S48.E03: Megan Thee Stallion

[cpcathy]

I laughed harder than I should have at the flat butt sketch.

None of the new people are working for me, no one has a spark yet. Molly is not good. 
I don’t know who exactly Jack Harlow is but I won’t boycott the 10/29 show. Only Kim Kardashian got me to boycott an episode.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Not only were there sound issues, but intermittent video issues where the screen would freeze for about a second (maybe the video issues were just my local cable provider).

And the camera work was noticeably bad in certain sketches, especially in the Workout sketch.

Here's what it said on-screen while MTS said 'girl' during Girl Talk.

Basically, the roots of the current crisis can be traced back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.  Russian president Vladimir Putin became fixated on reclaiming some form of an empire.  in 2014, Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from office, Russian troops invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean peninsula. from Ukraine.  Russian-back paramilitaries also seized part of the Donbas region, which consists of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, sparking a regional war.  Then in February 2022, Putin announced a "special military operation," challenging Ukraine's right to statehood.  On March 4, Russia seized Zaporizhzhia, one of Europe's largest nuclear power plants. The Ukrainian people. led by the president Volodymyr Zlensky, fought back.  Recently, at least 12 Ukrainian cities have been hit after a strategically important bridge linking Russia with Crimea was damaged in a blast. Kyiv has been targeted for the first time in months, and Zelensky says Russia has targeted energy infrastructure across the country and that energy facilities in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv are among the places hit.  However, Ukraine's chief commander, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said the armed forces had regained control of more than 3,000 square kilometers since the start of September.  the situation in Ukraine remains a tense and volatile conflict with countless geopolitical ramifications.

I had to look up who Jack Harlow was -- could not recall his prior appearances at all.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think they had the two of them in the sketch so they could do the exorcism bit.

Apparently I had completely zoned out by that time. Thanks.

[After7Only]

30 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Meh, I don't think Devon Walker was ready for WU. His nervousness was palpable. And he could've done more with the TX versus NY thing.

His very obvious reading of cue cards was distracting me from his actual material (which was decent).   He’s been fine in sketches but his WU was cringe-y.

2 hours ago, rollacoaster said:

I am a Black woman, and I think that a tremendous amount of what fueled my laughter this episode was that so much of the humor/writing was so specifically targeted, and that a goodly portion of the audience would be absolutely flabbergasted. 

That Girl Talk sketch was hilarious to me as the subtitles (other than maybe the ukraine stuff) were spot on.   There are a million different interpretations of the word “girl” for Black women.   Also loved how they brought it the wider audience when MTS used “Bro” in a similar way at the end of the sketch.

[Winston Wolfe]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

MTS did a good job of bleeping herself during her second music performance, hah hah. I didn't realize how much of her lyrics aren't safe for broadcast TV.

Yeah, I'm officially 1,000 years old. Jeez, I can remember when singers actually sang (and male vocalists wore suits and ties) and you didn't think they swore even in their private lives. I know SNL has to be all hip and edgy, but throw us boomers a bone every once in a while. With all the Gen Z musical reaction videos on YT, NBC might be shocked how many views an SNL hosted by Billy Joel or Diana Ross might get.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Winston Wolfe

[SHD]

Well, guess what? I went to Peacock to watch some sketches with captions and they outright skipped lines that went by too fast (or got wrong ones I DID understand) about 25% of the time. For instance, the captions continually said “I got caught” during “I Got Brought” even though the words were onscreen in the video. Sheesh.

Edited October 16, 2022 by SHD

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

That Girl Talk sketch was hilarious to me as the subtitles (other than maybe the ukraine stuff) were spot on.   There are a million different interpretations of the word “girl” for Black women.   Also loved how they brought it the wider audience when MTS used “Bro” in a similar way at the end of the sketch.

My enjoyment of that sketch was diminished by my recall that Key & Peele did an arguably better delivery of the concept with their "OK" sketch. (YouTube link, possibly NSFW due to profanity.) And 20 years ago the police drama series The Wire did a similar scene with the word "fuck" and the scene is considered a classic. (Dailymotion link, likely NSFW due to nude images of dead women's bodies, as well as profanity.)

[ichbin]

16 hours ago, SHD said:

I couldn’t concentrate on anything but MTS waving her claw-like nails around.

