S46.E09: Kristen Wiig / Dua Lipa

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Kristen Wiig hosts with musical guest Dua Lipa.

Airing Saturday, December 19, 2020.

[VCRTracking]

So I know some of you with Wigg-aversion are going to skip this one. I'm watching mostly for Dua Lipa, because even my old, uncool ass has heard and liked that "Don't Start Now" song:

 

Plus, now that she stopped dying her hair blonde, she reminds me of Justine Bateman. Makes me wish she was the musical guest when Jason hosted two weeks ago!

Edited December 16, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Spartan Girl]

They might not have the cameos they usually have on the Christmas show because of covid. However, I'm kind of hoping Kristen brings Gal Gadot for an appearance so that Wonder Woman can give someone a memorable send off....

[Dr.OO7]

I wonder if it will end on the rink like the Christmas episode usually does. It hasn't for the past two years and the pandemic might derail that too.

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, Dr.OO7 said:

I wonder if it will end on the rink like the Christmas episode usually does. It hasn't for the past two years and the pandemic might derail that too.

They tend to do those a few times a decade - I have a feeling they won't this year, but it always makes me feel nostalgic and happy. 

Regarding cameos, I'm preparing myself to have to see Carrey or Maya again (I like Maya but I have no real use for the Kamala impression), especially since Maya and Kristen are very close. I'm hoping we will get a break through January though. 

Kristen on the Tonight Show.

(there are several clips)

 

[possibilities]

The commercials for this episode make me less interested in watching than I was before I saw them. That has never happened before.

[Kimmmmmm]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

The commercials for this episode make me less interested in watching than I was before I saw them. That has never happened before.

I couldn't possibly be less interested in watching her than I was prior to seeing the ads....sticking to my rule..if she's on, I'm not watching.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Kimmmmmm

[Pete Martell]

 

[Phishbulb]

Tina Fey was just on Fallon's show in person on Wednesday night, so I'm expecting her to make an appearance, maybe on Update. 

[VCRTracking]

Casting Wiig as a villain in a movie was genius because she always looks like  there's something unhinged about her!

Edited December 18, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Ms Blue Jay]

Kristen looks like a completely different person.  She's done something drastic to her eyes.  It's scary.

[vb68]

I'm expecting a lot of cameos. 

[formerlyfreedom]

Ok, Alex as Biden is casting I can get on board with. Nice roll!

[vb68]

I thought Alex's Biden was just OK and kinda non-descript. It will get better with time, though. I guess the point was just to introduce it and show that they are giving it to a regular cast member. That will please a lot of people.

I'm still finding it very awkward how they just switch new girl Lauren  into Aidy's roles.

[formerlyfreedom]

I never needed to see Mindy again. Dammit.

But the Christmas gifts short did make me laugh. 

8 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I thought Alex's Biden was just OK and kinda non-descript. It will get better with time, though. I guess the point was just to introduce it and show that they are giving it to a regular cast member. That will please a lot of people.

Yeah it was rough, but I think there’s a lot of potential there.

[vb68]

Kenan did his best Bill Hader on Secret Word. Mindy's opening line that "my gift to you is ME!" is unfortunately on-point.

I love the Christmas short with the dejected mom. That is sadly  accurate in a lot of cases.

[formerlyfreedom]

Who knew that Bowen Yang could actually make Kristen Wiig almost...likeable to me? That was unexpected, and I really enjoyed that bizarre sketch.

I'm old, so Dua Lipa is fine, although I spent a lot of time thinking, 'so this is what kids these days are listening to?'

[Robert Lynch]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Kristen looks like a completely different person.  She's done something drastic to her eyes.  It's scary.

Plastic surgery!

[anna0852]

Fur coat was too far!

[Caseysgirl]

Love Dua Lipa but was she lip synching? I thought that wasn’t allowed on SNL or hav3 they changed since Ashley Simpson days.

