S46.E20: Anya Taylor-Joy / Lil Nas X

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Season finale with host Anya Taylor-Joy and musical guest Lil Nas X.

Airing Saturday, May 22, 2021.

[vb68]

Happy season finale everyone!

It's been a blast hanging with all of you again this season!

[ebk57]

Wow... that was lovely.  I may be tearing up a little.  Just a little... 

[vb68]

It's wonderful to hear that full crowd.

[Liamsmom617]

I’m loving this episode so far. The cold open was giving me all the feels.

WU is slaying!! And holy shite, Judge Jeannine Pirro is back!!

Edited May 23, 2021 by Liamsmom617

[ebk57]

I need Helen Keller Barbie.

And I don't think I've laughed as hard as I just did at Update.  And then got so sad to see Charles Grodin... 

[Dejana]

Lil Nas X tweeting during the show:

 

 

[vb68]

That felt like it could had been a goodbye from Cecily. That was epic and awesome.

[Macbeth]

5 minutes ago, Liamsmom617 said:

WU is slaying!! And holy shite, Judge Jeannine Pirro is back!!

Thant was amazing.  And afterwards they had a nice tribute to Charles Grodin.

[Ms Blue Jay]

19 minutes ago, Dejana said:

Lil Nas X tweeting during the show:

 

 

He improvised.

The sketches in the first half are just dreadful except for the Pride sketch.

What were they thinking with the sketch about the father who shot off his own dick?  I had to fast forward that.

I can't believe this is the material they have for the last show of the year.

None of it so far besides the Pride sketch is even relevant to anything current at all.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Lark]

27 minutes ago, Liamsmom617 said:

WU is slaying!! And holy shite, Judge Jeannine Pirro is back!!

 

19 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

And I don't think I've laughed as hard as I just did at Update.

I laughed so hard I almost lost a lung! That was soooo funny. Not so much the racist jokes or the song, but Colin's reactions! Michael's, too, but mostly Colin.  Well, the wine slinging was hysterical, too. I really needed that laugh.

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Season Finale time! I like when all the cast is together, and everyone was so great and candid about what a weird year this was. They should do these kind of sketches more often. Even Chris Rock showed up, and yeah, he opened the season and that felt like forever ago! And yeah, Elon as Wario was somehow the only highlight of the season.

Monologue: Right out of the gate, Anya Taylor-Joy was lovely. Seeing the cue cards and cast members as chess pieces & the board was a great visual (Kenan's face once again being the highlight)

Hollywood Squares: Wow, a Tom Bergeron impression! It's a game show AND a good way to get a bunch of celebrity impressions in one sketch. I noticed Bill Cosby and Kevin Spacey as squares, and wondered what they were gonna do with that. I LOVE that everyone problematic was cut out. Even Jared Fogle AND Jeff Dumham (was he even active in 1998?!) 

Prom Picture: I just gotta wonder how many times they've seen dads blow their dicks off when taking a "holding a gun up to my daughter's boyfriend" prom picture? Love that it just kept going on. Beck was just perfect as these clueless dads.

Human Man: I honestly expected better from the premise of focus testing the creation of the Human Man. I liked Zelda, and Chris Redd being behind all the awkward designs. Other than that, the sketch was a pretty big dud.

It's Pride Again: This was fun. Yeah, we straights are the worst. Loved seeing Lil Nas X here.

Celtic Woman: Finally, they're taken down a peg! Everything was so dead on about this group. It's totally "The Lion King for Karens."

Here's one of their videos (complete with manic violinist) 

WU: It's the season finale, Colin and Che gave zero fucks this week. Pete's bit was great. He totally took Colin's credit card. And oh my god, the joke swap was great this time. Colin (of course) was made to say lots of racist Superman jokes, while Che was made to say "Back the Blue."

And holy crap, Jeannie Pirro had to follow THAT?! Cecily is totally leaving, isn't she? That was a hell of a sendoff, she had masterful timing when she tossed all the wine at Colin at the end. I haven't laughed that hard at Update in a while.

