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S46.E14: Nick Jonas

formerlyfreedom

By formerlyfreedom
in Saturday Night Live

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vb68

vb68

Per Colin's interview with Seth Meyers this week, Tom and Jerry are suppose to make an appearance in this episode.  (Colin said that while crossing his fingers. I'm sure it will be a technical challenge, if not nightmare.)

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Lantern7

Lantern7

I don't usually post while watching . . . but there was something funny about "CVS" being revealed to stand for "Chex Mix, Vodka and So Much Plan B" . . . . while I was eating a small bag of Chex Mix. I didn't get it from CVS, but I found it unnerving and hilarious.

5 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

So I don’t think I can watch Cinderella ever again. 

Did you feel the same about Beauty and the Beast after they had the Beast have a kid with the teacup?

15 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I feel very seen by Murder Shows.

Something I will be sharing with my mother once it's posted on YouTube.

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vb68

vb68

(edited)

A lot of singing tonight. Very musical theater-ish like Nick said was his thing in the monologue.

That Bachelor party one was really something.

I did like the twist on Cinderella.

And Aidy's Ted Cruz has grown on me.

Edited by vb68
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Ms Blue Jay

Ms Blue Jay

(edited)

I fast forwarded through that bachelor party song.  WTF?  They're really tapping into the 2021 zeitgeist with that one aren't they?  Who gives a fuck?   Omg........ Rege-Jean Page I would be ashamed for you to even see this episode........

Edited by Ms Blue Jay
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ebk57

ebk57

2 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Ok, I love watching Cecily's Marjorie Taylor Greene sneeze. That was funny.

She was great.  I also loved Keenan/Lavar tonight.  Actually, Update, on the whole, was pretty funny. 

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vb68

vb68

(edited)

And just like that,  Dionne Warwick wins best in show. I was laughing all through that. I love the recurring bits of the ongoing feud with Wendy Williams, and he return of Machine Gun Kelly. And that bird stealing its scene. 

Ego also plays her to the hilt. Best new character of the season

Nick also justified his place in the sketch.  Otherwise I'm a little surprised, but hosting wise, he's added very little. 

Edited by vb68
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Galileo908

Galileo908

Cold Open: Rudy Fauci time! Ooh, turning vaccine eligibility into a game show, with the contestants being governors. Genius. But I was expecting DeSantis as the last one and not Gretchen Whitmer. Either way, this was fun, if a little long and listless. Loved how they just HAD to shoehorn Ted Cruz's terrible excuse for standup. Of course the winner is an old guy...who has no idea how to use a computer. Somehow my parents managed to navigate NY's site to get an appointment. (Me? I'm an actual essential worker and I can't get squat...)

Monologue: I actually love that they got Kevin to show up, too. And their banter was of course fun. And yeah, we're pretty much one year since the (first) John Mulaney episode and Broadway went dark like, the next day. I had that DVR'd for months, you don't realize that Broadway made up a good third of the ads on SNL until you stop seeing them.

Workout Mirror: I was expecting another sketch like Bowen as the SoulCycle teacher, but the sketch being about a woman trapped in this weird mirror was such a great turn. Pete showing up as a demon cracked me up so much.

Murder Show: A song about how much (mostly) white women love true crime. Seriously, it took them long enough. 

Cinderella: Really, a sketch about Cinderella's stepsisters. Either the way, the prop and makeup department are definitely earning their paychecks. And then the sketch turned out to be about the mouse and it got weird. Er, weirder.

Boners: Everyone has better singing voices than I thought. Man, tonight is just horny, isn't it? This was a funny one. 

WU: Ted Cruz - the "kill" in "F, Marry, Kill" and yes, Ted Cruz bashing is way better, and I'm here for it. He's just so awful. New Jersey jokes are so easy, but so fun.

And man, when was the last time we saw Kenan as LaVar Ball? Too long. And yes, we finally get Cecily doing a bit as Majorie Taylor Greene. which was great. 

1 minute ago, Growsonwalls said:

I feel like the energy is just not here tonight. Last week;s episode had a giddy, zany energy while this one was sluggish from the start. The cold open was not a bad concept but no one sold the sketch.

It came back during Update, I'll tell you that. The crowd was crazy for it.

Viking Voyager: Kyle is me, not having anyone to ride with except a giant stuffed guy. But jokes on them, single riders get through the line faster. I love that his name was actually Robert and not Cuck. Also, this HAS to be the first time "Cuck" was said on this show, right?

Dionne Warwick Talk Show: Yay, this is back! Man, Kenan as The Weeknd was so great! As was Pete as Machine Gun Kelly. "Who the hell would I eat a sandy cake?" I was dying at this whole sketch. Too bad the Cockatoo ruined everything. It was a hot mess but in a great way. 