[vb68]

I thought the Teacher parody was a pretty good sketch. Ego sold it.

Smokey Robinson on update was a good impression, but the context was pretty awkward. I knew nothing about that outrage.

Love Jost's and Che's jokes for each other.

[formerlyfreedom]

I’m enjoying seeing Ego more this year. She’s so good!

The joke trade between Che and Jost was especially good this year. The ‘Sammy Davis Jr will be played by Scarlett Johansson’ line would have had me spewing adult beverage, if I’d had that going on. Thank god I’ve learned to not sip during this part!

[Melina22]

11 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Kristen looks like a completely different person.  She's done something drastic to her eyes.  It's scary.

Yes! I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice it. I'm actually upset. 

Unlike most here apparently, I absolutely LOVE Kristen, because I find her so funny. She's my favourite female comic. There's a part in Bridesmaids and two in Ghost Town that I've watched over and over because she makes me laugh so much. She doesn't even have to say anything funny to make me laugh, it's just her expressions. 

So I was sooooo disappointed to see her on Jimmy Fallon and now on SNL (which I was anxiously anticipating) with such a changed face. The difference is subtle, but  the results are very noticeable, and suddenly her expressions aren't nearly as comical to me. Her face isn't as mobile and her mouth (and teeth?) are different. 

I realize she doesn't owe it to me to never have work done, but I'm still disappointed. It reminds me of the season of BSG (my favourite show) when Mary McDonnell, who up till then was my favourite cast member with her wonderful, mobile face, suddenly had frozen face and trout mouth. It was horrifying. Gradually it improved as the Botox or whatever wore off. 

I sympathize with these women, knowing the massive pressure put on them to look good, but I wish they'd leave their faces alone. Their faces are their instrument. 

Sorry for the rant. I only care because I like her so much. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Melina22

[formerlyfreedom]

Okay, who the heck played the Grinch in that incredibly disturbing (but still a little funny?) sketch?

And knock wood, but so far, Maya is the only ‘guest’ we’ve seen, right? Not a complaint, just a bit of a surprise.

[SHD]

6 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Love Jost's and Che's jokes for each other.

Maybe my favorite recurring thing the show does. Always gold.

[vb68]

7 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Okay, who the heck played the Grinch in that incredibly disturbing (but still a little funny?) sketch?

Sounded like Pete.

The Sue sketch was really flat.  There was a lack of energy. It felt like they were just going through the motions. 

[Galileo908]

Last show of 2020! It's Kristen Wiig, so...let's get it over with.

Cold Open: We open with Mike Pence. Lots of comedy to be mined by one of the most prudish, awful men in the country. He's a nevernude, right? Watching Kamala smack Pence was cathartic as hell. And we've got a new Biden! It's Alex Moffat! I am totally on board with giving him the Colonel Sanders treatment, where he's played by someone different every time. And it's good to see Kenan again (even if Jay Pharaoh was the better Ben Carson)

Monologue: I always admired Kristen Wiig's commitment to bits. I've found her overbearing, but she goes 100% on everything she does, and I respect that. I liked her whole monologue and the song, especially when Maya showed up.

Secret Word: Well, we're getting THIS sketch out of the way early. I always found this painful. I thought Kate killed it as the Greta Garbo-type. But even then. Kenan's hair was pulling a Rudy Giuliani there near the end and it was distracting. That, and RIMMING the tree were the only good parts here.

Christmas Morning: Loved this. Yeah, Christmas gets boring when you're a parent, Kristen pulled this off really well. Everyone was great in this, and loved the whole bit with the dog, who also got a robe! The bumper with the dog afterwards was adorable.

Christmas Eve 1944: All an excuse for Kristen to duet with Bowen, and I'll take it. I love how everyone in their WW2 voices were so invested in the plot of the song.

a teacher: Andrew Dismukes and Ego in the lead of a sketch! This was great. Ego was so good in this. 

