S49.E12: Shane Gillis / 21 Savage

[Galileo908]

Quote

Hosted by Shane Gillis with musical guest 21 Savage

Airs 2/24/24

Edited February 25 by Galileo908

[Poohbear617]

Why the hell is this guy hosting? Who is he anyway? I mean, I know he's a comedian, but Nate Bargezy was a comedian and he was funny.

[Thalia]

That may have been the least funny monologue I've ever seen.  I don't even know what to say about the part dealing with his mom.   Except to say it isn't flattering.  The skits haven't been funny either, but the problem was the writing more than his participation. 

Edited February 25 by Thalia

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Even when he's not in the sketch, Trump just looms over these sketches. Devon Walker is still great as Tim Scott. That didn't need to be five minutes long without so much as a punchline.

Monologue: You know it's gonna be a long 90 minutes when Shane's opening statement is "Don't Google me." He definitely does have that high school football coach energy. That was...awkward. I have no idea why he's hosting, and I don't think he knows, either.

Jamaican Church: Ego was the best in this. I have no idea what was happening, but I liked Ego in this. Those were spot-on accents.

Rock Bottom Kings: A gambling app about gambling about what your gambling addict friend's lowest gambling moment will be is something I'm sure will exist eventually, as if that in itself isn't YOUR rock bottom moment. I'd take those odds on the friend faking their death but get caught immediately because they used a gambling app.

HR Meeting: I thought Shane was allright here, but the rest of the cast really shined here.

White Men Can Trump: Trump shoes sketch! And here's the requisite Trump impression sketch. Shane's impression IS dead-on, and loved him dueling Trump with JAJ. Shane's voice is more accurate, but JAJ's cadence and his rambling are funnier to me. The tie getting longer was the best part, and the Air Bidens gag was funny.

The Floor: Shane and Ego had good chemistry here. "Game show contestants always get stuff wrong" is hard to pull off well, but Ego really made it work. I can definitely buy Shane's character only being able to identify Cleveland from Family Guy, and Ego calling Michaelangelo's David "Mr. Penis." Also liked Bowen calling milk "clam chowder without the clams" and "white orange juice."

WU: Donald Trump: undefeated everywhere except court. And if this was a few years ago, Kyle Mooney would've played the frozen embryo. Bowen as Truman Capote was an impression that definitely wasn't on the bingo card this week.

20 Year Reunion: Oh wow, a Forrest Gump sketch in 2024. Centering the sketch around one of his classmates that peaked in high school was a good premise. Shane was giving off a vibe of Brendan Fraser playing Danny McBride.

Fugliana: Sarah Squirm sketch! She sells "weird sex doll" so perfectly, she was just trying to make Shane break. Love how all the girls were just so gung-ho on looking so weird as the Fuglianas. "I'm 36 but look 52" is 100% the vibe Shane Gillis gives off.

Targeted Ads: Shane delivering lines in a way that he was trying to activate a sleeper cell. Just awkard, and it definitely feels like everyone was watching the clock to try to finish the sketch before time ran out.

 

To be honest, I think Shane Gillis definitely would've worked as a cast member, but WOOF was this episode rough. "Problematic heavyset white guy" is a niche this show hasn't filled in a while. "Wish dot com John Candy" was where my mind went to, especially during the HR sketch.

Next week is Sydney Sweeney, so expect the writers to dust off those "this host is hot!" sketches again. Sigh.

 

[MrWhyt]

That was dire, only ones that got laughs from me were WU and Rock Bottom Kings.

[ebk57]

Thanks @Galileo908for watching so I don't have to.  I definitely made the correct decision by continuing to watch Funny Girl on TCM. 

[Dirge]

Things I liked: the fact that the Trump shoes didn't make people great; they just made people able to sell outrageous lies. Bowen as Capote. The high school reunion. That was it. 

[Galileo908]

6 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Jamaican Church: Ego was the best in this. I have no idea what was happening, but I liked Ego in this. Those were spot-on accents.

A friend of mine LOVED this sketch because he has a Jamaican boss that sounds and acts exactly like Ego's character.

And I don't watch The Floor, but apparently it was making fun of contestants who can't identify the black people.

