S46.E13: Regé-Jean Page / Bad Bunny

[vb68]

Rege Jean Page did a great job. If he was feeling any pressure, he didn't show it. He was the most relaxed and comfortable hosts I've seen in awhile. He was happy to be there, and it looked he was having fun with it. 

Honestly I wish more hosts would just go out and have fun.

[DanaMB]

God, he’s pretty. 
 

And he did a fantastic job. This was one of the better shows this season. 

[ebk57]

Thoroughly enjoyed the show tonight.  It actually made me laugh.

 

And it was very, very pretty...

[kirinan]

34 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Wow, I'm only like, 3 sketches deep but I'm really impressed with the show and Rege-Jean so far.  I don't even watch "Bridgerton".

Are you guys witnessing Rege-Jean in the "Driver's License" sketch?!?!?!  He looks like he doesn't even use cue cards.  He acts like one of the cast, not even like the host.  I'm kind of blown away.

We don’t have Netflix so I expected to be a little bored with a host I don’t know, but he was really good! Very natural, like he’s been on SNL for ages. And he’s talented. And yeah, very easy on the eyes. 

[nilyank]

I had to google him because he looked familar to me as I haven't watched Bridgeton. He was in the shortlived For the People. His American accent is pretty good so the sketch Ego really worked for me.

It was great show but the biggest shock was Beck doing the Worm. I think he suprised the rest of the cast.

Pete as Cuomo was awesome.

And yes Rege-Jean was very pretty.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by nilyank

[vb68]

25 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

And I can't believe they got some jokes out of Gina Carrero. As trash as she is, she is indeed better than Ted Cruz.

That made me realize how badly I want to watch her fight Ted Cruz. Lol

 

47 minutes ago, GoldenGirl90 said:

Lol the skits have been so silly tonight and I’m enjoying it.

Also this is the least amount of skits Kate has been in in awhile it seems.

Tonight definitely felt like Kate taking a backseat and the show setting the stage for Chloe as a lead player.

Dimukes is starting to shine in his supporting work, too. I would like to see him lead a sketch.

Poor Lauren. It sucks that she's primarily known as Not-Aidy.

And I didn't forget you, Punkie. Hang in there.

Hi Melissa.

Edited February 21, 2021 by vb68

[Ms Blue Jay]

I said that Pete was killing it these past 2 episodes and I hadn't even seen his WU segment yet!  Good for him.

Watching the sea shanty/pirates sketch now.  How much fun is that cast having tonight? Everyone is in love with Regé-Jean.  He doesn't even need "Bridgerton" because I'm already sold on him.

Bowen and Chris nodding solemnly as Kate's character explains that he has no idea how a boat works.  I'm losing it!

So far I'm watching both the "Driver's License" and the Pirates sketch twice.  What the HELL is going on at SNL this week?  I'm pretty sure Pete Davidson weed gummied ALL of them.

I didn't recognize Punkie in the church sketch until she started speaking!  She looked so pretty in this style!

Edited February 21, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Jody]

45 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

There were only two things that didn't hold much for me.  One was the chicken leg sketch.  It was silly but not in a way that spoke to me.

The other was the monologue and the screaming.  I felt myself cringe every time he turned to the camera.  Aidy and Echo worked for me, though so that was 50/50.

And one thing tonight's episode has shown me is how you can't just hire Not Aidy to do the roles that Aidy would do and have the same success. I'm loving having her back.

 

     The Woman In The Monologue With Aidy Is EGO Pronounced A GO With The Long A Sound Like DAY !

[shapeshifter]

37 minutes ago, nilyank said:

Pete as Cuomo was awesome.

a match made in comedy heaven

[Peace 47]

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

I had no idea where the ad sketch was going, but that ending was great. Reminded me of something Will Forte would do.

What I also really liked about the ad sketch was that both lead characters were off kilter.  They didn’t default to a formula of “one normal person surrounded by crazy” that feels kind of tired.  They were just upping the ante on each other on this one.