Bra Barn: "No one has ever had a sexual feeling in this store." This was fun, I really love the accents. Enid and Astrid reminded me of my mom's friends I knew growing up.

Roommates in The City: This was every cringey question I've heard at panel Q&As. "You're a black cast member. Explain race." "You're girl gay, so no wear dress?" Oof. I'm pretty sure the cast have gotten all of those questions at some point in their careers, they sounded too specific to not be autobiographical.

The Movies: This was all an excuse for Beck to play Vin Diesel describing movie theaters and I'm here for it. I DO miss all the weirdly specific details about movie theaters, like that second concession stand that's never used.

This was the first episode all year with a full audience, and boy could you tell. If there was ever a show for the crowd to be full, it was this one. That's the energy this show's been missing. They went absolutely NUTS for Lil Nas X. And everything else, for that matter. It really made a difference elevating even the weaker material. Anya Taylor-Joy was a great host, I had no idea she was great at accents, and she didn't break or look at cue cards at all or anything!

Well, that's a wrap on the season, see you all in the fall!

[Irlandesa]

That opening was brilliant.  Having them start with Aidy, Cecily, Kenan and Kate made me think that they're leaving this year instead of last year.  But then Kenan left the stage and was in a different group.

Aidy was in pretty much every sketch tonight which backed up my thoughts that she's leaving.  Cecil's Jeanine Pirro grand finale also felt like a big goodbye.  But Kate and Kenan were relatively quiet.  I still think Kate is leaving.  I think Kenan might be back for part of the year after he finishes the second season of his sitcom.

But boy, Pete's bit on WU where he thanked everyone for letting him grow up with them also felt like a goodbye.  And technically, Colin mentioned something about this being their last WU.  We can assume he meant for the season but perhaps not.

I laughed at a lot of skits tonight. A lot were silly and fun. 

Too bad Lil Nas X ripped his pants.  I was looking forward to his routine and was surprised it was so short and then he just stood there holding his pants.  I wondered if there was some sort of wardrobe malfunction.  I saw Twitter suspect it as well and I'm glad he confirmed it.

[Melina22]

3 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

That was a hell of a sendoff, she had masterful timing when she tossed all the wine at Colin at the end. I haven't laughed that hard at Update in a while.

By the end of WU I was crying from laughing so hard. I don't think too many could have carried off the timing and physical comedy involved in this sketch. She literally immersed her whole body in a tank of "wine" without missing a note. And Colin was completely soaked. Wonder how many times they rehearsed? Hilarious, and the perfect followup to Colin and Michael's jokes. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Colin and Michael were amazing on update, and Pete was great too.  

Ok, I'm finally liking a sketch besides the Pride song.  I don't even know what this is about, did I miss an intro?  LOL. It's the sketch where they question a bunch of stars of some hot TV show and Pete is the star.  Anything that gives Bowen a chance to shine is usually good.  And this sketch feels really relevant and today.

Aidy:  Max?  Playstation?

Pete:  Play-station.

LOL for Max they're not even questions!  They're just random words!  Frisbees or dogs?  LOL.  What kind of choice

Edited May 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[ebk57]

Couple of dud sketches, but most of them hit.  Anya Taylor-Joy was really charming and down for anything.  It was weird though that while she was in most of the sketches, she blended in so well it was almost like she either wasn't there, or part of the regular cast.  Which is good, I guess.  

I was thinking during Judge Jeanine that she was going to run out of wine to toss before it was over.  Shoulda known they thought of that 😄

 

Thanks @Galileo908for another stellar season.  Your recaps are much appreciated. 

Have a great summer everyone!  

[vb68]

Pretty good season finale. There was indeed more energy than they have had in a year, and everyone seemed looser. You could also feel how happy and relieved everyone was that the season is over.

Cecily and Pete hinted at goodbye. Not sure about anyone else. I don't think Lorne will let Kate leave without showering her with praise.

