S48.E18: Ana de Armas / Karol G

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Hosted by Ana de Armas with musical performances by Karol G.

Airing Saturday, April 15, 2023.

[Pete Martell]

 

[Trini]

D-D-D-Dam Spicy, you live like this?  -- LOL

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Aw, Colin's been honing his "reading aloud" skills for baby Cosmo. 

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: First Warm Day of The Year is the best day of the year. Gotta love a sketch that uses the whole cast. And a non-political one to boot. Guy With Microphone is the one that sent me.

Monologue: That was a good monologue. I still have no idea who this is (still haven't seen Knives Out/Glass Onion), but she was good here.

The Dome: And we start with a sketch about how someone like Matt Shatt scored someone as hot as Ana de Armas. Kenan reacting to everything is always gold, and saved this sketch. 

American Girl: Knew it was going to make fun of American Girl when they were talking about the Barbie movie. Yeah, several of them have horrifying backstories. But man, the other sketch they did was way better. The audience just didn't react to this at all.

Once again, Conan did it the best:

Spicy: This did absolutely nothing for me. Well, "leave my Carolla out of this!" was the best line, especially since I had one. (a 2003, but still). Looks like got another "We don't know what to do with the hot lady" episode tonight.

Spanish Class: Here we go, the actual Spanish speakers in the cast in Spanish class. Based on a bit from Marcello's standup about him showing up to Spanish class and speaking it better than the teacher. Mikey really was the best choice to play the whitest teacher possible.

Please Don't Destroy: This was a relatable mood. Being a disaster at a party, and the fallout of it. Complete dud of an ending, though. Chloe with the gun was the best part.

Karol G 1: The Brian Fellow look is in, I see.

WU: Hell yeah, roast that kid, Babyface Colin. I was hyped for Funky Kong of all Mario characters showing up. Yep, it was criminal that he was in the movie for all of five seconds (which is pointed out!). Far and away the best part of the episode. This was for me and no other person.

The NYC rat czar formerly called Miss Staten Island was a perfect joke. And "Little belongs in the TRASH. Next to your WHORE Wife" was 100% a joke Norm would've told. Sarah's bit was fun, too. It's like the energy of the room lit up after the Funky Kong bit.

I'm probably gonna be talking about that Funky Kong bit for a while. That's how starved I was for laughs up to this point.

Molly finally got an Update bit! They had an important message (and gave me Chris Farley vibes with the harness stuff), but seriously, Molly had to follow all of THAT.

Wedding: Lisa From Temecula is back! As much as I was happy to see it again, it didn't quite land as well as the first time. I think it was because tossing the salad didn't need to be on the table, yet the table shook anyway. Hell, the sangria fell over this time.

Enter Stage Woof: Live dog sketch! Romeo running away from Lady & The Tramp was the best bit. And the puppy was adorable (but also not cooperative at all. Adorable.) The fake paws killed me. Donna Colonoscopini was an incredible name. I haven't missed Kate more than I have now.

Karol G 2: And here I am wondering how they got a car all the way up there.

Nail Salon: Okay, Bowen has the world's longest fingernails at a nail salon. I was wondering why he of all people was objecting to being at a nail salon. And then they tossed in a Twilight reference for some reason.

Update was great. The rest of the show? Giant dud. Pete Davidson hosts next, that'll (hopefully) be great. 

[vb68]

I thought this show had good energy.

The Cold open was interesting and definitely for people who are sick of politics. It sorta yelled out "We don't know what else to do" though.

Ana was adorable in her monologue. 

I need to have Kenan screaming out "You eat the dogfood for FREE?!?!!" on a loop.

Funky Kong was great. 

Loved seeing Molly on update and her bit was well done.

3 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Pete Davidson hosts next, that'll (hopefully) be great.

Assuming there's no Writers' Strike. As Pete said in another thread, there's a good chance this was the season finale. We will see.

Edited April 16, 2023 by vb68

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Poor Colin with the card already made up of him and Hitler using the same phrase. I liked him using the high voice for Princess Peach. I hope that reading to Cosmo is one time where no one's gunning for Colin like WU! I did wonder how many young people would get the reference to "flash bulbs" going off. 

