S40.E01: Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande

[BoogieBurns]

Chris Pratt will host the season 40 opener will musical guest Ariana Grande. This will also be the first episode without Don Pardo around to say "Muuuuuuuusical guest ". 

[possibilities]

Pratt is very funny, and likable besides, but I have no idea how he will do in the SNL format. I hope his strengths will come through, but they are so different than the typical SNL stylke, that I'm nervous it won't happen. His charm comes from a quality that is kind of the opposite of cynical or sarcastic or mopey or gross-out humor SNL has a tendency to go for. His characters never mock anyone, they always seem to revolve around a kind of innocence. It will be very interesting to see how they integrate him into the hipster vibe the show usually gives off.

[BoogieBurns]

I hope they do something involving Ariana and only allowing people to see the left side of her face. She needs to poke fun at her diva image before it's too late. She started out with acting, so I'm sure she can handle a couple lines in the cold open.

[vb68]

With Big Brother ending this week, I just hope they don't show her brother on camera.  I've had more than enough of him.

[helenamonster]

I hope they do something involving Ariana and only allowing people to see the left side of her face. She needs to poke fun at her diva image before it's too late. She started out with acting, so I'm sure she can handle a couple lines in the cold open.

 

Only problem with that is her "diva image" isn't really much of an "image" anymore. Some pretty problematic receipts have been published recently (TL;DR: Ariana totally snubbed some contest winners who had flown all the way out to LA, I think on their own dime, to meet her).

[BoogieBurns]

Right, helenamonster! It's smart of her to poke fun at it even if it's true. 

[helenamonster]

But what I mean is that she might have crossed too far over into diva territory to have any self-awareness about it anymore. Like, she wouldn't find making fun of herself funny because she wouldn't be quite clear exactly what she was making fun of. I mean, I'd be game if it happened but I'm not quite sure it will.

 

The thing about this incident is that as of now, she doesn't find it funny. In another post on the same blog, the dad of the girl who won the contest said that Ariana's people tried to get him to either take the post down or amend it, saying she'd apologized or something, because her album was dropping and they didn't want this bad press circulating at the same time. If this had popped up during a slower news cycle, it would be a PR nightmare. Apparently she's been trying to make up for it by being friendlier to fans, but the contest winners never got a proper apology or explanation.

 

If I were Ariana, or someone on her team, I wouldn't want to address the issue on SNL.

[VCRTracking]

New promos with Chris and Kate McKinnon:

 

[JTMacc99]

I liked the promos.  Kate always cracks me up, and he did a really nice job playing off of her.  "{Anna Faris] is welcome to join us."  Heh.

[nowandlater]

I like the promos, too....BUT as I mentioned on the other site, I've noticed the promos getting longer and longer. Years ago, these promos would be like 1:30 to 2 minutes.

 

This is 7 minutes!

 

To edit or not to edit? That is the question.

[vb68]

 

I like the promos, too....BUT as I mentioned on the other site, I've noticed the promos getting longer and longer. Years ago, these promos would be like 1:30 to 2 minutes.

 

I think that's because the promos are now designed to be seen on the web as much as television.  Last year they even did some where they started off saying "Hi Facebook..."

 

I noticed last night that the one above where Kate says her favorite characters from his movie were the raccoon and tree guy was indeed cut down for tv.

[helenamonster]

Oh my God I couldn't stop laughing at the pickles. I think I'm more excited for the triumphant return of Kate McKinnon to my television screen than anything else.

[Primetimer]

No shirts required, Wardrobe.

Read the story

[The Crazed Spruce]

I'm predicting that Anna Faris and Amy Poehler will cameo in the monologue, and the latter will do a bit on Weekend Update. And I'm betting they'll also do a bit about the filming of Guardians of the Galaxy, with Sasheer Zamata as Zoe Saldana, Bobby Moynihan as Dave Bautista, a sock puppet operated by Taran Killam representing Rocket Raccoon, and Beck Bennett as Vin Diesel in a green suit with Ping-Pong balls all over it trying to sneak in extra lines at every turn.

[BoogieBurns]

I'm sticking with my prediction that they will do a Parks and Rec sketch and Anna will play Leslie Knope. Even if it doesn't happen, I'm pretending that it did. 

