S40.E02: Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5

[formerlyfreedom]

Host Sarah Silverman; Maroon 5 performs.

 

 

[JakeyJokes]

(has to think)

 

JLD/Tina Fey/Poehler/Maya Rudolph/Molly Shannon/Kristen Wiig

 

If I'm right, this makes Sarah the seventh female cast member to come back to host. Which still seems ... kinda low.

[DowntonStabby]

(has to think)

JLD/Tina Fey/Poehler/Maya Rudolph/Molly Shannon/Kristen Wiig

If I'm right, this makes Sarah the seventh female cast member to come back to host. Which still seems ... kinda low.

If I recall correctly, it was freaking 2006 when Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the 1st former female cast member to host SNL. Yes, 2006! (However, I believe I remember reading somewhere that Gilda Radner was originally supposed to be the 1st way back in, I want to say, 1988? Then a writer's strike happened--effectively canceling that episode--& then her ovarian cancer came back, & then she died from said cancer. Sad.)

[Trini]

Maroon 5... so, shirtless Adam Levine again?

[VCRTracking]

New promos with Sarah and Taran:

 

Edited October 1, 2014 by VCRTracking

[topanga]

I'm looking forward to the ep. I used to think Sarah was arrogant and liked to say shocking things just to be shocking, not because she actually believed them. Maybe that's indeed who she was 15 years ago, but with age has come more humility and lots of great humor. I loved her comments on W. Kamau Bell's show about how the world and the entertainment industry treat women.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/15/sarah-silverman-w-kamau-bell_n_3930624.html

[vb68]

I bet this is another role for Aidy.

[nowandlater]

[Primetimer]

And which junior cast member will get to play the Ebola virus?

Read the story

[EAG46]

The beard idea sounds interesting. I'll just wait till various clips appear online Sunday. Honestly I have no desire to ever watch Saturday Night Live live or even record it on my DVR.

[vb68]

Sarah told Seth Meyers last night that she called in a favor with Robert Smigel to help with the writing.

 

She also had some great SNL stories from her time there like accidentally  stabbing Al Franken with a pencil.

[Milburn Stone]

We'll find out in about 15 hours, but I kind of think Sarah is going to shake up SNL tonight. I just can't imagine she'll stand for any of the safe, tried-and-true formulas the show allows itself to rely on. That may result in disaster, but it also may result in something wonderful.

[helenamonster]

I'm actually finding myself pretty optimistic about tonight's show. I'm not extremely familiar with Sarah's work (I think my first exposure to her was when she played the thankless role of the stick-in-the-mud girlfriend in School of Rock, which is why it took awhile for me to warm to her), and I know she can be incredibly problematic at times, but one thing I've noticed from watching some interviews of her this week (especially the Seth Meyers one) is that she comes across as very intelligent. She really seems to think about things before she says them, but is also able to drop a funny aside in on the spot. I think if she had a heavy hand in the writing this week (which I'm assuming she did), the show, while it might not turn out spectacular, will be a refreshing change of pace. And tbh, based on the first episode this season, they could use a little shaking up in the writer's room.

[nowandlater]

Yeah, Smigel is a friend of the show and all, but it just seems so wrong to bring in an outside writer -- unless it's only for the monologue.

 

The whole point of SNL is that you give yourself over to them for a week. You trust them.

 

Some of the host horror stories I've read are when the host brings in their own writers.

 

It would just seem wrong to depend on an outside person. It kind of reminds me of last season's finale when all the alumni came back.

[helenamonster]

While the incessant cameos of last season (not just the finale but all. freaking. season) certainly bugged, for some reason I just can't get worked up about old writers coming in to help out. The cameos always felt like a cheap ploy to get a positive reaction for a sketch (or sometimes an entire show) instead of taking the time to write a decent sketch and depend on the current cast to deliver it properly. The writing is the problem right now, and to me, by bringing Smigel in, Sarah is showing that she wants to put on a decent show tonight, and there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, I kind of admire her for having that kind of nerve. Besides, I doubt anyone in the writers' room minds. Remember the Melissa McCarthy episode last season where she pretty much wrote the whole show cuz everyone was too busy having a sad over the fact that Seth would be leaving for the studio down the hall? They can either put the effort in to write a decent show themselves or step aside and let someone else do it, as far as I'm concerned. As long as I'm entertained, I really couldn't be arsed to care about who wrote it, though I can understand that mileages vary on something like this.