I liked the American girl sketch, and I always like sketches with dogs in them, and Weekend Update. I thought some of the other ones ran too long. 

eta: Oops I forgot the Central Park opening; I really liked that. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby
the memory's the first thing to go

[seasons]

I enjoyed the show tonight in general with some of the plus and minuses you guys have already mentioned. But the thing that sticks out for me lately is how much I’m enjoying the newcomers this year. I guess they called them the featured cast? I’m liking all of them And their energy and their vibe. But I was wondering why Sarah Sherman is still a featured player, she’s so brilliant! The character she did on WU, I think her name was Genesis, was probably the one that had me laughing out loud the most in a long time ! 

[Galileo908]

4 minutes ago, seasons said:

But I was wondering why Sarah Sherman is still a featured player, she’s so brilliant!

I think featured players don't get promoted to main cast until after two seasons?

[vb68]

9 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I think featured players don't get promoted to main cast until after two seasons?

That's definitely the standard. It's happened quicker in a few cases (Amy Poehler?), but that's rare. 

[SHD]

Ana seemed lovely and so happy to be there but this definitely wasn’t a great show for me.

Too soon to bring back Lisa from Temecula and, based on the crowd response, maybe it shouldn’t have been a recurring character at all.

I never enjoy when they have animals on. They always look scared.

I did laugh at the women recording for Spicy, and WU, as always. Happy to see Molly get a feature spot.

Edited April 16, 2023 by SHD

[Mediocre Gatsby]

5 minutes ago, SHD said:

Too soon to bring back Lisa from Temecula and, based on the crowd response, maybe it shouldn’t have been a recurring character at all.

I never enjoy when they have animals on. They always look scared.

Yeah I don't think Lisa from Temecula is a good recurring character. 

The puppy did look scared! but the other dogs seemed okay to me, not scared but just "nope-ing" it out of there. Poor Chloe with that plate of spaghetti. She did lose it for a bit. 

[Jody]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Cold Open: First Warm Day of The Year is the best day of the year. Gotta love a sketch that uses the whole cast. And a non-political one to boot. Guy With Microphone is the one that sent me.

Monologue: That was a good monologue. I still have no idea who this is (still haven't seen Knives Out/Glass Onion), but she was good here.

The Dome: And we start with a sketch about how someone like Matt Shatt scored someone as hot as Ana de Armas. Kenan reacting to everything is always gold, and saved this sketch. 

American Girl: Knew it was going to make fun of American Girl when they were talking about the Barbie movie. Yeah, several of them have horrifying backstories. But man, the other sketch they did was way better. The audience just didn't react to this at all.

Once again, Conan did it the best:

Spicy: This did absolutely nothing for me. Well, "leave my Carolla out of this!" was the best line, especially since I had one. (a 2003, but still). Looks like got another "We don't know what to do with the hot lady" episode tonight.

Spanish Class: Here we go, the actual Spanish speakers in the cast in Spanish class. Based on a bit from Marcello's standup about him showing up to Spanish class and speaking it better than the teacher. Mikey really was the best choice to play the whitest teacher possible.

Please Don't Destroy: This was a relatable mood. Being a disaster at a party, and the fallout of it. Complete dud of an ending, though. Chloe with the gun was the best part.

Karol G 1: The Brian Fellow look is in, I see.

WU: Hell yeah, roast that kid, Babyface Colin. I was hyped for Funky Kong of all Mario characters showing up. Yep, it was criminal that he was in the movie for all of five seconds (which is pointed out!). Far and away the best part of the episode. This was for me and no other person.

The NYC rat czar formerly called Miss Staten Island was a perfect joke. And "Little belongs in the TRASH. Next to your WHORE Wife" was 100% a joke Norm would've told. Sarah's bit was fun, too. It's like the energy of the room lit up after the Funky Kong bit.

I'm probably gonna be talking about that Funky Kong bit for a while. That's how starved I was for laughs up to this point.

Molly finally got an Update bit! They had an important message (and gave me Chris Farley vibes with the harness stuff), but seriously, Molly had to follow all of THAT.