Flirting: You don't need to justify being in lockdown for a year, I'm always this awkward at flirting. Loved the kitten, but why was this episode out of all of them featuring animals! I could still hear the cat through the sketch, but this was lucky that it was adorable. This one was silly as hell and I really liked it.

This was a good one! But I think last week was better. We'll be back in one month for Maya Rudolph! Can't wait.

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vb68

vb68

(edited)

It was a very average show for me. I liked the Cold Open, Update, and Dionne Warwick.

I do understand the energy being low as they are finishing up a fifth show in a row.

I wasn't even sure how Nick went over with the cast. He told them he loved them during the goodbyes, and they all looked very "yeah, whatever. We're officially on break, Man." 

Edited by vb68
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MrWhyt

MrWhyt

28 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I think Nick suffered from following Rege-Jean. The show was fine, but came at the end of a long stretch and the cast seemed to phone it in a bit. Not a horrid outing but...fine.

agree, it wasn't as good as last week but better than the run of episodes before that IMO.

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Slade347

Slade347

The Murder Show song alone made this one of the better episodes of the season. I also really liked Cinderella, Dionne Warwick, Viking Voyager & the Boners clip. Weekend Update was strong tonight too. Overall, a pretty good episode heading into the break. 

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Dejana

Dejana

(edited)
6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I fast forwarded through that bachelor party song.  WTF?  They're really tapping into the 2021 zeitgeist with that one aren't they?  Who gives a fuck?   Omg........ Rege-Jean Page I would be ashamed for you to even see this episode........

One of the bigger awards contenders this year features a scenario involving a woman showing up to a bachelor party, so I wondered if the sketch would riff on that, somehow. Then I wondered how that would even work as a comedy sketch. So, I was sort of relieved that it was just a song about boners.

Loved "Murder Show" and the twist about cults. 

Glad to see The Dionne Warwick Talk Show back. Melissa has a Dua Lipa impression and didn't use it when she was a musical guest? 

 

Cut for time - Bachelor Home Makeover:

 

Edited by Dejana
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Ottis

Ottis

(edited)

“I’m a spaceman” is the dumbest song lyric I have heard maybe ever.

Cinderella was fun. They need to do one of those on every Disney classic, and how inappropriate they are when you think about it.

”Bachelor Party” captured the pointlessness if that whole activity. I’ve been to a few, and afterward, it’s always like, “Uh, what now?”

“Sience,” heh. Perfect.

“Aunt Jemima mobile,” heh.

I think the writers have missed the magic of the Dionne sketch. The joy of it the last time was she asks the obvious questions about Hollywood fakiness and silliness that we all wonder. She came close with The Weeknd but should have asked about his bandages and what he was trying to prove. Instead of being afraid of MGK she should have asked him about Megan Fox and his persona vs. his songs. Asking Jonas to show his penis was just gross for the character. 

Enjoyed this one overall. 

Edited by Ottis
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ahisma

ahisma

A lot of singing tonight, and everyone has a great voice! 

I was consistently amused throughout, and completely lost it at: “If you want to know what Trump’s speech will be like, give your grandpa cocaine.” Truth!

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

As I enjoyed last week's episode, I was hopeful about the same energy carrying over, but I was not eager about Nick Jonas, who is mostly just vacuous to me (with my strongest feelings about him amount to being annoyed at how much gaybaiting he did in interviews for his old TV show). 

There were a few pieces I disliked, but ultimately, especially considering this was the fifth of a five-episode bloc, I thought it was a good episode, particularly once we got into the post-Update half. And kudos to Nick Jonas for having Lenny Pickett join in for his second performance. The guy is an amazing talent and we get so little of the band these last 20 years.

I'm hoping we won't get another night with the big names dominating a Maya return. Her first hosting episode back in 2012 has some gems and she has done some wonderful sketch work in her cameos since. I'd like to see them tap into her abilities that go beyond making meme faces or singing (I know we will get our inevitable yas kween Kamala sketch, but at least this will answer the critics who keep wondering where the Biden impression has gone).

This week I think I'm going to go based on what I liked most to what I liked least:

COVID Last Call: My Kate McKinnon fatigue is enough to where I wouldn't have expected to put this at the top, but my problem is not really with her as much as how muggy and clumsy many of her sketches and impressions have become. This was a good use of her more restrained talents - she did almost break a few times, but it worked for the frazzled character she played. Nick Jonas was also given his best use as a handsome, smarmy guy who supported her wackiness. Kate hadn't done a Last Call since the Adam Sandler episode, and if she is leaving I would have thought she might want to try one more. In COVID times, the grossness and excessive physical contact is more of a risk, so taking the basic beats of Last Call and moving them into a much more sedate setting worked (I have no idea if that was the idea, but that's how I took it). This was also a nice way to leave an episode - with a pleasant feeling. And once again Andrew Dismukes took his chance with his Mulaney-esque line reading ("Hey, piano guy." "The name is Guy Piano.")

