S40.E09: Martin Freeman / Charli XCX

[formerlyfreedom]

Martin Freeman hosts; musical guest Charli XCX .

[opus]

I heard from Anthony Crispino Morgan Freeman is hosting SNL with musical guest Charlie Sheen. Pretty sure its true.

[Primetimer]

And how many breakfasts will he enjoy?

Read the story

[JennB]

Sherlock and Watson should try to solve the mystery on Serial.

[vb68]

I think this will be a rare week when I miss Abby Elliott.   I would love a sketch where Angelina reads the hacked emails about her.

[NoNeinNyet]

That last one just made me sad about Tracy Morgan.

[swimmyfish]

Me too, NoNeinNyet.

[TimWil]

I sort of liked Right Side of the Bed with Gracelynn and Grayson with Taran Killam playing a new version of The Effeminate Heterosexual. Or was he?

[MarquisDeCarabas]

So wait we Still  haven't had  the Christmas episode?

 

I knew as soon as he didn't mention being in Sherlock but did mention the Office what parody we'd be getting.

 

 

I heard from Anthony Crispino Morgan Freeman is hosting SNL with musical guest Charlie Sheen. Pretty sure its true.

 

 

When I first saw the announcement I thought it was Morgan Freeman

Edited December 14, 2014 by MarquisDeCarabas

[buttersister]

Dr. John Watson. Would have been worth a mention, Martin. The first 45 minutes weren't bad for a change, but WTF the band and the red boots?

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: So we meet the people who invented torture. Eh, they certainly invented THIS sketch.

 

Monologue: Martin Freeman! Someone who didn't sing for once! And yes, I wanted more Kate as Maggie Smith.

 

Sump'n Claus: Really enjoyed the song. "Everybody's gettin sump'n!" is gonna be stuck in my head in a while.

 

Wedding: You'd think people would object to to a Hobbit marrying Leslie Jones, but I'm glad they mostly went in a different direction. Like, Martin's first wife. Whom he was still married to. Didn't need the mental image of Martin Freeman's penis resembling a "late stage Jenga game." I love how the only premise for Kate's character being there was her just wandering in. Leslie Jones even broke at that.

 

The Office: Middle Earth: I think I was more impressed that they made a sketch based on the British version of the Office above anything else. I'd watch a whole series of this. And Taran was amazing as Gollum.

 

Right Side of The Bed: I thought this was funny. Nothing big, but funny.

 

St. Joseph's Christmas Mass Spectacular: This was great. I haven't been to church in years, but I knew most of this.

 

WU: I liked Sasheer's bit. I loved Cecily as A One Dimensional Female Character from a Male-Driven Comedy. She really nailed down the cadence of the voice of that kind of character.

 

Ketchup Assembly Line: That was a hell of a long buildup to the blue light, but dammit I laughed at that.

 

Lounge Singer: This one was weird, and a bit funny. You can go pretty far with Kenan talking funny, Taran making a silly face while wearing red boots and Martin Freeman with silly hair and a sax.

 

Waterbed Warehouse: This one was weird and kinda creepy, but I loved every time they cut to the bed with Aidy's face on it.

 

All in all, I thought this one was MUCH better than last week.

[Pete Martell]

My favorite parts 

 

- all the poor Britons (is that a word?) objecting to the endless commercials (we share your pain)

 

- the lack of a Sherlock sketch and the lolgay jokes it would have had 

 

- an Office sketch 

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: This actually wasn't half bad.

 

Monologue: Neither was this. Martin was a little jerky with his movements but this has been the best non-singing, non-standup monologue this season. Loved Kate and Taran.

 

Sump'n Claus: I mean, maybe this would have been funnier if I hadn't been watching Kenan do this shit for...how many years now? Ten? Eleven?

 

Wedding: This had good moments throughout but as a cohesive unit it wasn't all that great.

 

The Office: Middle Earth: I mean, I'm not an LOTR person, but I did like The Office (US version) and I thought this was pretty good. Taran as Gollum was terrifying. I'm guessing Bobby was supposed to be Ricky Gervais as Gandalf?

 

Right Side of the Bed: Why didn't they just go all the way and have Taran imitate that Chrisley guy from USA? That's who he reminded me of.

