S49.E15: Ramy Youssef / Travis Scott

[Galileo908]

Quote

Hosted by Ramy Youssef with musical guest Travis Scott

Airs 3/30/24

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Called it, it's Easter and Trump is selling bibles, they pretty much HAD to open with it. Yeah, reality has sadly gotten too stupid.

Monologue: "I went North, but I'm south" describes Upsate NY to a T, as does "We're liberal, but we're Italian" summing up NYC. I am also from NY and (half) Italian, so I got a kick out of that. I thought Ramy Youssef did a good job here. A lil awkward, but I have good feelings about this one.

Couple Goals: This was a fun one. Ramy's oddly specific fears taking up several cards cracked me up.

Please Don't Destroy: And here's the Travis Scott sketch. Don't look up what he's done. Was the Josh Brolin ep the only ep this whole year where either the host or the musical guest wasn't a colossal POS? I liked everything else about the sketch, like Ramy feeling self-conscious about being a nerd at the club. That's been me.

Immigrant Dad Talk Show: As a white kid, this wasn't aimed at me. Of course Mikey Day had to be the guest as the White Dad and freaked them all out.

Halftime: Kenan carried this whole sketch. I wonder if his voice was different in the dress rehearsal? It felt like everyone was trying not to break.

Ozempic for Ramadan: Wow, a Ramadan sketch! This was a fun one. Of course they had to show Dismukes as a convert, being all white about it and showing off the skinny jeans.

WU: lol the cargo ship was carrying Boeing jets. WU was certainly out for blood tonight.

Liked Chloe's awful TikTok videos. And got a kick out of Sarah as Flaco's widow. 

Crime Scene: A Sunglasses of Justice sketch in 2024?! Yeah, got a kick out of Dismukes only repeating the same line. And got a real big laugh out of Ramy getting a line in. 

Tiny Desk Concert: Bowen as an annoying NPR intern having to work during a Tiny Desk Concert is a fun premise. And where has he been this whole show?

All in all, I liked this one! Kristen Wiig hosts next Time! Totally looking forward to that one...

[JeanJean]

Nothing particularly memorable about this episode, but the energy was good. Marcello's insanely fast movements during the Immigrant Father sketch were really funny.

I liked Sara as Flaco's widow.

I really just mentally tune out during the trump cold opens. Even though JAJ is really good, it just disturbs me that he's portrayed as quirky and benign. That ain't him.

Edited March 31 by JeanJean

[MrWhyt]

a pretty good episode IMO, and consistent too. RY fit right in and I hope to see him host again. As mentioned, Bowen-lite, he didn't show up until the NPR sketch. 

[vb68]

I thought it was an average show at best. Ramy was fine, and I thought his monologue was really good. There were just some sketches (The basketball team, He should have ordered delivery, etc) that I wondered what they were thinking. Maybe they sounded better on paper. The basketball one in particular just came off as creepy to me.

[ebk57]

Surprisingly (to me anyway) I mostly enjoyed this, even the cold open.  WU was great, even Sarah.  I'm always up for a Sunglasses of Justice appearance.  I thought the Tiny Desk Concert idea could have been done so much better, though.  So, mostly good.  Which is ... mostly good. 

[MarquisDeCarabas]

4 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

Nothing particularly memorable about this episode, but the energy was good.

I really just mentally tune out during the trump cold opens. Even though JAJ is really good, it just disturbs me that he's portrayed as quirky and benign. That ain't him.

They are decent at portraying how nuts trump is but they completely ignore how mean and malevolent he is. That’s what makes trump so dangerous is how hateful he is. They depicted McConnell as a bit of a cartoon villain so they certainly could go harder in that direction. I think it's probably a network mandate

[Phebemarie]

Didn’t care for the Oppenheimer joke or making jokes about the bridge when bodies still haven’t been recovered.  

[vb68]

20 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Surprisingly (to me anyway) I mostly enjoyed this, even the cold open. 

Yeah, for whatever it's worth, I thought it was one of the better Trump sketches. Not that it's exactly a high bar.