Edited February 25 by Galileo908

[txhorns79]

22 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Monologue: You know it's gonna be a long 90 minutes when Shane's opening statement is "Don't Google me." He definitely does have that high school football coach energy. That was...awkward. I have no idea why he's hosting, and I don't think he knows, either.

It did feel like something he put together maybe ten minutes before he went on air.  It was awkward, and if that was stuff from his act, it makes me wonder how he has such a big following.  

[Galileo908]

Just now, txhorns79 said:

It did feel like something he put together maybe ten minutes before he went on air.  It was awkward, and if that was stuff from his act, it makes me wonder how he has such a big following.  

Apparently that was his signature bit...

He's big with the Joe Rogan crowd. That alone should tell you everything.

[Dirge]

33 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I don't watch The Floor, but apparently it was making fun of contestants who can't identify the black people.

That makes me appreciate it. 

[Kimmmmmm]

And another non-musical musical guest

[Galileo908]

We got ourselves a cut for time sketch.

 

Criminal that THIS was cut and stuff like the GB Packers butt plug was kept in.

[Irlandesa]

2 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

We got ourselves a cut for time sketch.

I forgot to tape and it sounds like I didn't miss much but I did like this. 

[wknt3]

Yikes could you feel the bad vibes coming through during the good nights with backs turned, cast deliberately keeping their distance, etc. I wonder how much of a jerk this guy must have been for so much of the cast to be so public about their distaste? Or maybe he has less pull or they feel he did less to "earn" the hosting slot than some of the previous controversial choices?

[vb68]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

That was...awkward. I have no idea why he's hosting, and I don't think he knows, either.

From the time he was announced as the host, I thought it was basically an apology for the way everything that went down with him being hired as a cast member and then immediately fired. I don't think his profile is big enough to be considered for hosting otherwise. I think they were saying yeah, we probably made a mistake with all of that.

Based on the episode, I think that's debatable. I liked the Forrest Gump sketch. I certainly didn't have that on my bingo card, and it was actually fun and creative. I also enjoyed Bowen as Truman Capote. 

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

It did feel like something he put together maybe ten minutes before he went on air.  It was awkward, and if that was stuff from his act, it makes me wonder how he has such a big following.

I think he mumbled something about nothing from his act being suitable for TV. I took him on his word on that.

Edited February 25 by vb68

[HC87]

Just brutal.....this show needs major changes.....worst it's ever been including the early 80s Jane D year

[Psychobunny]

I found every moment of the monologue offensive The only sketch I thought was any good was the cut for time Liberty one. Overall just a terrible episode.

[Pete Martell]

3 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Yikes could you feel the bad vibes coming through during the good nights with backs turned, cast deliberately keeping their distance, etc. I wonder how much of a jerk this guy must have been for so much of the cast to be so public about their distaste? Or maybe he has less pull or they feel he did less to "earn" the hosting slot than some of the previous controversial choices?

I had wondered about this before the episode, because of some of his past statements (or "jokes"), but I didn't feel those vibes myself. I thought the cast mostly pulled together and it seemed like he was especially clicking with Sarah. The goodnights were partly cut off but he and Bowen also made sure people saw they got along (possibly because I've seen Bowen get a lot of hate for years over what happened with Gillis' firing). Compared to episodes like Will Forte's, where the goodnights felt so cold they still linger in my mind, these didn't stand out to me. 

2 hours ago, vb68 said:

From the time he was announced as the host, I thought it was basically an apology for the way everything that went down with him being hired as a cast member and then immediately fired. I don't think his profile is big enough to be considered for hosting otherwise. I think they were saying yeah, we probably made a mistake with all of that.

Based on the episode, I think that's debatable. I liked the Forrest Gump sketch. I certainly didn't have that on my bingo card, and it was actually fun and creative. I also enjoyed Bowen as Truman Capote. 

I think he mumbled something about nothing from his act being suitable for TV. I took him on his word on that.

Most of the time, Lorne will only use SNL to apologize if something is in it for him. In this case, I'd say it's Gillis' fanbase. He is not broadly known, but he is loved by many of the more conservative male viewers who have long abandoned SNL The show likely wants or needs them back. They aren't coming back, but Lorne isn't going to give up. That type of fan was one of the reasons Gillis was hired in the first place, allegedly. You can also see this tweak in how the show is being put across this season. Gone are the "resist" pieces on Weekend Update where cast members righteously share their views on various progressive concerns. 