 

St. Joseph's Christmas Mass Spectacular: This was on point. I actually laughed out loud at Beck's little laugh at the Mapquest joke.

 

Weekend Update: Was this some sort of last-ditch effort to make Sasheer happen? The "no black emojis" thing, while definitely weird, has been done to death. I did love Cecily as the girl from the male-centered comedy movie though. I literally just turned in a paper that kind of had to do with that topic and I thought she nailed it. Jacob is cute, but tired. So, so tired. Was anyone else hoping that when Michael made that joke about getting drunk and admitting things on Facebook, he'd talk about himself? You had a chance to kind of clear your name there and you didn't take it, dude.

 

Heinz: I was so ready to throw something at my TV during this sketch and then the blue light came on. Damn it, show, you got me.

 

Roman: What.

 

Waterbed Warehouse: What.

 

Kate McKinnon is a national treasure.

 

Charlie XCX looks like Drea de Matteo.

[Irlandesa]

I knew as soon as he didn't mention being in Sherlock but did mention the Office what parody we'd be getting.

But he also mentioned "Picking Up The Pieces" so it was hard to know for sure which one they'd go for.  Actually, I thought because they didn't mention Sherlock, we'd for sure get a parody of it later on.  I will remain disappointed that that they didn't go there but hey, maybe next time.  I doubt the ratings will impress but as a host, I thought Martin was terrific.

 

That said, The Office: Middle Earth parody was fantastic.  There were a lot of good laughs.  I thought Bobby evoked Ricky Gervais quite well.  But I ain't gonna lie, seeing Martin playing a Tim-like character again gave me all the feels. 

 

The Weekend Update had two great segments that were both funny and had a social edge to them with Sasheer's emoji rant and Cecily's on point "Stereotypical female in a male driven comedy" character. 

 

Christmas Mass was my life when I used to go to Christmas mass. 

 

I thought for a second Kethcup Assembly Line was going to go to an "I Love Lucy" place but it didn't.  Yet it still gave me a chuckle. I should have seen the blue light coming but I didn't. I enjoyed the build-up almost as much, though.

 

The Waterbed sketch seemed to be a total throwaway to me at first.  But then Aidy fell back onto the bed and rolled the waves of the waterbed and I chuckled.  It was the only chuckle but it was just enough that I didn't think it was terrible. 

 

I hope I get a visit from Sumptin' Claus.  I can see that making the future Christmas compilations.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Irlandesa

[vb68]

I really enjoyed most of this one.  i wasn't  sure what kind of host Martin Freeman would be, but I thought he was quite good.  And he just seemed to glide through it without getting rattled at all like a lot of first timers.

 

The Office-Middle Earth sketch was GOLD.  I thought it was very creative, and Bobby in particular rocked it.

 

Taran  had one hell of a night.

 

 

with Taran Killam playing a new version of The Effeminate Heterosexual. Or was he?

 

Yeah, it reminded me of Dana Carvey's Lyle character from back in the day.  But I couldn't stop laughing at Kate as Keith Urban.

 

 

Lounge Singer: This one was weird, and a bit funny. You can go pretty far with Kenan talking funny, Taran making a silly face while wearing red boots and Martin Freeman with silly hair and a sax.

 

This one felt like a roundabout What Up With That to me.   That's not bad, but I think that's what it was honestly.

 

ETA:

 

I did love Cecily as the girl from the male-centered comedy movie though.

 

I kept waiting for the Aaron Sorkin dig.  He really deserved one.

Edited December 14, 2014 by vb68

[KerleyQ]

Right Side of the Bed: Why didn't they just go all the way and have Taran imitate that Chrisley guy from USA? That's who he reminded me of.

 

 

I thought that was who he was supposed to be when I first saw him.  I was surprised when he introduced himself by another name.  

 

I loved that wedding sketch way too much.  I was in just the right mood for it that, when we got to "Jenga," I lost it.  

[MarquisDeCarabas]

But he also mentioned "Picking Up The Pieces" so it was hard to know for sure which one they'd go for.  Actually, I thought because they didn't mention Sherlock, we'd for sure get a parody of it later on.  I will remain disappointed that that they didn't go there but hey, maybe next time.  I doubt the ratings will impress but as a host, I thought Martin was terrific.