The pre-tapes: I don't know if SNL has ever had gender-balanced pre-tapes on the same night before, but it worked pretty well! The Murder Show short felt like a denser version of the old Do It On My Twin Bed/Back Home Ballers series Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider wrote, but didn't feel like an imitation. I like that this was less about loving those shows and more about the shows being easy background noise. This was also such a great way to use Melissa's quirkiness - loved the last bit with her about the baking shows. I thought the part with Nick dragged it down a bit - if a guy had to be brought in let's make it murder show devotee Bill Hader - but then, I don't think Bill is waiting by the phone to travel cross-country and quarantine for a cameo, and Nick is the host, so...never mind. 

Initially I thought the boner song was just desperate, the type of thing a Comedy Central or MTV sketch show from 20 years ago would have perfected, or if it was on SNL, something Will Forte or Jason Sudeikis would have powered through, but somehow it clicked in. You hear a lot of talk about how the only funny guy on SNL now is Kenan (or if you look further, Bowen or Pete), but one of the reasons I never agree with that is because so many of the guys manage to add some layers and life to what could easily be generic comedy concepts about bro-ishness. Beck and Alex Moffat (who knew he could sing like that?) dominated this one, but everyone managed to turn old "men's weekend away" tropes (like the guy who feels out of place with his lifelong pal's new friends, the guy who is so defined by his wife and kids, the guy who is just there because of his brother or brother-in-law, etc.) into laughs. If anyone ever doubts what an MVP Beck is and has been to this show, ask yourself just how many cast members could have gotten so much poignancy out of that "my dad got hard with his friends too" lyric. 

I'll throw in the cut for time piece about making over the bachelor pad (I would have put it in over the Cinderella sketch). Another deconstructing gender piece and the one that took the most deadpan approach (which is probably why it got cut)  As always these days Mikey is so much better when he is not stuck in Mikey explains/reacts mode, and Kyle manages to wring laughs out of pathetic figures even after 8 seasons (the "I got fired for telling some jokes" was one of my bigger laughs of the night). Heidi and Nick Jonas were also just right as the vapid-yet-caring hosts. 

Cuck: The absence of Mikey saying, "OH MY GOD [KYLE] WHY ARE YOU HOLDING A LIFE-SIZED DOLL OF THE GUY FROM SOUL???" for two minutes was a pleasant surprise. There was an underlying randomness and meanness in this that reminded me of something from the mid-90s (just picture David Spade or Mike Myers saying "cuck" over and over to Canteen Boy), but fortunately it was much less unpleasant and felt more like a slice-of-life piece (or the closest we tend to get now, anyway), helped by the two couples and their awkward attempts at justifying cuddling. Kyle can play these types of roles in his sleep, but I thought he was genuinely good here, and as with Kate, his breaking added to the reality of the sketch, somehow. 

Dionne Warwick: People always ask for reprisals, but then when they air, you usually get, "They just did this," type responses.  In some cases you can try different approaches, but I'm not too sure if they can make that many changes here - outside of the talk show setting, Dionne would just end up being the same type of "diva" piece that Cecily Strong has been doing for a decade (and many others did before her). I did think this was watchable, helped along by Ego Nwodim's charm and confidence (getting the seal of approval from Dionne herself probably helped). I was glad that they toned down the addled way Dionne was written the first time around. The featured players all did their best to add some life to the scraps they were given (Punkie as the niece, Lauren as the audience member, Andrew as the animal guy). The big blooper with the bird squawking through part of the dialogue and completely ruining whatever part Andrew was intended to have added some freshness to the whole thing - and kudos to Andrew for so ably working with the mistake rather than freezing up on-air. 

Mirror: This would have been higher if they had cut down (or ideally, completely cut out) the "Mikey and Chris explain and react" sections. They were very leaden and as usual, not necessary. The premise of the old woman being trapped in the mirror by a demon was a clever one, and perfectly put together by Kate (this really was her best episode of the season) and Pete. I also liked that we got an actual ending to the sketch, rather than just react, explain, react, explain, end. 