[nowandlater]

I'm predicting that Anna Faris and Amy Poehler will cameo in the monologue, and the latter will do a bit on Weekend Update. And I'm betting they'll also do a bit about the filming of Guardians of the Galaxy, with Sasheer Zamata as Zoe Saldana, Bobby Moynihan as Dave Bautista, a sock puppet operated by Taran Killam representing Rocket Raccoon, and Beck Bennett as Vin Diesel in a green suit with Ping-Pong balls all over it trying to sneak in extra lines at every turn.

 

 

I don't think Amy will appear, and I hope it doesn't happen.

 

SNL-wise, Amy is a huge star. And I think she'll take away from Pratt hosting "away from the nest." The Parks and Rec nest.

 

Oh god, I hope this doesn't become one of those shows with a bunch of SNL cameos. Like, um, the last show.

[vb68]

I don't think Amy will be on Update because it's Micheal Che's debut as an anchor.  That would be a distraction.

 

I bet Derek Jeter makes an appearance, probably in the monologue. 

Edited September 27, 2014 by vb68

[Tunia]

Micheal Che's debut as an anchor

 

Have to say this was the low point for me tonight.  His enunciation was terrible, and I think his nerves got the best of him, causing him to fumble a bit.  Cecily Strong was the better anchor...would rather see her back in that role.

[Galileo908]

It's back! To reintroduce myself, if you followed this show on TWOP, you might remember me as InvaderNorbert, obsessive recapper of SNL. Hello again!

 

Cold Open: Opening with NFL stuff I see. I like Jay as Shannon Sharpe and Chris as Roger Goodell. Not much happened except for Shannon Sharpe's randomly growing bow tie.

 

I like Darrell Hammond and I appreciate using his own voice, but the intro is not the same without Don Pardo's cadence.

 

Monologue: I love Chris Pratt and he's quite talented musically, but come on, STARTING with a musical monologue? Come on. At least it was kinda funny. Hey look, it's his wife and former SNL host Anna Faris!

 

Cialis Turnt: I think I'm officially too old for SNL's references, I am not a fan of the whole "turnt" thing. I did laugh at "Congratulations, you're officially legally Lil Wayne."

 

Birthday Wish: Chris Pratt & Taran as He-Man and Lion-O! This was so stupid, and creepy. That's a new feeling. Really loved seeing She-Ra too. I wish we saw a little more of the mom, Aidy was pretty funny here. She's really good in the "repressed suburban mom" role.

 

Vets: We've seen this sketch before, where everyone's pets are dead and/or murdered. Too short and not really clear on why those pets kept dying. The orderlies just murder pets for some reason?

 

Marvel Can't Fail: LOVED the hell out of this. Creatures of The Cosmos was great (A pastry chef, a Harlem globetrotter, an alien sign spinning real estate agent, some guy dressed as Grimace, & an office chair!), Pam 2: The Winter Pam, and my favorite "Bus People." You know damn well you'd pay to see that one. I lost it at Chris Pratt as Leia. Oh to be a fly on the writer's room wall when they were pitching for this one.

 

WU: Hey, this is the first Update that's anchored by two men. How progressive. And I'm liking the spiffy new set and intro. Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party is back! Michael Che impressing me right off the back here with his reactions to her. He was great on Daily Show and he's gonna do just fine here. Hell, calling it right now, he's already my favorite anchor since Amy and Tina. "If Neil Grasse Tyson is so smart, then why'd he bite that guy's ear off?" Loved seeing Leslie Jones again! And hey, a showcase for the new guy! Seeing a 20 year old castmember makes me realize how little I've done with my life.

 

Girl's Night: What the hell did I just watch? Aidy and Chris Pratt trying to rap their feelings to each other? The hell? Chris just gave a look to the camera that said "are we really doing this?"

 

Maxie: This was silly and weird. I liked how the establishing shot of the apartment was a castle for some reason. I don't know if it was intentional that the music was louder than the dialogue but it was a nice touch.

 

NFL Offenses: I liked this, and it was a much better way to cover that NFL bullcrap than the cold open. Loved hearing all the offenses (sorry folks, but I got a kick out of one admitting to being an American Taliban). Loved seeing Michael Che and Leslie Jones! I hope this trend continues with them in sketches. I was wondering why they didn't go with Zasheer for the wife, but I figured Leslie pulled that bit off better.

 

Puzzle World 6: This was freaking silly as hell.

