S40.E06: Woody Harrelson / Kendrick Lamar

[formerlyfreedom]

Host Woody Harrelson; Kendrick Lamar performs.

 

 

[nowandlater]

[vb68]

I think that's pretty funny, especially how Woody mocks himself. 

[helenamonster]

I'm just laughing because I think the song they used was a reworked instrumental of "Once Upon A December" from Anastasia, which is played during the part of the movie where Anya is looking around the palace and starts getting flashbacks. Idk if that was intentional or not or if that was even they song they used, but if it was I'm super stoked about it.

[Primetimer]

Has the True Detective spoof train already sailed?

Read the story

[helenamonster]

 

More promos.

 

Kate McKinnon is a dork that needs to be protected at all costs.

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Getting Obama and Mitch McConnell drunk was the best idea for a political sketch in a long time.

 

Monologue: ANOTHER FUCKING SONG MONOLOGUE. Although he was better at remembering 1989 than Taylor Swift. Also, I have yet to hear that damn Taylor Swift song. Hey, it's those guys and Jennifer Lawrence from the Hunger Games in pointless cameos! And I totally called that Woody Harrelson was most likely stoned tonight. And the show is better for it.

 

The Dudleys: Well, this is what you get when shows actually listen to Twitter complaints. And I love how all the changes led to Middle America sending actual letters demanding the show to be changed back. And who else expected Sasheer as Crazy Eyes instead of them actually getting Crazy Eyes?

 

Match'd: Dating game with horny MTV generation guys with a square host? Lame. The girl is the daughter of the host? Now that's a good twist. The reactions on the guys at the reveal were just gold. Cringe comedy at its finest.

 

Pot Freedom: I loved this one so goddamn much. Of course Pete Davidson is the kid they focus on first. The Funyuns flag was probably my favorite part.

 

Safe Tackle: This was a silly one. I like how bringing in Kenan's old football player was just to show how important the new rules about concussions were.

 

Young Tarts & Old Farts: Another "lets trot out our celebrity impressions for a sketch" sketch. At least I knew who half of the people were. Yes, it was the old tarts half. The one with BB King was my favorite. Having Vanessa's Miley Cyrus comment on being the older half of Miley & Lorde was an inspired bit. Not a pretty funny one, but inspired.

 

WU: I really liked this one. "But dat ass doe." Sums up this week quite well. Leslie Jones is back with a great bit! I expected Santa to provide commentary on the woman sneaking in through the chimney. And here's where they stuck the obligatory True Detective bit, which went most of nowhere.

 

Gentrification: I can relate to the city changing over the years. "You know what I miss?" "Crack?" I did like the ending where everyone started to reminisce about meth.

 

Campfire: This was an odd one. I guess the only part I liked was when everyone was splashed with water.

 

Sheila Shovaj: Hey, it's this character again! "I noticed you because you were so breathing."

 

"I replaster unpopular glory holes." "I recognize your work!"

 

Also, Kenan's reactions were as gold as they always are.

[Fisher King]

"I replaster unpopular glory holes." "I recognize your work!"

Bwah!

 

"You had me at when you didn't leave with the others."

[opus]

Apples, apples.....

[Blakeston]

I didn't care for the stoner sketch. I was expecting it to build to something hilarious, but instead the joke was, "The stoners aren't going to do anything besides sit on the couch and watch TV, because they're lazy, get it?"

 

I did like Leslie Jones screaming "DIBLASIO!", though.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Blakeston

[vb68]

I mostly liked it.  Woody might not have showed the most range, but he was there to have fun, and that did show.   And if there was ever any doubt, I think he does like his drugs.

 

I thought Update improved mightily this week.

 

 

And here's where they stuck the obligatory True Detective bit, which went most of nowhere.

But Taran was so inspired, and it was so fun to watch Woody try to keep a straight face.   I cracked up at the three licks to the center of the tootsie pop joke and then him saying the owl told him.

 

I'm happy for Leslie that she had a good show and killed on Update again.

 

And the apples sketch was just so goofy that I had to like it.  I'll probably be humming that song for a few days. 

Edited November 16, 2014 by vb68

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: Someone please let the writers know that the 2016 election season is creeping up and it would be really great if they could get their shit together on political sketches sometime soon.