The first episode hosted by a manicure.

[ebk57]

This was definitely the best episode of the season so far.  I laughed at almost all of the sketches.  Fortunately, there were no sound issues on my recording.  MTS was totally into it and really enjoyable. 

And so ends my reasonable critique that I know everyone was waiting for 😄

[DanaMB]

3 hours ago, peeayebee said:

In the classroom sketch, when Ego was going on about the students not being dumb and so forth, I had the feeling we were learn they were in an advanced class. Ego was great in this.

Same. I kept waiting for it. 

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, SHD said:

Well, guess what? I went to Peacock to watch some sketches with captions and they outright skipped lines that went by too fast (or got wrong ones I DID understand) about 25% of the time. For instance, the captions continually said “I got caught” during “I Got Bought” even though the words were onscreen in the video. Sheesh.

Captions are often absolute shit. It's a real problem.

[Ottis]

17 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Yeah, I had a lot of trouble understanding what people were saying tonight. 

Ditto. I was hoping it wasn't just me.

This ep had a strange subtext running through it, along the lines of "stuff isn't going the way I want, I want more and/or I'm helpless to change anything." The hospital about not looking hot, the "brought" video of people who can't function for a couple of hours with people they just met, the dad who can't see a deer, the girl talk about people seeking advice on basic problems (only DJ Willy had it together),  the please don't destroy video about guys fronting about feeling good when they actually don't. Even the first musical number had backup dancers with sashes that said things like "Miss Overwhelmed" and "Miss Anxiety." Then the bit about women with "no butts" (a negative?) and single women with no boyfriend or boyfriend sweatshirts. 

It felt like one, long complaint by people who think they either deserve, or need to be, more than they are. Taken together, it was a vaguely depressing outlook.

The STEM school skit was the one outlyer, and the one I enjoyed the most. In that one, the students were *more* than the teacher expected.

[rmontro]

I barely even cracked a smile this episode.  I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt and say that the new cast is a work in progress.  Is anyone from this group even a standout?  Usually someone is the star or the main focus.  Maybe Heidi?

I've never understood why women want six inch fingernails?  Maybe it's a status symbol of some sort, like "I'm so wealthy, I don't have to use my hands for any menial tasks or any sort of ordinary day to day work"?

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, ichbin said:

The first episode hosted by a manicure.

Disagree,

[Winston Wolfe]

I'm just an occasional SNL watcher and don't remember the Billie Eilish episode. But wow, her face really lights up when she laughs!

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

5 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Genius. I'd show up for that every single week. Even when they fail to bring their "A" games, Colin and Che are consistently amusing, regardless of what else might be going on with the rest of the show. A spin-off worth doing.

I'd watch that spinoff too. If I remember correctly, Colin and Che did this during the off-season a few years ago. A weekly half-hour Weekend Update during the summer. I enjoyed most of the sketches in this episode, but I'm also probably part of MTS's target audience. The way some of you feel baffled about the humor in girl talk and booty workouts is the way I feel during most segments most weeks. It's a big world with lots of content worth satirizing. Doesn't have to be dumpster fire politics and white dude humor all the time.

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Captions are often absolute shit. It's a real problem.

That’s because it’s a live show. They can’t always keep up.  I use captions for everything, and there’s always a difference between recorded shows and live shows. 

Edited October 17, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[After7Only]

5 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

My enjoyment of that sketch was diminished by my recall that Key & Peele did an arguably better delivery of the concept with their "OK" sketch. (YouTube link, possibly NSFW due to profanity.) And 20 years ago the police drama series The Wire did a similar scene with the word "fuck" and the scene is considered a classic. (Dailymotion link, likely NSFW due to nude images of dead women's bodies, as well as profanity.)

Good ones.  It also reminded me of the Amber Says What bits on late night with Seth Myers.  The joke never gets old for me

[madpsych78]

I surprisingly enjoyed Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer. I saw the clips so that part of the cold open was pretty spot on. I realized that Sarah Sherman reminds me of a female Gilbert Gottfried. 

In the workout sketch, I was trying to figure out whether Chloe's butt was really her butt. Like I believed Heidi's was real, but I wasn't sure about Chloe's. 