9 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I said that Pete was killing it these past 2 episodes and I hadn't even seen his WU segment yet!  Good for him.

Pete gets my cast member MVP vote tonight.  I was a little worried when Pete mentioned that he was moving out of his house with his mom (no shame on him for benefiting from that extra support:  living with her seems to have really agreed with him this past year).  As always, I wish him continued recovery.

I really liked Loco.  I continue to think Ego exudes star power.  I also liked the joke during Update about how Cuomo looks like all three Goodfellas.  Haha.

Just a fun and funny episode, although I missed 95% of the cold open so I will have to go back and watch that.

 

[MrWhyt]

Definitely agreeing with those who've said that this was a step up from past shows. I had never heard of him before but RJP really fit in seamlessly with the rest of the cast, and was very pretty.

[Ms Blue Jay]

[Ms Blue Jay]

This one's blurrier, sorry.  I had to shrink it down a lot.

 

Found a good tweet with promo shots here:

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I thought the singer was going to stab her eye out with those nails for a second there!

And did Bad Bunny just get a haircut backstage? 

 

That singer was Rosalía, I can't believe they didn't even mention her name. It's not like she's a nobody.

Really like the sea shanty sketch.

I haven't watched SNL in at least 20 years, but I saw Bridgerton & had to see more of Regé-Jean Page, damn, he sure is pretty.

[Trini]

Ugh - so pretty! It was actually annoying me the stupid wigs they were putting on him.

And yes, he did well, and there were a good number of good sketches.

[Slade347]

2 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

This also makes five shows in a row.

Yep, and unlike most here I thought the writing was again pretty weak and tired in this episode. The host was very good, though, and was probably able to elevate things a bit. My favorites of the night were the pre recorded stuff, especially Ego's song and the job interview. Pete was great as Cuomo.

[Ottis]

Clearly they heard comments about the dead audience response, and brought in busloads of 8th grade girls, judging by the screaming at every. Little.thing.  It’s almost bad sitcom bad.

Didn’t know the host, or the show he is on, haven’t laughed yet and I am up to WU. 

[Pete Martell]

18 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Clearly they heard comments about the dead audience response, and brought in busloads of 8th grade girls, judging by the screaming at every. Little.thing.  It’s almost bad sitcom bad.

They've been hearing those comments all season and didn't bring anyone in, so I think it's more down to the host. I had read about how much some people love Bridgerton - clearly they weren't kidding. You can't pay people to hoot and holler as believably as they did.

[kirinan]

12 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

This one's blurrier, sorry.  I had to shrink it down a lot.

 

Found a good tweet with promo shots here:

 

Thank you for posting these, Ms Blue Jay. I’m not sure why, but my cable company went dark on these cards every single commercial. It’s the first time that’s ever happened, and it made the transitions really awkward. Plus, come ON—out of all the weeks to mess this up! 

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by kirinan

[rollacoaster]

RJP is soooooop pretty! 😍💖😭

Some of you may recognize him as Chicken George in the latest reiteration of Roots. 

[TiredMe]

I definitely thought this episode was better than many this season. It obviously still had some dudes but I busted out laughing numerous times. I can’t remember that happening in quite some time. 

pete was on fire tonight. Also really enjoyed the opening and Loco and a few others. 

I have heard of Bad Bunny but never listened. That first song was pretty boring and combined with that girl’s grotesque nails I ended up having to fast forward. 

overall solid show and the host was pretty damn good.

[Growsonwalls]

The Bridgerton sketch was definitely the right mix of creepy and funny. 

[heatherchandler]

16 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

 

Pete gets my cast member MVP vote tonight.  I was a little worried when Pete mentioned that he was moving out of his house with his mom (no shame on him for benefiting from that extra support:  living with her seems to have really agreed with him this past year).  As always, I wish him continued recovery.

 

Yes Pete was MVP for sure.  His Jack Skellington dancing!  
 

@Peace 47 what is your avatar?  A ball and a chair?