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: 60 Minutes, that's a reference for the young people who tuned in for Maroon 5. It's a good way to make fun of people using social media wrong and the incompetency of the Secret Service. #TheVoiceIsBack

 

Monologue: I like Sarah Silverman as a person, but I'm not too fond of her standup. And this "going into the audience" bit is a staple in her comedy, I saw her do it on the Oddball Festival back in August. The callback during her short tenure as Fake Audience Member was awesome, it's about damn time this show parodied that.

 

The Fault In Our Stars 2: The Ebola In Our Everything: This was great. "The Fault In Our Stars" needed a parody like this.

 

Heaven Roast: Joan Rivers tribute! And it's a great way to get some Celebrity Impressions out of the way. Loved Jay as Richard Pryor. Adam Levine as Freddie Mercury. I don't know what to think about that.

 

Whites: This was great, and waaay too accurate. "I'm gonna camp! And hike!" I seriously thought this was a real commercial until I saw the cast. "Whites: Still calling the shots until 2050. 2060 tops."

 

Supportive Women: I'll admit, I'm gonna miss Kenan. I'm gonna miss his reactions. Hell, I loved all the reaction faces in this sketch. You know, I don't know if this was parodying sexism, or just sexist.

 

WU: Who goes to Texas AND Africa? And did we (possibly) see Kenan as Al Sharpton one last time? I missed "Says Random Things" Al Sharpton. I don't think we've seen him since Tracy Morgan was playing him. I was totally thinking "They make Michael Che tell the jokes that the white anchors never would've done," and then Colin and Michael lampshade it with the slang talk. And Kate McKinnon will always improve anything.

 

River Sisters: Eh, liked the premise (the girls really regret their place in life) but wasn't really feeling this one. "We're not allowed off the boat. I exercise by screaming."

 

Rachel: I love how awkward this got. First her fiancee heard the cheating news. Then her parents were there. Then Adam Levine. Then he got out and was hit by a car. And then everyone goes out for Pizza Hut.

 

Good Neighbors: This was silly.

 

Vitamix: $650 for a blender?! Damn. Again, another great awkward sketch.

 

Sarah Silverman got more screen time tonight than during her entire tenure on the show. Either way, I thought this episode was pretty good! Next week is Bill Hader, can't wait for the endless cameos...

[vb68]

Sarah Silverman was a damn good host.  

 

I hope she comes back.  I was really impressed.  Loved, loved the callbacks to the audience member asking questions.  That was just perfect.

 

I think the show overall had so much more energy than last week.

Edited October 5, 2014 by vb68

[Miss Scarlet]

This was one of the better shows in the last few years. I really think it's because Sarah Silverman was extremely involved in the writing and the direction she wanted to take the show. The writing just felt so much more modern and current this episode than it has in a long time.

[opus]

No Pete?

[Blakeston]

I like Sarah Silverman a lot, and I was hoping she'd get some good material to work with. I have to say, I was very disappointed.

 

That riverboat sketch is one of the least funny things I've seen on SNL in a while - which is saying a lot.

 

And I loved the idea of the Joan Rivers sketch, but the only thing about it that made me laugh was Ben Franklin not understanding the jokes. Ben, you're not alone...I didn't understand what was supposed to be funny about them either.

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: I get it, SNL. Making fun of terrorism is hard. Especially when it's a group that beheads a journalist every other week. But ugh, this was weak. And the endless amount of humor that can be mined from multiple secret service lapses and that was the best you came up with? This show has really lost its edge for political humor and it makes me sad.

 

Monologue: Okay, it's official; I think I'm in love with Sarah Silverman. I actually laughed out loud throughout this whole thing. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud at this show. When was the last time Kate showed up as Angela Merkel, it was probs then. And baby Sarah Silverman was adorbz. Cray cray adorbz.

 

The Fault In Our Stars 2: The Ebola In Our Everything: Oh my God yes. I haven't even seen this movie or read the book but the endless gifsets that show up on my Tumblr dash have been annoying me for months. It just looks so unbelievably cheesy and I think this bit highlighted that element perfectly. Although I am a little sick of ebola. Every time someone sneezes in class there's some asshole in the back that goes "oooohhh ebolaaaaaa" and I'm just kind of ready for the unnecessary panic to die down.