 

I felt like Chris Pratt was mostly wasted outside of the taped stuff. I completely forgot that he was hosting after Update.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Sooooooo cool that The Weeknd got on SNL, but why wasn't it ever announced, until the closing credits?

 

The show was kind of ok, kind of uneven.  Chris was definitely not bad at all.  Happy for Michael Che.

The first sketch was awful and they couldn't get any timing down.  But the vets sketch was funnier.

 

The best sketch was the puzzle video game sketch at the very end.  I was really laughing.  I'd have watched the other 55 levels.

 

I think it's pretty obvious that that super young kid Pete Davidson was the star.

 

I just could not stand how Ariana won't enunciate any single word properly!  It was driving me crazy.

 

Thanks for the recap Galileo.  I liked "Maxie" a lot.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[opus]

I don't think Amy will be on Update because it's Micheal Che's debut as an anchor.  That would be a distraction.

 

I bet Derek Jeter makes an appearance, probably in the monologue.

Jeter was in Boston.

[Grammaeryn]

Yeah, weirdly uneven but Chris was obviously up for anything. The He-Man and Lion-o stuff slayed me. That Pete kid is going to blow up big. Does anyone else love watching who hugs who at the end?

[stonehaven]

I kinda tuned out after a lot of the jokes were sex related...and then to see the Marvel parody was good but also another example of how corporate and hip the SNL of today is..compared to the Richard Pryor episode where edginess was in the attitude not in how many times you can touch youlr balls.

Still, Liked Micheal Che..solid delivery..he tripped over a few words but I'll give him some leeway..Still, having "Girl" back was all kinds of awesome...

[vb68]

I thought it started off super slow, but it got better as it went along.  The last half hour was much better than the first.

 

Leslie Jones and Pete Davidson killed it.  I thought they were the best parts of the whole show.   Why is she not a regular cast member?  Seriously, she also was great in the NFL sketch.

 

Pete was such a natural.  He had a better delivery than Jost or Che.

[tomsmom]

You know it's a bad show when Update is the best part!

I say this after every season opener but...you had all summer SNL!! This was what you came up with?

[opus]

Quick thoughts-

-agree that Pete I don't know his name yet but soon it will probably be burned in my head will be this years breakout

-knew "Girl" would be on WU to rationalize the switch

-maybe it's because I'm a sports guy, but thought NFL intros should have been much earlier in the show.

Edited September 28, 2014 by GaryE

[helenamonster]

Ugh. First show of the season and the only parts I genuinely enjoyed were the Weekend Update walk-ons, the Good Neighbor short, and the last sketch? Sighhhhhhh.

 

Cold Open: I have no use for sports in my life so I have no idea who Shannon Sharpe is, but damn if Jay's impression of him doesn't make me smile. Also, I don't think the audience realized it was Chris in this one. Usually if the host shows up in the Cold Open there's lots of cheering. I actually wasn't quite sure who it was for a couple seconds. Also, kinda sad they passed up on the opportunity for Aidy as Candy Crowley, after saying she didn't know much about sports, to make some reference to that time when she was kind of sympathetic to the Steubenville rapists (football players whose now non-existent careers she and another reporter lamented).

 

Monologue: Okay, at first when I saw it was going to be a musical monologue, I groaned. Starting off the season with one of these, really? And they did it last year with Tina too. But actually this was really sweet. Anna Faris is adorable.

 

Cialis Turnt: Your standard SNL commercial parody. Take a commonly-known product and mix it with some super hip pop culture reference. Always solid, if not groundbreaking.

 

He-Man: What was happening? Also, why was it happening?

 

Animal Hospital: Ah yes, let's bring back a sketch that got shoved somewhere in the middle of the Josh Hutcherson episode last November.

 

Marvel: The joke stopped being funny after the second or third movie.

 

Weekend Update: Well color me shocked that Girl at a Party made a return. I guess it's their way of saying "everybody be cool, there's no hard feelings" which I kind of appreciate. And Leslie Jones is back! Why don't they just make her a cast member? Pete was pretty good! He kind of sounds like Jerry Seinfeld. And I guess they're still on their "Oooh Child" kick from, what, March? I did enjoy that segment though. And even though Michael seemed hella nervous, I think he and Colin work. They didn't interact too much but there was a more natural vibe there than with Colin and Cecily.

 

Big Fat Ass: Ugh.