I love that fricking Morgan Wallen got dragged multiple times. It was ridiculous that he was booked a second time.

Edited May 23, 2021 by vb68

[kib]

Cracking good season finale.  Firing on all cylinders from start to end, with the exception of the overlong NYC Film School Q&A skit.  Taylor-Joy quickly got in the spirit of things and the entire cast seemed jacked up to end things with a bang.  I have to admit, while there's no good reason I cracked up it as much as I did, for some reason the Celtic Woman honoring songs the audience wanted to hear, Sweet Home Alabama !!!, just brought back a goofiness that's been lacking.  Same with Prom Picture and Hollywood Squares (which I would have been fine with had they gone even darker with it since they tackled it in the first place anyway) Just lots of good energy flowing tonight.

 

[JeanJean]

55 minutes ago, Liamsmom617 said:

WU is slaying!! 

I absolutely LOVE when Michael and Colin write each other's jokes!!!! Sad to see Cecily going - she's been my favorite of this run of players. And she's so multitalented - everyone on the show can carry a tune, but she seems to have real Broadway musical chops. Is Pete leaving, too? I teared up when he thanked the audience for letting him grow up in front of us.

[kib]

14 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

By the end of WU I was crying from laughing so hard. I don't think too many could have carried off the timing and physical comedy involved in this sketch. She literally immersed her whole body in a tank of "wine" without missing a note. And Colin was completely soaked. Wonder how many times they rehearsed? Hilarious, and the perfect followup to Colin and Michael's jokes. 

Come to think of it, the timing and physical in that bit was right up there with Lucille Ball.  Maybe Cecily's best work.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Fake Vin Diesel is actually making me miss the movies.

Have you ever seen a movie?  It's amazing.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Galileo908]

Just now, Ms Blue Jay said:

Fake Vin Diesel is actually making me miss the movies.

You know a sketch has great delivery and timing when I can't stop saying "the moooooviees" like he does.

[Ms Blue Jay]

15 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

You know a sketch has great delivery and timing when I can't stop saying "the moooooviees" like he does.

A hand dryer that's louder than a freight train.  That's.   The mooooovies.

15 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

The Movies: This was all an excuse for Beck to play Vin Diesel describing movie theaters and I'm here for it. I DO miss all the weirdly specific details about movie theaters, like that second concession stand that's never used.

I used to manage at a theatre.  It was so ridiculous that we even had it.  I think we were told to open it like twice a year or something.  Hahah.  As Vin Diesel said, "It's been a while" so I don't really remember.

He should have mentioned a theatre being too hot or too cold.  I dealt with those complaints constantly.  It's so hard to get the temperature of a large room just right and I think that the building the theatre was in was more than 30 or 40 years old so that was a major thing.

Lil Nas X is soooooooooooo tall.  I've been following him on SM for years and I had no idea.  Oh wait, he's also wearing heeled boots.

[Arkay]

I can’t tell if Pete was signaling that he’s leaving or not, but I was really relieved to see him looking so well. Two years or so ago, he may have been unable to keep it together a week after Ariana got married secretly. He looked good, he sounded good, he was funny, he was THERE. I felt it when he said he was happy that he was here and that he’d grown up in front of us. Whether he leaves SNL or not,  it’s good to see him doing well.

I do think Cecily singing “My Way” sounded like her farewell song.

Colin Jost’s reactions to the end-of-season joke swaps were hysterical. 
 

I think only Andrew Dismukes really stood out of all the new cast members. 

[Gemma Violet]

I think this was one of the best episodes of the entire season.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Traveller519]

The phrase MadCap comes to mind. 

But.... I kind of love it? 

It seemed like everyone was having A LOT of fun.

[SHD]

Maybe SNL should just be 90 ministers of Colin and Che reading jokes each other wrote.

Before they started cutting to all the groups in the cold open, I thought the four who started were doing that bit because they were all leaving after this season.