That Trump pre-tape tonight said it all for me - we get two Trumps, then Biden appears just to be feeble and keel over. They have a strong sense of where they think the winds are blowing.

I do think that Gillis would have been a struggling cast member if he had stayed - probably in the position of Molly Kearney, who is barely on, and when they aren't on, frankly, I don't miss them. While I thought he was perfectly fine as a sketch performer, he wasn't a standout. What did stand out for me was his writing (his co-writer was in the credits so I assume they did some writing). 

I don't think there were any great sketches tonight (in overall quality Forrest Gump may have been the strongest), but many involving him at least had a different tone and an attempt at some density compared to so much of what gets on the show now. Little touches like the church sketch ending happily and with mutual acceptance, instead of just Ego being wacky. Or the ugly doll sketch ending on Sarah and Shane breaking up and her insulting him. Or the pre-tapes actually having some type of premise beyond vacuous pop culture or a musical number stretched out to eternity.

For that reason, this was one of the better episodes of the season for me. It was a reminder of why I wish hosts who can contribute could have more input. The comparison to Ayo's episode, where she seemed to have no real involvement in the writing and ended up getting a Dune sex bucket pre-tape, elevator sex pre-tape, and Urkel in a classroom, was notable to me, even if I preferred watching her.

1 hour ago, HC87 said:

Just brutal.....this show needs major changes.....worst it's ever been including the early 80s Jane D year

I would disagree this is the worst it's ever been - I think the mid '90s and the mid '00s were worse - but I would agree it needs major changes. Honestly a part of me is more upset with the current show because it isn't even interesting enough to be bad. So much of the show is suffering from malaise - the sketches are haphazardly put together, the performances are lackluster, and the emphasis on curating "stars" results in overused or misused performers. 

I was bored out of my mind watching Update tonight because I've seen Bowen play that character so many times. Even when I can say it wasn't bad, I still don't know if I will remember. And Marcello was basically doing a cosplay of Michael (remember when he actually got comedy parts?), Sarah and Bowen at the desk, only a very bloodless version.

The cold open also wasn't bad, necessarily, but was so warmed over, having absolutely nothing to say that hadn't already been said, and said better, by other outlets, and by SNL in past years. The choice to have long pauses, pauses with cavernous silences due to the dead audience, was absolutely brutal. 

The audience are showing, week after week, that the show needs changes top to bottom, but I fear they are coasting to anniversary. If Lorne is in autopilot because he wants to end it at 50, then it's a shame he doesn't want to go out of top...or even halfway to the top. 

I can't say I have a lot of faith in the next host, but that shouldn't be her job anyway. It's the show's job. I hope something can impress or surprise me.

3 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

It did feel like something he put together maybe ten minutes before he went on air.  It was awkward, and if that was stuff from his act, it makes me wonder how he has such a big following.  

You'll get a lot of support from saying certain words. The act reminded me of something I could have seen at many standup shows 20 or 30 years ago, which is one of the reasons I wasn't offended or shocked. 

This was the low point of the night for me, less because of the word, which is still heavily used, and more because of how incredibly cynical the whole thing was. The audience was not that negative toward him. They were harsher on some standups who were more popular and known to them than he was, like Larry David. Yet he kept telling us how negative they were, because that's part of the whole routine. He can leave the show now, go on podcasts, go on the road, and talk about how the woke SNL crowd couldn't handle him. 

No matter how much some at the show may wish the culture wars could go away with a host like Gillis, they will always be brought to the doorstep. And it's so exhausting. 

Edited February 25 by Pete Martell

[Spartan Girl]

5 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

To be honest, I think Shane Gillis definitely would've worked as a cast member, but WOOF was this episode rough. "Problematic heavyset white guy" is a niche this show hasn't filled in a while. "Wish dot com John Candy" was where my mind went to, especially during the HR sketch

This asshole isn’t fit to wipe John Candy’s shoes, or Chris Farley and John Belushi’s, for that matter.  They had their problems, but they were good people.

Edited February 25 by Spartan Girl

[stonehaven]

I was out last night and came home right in the middle of the monologue. All I heard him say was he was "gay for his Mom" as a kid and then asked the audience when they stopped being their Mom's best friend. In my head, I knew masturbation would be the punchline. Sure enough, it was. It just seemed like such a lazy joke and predictable. I shut off the channel and watched Jeopardy on Pluto.