 

Joan Rivers: Am I bad person for wishing that they would actually make fun of Joan Rivers? Probably. Anywhoo, Bobby as Ben Franklin laughing at jokes he didn't understand is my new favorite thing.

 

Whites: Oh, hey, there Mike O'Brien! Guess you weren't fired after all! Um, this was great because THE TRUTH. Although it felt a little strange coming from people that age...I mean my mom talks all the time about how "by 2030 we'll be a minority!!!!!!1!!" But still. Actually, the only thing that would have made this better was if someone had made the point that even if there's only one 100% white person left in the world they'll still have more privilege than any PoC. But other than that it was so great.

 

Forgotten TV Gems: Um, I would watch the hell out of Supportive Women. Was this making fun of women or making fun of the fact that people seem to enjoy women on television more when they're fighting than when they're actually getting along? I'm going to go with the latter, cuz I like the sketch from that angle.

 

Weekend Update: Did Colin take a Xanax before walking out onstage tonight? I just felt like his delivery was so...slow....Michael was more articulate this week, but he still needs to loosen up a little bit. I thought the writing for the bit with him and Colin was good but both of them are still pretty bogged down by cuecard-itis so it didn't have any naturalness to it.

 

Proud Mary: Good premise, but it didn't quite deliver. Some of the lines were good but overall it seemed rushed.

 

Airport: BOBBY. Oh my God he kept that bitchface going for the entire sketch. I love him. This would have been a pretty solid sketch with a better ending.

 

Good Neighbor: I find I can put every Good Neighbor short into one of two categories: hit or miss. This was a miss.

 

Vitamix: This was totally a follow-up to the dog food commercial with Cecily and Seth Rogen last season. I loved that sketch and I enjoyed this one too. It just gets into that commercial universe where everything is fantastic and then totally spirals out of control and for some reason I'm really into it.

 

Yeah, Sarah Silverman is dope. I thought the show was pretty solid and found myself at least smiling through most of it. It's just nice to have a host who's so comfortable. I mean, yeah, Sarah was a cast member, but only for a season 20 years ago and she didn't get much to do. I don't think I saw her read the cue cards once, and if she was she was really good about hiding it. She can come back anytime.

[Jonathan Seagull]

I enjoyed this one overall. I think part of that is because even though I don't think all the sketches were great (the riverboat sketch in particular I don't think worked), I appreciated that they were trying new things instead of trotting out the recurring standby sketches.

 

I was also going to say that I appreciate that Sarah Silverman didn't just do standup for her monologue, which lots of comedians do, but apparently that stuff actually is part of her routine? Well, even so, I at least appreciate that it was something different than the typical "isn't it funny how" observational comedy.

 

I enjoyed Update. It felt like both guys were pretty on their game and they're building a nice chemistry. I especially liked Colin's shifty-eyed "cool cool cool" when Michael told him why they could say "bitch." Also, Ms. NBC.

 

Did not see Pete Davidson at all, but I think I actually admire that, too. I thought they might give him a bigger part because of the response he got last week, but I like that they held back. Oh, but hey Mike O'Brien!

Edited October 5, 2014 by Jonathan Seagull

[vb68]

I hate to pile on Colin, but it does seem to me that Micheal is just going to run away with Update.  The Texas and Africa joke was probably the best one I have heard on there in awhile, and I think a lot of it was Che's delivery.   He came out swinging tonight.

Edited October 5, 2014 by vb68

[Bees]

Well I'll be damned, they went through an entire episode without having a celebrity cameo (Adam Levine doesn't count because he's the musical guest). I had low expectations heading into this episode because I despise Sarah Silverman. That being said, this was actually a really nice show. 

 

Cold Open: Mehh. Not the best but not the worst. 

 

Monologue: The first part fell flat for me. The Q&A with herself from her various Audience Member appearances was really clever. I enjoyed that part a lot. 

 

Ebola in Our Everything: This was pretty awesome. I loved this one. Taran's facial reactions were great and then the whole "Just the tip?" "....yeah that's alright" was amusing. Just the idea of some teenager being so repulsed by being with someone who has Ebola but yet it doesn't quell his sex drive is quite amusing. 