He’s probably not up for it yet, but I wish John Mulaney had been the season finale’s host.

[Pete Martell]

2 hours ago, SHD said:

Maybe SNL should just be 90 ministers of Colin and Che reading jokes each other wrote.

Before they started cutting to all the groups in the cold open, I thought the four who started were doing that bit because they were all leaving after this season.

He’s probably not up for it yet, but I wish John Mulaney had been the season finale’s host.

He hosted in October and they haven't had someone host twice in a season since the early '80s, but I did wonder if he was going to have a cameo.

Promo for this week:

Cut sketch:

I can see why it was cut but I did enjoy some parts - mainly when Kate said she dreamt of seeing her mother and Elon Musk hosting the show (I didn't think they would joking about him hosting so fast). Beck as Mr. Bean also made me laugh.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Pete Martell

[Ottis]

I hope the comment about needing a break until “maybe Thanksgiving” was a joke. Didn’t they just have 3-4 weeks off, along with another couple of weeks with no show somewhere in there, not to mention the long holiday break.

I have never heard of this host, though I have heard of her show (haven’t watched it… someone playing chess?). She has an almost anime face, with huge eyes. 

Not sure what to take away from Hollywood Squares, aside from you shouldn’t erase history.

Didn’t get the humor of the prom pic. Kind of tired of the “stupid dad” trope.

And followed by more “dumb males” humor making human male.

Oh, and now a gay male stupid behavior song.

Not familiar with Celtic performances. Maybe because I’m Scottish. “Sweet Home Alabama” did make me chuckle.

Hahahaha, Guiliani’s kid joke, Gary Busey, loved that. First big laugh of the night.

The Boom thing writes itself.

Damn if the funniest part of this show isn’t the un-PC jokes Che and Jost give each other. It’s nice when we relax and laugh because we realize it’s just words.

Cecily went for it in WU, wow.

Bra skit… just hit me that this host is nailing everything. Maybe I’ll watch her show.

I think Beck would be better as the Russian gangster guy on Barry than Vin Diesel.

 

 

[Pete Martell]

21 minutes ago, Ottis said:

I hope the comment about needing a break until “maybe Thanksgiving” was a joke. Didn’t they just have 3-4 weeks off, along with another couple of weeks with no show somewhere in there, not to mention the long holiday break.

I have never heard of this host, though I have heard of her show (haven’t watched it… someone playing chess?). She has an almost anime face, with huge eyes. 

Not sure what to take away from Hollywood Squares, aside from you shouldn’t erase history.

Didn’t get the humor of the prom pic. Kind of tired of the “stupid dad” trope.

SNL almost always premieres in late September or early October - probably just a joke. 

There are so many prom photos of fathers holding shotguns on their daughters and daughters' boyfriends - I agree with you that the dumb dad material is overdone on SNL but this one did make me laugh. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Pete Martell

[SeanC]

Cecily Strong’s “My Way” absolutely felt like an exit moment.  For all the other castmembers being rumoured to leave, especially Kenan, this would qualify as an extremely low-key sendoff were that to be the case.

ATJ blended into the cast quite naturally.

[Quickbeam]

My husband hates this show but loves WU. He laughed a lot. His favorite skit was the Bra Barn. He was almost crying he laughed so hard. Anya is so much better looking than her Gambit persona. 

[Macbeth]

9 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

 

I laughed so hard I almost lost a lung! That was soooo funny. Not so much the racist jokes or the song, but Colin's reactions! Michael's, too, but mostly Colin.  Well, the wine slinging was hysterical, too. I really needed that laugh.

And Cecily just kept slinging the wine at Colin.  🤣🤣

[ahisma]

3 hours ago, Ottis said:

She has an almost anime face, with huge eyes.

I expected them to have a sketch with her and Chloe that capitalized on them looking similar.

8 hours ago, Arkay said:

I think only Andrew Dismukes really stood out of all the new cast members. 

I think Punkie has been getting some really solid work in—I really like her. Unfortunately for Lauren she really had been the “backup Aidy.”