 

14 hours ago, Slade347 said:

Yep, and unlike most here I thought the writing was again pretty weak and tired in this episode. The host was very good, though, and was probably able to elevate things a bit.

The writing was still pretty bad, but it felt like improv with the silliness going over the top in many of the sketches.  I think that’s why it was funny, to me.

 

8 hours ago, TiredMe said:

I have heard of Bad Bunny but never listened. That first song was pretty boring and combined with that girl’s grotesque nails I ended up having to fast forward. 

 

Same- I have heard of bad bunny so I gave him a chance but the girl’s nail were so gross.  Ffwd.  And someone mentioned that she’s famous, I have not heard of her, and I hope to never hear her again.

They used to have great musical guests.  When did it change?

Edited February 21, 2021 by heatherchandler

[ahisma]

RJP continues to be pretty AF, but what stood out to me was his acting. He naturally inhabited each role rather than being “I’m in a skit where I’m ___!” For example, hosting the Mr. Chicken Legs pageant, you just felt immediately in media res with this poor guy whose co-host has done absolutely nothing all night. 
 

Fitting, as that’s what I really loved about Pete as Cuomo, too. He seriously stepped up his game and nailed it. 

[laugard]

53 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Same- I have heard of bad bunny so I gave him a chance but the girl’s nail were so gross.  Ffwd.  And someone mentioned that she’s famous, I have not heard of her, and I hope to never hear her again.

They used to have great musical guests.  When did it change?

Well, it's all subjective, right? Rosalia is a popular, critically lauded singer from Spain who's won or been nominated for Grammys and Latin Grammys, including Album of the Year. She's done duets and remixes with artists like J. Balvin, The Weeknd and Billie Eilish. Both she and Billie are also known for enjoying getting creative with nail art, usually for performances and videos and photo shoots. Not saying anyone has to like it obviously; merely that she seems to like using it as part of her styling and costuming.

I was glad to see SNL featuring two artists who are both extremely popular and well known whose albums are primarily non-English. I like when SNL considers a wider genre of music or audience, even if the artists themselves aren't appealing to me (looking at you, Morgan Wallen).

Edited February 21, 2021 by laugard

[Blakeston]

Count me in as someone who was annoyed with the audience.

I mean, I'd have sex with Regé-Jean as quickly as any of them would, but they didn't need to squeal like Beatlemania-stricken tweens every time he looks at the camera.

[laugard]

Like others have written, I loved how comfortable and at ease Rege-Jean Page was the entire show. This was the first ep in a long time I found just generally entertaining overall. And I thought the rapid-fire pace of Weekend Update was great too, as were Pete and Heidi. The Freddie Krueger bit was so random and odd, but I couldn't help but laugh when she pulled up that gloved hand.

I also enjoyed how many of the skits involved many members of the cast. And probably some people thought there were too many musical numbers, but I loved the Driver's License and Sea Shanty skits, plus Ego's Loco pre-tape. (Glad to see Bad Bunny pop up in those last two, as well.)

I will also never not love Aidy as Ted Cruz. And I like that it's not just prosthetics trying to make her into the (male) character, which is something I thought started feeling too forced with some of Kate's impressions. Aidy honestly just can pull off Ted's "look," especially right now with his facial hair. And the braids were perfection.

Edited February 21, 2021 by laugard

[helenamonster]

I don't watch Bridgerton and have no plans to, but I agree that Rege-Jean blended right in and had such an easy, effortless energy about him. To be honest, I don't think the writing was particularly strong this week, but the cast were selling everything so well that it was less noticeable.

Ego's a star and it was fun to watch her carry so many sketches this week, especially the Loco pre-tape. Chloe continues to shine as well. And Andrew feels like a the third long-lost member of Good Neighbor, he fits into the Beck/Kyle bizzarro world very well. I've heard people say he reminds them a little of John Mulaney, and I definitely see it--I could definitely see John in that same role in the sea shanty sketch.