SNL has got to realize there ARE other things to watch at that time. If they can't make it interesting, they'll keep losing viewers. The only thing I seem to watch now are the WU jokes and I usually skip the bits with cast members.

[SomeTameGazelle]

8 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Devon Walker is still great as Tim Scott.

Every time I hear Devon as Tim Scott I think of Bill Clinton. I haven't seen enough of real Tim Scott to know how accurate that would be.

[cdnalor]

I think Gillis as a cast member would've always been playing the same character, he's such a physical "type,"  it would be hard to see him as anything other than a clichéd high school coach, cop, etc.  I watched his comedy special last week out of curiosity and he came off rather amateurish in his delivery.  He really doesn't seem ready for the big time.  He does do a decent Trump voice, though.

Not a great episode, but some okay moments.  I guess that's the best we can hope for these days.

[kirinan]

I had absolutely no idea who this guy was until I started to watch his monologue, stopped watching when it seemed he was going to make Down's Syndrome jokes, Googled him out of curiosity, and then watched Captain America: Civil War for the rest of the night. It appears from what I see here that I didn't miss much. Although I did get a kick out of that Limu Emu cut sketch @Galileo908 posted above. 

[peeayebee]

10 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

And I don't watch The Floor, but apparently it was making fun of contestants who can't identify the black people.

I haven't watched The Floor either. Is the show basically what we saw in this sketch? I liked Bowen's guesses for milk, and Ego's guesses were pretty funny, too.

That monologue was SO bad. Yikes. I know nothing about his regular standup act, but there's no way I'd even google it. 

Cold Open - Once again I thought this had potential, but the execution was off. I think there's too much pausing betw delivering lines. Sometimes that was appropriate, but I do think a faster pace in many of the sketches would be beneficial. Who was Mikey supposed to be?

The only thing I liked in the church sketch was Ego. She's so much fun.

Rock Bottom Kings was pretty good. I also liked the Trump shoes one and was surprised at how good Shane's impression was. Too bad they had to tack on an "old Biden" joke, though if they'd just stopped with the Biden shoe, it would have been good.

I liked the HR meeting sketch and thought Shane was good here. I got a big laugh out of one of the women (Chloe?) saying to Kenan, "Eric! Cut your nails!" and him replying, "NO!"

I can't say this ep was a disappointment because I wasn't expecting much.

I also thought Michael did a pretty good Rob Lowe impression.

There wasn't much in WU that I liked. There are countless jokes you can make about that embryos-are-children court decision, and I did like the one about Alabama now trying black embryos as adults. I liked Bowen's Capote bit, too. Yes, he often seems to be doing the same basic character, but since I find his persona funny, I liked this, esp his repeated comments about the women's hats.

The Forrest Gump sketch was ok. 

Did not like the Fugliana sex doll sketch. I assume Sarah wrote this.

I watched the ep on Peacock this morning, and the very beginning of the last sketch seemed to be cut off. No idea what this was about, though I admit I was playing a game on my phone while this was on.

[potatoradio]

American Gothic = JK Simmons and Cynthia Nixon. Bwahhhh!! 

Otherwise, the flop sweat and lack of funny was painful. 

Could the writers maybe at least make the political cold opens not depressing? 

[bamlou]

7 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

The audience was not that negative toward him. They were harsher on some standups who were more popular and known to them than he was, like Larry David. Yet he kept telling us how negative they were, because that's part of the whole routine.

Yeah, I felt that this audience was willing to embrace his comedy for the most part, but it was his own hesitation and awkwardness with some of the delivery during the monologue that stopped him short of getting the belly laughs he was expecting. And then calling it out added to it feeling clunky, and maybe it made the audience less sure of how to react and laugh after. They seemed on board to have a good time, but even Update got a more tepid response to jokes I thought would land better. 

I feel too that there was a missed opportunity to more openly address what happened with his hiring/firing, rather than just a brief mention and "don't Google it" which made it more the elephant in the room. I was wanting some more direct jokes about the situation, or for him to talk about what he's been up to since then, or, if he and Bowen are actually cool with each other (like their hug at the goodnights suggests), perhaps Bowen could have joined briefly during the monologue to poke fun at how they were hired together. That might have shown some goodwill and put skeptics more at ease to laugh, given more of an introduction to those unfamiliar with him, and could have set a better, more relaxed tone for the rest of the night.