 

That said, The Office: Middle Earth parody was fantastic.  There were a lot of good laughs.  I thought Bobby evoked Ricky Gervais quite well.  But I ain't gonna lie, seeing Martin playing a Tim-like character again gave me all the feels.

Ah but people wouldn't get the Picking up the Pieces references.  They would get the Office jokes even if they haven't seen the British version.

 

And yes that was Bobby playing Gervais as Gandalf.  (Given that he was in town I'm surprised he didn't do a cameo)

[Blakeston]

I thought this was a big improvement over the other episodes I've seen this season.

 

The only part that I really thought fell flat was Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy. I literally groaned when they announced his name..

 

And having Michael Che actually repeat that same awkward "We can just talk like buddies" line that Seth Meyers always used was a good representation of how repetitive that bit is.

[Irlandesa]

Ah but people wouldn't get the Picking up the Pieces references.

Ah yes, I know.  It was my poor attempt at a joke.  I wouldn't get a Picking Up The Pieces reference either. 

[Bees]

Cold Opening: Oh hey look, a cold opening that was kind of enjoyable! I bet you those psychiatrists were the ones encouraged the upped percentage of singing monologues on SNL. 

 

Monologue: Yay! A non-singing monologue...second week in a row! Of course, this means that next week will have some ultra singing monologue of Christmas cheer given that Amy Adams is hosting. 

 

Sump'n Claus: I like the idea of a Sump'n Claus for all those whom were naughty but still deserve something for their troubles. Also, I always enjoy Aidy as horny Mrs. Claus. She was certainly looking for a little sump'n that's for sure. 

 

Wedding: This was alright but I felt like it could've been better. Just little things though. First off, the WNBA team they mentioned needed a more vague name that makes little sense like the Prowl or the Gales. Something really bizarro like that. Secondly, I was kind of hoping that there was someone who approved of the wedding and they were like some kind of bookie who had taken bets on how long their marriage would last. That being said, I loved Taran as the doctor talking about the penis jenga tower. And the revelation that he already has a wife was great too. 

 

The Office - Middle Earth: I knew where they were going but I was so afraid they'd tackle the US version of it because they were too dumb to know about the British version. Thank god they didn't. This was great and super amusing. Bobby as the Ricky Gervais/Gandalf mashup was great. And having Gollum be the Gareth (that's the guy's name, right?) was perfect too. I just liked the mixture of them both. Also, who played the Orc? I'm not sure who but I gotta give props on SNL's makeup job. 

 

Right Side of the Bed: I take it someone has watched a lot of Chrisley Knows Best because Taran's character was basically Todd Chrisley with another name. This sketch was okay. I was just really distracted by that. It was passable. 

 

Christmas Mass: Oh my god, they fucking nailed everything about Catholic mass on Christmastime. The sweaty palmed guy who always wants to shake hands with everybody, the sing-songy priest, the atheist teenager...I've run into my fair share of these folks one way or another when my mom would make us go to mass for Christmas. My mom used to call the Catholics who'd only show up for holidays as Easter Catholics (though Christmas Catholics works too). Also, I liked Beck's "XTREEEEME" voice.

 

Weekend Update: The Update itself was okay. Just okay. I was okay with Sasheer's bit but I think it would've been worse if it was more drawn out. Thankfully it was a quick hit. I liked Cecily as the one dimensional female character. God, they really need to up the ante on creating female characters. For some reason, this reminded me of a song I heard recently called "Girl in a Country Song" which basically skewers the whole stereotype of girls in country songs. I mean not really the material itself but just the spirit of it. Jacob was cute but it's very tiring. I did love the dorky high five that Jacob did with Michael Che's character.

 

Ketchup Factory: It's amazing how one tiny moment at the end completely redeems a sketch from being pointlessly stupid to brilliant. I should've saw that blue light coming! And speaking as someone who can come off like the newbie there, I always end up running into weird problems like that too. 

 

Roman: Taran in the red boots completely made this sketch for me. Just the whole costuming and the showing off of the boots was just perfect. I liked Beck and Vanessa as the peanut gallery whom were curious about the whole Roman situation. It wasn't the greatest sketch but the appearance of Roman really made it for me. 