[Trini]

'Immigrant Dad Talk Show': Well, I don't know if immigrant dads favor their daughters enough to brush off a $12k Sephora bill, but can confirm they are disappointed in their sons. (Sorry, bro!)

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

"I went North, but I'm south" describes Upsate NY to a T,

Ugh - can also confirm this.

[Ottis]

It is way past time for any Trump SNL skit to stop being cute and go straight to the fact that he is a horrible human being. No “mission trip to Mexico and maybe in the last night you make out with someone.” That should have been “grab her in the pu—y” and “make Mexico pay for her.”

A Trump fan would have chuckled at the skit we saw, it was so tame and quirky. If they insists on having “Trump” appear, SNL needs to stop screwing around on this issue and state the truth.

Also, the please don’t destroy video was a 16yo’s version of funny. Gigantic pu—ies? Really? Cheech and Chong might have enjoyed it.

Edited March 31 by Ottis

[Pete Martell]

6 minutes ago, Ottis said:

It is way past time for any Trump SNL skit to stop being cute and go straight to the fact that he is a horrible human being. No “mission trip to Mexico and maybe in the last night you make out with someone.” That should have been “grab her in the pu—y” and “make Mexico pay for her.”

A Trump fan would have chuckled at the skit we saw. If they insists on having “Trump” appear, SNL needs to stop screwing around on this issue and state the truth.

There's a very strong chance Trump will win reelection, and I think you can see that in how SNL tends to talk about him (or Biden). Given how consistently bad the show has been at politics for decades now, I don't think they would know how to say anything about him anyway. We'd probably get more of the days of Baldwin saying "Gina" instead of "China."

I am at the point where I have to tune out any of the political material. I dread to think of how it's going to be next season, as the show is woefully unprepared or unqualified. Even James Austin Johnson seems like he's over the whole thing.

[Pete Martell]

I wouldn't say this was a bad episode, but it was a very forgettable episode for me, one of the most forgettable in years, aside from a few moments I thought were somewhat inspired (like the Ozempic pre-tape) and a few that represented the laziest aspects of the show (PDD's Pete Davidson homage, which was itself a Lonely Island homage; Sarah brushing off her Jost crutch to ever-diminishing returns). I wanted to like the dad talk show and cop sketches and gave them good will as much as I could, which isn't quite the same as truly enjoying them. I suppose I will just have to keep accepting how half-done the show is these days, as I don't see it changing until next season, if at all.

The show likes to bring on comics who bring something different to SNL (Jerrod Carmichael, Ayo Edebiri, Ramy) yet do nothing to actually showcase their talents or convince their fans to stay around. I guess they at least let Ramy have his monologue, which he did a good job with - he had a very smooth, tricky style that was out of the norm in a satisfying way. 

The basketball sketch was cut from Jacob Elordi's episode.

Saturday Night News report on what was cut from this episode:

BARKFINITY SCIENTIST. Ramy in a lab shows off what seems to be clones of Charles Barkley doing various ads. Draft Kings, Subway, Inside the NBA, college hoops, King Charles with Gayle King (Punkie), International commercials with bloopers, one similar to the blooper from the Inside the Beltway sketch in the season 45 premiere (Aidy and the coat). Ego, Mikey Heidi are also scientists.

If you need a reminder of that blooper:

SPACE JOURNEY: Molly asks Ramy out on day 1 of a 752 day space journey. He rejects Molly. He dates and marries Troast. Turbulence leading to a threeway kiss. Molly changes their hair to look more like Troast. Molly finally dates JAJ, who is an alien.

DR. WILLIAMS (the Punkie therapist character from the Jake G episode with a new last name). Family of Heidi, Ramy, Troast, Marcello. Ego keeps calling Punkie and dares her to jump off a building. She does. Everyone sings at the end.

HITMAN: Pre-tape. Ramy keeps getting calls from Uber Eats delivery (Marcello) as he tries to kill JAJ in the next building over. Troast is JAJ's date.