Wedding: Lisa From Temecula is back! As much as I was happy to see it again, it didn't quite land as well as the first time. I think it was because tossing the salad didn't need to be on the table, yet the table shook anyway. Hell, the sangria fell over this time.

Enter Stage Woof: Live dog sketch! Romeo running away from Lady & The Tramp was the best bit. And the puppy was adorable (but also not cooperative at all. Adorable.) The fake paws killed me. Donna Colonoscopini was an incredible name. I haven't missed Kate more than I have now.

Karol G 2: And here I am wondering how they got a car all the way up there.

Nail Salon: Okay, Bowen has the world's longest fingernails at a nail salon. I was wondering why he of all people was objecting to being at a nail salon. And then they tossed in a Twilight reference for some reason.

Update was great. The rest of the show? Giant dud. Pete Davidson hosts next, that'll (hopefully) be great. 

        I Also Did Not Care For This Episode ! I Liked Last Week A Lot More ! I Think IF Pete Would Do A GOOD Show, But, I Thought Great Was A Bit Much ! I Am Not Complaining About Galileo ! I Really Like Galileo And The Write Up That Galileo Does On Each Episode !

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

I thought this show had good energy.

The Cold open was interesting and definitely for people who are sick of politics. It sorta yell out "We don't know what else to do" though.

Ana was adorable in his monologue. 

I need to have Kenan screaming out "You eat the dogfood for FREE?!?!!" on a loop.

Funky Kong was great. 

loved seeing Molly on update and her bit was well done.

Assuming there's no Writers' Strike. As Pete said in another thread, there's a good chance this was the season finale. We will see.

       I Thought They Settled The Writer's Strike ! 

[Pete Martell]

 

[Kimmmmmm]

8 hours ago, seasons said:

I enjoyed the show tonight in general with some of the plus and minuses you guys have already mentioned. But the thing that sticks out for me lately is how much I’m enjoying the newcomers this year. I guess they called them the featured cast? I’m liking all of them And their energy and their vibe. But I was wondering why Sarah Sherman is still a featured player, she’s so brilliant! The character she did on WU, I think her name was Genesis, was probably the one that had me laughing out loud the most in a long time ! 

I'm hoping Sarah is gone soon...all she is, IMO, is loud...never funny.

[MrWhyt]

A so-so show IMO. Lisa from Temecula did not need to be a recurring character. Loved the spanish sketch.

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, SHD said:

I never enjoy when they have animals on. They always look scared.

I felt so bad for that puppy. The other dogs seemed fine. Henry is gorgeous.

Not a great ep. The CO was pretty good. Was every cast member in it? I liked all the different park characters.

Seems like all monologues lately have had personal stories from the hosts and even videos from childhood, auditions, or their very early work. I was expecting some kind of video here, too. I'm not really complaining because Ana's story about Robert DeNiro was very sweet (although about DeNiro's kindness, not Ana's).

The game show sketch didn't do much for me. I kept thinking it would have been better with different/better performers. As much as I like Mikey, I just didn't think his character was amusing.

I liked the American Girls trailer.

I also liked the please don't destroy video. Even if I don't like their stuff completely, there's always something funny.

WU - Some good jokes. I'm not a Sarah fan, and her bit went on way too long. 

I loved the first Lisa From Temecula sketch, but I was afraid that when they brought the character back (which seemed inevitable) it would pale in comparison. Mission accomplished. I think the biggest problem was that they simply tried to recreate the first sketch. There's no reason Lisa can't be in completely different circumstances. The character is funny. Put her in a different situation. Debbie Downer wasn't always in a hot tub.

Didn't care for the nail sketch. I was hoping that when Ana took off his wedding ring somehow it would get caught in a loop of the other nails, like a marble run. Oh well.

I don't speak Spanish. Was Karol G's first performance a cover of Don't Worry Be Happy?

Ana is beautiful. She was pretty good, too, but the material was not well-written.

[Avabelle]

10 hours ago, vb68 said:

That's definitely the standard. It's happened quicker in a few cases (Amy Poehler?), but that's rare. 

I’d be expecting them to bump Austin if they were going to bump anyone. He’s heavily used and already doing more press than half the seasoned cast. 
 