 

Good Neighbor: I love how these sketches exist in their own little universe. This was obviously a follow-up to "Wing" (which never made it to air) last season, which I really liked, and I liked this one too.

 

NFL: Two NFL sketches? Oh, we are just grasping at straws now. This was one of those "premise is great but got bored after 30 seconds" sketches. I did like Leslie Jones as that one guy's wife, though, wasn't expecting that.

 

Puzzle World 6: This was just the right amount of weird to keep me entertained. I liked it.

 

It was a little strange hearing Darrell instead of Don Pardo for the first time. I'm glad Darrell is doing his own take on it, but I'm gonna miss "It's Saturday Night Liiiiiiiiiive" so much. Couldn't they have kept that part in there?

 

There was a serious case of mush-mouth going around tonight. Michael I'll give a pass cuz it was his first show, but Aidy in the Cold Open? No excuse.

 

Kate's return was not as triumphant as I was hoping for and I am upset.

[Bees]

Cold Open: This could've been so much better. Felt like both Aidy and Chris were stumbling a little on their lines. I'm more just disappointed in this sketch because it could've been so much more. 

 

New Intro: I kind of like the way the new intro goes, however SNL is sure as hell not going to be winning any sound mixing Emmys anytime soon. I could barely hear Darrell Hammond reading off the names. I thought they'd fix that this season. 

 

Monologue: Really?! A singing monologue?! And a boring one at that. I like Chris Pratt and all, but come on. 

 

Turnt: I found this amusing and rather fun, but I think my reaction is more tepid than it would be is because I KNOW this will be the one ad they'll replay over and over this season. 

 

Birthday Wish: This was delightfully insane. While the eyecandy of Chris Pratt as He-Man was lovely, it was Taran as Lionel that stole the show. His unsettling stare and voice just made it all the more better. 

 

Vets: Really?! You're giving THIS sketch another go?! This was the weakest sketch in the Josh Hutcherson episode, why are you bringing this back? Did they just need a few minutes to kill or something? And this early in the show?! 

 

Marvel Movies: Easily the best sketch/ad of the night. Not sure which made me laugh more -- Pam 2: The Winter Pam, Shopping Carts, or Star Wars. Chris Pratt as Leia was great. And even though I despise the Blue Swede version of "Hooked on a Feeling" and hold a grudge against Guardians of the Galaxy for bringing that song back into minds of others (BJ Thomas' version FTW!), it was used well in here. 

 

Ariana Grande Part 1: She's like Mariah Carey with an even breathier voice and an even more inability to enunciate her words. Also, what's up with the strange leotard suit? It looks like she's trying to cosplay Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie doing a cosplay as Catwoman. 

 

Weekend Update: Jost is SLIGHTLY better this time around. I like Michael Che. Good to see Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With again. "Let me mansplain what you can't manderstand" or something like that made me laugh because I have friends who actually use the phrase mansplain unironically. It makes me cringe every time. New guy did well and I keep forgetting his name and keep wanting to call him Pete Rutherford but I know that's not his name. I kind of like the idea of putting actual thought and logic into a question like that mostly because it's one of those questions people don't usually answer and instead are like "ha ha, no" Also, enjoyed Leslie Jones. I find her flirting with Colin Jost to be quite amusing. As someone who is single, I know that feeling. 

 

Girl's Night Out: Awkward Chris Pratt is exactly the kind of dude I'd go for. If I wasn't so bad of a liar, I'd probably do some weird shit like that. I did like Cecily's character popping in real quick an saying "You're focusing on the butt too much!" and Kate saying "Well he may have said that but he talked about a butt, which is something you have" also I liked Bobby being all "You just said you smoke crack?!"

 

Maxie: I wanted to like this sketch but I just couldn't get into it. I love the Beck and Kyle team so damn much too. I did like the juxtaposition of Chris Pratt and the tough kids. That was pretty funny. 

 

NFL on CBS: Key and Peele called, they want their sketch back. I smiled a bit when Kenan's character on the Panthers popped in and said just simply "Stanford" then moved along. However, it reminded me way too much of Key and Peele. Not entirely the same thing, but enough to make me side eye them so hard. 

 

Ariana Grande Part 2: I flipped the channel. 