UPDATE: Devon and Michael are the new Jost and Che, but based off vibes than jokes, and based on tiktok.

Edited March 31 by Pete Martell

[BC4ME]

52 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I am at the point where I have to tune out any of the political material. I dread to think of how it's going to be next season, as the show is woefully unprepared or unqualified.

If trump wins, I doubt they'll be a next year of SNL. He'll get rid of anything that would be making fun of him. People don't seem to be taking his stated agenda seriously.

[peeayebee]

Wow. I thought this was a bad ep. I barely even smiled.

I don't think I've seen any of Ramy's standup. I did watch his show, though I believe I haven't watched all the seasons. Anyway, I didn't think his monologue was all that funny. 

I too wish that when the show does a Trump sketch they would be more biting. I don't think these sketches show him as cute and harmless. They show him as narcissistic, incoherent, and a grifter. I would like for them to show him as dangerous and, frankly, unAmerican.

But for me the highlight of the show was the Cold Open. Everything else was dull and mostly unfunny.

[Kimmmmmm]

I loved the cold open and liked mostly everything else, except Sarah's bit...she is consistently unfunny...and the musical guest.

[Arkay]

For maybe the first time since the incarnation of SNL, I refused to watch. I’m not going to watch someone who I think is not sympathetic enough to what Israelis have endured.

My opinion. 

[Pete Martell]

7 hours ago, BC4ME said:

If trump wins, I doubt they'll be a next year of SNL. He'll get rid of anything that would be making fun of him. People don't seem to be taking his stated agenda seriously.

Sorry, I was talking about the usual election material in the first few months (debates and the rest), rather than what happens after November. I think SNL is probably in its last few years anyway, no matter who wins, but I agree with you NBC would likely can the show at his request if he wins again.

[Crashcourse]

That Baltimore bridge "joke" was sick, sick, sick and not funny at all.  Lives were lost, you sick fucks Che and Jost.  I'm done with their asses.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh boy, here comes the sacrilege right in the cold open.

I did not have JAJ as 45 making a Black Michelle Williams vs. White Michelle Williams joke on my SNL WTFery bingo card. Fortunately for him the Beyhive won't care.

Cannot get over how much Ramy Youssef looks like a young Richard Pryor. Has anyone done a 23andMe to see if they're actually related? 😉

Brave of the host to be making Muslim jokes on live TV on the eve of the biggest Christian holiday.

Game show husband Nick was being suspiciously too specific in his answers. Wait, Durango, Mexico?

I didn't hate the PDD sketch. Travis was good-humored to participate in that because the nepo babies can't rap to save their lives. Which I guess was supposed to be the joke.

In the immigrant dad sketch, Marcello seemed to me like an elderly version of Tony Montana. And spending $12k in Sephora is probably getting one small bag of lipsticks and eyeliner.

WU:
Bless his heart, Che compared Beyoncé to Hootie. Probably every article and news commentary since her Country Carter album was released has already mentioned the Black singers who've done country music. The sky is blue and water is wet, Che.
OMG, recommending wet market bat on TikTok right before the pandemic hit.
Why would the producers of Oppenheimer even want to show the film in Japan? It's almost mind-boggling, not to mention callous.
Dipping tip in a frozen turkey. Now there's an image.

Is Marcello that tall or were most of the cast in the CSI Miami sketch not? Sarah was breaking so hard. She shoulda ordered delivery.

Goose is a nickname; Tiny Desk drummer's species is actually human. Bowen had the NPR vocal cadence down solid.

Huh, I was half expecting Kylie Jenner to show up on stage during the sign off, Timothee Chalamet who? And is Travis persona non grata now? I've seen comments where viewers were not happy to see him.

Ramy was okay. He was game and had decent sketch comedy chops, but he also seemed to me to have an agenda, not unlike Dave Chappelle. I'd be surprised if he ever hosts again.

Edited March 31 by Joimiaroxeu

[Pete Martell]

4 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Huh, I was half expecting Kylie Jenner to show up on stage during the sign off, Timothee Chalamet who? And is Travis persona non grata now? I seen comments where viewers were not happy to see him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroworld_Festival_crowd_crush

In other news, the hitman pre-tape was uploaded.