 

Joan Rivers Tribute: This is kind of early in the show. Usually this would be a post-Update kind of thing. Like the first sketch post-Update would be a tribute. By the way, did we ever get a Robin Williams tribute or are they going to wait to do that for Bill Hader's episode? Regardless it was pretty amusing. I liked how random Cecily as Ava Gardner was. And Bobby's laughing at jokes he doesn't get. It was a nice tribute but felt a little too early in the show. 

 

Whites: This was smart, satirical, and true as all hell. By all means I should love this commercial bit. Except I don't. Why? Because they pretty much ripped off a bit from Louis CK, that talked about this very thing. There were a couple small things they added to it, but all I could think about is how Louis CK did it much funnier and much better than SNL. Between this and the Key and Peele ripoff from last week, they really need to cut it out. The Dane Cook look is not a good luck for them at all. 

 

Forgotten TV Gems: I liked it, but as someone else said before me, it was mostly because I got the impression they were skewering the folks who enjoy soaps where women are more focused on being vindictive asshats towards each other than anything else. They should've called it something better like "Bechtel's Beauties" or something like that. 

 

Weekend Update: Colin and Michael are getting better. There were some good jokes in there. The delivery could be better. Also the whole feminist duo with the whole "everybody is a woman" thing was pretty hilarious mostly because I too have encountered Tumblr's brand of feminism (aka the militant misandry type). I also have to give credit for the purple hair on Kate's character. Very spot on. 

 

Riverboat: Good idea, interesting bits, but this just didn't do anything for me. It wasn't good or bad. It just was. 

 

Airport: I love sketches like this where things just get more and more WTF. Cringe comedy isn't usually my thing but this worked because it wasn't that cringey. It was mostly just awkward and of course Bobby Moynihan reacting to stuff is always great. I loved the radio song "SHE CHEATED ON ME AND GAVE ME FUDGE" because of just how silly it was. And in the end, everybody went and got Pizza Hut. 

 

Good Neighbor: Not one of their bests. I did laugh at the initial bit where Beck's character popped up from behind Ashley and went "BUZZ OFF" though not in those exact words. I just didn't think this was as good as it could've been. 

 

Vitamix: Nobody can play suburban housewife with underlying rage issues quite like Vanessa Bayer. I just liked how it all just unraveled so much as a miniature suburban drama. Then in the end, the tag being "They're just jealous" as great too. This was a lovely capper. 

 

I know my review sounds mostly negative, but really, i enjoyed this episode. I just felt like some things could've been done better but there was a lot of promise and Sarah Silverman did pretty good. 

[Blakeston]

I mean, yeah, Sarah was a cast member, but only for a season 20 years ago and she didn't get much to do. I don't think I saw her read the cue cards once, and if she was she was really good about hiding it. She can come back anytime.

 

They're required to read from the cue cards - there are last minute changes to the script, so memorizing your dialogue isn't an option. Some cast members and hosts are better at hiding it than others, though. I thought Silverman did pretty well with it overall, but she flubbed her lines more than once when she was playing Joan Rivers.

 

There have been so many flubs in these first two episodes that I almost have to wonder if there are issues with the cue cards themselves, or with the way they're being displayed.

[VCRTracking]

So far the Fault In Our Stars with Ebola had me LOLing.

 

Cecily Strong as Ava Gardner: DAAAAAAAAMMMN.

[JakeyJokes]

I loved the monologue. I watched a lot of the early '90s SNL's back when they showed them on Comedy Central, and I thought it was subtly showing shade about how they ALWAYS went to the "ask the host a question" well during the monologue during her season (much like how now we dread the singing monologue). The use of archival footage was smart -- and sad, in how it sadly illustrated how underutilized Silverman was during her run -- and I'm pretty sure that the Wilson Phillips question was from the monologue when Rosie O'Donnell first hosted.

 

The Ebola sketch cracked me up, as did "Supportive Women". I think it was making fun of the sexist adage that secretly all women hate each other, as well as the fact that you rarely see strong female friendships on television, whether it is on reality TV or dramas. Hell, if you look up Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View", the top YouTube clip of their fight bills it as a "catfight".

 

No one in the audience did, but I cracked up in the airport skit when Sarah said something like "WE AREN'T GOING TO PIZZA HUT, ADAM LEVINE!!" It was one of those sketches that got weirder and weirder as it went on, and those are my favorite.