I think my biggest issue with the writing is that it just seems so dated and out of touch. "Simp" is not just a hashtag, it's full-on slang, and it's not "new" --people have been using it for at least a year, which is like 10 years in internet time. And I thought Heidi did well with the Freddy Krueger bit, it felt like a very rudimentary sketch bit that you might see at Groundlings or UCB, but the most recent NOES film came out almost 11 years ago. It just felt very anachronistic--at the very least it would have made more sense to save it for an October episode when people were more likely to have Freddy on the brain.

This is also the second week in a row that they've sorta kinda defended Gina Carano? Look, I'm no fan of Disney as a corporation and definitely don't think they've earned any moral highground, but the woman is trash. Was she supposed to host later this season or something? What are we doing here?

[HC87]

Per usual, my take on a show is counter to the majority here. In general, I just found much of the show silly, too many "musical" skits etc....I'm a cranky, old bahhstid, I know lol.  Heidi Gardner could read the telephone book (ask your parents or grandparents) and I'd die laughing.

[Pete Martell]

2 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

This is also the second week in a row that they've sorta kinda defended Gina Carano? Look, I'm no fan of Disney as a corporation and definitely don't think they've earned any moral highground, but the woman is trash. Was she supposed to host later this season or something? What are we doing here?

I think some people see her as unfairly punished for social media posts. I don't agree, but I'm not surprised at the ambiguity. 

I also felt like that role was half-written in order to get Cecily into the episode. Cecily is one of my favorite cast members and I appreciate that she has seemingly been happy to step back in this (presumably) final season for her, but both her roles tonight felt like they were thrown in at the last minute.

[helenamonster]

2 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I think some people see her as unfairly punished for social media posts. I don't agree, but I'm not surprised at the ambiguity. 

I also felt like that role was half-written in order to get Cecily into the episode. Cecily is one of my favorite cast members and I appreciate that she has seemingly been happy to step back in this (presumably) final season for her, but both her roles tonight felt like they were thrown in at the last minute.

And I thought Cecily was a great choice for the casting, just felt weird to bring it all up again a week later when nobody was really talking about it anymore, even if it did fit into the theme of the sketch. Also, this show has fired people for their off-color social media behavior before, though not everybody (looking at you, Michael and Melissa).

It's also not lost on me that the head writer is married to somebody who has made the bulk of her net-worth through her work with Disney. So the jabs at Disney in particular and not the "woke cancel culture mob" or w/e feels very pointed and has me wondering what may have gone down there.

[Peace 47]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

Yes Pete was MVP for sure.  His Jack Skellington dancing!  
 

@Peace 47 what is your avatar?  A ball and a rusty chair?

It’s a screen shot from the pilot of the circa 2001 TV show Alias (with Jennifer Garner), and it’s a red ball suspended in midair by some kind of unspecified metal device.  My screen name is from that show, too.  I’m always at the cutting edge of cultural relevance, lol.

I didn’t know Bad Bunny until he did a cameo in Kenan’s at-home “Big Papi” sketch last year.  I really enjoyed his second song, Te Deseo lo Mejor.

[VCRTracking]

The Heidi Gardner WU bit reminds me of the time I saw this Rolling Stone cover with Timothy Hutton from 1982, two years before the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie came out:

As for Gina Carano I'm not sorry she won't have her own show because frankly she's a terrible actress. I know there's been bad acting in Star Wars before but I attribute it to horribly clunky Lucas dialogue. Carano was given lines an actual person would say and she still whiffed it!

[Pete Martell]

The men of SNL must have killer gams if they had to bring in Andrew Dismukes, whose legs looked pretty good, for that chicken legs sketch. Considering we saw his legs again in a later sketch, someone on staff must just be a fan...

My mindset with SNL is to hope they get one or two good pieces a night, that the host (if they’re good enough) gets at least one chance to shine, and nothing too awful is on. This episode managed to surpass my expectations, as, while nothing fantastic came on, the whole night had a good energy (the audience probably helped but even the pre-tapes felt less flabby), the cast we saw were collectively strong, and the sketches mostly had a different type of flair, even if they still had the clunky execution problems of modern SNL.