 

Monologue: OH MY FUCKING GOD ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. Holy hell, it was like they forgot they had to do a monologue and quickly wrote one at 11:25. First of all, ANOTHER GODDAMN SONG. Second of all, while I'm a Hunger Games fan (hellO, Liam Hemsworth!) and didn't mind them showing up, it just all seemed so "oh yeah by the way I'm in this movie that's coming out next week, here's the rest of the main cast." Ugh. Just ugh. And y'all KNOW Cameron Diaz is gonna sing next week since she's coming to promote a musical. A part of my soul has died already.

 

The Dudleys: This rang hella true. Comparing the social media criticism to the paper mail criticism was perfect. And I actually spent two seconds debating whether they'd use Sasheer or Leslie to play Crazy Eyes, so color me shocked that they actually got Uzo Aduba.

 

Match'd: It's too bad Jersey Shore isn't around anymore, Cecily's voice was a dead ringer for Sammi's, she could have totally played her. I'm actually kind of disappointed we'll never get to hear her take on "ROOONNNN. STAHHHHHHPP." I liked the twist this had, it was definitely different if not necessariliy lol-funny.

 

A New Day: Yeah, this didn't need to go on for as long as it did to make its point.

 

Football: Ok, while this wasn't hilarious, I definitely appreciated it. It was a nice play on the recent phenomenon of people being shocked--shocked!--that ramming your head into other people your entire life will lead to brain trauma.

 

Young Tarts & Old Farts: Ah, I'm a sucker for these "trot out the celeb impressions" bits. Having Miley be the old fart to Lorde's young tart was golden.

 

Weekend Update: Leslie Jones just makes me smile. And Taran's McConaughey!

 

Crack: This was actually a really well-structured sketch. I actually thought Woody was a cop for a second, only for the real twist to be that the other three guys liked meth.

 

Apples: Um.

 

Last Call: KATE. Never stop being weird, girl.

[buttersister]

WTF that apples sketch? Bless Woody for being game and faking the guitar playing, but I don't know how it got out of the writers' room. Oh yes, I do. **Looking at the other stuff.**

[redlaces]

I thought this one was funnier than usual. The obvious yeah Woody we know you like your substances grew a little tired though. I hate WU there is nothing natural about it anymore at all. I find it painful every time lately. Makes me miss the old days. Get off my lawn and all that shit. 

[Former Nun]

Tonight's show was such an improvement!  I've watched this show since Day One and have been very disappointed for quite awhile.  To me, maybe SNL is making a comeback.  I'm not saying everything was perfect, but there was A LOT to enjoy...including the musical guest (and I'm old...OLD!).

[futurechemist]

I'm just laughing because I think the song they used was a reworked instrumental of "Once Upon A December" from Anastasia, which is played during the part of the movie where Anya is looking around the palace and starts getting flashbacks. Idk if that was intentional or not or if that was even they song they used, but if it was I'm super stoked about it.

I thought the monologue song was based on Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69".  But it was hard to tell because because of how awful Woody's singing was.  I'd say that might be a deconstruction of the singing monologues, except they already did that with Bill Hader.

[niklj]

My two favorite sketches of the night were The Dudley's and the Match'd game--the jokes were actually (gasp!) funny and well-delivered. They actually gave me hope for the rest of the episode.

 

And then came sketches like "Apples." WTF.

[vb68]

Apples reminds me of a weird Will Forte sketch, like "Don't Eat My Potato Chip".   

[Vixenstud]

Dammit, my old ass fell asleep right before the show cam on!

 

One important question.....was Woody naked?  (asked in best Ron Johnson voice....Different World fans know what I'm referring to!)

Edited November 16, 2014 by Vixenstud

[absnow54]

I found Apples weirdly hilarious. When he tossed the pic and it made a huge splash I couldn't stop laughing.

 

What I didn't need to see was Woody groping up Jennifer Lawrence's leg. I think even she was caught off guard by that. That monologue was out of control, but I love The Hunger Games movies and the cast, so I was glad to see them all drop by. During the goodbyes, focus on Liam Hemsworth and Leslie Jones. 

 

Taran's McConaughey was the highlight for me. His WTF tangents are the best.