That is probably the most sketches that Punkie has been in in a single show. 

JAJ does a fantastic Trump, but I'm finding that that's all that he seems to be doing lately. He was in a couple of other sketches in minor roles, but otherwise I don't really feel like he is doing as much as he probably could be doing.

[Such A Flirt]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

I've never understood why women want six inch fingernails?

I always wonder how they manage in the bathroom.

The Billie Eilish episode was Christmas 2021. She was lovely and fun.

[ahisma]

1 hour ago, madpsych78 said:

In the workout sketch, I was trying to figure out whether Chloe's butt was really her butt. Like I believed Heidi's was real, but I wasn't sure about Chloe's. 

I think for both of them they had some kind of shapewear that specifically flattened down their butts. On Chloe, especially, you could kind of see a band across the middle while just above and below there was more. 

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

I'm just an occasional SNL watcher and don't remember the Billie Eilish episode. But wow, her face really lights up when she laughs!

I've always thought she has a similar facial structure as Scarlett Johansson.  She's not quite as pretty, but good cheekbones as they say.

I liked her bit in that episode about nurses dancing on TikTok videos during Covid (second pictures).   I don't know what it is, but there's something about a girl in scrubs that just does it for me.

[Pete Martell]

3 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Mine neither. And the show makes fun of people's appearances too often. What was the 'joke' about Adam Schiff? That he has staring eyes? I wonder if they had Schiff there just so Michael Longfellow would have something to do. (Did he appear in anything else last night?) The bald cap he wore looked ridiculous, and he looked nothing like Schiff. 

Thanks for the info. I couldn't understand the lyrics -- Nothing new for me there -- but from the visuals I got the feeling I would like the song's message. 

Yes, I think Alex was very good as Schumer, but Sarah's was pretty funny. Maybe that was due to what she had to work with. If you watched the actual video of Pelosi and Schumer, the dynamic the sketch portrayed was accurate.

I hadn't heard anything about the anti-Hocus Pocus moms, but I assumed that in reality the two moms appeared together, and that's why Chloe and Heidi did as well. No? 

Chloe and Heidi looked like they had a lot of fun in the sketches they appeared in together.

OMG, that was hilarious, my favorite line from the sketch and maybe from the entire ep.

In other news, reading "MTS" here makes me think of MTG (Marjorie Taylor Greene). Not a good thing.

Did Marcello Hernandez show up in any sketches? BTW, I wanted to mention that he reminds me of Jaboukie Young-White.

This has been said before many times, but James Austin Johnson's Trump impression is SO GOOD. It's not just the voice but also the mannerisms, facial expressions, and the actual way of talking. I'm assuming he writes the lines himself.

Hot Girl Hospital was ok, maybe went on too long.

I liked We Got Brought. Been there.

The country cabin sketch was weird but good. Who came up with this? I thought the business of MTS telling Kenan to follow the angle of her finger was fine at first but was then beaten to death. Oh, when Molly said, "Mr Reynolds, he's got a knife!" I cracked up. 

Marcello was in the hospital sketch. 

I didn't think most of the impressions in the cold open were very believable,  which would be less bothersome if there was any content in this I found amusing or pointed. Instead they just went to the default of trying to create  "moments" that made me cringe (Liz Cheney talking about "Big Dick Cheney Energy" and Pelosi going on about "poo-poo"). I'm aware there's an audience for these but I thought the whole point of going on about changes this season was to actually have changes? 

There was only one woman in the Hocus Pocus controversy.

These aren't the full writing credits but they give an outline.

20 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I barely even cracked a smile this episode.  I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt and say that the new cast is a work in progress.  Is anyone from this group even a standout?  Usually someone is the star or the main focus.  Maybe Heidi?

I think this is why they've been  trying so hard with Chloe in these first three episodes. The problem I have with this is I don't think you can create a star - the audience has to discover them. 

[millennium]

The cold open was terrible.   Bad impressions (some weren't even trying) and depressingly disrespectful to the subject matter.  Not clever or "irreverent" or funny-disrespectful, just a desperate and amateurish bid for cheap laughs.

[Milburn Stone]

Good things:

James Austin Johnson's Trump.

The PDD video.

Girl Talk. (Kind of.)