 

[Baltimore Betty]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

That Baltimore bridge "joke" was sick, sick, sick and not funny at all.  Lives were lost, you sick fucks Che and Jost.  I'm done with their asses.

I thought the same thing, it was too soon and it was too tragic.

16 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

And spending $12k in Sephora

I thought it was one of the writers giving a nod to Real Housewives of Miami, one of the women spent that much from Sephora with Instacart.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

In other news, the hitman pre-tape was uploaded.

I wonder if they were concerned that most people probably haven't seen the awful movie that sketch was based on? It was a huge flop, so bad it was unintentionally funny.

Quote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroworld_Festival_crowd_crush

I had heard about the Astroworld Festival tragedy but didn't realize how horrific it was. Now I understand the objections to this episode's musical guest.

[JAYJAY1979]

Ramadan is 30 days so why all the focus on that in this episode when it was Easter weekend?

He could have hosted next weekend instead.

[Trini]

7 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

Ramadan is 30 days so why all the focus on that in this episode when it was Easter weekend?

He could have hosted next weekend instead.

Scheduling is probably already hard enough without having to factor in what jokes a host might make.

[cinsays]

I thougbt this was one of the best episodes in a long time.  Loved the host and thought he did an excellent job.  Didn't get the humor in the tiny desk skit, but otherwise everything was pretty good except for the musical guest, just not my type of entertainment, and the bridge collapse bit - just not funny.

 

[possibilities]

If you like Ramy (I like him), you will love his TV show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramy_(TV_series)

 

 

[peeayebee]

I watched seasons 1 and 2, but then it fell off my radar. I liked it. I may rewatch the last ep of S2 before I start S3.

[rmontro]

On 3/31/2024 at 4:26 PM, Pete Martell said:

Sorry, I was talking about the usual election material in the first few months (debates and the rest), rather than what happens after November. I think SNL is probably in its last few years anyway, no matter who wins, but I agree with you NBC would likely can the show at his request if he wins again.

Trump is not cancelling SNL and NBC are the last people to do it if he asked them.  You guys have quite an imagination.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/31/2024 at 8:46 AM, Pete Martell said:

Troast is JAJ's date.

Chloe Fineman, not Troast.

[SoMuchTV]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

If you like Ramy (I like him), you will love his TV show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramy_(TV_series)

You can also check him out in Poor Things

 

Not for everyone! But not a role I would have expected him to turn up in. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

By the way, the Noah's Ark picture from the Trump bible cold open had a pair of unicorns entering the ark.

[Baltimore Betty]

13 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

By the way, the Noah's Ark picture from the Trump bible cold open had a pair of unicorns entering the ark.

I saw that too but maybe in Trump's world they exist.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I was expecting something different from Che's WU joke about some bars promising to show only the women's basketball for March Madness because I had just been hearing about how exciting the play is and how Caitlin Clark is outstanding. I mean I expected it to be designed to be "offensive" [tee-hee] but I thought it was the laziest possible path to get there. I forget if it was that joke or another one but there was a moment where it seemed like Che intended to insert one of his standard reactions to show how the audience just doesn't get how hilariously edgy he is but then he pulled back because they hadn't given him the right amount or kind of noise to justify it.

 

[Ottis]

On 3/31/2024 at 8:05 AM, Pete Martell said:

There's a very strong chance Trump will win reelection

Not sure what a "strong chance" is, but I think moderates and independents will help Biden win myself. I don't mean that to be political. I always assumed SNL, like a lot of TV, was more left, but I don't know much about Lorne M ... is he right? Because I agree that in this ep, they then took some actual shots at Biden in WU that were far more cutting than the Trump skit.

I did enjoy the coach/kitty litter skit, because it reminded me of the Rex Ryan and his wife's feet dust up a few years back. Plus, Keenan makes things funny they likely wouldn't be funny without him.