Home Alone 2: Yeah, these were pretty bullshit movies, weren't they? Kevin was just as awful as the rest of his awful family. It was really fun to see Kristen as the Pigeon Lady going ham on the bandits. Was showing just how fake her punches were intentional? Seemed like it. Melissa as Macauley Culkin was just genius casting, too. 

WU: All the Trump clips would be hilarious if he wasn't an awful, corrupt, piece of shit human being that happened to be running the country. Chris Redd as Smokey Robinson was odd, but welcomed.

Apparently that bit was referencing this: 

And that really painted a whole picture.

It was great to see Willie again. Man, he just got DARK this time around. "You can't make a fur coat out of one dog, Willie!"

Heidi as the influencer was great, too. Well, that's one way to get all the sponsored content out of the way at once. And oh my god, that joke exchange was incredible. The audience did NOT see any of that coming, which made it even better. "REST IN POWER, KING!" is what got me. Che getting Colin with the Scarlett Johannson joke at the end was just the perfect, brutal topper.

Grinch: Oh wow, the ONE TIME Jim Carrey wasn't here. Well, that explains where Pete Davidson was tonight: Getting into Grinch makeup. As soon as the parents came down the stairs, I knew that the joke was gonna be "threeway." And I was not disappointed. This was insane just seeing that. The makeup team is certainly earning another Emmy tonight.

Aunt Sue: At least they put this at the end. Was also never a fan of this sketch. Bleh.

Well, that was certainly an episode. Great middle. See y'all in 2021! 

15 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Okay, who the heck played the Grinch in that incredibly disturbing (but still a little funny?) sketch?

And knock wood, but so far, Maya is the only ‘guest’ we’ve seen, right? Not a complaint, just a bit of a surprise.

I knew it was Pete the second I heard him grunt. One of my weird talents is recognizing voice actors and I picked him up immediately.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Galileo908

[formerlyfreedom]

Thanks for the Smoky Robinson explainer, @Galileo908 - I was...really confused about that bit.

So it’s the SNL Christmas show and we get...no Christmas/holiday song and no ice skating? As far as I’m concerned, 2020 can f*ck right off.

On to 2021!!!

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Robert Lynch said:

Plastic surgery!

Yes, that is what I was referring to.  What else could I have meant?  I'm not sure

I always like that sketch with the woman who can't handle surprise parties.

And Michael Che was really losing his mind after the Scarlett Johansson joke, that was fun.

Did they do the skating in 2019?

Edited December 20, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Lantern7]

I think SNL had a good year, considering . . . well . . . everything. I'm guessing Kirsten was supposed to host in May because she's in Wonder Woman 1984. That's coming out next week. Unless there's another catastrophe. I'm prepared for movies to be converted into PowerPoint lectures at this point.

I never really had a problem with Kirsten. That said, is it wrong that when I heard about her role in WW84, I immediately imagined her playing Cheetah as Penelope?

Anyone else expecting Baldwin to pop up for the Home Alone 2 sketch? I kept waiting for the shoe to drop, since Trump cameoed in that movie, but we got birds on wires and the Pigeon Lady going sickhouse on the Wet Sticky Bandits. Works for me.

"Christmas Morning" . . . damn. Mom got a robe. And that was it. And its price was slashed. The puppy was cute. Was that a Shiba Inu?

16 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

It was great to see Willie again. Man, he just got DARK this time around. "You can't make a fur coat out of one dog, Willie!"

I like Willie. My favorite quote about poor Lucius: "Those turkeys are runnin' a train on your dog, Willie!" And the "gift exchange" was great as always.

[vb68]

I know it was not possible due to circumstances, but a Christmas episode without the ice skating at the end really does seem lackluster.

 

Quote

 I immediately imagined her playing Cheetah as Penelope?

I would had loved a Superfriends Legion of Doom sketch with Cheetah.  That would had been fun.