The classroom sketch.

Thank you, fast-forward!

Edited October 17, 2022 by Milburn Stone

[Trini]

15 hours ago, rmontro said:

I've never understood why women want six inch fingernails?  Maybe it's a status symbol of some sort, like "I'm so wealthy, I don't have to use my hands for any menial tasks or any sort of ordinary day to day work"?

LOL - long nails are definitely not limited to the wealthy (however that's defined). There might be some status symbolism going on, like with every other fashion accessory, but I bet most people who get them think they're pretty. I find them horribly impractical myself.

[SHD]

4 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Good things:

James Austin Johnson's Trump.

The PDD video.

Girl Talk. (Kind of.)

The classroom sketch.

Thank you, fast-forward!

I'd add Weekend Update, otherwise that's pretty much my list too!

[Jody]

On 10/16/2022 at 8:29 AM, SomeTameGazelle said:

Both that and the WU bit with Chloe and Heidi as anti-Hocus Pocus moms irritated me because I didn't feel as if there was any need for both of them to be doing the same thing. I didn't feel any kind of interesting dynamic between them. In the butts sketch I don't know if it would have worked better to have one of them as the tiny butt instructor and the other as a class member, especially since it seemed like everyone in the class was there for Megan's lesson.

I thought Chloe and Sarah did well evoking impressions of Pelosi and Schumer even if the sketch was typically toothless as far as satire goes.

I don't think that was actual footage of a bunny on the deer. And although I was mildly amused by Megan trying to help Kenan look in the right direction, I was distracted by the fact that the deer was in the middle of a field and not near any pine tree or rocks as described in the dialogue.

         I Agree With You About They Only Needed One Person And I Think They Should Had Only Heidi In The Skit And Week End Update ! ! I Think The Satire Is That Nancy Is In Charge And She Wasn't Going To Let Chuck Say Any Thing ! Nobody Ever Talks To Chuck Schumer On You Tube ! They Talk To Adam Schiff, But Not Chuck Schumer ! 

[Jody]

On 10/16/2022 at 9:29 AM, Blakeston said:

Did you know you can just delete money from your bank account?

That was one of my favorite sketches of theirs.

They'd better give Molly a Weekend Update slot in the next episode.

     That Wasn't Their Worse Sketch, But, There Were Other Sketches OF Theirs That I Liked Better ! One Example Is Brandon Being A Teenager ! They Probably WILL Have Molly On Week End Update On October Twenty Nine ! 

[Jody]

On 10/16/2022 at 12:10 PM, TheGreenKnight said:

I think this was probably my favorite of this season's episodes so far. Although the other two episodes may have had a few highlights better than anything in this episode (Spotted Lanternfly, Molly's skit last week), this is the first episode that felt overall pretty good across the board for me. Not "great," but at least I wasn't bored.

Sherman and Fineman as Schumer and Pelosi were hilarious. I think I liked Fineman's Pelosi a little better, or maybe just in a different way, than McKinnon's. Hot Girl Hospital and the Texas Moms against Hocus Pocus bit were great, too. I like that they've given most of the new castmembers time in Weekend Update the past three weeks.

     I Think IT Is Interesting That Every Body Hated This Episode, But, This Was Your Favorite Show OF This Season ! I Enjoyed The Sketches, But, I Did Not Enjoy This Episode That Much ! I Did Like The Teacher Sketch And I Liked The Cold Open ! ! 

On 10/16/2022 at 12:37 PM, possibilities said:

That the Hocus Pocus movie is demonic was a thing on twitter this week, SNL didn't make it all up themselves. They didn't even really exaggerate it at all. It's hard to spoof the state of the world sometimes, because the world is already so extreme.

I think they had the two of them in the sketch so they could do the exorcism bit.

       I Think You Are Right About Why They Had The TWO OF Them On Week End Update ! ! 

[Tiggertoo]

Glad to know I’m not the only one who missed most of the opening monologue due to how fast she was speaking. 
I liked the talk show, the teacher sketch.  We Got Brought was pretty cute. But best performers as per usual were Weekend Update and Please Don’t Destroy. 