I don’t agree with them bumping anyone though. The process should be the same for everyone and bumping one person just shows blatant favouritism. Especially when the popularity for a cast member is usually subjective anyway.

 

 

2 hours ago, Kimmmmmm said:

I'm hoping Sarah is gone soon...all she is, IMO, is loud...never funny.

I like her in normal sketches but I hate her on weekend update where she just screams at Colin and breaks constantly.

[vb68]

9 hours ago, Jody said:

I Thought They Settled The Writer's Strike ! 

Read here

[Nellise]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

The game show sketch didn't do much for me. I kept thinking it would have been better with different/better performers. As much as I like Mikey, I just didn't think his character was amusing.

The first Matt Shatt sketch with Margot Robbie is great. They've brought him back twice(?) and haven't added anything to them that wasn't done better in the original.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Nellise

[Ottis]

Given they only do about 2 shows a month, it’s surprising how few original ideas they have. American Doll, Lisa from Temucula, average dude who married hot chick and live dogs have all been done on SNL, some very recently. They tried to recapture the surprise and success of the first time they did the skits, but that’s a fool’s errand without new/good jokes.

The nail sketch had some originality, and was a bit weird. I enjoyed it even though it was uneven.

Didn’t know the host but she seemed game and pleasant. Didn’t know the musical act, but for me, that’s not unusual.

[Irlandesa]

12 hours ago, Jody said:

I Thought They Settled The Writer's Strike ! 

You're thinking of the SNL post-production crew who were threatening to go on strike but avoided it.  The writers strike affects all writers in TV and movies.

https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-post-production-editors-strike.html

[Peace 47]

I didn’t really like the American Girl sketch because the Barbie movie is supposed to be biting social commentary and parody, so what exactly was SNL trying to accomplish when the source material itself is parody (that no one is even familiar with because the movie doesn’t come out until July)?

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, Nellise said:

The first Matt Shatt sketch with Margot Robbie is great. They've brought him back twice(?) and haven't added anything to them that wasn't done better in the original.

I didn't remember that this character has been on before.

[txhorns79]

14 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Wedding: Lisa From Temecula is back! As much as I was happy to see it again, it didn't quite land as well as the first time. I think it was because tossing the salad didn't need to be on the table, yet the table shook anyway. Hell, the sangria fell over this time.

Enter Stage Woof: Live dog sketch! Romeo running away from Lady & The Tramp was the best bit. And the puppy was adorable (but also not cooperative at all. Adorable.) The fake paws killed me. Donna Colonoscopini was an incredible name. I haven't missed Kate more than I have now.

Neither of these sketches worked for me.  If Lisa from Temecula is going to come back, they need to figure out more to do with her.  As it was, the sketch was almost the same as last time.  You could almost see the writers just crossing out restaurant and writing in wedding, and having the character react to a woman instead of a man.  Ego Nwodim is an excellent comic actress, but even she can't save a sketch if she's given nothing really new to do with the character.

The dogs were very cute in their sketch, but if the main laughs are coming from something unplanned, like that the dogs are not cooperating, your sketch isn't working. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

12 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Yeah I don't think Lisa from Temecula is a good recurring character. 

Immediately after the first sketch SNL was talking about wanting to bring Lisa back and I had been dreading it. Perhaps because my expectations had been so low for the reprise, I didn't entirely hate it. When Lisa started by accusing Ana of coming on to her I was afraid that they were going to try to get to the punchline that got drowned out/aborted in the Pedro Pascal version and reveal that Ana had been interested in her after all, so I was relieved that they didn't get to that. I enjoyed the madness of Lisa's theory that salad dressing can prevent e.Coli (and that really she wanted ranch but was making do with balsamic), her rejection of the smoked salmon, and her dismissal of Heidi. However it was too hard to follow Ana's story and Punkie's defense during the table shaking and Lisa walking out at the end felt like a weak ending.

[opus]

5 hours ago, Avabelle said:

Especially when the popularity for a cast member is usually subjective anyway.

As evidenced by some of the Sarah Sherman talk in this very thread (personally, I like her)

[Joimiaroxeu]

The cold open was pretty good, I thought. People outside of NYC who go to large city parks could probably relate to most of those characters.