 

Oh, and I *LOVED* the Joan Rivers sketch. It wasn't executed as well as it could have been, but the sentiment was there, and the ending of it with a graphic was a pleasant surprise. I'm not knocking Sarah for flubbing some of her lines, and I'm sure she was honored to do it, but it couldn't help but illustrate a key difference between two of them. Not that one is BETTER than the other, but Sarah's style of comedy is one that takes its time, and lets the joke creep up on you; Joan Rivers had a rat-a-tat style that could be exhausting (in a good way!).

Edited October 5, 2014 by JakeyJokes

[VCRTracking]

I love the Vitamix sketch at the end. Vanessa and Sarah played that perfectly.

[vb68]

The cold opening was once again written by Jim Downey.  I had thought and hoped he had retired.  I have no idea why they still go to him to write the political stuff.  He lost his edge a long, long time ago. He is the guy that Horatio Sanz was complaining about  in the extended Live From New York book.  

Edited October 5, 2014 by vb68

[futurechemist]

I looked it up, and Vitamix is a real brand of blenders, and the model they showed does actually cost $640.  Who would pay that much for a blender?  

 

So was that a real person or a plant in the audience during the monologue?  I would have been petrified if the host came over and sat on my lap, let alone expected me to make conversation.

 

Overall I thought it was a good episode.  Sarah Silverman was funny and there weren't any obvious clunker sketches.  If anything, the cold open was the weakest, especially the dud joke about the Secret Service.

 

Does anyone think Kate McKinnon's WU singer looks a lot like Ana Gasteyer, especially the Ana Gasteyer - Will Ferrell teacher singing sketches.  Something about it just seems very similar to me.

[VCRTracking]

 

Does anyone think Kate McKinnon's WU singer looks a lot like Ana Gasteyer, especially the Ana Gasteyer - Will Ferrell teacher singing sketches.  Something about it just seems very similar to me.

 

Maybe you're thinking of "Cinder Calhoun" the Lilith Fair-type singer that Ana played and would appear on WU? Her most famous song being the Thanksgiving themed "Basted in Blood" she sang with Sarah McLaughlin in 1997 or 98.

Edited October 5, 2014 by VCRTracking

[wmdekooning]

And did we (possibly) see Kenan as Al Sharpton one last time? I missed "Says Random Things" Al Sharpton.

 

Hope so, unless he's going to be playing 1980's Al Sharpton.  Some say some gastric surgical procedure or he's ill. He says a change in diet. 2014 Al Sharpton  is practically skeletal now.

[benteen]

Sarah was very funny and this was a strong show.

[tomorrowgirl]

This was a lot better than last week's show.  I enjoyed several of the skits, whereas last week, I forwarded through several of them.

 

I thought someone would  have told Darrell Hammond to speak up during the opening announcements, but he didn't sound any louder this week, and is still barely audible over the music.

[Dancingjaneway]

I am going to be singing "There will be Stuffed Crust" for the week. This weeks show was so much better than last weeks. I liked the forgotten tv gems the airport sketch, Garage and Her, Truth in our Stars 2 and the roast. Sarahs impression of Joan wasn't great but the sketch as a whole was good. Michael Che was much better this week and I think he's going to be a welcome addition to Update. 

 

 

ETA: I think they should have asked Bill Hader to do the opening announcements. He's always a had a fantastic announcer type voice. 

Edited October 5, 2014 by Dancingjaneway

[peeayebee]

I thought Sarah's Joan Rivers impression was pretty good. It's too bad she stumbled on a few lines. But I didn't really enjoy this skit. I felt very uncomfortable. I guess I always do with roasts, which is probably why I don't watch them anymore. I figure there was a point here that I'm not quite getting, almost a critique of celebrity roasts. Anyway, I didn't like this one.

 

I didn't like the riverboat skit either. It was a dud.

 

However, I did enjoy most of the show. I really liked the Cold Open. It had a silliness that tickled my funny bone. 

 

Sarah's monologue was fun. Well done.

 

The ebola skit was also well done. Both Taran and Sarah were really good in it. I liked 'Whites' too and 'Supportive Women.'