It was just an okay show for me. The sketches were a little half baked, and that cold opening dragged - knowing that this ep would be attracting non-regulars checking it out, it's too bad they didn't open with something more accessible. If not for all the hype around Shane's hosting, this would probably be a very 'mid' episode, but the expectations were high, so there's more scrutiny and it makes this miss maybe land harder. 

Edited February 25 by bamlouie

[Ottis]

It’s clear that the NY live crowd, and many posters, aren’t Shane’s target audience. He knew it, and he lacked confidence. I’ve seen some of his stuff online, including the Down’s bits where he has benefited from how he looks, and it’s decent to good. But those were his crowds, and he owned his material there. Not last night. You could tell by how hesitant they were to laugh at anything that felt like it “wasn’t OK.” Like the mangled Down’s jokes.

Aside from that, he wasn’t a good skit performer. Timing was off. Too bad, because there were some clever skits that might have killed with different delivery. Including the Packer BP skit. And the sex doll skit. And the HR work dating skit. 

The Trump shoes skit was a head scratcher. It should have been way funnier given how ridiculous those shoes are.

This was the rare recent ep that had some good ideas, and the execution was poor. Most recent eps have lacked ideas at all.

Edited February 25 by Ottis

[cpcathy]

I’d only seen Shane on TikTok, where his Trump was much better, but I don’t think he would have been a good cast member. He doesn’t annunciate each word(much like Molly). I also watched his special, after he was announced as host, and well, he’s no Mulaney, who I think is very smart and has sparkling wit.

Edited February 25 by cpcathy

[rmontro]

13 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Yikes could you feel the bad vibes coming through during the good nights with backs turned, cast deliberately keeping their distance, etc. I wonder how much of a jerk this guy must have been for so much of the cast to be so public about their distaste? 

I noticed that, but I was looking for it.  I always pay attention to these after show interactions.  A couple people were talking with him, so maybe it's our imagination.  Or maybe it's that they didn't want to get canceled.  

I remember he said something insensitive, but not exactly what he said.  Anyway, I actually thought it was a better than average show (or for what passes for average these days).  He did seem nervous.

[Pete Martell]

3 hours ago, bamlouie said:

Yeah, I felt that this audience was willing to embrace his comedy for the most part, but it was his own hesitation and awkwardness with some of the delivery during the monologue that stopped him short of getting the belly laughs he was expecting. And then calling it out added to it feeling clunky, and maybe it made the audience less sure of how to react and laugh after. They seemed on board to have a good time, but even Update got a more tepid response to jokes I thought would land better. 

I feel too that there was a missed opportunity to more openly address what happened with his hiring/firing, rather than just a brief mention and "don't Google it" which made it more the elephant in the room. I was wanting some more direct jokes about the situation, or for him to talk about what he's been up to since then, or, if he and Bowen are actually cool with each other (like their hug at the goodnights suggests), perhaps Bowen could have joined briefly during the monologue to poke fun at how they were hired together. That might have shown some goodwill and put skeptics more at ease to laugh, given more of an introduction to those unfamiliar with him, and could have set a better, more relaxed tone for the rest of the night.

It was just an okay show for me. The sketches were a little half baked, and that cold opening dragged - knowing that this ep would be attracting non-regulars checking it out, it's too bad they didn't open with something more accessible. If not for all the hype around Shane's hosting, this would probably be a very 'mid' episode, but the expectations were high, so there's more scrutiny and it makes this miss maybe land harder. 

It seemed like the only criteria for the cold open was coming up with material when they knew they couldn't have JAJ Trump (they could have, of course, but he was coming up later so they were right not to use him twice). Many years ago they would have done a cold open with Gillis backstage, similar to when Ben Stiller returned as host (I'm not comparing their SNL careers) the first time and got into a fight with Lorne. They seem to avoid backstage pieces now. The show has cut off so many past avenues, for one reason or another. When I ask why the show HAS to have political cold opens so many weeks, the response is often that politics are what get the show attention and the show has always talked about politics. My response to that would be - do people really think cold opens like the one last night will bring people to the show, or keep them? 