My favorite of the night was the grace sketch. It is exceedingly rare for SNL to get these slice-of-life pieces on in the last 20+ years. This one was written by Bryan Tucker and Gary Richardson; I think they (along with Sam Jay) had some involvement in the wonderful cha cha slide sketch from John Mulaney’s second episode. This had a similar feel, in that it was willing to have positive, warm moments instead of trying to be edgy. At the end of this sketch I assumed we’d get the usual - someone would make a racist comment to end with a fight, or they’d have a crude sex joke as a bad punch line - so I was thrilled when, no, it was allowed to end with the two families bonding and the comedy was left to Beck Bennett’s fabulous, and long-underused, athletic comedic abilities. I know this was not flawless by any means, but I miss these types of sketches on the show and I wish we could get them more often.

Beck’s had a good season - one of his strongest in years - but this may end up being his best episode in a long time, between the above, the unexpected return of his fun old dopey pre-tapes with Kyle (I think this was the first one that made it into a live episode in about 3 seasons), this one a homage to the dark side of Lazy Sunday with Andrew Dismukes ably making for a perfect third (and as I have a feeling this is the last season for Beck and Kyle, it doubled as a passing of the torch to Andrew). I also liked the interview pre-tape, which with a few tweaks could have easily gone to Will Ferrell or Will Forte in past years. I had to watch this a few times to connect to it more, but I enjoyed the escalating nonsensical elements, notes being passed, and some of the coarse jokes peppered in (like “Mrs. Maxwell”). Bowen, who has spent most of the season proving over and over how off-base the criticisms of him being a one-trick pony were, was just right as the frenzied, dizzy assistant who was the only dose of normality. It always feels so tired to me when people (or even the show) just paint Beck as the guy who plays an idiot, or who is interchangeable with Alex, but much of the time SNL doesn’t exactly work to prove them wrong. Lately, they have, and Beck is showing just how many talents he has to offer. Just the dancing alone was such a shot of life that so many sleepy episodes could have used.

Pete also had a great night - maybe his best night ever on the show. He was a strong backup to Ego in the Loco pre-tape, had a decent turn on Update (the best part being his gently needling back-and-forth with Jost, usually my favorite part of his commentaries), and a real strength in the goofy weirdo sketches like Mr. Chicken Legs and the crass set decorators (these also worked due to Mikey Day bringing some offbeat work - Mikey seems to be trying more and more character pieces alongside “Mikey reacts!” and I’m happy about that).   The big moment was his Andrew Cuomo impression. I’m not going to talk about whether SNL was too soft on Cuomo or if the nursing home deaths should even be part of a comedy sketch, and just focus on Pete’s impression, which was so lived in and managed to channel a lot of the imperiousness and barely controlled anger of the man. Aidy’s Ted Cruz impression was an easier watch this time around because she actually had some good comic bits here and there, but there’s a difference in just playing the role and inhabiting it, and Pete inhabited it. I tend to want Pete to go after this season because I don’t think he can top what he’s been doing, but I’m mostly just glad he seems healthy, happy, and enjoying his time on the show now after years of clearly not doing so.

Aidy, Kate, and Cecily took more of a step back this week, which didn’t do much to help Melissa, Lauren or Punkie, but did give Ego a real chance to show just how much screen presence and weight she brings (the Loco pre-tape has been done so many times but she made it feel fresh), and gave Chloe her first chance to bring her abilities to turn pop culture into killer impression work into the live parts of the episode. I hope they won’t overdo it, but that Britney impression is such a good mix of the strength and fragility of Britney, poking a bit of fun at her without ever seeming cruel. Heidi, who like Melissa tends to suffer a bit from joining too early to when Aidy, Kate and Cecily were still dominating, at least had an interesting Update piece. To be honest the piece felt very Kate-ish at first, but Heidi slowly began to bring her own voice, and had some good lines (my favorite was when she said she wants to be a part of children’s dreams). Che was good with Heidi, as he always is. I appreciate that she’s been trying a lot of new things at the Update desk this season - some work, some don’t, but you never know until you try.