 

I thought WU was really strong. Michael Che and Colin Jost seem to really be in sync. Loved the joke about Africa AND Texas, as well as the No. 2 joke about the Jeter sandwich. When Garage and Her started their song, I thought Sarah was playing a doorknob, which would have been hilarious. I couldn't understand what she said it actually was.

 

The airport skit was great. I thought The December Generation skit (or whatever it's called) was ok. Not great, not that bad.

 

And the Vitamix skit (informercial?) was great, too. Vanessa in particular was a lot of fun. Nut butters. Hee.

[Trini]

 

I looked it up, and Vitamix is a real brand of blenders, and the model they showed does actually cost $640.  Who would pay that much for a blender?

 

What? They're really good blenders. Of course, not everyone needs a $600 blender.

[cpcathy]

I didn't care for this episode at all. A few funny moments, but not enough to compensate for the rest of the show. Some of it was miserable. The Joan Rivers sketch was awful, I thought Sarah was not good in it (flubbed lines really start messing with the entirety of the sketch), and the timing was off. I laughed at WU (Collin and Michael talking to each other--how novel!), the cheating sketch and Kyle and Beck's bit (why is kicking a dummy always funny?) Vitamix hit home, my husband also asked me why someone would buy a blender that expensive, I wasn't quite sure (I have a Ninja for $119). Nice to see Mike O'Brien in the White People short (is he back, is he gone?) The River Boat sketch was just terrible, I think hiring Sasheer was a mistake, Lorne may have needed a women of color but he chose someone whose delivery is poor and all of her characters sound the same--all of them.

I tend to like Sarah, her standup is so filthy and biting that I can't help but appreciate it, but somehow she doesn't ever work for me in any other forum. Even the filmed bits she does for her standup specials don't work, and I'm glad I never saw The Sarah Silverman Program. I know Bill Hader's episode next week will be better, even if it's just for the fact that it's Bill Hader, love him!

[helenamonster]

I enjoyed this one overall. I think part of that is because even though I don't think all the sketches were great (the riverboat sketch in particular I don't think worked), I appreciated that they were trying new things instead of trotting out the recurring standby sketches.

 

Thank you for putting into words how I felt about the show. Yes, not every sketch was a winner, but they tried different things and had energy. That can really make all the difference.

 

What? They're really good blenders. Of course, not everyone needs a $600 blender.

 

You do if you want nut butters!

 

I forgot to mention that I thought most, if not all, of the WU jokes were great this week. I just got a little distracted by the delivery from both anchors. Like I said, Colin seemed very slow, and Michael still needs to loosen up. But I think they're getting there with it.

 

The thing that startled me most about the Joan Rivers sketch was how much Sarah looked like Joan with a blonde wig on. It was a little terrifying. Actually, Sarah wore a lot of wigs last night and I thought she looked good in all of them. Except the one for The Ebola in our Everything but that was obviously supposed to be an unfortunate haircut to parody the whole "cute and quirky, not like other girls" culture that has grown around John Green's books.

 

And yes, round of applause for no cameos. I think I'll start keeping a mental tally for them this season. Last week we had one, but it wasn't too bad because Anna Faris a) is married to Christ Pratt and would have been in the studio anyway so why not and b) didn't take over a sketch. I hope y'all are ready for Kristen Wiig to pop up again next week.

[Dots And Stripes]

The good news is Colin realized Michael is sitting next to him during update. The bad news is they have zero chemistry. I blame Colin. He didn't really sell the stereotypical uncool white guy persona. He needs to figure out something else. Michael did really well. I noticed he didn't quite land some jokes that sounded like WU standards, but he also hit a few out of the park that sounded like something he put his own spin on.

 

I think Sarah did a good job with what she was given. I really liked the weird car sketch at the end. (Is it wrong to say Adam Levine getting run over made it better?) I was expecting some nod to the featured players who get overlooked considering Sarah's history with the show. Kind of ironic Pete was completely MIA this week.

 

Kyle's uncomfortable taped piece didn't work for me again this week. Make it stop.

 

Finally, I noted last week that Aidy was everywhere but I didn't expect that to last. She wasn't given nearly as much to do this time. I didn't notice anyone being used all that much this week. 

[pivot]

The cold opening was once again written by Jim Downey.  I had thought and hoped he had retired.  I have no idea why they still go to him to write the political stuff.  He lost his edge a long, long time ago. He is the guy that Horatio Sanz was complaining about  in the extended Live From New York book.