 

Puzzle World 6: When I first saw this, I began to cringe and think "Oh god, SNL is gonna try to cover #GamerGate aren't they?" but thank god they didn't. I think I chuckled at this more because of that relief. Last thing I need is to be reminded of that. Anyways, this sketch was pretty silly and fun. Any sketch that has Bobby Moynihan reacting to things is always going to get a chuckle out of me, even if the rest of the sketch is terrible.

 

All in all, not bad. There were some good moments, but some things fell flat. I'll chalk that up to still being rusty from the summertime. Chris Pratt could've been used better but he was good. 

[helenamonster]

 

Kate saying "Well he may have said that but he talked about a butt, which is something you have"

 

Oh this just killed me. Although I may have just been desperate for a great Kate moment at this point. But still. Even when she has a tertiary role in a sketch, she can find a way to do something with it.

[Irlandesa]

I was surprised how much stumbling over lines there was tonight. I think I heard at least one in every live sketch.

 

I thought Michael Che and Cecily Strong had some nice chemistry in their WU segment which makes me wish she were still on the desk with him.  Michael's delivery isn't the exaggerated crispness as I'm used to at the desk so that will take some getting used to even though his style is funny. 

 

I was happy to see Leslie Jones again, although I felt her WU bit last year was better.  However, her cameo in the NFL sketch was very good.  Am I correct in that she's not even a featured player?  That's wrong. She should be. 
 

 

Pete Davidson had a very strong debut.  His bit at the desk was good but he also was effective in the sketches.  Considering that they usd him quite a bit after his official debut on WU, I think we'll be seeing a lot of him to come.

 

As for the sketches overall, there were some laughs but there was not one that really stood out to me.  The second NFL sketch was better than the first.  In fact, the first kind of irritated me.  They had Keenan playing Ray Lewis, who has a sordid legal history, and who said on ESPN that there were "some things you can cover up and some things you can't" yet all they had his character do was talk about sending his kids to school?

 

Ariana Grande is disconcerting to me.  She looks like a too-young-pageant-girl playing dress up.  Seriously, I can't believe she's 21.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Irlandesa

[buttersister]

I fell asleep after enjoying young Pete on WU.

 

ETA: The vet sketch owes me back whatever time it wasted to watch it. Pointless. Poorly executed. And like a lot of what passes for skits these days, it ends when they run out of time, not when they get to an ending.

Edited September 28, 2014 by buttersister

[vb68]

 

In fact, the first kind of irritated me.  They had Keenan playing Ray Lewis, who has a sordid legal history, and who said on ESPN that there were "some things you can cover up and some things you can't" yet all they had his character do was talk about sending his kids to school?

 

I agree wholeheartedly on that.  I had the same thought on Ray Lewis.  They could have really went after him, and in my mind it would be richly deserved.  But they seemed scared to go there.

 

The writing on it could have been tougher in general.  Goodell also deserved to be ripped to shreds.   Speaking of him, I was a little surprised they gave that part to Chris Pratt.  I highly doubt it's a one and done character.

 

I also had trouble hearing Darrell's introductions.

Edited September 28, 2014 by vb68

[Turtle]

I thought it was a solid season opener.  Not great, but a good base for the season.  Michael Che was obviously super nervous, which is understandable.  I've seen a fair amount of his comedy, and I think he'll be great when he settles in.  He's admitted that SNL was a dream of his for a long time, and so I think nerves just got the best of him.

 

I didn't hate any of the skits, which is a major improvement over the last few years.  This cast might work, and I'm looking forward to watching them. 

 

As a BB fan, I was watching for Ariana's brother to make an audience appearance, and I was so happy to not see it.  At the end, during the sign-off, I noticed that no one interacted with Ariana (other than Anna Faris doing a quick "Hey!!" as she passed on the way to her husband), and Ariana immediately exited the stage.  Proof that either a) she's such a diva that no one likes her, or b) she's such a diva that she can't be bothered to hang with the cast for the sign off.  Either way?  DIVA.  And that girl does not deserve diva status.  

[Miss Scarlet]

I found this episode disappointing. I've read interviews from cast members where they say that they don't really think of sketch/character ideas for SNL over the summer break. Based on this episode, I think you could tell that. It was weird not hearing Don Pardo's voice, but I think I'll get used to it soon. It's cute that they let Cecily have her dog in her intro. 