The most forgettable sketch of the night for me was the talk show sketch but that did at least give me a dumb laugh with Kenan’s Ice Cube saying the British version of ice cubes are “coldie squares.” And it’s always nice to see Alex Moffat’s Hugh Grant pop up.

After all the years of Timberlake love on SNL, I never thought they'd let a dig about him go through. I guess his relationship with the show is probably a distant part of the past now anyway. Reminds me of when SNL turned against Rudy (I'm not comparing them otherwise).

I’ve seen some criticism of this episode for trying too hard to appeal to a younger group, especially with the Driver’s License sketch (and to a lesser degree the tiktok mention on the Sea Shanty sketch). I can’t argue with that (I’m too old or out of touch to understand anything they were talking about in the former), but, awkward pander or not, I didn’t mind as much because those two sketches were at least large ensemble pieces which were actually treated as an ensemble, rather than “oh (1 or 2 cast members) are doing something crazy and everyone else reacts!!!” The show has a lot of problems with getting sketches to seem less creaky, with overexplaining, etc. so I was just glad that I at least got to see more people than usual working through these.

I thought Rege blended in well with the cast and was very likeable and charismatic. If he ever wants to host again (not that his career seems to need it based on the audience reaction tonight), he certainly has shown he’d be worth a repeat performance.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Pete Martell

[Lambie]

Pete was awesome this week. He seemed like he was having fun. I remember an interview (Howard, I think?) where he said he wasn't an actor or a skit comic. He always shines when he is though! He cracks himself up on WU but he always gets his skit lines out. His creepy commitment to the "IC" character was hilarious. And he is PERFECT Andrew Cuomo, not just because he did a good impression but for his love/hate relationship with NYC/NY. 

[Pete Martell]

Nice to see Regina King kept Dan Levy's tradition going. I guess if Rene leaves one for Nick Jonas that will be the end due to the upcoming break, but I hope it continues somehow.

 

[Milburn Stone]

On 2/19/2021 at 5:35 PM, ahisma said:

Hoping for at least Bridgerton/Jane Austen/rom-com parody and Black Jeopardy. They likely can’t resist doing a questionable regionable American accent—that’s an SNL staple. 

Will be watching tonight, but they never pass by a chance for the "hilarity" of two dudes kissing. Maybe this time? Dare I hope?

[BC4ME]

Look at my boy Pete up there doing voices not his own and playing characters in a bunch of skits. I was so happy to see this. So many good performances but I see Cecily as a female Phil Hartman on SNL, who I just loved. I'll be sad to see her leave.

And RJP, oh my. Great job!

It was great to see everybody looking like they were having fun.

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, ahisma said:

RJP continues to be pretty AF, but what stood out to me was his acting. He naturally inhabited each role rather than being “I’m in a skit where I’m ___!” For example, hosting the Mr. Chicken Legs pageant, you just felt immediately in media res with this poor guy whose co-host has done absolutely nothing all night. 

He really gave it his all.  In the pirate sketch I mean my goodness.  He leads the entire sketch and he had to do acting, comedy, singing, and dancing.  I'm gushing at this point, but I'm blown away.  We've watched so many hosts flail out there.  

3 hours ago, laugard said:

I was glad to see SNL featuring two artists who are both extremely popular and well known whose albums are primarily non-English. I like when SNL considers a wider genre of music or audience, even if the artists themselves aren't appealing to me (looking at you, Morgan Wallen).

I agree.  I also love how they put Bad Bunny in some sketches and I thought he did really well.  They didn't force him to learn the lyrics for the pirate sketch but he was HILARIOUS as the plant ("Mentally, mentally, mentally ill") and he did great with the lines he was given!  

I also love that there have been two Black hosts during Black History Month.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, HC87 said:

Heidi Gardner could read the telephone book (ask your parents or grandparents) and I'd die laughing.

Ouch. But, okay, fair. 

[dubbel zout]

Ugh, all the audience shrieking was so annoying. All the slobbering was gross. Yes, Regé-Jean Page is exceptionally good-looking. 

