, they can turn on 90 day fiance just once and get it. The sketch also wasn't praising the concept, just presenting the thought of these women acting like they love the country when they only want one thing.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Racj82

[Winston Wolfe]

1 minute ago, Racj82 said:

If people don't believe it or don't get the joke, they can turn on 90 day fiance just once and get it.

I don't usually watch reality shows, but you've piqued my interest. 🙂

[Racj82]

35 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Except it wasn't really his joke. I'd already heard it earlier in the week on another TV show, and I'm reasonably sure I'd already seen it on reddit as well.

That doesn't mean it's not his joke. I never understood pointing out hearing a joke from somewhere else because that doesn't mean Che saw it. It's just a joke that's simple for some to come up with. My issue with Che doing it was that he stutters at times already so it's not going to immediately read as joke to everyone at first.

[Racj82]

Just now, Winston Wolfe said:

I don't usually watch reality shows, but you've piqued my interest. 🙂

You might never get out of that put if you jump in 90 day. But, the show is about people from America falling in love (or lust) with someone they met abroad. There have been multiple white women that have fallen for black men from the caribbean or africa.

I know for a fact that black men get fetishised in the US anyway so you don't have to travel far to see it. The sketch was spot on. Especially for a type of person trying to pretend like they aren't visiting different countries just to get busy. Yes, you love the mountains! Sure.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

That doesn't mean it's not his joke. I never understood pointing out hearing a joke from somewhere else because that doesn't mean Che saw it. It's just a joke that's simple for some to come up with.

That doesn't mean he or one of the writers didn't pick it up from somewhere else either. Almost every episode of SNL I see jokes and bits that I've already seen elsewhere earlier in the week. Now IMO either SNL is originating all comic thought and has a leakage problem or they're getting "inspiration" from other places when the ideas don't develop naturally on their own.

Quote

My issue with Che doing it was that he stutters at times already so it's not going to immediately read as joke to everyone at first.

Maybe that's why it didn't land so great. People in the audience might have been hesitant to look like a-holes by laughing at his stutter. And perhaps people under a certain age didn't readily make the connection between what he said and Phil Collins' discography.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Joimiaroxeu

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I know for a fact that black men get fetishised in the US anyway so you don't have to travel far to see it.

There's a thin line between desirable and fetished, or exotic and fetished, I suppose.

 

[peeayebee]

I wasn't as wowed by this ep as some people. I love Adele, and she was pretty good in sketches. I've seen her on talk shows (maybe just Graham Norton), so I knew how funny she could be.

I thought the psychic sketch had a great premise but could have had better writing. It was still funny but could have been much better.

I still didn't really like the Presidential debate sketch. There were some lines that tickled me, like Biden saying, "It's half-past Come on, man!" and Trump saying, "LGBTQanon."

I did love the Village People bit. 

Oh, and during the Haunted Manor bit, I was struck by how much Adele looked like Sarah Paulsen. Then in The Bachelor sketch, I thought she looked like Brooke Shields. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Because they all get the same plastic surgery, that's why 😉. 

3 hours ago, ahisma said:

I would agree with that. I was so happy that she sang in the Bachelor sketch. And even though the premise was silly, by the time she was singing at the end I had tears in my eyes just from her voice.

Exactly!!!  If you haven't already seen it, the "Rolling in the Deep" performance on Letterman always makes me cry.  It's on YouTube.

3 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

I've read that Adele has what people in the music industry call "that thing" in her voice; it's an element you really can't really qualify or quantify that only the greats (like Aretha Franklin or Barbara Streisand among female vocalists) have. For me, I don't think we can be sure until she starts taking some musical chances, like making a Country or Jazz CD.

You could try Adele's song "Don't You Remember?"  That's an Adele version of a country song, I think.  I'm no country expert.

[giovannif7]

4 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Except it wasn't really his joke. I'd already heard it earlier in the week on another TV show, and I'm reasonably sure I'd already seen it on reddit as well.

