S47.E05: Kieran Culkin / Ed Sheeran

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Hosted by Kieran Culkin, with musical performance by Ed Sheeran.

Airing Saturday, November 6, 2021.

(Don't forget to turn your clocks back!)

[Trini]

 

[Pete Martell]

Kieran talks a bit about the upcoming episode and also the one he appeared on in 1991.

[Galileo908]

I'm back, folks! I'm not dead!

[formerlyfreedom]

Okay, finally we see why new guy was hired - his Trump is pretty dang good. He’s got the verbal cadence nailed.

[buttersister]

Holy crap, that cold open sucked. Good luck, Kieran!

[vb68]

How typical they got a guy who can do an excellent Trump NOW.

Why wasn't he cast four or five years ago?

[formerlyfreedom]

OMG, the Spectrum commercial really hit home and I came close to peeing my pants laughing!!

[Ms Blue Jay]

So far this episode is making me extremely happy.

I love Kieran sooooooooo much.  And Bowen as Spectrum.  It's like there's a new iconic character for him every week now.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[vb68]

The Jockey seemed like something The Lonely Island would do.

That was definitely Andy Samburg-style humor.

Edited November 7, 2021 by vb68

[formerlyfreedom]

I am really enjoying this episode, although that last taped bit made me feel super old. But then, I'm not the target demographic. I'm more the J. Smith-Cameron of the crowd...

[SomeTameGazelle]

37 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Okay, finally we see why new guy was hired - his Trump is pretty dang good. He’s got the verbal cadence nailed.

I didn't realize before that I had seen his online videos and been impressed. He never bothered with a physical resemblance, just the voice, and I remember he said people thought he was lip syncing the deranged speeches he was making (and scolded him for stealing Sarah Cooper's shtick) because the voice was so accurate. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I am really enjoying this episode, although that last taped bit made me feel super old. But then, I'm not the target demographic. I'm more the J. Smith-Cameron of the crowd...

Do you mean the Skater Jockey?  Because that was definitely very 90s!  The ska music, the hair parted in the middle, the flannel tied around his waist.  That wasn't really young/new references, they're pretty old by now.  I think I *am* the target demographic for that and even I was like what the fuck is this?  What a weird idea for a sketch!

Edited November 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[formerlyfreedom]

5 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Do you mean the Skater Jockey?  Because that was definitely very 90s!  The ska music, the hair parted in the middle, the flannel tied around his waist.  That wasn't really young/new references, they're pretty old by now.  I think I *am* the target demographic for that and even I was like what the fuck is this?  What a weird idea for a sketch!

Well, yes, it was very 90s - which made me feel old!

[freddi]

The Spectrum sketch was wonderful.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been to thread it throughout the show, giving the real-time equivalent of what those calls are like (yes, I've been on hold/transferred on a CenturyLInk cancellation for at least ninety minutes).  Then when he was transferred to Dominos, where the worker actually knew how to transfer him to "cancellations" -- perfection!  ("Oh, yeah, they do this all the time.")

Enjoy that landline.  

Edited November 7, 2021 by freddi

[Ms Blue Jay]

I thought that this episode was silly but it made me happy.  

I don't know, I felt like there wasn't enough Kieran!  There were so many guest spots and I guess they had to make time for them.  I get that he was in most of the sketches, but he's such a good actor, he can do more than (almost) always being the straight man.  

I'm sure most of us Kieran fans were hoping for Macaulay and J. Smith Cameron.  Instead, we got Dionne Warwick (!!!!!!) and Tracy Morgan!

Chris Redd is strong!  I was a bit worried for Kieran at the end there.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: OPENING WITH JUDGE JEANINE! Man, writers worked quick striking comedy gold with Pete as Aaron Rodgers. And we finally found a way to shoehorn JAJ's Trump impression. And holy crap, is it good. He completely nails his cadences, and how he always repeats himself. Honestly, impressions that good are dangerous. If JAJ was on the show as Trump before 2020, he might've gotten re-elected just so we'd have another four years of this.

Monologue: Kieran already killing it! I really like the guy. And yep, he brought up when he was on Macauley's show. Crazy that it was THIRTY years ago! Love that they showed the crazy goodnights bits.

Canceling Cable: "Oh nooooo!" This one was so on point, it was hard to tell what was exaggerated. Like transferring to Dominoes instead of Cancellations. Cable customer service is terrible. This was great. Kieran was so close to breaking, it was great. (Apparently he broke in dress rehearsal, according to someone that was there)

Heist: Ha, Chris couldn't start the car because he couldn't drive stick.