I agree with you about the opportunity Gillis had. When his hosting was announced, I was surprised he agreed, because so much of his audience hates SNL and the establishment they see SNL as being part of. You could feel that push in his monologue, because I got the impression rather than being genuine with the crowd, he was laying on his reaction to how they responded to his material so that he can now go on his podcast, or his standup dates, his next Netflix special, what have you, talking about how the libs couldn't handle him. It's unfortunate, because I did think he was trying for the rest of the night and I felt like he contributed some interesting ideas of his own rather than just, say, standing around while Chloe and Heidi make wacky faces. Yet the monologue will be what most people remember. 

2 hours ago, Ottis said:

It’s clear that the NY live crowd, and many posters, aren’t Shane’s target audience. He knew it, and he lacked confidence. I’ve seen some of his stuff online, including the Down’s bits where he has benefited from how he looks, and it’s decent to good. But those were his crowds, and he owned his material there. Not last night. You could tell by how hesitant they were to laugh at anything that felt like it “wasn’t OK.” Like the mangled Down’s jokes.

Aside from that, he wasn’t a good skit performer. Timing was off. Too bad, because there were some clever skits that might have killed with different delivery. Including the Packer BP skit. And the sex doll skit. And the HR work dating skit. 

The Trump shoes skit was a head scratcher. It should have been way funnier given how ridiculous those shoes are.

This was the rare recent ep that had some good ideas, and the execution was poor. Most recent eps have lacked ideas at all.

It says something about my view of the work of many in the current cast that I didn't see a huge difference in performance between Gillis and them, at least until the last sketch where he had a noticeable screwup. I think if he came back (which doesn't seem likely) he would probably be more natural in sketches. He did seem strong in the pre-tapes. 

It felt like the Trump pre-tape was mostly an excuse to have the two Trump impressions meet. I did like the concept of the shoes not helping a person's life improve but just making them into Trump.

I agree with you about the sketches at least having ideas, which hasn't been the cast for a while now in the last few seasons. That may be why I have been higher on the episode than I might have expected.

Edited February 25 by Pete Martell

[Joimiaroxeu]

The cold open was rough. I was surprised SNL took it as far as they did. But it mainly seemed to be built on Devon Walker's resemblance to the senator he portrayed.

So you get fired from SNL and then you get to host. Who is this guy? Did Loren Michaels lose a lawsuit for wrongful termination? Whatever, not much about the monologue made sense to me. Never thought I'd ever say thank goodness for 21 Savage.

Oheeo. Reggae church be jammin'.

Rock Bottom Kings is probably not far off from happening. Prop betting has gotten unbelievable, especially when attached to major sports events.

I'm not familiar with how strip clubs work. Would that clueless HR meeting guy have had $1500 in ones, fives, tens, or twenties?

Booty khakis. Hello.

Did SNL actually buy  those sneakers or where they imitations? Whoever this Gillis guy is, he does a better 45 than JAJ.

Sorry but no one on SNL is handsome enough to portray Rob Lowe. His genes are undefeated, so far.

I've never watched The Floor but one thing I've noticed about Jeopardy is when the category has to do with Black people and there are no Black contestants, the category usually goes down in flames. And I've often thought it was because non-Black contestants didn't want to give wrong answers that could make them look racist.

Wonder how Stephen King feels about 21 Savage's "redrum"? I wasn't sure if it's quite an homage to The Shining so much as "here's Johnny" is an easy reference for insane violence.

WU:
Read that Bane joke on reddit earlier in the week.
Bitch too skinny. Ouch.
The frozen embryo bit reminded me of this.
I forgot this is a leap year. Thanks, Colin! Oh wait
Love Bowen but his Truman Capote was off. It was low energy and he didn't quite have Capote's voice. The line comparing women to kombucha was killer.

Forrest Gump as a billionaire, which in 1985 was way more of a rarity than it is now.

Okay, low rent sex dolls makes sense but Fugliana seemed to be for men who don't really like women.

Summer Walker saved that second 21 Savage performance.

Green Bay Packers sex toys. So, do the NFL/NBA jump on the idea for marketing purposes, or do they start looking for existing products so they can sue for copyright infringement?

That was a weird moment between the host and 21 Savage during the signoff. It looked literally staged. Awkward.

Cut for time sketch: Dang, LiMu the Emu is gangster.