Edited November 16, 2014 by absnow54

[SFoster21]

I agree; spot on McConaughey. Actually funny.

[Nobody]

Chantal Kreviazuk is life. One of the most underappreciated Canadian singers around.  I very rarely have any interest in the musical guest but when I read about their colloboration last night I had to watch immediately. (I can't usually mange to stay uo to watch live.)

 

Great show overall, I thought. Weekend Update is really improving as the weeks go by.  Loved The Dudleys and The Old Farts thing.  Love Kate and Taran in everything as always. Miss Vanessa.  When are we going to get another J Pop America?

[vb68]

Mike Ryan has the apples sketch as the sketch of the night. He also agrees that it was the best show of the season.

[peeayebee]

Taran's McConaughey impression was definitely the highlight for me. He is so good, and the weirdness of what he says is both ridiculous and yet believable that those words could come from the real McConaughey. Just delightful.

 

Coming up in a close second was the last skit with Kate and Woody. Fun and weird. Great lines. "Eyebrows, eyebrows, eyebrows." "That was unstraordinary," however you'd spell it. Oh and Kate ordering that drink, tequila and condensed milk, is gag-inducing.

 

The Cold Open was ok, though I felt like it could have been a lot better. My favorite part was when the phone rang and scared them both.

 

The monologue. Meh. I couldn't understand what Woody was singing. Also, it took me (and the audience, I think) a couple of seconds to realize who the two guys were. I didn't think they added a single thing. Not funny. Jennifer Lawrence is adorable even when she messes up.

 

I thought The Dudleys was pretty good, not great. 

 

I enjoyed the MTV dating game sketch. As already noted, it was a nice twist that Woody was her father. I loved how the three guys acted after that.

 

I also liked the pot sketch. It wasn't all that funny, but I liked the way it was put together. All the stoners emerging from their homes was engaging for some reason.

 

I feel bad for laughing at Kenan's speech in the football concussion sketch. It's really not a funny topic, but he made me laugh. Heck, he made Woody laugh too.

 

Young Tarts and Old Farts was fine because I always enjoy the impressions. I didn't know a couple of the singers -- Sam Smith and 2chainz -- but I still liked their performances. 

 

In WU I liked the "Who Wore It Best?" joke. I also enjoyed Leslie Jones. "If you end up in our pants, don't be surprised if we end up in your chimney." Great line. I thought the punchline about the pedophiles, "Start working in teams," was going to be something like, "Use the buddy system."

 

I wish Jost and Che wouldn't pause after a joke is delivered. Of course Seth and Cecily did that too, and maybe all recent anchors have, but I really liked the way they did it in the old days when the anchor would just say the line then move on, or the other anchor would continue.

 

The Apples sketch was strange. I kind of liked it -- I finally got the song out of my head -- but it didn't really make much of an impression on me.

Edited November 16, 2014 by peeayebee

[cpcathy]

I really enjoyed this episode, I laughed out loud quite a bit, especially at the oversized football helmets. Big, silly football helmets will never not be funny to me. I've always liked Woody, and I thought his energy and delivery were perfect, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. I thought, anyone could have joined him in the monologue, Hunger Games people, Cheers people, Matthew M (or Taran as Matthew M), I was okay with Hunger Games people, just made me know for sure that Josh Hutcherson should be brought back to host (his episode last season was one of the strongest)--guy is good at SNL. I was disappointed with the duets sketch, the intent was to be as great as Jimmy Fallon's Christmas episode duets sketch, but fell short--too many of the impressions flew by too quickly. More Lorde please! WU is still a trainwreck, but Jost achieved Seth greatness with "pedophiles should start working in teams."

[Fisher King]

The best part of the apples sketch was the guitar pick making such a huge splash.

[VCRTracking]

I admit to laughing every time Michael Che said "But that ass tho!"

[helenamonster]

I thought the monologue song was based on Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69".  But it was hard to tell because because of how awful Woody's singing was.  I'd say that might be a deconstruction of the singing monologues, except they already did that with Bill Hader.

 

Oh, I was referring to the song used in the first promo posted where Woody and Taran start having flashbacks. I assumed the "1989" song was to the same tune as a Taylor Swift song from the album (I'm the only person in the world who hasn't listened to the whole thing yet so idk).