A hanging 8 but a standing 12. 😲

Do American Girl dolls really have such macabre backstories?

Sp-Sp-Sp-Spicy needs to be on a watch list.

Had never heard of Karol G before. She wasn't bad, maybe more subdued than I would've expected.

Funky Kong was a character I didn't realize I needed to see Kenan play, though it was a tad reminiscent of other characters he's done.

I felt bad for all those dogs. The sketch was thisclose to being abusive IMO.

Ana was okay. Something about her vibe seemed off to me, like she was kind of above or removed from what was going on. I don't care if she ever hosts again.

Over on reddit someone pointed out that Ben Affleck had dated two of Matt Shatt's wives and later married one of them. (Ana de Armas and JLo)

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Do American Girl dolls really have such macabre backstories?

No, not quite as bad as the sketch made them out to be!

[JeanJean]

9 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

 Loved the spanish sketch.

I loved the Spanish sketch, too. I have some Hispanic friends who talk Spanish very quickly to each other, and I just hang onto my 3 years of high school Spanish and try to recognize a word here and there. Very true to life.

Edited April 16, 2023 by JeanJean

[realityplease]

I liked the cold open.  New York, and many cities or places, have recognizable types & weirdos that converge on parks & gathering spots as soon as the weather gets nice - or in warmer places, even year round.  So it was amusing.  While not fall-down funny.

Really getting bored with a game show with Keenan at the helm, almost always now, the first skit or so after the cold open.  Keenan's great & he does what he can with the material - but alright already.  Either get a new concept - or only trot this one out when it serves to showcase great contestant impersonations or worthy material or jokes.  The skit's had its moments over the years (no, decades) but isn't there anything new under the sun? It's just getting awfully tired. 

It feels as if they are having a real struggle coming up with enough material for each show.  Something's missing.  Notions possibly funny on paper or when kicking around ideas at their desks - don't ignite when they go live.  Or don't seem polished enough.  Despite talented cast members.  Like sitting around a dorm room & getting hysterical over something or other - but when telling it to someone else the next day, no one's that amused or able to figure out just WHAT was so funny earlier.

That's why we're getting Lisa from Temecula, yet again.  It was fine the first time in its seemingly impromptu craziness, but on the second try, the thrill was gone.  I know they can't all be iconic, but there's way too many duds these days - or shows that bring a grin or two - but not hearty laughs.  Maybe I expect too much.

[juno]

44 minutes ago, realityplease said:

It feels as if they are having a real struggle coming up with enough material for each show.  Something's missing.  Notions possibly funny on paper or when kicking around ideas at their desks - don't ignite when they go live.  Or don't seem polished enough.  Despite talented cast members.  Like sitting around a dorm room & getting hysterical over something or other - but when telling it to someone else the next day, no one's that amused or able to figure out just WHAT was so funny earlier.

They really need new writers. Also writers that can end a skit without it always being awkward.

[Madding crowd]

I liked the cold open, Weekend Update and nothing else. I usually chuckle at the game show sketches but the idea that it is so terrible for an attractive person to marry someone who is isn’t gorgeous needs to go away. 

[Pete Martell]

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Pete Martell

[juno]

16 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I liked the cold open, Weekend Update and nothing else. I usually chuckle at the game show sketches but the idea that it is so terrible for an attractive person to marry someone who is isn’t gorgeous needs to go away. 

Sometimes they find something that appears to be funny and they beat it to death. This applies to bringing back the same themed sketches or having a sketch with a main theme and just repeating the same joke over and over.

BTW they are just wrecking WU. So Che and Jost are rolling with great jokes and WU is going great, then they stop everything and insert a segment, completely killing the momentum. If the segments are boring or not funny then they have to work extra hard to get it back or go to commercial with a dud ending. This is happening more and more lately.

[Madding crowd]

Yea, I hate most of the segments on WU. Just let them joke about the news.

[heatherchandler]

On 4/16/2023 at 12:43 AM, SHD said:

 

I never enjoy when they have animals on. They always look scared.

I agree, scared animals are not funny.

In general, this was a terrible episode.  