 

Cold Open - I think Jay's Shannon Sharpe impression is funny. I'm kind of grossed out by it just because it reminds me of the time he did it on WU and ended up with saliva all over his chin. It was so awkward. I don't know why Aidy was stumbling over the lines so much tonight, but it was definitely noticeable.

 

Monologue - This was fine, but kind of boring and not very original.

 

Turnt - Again, fine, but not that original.

 

He-Man and Lion-O - Ugh. No. Just no. I thought this was awful. It was just creepy and weird, but not even in an interesting way. It was at this point that I realized the episode was in trouble. I couldn't believe this was so early on in the show. It just seemed to indicate that they really had no material to work with this week.

 

Vets - I thought this was funny the first time around and like the idea of a sketch revolving around how incompetent some people are at their jobs. However, it really wasn't strong enough to become a recurring sketch. Again, this signaled to me that they really ran out of ideas this week. Not good for a premiere episode.

 

Marvel - This was great and on-point.

 

WU - I can tell Colin's making an effort not to laugh at all the jokes he makes, which is an improvement. I thought it was good enough for a first time out with the new team. I think they're going to try to make that "Cheer Up" segment a recurring bit, like Michael and Colin's version of "Really?!?!". They'll just take whatever celebrity or media person is having a particularly bad month and repeat it for them. Kenan really made me laugh with his "Ooh Child" rendition. Pete Davidson did a good job, but I wasn't crazy about the material. It's just so juvenile. Also, the jokes were not very original. I've heard similar things before from people that I've known. This is more a criticism of the writing than about him, unless he helped write it. I hope all the stuff he does on SNL won't be super juvenile, but I'm worried that's the direction they're headed in with him. Girl at the Party was okay. I'm not a big fan of that character in general. They did repeat the first few lines about the "abomination" from a previous appearance. I really liked when she said that Colin looked like her ex who died at Burning Man. 

 

Girl's Night - I thought they were trying to do something similar to when Vanessa and Josh Hutcherson did that sketch around the Outfield song "Lose Your Love" or when Vanessa and Paul Rudd did the sketch around that Fleetwood Mac song. This one was not as funny. 

 

Maxie - I get that this was supposed to be a parody of a 90s sitcom, but it just fell flat for me. I don't like most of the Good Neighbour shorts. I looked at some of the ones on their youtube channel that got them hired and I don't find them funny at all. They also come off as super amateur to me. I know that's the point sometimes (like this one or the one Kyle did about his high school last year), but they still shouldn't be like something that anyone could write/perform.

 

NFL Offenses - This one was kind of funny, but also pretty obvious. I knew where they were going to the second they introduced the sketch. I'm glad it was a pretty short sketch too because it was essentially just one long joke played out for the whole sketch with not much else going on.

 

Puzzle Word 6 - I got where they were going with this sketch and also similarities to some anime shows where the characters act like that, but I didn't like it. It was just boring, kind of weird and not that funny. Kenan made me laugh here too, with his "evil" character.

 

Goodbyes - I thought it was so sweet that Taran and Bobby were pointing at Pete to congratulate him for his first night. They've done that for other new cast members too. They seem like such nice guys. Anna Faris and Chris Pratt are a cute couple, but I don't need the camera to linger on them making out. 

 

Other thoughts - I was surprised there wasn't more Cecily tonight. That probably means she'll be in every sketch next week. There was a lot of Aidy and definitely not enough Kate. We need more Kate! 

 

Sasheer has funny reaction shots, but horrible delivery. The way she says her lines is just too over the top and fake. Kyle Mooney has horrible delivery as well. 

 

I'm glad they've started to make the sketches shorter. They don't feel like they drag on forever anymore.

Edited September 28, 2014 by wudpixie

[morgankobi]

Dear SNL, all you did with that crappy NFL line-up was remind of the infinitely better Key & Peele versions. Between that and showing the '75 Richard Pryor earlier in the evening, it is very apparent how much is lacking.  

 

Is that young Update kid related to Jon Cryer? Because, damn, he reminds me of 80's Cryer.

[JakeyJokes]

I am cautiously optimistic about Season 40.

 

The cold open was really flat. Is Shannen Sharpe really like that? I get that it's a misconception that the writers have all summer to work on the premiere, but it was a whole lot of nothing. Aidy barely sounded like Candy Crowley.

 

It picked up from there. They had Chris Pratt half-naked roughly half the time they had Channing Tatum did when he hosted. That is an astute yet odd observation.