 

4 hours ago, Racj82 said:

That doesn't mean it's not his joke. I never understood pointing out hearing a joke from somewhere else because that doesn't mean Che saw it. It's just a joke that's simple for some to come up with. My issue with Che doing it was that he stutters at times already so it's not going to immediately read as joke to everyone at first.

Slight variations on that joke have been around since Sussudio was first a hit in 1985. I remember one late-night talk show host back then (don't recall which one) doing a bit about how it was time for Phil to rejoin Genesis in the stu-stu-studio. At this point, as long as they're not actually singing the song, I think it's considered public domain - just like jokey plays on material from classic films or Shakespeare.

[Jody]

10 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

That was my favorite, too.  So much horror and dread awaits those poor characters.  I liked the line, “Take that Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy!” because, yes, who would ever have thought that we would know who occupies that position in 2020?  
 

I wanted to like Melissa’s update bit because I was so ready to relate (as someone who lives alone and is still working from home and has had limited in-person interactions).  But it was just a vehicle for her to do some singing impressions that didn’t reach the heights of her Gaga, so I was perhaps more disappointed than most on that one.

The joke that got me the most in this show was the Phil Collins joke.  I actually lol’d:  “S-s-s-studio apartment.”  Heh.

Good observation in “Update” that I did not fully appreciate or realize:  that the two candidates running right now are older than the last three presidents. Wow.

 

        That IS SO True About The Post Master ! The Only Three People That I Know Who Delivers The Mail Is My Uncle Glen, My Cousin Freda And Her Husband Ron ! ! ! My Uncle Glen Mailed  This Cloth That His Mother Sent To My Cousin Patrick Who Was Sick In Germany ! His Mother Said That IT Was A Greasy Rag, But Her Son Glen Was Too Embarrassed To Put That On The Package So He Put Medicated Cloth !

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I don’t think Adele needs to clear space for her Emmy this time, she was okay—I found her one note all through the show. However, people tend to give her awards even if she just sneezes, LOL.

Speaking of sneezes, the clear face shield she was wearing at the end is supposed to be worn with a mask.  I have no idea why she did that, but I can't help but think vanity.  Just wear the fucking mask, like everybody else.  They're doing it mainly for optics anyway (which I'm more than fine with).  So just wear the fucking mask.

[Jody]

8 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Carrey seems to have dialed back the wackiness a bit with his Biden portrayal. Good.

I thought Adele's face looked more like her old self on the show and that she overall looked fantastic.

That psychic scene was hilarious! No one in their right mind could've imagined the WTFery of 2020.

Adele did sing! Yay! The voice is still there! I wish she had sung Rolling in the Deep too.

You can say "right prick" on broadcast TV? The connotation is pretty clear, IMO, even if it is British slang.

Loved Bowen in the leather daddy outfit.

The sad thing is that "mandigo" tourism is actually a thing. ("Mandigo" in the 1970s blaxploitation sense.) Poor Adele was actually accused of it, falsely. Nice to see she has a good sense of humor about it.

Wasn't familiar with H.E.R. until now. I like her style. She really brought the Prince vibe with that second song she performed and it hit me in the feels a little bit.

Thumbs up for this one. I think Adele has decent comedy chops and she's game for making fun of herself.

Except it wasn't really his joke. I'd already heard it earlier in the week on another TV show, and I'm reasonably sure I'd already seen it on reddit as well.

I think maybe two things are happening: 1) a lot of people didn't know it was actually a thing, and/or, 2) Karens again not liking being told about themselves.

       Adele DID Sing A Little Bit OF Rolling In The Deep ! That Was When She Was Doing The Bachelor ! I Think She Sang Hello And Then, She Did That Middle Part That I Don't Know The Words, But IT Was DA DA DA DA DA DA   DA DA DA DA DA DA ! Then, She DID Rolling In The Deep ! She Started The Song And Then She Did The Chorus !