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, realityplease said:

I liked the cold open.  New York, and many cities or places, have recognizable types & weirdos that converge on parks & gathering spots as soon as the weather gets nice - or in warmer places, even year round.  So it was amusing.  While not fall-down funny.

Really getting bored with a game show with Keenan at the helm, almost always now, the first skit or so after the cold open.  Keenan's great & he does what he can with the material - but alright already.  Either get a new concept - or only trot this one out when it serves to showcase great contestant impersonations or worthy material or jokes.  The skit's had its moments over the years (no, decades) but isn't there anything new under the sun? It's just getting awfully tired. 

It feels as if they are having a real struggle coming up with enough material for each show.  Something's missing.  Notions possibly funny on paper or when kicking around ideas at their desks - don't ignite when they go live.  Or don't seem polished enough.  Despite talented cast members.  Like sitting around a dorm room & getting hysterical over something or other - but when telling it to someone else the next day, no one's that amused or able to figure out just WHAT was so funny earlier.

That's why we're getting Lisa from Temecula, yet again.  It was fine the first time in its seemingly impromptu craziness, but on the second try, the thrill was gone.  I know they can't all be iconic, but there's way too many duds these days - or shows that bring a grin or two - but not hearty laughs.  Maybe I expect too much.

The return of Lisa from Temecula reminded me more of the earlier years of the show than more recent times, where Michael Che had once mentioned (can't remember the interview) they didn't do recurring characters very often due to Youtube. The sketch reinforced the problem I had with recurring characters on SNL - unless these are very interesting pieces that change up, I don't want to see them. I stopped watching the show in the early '00s in part because of these characters I could barely tolerate the first time, let alone 10 more times, doing and saying the same jokes. One was (and I know this was popular so apologies to any fans) was The Luvahs, where the host and a male or female cast member would hear Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch go on about their incredible love life, only for every single ending to be their lovemaking being ruined by his bad back. Hee hee, ha ha. 

There was an article after the first Lisa sketch which basically said this was always intended as recurring, which left a bad taste in my mouth, because I have never liked prefab pieces on this show. Something should work first with viewers, and also have a real demand to return. The first sketch got a positive audience response (I still attribute a great deal of that response to Pedro Pescal - people enjoyed seeing him break), but I did not see a huge demand for more Lisa. If there was, apparently most of those people were not in the studio audience on Saturday night.

I don't know if the problem is writing or the current cast, but there have been a number of episodes this season loaded with sketches where I feel like they take viewers as fools. I'm not saying if you like the sketches you are a fool, I'm just saying I feel like no effort is being made beyond the bare minimum.

That dog sketch with Chloe was such a carbon copy of the "cute dog" sketches Kate, Aidy and Cecily did over and over, just with Chloe in their place. The problem is Chloe isn't Kate, Aidy or Cecily - I don't think those sketches were that great, but they starred cast members who had their own comedic voices. I don't know what Chloe's voice is. When she does impressions, I think of other people's impressions. When she plays characters, I think of other characters from other cast members. That's not to say Kate, Aidy, Cecily, or anyone else is wholly original, but when I watched them, I didn't get that soulless feeling, even when I didn't enjoy their work.

The nails sketch with Bowen continued one of the problems I've had with Bowen's work all season (and most of last season) - it's just him doing a very camp performance, and there's nothing else going on, as other members of the cast, and the host, are sidelined for a one-man show. It gives me deja vu to all the times Fred Armisen or Kristen Wiig did these sketches. They are vanity pieces, and they are all interchangeable for me. I know this is only my opinion, but we get these what feels like every week, and even when he isn't the lead, he's given some part in another person's sketch where he can have a big comedy moment, or he's on Update - his performances have become so broad to the point of taking me right out of the moment.

(this was the problem I had with Kenan's work in this past episode, especially the game show sketch - he was just so OTT, I couldn't even pay as much attention to the rest of what was going on)

I didn't even think the episode was that bad (it wasn't good but it wasn't bad, other than my finding the American Girl Doll pre-tape to be confusing and poorly put together) until we got to Update and we got that Kenan thing, and Molly trying to be Chris Farley talking about social justice (I agree with what they were trying to say, but I don't think it was suited to a comedy show, as none of these social pieces of the last few years have been - in this case, the execution just seemed to leave the audience perplexed and seemingly feeling guilty or unsure on when to even laugh), and then the night got worse and worse.