Edited December 20, 2020 by vb68

[SHD]

Not necessarily disappointed but I thought we’d maybe see Fallon, Seth Meyers, or John Mulaney  (because they make the trip to the building anyway).

[formerlyfreedom]

26 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I know it was not possible due to circumstances, but a Christmas episode without the ice skating at the end really does seem lackluster.

They haven’t done the skating the last year or two - I’m not sure why? But I was watching something on NBC the last day or two that showed a few skaters on the ice outside 30 Rock, so i was hopeful. But then NO SONG??? 

[Traveller519]

57 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

but I wish they'd leave their faces alone. Their faces are their instrument. 

Sorry for the rant. I only care because I like her so much. 

Yes, being perpetually on Camera is tough enough to be self conscious about for women, but then any bit of notoriety and you're being micro analyzed in magazines as well. There's some VERY good work that holds up well, but so much bad work as well. Of course the good work is never talked about. Those women who choose to ride out the first round time deals them do seem to come out better on the back end, because they still look like a real person. Of course that first round is usually accompanied by the unrelenting tiredness with being a parent to young kids, so maybe that's not even fair. Anyway, I'm way off point.

Oh goody, a completely unnecessary Giulianni impression. That sucked the life out of what had actually been a decent cold open despite being focused on Pence. I agree it was good to have the showcase that they'll be having a cast member play Biden. Hopefully Maya's contract with the show is up too, and Ego can take a stab at Harris if it's required. 

Speaking of Ego, between the Dionne Warwick show last week and Teacher this week she's on a hot streak. I'm really glad to see her getting run in the main cast. The new cast members all showed out tonight too, which was good to see. Chloe and Bowen continue to be a force too. Chloe is so versatile and Bowen gives everything he can to his spots. No doubt that they'll be elevated after the season.

I thought the skits where Kristen was part of the cast were quite good. But her old character call-backs just have no life left to them anymore for me. It reinforces what has long been my belief that Kristen is an excellent ensemble member but struggles when she becomes the lead.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, saoirse said:

Okay, who the heck played the Grinch in that incredibly disturbing (but still a little funny?) sketch?

Pete

[ebk57]

Loved a Teacher.  WU was on fire!  I was already familiar with the Smokey Robinson thing, so I was laughing throughout.  And the Grinch sketch was, yeah, disturbing, but really funny.  Otherwise, it was a Kristen Wiig show.  

Happy Holidays everyone!  Here's to a much better 2021. 

[Pete Martell]

27 minutes ago, saoirse said:

They haven’t done the skating the last year or two - I’m not sure why? But I was watching something on NBC the last day or two that showed a few skaters on the ice outside 30 Rock, so i was hopeful. But then NO SONG??? 

They usually only do the ice skating a few times a decade. This year would have been sweet but I suppose it would have also seemed very extravagant during a pandemic. 

I guess the monologue was meant to count as the song. I wish they'd included more of the cast. I have a feeling they mostly just focused on Maya (and Kate, who is the big name of the current cast) because Maya wasn't in the episode afterward...there was a set that was shown in one of the crew member's social media pages yesterday which looked just like the "Supershowcase" set (the one with Maya and Kristen as spokesmodels and is famous for Maya, Kristen and Bill Hader breaking so badly). It must have been cut.

52 minutes ago, SHD said:

Not necessarily disappointed but I thought we’d maybe see Fallon, Seth Meyers, or John Mulaney  (because they make the trip to the building anyway).

We did get Fallon last week (briefly), but I did wonder if we'd get more cameos. I guess with the pandemic they didn't want to take risks. I always wish Seth did a few more cameos.

[possibilities]

Making up some shit about how incompetent your assistant is, and blaming them for your mistakes, and pretending to put them on notice in a public forum that they're fired... not my idea of humor. It's like she went out of her way to try to get laughs out of showcasing herself as a vile human being. So, the monologue was not to my liking.

I want the headgear Dua Lipa wore for her 2nd song and the good-nights.