 

What I didn't need to see was Woody groping up Jennifer Lawrence's leg. I think even she was caught off guard by that. That monologue was out of control, but I love The Hunger Games movies and the cast, so I was glad to see them all drop by. During the goodbyes, focus on Liam Hemsworth and Leslie Jones. 

 

Yeah, the monologue really started to fall off the tracks at that point (not that it was ever really on them). It really just seemed like they threw Josh, Liam, and Jennifer onstage and were just like "do whatever!" I'm a fan of the movies so I didn't mind them showing up, I just would have liked something more...rehearsed?

 

Looking back at it, I don't think it was a bad show. But kind of like the Jim Carrey show (imo), the good parts were good, but not good enough to offset the bad, which was really bad. Also, at this point, a musical monologue is guaranteed to put me in a foul mood and look at the rest of the show much more cynically.

[Thinbalina]

 

 

One important question.....was Woody naked?  (asked in best Ron Johnson voice....Different World fans know what I'm referring to!)

I don't know if he was...but I said this in Ron Johnson's voice! LOL!

[Traveller519]

Definitely the best episode of the season for me. I laughed a lot at the little things. The Cold Open was one of the bbest they've done in a while. Put a ridiculous spin on the notion of them having a drink together, and giving us some insight into something we would probably all fine funny.

 

I appreciated what the Dudley's sketch was trying to do, but the biggest laugh for me came when the little girl states "Daddies, I'm late for Afghanistan!" 

 

The Dating sketch was a great twist. Nice to see the Good Neighbor stuff featured up front. Kyle saying "Sir!" twice every sentence was great.

 

Apples was bizzare, but I laughed, and oh god  the Closing Time Skit was tonight!

 

ETA: I also thought this was the funniest Weekend Update of the season. The running gag on the Paper cover was fun, and Who Wore it Best.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Traveller519

[vb68]

 

Also, at this point, a musical monologue is guaranteed to put me in a foul mood and look at the rest of the show much more cynically.

 

I have to let that go.  At least this one had a really good payoff with Woody exclaiming, "the real Taylor Swift is here!"   That made me laugh.  And I feel like this morphed into him interacting with J-Law mostly, which was fine.

[Bees]

That was the best Cold Opening all year...which isn't saying much but, it's a start. The concept was lovely but I thought the execution was just a bit off. 

 

Another singing monologue?! Though, to be fair, Woody did a singing monologue in the last show he hosted so I'm giving a sort of free pass here. Only sort of. But man he sounded pretty drugged up on something when he was doing his monologue. The appearance of Josh Hutcherson only made me want him to host again (what? his episode was unexpectedly awesome last season). Seeing Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth was alright. Kind of liked the weird history lessons they were given by Woody. 

 

The Dudley's is a nice jab at both sides of the table when it comes to TV programming. Also, I loved that it was CBS doing the show because they always do the most mundane boring TV shows. And also a lot of Middle America tends to watch CBS more than anything else. Kind of liked that they took the physical letters more seriously than the Twitter stuff. And then seeing all the changes made was pretty hilarious. A nice little sketch here. 

 

Loved that dating game sketch. That is pretty much every show on MTV in a nutshell. Loved the twist of it being the host's daughter and then the whole military background being thrown in. The sudden change of attitude in the three guys was hilarious also. And I loved that all three were waiters. Definitely a fun take on an old overdone sketch trope. 

 

The weed sketch was well done in how it was put together and a lot of the ideas of it were solid. However, it kind of just went nowhere. I thought it was missing something in the midst of it all. Loved the Funyuns flag and Leslie yelling out "DI BLASIO!!" 

 

The Football Sketch was pretty interesting. I also felt bad at laughing at Kenan for the speech but I loved how the speech's purpose wasn't to motivate them but to show them how bad concussions can really fuck you up. And I liked the over the top way they were handling it all. Imagining people doing that in a football gridiron is pretty fun to think about. 