 

I thought the show was way stronger from the Update and then on. My favorite things were Pete Davidson on the Weekend Update -- I shudder to think how many Tweets he got after tonight's show from gross rich dudes who didn't think he was kidding. And I *loved* the Aidy "BIG FAT ASSSSSSSS" skit. I thought it was surrealistic and smart as hell, in part because it was also making fun of how ridiculously over-the-top some of the lyrics in today's rap songs are and how young people probably don't even know what they're singing. And the added stuff like her having gone to Wellesley -- "But you're a feminist!" -- made it even funnier to me.

 

The Maxie skit was super weird but I think they were parodying the super shoddy "Saved By The Bell: The New Class"/"California Dreamin'/"Breaker High" kind of shows that were on NBC Saturday mornings back in the day. For a while I thought the reveal would be that it was written by a second-grader.

[VCRTracking]

I am definitely the demographic for that He-Man/Lion-O/She-Ra sketch.

 

Not so much the "Turnt" commercial. Had to look it up.

Edited September 28, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Former Nun]

Ariana!    ENUNCIATE!!!

The Maxie skit was super weird but I think they were parodying the super shoddy "Saved By The Bell: The New Class"/"California Dreamin'/"Breaker High" kind of shows that were on NBC Saturday mornings back in the day. For a while I thought the reveal would be that it was written by a second-grader.

 

 

I thought it was the best sketch of the show.  Great production (that faded look).  Stilted performances and dialogue.  The little kids were superb.  First rate in my book (coming out soon).

He-Man and Lion-O - Ugh. No. Just no. I thought this was awful. It was just creepy and weird, but not even in an interesting way.

 

 

You couldn't even enjoy Taran Killam's fabulous eye make-up and hairstyle?

[Blakeston]

Pete Davidson's bit on Update was okay, but I didn't think it was hilarious.

 

The whole thing was very odd to me. It sounds like he had one stupid conversation as a teenager where his friends claimed they wouldn't give a blowjob for a million dollars. There's nothing wrong with looking back on that and saying, "Man, was I dumb."

 

But don't act like it's a conversation every teenager has. And don't act like you're bravely "telling it like it is" for pointing out that it would probably be financially worth it.

[nowandlater]

Some thoughts:

 

—Aidy kept screwing up in the cold open. There was too much Aidy in this episode.

 

—Darrell Hammond sounds too mellow to be announcer and it seemed like the music was overpowering his voice. The intro didn’t sound, um, forceful?

 

—Pete Davidson looks like a very young Jimmy Fallon. (Fallon joined SNL at 24. Davidson turns 21 in November.)

 

—Bobby Moynihan is nearly 17 years older than Davidson. Old enough to be his dad.

 

—SNL’s Weekend Update Twitter page demonstrated all day Saturday how 400 jokes are whittled down to 12.
https://twitter.com/SNLUpdate

 

—I loved the rap battle. Chris Pratt’s rap skills became viral a few months ago, so that’s why they took advantage of it.

What I really liked: The lack of alumni*. During the middle of the show, I was thinking it would be cool to see an alum? But at the end I realzed that Lorne and SNL are moving forward. They’ve become lazy with the alumni cameos. This was about a new generation taking over.

Also: I liked Pratt. He showed his range. But then again, I’ve been following his career for 12 years now.

 

(*Yeah, I’m saying this with Bill Hader coming back in 2 weeks. Hader, to me, is becoming annoyingly overexposed. Every talk show appearance produces many headlines. He was even in the news Saturday for an interview he and Kristen did with a Denver interview who hadn’t seen their movie.)

[mtlchick]

The Tyler Perry going to be a dad/grandma was a joke I heard too many times this week.

It wasn't horrible but pretty weak. I wasn't bowled over by Pete during update (but the potential is there.) Leslie however needs to be added to the show ASAP. Hysterical. Also everyone was missing cues whether it was line readings to sound problems or mistimed musical punchlines.

Finally, If Ariana Grande can enunciate more, I would be slightly less annoyed by her. At least her brother wasn't around in the background waiting to flail about.

[peeayebee]

Leslie was definitely a highlight. She's funny and has so much energy. 

 

I loved the 'Maxie' sitcom skit. Just hysterical. Love when Kyle says, "I called the park." Love when the kids open the door to leave, and Kyle is just standing there, and then the one kid runs back in and just runs off set. They really nail the awfulness of these shows.