If this is the last episode of the season, due to a possible writers' strike, all I could think was what a sad way to go out. I hope someone takes a look at some of the choices made this season if they have all that extra time to take stock.

[Tachi Rocinante]

• Cold Open was good, so was Update.
• The game show sketch had no payoff.
• Sarah Sherman is pretty much a one-trick pony when she's the focus.
• Chloe firing a gun should have been cut.

10 hours ago, juno said:

Sometimes they find something that appears to be funny and they beat it to death. This applies to bringing back the same themed sketches or having a sketch with a main theme and just repeating the same joke over and over.

You just described most of Fred Armisen's SNL career.

10 hours ago, juno said:

BTW they are just wrecking WU. So Che and Jost are rolling with great jokes and WU is going great, then they stop everything and insert a segment, completely killing the momentum. If the segments are boring or not funny then they have to work extra hard to get it back or go to commercial with a dud ending. This is happening more and more lately.

Agree 100%. I would like to see a WU with no special guests.

[potatoradio]

15 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

The return of Lisa from Temecula reminded me more of the earlier years of the show than more recent times, where Michael Che had once mentioned (can't remember the interview) they didn't do recurring characters very often due to Youtube. The sketch reinforced the problem I had with recurring characters on SNL - unless these are very interesting pieces that change up, I don't want to see them. I stopped watching the show in the early '00s in part because of these characters I could barely tolerate the first time, let alone 10 more times, doing and saying the same jokes. One was (and I know this was popular so apologies to any fans) was The Luvahs, where the host and a male or female cast member would hear Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch go on about their incredible love life, only for every single ending to be their lovemaking being ruined by his bad back. Hee hee, ha ha. 

There was an article after the first Lisa sketch which basically said this was always intended as recurring, which left a bad taste in my mouth, because I have never liked prefab pieces on this show. Something should work first with viewers, and also have a real demand to return. The first sketch got a positive audience response (I still attribute a great deal of that response to Pedro Pescal - people enjoyed seeing him break), but I did not see a huge demand for more Lisa.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I also had a feeling that SNL has decided that they must try to create new, iconic recurring characters - an attempt to harken back to the heyday of the early 00s. Which is great if the viewers like those characters and they become cultural references. But if viewers don't like the characters and don't find the sketches original or funny or they don't build to anything new, then it becomes downright painful to watch. I also tuned out of the early 00s and late 90s - mainly because I couldn't stand many, many of the recurring characters. I think this was when I started watching MadTV regularly because I thought it was much more biting and nuanced. And that show had a lot of recurring characters (some of them definitely don't age well, either) but I guess I was one of the viewers for whom those characters were hysterically funny, even if they were repeating the same joke. It's a gamble for sure. 

And I thought the whole joke of the Lisa sketches was the shaking table and others breaking. Ego, I think, could create an interesting recurring character - she has the range, I think, to make characters unpredictable and interesting. She doesn't need the help of an OTT gag that was mildly funny the first time and then completely tired out the second time.

The bright spot, for me, was the Spanish class. I think Marcello has incredible chemistry with just about anyone he's paired with, so having a really bubbly and lively actress like Ana paired with him really made the sketch. 

Think the show is so hit and miss because each week it's as though they're hoping to find something to build on instead of picking a lane (do you want to be a middle of the road, vanilla variety show, a cutting edge humor show, etc. etc.). I hope they figure it out. 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by potatoradio
Um...cats and keyboards....not good!

[possibilities]

Recurring bits mean less need for original ideas, and that's how you run a show when you cast the show based on personalities rather than creatives.

It's just easier to repeat than come up with something new, and since the writing team is obviously  bored, tired, or simply checked out, that's the crutch they're going for.

[Jody]

16 hours ago, juno said:

Sometimes they find something that appears to be funny and they beat it to death. This applies to bringing back the same themed sketches or having a sketch with a main theme and just repeating the same joke over and over.