Dionne Warwick Talk Show: It's back!! "Doja Cat, is that a singer or a Pokemon?" "Kanye changed his name to Ye. Is that because of the sound people make when he leaves the room?" "Hannah Montana isn't real." "And neither is Wendy Williams." Shots fired. Was anyone expecting Pete to come out as Ed Sheeran, before he came out as Post Malone?

WAIT, IT TOOK ME A FEW SECONDS TO REALIZE THAT WAS THE REAL DIONNE WARWICK! And it was surreal. It felt rushed, as great as it was. That means this sketch is getting retired if the real thing shows up in sketch two three.

Bathroom: This was so weird and silly, with Tracy Morgan's random cameo at the end being the weird cherry on top.

"WHY AM I COMMENTING ON HIS PEE?!" Was my favorite bit.

The Jockey: Oh great, a ska throwback. This seemed like a sketch Jimmy Fallon would've been at home in, that's how much they nailed the late 90's vibe here.

WU: Always good to open with LaGuardia and Jersey jokes. Colin and Che were just giving zero fucks tonight and you love to see it. That casino joke needed a bigger response than it did.

And the "Clown Abortion" bit was a sentence I never thought I'd write. Apparently based on Cecily's own experience.

Wake Up Rhode Island: Oh my god, the Severe Storm Warning interrupting the Fall Rap was great. Cecily and Kenan are perfect as morning news hosts. Also those Boy Scouts were up real late to just have ten seconds of screentime (then again, just like Kieran all those years ago).

Please Don't Destroy: Wait, who are these guys? This was funny and a weird way to close the show. Well, this is what happens when you let JAJ ramble and have a Dionne Warwick duet. You don't have time for another sketch so you run a bit by the writers to fill the gap. Not that I minded.

All in all, fun episode! Kieran even got lifted up at the Goodnights! I was waiting for that. (EDIT: Agreed, not enough Kieran! He's great!)

Edited November 8, 2021 by Galileo908

[HC87]

That was a really solid episode overall....Kieran is a tremendous host. Lot of very funny moments overall.

[Ms Blue Jay]

How could they cut Black Succession?!   That sounds amazing!  And I can't even view those cut sketches in Canada!  I hope SNL uploads a 2 minute clip on Twitter.

 

[possibilities]

Well, it's official: I love Cecily Strong. I almost accidentally called her Cecily Tyson which-- wrong vibe, completely inappropriate, but shows I really respect her.

I don't get the appeal of guys like tonight's host. He seems like the generic dude from every bland production off every whitebread media assembly line. 

Loved the Cold Open, Cable Heist/stick, Dionne Warwick, and Wake Up RI. 

New Guy's Trump impression is shockingly good, but I still don't want to see it. Find someone who can do a Biden impression. Be relevant.

What the hell was Tracy Morgan doing there? Why does the show think it needs random cameos? The cast is twice the size it needs to be, and they still keep shipping in extra guests as filler.

 

 

 

 

 

[Galileo908]

3 minutes ago, possibilities said:

What the hell was Tracy Morgan doing there? Why does the show think it needs random cameos? The cast is twice the size it needs to be, and they still keep shipping in extra guests as filler.

As posted above, he was supposed to be in a Black Succession sketch that got cut. (MAN I hope we get to see that)

[vb68]

I really enjoyed the show. Kieran was a very good, workman-like host. I really got the impression he didn't care if he was the lead in a sketch as long as the cast got to shine.

Judge Jeanine is always a hoot. Cecily at her very best.

And I love when they show flashbacks to long ago episodes even though it just points out that I'm old.

My favorite thing tonight was the Spectrum sketch. I think we all have a real life version of that to relate to if not five or ten of them.

I also get the awkwardness of the bathroom sketch. Yeah small talk in there can be weird. I am going to have to watch that again as I couldn't understand what Tracy Morgan said when he appeared beyond he dropped a bomb.

Cecily's bit on Update did feel very raw and brave.

19 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Please Don't Destroy: Wait, who are these guys? This was funny and a weird way to close the show.

I think this is their second appearance. I know the guy with the girlfriend is Steve Higgins' son.  I swear the other guy with the red hair looks like Conan O'Brien Jr, but he isn't.

Edited November 7, 2021 by vb68

[Galileo908]

 

[vb68]

I'm happy that Kieran got lifted at the end. I knew he would.

Set your clocks back guys.

[Jody]

59 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I am really enjoying this episode, although that last taped bit made me feel super old. But then, I'm not the target demographic. I'm more the J. Smith-Cameron of the crowd...