 

Young Tarts and Old Farts is first off a great title. That had me laughing a lot. Also, I had no idea that Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga were coming out with an album together. I feel like I may have to get that just for the sheer amusement factor. Not that I don't think that Lady Gaga is talented or anything (she is) but I'm really curious about how that is going to come out. While nothing will ever top Bobby Moynihan as Andrea Bocelli singing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in hilarity, this was pretty fun. Seeing Beck as Elton John with a toddler playing Blue Ivy Carter was so damn adorable. Also, I would totally listen to an "All About That Bass" duet with BB King and Meghan Trainor. And I loved how Woody as James Taylor telling Sam Smith to stop being so sad. Why? Because it's James Taylor of all people. The dude who wrote and/or sang some of the more depressing sounding songs out there. Also loved how he loved 2Chainz. That amused me greatly. 

 

This was the best Weekend Update all year. I really wish they threw in one more "But dat ass, though!" somewhere later in the sketch. That would've made it triply hilarious to me. Leslie Jones was great as usual. While sometimes it's not always fun to see her type casted as loud brassy woman, I don't mind it with her rants. It fits well. And she has some damn good points too. Men are fucking crazy too! We all knew the McConaughey impression was going to come along soon and Taran did not disappoint. It wasn't the best thing but it was pretty well done and Woody was trying not to laugh during Taran's non-sequiturs. Loved the Mario one in particular. 

 

The Crack sketch was okay. Just okay. Weakest of the night for me but if this is the weakest sketch of the night, then that makes for a pretty damn good show. I did like the twist at the end where they were like "Now Meth...that's something I miss" because of the strangeness of it. But really this was mehh even if the end was funny. 

 

I found myself really liking the Apples sketch. At first I thought it was lame but I really got into it. Also, the Apples song sounds like something written in the late 60s early 70s. Just has that weird wholesomeness feel to it like the post hippy happy funtime feel. I liked the twist of them knowing the song all along and Vanessa just happening to have a guitar. Also the over the top splashing was funny too. And the end was really cute with them all singing along. I kind of like when sketches end happily like that sometimes. 

 

Last Call, to me, is just as much Kenan's sketch as it is Kate's sketch. The whole thing is well done on their ends and on the lucky guy on hand. I'm not sure if the sketch would work as much as it would if Kenan wasn't the bartender though. Kate is always amazing in it too. I just love the whole lowered expectations aspect of the sketch and her occupation of covering up popular glory holes. Kenan reminds me of myself whenever my dad's friend (whom I have nicknamed The Thing That Wouldn't Leave in honor of the somewhat well-known John Belushi sketch from the early 70s) comes over for "Just a few hours" because it ALWAYS turns into an overnight thing. And it's annoying. Also, Kate's character was actually successful for once, despite Kenan's disgust. 

 

This was easily the best episode all season thus far. Of course the season is still young, but this was a really well done episode. The only weak parts were the monologue and that crack sketch for me. Everything else went from pretty damn good to really great. It'll be interesting to see how they keep this up next week with Cameron Diaz whom, when she last hosted, was in one of the best late 90s sketches of all -- Jingleheimer Junction. I still sing the togetherness song in my head. 

[methodwriter85]

I thought the crack cocaine sketch was actually going to lead up to being a sketch where they skewer the people who complain about gentrification by reminding people of how shitty things were in 1980's/1990's New York City, and Woody's character would remind them of things like drive-by shootings, lack of garbage pick-up, drunken prostitutes, etc, but then they just went with that. That was disappointing- I really think it could have been a great sketch if they had gone in another direction.

 

My favorites of the night were Twitter changes because it's really reminding me of the controversy going on right now with Sleepy Hollow, and Old Farts/Young Tarts.

[mtlchick]

It wasn't bad.  Match'd was pretty good and the Dudleys did hit the right notes on people bitching about every little thing.  One of the better Weekend Updates. The Apples sketch was one a WTF though. 

 

But the goodbyes were the best: Liam and Leslie doing...something (hey, she's not Miley) and Jennifer saying something to Kendrick LOUDLY.  I'm not sure if she was joking or getting pissed off at him but Josh's "Um, lady we're on" and her "really dude, what the-- oh" look was AWESOME.  

 

Then the Hunger Games Hug.  Awww.

[Blakeston]

Dammit, my old ass fell asleep right before the show cam on!

 

One important question.....was Woody naked?  (asked in best Ron Johnson voice....Different World fans know what I'm referring to!)

 

No nudity, sorry. Or even anything close to it.