8 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

I believe that in real life Adele is probably very shy and likely has mild stage fright, like Carly Simon had back in the day. Could be that the swearing is a coping mechanism, she doesn't seem to do it during one-to-one interviews. She does seem genuinely sweet and humble, though.

I've read that Adele has what people in the music industry call "that thing" in her voice; it's an element you really can't really qualify or quantify that only the greats (like Aretha Franklin or Barbara Streisand among female vocalists) have. For me, I don't think we can be sure until she starts taking some musical chances, like making a Country or Jazz CD.

            Bill Hader Has Stage Fright And For Any Body That Doesn't Know Bill Hader, Is Stephon ! Johnny Carson Is Shy ! For Those Who Don't Know, Johnny Carson Was On The Tonight Show For THIRTY Years ! Johnny Carson Wanted More Time Off And Out OF That Came Saturday Night Live ! The Funny Thing Is That Johnny Carson Thought They Would Interview People On Saturday Night Live !

7 hours ago, Racj82 said:

You might never get out of that put if you jump in 90 day. But, the show is about people from America falling in love (or lust) with someone they met abroad. There have been multiple white women that have fallen for black men from the caribbean or africa.

I know for a fact that black men get fetishised in the US anyway so you don't have to travel far to see it. The sketch was spot on. Especially for a type of person trying to pretend like they aren't visiting different countries just to get busy. Yes, you love the mountains! Sure.

       I Saw The Movie Out OF Africa ! That Had Robert Redford And I Think Meryl Streep ! ! I Could Be Wrong About Meryl ! IT'S Possible That Maybe IT Had Jane Fonda Instead ! Any Way, I Thought The Scenery WAS GORGEOUS, BUT, I WAS SO BORED ! I May Have IT Wrong, BUT, I Think ALL They Did Was Have Robert Redford Shampoo Her Hair !

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I wasn't as wowed by this ep as some people. I love Adele, and she was pretty good in sketches. I've seen her on talk shows (maybe just Graham Norton), so I knew how funny she could be.

I thought the psychic sketch had a great premise but could have had better writing. It was still funny but could have been much better.

I still didn't really like the Presidential debate sketch. There were some lines that tickled me, like Biden saying, "It's half-past Come on, man!" and Trump saying, "LGBTQanon."

I did love the Village People bit. 

Oh, and during the Haunted Manor bit, I was struck by how much Adele looked like Sarah Paulsen. Then in The Bachelor sketch, I thought she looked like Brooke Shields. 

        Every Body Has Their Own Opinion, But I Don't Agree About The Psychic Sketch ! Possibly, Maybe, There Were A Couple OF Spots That Could Have Been Better, But NOT Much Better ! I Like That Better Than Any Other Sketch About the Quarantine On Other Saturday Night Live Sketches Especially Those Wigs About The Hair On That Third AT Home Show With Kristen Wiig ! I NEEDED Badly To Get My Hair Cut And Other People Needed To Do Some Thing With Their Hair, But That WAS TOO MUCH ! That Was THE Bet Political Sketch And Cold Open THIS SEASON ! I Did NOT Think Adele Looked Like Sarah Paulsen OR Especially Brooke Shields ! ! Her Face Did Not Look Like Brooke Sheilds And Her Hair Was NOT Black Like Brooke Shields !

[Ms Blue Jay]

51 minutes ago, Jody said:

Adele DID Sing A Little Bit OF Rolling In The Deep ! That Was When She Was Doing The Bachelor ! I Think She Sang Hello And Then, She Did That Middle Part That I Don't Know The Words, But IT Was DA DA DA DA DA DA   DA DA DA DA DA DA ! Then, She DID Rolling In The Deep ! She Started The Song And Then She Did The Chorus !

Yes, Adele did:

When We Were Young
Someone Like You
Hello
Rolling in the Deep

[proserpina65]

Well, this was a lot better than last week.  A lot of the sketches were funny (although the best thing about the Africa Tourism Board one was Adele breaking and Kate McKinnon deliberately repeating the lines that made her break), and I enjoyed the musical guest a lot.