Weekend Update:  Jost and Che continue to feel like we're past their best, but it was a nice turnaround to see Che being so loose while Jost delivered some of those crass jokes (especially the double-ended one...) with a very straight face. The best of their material tonight was probably Che prodding Democrats in DC about the minimum wage bill, and the very dark "suspended with pay" joke. The commentaries ended up being a minus for me. Well, Kenan's was more of a wash, as there really is nothing left to say about LaVar Ball, but Kenan is still so easy to like and able to sell nonsense like this, and the moment where they were both breaking was a great example of the fun chemistry he and Che have together. The main complaint I have is with the Marjorie Taylor Greene segment. While I am sure Cecily is not intending to make her some figure of fun, that is still likely the end result. I am being a hypocrite because when they did the Trump brothers, I could laugh, but I feel like we're at the point where someone so vile should not be gently lampooned in a comedy show. I'm just glad that MTG is likely too wedded to her extreme (and very profitable) ways to take the gift that the show is potentially giving her. Once upon a time SNL would have had her on for a cameo so we could get some kind of queasy bipartisan message. Hopefully those days are long gone, especially after the Dan Crenshaw fiasco. 

Cold open: Initially, I rolled my eyes when I saw Kate's Fauci again, but the host role was the best use of the impression so far, and some of the CVS-related puns ("vaccine or Maxine") and observations (the bizarrely long receipts) worked for me.  This had some good ideas here and there, and good, understated impressions from Alex as Gavin Newsom (even if I still see Josh Meyers in that part), Pete as Cuomo, and Cecily as Gretchen Whitmer (nice of her to hold a Michigan beer after Whitmer complained the last time). I even appreciated getting more cast use as the patients. Unfortunately, most of these segments felt very thin - only Melissa's really worked for me, although all the performances were fine (Ego wringing laughs out of her weak material shows how she is connecting with the audience now). Mikey's old man suffered from so many coming before him and having a flat ending, but was still one of my favorite parts of the cold open just because this Mikey character (and he may have a different name, but come, on this IS Mort Fellner, Update's resident obituary reader) is one of my favorite things he does. I didn't care for the Ted Cruz appearance - I know he has been in the headlines for the last three weeks, but I feel like we are at the point where we are meant to laugh or applaud just because Aidy is showing up as Cruz, rather than because there's anything funny left to say. Again, I'm just glad the show has mostly moved away from cameos, because Cruz is publicity-hungry enough that he would probably do one. 

Monologue: This felt like 3 different monologues mashed together. I probably liked the musical portion best (when everyone was there - when they made him sing on his own I just cringed a little on his behalf), because this cast does have so many wonderful voices and it was good to see them back in this shorter format rather than the supersized Mulaney numbers. But I feel like we've gotten most of what we can out of the jokes about pandemic drinking.

Cinderella: I do get the appeal of this type of dumb gross stuff, and sometimes it works for me, but this one was another of those weird elaborate musical/fantasy pieces that dies off in a live sketch format. Glad as I was to see Melissa get more airtime, the inclusion of the ugly farting stepsisters just wore me down even more. Points to Kenan for his usual sterling ability to find laugh lines, to Chloe for so believably playing Cinderella rather than mugging, and to Aidy for somehow making her part work (it was like if Laverne and Shirley had a horny mouse friend spun off into her own show).

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cpcathy

cpcathy

I have to dissent, I really enjoyed this episode. Nick Jonas doesn’t have a huge amount of personality but he was funny and kept up with the cast. The sketches had energy and were offbeat. I kept laughing at “the guy from Soul.” Murder Show knows me too well. 
I liked this episode much better than, say, the Kristen Wiig show.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I think the Cold Open might have been my favorite sketch. I loved all the CVS jokes. My biggest complaint is how Kate plays Fauci. She plays him like she plays all her other "impressions." I wish she would try to act like the person. I think it would make the jokes land better. 

I thought the Workout Mirror sketch started pretty good, but once the introduction of Shannon Delgado being trapped in the mirror happened, the sketch didn't really go anywhere.

I'm Gonna Watch a Murder Show seemed like a retread of other song sketches they've done. I didn't think there was much there.

I didn't like the Cinderella or the Bachelor Party sketches. Too sexual. I don't always react like that. Actually, it was the Cinderella sketch that bugged me more. I had hopes that something else was going to happen, like Cinderella really does have tiny feet (although they're visible from the start). That the prince had sex with a mouse was too juvenile. The Bachelor Party sketch was more amusing because of the premise. Oddly, I couldn't understand what Nick Jonas was singing most of the time.

The amusement park ride really went nowhere. I was thinking, This is a loooong buildup. But there wasn't a punchline.

The Dionne Warwick Talk Show wasn't as fun as the previous one.

I did like the Piano Bar sketch. The silliness was a nice way to end the show.