Yeah, Lorne really needs to clean house with the writing staff particularly Downey. SNL's political bits have zero edge with him writing them.

[Ms Blue Jay]

It was really distracting when Silverman screwed up so many lines in the Joan Rivers skit.

 

I'm really happy about Colin Jost and Michael Che, this was already miles better than last week.  Michael is really natural, and rarely screws up his lines, and if he does, he finds a good way to get away with it.  His laughter is really natural.  I find him so likeable up there.

 

Supportive Women & Kenan were just amazing in every way.  Kenan could host his own show like this.  I'd watch it, LOL.

 

Supportive Women: I'll admit, I'm gonna miss Kenan. I'm gonna miss his reactions. Hell, I loved all the reaction faces in this sketch. You know, I don't know if this was parodying sexism, or just sexist.

 

I found it parodying how shows used to be just about women plotting against each other - Dynasty?  And honestly, I consider myself super feminist and I believe that way too many women still plot against each other personally and professionally.

 

Cecily Strong as Ava Gardner: DAAAAAAAAMMMN.

 

They should find a way to use this more.  Wasn't Bobby as Ben Franklin just super adorable?

 

Really enjoyed Maroon 5's second performance:  "Maps".

 

Nice to see Mike O'Brien in the White People short (is he back, is he gone?)

He was 'fired' from the main cast but he's still a writer I think.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[Inquisitionist]

Maybe I have very low expectations at this point, but I laughed quite a bit during this episode.  Thought The Ebola in Our Everything, the Cheating/Pizza Hut sketch, and the one where people kept finishing each other's thoughts were very good, as was Silverman's monologue.  Other bits were pretty strong as well.  River Boat didn't quite reach whatever it was aiming for, but they can't all be winners.

[Miss Scarlet]

I wrote an earlier comment in this thread that this was the best episode I've seen in the last few years. I think this is because my bar is set so low for SNL right now. I still felt there was some originality lacking in some of the sketches and some of them really didn't pan out, but there was more potential there than I've seen in a while. I also thought Sarah seemed game for all of it and very confident (Joan Rivers sketch issues aside). 

 

Cold Open - Yeah, this was weak. Some of the hashtags were sort of funny, like the ones about The Voice being back. That's also promotion for another NBC show, so kudos to them, I guess. 

 

Monologue - This was funny. I didn't like the audience interaction part as much just because the audience member seemed really uncomfortable, but Sarah was good in this. The callbacks to her "person in the audience" questions was clever, although I can't believe how bad/unfunny those "questions" actually were.

 

The Ebola in Our Everything - This was a really clever way to combine 2 topical things. Taran and Sarah did a really good job in this. I know he gets a lot of hate, but I thought Kenan was pretty funny here too.

 

Joan Rivers - I know it was a roast, so technically it would have been Joan doing all the talking, but I think this would have been better if the other dead celebrities got to talk too. The only ones that did were Ben Franklin, Freddie Mercury and a little bit of Lucille Ball. It seemed like they didn't talk because most of them couldn't really do impressions of any of these people, so it came off as a bit weak.

 

Whites - I appreciated that SNL was trying something a bit edgier, but these jokes have been made for a long time. So it was edgy, but not original. 

 

Forgotten TV Gems - Like other posters, I'm also hoping that this was mocking the idea that women can't get along and how this is displayed on TV/in the media. Sarah Silverman and the female cast members seem pretty feminist, so I'm thinking that it really was a parody. If it was a parody, then I liked it. If not, then boooooo.

 

Weekend Update - Liked the Texas joke and the Kim Jong Un in Dennis Rodman's backpack. Michael Che moves his eyebrows a lot when he talks and for some reason it was distracting me last night. Also, someone mentioned that the new Update set looks like blue bathroom tiles and now I can't unsee that. I really did think Kenan was just messing up lines as Al Sharpton first, but then realized it was part of the sketch. Liked when Kate corrected Michael's pronunciation of Garage, but didn't think that song or the rest of that bit was funny. I liked the banter between Michael and Colin about words they can't say, although again, I've heard these jokes countless times before. I think their angle on Update is going to be to contrast Michael's "coolness" with Colin's "uptight/nerd" persona. This might be a way to make Colin's stiffness work for them.