[rmontro]

32 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Green Bay Packers sex toys. So, do the NFL/NBA jump on the idea for marketing purposes, or do they start looking for existing products so they can sue for copyright infringement?

I'm a Packers fan, and I can tell you that "Go Packers Go" is not their fight song.  They do chant "Go Pack Go" though.  And the music they played as their fight song was nonsense.  I was wondering if maybe they have "Go Pack Go" licensed (they probably do), and that's the reason they didn't use it on SNL.

[Galileo908]

If I read right, "Go Packers Go" is owned by NBC Universal by way of RCA, so they were able to use it.

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Did SNL actually buy  those sneakers or where they imitations?

They were definitely fake. There several differences betw Trump's sneakers and SNL's.

[DEL901]

3 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

They were definitely fake. There several differences betw Trump's sneakers and SNL's.

Also, apparently the actual sneakers other than a few samples, have yet to be manufactured.  

[RobertDeSneero]

If they were hell-bent on having a controversial comedian who's been accused of being a hack, they should have gotten Jo Koy.

[SomeTameGazelle]

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I haven't watched The Floor either. Is the show basically what we saw in this sketch?

Yes and no. Yes, the rounds are showing images in a category going back and forth between the contestants and they start with very very easy images. No, in that they left out how the categories are actually determined and the part where each duel is for a space on the floor, and that winning a duel is based not on how many you get right but who still has time left on the clock which they did not show.

The Trump sneaker pretape and Bowen's Truman Capote which I thought was a quite creditable impression (and bonus points for not having any jokes about what a terrible person Colin is supposed to be) made me laugh. 

Gillis was just not a good enough actor to pull off the Green Bay Packers sketch and the features of the butt plug were too complicated. When they finally made it to the punchline I grasped what they had been going for and thought it would have been better if he had been able to show his denials were escalating. And I couldn't tell whether Gillis was making mistakes and throwing Heidi off or if she was just slow to pick up her cues.  

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

If I read right, "Go Packers Go" is owned by NBC Universal by way of RCA, so they were able to use it.

Really?  I've been a Packer fan for nearly 60 years, but I've never heard of it, I figured they made it up.  

[EtheltoTillie]

21 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I also thought Michael did a pretty good Rob Lowe impression.

 

Where was the Rob Lowe impression?  Did I blink and miss it? 

ETA:  Answering my own question.  I didn't know Rob Lowe was the host of The Floor, and I did blink and miss the part where they announced "hosted by Rob Lowe" at the beginning of the skit.  Eh, he didn't look anything like Rob Lowe, so it didn't stick the landing for me. 

Edited February 26 by EtheltoTillie

[DrScottie]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Where was the Rob Lowe impression?  Did I blink and miss it? 

ETA:  Answering my own question.  I didn't know Rob Lowe was the host of The Floor, and I did blink and miss the part where they announced "hosted by Rob Lowe" at the beginning of the skit.  Eh, he didn't look anything like Rob Lowe, so it didn't stick the landing for me. 

I agree that he didn't have Rob Lowe's look aside from the spiked hair, but what he did have was a similar vocal cadence to the way Rob Lowe speaks on the show. 

[Pete Martell]

They later added that the Marcello Update piece was written by Jimmy Fowlie, Ceara O'Sullivan and Colin Jost. 

Speaking of which, SNL finally uploaded that to Youtube, but, interestingly, shared the dress rehearsal version.

Cut sketches:

(this sketch was originally cut from the Nate Bargatze episode, where Bowen was included as Heidi's baby via green screen)

 

[peeayebee]

I can see Punkie as Fani Willis, but I'm not sure where the humor would come from.

[heatherchandler]

On 2/25/2024 at 1:18 AM, wknt3 said:

Yikes could you feel the bad vibes coming through during the good nights with backs turned, cast deliberately keeping their distance, etc. I wonder how much of a jerk this guy must have been for so much of the cast to be so public about their distaste? Or maybe he has less pull or they feel he did less to "earn" the hosting slot than some of the previous controversial choices?

I didn’t get that at all.  They didn’t seem to freeze him out at goodnights.  I think he and Sarah are friends.  Did anyone comment recently on him hosting?
 

 

On 2/25/2024 at 4:17 AM, Pete Martell said:

Compared to episodes like Will Forte's, where the goodnights felt so cold they still linger in my mind, these didn't stand out to me. 