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chediavolo

chediavolo

11 hours ago, saoirse said:

I feel very seen by Murder Shows.

I thought this was pretty funny and it was enlightening to me! What makes women of a certain age start to watch these murder mysteries, missing person, mass killing shows etc.? I think it is very interesting from a psychological point of you. What is the deal?

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helenamonster

helenamonster

Love that The Dionne Warwick Show has become a recurring segment for Ego. "Your song 'What A Man's Gotta' do, what's that about? Going downtown? He's gotta do it." I howled.

Also felt very endeared to both Andrew and Lauren with their animal moments this ep. Andrew was much calmer than I could be with that bird walking across his shoulders, and there was a quick moment where Lauren took the kitten from Kate and just looked so excited to get to hold it.

Both pre-tapes were great. "Murder Show" is a legit bop (also Nick was lowkey pulling off the Keith Raniere fit), and I thought Bachelor Party took a different angle that I haven't seen before. I remember talking to some straight guy friends about strip clubs once, and they all said they didn't see the appeal of being visibly randy in public. I don't know anybody who's actually had a stripper at their bachelor/bachelorette party, it seems like such an outdated trope that people only do because they feel they "have" to.

This episode had not just one but two of my favorite recent Cecily impressions, Whitmer and Greene. She really makes inhabiting them look so seamless, it's compelling to watch.

Overall I really enjoyed this episode and felt it was pretty strong across the board (Cinderella was probably the low point), especially being the fifth in a run. I'm not sure what the schedule is, but I'm guessing Maya's episode will kick off another run of five and that'll be it for season 46.

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

19 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

Overall I really enjoyed this episode and felt it was pretty strong across the board (Cinderella was probably the low point), especially being the fifth in a run. I'm not sure what the schedule is, but I'm guessing Maya's episode will kick off another run of five and that'll be it for season 46.

Not sure anything has been said officially but SNL Stats on Twitter said it will be a block of three, then a two-week break, then another block of three to end the season.

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cpcathy

cpcathy

36 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

I thought this was pretty funny and it was enlightening to me! What makes women of a certain age start to watch these murder mysteries, missing person, mass killing shows etc.? I think it is very interesting from a psychological point of you. What is the deal?

I, for one, have always been a ghoul—I read Helter Skelter when I was nine.

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Irlandesa

Irlandesa

12 minutes ago, Red Bridey said:

Is the song Jonas started off with a real Broadway show tune, and if so, from which play? I know certain Broadway musicals note for note, but this one, I know not.

Real song (with different lyrics, obviously.) It's the song Drink With Me from Les Miserables.  Nick Jonas was in the 25th Anniversary special shown on PBS. 

Murder Shows wasn't quite on the level of the Zillow song in making me feel seen but close.  I did love the cult show add on. 

I also liked the Bachelor Party skit. 

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driver18

driver18

(edited)
30 minutes ago, Red Bridey said:

Is the song Jonas started off with a real Broadway show tune, and if so, from which play? I know certain Broadway musicals note for note, but this one, I know not.

It's from Les Miserable, which Nick Jonas starred in on Broadway. The song is called Drink With Me.

Edited by driver18
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Robert Lynch

Robert Lynch

(edited)

I am surprised they went with Cecily Strong for MTG. I would actually thought the dark brown haired female senators would be more to her liking like Susan Collins, which Cecily did an amazing interpretation of her. Or Haley, Kristi Noem, and that Colorado one as well. I was pretty shocked they gave her MTG. Cecily is talented, but I am surprised they never gave her those parts. I know MTG is probably more in the news than the others, but I would loved to see Cecily in those parts with the other figures as well. Just my two cents.

Edited by Robert Lynch
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Ms Blue Jay

Ms Blue Jay

8 hours ago, Dejana said:

One of the bigger awards contenders this year features a scenario involving a woman showing up to a bachelor party, so I wondered if the sketch would riff on that, somehow. Then I wondered how that would even work as a comedy sketch. So, I was sort of relieved that it was just a song about boners.

I thought about that connection too.  

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

I didn't like the Cold Open.  Too soon about joking about who can get vaccinated.  

Kristen Wigg...err...Kate McKinnon playing Dr. Fauci, was an abomination.  I guess Brad Pitt wasn't available?  

This is the third time this season Kate has played Fauci. This was probably the best of the three as there was at least a purpose beyond mugging. 

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rmontro

rmontro

18 hours ago, ebk57 said:

I feel like the "old" writers came back.  Sigh... 

No fault of Nick Jonas, but I thought it was a weak show.  I did like the Dionne Warwick talk show, and the kitten, and the bird.

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