 

Mike Ryan has the apples sketch as the sketch of the night. He also agrees that it was the best show of the season.

 

 

I'm inclined to agree that this was the best show of the season, thus far. But as far as I'm concerned, that says more about the quality of this season than anything else.

[Grammaeryn]

I really adored this episode! "You can't shake hands with a ghost." from the Match'd sketch just killed me and was a clue that this could become good. I really like Leslie but I prefer her in sketches. Her monologues are hit or miss. But yeah your "uncle" saying how much you've grown was funny in a creepy accurate way.

[helenamonster]

Also, I had no idea that Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga were coming out with an album together. I feel like I may have to get that just for the sheer amusement factor. Not that I don't think that Lady Gaga is talented or anything (she is) but I'm really curious about how that is going to come out. 

 

Cheek to Cheek is actually already out, if you're interested. Also, the clip they showed at the beginning of the sketch was from the video for "The Lady is a Tramp," which isn't on Cheek to Cheek but is on Tony Bennett's Duets II, which came out in 2011 (and also features one of the last recordings Amy Winehouse made before her death).

 

My favorites of the night were Twitter changes because it's really reminding me of the controversy going on right now with Sleepy Hollow, and Old Farts/Young Tarts.

 

The Dudleys actually reminded me of the social media buzz/controversy that Connor from How To Get Away With Murder has been getting. Connor's character is gay and has super hot sex in bathroom stalls or copy rooms at least once an episode, and I can't even imagine the conflicting opinions the showrunners have been getting on him. While I'm sure Middle America was up in arms by the fact that there was such a promiscuous gay character to begin with (his sex scene in the pilot probably just made it past the censors), the blogosphere has been critical of him because he's too gay. He only appears to be able to contribute productively when he's screwing information out of someone (which the show actually addressed in the most recent episode), and there was one article that went on this weird tangent about how gay representation should be spread out across television. Which I 100% agree with, but the way it was framed, the writer made it seem like it was HTGAWM's responsibility to make sure American television as a whole featured a more diverse canvas of non-heterosexual characters so that we didn't just have this one guy getting all these sex scenes on this one show. Minority representation gets so tricky and it's impossible to please everyone, something SNL knows a lot about. I'm sure the writers didn't need to go far for inspiration on that one.

[lookeyloo]

Mr Lookeyloo and I are way out of the demographic for this show but have been watching from the beginning. All in all we thought this was one of their better shows. The sketches did not go on forever. Love crazy Kate.

[mtlchick]

 

Also, I had no idea that Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga were coming out with an album together. I feel like I may have to get that just for the sheer amusement factor. Not that I don't think that Lady Gaga is talented or anything (she is) but I'm really curious about how that is going to come out.

 

I have that album.  There are a few songs she oversings on a bit too much, but overall I enjoyed to the point that I would see them on tour. 

[SFoster21]

PBS has an hour of the two on Great Performances as well.

[Racj82]

 

But the goodbyes were the best: Liam and Leslie doing...something (hey, she's not Miley) and Jennifer saying something to Kendrick LOUDLY.  I'm not sure if she was joking or getting pissed off at him but Josh's "Um, lady we're on" and her "really dude, what the-- oh" look was AWESOME.

She was laughing while talking to him. They clearly just having a normal conversation, while Woody was trying to his goodbyes which was hilarious. Never change Jennifer. She never fails to bring the awkward.  And Leslie was getting her feels on.

[Latverian Diplomat]

The open just didn't click for me. McConnell just strikes me as the wound up tight inside, insecure, never says what he really thinks *sshole that makes for a mean drunk, not a fun one.

 

They can't really play that out, of course.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[Mabdul Doobakus]

Definitely the best episode of the season for me.  I was already feeling that way, and then Last Call came on.  I only started watching SNL again about two years ago after a long hiatus.  I tuned in to watch Louis CK, and then all the way at the end of the show, there was this Last Call sketch, where I learned who Kate McKinnon was for the first time.  I kept tuning in for Kate, and that's pretty much still the case, but I've come to like a lot of the rest of the cast as well.  Anyway, nostalgic favorite for me...