Most of the time, Lorne will only use SNL to apologize if something is in it for him. In this case, I'd say it's Gillis' fanbase. He is not broadly known, but he is loved by many of the more conservative male viewers who have long abandoned SNL The show likely wants or needs them back. They aren't coming back, but Lorne isn't going to give up. That type of fan was one of the reasons Gillis was hired in the first place, allegedly. 

For that reason, this was one of the better episodes of the season for me. It was a reminder of why I wish hosts who can contribute could have more input. The comparison to Ayo's episode, where she seemed to have no real involvement in the writing and ended up getting a Dune sex bucket pre-tape, elevator sex pre-tape, and Urkel in a classroom, was notable to me, even if I preferred watching her.

I would disagree this is the worst it's ever been - I think the mid '90s and the mid '00s were worse - but I would agree it needs major changes. Honestly a part of me is more upset with the current show because it isn't even interesting enough to be bad. So much of the show is suffering from malaise - the sketches are haphazardly put together, the performances are lackluster, and the emphasis on curating "stars" results in overused or misused performers. 

I was bored out of my mind watching Update tonight because I've seen Bowen play that character so many times. Even when I can say it wasn't bad, I still don't know if I will remember. And Marcello was basically doing a cosplay of Michael (remember when he actually got comedy parts?), Sarah and Bowen at the desk, only a very bloodless version.

 

 

Why was everyone mad at Will Forte??

Shane is huge, like the best known/loved comedian with teenage boys and college age too.  I was surprised that people didn’t know who he is. 

I agree with everything you said but especially how bad late 90s-2000 years were.  I actually think the current writers are almost that bad.  And not even interesting.  
And Update was so boring.  The frozen embryo didn’t get any laughs, and Bowen as Capote was terrible.

 

 

On 2/25/2024 at 5:36 AM, Spartan Girl said:

This asshole isn’t fit to wipe John Candy’s shoes, or Chris Farley and John Belushi’s, for that matter.  They had their problems, but they were good people.

He actually did open a restaurant for people with Down syndrome to have a place to work.  That’s not a bad guy.  

[Crashcourse]

3 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Shane is huge, like the best known/loved comedian with teenage boys and college age too.  I was surprised that people didn’t know who he is. 

Never heard of him.  Not all of us are teenage boys and college age. 😄

[Pete Martell]

4 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Why was everyone mad at Will Forte??

Sorry, I didn't mean to act like they were as it was just my speculation. The whole episode felt very cold, unusually so for me with SNL, and then in the goodnights I remembered (although I haven't seen them in a year or two) Forte mostly just being with Kenan and Kristen Wiig, rather than most of the cast. 

[peeayebee]

4 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I didn’t get that at all.  They didn’t seem to freeze him out at goodnights.

I did notice that when he shook 21 Savage's hand, it looked like Shane was going in for the bro-hug, or whatever you call it -- shake hands, pull in together shoulder to shoulder, separate -- but 21 Savage just held him at arm's length, giving him a simple handshake.

I didn't watch the entire goodbyes, but I didn't see anybody else being cold.

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Never heard of him.  Not all of us are teenage boys and college age. 😄

I’m not one either!  I’d heard of him, I think Netflix recommended him to me.  Then after I watched his special, my son and his friends (teenage boys) were talking about him like he’s the funniest person ever.  I don’t agree with that assessment but he’s funny, imo.  

 

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

Sorry, I didn't mean to act like they were as it was just my speculation. The whole episode felt very cold, unusually so for me with SNL, and then in the goodnights I remembered (although I haven't seen them in a year or two) Forte mostly just being with Kenan and Kristen Wiig, rather than most of the cast. 

I just went to peacock and watched this, I think it was due to the weird Moleskin or Manskin musical group taking up the front part of the stage 🤣  

[SomeTameGazelle]

50 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Moleskin or Manskin

Måneskin. Apparently Danish for moonlight. Måne for Moon (the bubble over the a indicates an o sound) and skin is related to shine. The band is Italian but one of the members has Danish heritage.

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Måneskin. Apparently Danish for moonlight. Måne for Moon (the bubble over the an indicates an o sound) and skin is related to shine. The band is Italian but one of the members has Danish heritage.

That is a cool meaning.