 

         I Did NOT Like That Last Taped Bit Or Sketch What Ever ! I Did Not Recognize Any OF The Men And I Also Could Not Recognize Angie OR Who Ever The Woman Was That Came In The Apartment! I Thought They Had Gone To The Next Show After Saturday Night Live ! They Even Kept Showing Them Just Sitting There And Going Back To Commercials ! ! Finally, They Had The Credits Running And I Knew The Show Was Over ! 

[Peace 47]

18 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Canceling Cable: "Oh nooooo!" This one was so on point, it was hard to tell what was exaggerated. Like transferring to Dominoes instead of Cancellations. Cable customer service is terrible. This was great. Kieran was so close to breaking, it was great. (Apparently he broke in dress rehearsal, according to someone that was there)

What I liked about the transfer to Dominoes was that it happens so often, the Dominoes employee knew to transfer him right back, haha.  Bowen as Spectrum strongly reminded me of the South Park episode from years ago where Stan had to duel his Facebook profile to the death.  Not so much the details but just the vibe, I guess.

The monologue was so cute.  Kieran and his brother sure have been through the show business ringer (and I know they have a lot of grief over the death of their sister).  It’s remarkable Kieran apparently turned out so well.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Kieran is absolutely wonderful in the movie "Igby Goes Down" from 2002, which he starred in.  Macaulay was basically exploited and now Kieran has somewhat of an easier career.  

Edited November 7, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

...

I'm sure most of us Kieran fans were hoping for Macaulay...

I was! 😭

But yeah, this was a solid show. Dionne Warwick!!

But the last taped sketch was a dud for me; who are those people?? But besides that I wasn't impressed.

[Izzy85]

I started tearing up a bit when I caught on to what Goober the Clown was really about, 😢. Cecily's incredible, I love her.

[cambridgeguy]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

New Guy's Trump impression is shockingly good, but I still don't want to see it. Find someone who can do a Biden impression. Be relevant.

Unfortunately during election season Trump is very relevant. 

[Pete Martell]

Here is one of the cut for time pieces - Kyle on Update assuming "Let's Go Brandon" is about him. Fun, sad, very Kyle, good audience involvement too.

Tracy Morgan was a late addition to the men's rom sketch, which is why the ending of that is so odd (which is too bad because I really liked the rest). The version on Youtube cuts off right after Tracy says a few words. 

SNL Network, a Youtube account with some ties to the show, mention that the show wasn't sure how Kieran would do in the live sketches, which led to some late rewriting. You can see his nerves in the monologue, but overall I thought he did a very good job. 

Overall I thought this was a good episode, consistent and well put together. Even the cold open, which was still too long, was livened up by James Austin Johnson's Trump impression. Alec Baldwin's impression was so heavy over the last five years, the audience seemed unsure how to respond at first, but I'm glad he managed to keep going. 

I have to admit I had to rewatch Cecily's Update piece to figure out what was going on, due to all the technical errors. 

Overall I thought this was a very consistent and easy to watch episode, one with a lot of cast use and sharp writing, and SNL going back to doing some comedy based on relateable situations. The only thing that left me fully cold was probably the car heist pre-tape - I've just seen that so many times now, on SNL the last few years, even if Chris Redd did a good job. 

Other cut for time sketches and changes in sketches that did air can be found here:

 

[Spartan Girl]

The new guy did a pretty good Trump.

Yeah, the Spectrum skit definitely was the best of the night. As awesome as it was to see the real Dionne Warwick, I too was hoping for a Macauley cameo.

So Jonathan Majors hosts next week, making him the second Loki cast member to host this season. C’mon, SNL, make it three and give us Tom Hiddleston!!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[Blakeston]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't get the appeal of guys like tonight's host. He seems like the generic dude from every bland production off every whitebread media assembly line. 

I have to agree with this. He was game to do a lot of silly things, but he always just seemed like...Keiran Culkin. I would have liked to see some range from him, and I didn't.

JAJ's Trump impression was great. Unfortunately, I didn't find the actual writing for Trump funny at all. By the time he got to the second list, I was wishing they would just wrap it up already.

Speaking of great impressions - having the actual Dionne Warwick on the show really displayed just how solid Ego's impression really is.

And Cecily's bit on Update was iconic. Great episode for her.

[nickp1991]

Cecily’s Judge Jeanine impression is hilarious

[theredhead77]

I'm probably jinxing myself but I've never had an issue with Spectrum customer service. That being said, the most unbelievable part of the entire sketch was how quickly the tech showed up to install the landline. It should be 2-3 weeks with a 12 hour window every day.