3 minutes ago, Macbeth said:

And Cecily just kept slinging the wine at Colin.  🤣🤣

Nailing him, even over her shoulder without looking! That really was the highlight of an overall great night.

[helenamonster]

When I saw Aidy, Kate, Cecily, and Kenan up there for the cold open, I assumed this would be their goodbye...but then I realized they're just the longest-tenured cast members, and everybody else got a chance to speak too. However, the four of them seemed the most emotional. Cecily's for sure gone, right? I can't think of a better sendoff for her than Jeanine Pirro in a tank of wine. I'll miss her--it's been really amazing to see her grow over these past few years.

Writing nitpicks--the Jared Subway commercials didn't start running until 2000, and this Hollywood Squares episode was supposed to be from '98. Also, when Heidi walks into the Brawr Barn, she says she's a 32--a 32 what??? It's possible Heidi didn't want to give her actual bra size on national television, but they had no problem pointing out that Chloe didn't need one. It was just such a distracting moment in what I otherwise thought was a funny sketch.

Anya was so charming and funny in her monologue (color me shocked, as I thought The Queen's Gambit was unbearably dull), I was surprised they didn't give her more to do. I need to stop predicting how they'll use hosts, as I'm always way off.

[cpcathy]

Fun show! I like Anya a whole bunch, she was funny and comfortable with the sketches. 
my husband actually applauded Cecily’s song.

I loved the movies sketch, I wish it had kept going with more ridiculous things but had to stop somewhere.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

I loved the movies sketch, I wish it had kept going with more ridiculous things but had to stop somewhere.

I watched this episode via YouTube and in between skits they kept playing ads for Fast & Furious 9, so it was especially hilarious to go right from actual Vin Diesel to Beck's Vin Diesel XD

Nice to see Melissa getting in another "the one person in the group who actually likes what everyone else is rolling their eyes/grossed out by" character.

[Melina22]

11 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

Fun show! I like Anya a whole bunch, she was funny and comfortable with the sketches. 
 

I thought she was amazing and her accents were fantastic. I don't even know what I expected her real accent to sound like, but it was really hard to pin down. I guess it's a unique mixture of accents based on her unusual upbringing. Even so, I wouldn't have guessed that Spanish was her mother tongue. Between her accents, acting ability and unusual yet beautiful look, she's really one-of-a-kind. Perfect for a SNL host though. 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Melina22

[Pete Martell]

I don't know anything about Anya Taylor-Joy, but I was optimistic when she was announced as the finale host, because SNL has not had a new finale host since 2007 (Zach Braff), Having a new person host means less baggage and the potential to get the cast in a more central role. Fortunately, that happened tonight, and Anya proved to be a capable host as well (she reminded me a little of Emma Stone - if Emma has wound down her hosting gigs, I could see Anya filling that void). 

SNL finales can often feel very tired, and certainly this one of any had a reason to be tired, so I was pleasantly surprised at how consistently watchable the episode was, right from the start, Some moments were better than others (a number of sketches were, as always, too long, and while they were fine, the Celtic Women/bra sketches felt like pieces Kate and Aidy have done 500 times [although if I'd seen Celtic Women I might have had a little more reaction]), but there wasn't anything I disliked, or anything that stopped the show dead. The larger audience, clearly thrilled to be there, was a big help, but the writing itself also seemed more cohesive than it usually does. 

You usually hear about Kenan's legacy on the show, or Aidy/Kate/Cecily's, so seeing them all up on the stage together was a real "moment," made even more special by the deafening applause. SNL talking about itself can be cringeworthy, but I thought they got the balance mostly right between laughter and tears, and, fortunately, some mentions of their more controversial booking choices (like Elon and Morgan Wallen) which weren't overly defensive. Chris Rock was also in much better comic form here than when he hosted (he seemed very zoned out then). It sounds pathetic, but I found the large and boisterous group "Live From New York" to be a lovely touch - a real moment in time of getting through this last year, and knowing a number of the cast likely won't be back.