[Jody]

On 10/16/2022 at 1:08 PM, cinsays said:

glad i'm not the only one

i was hoping keenan would do the hershel walker badge thing, he would have killed it

     Maybe, Kenan Will Do That On October Twenty Nine ! 

[Jody]

On 10/16/2022 at 1:36 PM, Kimmmmmm said:

I really liked most of the show and thought MTS did a great job... except for the musical numbers (no offense, just not my thing...yeah, I'm a Boomer.) I even liked Sarah as Chuck Schumer!!! Also, was kinda bored by the Heidi/Chloe segment on WU. I miss Cecily!!!

       I Think Cecily Will Be On October Twenty Nine ! 

[rollacoaster]

37 minutes ago, Jody said:

 I Think IT Is Interesting That Every Body Hated This Episode, But, This Was Your Favorite Show OF This Season ! I Enjoyed The Sketches, But, I Did Not Enjoy This Episode That Much ! I Did Like The Teacher Sketch And I Liked The Cold Open ! ! 

This has been my favorite episode of the season so far. I laughed more on this one than the previous two. 

[rmontro]

15 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I think this is why they've been  trying so hard with Chloe in these first three episodes. The problem I have with this is I don't think you can create a star - the audience has to discover them. 

I almost mentioned Chloe.  I also forgot about Keenan, who is fantastic, but he's been there so long you almost don't notice him.  

[JZL]

I like MTS but was also annoyed by the full-frontal-nail-flashing.  At least at the start, she talked way too fast and was hard to understand.  I thought maybe she was on blow.

I also agree the show is still finding its way and has been mediocre.  And I also agree the new cast and the use thereof is promising.

[rmontro]

On 10/18/2022 at 7:59 PM, JZL said:

I like MTS but was also annoyed by the full-frontal-nail-flashing.  At least at the start, she talked way too fast and was hard to understand.  I thought maybe she was on blow.

I wasn't going to mention it, but I couldn't understand a word she said at first.  But it got better as the show went on.  Either she improved her clarity, or I got used to the way she talks.

[LuvMyShows]

On 10/16/2022 at 3:59 PM, After7Only said:

His very obvious reading of cue cards was distracting me from his actual material (which was decent).   He’s been fine in sketches but his WU was cringe-y.

I got distracted by his nervous hand motions back and forth, even though for the most part his material was pretty good.  And now that I think about it, when he's been in sketches, he delivers his lines in such a way that he seems like a newbie acting in a sketch. 

On 10/16/2022 at 2:24 AM, Peace 47 said:

And I liked Sarah Sherman’s Chuck Schumer.  

Truly awful, in every aspect.

On 10/16/2022 at 2:51 PM, peeayebee said:

This has been said before many times, but James Austin Johnson's Trump impression is SO GOOD. It's not just the voice but also the mannerisms, facial expressions, and the actual way of talking.

If I close my eyes, JAJ's Trump is outstanding.  The problem I have is that his face, and especially neck, are sooo much thinner than Trump's, that it distracts me to the point that I am taken out of the impersonation.  I wish they would just do a little make-up to address that.

On 10/17/2022 at 10:26 AM, Trini said:

LOL - long nails are definitely not limited to the wealthy (however that's defined). There might be some status symbolism going on, like with every other fashion accessory, but I bet most people who get them think they're pretty. I find them horribly impractical myself.

There is no way that someone with those nails could possibly wear contact lenses, or at least remove the lenses themself.  When my nails start getting too long, that's the first function that gets impacted.  Also, it is a really gross feeling to have stuff under your fingernails!

[izabella]

Megan: "I can literally see my own breath"

Thermostat reading: 74°F

I feel SEEN!! 

[Trini]

Like, for real, I want a men's sweatshirt with that St. Andrew's Center For Shivering Girls logo on it. Tempted to make one myself!

[Blood Meridian]

I recall this episode getting tons of hate from some of the other boards I’m a regular in, and, while I’m not that high on this episode, I did feel it had a decent number of good sketches, especially the pretapes, and the Ego sketch as the 10-to-1. I also don’t know that much about Megan, but I felt she came off game and was filled with energy. Looking back now as the season is half-done, and now after string of good-to-solid episodes we’ve had since November, this episode honestly just comes off to me a little below par, with the premiere being the only episode I flat-out disliked.