 

I agree that the Pete Davidson/weed taped bit went on a touch too long, but still, that was my favorite of the night.  I thought the duets were pretty funny, and the dating game twist was excellent and well executed.  Also, Kendrick Lamar gave one of the best performances I've ever seen on the show.  That was the best rap performance I've ever seen, period.

[ChromaKelly]

I thought the crack cocaine sketch was actually going to lead up to being a sketch where they skewer the people who complain about gentrification by reminding people of how shitty things were in 1980's/1990's New York City, and Woody's character would remind them of things like drive-by shootings, lack of garbage pick-up, drunken prostitutes, etc, but then they just went with that. That was disappointing- I really think it could have been a great sketch if they had gone in another direction.

 

My favorites of the night were Twitter changes because it's really reminding me of the controversy going on right now with Sleepy Hollow, and Old Farts/Young Tarts.

I also thought that's where the gentrification complaining sketch was heading. People complain about a Starbucks on every corner, but was it really so much better when there was a shitty bodega selling individual cigarettes to kids? I laughed the first time about the crack, but then it got old.

 

[A Boston Gal]

Weekend Update might have been the "best of the season", but IMHO that's damning with faint praise. I still think Jost and Che are horribly miscast as anchors - Che comes off as smug without being self-aware (could be nerves, but still...), Jost is just not funny in this role, and between them both, they have zero chemistry.  The only reason this WU stood out this week was Leslie Jones' hysterical rant (every time I see her, I fall more in love with her humor), and Taran's McConaughey impression.

 

I'm really dispairing of Weekend Update ever becoming more than a shadow of its former selves. And I've loved the segment in most of its many, many incarnations over the years.

 

Sigh.
 

Edited November 17, 2014 by A Boston Gal

[possibilities]

I did like calling Colin Jost "CoJo," but it didn't redeem him enough to make me want him to stay as anchor. It really is the guests making WU at all funny, at this point. And WU was always my favorite part of the show til now. I can't even tell if the problem is the jokes themselves, or the way they're being delivered. I just know it isn't working at all.

Edited November 17, 2014 by possibilities

[vb68]

In this week's Not Ready For Primetime podcast , while talking about the episode, both of them admit that they don't know if Colin Jost is going to make it for the long haul as an Weekend Update anchor.

 

I thought he was OK this week, but yeah it wasn't spectacular.   I also think the chemistry between him and Che is not as good as it first appeared.

Edited November 17, 2014 by vb68

[Miss Scarlet]

Cold Open - This was amusing enough. I liked when McConnell just went "You're black!!!". I thought that part would have been funnier if that had been the only line and then they had cut immediately to "X number of drinks later...". They really just had Sasheer play Michelle Obama in this sketch just to prove that they can do that now. Was what she was doing even an impression of her? Didn't sound at all like one.

 

Monologue - I actually groaned out loud when Woody picked up the guitar. I think he really was stoned during the monologue because I could not understand anything he said. Enunciation is his friend. Then the Hunger Games people came and the monologue became a trainwreck. I was sort of amused by it, but also sort of put off by it, because it just seemed so in-group ish. I'm sure there are people that think Jennifer Lawrence purposely (or even subconsciously) got the line wrong to show how "clumsy" and "relatable" she is. I did think it was funny when Woody said she was the real Taylor Swift.

 

The Dudleys - I thought this was funny and on-point. Not that studios make so many to their casts based on Twitter feedback, but these are the kinds of complaints that are Twitter/forums/in the zeitgeist right now. The only show that I can think of that changed its cast and it was very apparent that it was from this type of feedback is SNL itself. I thought the sketch ran a little long though and got a bit boring by the end.

 

Match'd - I did think the "twist" was clever and the audience's reaction to "you can't shake hands with a ghost" might have been just as funny as the line itself. I'm pretty over the whole dirty = funny thing though. For some reason people automatically assume talk about penises, ejaculation and sex is edgy and hilarious. It's really not. I realized in this sketch that Kyle Mooney uses his stilted 90s sitcom delivery for everything, not just the Good Neighbour digital shorts. Maybe that's why he isn't used in many live sketches. I usually enjoy Taran's reaction shots, but his wide-eyed one after the father reveal came across as too hammy for me.

 

Pot Freedom - This was a funny concept and shot really well, but didn't really go anywhere for me. I did love Vanessa Bayer's judgmental mom turning out to be a pothead too. 