Speaking of the last part, I had gone into the finale not knowing who might get a goodbye, or if an exit might be announced (Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan were the last whose exits were announced in advance). There are some cast members who might be leaving but aren't really established enough to have goodbyes, like Melissa, or Lauren. There are others where I think if they were going to leave, they would have had a big sendoff, like Kate or Kenan. So that makes me wonder about Beck, Cecily, Aidy and Pete, who all had big nights, and in Pete's and Cecily's cases, had Update moments that felt like they were saying goodbye. I'm not sure how many of these will pan out (if Beck leaves I think Kyle would leave too and he was barely in the finale), but I think the show could use the turnover, and if they are leaving, this was a good way to say adios.

Melissa did get to return to her best live sketch role (enjoying weird/strange things), but if this was her last show I wish she had gotten a little more. Ditto poor Lauren Holt, who always seems left behind by the show.

This wasn't my favorite Jost and Che joke swap, but was close - the trust and rapport between them gets better and better, even after 7 seasons. Jost leading a disbelieving Che into "Blue Lives Matter" made me laugh more than it probably should have. A part of me thinks that 7 seasons is a long and good run for an Update team and I'd rather they leave on a high, but if they want to try one more season, I can't really argue. 

Pete has done his commentary here more than a few more times, but he seemed to be enjoying himself and had some good zingers (especially the one about SNL and AIDS, and the "impregnated sandwich"). I thought he might stay one more season but that last line thanking viewers makes me pause. 

Cecily I definitely think is going, and I have ever since last season. If she is, that Pirro piece is the best goodbye she is likely to get - very much in her own style, played to the hilt. There were so many aspects of Cecily's work on SNL I cherished and are difficult to ever replace, but everyone has to go sometime, and this was the true, precious goodbye moment.

My favorite piece of the night was the pre-tape with Beck as the shotgun-toting father. The moment where Beck is begging Andrew and Heidi not to have sex that night and they keep saying, "Sure. We will," really made me laugh. Beck in this type of blubbering moment never fails to crack me up - the same happened with Undercover Office Potty. Andrew Dismukes has never seemed more confident (he wrote this, which I guess helped), and I continue to be surprised at how good Heidi Gardner is in these types of parts. 

The execution wasn't the best, but my second favorite was probably the talk show sketch. The concept of the cute white guy getting all the easy questions while the others were put in an impossible situation manages to make the point without getting too preachy (it helped that Pete played the role in such a goofy way). Very good performances from the rest of the cast too - Heidi's understated disgust and Bowen's clear disgust were the standouts (I laughed when he asked if he was allowed to hit the interviewer).

I think they could have done a little more with the Hollywood Squares sketch, but I did like the steady images of one panelist after another being 'canceled,' until finally you just had Baby Spice (and messages from her people clarifying her comments). Even though they got the date wrong on the Hollywood Squares timeline, I did like the synergy of 1998 as the last time SNL had a Hollywood Squares sketch was in 1998 (in that sketch, the set with all the celebrities crashes and they slowly die). 

I've seen criticism of the Pride pre-tape for making gay people look bad or mocking them for straight audiences. I would point out the sketch was at least co-written by gay writers and starred three gay cast members, but I do understand the complaints (and yes I understand those who just thought it was cheesy). I still enjoyed the piece, though, and I actually felt like it did not even try particularly hard in going for straight viewers - as someone who grew up with an SNL that often took great pains to remind how disgusting and freakish lgbt people were, I never thought I'd be watching a show where gay performers play gay characters arguing over whether caring about Chic Fil A policies is "neoliberal." Love or hate this piece, it's a great encapsulation of how much Bowen Yang's comic identity has pushed the show forward this season alone.

I would have trimmed a bit, but the Vin Diesel sketch was one of Beck's best live sketch performances, and one of his first live sketch showcases in years. That alone made me wonder if he is leaving. 