That said, R-JP was delightful. Very game and relaxed.

[Ms Blue Jay]

7 hours ago, kirinan said:

Thank you for posting these, Ms Blue Jay. I’m not sure why, but my cable company went dark on these cards every single commercial. It’s the first time that’s ever happened, and it made the transitions really awkward. Plus, come ON—out of all the weeks to mess this up! 

I'm not happy with your cable provider right now!!!  

 

[laugard]

2 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

My favorite of the night was the grace sketch. It is exceedingly rare for SNL to get these slice-of-life pieces on in the last 20+ years. This one was written by Bryan Tucker and Gary Richardson; I think they (along with Sam Jay) had some involvement in the wonderful cha cha slide sketch from John Mulaney’s second episode. This had a similar feel, in that it was willing to have positive, warm moments instead of trying to be edgy. At the end of this sketch I assumed we’d get the usual - someone would make a racist comment to end with a fight, or they’d have a crude sex joke as a bad punch line - so I was thrilled when, no, it was allowed to end with the two families bonding and the comedy was left to Beck Bennett’s fabulous, and long-underused, athletic comedic abilities. I know this was not flawless by any means, but I miss these types of sketches on the show and I wish we could get them more often.

Ah, I did think of the cha cha cha sketch, especially when they pulled out the fans lol. I love that one and think it's perhaps under appreciated or somewhat overlooked due to the splashier Broadway sketches John Mulaney has done. But it makes sense if they share some of the same writers as they both had fun "from the culture" moments, but warm ones too. I also thought the sketch might end with an offensive remark or take a mocking tone, and was so pleased it didn't. In addition to Beck's dancing, Chris and Rege-Jean jumping in to join him at the end was great.

Watching Andrew Dismukes more reminds me of what I thought during The Teacher sketch—some of his mannerisms and way of speaking reminds me of a cross between John Mulaney and Andy Samberg. I'm don't think I've seen anything yet where he's really leading the skit, but I'm glad he's getting more opportunities (or writing them for himself).

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by laugard

[lovinbob]

2 hours ago, Lambie said:

Pete was awesome this week. He seemed like he was having fun. I remember an interview (Howard, I think?) where he said he wasn't an actor or a skit comic. He always shines when he is though! 

 

1 hour ago, BC4ME said:

Look at my boy Pete up there doing voices not his own and playing characters in a bunch of skits. I was so happy to see this. So many good performances but I see Cecily as a female Phil Hartman on SNL, who I just loved. I'll be sad to see her leave.

And RJP, oh my. Great job!

It was great to see everybody looking like they were having fun.

Agree wholeheartedly with these posts. I've never been the biggest Pete fan, but I love his gameness for whatever they throw at him. His silly Jack Skellington was delightful, as was Cuomo. 

Chloe nailed Daphne Bridgerton. There's not necessarily a lot to parody but she got the vocal mannerisms per-fect. 

RJP did not disappoint. Versatile, relaxed, poked fun at himself and elevated everything he was in. So interesting that prior to this, we've had three amazing hosts in a row, and while each was great in their own way, the material let them down IMO. The material here rose to the occasion and RJP ran with it.

That said, I am as much a fangirl as anyone (cackled at Ego and Aidy naming the timecodes on episodes 5 and 6, because seriously, I have rewatched them endlessly) but the audience screaming was a bit much. Kudos to RJP for not letting it throw him off.

Was Melissa in anything last night? She tweeted this a bit before the show aired and I was sad for her. 

[Jody]

3 hours ago, BC4ME said:

Look at my boy Pete up there doing voices not his own and playing characters in a bunch of skits. I was so happy to see this. So many good performances but I see Cecily as a female Phil Hartman on SNL, who I just loved. I'll be sad to see her leave.

And RJP, oh my. Great job!

It was great to see everybody looking like they were having fun.

 

          What about Cecily Being Like Another Jan Hooks ? I Feel Like Phil Hartman And Jan Hooks Are A Lot Alike And OF Course Cecily AND Jan Are Both Women ! !