I will say I think Adele looked better in those clips from the Glastonbury festival.  She looks almost gaunt to me, and could do with gaining back a few pounds (15-20 max), but as long as she's healthy and happy, my opinion really shouldn't matter to her.

Oh, and Beck Bennet was clearly really loving the Village People performance.

On 10/24/2020 at 10:43 PM, vb68 said:

This was the best debate sketch of the season by far!

Yay for using Maya as the moderator instead of shoehorning her in as Kamala.

I agree, it's almost like the debate itself being less of a shitshow made it easier to mock.

On 10/25/2020 at 12:42 PM, helenamonster said:

Especially for a non-actress it was great to see she was game for anything and not afraid to poke fun at herself.

I find that tends to be key for a really great host.  Which is why Tom Hanks really surprised me - because he's never really stricken me at that type of person, but boy was he.

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Speaking of sneezes, the clear face shield she was wearing at the end is supposed to be worn with a mask.  I have no idea why she did that, but I can't help but think vanity. 

She wore a mask in the promos.

I actually wonder if it's due to her accent.  I watch a lot of British TV but I still find myself having to pay close attention to understand her and masks can muddle the speech even more.

Speaking of Adele, was it just me or did she look a bit like Sarah Paulson when she was all ghosted up in the Chad skit?

[StatisticalOutlier]

41 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

She wore a mask in the promos.

I saw only one promo for the show--a commercial on TV--and she was wearing just the clear face shield. 

 

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Speaking of Adele, was it just me or did she look a bit like Sarah Paulson when she was all ghosted up in the Chad skit?

I thought she looked like Sarah Paulson in the Bachelor thing.

 

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Oh, and Beck Bennet was clearly really loving the Village People performance.

Was he the construction guy?  He had some superb hip motion going on.  Everybody else was kind of marching in place, with emphasized hips, but the construction guy was all hips.  Very impressive.

[willco]

I just wanted to chime in & say that I love Adele as a singer & she does look great, but- for the episode in particular- I thank God for closed- captioning ! Her accent is so thick, I never catch all the words that she is saying. It's always been that whenever I've seen her on interviews, also. It's weird, because I can understand the lyrics in her songs just fine.

 

I thought she was a pretty good host. Hope she'll do it again.

[Pete Martell]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Was he the construction guy?  He had some superb hip motion going on.  Everybody else was kind of marching in place, with emphasized hips, but the construction guy was all hips.  Very impressive.

You don't get to see Beck's physicality on the show very often, other than stuff like this, and then when he first started. 

I wish they used this element of the cast more often - Alex Moffat did physical comedy in basketball games for several years but that terrific leap he did in the YMCA piece was one of the first times the show ever used that skill. Mikey has used his dancing a little more often (like in the stakeout sketch with Chris Pine), but probably never to as good of use as here (turn the volume way down).

 

[Winston Wolfe]

17 hours ago, willco said:

I just wanted to chime in & say that I love Adele as a singer & she does look great, but- for the episode in particular- I thank God for closed- captioning ! Her accent is so thick, I never catch all the words that she is saying. It's always been that whenever I've seen her on interviews, also. It's weird, because I can understand the lyrics in her songs just fine.

I thought she was a pretty good host. Hope she'll do it again.

I had that problem too, except that I seemed to miss every fourth or fifth word. Seems to be the history of British singers going all the way back to the Beatles. When they sing, you can make out every single word, but during interviews it's like, "what the heck are they saying?"

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2020 at 3:08 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Was he the construction guy?  He had some superb hip motion going on.  Everybody else was kind of marching in place, with emphasized hips, but the construction guy was all hips.  Very impressive.

Yep, that was him.

[vb68]

I was thinking a little bit more about Melissa's segment on Update since she is reportedly unhappy with the live audience's response (or lack thereof) to it.  It was an odd choice to start it off right out of the gate with her being borderline hostile/extremely defensive to Colin. I think that set the whole thing off being vaguely uncomfortable and the audience not sure where she was going with it. There was a desperate feeling to it that was unfortunate.