Going into the summer and a new season on a positive note is a breath of fresh air - I hope it's a sign of good things to come.

[AriAu]

Quote

Anya Taylor-Joy was really charming and down for anything.

And they didnt even have her do one of those World War sketches where she sends weird letters with Mikey Day which they seem to do with every female host with a British accent!

Funny episode...I was ok that it was non-topical and they had several clasically SNL over-the-top sketches like the dad shooting off his junk sketch. It wasn't Dan Ackroyd as Julia Child over-the-top funny, but it was pretty good!

If that is not farewall from Cecily, I don't know how she'll top it when she does leave. Same with Pete. And there is no way Kate leaves without a big send off......not Lorne dancing with Kristen Wiig big....but big. An needless to say there is NO WAY Kennan leaves without a HUGE tribute.

[Tachi Rocinante]

2 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Also, when Heidi walks into the Brawr Barn, she says she's a 32--a 32 what??? It's possible Heidi didn't want to give her actual bra size on national television, but they had no problem pointing out that Chloe didn't need one. It was just such a distracting moment in what I otherwise thought was a funny sketch.

That was the joke - that some women don't know what their actual size really is.

[peeayebee]

13 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

A hand dryer that's louder than a freight train.  That's.   The mooooovies.

"... louder than a choo choo train." I absolutely LOVED this sketch. At first I thought I'd have a hard time getting over Beck looking more like Dr Evil than Vin Diesel, but this was hilarious. His performance coupled with the funny yet accurate movie theatre observations just made me laugh and grin from ear to ear.

 

12 hours ago, Arkay said:

I think only Andrew Dismukes really stood out of all the new cast members. 

I don't know. I really liked that guy whose first appearance was in the Cold Open. :D

 

7 hours ago, Ottis said:

I have never heard of this host, though I have heard of her show (haven’t watched it… someone playing chess?). She has an almost anime face, with huge eyes. 

I loved The Queen's Gambit. Anya Taylor-Joy was incredible. However, it looks like I'm in the minority because I didn't like her very much here. I just didn't think she was funny.

 

7 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

There are so many prom photos of fathers holding shotguns on their daughters and daughters' boyfriends

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know, so the joke seemed very random to me.

 

3 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Also, when Heidi walks into the Brawr Barn, she says she's a 32--a 32 what???

All I know is that after Aidy "measured" her she said she was a 28Q.

I thought this was an outstanding ep. The Cold Open was perfect. It's amazing to be reminded what all has happened this past year. Loved Kenan's joke about second responders.

The sketch about the man and woman designers in heaven was so goofy but hilarious. Chris having come up with the stupidest ideas was great.

It's Pride Again and the Celtic Woman were also really good.

I squealed when Colin introduced Jeanine Pirro. As always, Cecily was on fire. So so good.

Enid & Astrid's Brawr Barn cracked me up. Aidy's accent was hilarious, and the way she spoke to Heidi and Chloe was so funny.

The NYU film school panel was good, though my suspension of disbelief was sorely tested by the idea of Pete being a heartthrob. 

And finally, the Vin Diesel sketch was a great way to end the show.

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by peeayebee

[SomeTameGazelle]

38 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

That was the joke - that some women don't know what their actual size really is.

But not knowing your bra size doesn't mean that you have no clue that there is both a number and a letter in bra sizing. It's more like you think you're a 38 B but you would be better off with a 34 D or whatever. If the joke was that Heidi was completely clueless regarding the size I would have had her say she was a "medium" or something vague. Actually I went back to check to see if the joke was Aidy cutting her off, because Heidi starting to say her size and being interrupted would also have been fine as a joke IMO -- especially since the size Aidy provided (28 Q) was for an unusually small ribcage and enormous bust. But no, Heidi confidently offered her 32 and finished her sentence without any cup information. It didn't really matter because the big joke was Aidy feeling her up and not only divining her brawr size but also a couple of other personal pieces of information.