BTW they are just wrecking WU. So Che and Jost are rolling with great jokes and WU is going great, then they stop everything and insert a segment, completely killing the momentum. If the segments are boring or not funny then they have to work extra hard to get it back or go to commercial with a dud ending. This is happening more and more lately.

 

          They Should Just Have Bowan On Week End Update ! Every Body Seemed To Love Jafar ! OF Course, Bowan As The Ice Berg Was Fabulous ! I Meant For The Commentaries ! OF Course, They Do The Jokes In The News First ! 

[Avabelle]

I didn’t think Ana was great. I think she seemed nice and enthusiastic but I just don’t think a lot of the sketches with her landed.

This episode solidified for me that Chloe isn’t as strong as I previously thought. She does some great impressions but as someone upthread said she doesn’t really have a specific voice. The dog sketch made me think she can’t carry a sketch by herself but maybe I’m being harsh as working with dogs is tough.

Heidi makes out with a cast member in each episode. 

[Pete Martell]

Dress report:

 

[methodwriter85]

On 4/16/2023 at 6:54 PM, Trini said:

No, not quite as bad as the sketch made them out to be!

What it really made me think of was a book series called Dear America, which is kind of like the PG-13 version of American Girl. (Obviously without the dolls, but young girls that represent certain points in American history.) It was more aimed towards middle school students vs. elementary school students. They were everywhere back in the late 90's when I was, indeed, in middle school. I'll never forget one book where I followed Mary, a young Irish girl escaping the Great Famine and going to work at a textire. factory in Lowell, Massachusetts. It gets pretty unrelentingly tragic.

Spoiler

She learns that her parents have starved to death, she watches a friend die in a tragic work accident, another friend is accused of murder, she loses her job when she goes to testify on his behalf, and then there's an epilogue where it's mentioned that two years later she died in a cholera epidemic at the age of 17.

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by methodwriter85

[NoReally]

The Spanish teacher sketch really hit home for me.

For three years of high-school French, I was taught by native speakers. Then, in my first semester of college, French class was taught by a TA who clearly had purely academic exposure to the language. Her vocabulary and syntax were fine, but her pronunciation was awful, and she spoke very hesitatingly (thinking in English and then translating in her head).

[OutOfTheQuestion]

Bowen placing the last sketch in Seattle made me think it was going to be a rare case of an SNL running gag, where suddenly the guy with the long nails would be attacked by a giant dog (i.e. the puppy "destroying Seattle" from the previous sketch)

I enjoy how 70% of Weekend Update is now everyone dunking on Colin Jost

[MBayGal]

If I wanted to watch a show with untranslated skits and songs, I would watch Telemundo.   

[Milburn Stone]

On 4/16/2023 at 7:52 PM, Madding crowd said:

I liked the cold open, Weekend Update and nothing else.

Same.

I liked Ana in Knives Out, but I think it's a mistake for SNL to have a host whose command of English is not good enough to land a joke. Her English is infinity times better than my Spanish, but that doesn't necessarily qualify her for sketch comedy.

[LuvMyShows]

On 4/16/2023 at 1:14 AM, vb68 said:

I thought this show had good energy.

The Cold open was interesting and definitely for people who are sick of politics. It sorta yelled out "We don't know what else to do" though.

Ana was adorable in her monologue. 

I need to have Kenan screaming out "You eat the dogfood for FREE?!?!!" on a loop.

Funky Kong was great. 

Loved seeing Molly on update and her bit was well done.

Assuming there's no Writers' Strike. As Pete said in another thread, there's a good chance this was the season finale. We will see.

 

On 4/16/2023 at 1:43 AM, SHD said:

Ana seemed lovely and so happy to be there but this definitely wasn’t a great show for me.

Too soon to bring back Lisa from Temecula and, based on the crowd response, maybe it shouldn’t have been a recurring character at all.

I never enjoy when they have animals on. They always look scared.

I did laugh at the women recording for Spicy, and WU, as always. Happy to see Molly get a feature spot.

 

On 4/16/2023 at 5:44 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Ana was okay. Something about her vibe seemed off to me, like she was kind of above or removed from what was going on. 

I think it was a combination of the language issue and her insanely obvious reading of the cue cards. It's like it just blocked her ability to give the sketches her all.