The jockey sketch was hillarious as was the car heist sketch. Car theif can't drive a stick. 

I LOVE Bowen and he needs to be on my TV in everything at all times. Same with Heidi and I was so happy to see her in the car heist and am always so happy to see her play anything but "basic white lady".

[peeayebee]

10 hours ago, freddi said:

The Spectrum sketch was wonderful.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been to thread it throughout the show, giving the real-time equivalent of what those calls are like

I was thinking the exact same thing. Even if that isn't really feasible with a live sketch, it would have been great.

 

3 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Here is one of the cut for time pieces - Kyle on Update assuming "Let's Go Brandon" is about him. Fun, sad, very Kyle, good audience involvement too.

That was pretty good, and wouldn't it be great if those stupid chants could be countered with "Let's go Badnoodle"? Oh, and the other day I found myself driving behind a car with a Let's Go Brandon sticker.

 

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I have to agree with this. He was game to do a lot of silly things, but he always just seemed like...Keiran Culkin. I would have liked to see some range from him, and I didn't.

I watch Succession, and Culkin's character of Roman just irritates and grosses me out to no end. Yes, just about all the characters are despicable, but Roman is my least favorite character to hate. It's not just his personality; he seems physically dirty and slimy all the time. It's hard for me not to see Culkin that way. So while I always appreciate a host clearly having a good time, he didn't add that much to the show for me.

 

Quote

JAJ's Trump impression was great. Unfortunately, I didn't find the actual writing for Trump funny at all. By the time he got to the second list, I was wishing they would just wrap it up already.

It was a great impression, and the writing was perfect. I figure JAJ had a huge (sole?) hand in the writing. The rundown parts were so Trump: incoherent, inane ramblings desperately inanely tied together in an attempt to create coherence. The only thing I wasn't pleased with was that it was too accurate. I think a comedic impression should have some exaggeration. 

 

14 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I'm probably jinxing myself but I've never had an issue with Spectrum customer service. That being said, the most unbelievable part of the entire sketch was how quickly the tech showed up to install the landline. It should be 2-3 weeks with a 12 hour window every day.

That's only if you WANT the landline. 

I always love Cecily's Jeanne impression. So so good. The Spectrum sketch was also good. 

Loved The Heist. I can't remember what other Chris Redd sketch it was like, but since I love Chris Redd, I don't mind the repetition. Kenan's security guard's reactions also cracked me up.

Ego as Dionne Warwick is fun. My favorite line was, "Cardi B. Why does she need the B? Was there another Cardi in the class?" I didn't care for Chloe's Miley impression. I haven't seen or listened to Miley in a while, but her voice didn't seem quite right to me. Loved that the real Dionne Warwick came on. I also loved her and Ego singing together. I actually teared up a bit.

The Men's Restroom sketch was also very good. Alex being a murderer was a funny bit. Too bad that was stomped on by adding Tracy Morgan and his poop joke. I don't have anything against Tracy; it's just that it was a pointless addition.

The Jockey was weird and kinda funny, but something about it fell flat for me. Maybe I just wish the idea were executed a different way.

Wake Up Rhode Island was fine. Again, I think it could have been done better.

[chediavolo]

12 hours ago, saoirse said:

OMG, the Spectrum commercial really hit home and I came close to peeing my pants laughing!!

Spectrum is THE WORST!!!!

[opus]

38 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

Spectrum is THE WORST!!!!

Right now for me, above and below your post, are Spectrum ads.

[meowmommy]

I am humor-impaired.  I rarely laugh at anything.  I was howling laughing at the Spectrum sketch.  I don't have Spectrum, but it's spot-on with every other cable and satellite and utility provider I've ever had to deal with.  [Like the time DirecTV insisted they had no record of my account, after being with them for six years--as the installer is at my new house, putting in the satellite.  Only took eight phone calls to fix that.]  Kieran did a great job there. 

Where is Kate?

12 hours ago, vb68 said:

Set your clocks back guys.

Ha.  This is Arizona.  We don't play that game.

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I watch Succession, and Culkin's character of Roman just irritates and grosses me out to no end. Yes, just about all the characters are despicable, but Roman is my least favorite character to hate. It's not just his personality; he seems physically dirty and slimy all the time. It's hard for me not to see Culkin that way.

Try to think of it as great acting.  I had to get past seeing Kieran as Macauley's cousin in Home Alone, who wets the bed.