The Tom Cruise joke during WU was brutal in a way I appreciated. We know he's sensitive about his height, so... ha.

 

 

 

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, Caseysgirl said:

Love Dua Lipa but was she lip synching? I thought that wasn’t allowed on SNL or hav3 they changed since Ashley Simpson days.

Backing tracks aren't uncommon on SNL. The problem for Ashlee was that she got caught.

[Peace 47]

2 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I think SNL had a good year, considering . . . well . . . everything. I'm guessing Kirsten was supposed to host in May because she's in Wonder Woman 1984. That's coming out next week. Unless there's another catastrophe. I'm prepared for movies to be converted into PowerPoint lectures at this point.

With all the entertainment industry consternation about Warner Brothers releasing its movies directly to streaming, starting with Wonder Woman 1984, I expected Kristen to make a joke that Wonder Woman 1984 would be coming to a gas station pump or NYC taxi near you!  Did she even mention the film?  I wasn’t paying 100% attention to the monologue.  I had no idea that she had had twins, though.  I thought it was leading to a joke, but nope, that’s true.  Good for her!

I liked the “mom’s Christmas robe” sketch.  And I liked the “Teacher” sketch.  I have posted here several times in the past that I have disliked SNL’s reliance in other older sketches on “male student dates the hot teacher” tropes as a source of uncritical humor, so glad to see that being changed now.  Aside from Cecily, Ego is my favorite female cast member right now.  I felt she blossomed during the at-home shows, and now I see real star power in her.

I would not say that I really enjoyed the episode overall, though.  It was okay-ish, with two relatively strong sketches.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Peace 47

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Making up some shit about how incompetent your assistant is, and blaming them for your mistakes, and pretending to put them on notice in a public forum that they're fired... not my idea of humor. It's like she went out of her way to try to get laughs out of showcasing herself as a vile human being. So, the monologue was not to my liking.

How do you know she wrote her own monologue? 

[Pete Martell]

10 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

With all the entertainment industry consternation about Warner Brothers releasing its movies directly to streaming, starting with Wonder Woman 1984, I expected Kristen to make a joke that Wonder Woman 1984 would be coming to a gas station pump or NYC taxi near you!  Did she even mention the film?  I wasn’t paying 100% attention to the monologue.  I had no idea that she had had twins, though.  I thought it was leading to a joke, but nope, that’s true.  Good for her!

I liked the “mom’s Christmas robe” sketch.  And I liked the “Teacher” sketch.  I have posted here several times that I have disliked SNL’s reliance on “student dates the teacher” sketches as a source of uncritical humor, so glad to see that being changed.  Aside from Cecily, Ego is my favorite female cast member right now.  I felt she blossomed during the at-home shows, and now I see real star power in her.

I would not say that I really enjoyed the episode overall, though.  It was okay-ish, with two relatively strong sketches.

There was an ad for the movie, so I guess that's the closest they got to a plug. 

When they had the USO sketch I thought that was Gal Gadot and we were getting the plug. I felt silly when I realized it was Dua Lipa.

More on Kristen's twins:

https://people.com/parents/kristen-wiig-twins-ivf-surrogacy-difficulty-instyle/

 

Cut for time sketch:

This is a very somber piece, probably even more than the first one, which is why I'm not surprised they didn't air this one, but it's still worth watching - the rhymes are pretty clever and the somber moments have genuine pathos (especially the daughter not coming home for Christmas).

[Ottis]

That was ... not funny. Even the audience seemed disconnected. I fell asleep.

And I would like to know where these homes are where the mom gets only a robe at Christmas. At our house, the mom gets better presents than anyone else. The dad is the one with socks and a tie. That seems much more common.

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

Not as good as the Eddie Murphy Christmas show. The Home Alone and A Teacher skits were funny and I died at the WU Christmas joke swap. Also loved that sweet adorable puppy in the Christmas Morning skit.