 

3 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Also, when Heidi walks into the Brawr Barn, she says she's a 32--a 32 what??? It's possible Heidi didn't want to give her actual bra size on national television, but they had no problem pointing out that Chloe didn't need one. It was just such a distracting moment in what I otherwise thought was a funny sketch.

If Heidi was uncomfortable about it they didn't need to put the correct size in her line -- and they could have padded her band and/or cup physically if she wanted to avoid seeming to be too close to reality.

I enjoyed a lot of the reactions in the NYU film school interview sketch but I felt as if I would have enjoyed slightly more context around the type of show the cast they were interviewing was in. Maybe that was because in the introduction I think I assumed they were going to parody something related to the ballyhooed Friends reunion and then had to recalibrate my expectations in real time.

My expectations of Anya Taylor-Joy had been low because I had not liked her Emma as much as I wanted to, so I thought she was very good here. I enjoyed her getting to speak Spanish at the end of the monologue and she did well in the sketches.

I thought the prototype of Human Man was well-executed but felt very conventional for the most part. If there were any references to Adam's rib I missed them (not that it was theologically dependent on Genesis in any noticeable way, and I did enjoy Jesus dropping by).

 

 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

 I actually felt like it did not even try particularly hard in going for straight viewers - as someone who grew up with an SNL that often took great pains to remind how disgusting and freakish lgbt people were, I never thought I'd be watching a show where gay performers play gay characters arguing over whether caring about Chic Fil A policies is "neoliberal." Love or hate this piece, it's a great encapsulation of how much Bowen Yang's comic identity has pushed the show forward this season alone.

I don't think it went for straight viewers either.  Or particularly made the gay and lesbian community look "bad" any more than any skit makes the people in it look bad.  The reaction I've seen from LGBTQ+ people I follow on Twitter has been "that feels real" which is a credit to the fact that out cast members were a part of it and probably helped write it.

 

[Lifesabeach]

This was a good show, one that made me more than just smile occasionally.  I have watched SNL from the start and must admit that many of the references and jokes fly past me due to age/social differences now.  I do still enjoy the irreverence.  

I highly recommend the Queens’s Gambit.  I had to be convinced that you need not know chess to enjoy it and I very much did.  

[BC4ME]

I loved the entire WU and most of the sketches. It was a great season finale. ATJ was a good host.

I could not stop laughing at WU. IDK how Cecily managed to nail Colin behind her with an entire glass of wine over her shoulder without looking but it was awesome! It was hard to beat the segment where Colin and Che did each other's jokes but she managed it. If it was her send off -- well done.

And if that was Pete's send off, I wish him a good future. SNL has never seemed to be the proper venue for him IMO but good for Loren to be able to see that he had "that special something."

[saber5055]

This was a pretty solid episode for me, with no "seriously" bad skits. But WU was my favorite, as it always is. This week I laughed so hard at the swapped jokes. They all struck me so funny, which was something I "seriously" needed. So, thanks show.

[Fostersmom]

15 hours ago, vb68 said:

That felt like it could had been a goodbye from Cecily. That was epic and awesome.

I think it was a goodbye too. I swear she was tearing up when she was in the wine vat. 

5 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Also, when Heidi walks into the Brawr Barn, she says she's a 32--a 32 what??? It's possible Heidi didn't want to give her actual bra size on national television, but they had no problem pointing out that Chloe didn't need one. It was just such a distracting moment in what I otherwise thought was a funny sketch.

It was a set up for Aidy to feel her up. If she had gone in there saying a 32B, there would be no reason to Aidy to "measure" her. 

[Crashcourse]

I know Lil Nas X thought he was being sexy with the crotch grabbing and gyrations, but the young'un just had me laughing.  Bless his heart.

I fell asleep after WU but I didn't mind. 

[Galileo908]

15 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

You know a sketch has great delivery and timing when I can't stop saying "the moooooviees" like he does.

In what's a first for a long time, I've watched this sketch about four times now. It's that good.