Starting off that way with a "Hey! Watch yourself..." was something Leslie could pull off because she would bring it back around and call him a carton of vanilla ice cream or something. But Melissa and Colin don't have that kind of repartee or chemistry. The whole thing just laid there.  

[gingerella]

For me, this season is going down as one of the worst in a very long time. Even Kenon wasn't that funny and he always brings the funny no matter how shitty the rest of the cast is on a particular night. I also think Carey's Biden is just Carey being Carey, it's not Bidenesque and it's just lazy ass him being crazy. Ditto I'm beyond over Baldwin's Trump too, it's just never been spot on. I keep feeling like Lorne has either lost his mojo or he's just operating on bad decisions right now.

[Milburn Stone]

On 10/25/2020 at 12:42 PM, helenamonster said:

Oof, the crowd was not feeling Melissa's bit at all. Colin was trying to help but it wasn't working.

It had the feel of bragging. "Look how good I am at impressions!" Her impressions used to be hilarious/adorable. There was a whiff of desperation this time. Maybe the difference was those impressions had a point of view. These were just...impressions.

Or--simpler explanation--I had no idea who any of those actual people were. Maybe the downstairs audience of first responders felt the same.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Milburn Stone

[vb68]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

Or--simpler explanation--I had no idea who any of those actual people were. Maybe the downstairs audience of first responders felt the same.

Everyone knows Stevie Nicks and the song "Dreams." I would also think the Little Rascals is also a reference most people still get. So I actually don't think the references were the problem.

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

Everyone knows Stevie Nicks and the song "Dreams." I would also think the Little Rascals is also a reference most people still get. So I actually don't think the references were the problem.

Oh yeah, I forgot about those. Then I guess the problem was they were people nobody cares that much about anymore!

[Pete Martell]

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

Everyone knows Stevie Nicks and the song "Dreams." I would also think the Little Rascals is also a reference most people still get. So I actually don't think the references were the problem.

 

3 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

Oh yeah, I forgot about those. Then I guess the problem was they were people nobody cares that much about anymore!

"Dreams" has had a revival in the last few months because of a Tiktok video that went viral, so on paper, it could have gotten a reaction. I think the problem was the threading - the piece just didn't flow well and there wasn't anything behind it. Doing a good impression isn't enough in this format - there needs to be some depth. 

(to be honest, while I do think Melissa is a very good impressionist, I didn't even think it was that great of a Stevie Nicks)

One of the reasons I do like Melissa and want her to have her moment in the SNL sun is because she still offers some unpredictability. I never know quite what she will do behind the desk. A satirical song, or impressions, or a character piece. Unfortunately, this just felt so thrown together, and was not anything to connect her to viewers. 

[vb68]

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

"Dreams" has had a revival in the last few months because of a Tiktok video that went viral, so on paper, it could have gotten a reaction.

Yes, that's actually extremely timely with Nicks responding with her own Tiktok, and now both of them have been merged into a commercial that's getting a lot of play. So yeah, that's very current. 

 

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

Doing a good impression isn't enough in this format - there needs to be some depth. 

Another example of this was when Bill Hader was in the cast, they knew he did a superb Alan Alda. But that's too  old and obscure a reference just to bust out on Update. They had to wait and find some proper context for him to do it.

 

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

(to be honest, while I do think Melissa is a very good impressionist, I didn't even think it was that great of a Stevie Nicks)

I agree.

Edited October 28, 2020 by vb68

[Jody]

11 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

It had the feel of bragging. "Look how good I am at impressions!" Her impressions used to be hilarious/adorable. There was a whiff of desperation this time. Maybe the difference was those impressions had a point of view. These were just...impressions.

Or--simpler explanation--I had no idea who any of those actual people were. Maybe the downstairs audience of first responders felt the same.

 

        I Think Melissa Is Desperate Because Chloe IS SO GOOD With Impressions !