But I was really REALLY hoping for a Wonder Woman cameo in the cold opening. I just wanted to see her kick Trump out of office for Christmas.

Please let 2021 be better.

[Melina22]

5 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

More on Kristen's twins:

https://people.com/parents/kristen-wiig-twins-ivf-surrogacy-difficulty-instyle/

Wow, I had no clue! 

[cpcathy]

That was Chloe’s actual dog in the Christmas robe video.

What this episode lacked was joy, of course, it’s been hard this year to summon that up. I’m going to go rewatch Jimmy Fallon’s 2011 Christmas episode, which I think is the best Christmas episode SNL has ever done. It was joyous and fun and there was ice skating!

[Fostersmom]

Good lord, this was a bad one. I had low expectations to begin with, always do with Kristen, but it was even worse than I had thought it would be. I was literally cringing thru most of it and only laughed at WU. I was enjoying Ego's Teacher sketch.... until Kristen arrived to bring it to a crashing halt. I'm really enjoying Ego's sketches this season. I think all the featured members will be nice additions when the mass exodus of cast members happens. I noticed even Andrew Dismukes made it into at least 3 sketches this week. Oddly, I finally saw the John Mulaney look alike in him during this one. I think it took the tie in the Secret Word sketch for me to see it. 

18 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Kristen looks like a completely different person.  She's done something drastic to her eyes.  It's scary.

And she looks like there's been some fillers and botox too. 

 

ETA....I think they stopped the ice skating after Leslie busted her knee during a ninja sketch and it became apparent a lot of the cast couldn't skate and they were standing in tennis shoes on a mat on the ice. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Fostersmom

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Not as good as the Eddie Murphy Christmas show. The Home Alone and A Teacher skits were funny and I died at the WU Christmas joke swap. Also loved that sweet adorable puppy in the Christmas Morning skit.

That was Chloe's dog, apparently. 

 

2 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Good lord, this was a bad one. I had low expectations to begin with, always do with Kristen, but it was even worse than I had thought it would be. I was literally cringing thru most of it and only laughed at WU. I was enjoying Ego's Teacher sketch.... until Kristen arrived to bring it to a crashing halt. I'm really enjoying Ego's sketches this season. I think all the featured members will be nice additions when the mass exodus of cast members happens. I noticed even Andrew Dismukes made it into at least 3 sketches this week. Oddly, I finally saw the John Mulaney look alike in him during this one. I think it took the tie in the Secret Word sketch for me to see it. 

I saw it there as well. It also reminds me of how handsome some men are with that style. 

I think all of the new people could be promising additions if they get the chance. I hope SNL won't do what they did with people like Paul Brittain, a very talented guy who was dumped back a decade ago because he never really got enough time to click with viewers due to the stacked cast he was in. 

At least they seem to be slowly but surely putting some of the newer people in the roles that the older players tend to hog - Chloe's daughter role in that bathrobe sketch was one Cecily might have played a few years ago; Andrew's role in the Teacher sketch is one that Kyle or Pete would usually play, etc. 

I liked the idea of what they were doing with Kristen in the Teacher sketch (I think comparing Ego's reaction to the male student to the reaction you would get in these types of trashy TV shows with a teacher and student fling), but it didn't quite mesh.

[AriAu]

Quote

What this episode lacked was joy, of course, it’s been hard this year to summon that up. I’m going to go rewatch Jimmy Fallon’s 2011 Christmas episode, which I think is the best Christmas episode SNL has ever done. It was joyous and fun and there was ice skating!

Yup....and normally the cast and crew give their best for Kristen, but there was a lot lacking, even in the monologue. Kristen seemed more subdued than usual.

By the way, I am sure Dua Lipa is very talented, but that was just some very, very bad lip synching!

[Crashcourse]

I was wondering why Chris Redd had jet black hair when playing Smokey Robinson in that WU sketch, then I saw Smokey's video.  I'm shocked to see him with dyed black hair when he looks so much better with his natural grey.