 

I also loved the He-Man sketch, particularly Taran. He was absolutely great. I kept wishing Chris could have been as funny. 

 

I, too, had to look up turnt.

 

I used to like Jay's Shannon Sharpe impression, but he really overdid the lip licking and adding way too much goofiness.

 

One thing I really liked about the video game skit was how Vanessa kept moving slightly like video characters do when they're standing still.

 

A TV critic in his twitter feed said that the digital short with Kate as Dracula was the funniest part. Where was that?

[Toaster Strudel]

Michael Che was terrible.  What was Lorne thinking?  He was tripping over every second word, he can't enunciate, and his delivery was uneven and not at all funny. 

 

Then Leslie Jones makes her appearance... and although her bit wasn't funny, she was.  Just seeing her, and she wins me over.  If she could tone it down a little, she'd be so perfect for the anchor desk.  Dump Che and bring Leslie on!

 

Chris Pratt's personality lights up the stage but he wasn't given much to work on all night.

 

The super heroes touching their privates was the antithesis of everything I've ever loved on SNL.  They overdid it.  It's like they got stuck on that idea.

 

I also agree with "too much Aidy" to which I'll add "not enough Kate."

 

Pete is going to be great.  I loooove him already.

 

NFL Offenses was hilarious.  I loved all the cast members checking in, even Jost!  And treason?  Treason?  Had me rolling.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Toaster Strudel

[fauxphysician]

it's a sad , sad day--and a bad, bad night for SNL-- when there's more Kate McKinnon face time in the promo(s) than in the entire show!  And as was said u8p thread-- 'they had all Summer to pitch ideas, and that's all they came up with?'   bah

[peeayebee]

I never liked Cecily in WU. She's much better in sketches. As for Michael Che, I think he's going to be good. He seemed to have first-time jitters, but I like his style better than Cecily's. 

[Princess Sparkle]

—Bobby Moynihan is nearly 17 years older than Davidson. Old enough to be his dad.

Bobby is not "nearly", 17 years older, he's 15 years older (1978 vs 1993) - older, but not "you could be my dad older".

Agree with some others unthread; Pete is going to break out. The kid (and geez, I'm not even that much older than him) just has "it".

I know it was probably to ease any rumors, but I give Cecily a lot of credit for returning to the Update desk so quickly - that still has to sting, but good for her putting that aside. To me, that says a lot about her character.

Someone mentioned in a different thread that they thought Michael Che might end up being a solo anchor - I could definitely see that. His delivery was a little rough, but he was miles ahead of Colin. Give him a few weeks, and he'll be killing it.

I bet Leslie Jones is a featured player before the season reaches December. She was hysterical last night.

There's never enough Bobby and Kate for my liking. If those two had their own show, I would watch it every day.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[Brattinella]

Terrible.  I must now be officially too old for SNL.

 

10% lost right off the bat with no Don Pardo.  Unfunny NFL, Aidy Cold Open, Genital-pats with Frosting (Eww), I made it about halfway through Ariana Grande.  She looks like she wants to be an Anime Cat.  I just wondered where her Tentacle Monster was.

 

I'm so done.

[Peace 47]

I was a little surprised that they didn't have more of a tribute to Don Pardo beyond that one graphic on the lead-out to commercial after Update. I get that they would want to avoid dragging down the energy of the show (especially a season premiere), but Pardo was an NBC and show institution whom I thought would be deserving of a short blurb ON Update.

Weak episode. They didn't need 2 NFL sketches: they just needed to do one well. (See last week's South Park for how to viciously dismantle NFL hypocrisy via comedy, or at least stop, as pointed out upthread, stealing from Key & Peele to do sports jokes.) There was also a lot of rustiness and/ or nervousness. Leslie and Pete were standouts, though.

[peeayebee]

Doh! I had wondered about a critic's reference to Dracula Untold (and it being the funniest skit of the night). I didn't realize he was joking about a commercial for that movie.

[VCRTracking]

I'm going to cut Michael Che slack for messing up a little because it's his first time. I thought his reactions to "Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With At a Party" were perfect.

 

The video game sketch at the end was great. If Tumblr is anything to go by, a video game like that would actually be incredibly popular, even if the gameplay itself was "stupid easy".