 

Safe Tackle - I thought Kenan was really funny in this one. I thought it was weird that the back row of "football" players was extras. They have enough males in this cast for this sketch. I also liked that they kept it short and knew when to end it, instead of dragging it on forever. 

 

Young Tarts and Old Farts - I know that these sketches are completely formulaic and not that creative, but I am always a sucker for them. Kyle Mooney did a really good Macklemore and it was hilarious when Diana Ross went "I invented gay people!". Woody did a great James Taylors. I loved when James Taylor told Sam Smith he was too depressing. That was hilarious! I find Sam Smith way too melancholic and for James Taylor to say that to someone? James Taylor, who writes some of the saddest music of all time? That was great. Loved Kenan in the duet with Aidy and Blue Ivey with Elton John. I wonder if they auto-tune the pre-taped sketches that involve impressions. The cast members sound so much like the people they're impersonating and then sometimes when they do the sketches live I notice that the impressions don't sound nearly as accurate.

 

WU - Meh. I don't like either of these anchors. Why can't Michael Che read cue cards? I used to say that I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with them and didn't know what made a good anchor, but I watch This Hour Has 22 Minutes (the Canadian version of SNL) and their cast is really good at their version of WU. In comparing the two, I can see how Colin is bland and bringing no personality to the desk. I think one of the reasons the Canadian version works so well is because none of the anchors try to find a "type" and stick it. It seems on SNL the anchors typecast themselves (like Norm was the sarcastic one, Jimmy was the enthusiastic one, etc). The anchors on 22 minutes change up their style to suit the jokes and have a lot of energy. I would say Colin should watch them for help, but then he'd probably just try to mimic them exactly and that wouldn't turn out well. I did like the joke about how the message being sent to pedophiles was that they should start working in teams. I'm conflicted on Leslie Jones because on the one hand I do like that she brings energy, but on the other hand she's too over the top and plays into the "sassy black lady being sassy" stereotype. Also, some of her material seemed a bit repetitive from her last WU stint, like the part about men's spirits being inside women and all. Also, I'm not feeling her "crush" on Colin. It seems like they're trying to re-create the Seth/Stefon dynamic (unlikely anchor/character pairings), but it doesn't work for me.  I do like her overall though. Loved Taran's Matthew McConaughey. The part where he did the Mario Brothers theme song was so funny. Also liked his nicknames for Colin, especially CoJo. Woody almost broke several times. I wonder why instead of each anchor getting a guest, it seems to be that either Michael or Colin gets all the guests one week and then the other gets all of them the next week.

 

Crack - This one was boring to me. I did like the ending where it turns out they all have done meth.

 

Apples - I thought it was funny when Vanessa Bayer told Woody's character "That guitar was your only possession!". I think I would like this one more if I watched it a second time. The first time I was kind of just like ...whaaat?

 

Last Call - I had a feeling they were going to do this one! I didn't think it was as funny as the one with Louis CK, but some of the lines were pretty good. I liked Kenan setting the bar on fire at the end. Does that mean we won't see this sketch again? Or maybe we'll see it at a different bar or with a different bartender.

 

I think they're either to bring in Leslie Jones as WU anchor with Colin or bring back Cecily with Michael. I don't even know what I would do to fix it. I feel like they should get rid of Colin and Michael, not bring back Cecily and try someone like Kate. Of course they would never do that because she is too great at WU characters. 

Edited November 17, 2014 by wudpixie

[Milburn Stone]

Colin Jost continues to make me laugh.

 

He didn't last year. But he's doing it this year.

[canter]

Then the Hunger Games Hug. Awww.

I like the Hunger Games books/movies, but I thought that group hug went on too long and was kind of exclusionary to the SNL cast members with whom Woody had just spent a week working on this show. It looked to me like a few cast members were awkwardly waiting outside the group hug ring, then Leslie finally had to break it up. I dunno -- Jennifer, Josh, and Liam weren't really a part of this SNL episode beyond a cameo in the monologue, so I thought they should have remained more in the background during the goodbyes.

That's what I love about the goodbyes though, and why I always watch until the very end -- you see some interesting stuff happen during those unguarded moments!