[Ottis]

10 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

They've been hearing those comments all season and didn't bring anyone in, so I think it's more down to the host. I had read about how much some people love Bridgerton - clearly they weren't kidding. You can't pay people to hoot and holler as believably as they did.

Only issue with that is, they didn’t only do that for the host. They did that for Pete Davidson, and other random cast members. I think only male cast members. I’m sticking with my young teen women theory.

EDIT: Another proof point, the audience didn’t seem to get many of the more clever WU jokes. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Ottis

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

  I also love how they put Bad Bunny in some sketches and I thought he did really well.  They didn't force him to learn the lyrics for the pirate sketch but he was HILARIOUS as the plant ("Mentally, mentally, mentally ill") and he did great with the lines he was given!  

Ah! I had no idea who that was or why he got such a big audience reaction to his entrance. And then the reaction to Kate seemed unnecessarily big as well, so I felt very confused. 

I thought the boat set looked very much like the one they had for Peter Pan Live a few years ago. 

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Pete also had a great night - maybe his best night ever on the show.…
…The big moment was his Andrew Cuomo impression. I’m not going to talk about whether SNL was too soft on Cuomo or if the nursing home deaths should even be part of a comedy sketch, and just focus on Pete’s impression, which was so lived in and managed to channel a lot of the imperiousness and barely controlled anger of the man. Aidy’s Ted Cruz impression was an easier watch this time around because she actually had some good comic bits here and there, but there’s a difference in just playing the role and inhabiting it, and Pete inhabited it.

I wonder if part of Pete “inhabiting” his Cuomo impersonation so completely was a bit of type casting —an angry sad sack with a bit of a New Yawk accent?  
Time will tell —if Pete continues to do as well with different types.
Conversely, I have to assume that Aidy’s personality does not in any way mirror that of Cancún Cruz. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

thought Rege blended in well with the cast and was very likeable and charismatic

I did watch Bridgerton (old Jane Austen fan) and found Regé Jean Page to be less physically attractive than his persona made him appear. 
For that matter, I’ve observed violent criminals, chronically homeless men, and mentally deficient men who were physically more perfect and beautifully proportioned than Regé Jean Page.
But somehow RJP manages to project an aura of attractiveness that is nearly impossible to turn away from. 
 

 

1 hour ago, lovinbob said:

Chloe nailed Daphne Bridgerton. There's not necessarily a lot to parody but she got the vocal mannerisms per-fect. 

Totally agree that Chloe nailed Daphne Bridgerton. Her Brittany wasn’t so on the nose—more parody —but that was an appropriate and wise choice. 
 

I fell asleep for part of the show (during the long commercial) but I’ll probably try to catch the bits I missed since most of what I saw was superior to recent episodes. 
 

I think I would have enjoyed the duet with Bad Bunny and Rosalia if they could have had subtitles. I wonder if it was supposed to be Bridgerton themed. It kind of had that vibe. 

[meep.meep]

27 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I thought the boat set looked very much like the one they had for Peter Pan Live a few years ago. 

I was hoping for a new episode of the Raging Queen.  Yes, I am old.

Great show all around.  Except the terrible sound quality on Bad Bunny.  Why would anyone want to go on the show and sound like shit?  They are supposed to be professionals at getting this done.  He didn't bring a 20 piece orchestra or anything hard.  If the Graham Norton show can handle it, SNL should be able to.

[ljenkins782]

I don't watch Bridgerton so I never heard of RJP before this. He looks like the lovechild of Jesse Williams and Zac Efron. 

My favorites were the Ego/Pete song sketch, the driver's license sketch, and the job interview one. Beck Bennett nailed the douchebag "edgy" ad agency guy, I've had interviews with people just like that. The little hand motions on "mixed martial" as he was describing how their agency was so unique were just spot on.

Is it usually the same writers who write the song sketches? I always feel like there are some genius lines buried in the songs and wonder who is coming up with them.