[JeanJean]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Spectrum is THE WORST!!!!

Maybe it depends on where you live. My experience with Spectrum has usually been great. That said, I loved the line about "What is your 42-number customer ID from your first bill?" They actually did used to ask for your customer ID number - whoever has that handy??? And Dionne Warwick and Ego together were just lovely. Dionne should host.
Cecily has long been my favorite.

Edited November 7, 2021 by JeanJean

[Joimiaroxeu]

Pete playing Aaron Rodgers was hilarious to me all on its own. He's like 180° opposite of that clown.

Wow, SNL is failing on both their Biden and 45 impersonations, though I think JAJ does a pretty good job with 45's voice. And whoever wrote those "rundowns" in the cold open had his rhythm and syntax (as it were) down pat.

Kieran seems fairly "normal" to me. Wonder how he escaped whatever happened to his older brother?

Dionne Warwick's still got her voice. Okay, I'll give her that. (Not so much a fan of hers anymore.)

Lol, is there really that much drama going on in the mens room? The womens room is practically like a party compared to that mess.

No horses allowed at college. Good to know.

Mama Mia Cubed. Not on his life or Meryl's.

Quote

Ha.  This is Arizona.  We don't play that game.

Yeah but we still have to do the calculations if we need to call anywhere on the East or West coasts. So, almost the same amount of annoyance IMO.

[Dev F]

13 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Kieran even got lifted up at the Goodnights! I was waiting for that.

Likewise -- though I did also think it might be funny if they instead brought back Mac for a cameo and lifted him up again.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Spectrum is THE WORST!!!!

It may be but I felt the humor in this skit was universal.  I had a similar horrible experience with Comcast where all I wanted to do was updated my credit card information because it wasn't working online and I ended up with a customer service rep telling me everything was all good (it wasn't and then they assessed me a late fee) and trying to sell me on fewer channels for less money. 

They really don't want people dropping cable. 

I liked the cold open and the way they made Pete look like hot garbage (or at least I hope it was for the skit) but it went downhill once it hit Trump.  The writing for that didn't work for me and, oddly, made me think of Alec Baldwin and everything that is going on with him right now.

Overall, I thought the show started strong and fell off after Weekend Update.

[Caseysgirl]

Was it just me or did Ed Sheeran look like he was lip synching?  I thought that wasn’t allowed on SNL?

[possibilities]

On 11/7/2021 at 10:37 AM, opus said:

Right now for me, above and below your post, are Spectrum ads.

I'm fantasizing that the Spectrum sketch was actually paid product placement, and the show decided to stick it to them anyway.

On 11/7/2021 at 11:58 AM, JeanJean said:

Dionne should host.

YES!!

[cambridgeguy]

3 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Where is Kate?

I think she's filming Joe Exotic (she's playing Carol Baskin).  It's all a plan to make some watchers explode in range when she eventually returns and gets a prominent role in many sketches.

[rmontro]

When I first saw "Trump", it reminded me of Alec Baldwin and the tragedy he's been going through.  It was a little jarring.  But WOW, James Austin Johnson does a spot on Trump impersonation.  Some didn't think the lists were funny, but I thought it was fun to follow along to see the train of thought.

Also liked Cancelling the Cable and the Wake Up Rhode Island skit.  Let's face it, if that weatherman overlooked that storm in real life, his job would be toast.  But it was still funny.  The boy scouts were so enthusiastic in their single scene that I thought they were looking forward to doing a good skit, but they never appeared again.

[Pete Martell]

17 hours ago, vb68 said:

also get the awkwardness of the bathroom sketch. Yeah small talk in there can be weird. I am going to have to watch that again as I couldn't understand what Tracy Morgan said when he appeared beyond he dropped a bomb.

He said Alex killed his brother. 

[khyber]

6 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

No horses allowed at college. Good to know.

That's because the SNL writers are all from Ivy League colleges.  I live in a town with an Aggie school and you can bring your horse. How else can you do well on the college rodeo team?

[topanga]

21 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Please Don't Destroy: Wait, who are these guys? This was funny and a weird way to close the show. Well, this is what happens when you let JAJ ramble and have a Dionne Warwick duet. You don't have time for another sketch so you run a bit by the writers to fill the gap. Not that I minded.

The only sketch of the night that made me think "WTF is this?" I didn't laugh once. I would have much preferred to see the Black Succession sketch or the Kieran taxi driver sketch.

Hilarious show overall. Kieran has very natural comedy chops. I wonder if he's a good dramatic actor also.