 

Cruise Ship - Um...no. Also, Sasheer's delivery is still really awful. It's like she's doing the voice for a 40s film all the time.

 

Airport - I loved the first half of this. I thought it was clever and loved it when more and more characters kept popping up in the backseat. I loved Kate's delivery of the line "I have this confetti we were supposed to throw, but I guess I'll just put it back in my purse". The sketch lost steam after Adam Levine came in, though and totally petered out. Didn't think the stuffed crust part was funny.

 

Good Neighbour - I feel like I repeat myself every week, but I don't like their digital shorts. I get that they're supposed to be "amateur/ironic", but their shorts shouldn't be something that looks like a film you would make in comedy 101. I did like some of their work last year, but am not feeling it so far this season.

 

Vitamix - I think this sketch will be divisive because it wasn't over the top funny and didn't really have punchlines. It was more insightful and humorous because of the accuracy of that insight. That is really how those conversations go. 

 

I wasn't surprised that Pete Davidson didn't get any screen-time this week. I think they're trying to prevent the backlash that would happen if they pushed him too hard every week. I like that the screen-time for the cast members feels more evenly distributed these last 2 episodes. It's not about 1 person dominating the episode. Even though it felt that way with Aidy last week, it's not like she was in every sketch or anything.

 

Oh and I have no idea how Maroon 5 is such a successful band. Adam Levine can barely sing and their songs are dumb. Never mind, I guess I do have an idea of why they're so successful (basically, those 2 reasons I just mentioned). I like that Adam is pretty game for sketches, though.

[vb68]

 

Forgotten TV Gems - Like other posters, I'm also hoping that this was mocking the idea that women can't get along and how this is displayed on TV/in the media. Sarah Silverman and the female cast members seem pretty feminist, so I'm thinking that it really was a parody.

 

 

It never occurred to me that it was anything else.  It's certainly debatable how successful it was, but I thought the intent of it was pretty clear.

[nowandlater]

It would be funny if this became a recurring bit. Or maybe not.

 

Next time Tina hosts, she should also answer questions from her younger self (Same for JB Smoove -- if he was ever that famous -- who also did asked a lot of questions when he was a writer.)

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

I'm not much of a fan of Sarah Silverman but I thought her Joan Rivers bit was great. And I say this as someone who loathed Joan Rivers (or at least what she had descended to in her later years).

 

Last week I was snarking a bit on Ariana Grande lip-synching during one of her performances, but this week I'm gonna say that perhaps Adam Levine should have availed himself of the technology.

 

Poor Colin Jost seemed to be trying a little to hard during WE. I wonder if he's worried that he's on his way off the dais too? Michael Che was vastly improved this week and seems to be settling in nicely.

 

I thought the Vitamix sketch (can you say, "blatant product placement"?) was okay but sometimes it's better to let the classics stand:

https://screen.yahoo.com/snl-ads-skits/bassomatic-76-000000902.html

 

Was there some kind of problem with the cue cards this week? Several of the performers--even the longtime veterans--seemed to be having trouble reading them.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Joimiaroxeu

[GarageQueen]

Something strange is going on. On Hulu+, Sarah's episode is shown as being 55 minutes long, whereas Chris Pratt's full-length episode is the standard 1 hour 4 minutes. Missing are three sketches: Proud Mary/River Sisters, Cruise Ship/Rachel, and Good Neighbors. None of these three skits are available as 'clips' either. What's up with that? I mean, do I have to go back to recording SNL on my TiVo to make sure I am able to watch what I thought I was paying for on Hulu+? Yeesh. 

Edited October 5, 2014 by GarageQueen

[Inquisitionist]

Good Neighbor: Not one of their bests. I did laugh at the initial bit where Beck's character popped up from behind Ashley

 

Why are people referring to the digital short as "Good Neighbor"?  Online, it's called Poem.  Took me forever to figure out what you all were talking about!  And for the record, I liked it.

[Dots And Stripes]

Why are people referring to the digital short as "Good Neighbor"?  Online, it's called Poem.  Took me forever to figure out what you all were talking about!  And for the record, I liked it.

I think "Good Neighbor" refers to the comedy group Kyle and Beck had before SNL. I'm not a fan and I wish they wouldn't get so much airtime for their pre-taped stuff on SNL.