 

Waterbed Warehouse: I liked this one. I didn't love it but it was serviceable. Aidy's crazy smiley face really added a lot to the sketch. Also, I appreciated Freeman's accent...though he IS a cast member in Fargo so I shouldn't be that surprised by it. 

 

Anyways, this was actually a really good show. Martin Freeman did a very good job.

[jjj]

Christmas Mass: Oh my god, they fucking nailed everything about Catholic mass on Christmastime. The sweaty palmed guy who always wants to shake hands with everybody, the sing-songy priest, the atheist teenager...I've run into my fair share of these folks one way or another when my mom would make us go to mass for Christmas. My mom used to call the Catholics who'd only show up for holidays as Easter Catholics (though Christmas Catholics works too).

 

The technical term in Catholic churches is "C & E" Catholics.  Sometimes Poinsettia & Lily Catholics. 

[wmdekooning]

Will there ever be a kick ass Rock band on SNL?

[Pete Martell]

Will there ever be a kick ass Rock band on SNL?

 

Ashlee Simpson could come back for her 10-year anniversary...

[Trini]

 

Waterbed Warehouse:...

 

So.... Where can I get that giant sign/prop with Aidy's crazyface with a doormouth? I might need that in my life.

[Racj82]

It's sad how happy I got for Jacob when he gave a high five. He's growing! How can anyone dislike Jacob? I'm a sucker for that character. Most SNL recurring characters are redundant. I don't care if it makes me laugh.

[niklj]

Martin Freeman did a really good job, wish we could've seen more of him.

 

Cecily's "One-Dimensional Romance Girl" reminded me of Vanessa Bayer's similar romantic-comedy girl who was hitting on Michael a few weeks back. I thought it was the same thing.

 

The Heinz Ketchup factory was actually very clever, kind of reminded me of the classic "Who's on First" Abbott and Costello bit.

 

Charlie XCX...could've done with just one song.

[Peace 47]

Actually, I thought because they didn't mention Sherlock, we'd for sure get a parody of it later on. I will remain disappointed that that they didn't go there but hey, maybe next time.

The monologue totally flummoxed me because he didn't mention what has to be his second best-known role in the U.S. It seemed like the joke was that Americans aren't familiar with him, but The Hobbit commercials (which admittedly don't prominently feature him but he's in there) have been on my TV every 5 minutes for a month and also frequently during the 2 years prior, so ....??? And lots of Americans love the British Office because I always have to hear about how the U.S. version was inferior. And then he doesn't mention Sherlock at all, which just won a boatload (more than any other show) of American Emmys (including one for him)? Is he unhappy doing Sherlock or something? In a fight with the producers or his costar? The whole thing was weird. I've thought too much about it.

I agree with everyone's assessment of the show. The Office, Christmas Mass and Girl from a Male-Centered Comedy were all on-point; everything else experienced varying degrees of success (and failure).

[Lizzing]

As a recovering Catholic, that Catholic Mass sketch was so freakin' accurate (especially the part about the priest singing in different tempos), I cannot wait until it's on Hulu so I can send a link to my mother.  (I'm 40, and she still guilts me in to going to Christmas mass.  I am weak to her guilt powers.)  But the moment that literally had me LOL was Taran's face in the lounge singer sketch.  At first, it just seemed like another Kenan singing to a pointless non ending, but when Taran turned up, with that face, hair, and the red boots, I scared my dog laughing.  This was the first ep in a long time that I didn't get completely bored, though it helps that I record it and can FF through the musical guests. 

[Dancingjaneway]

I thought this episode was fantastic. Best episode in awhile. Martin was great in what they gave him and it was nice to see a non singing monologue. I was dying during the Office sketch. Taran killed it as Gollum. The WNBA wedding sketch was fabulous and Kates bit at the end was gold. Christmas Mass was spot on. My favorite part of that was Bobby as the priest speak-singing. I have to say I didn't expect the blue light at the end of the factory sketch. Update wasn't super funny and the "cliche female character" bit has been done before. I loved Martin during the Right Side of the Bed sketch. So awkward but so perfect. I muted the musical guest because I already knew that she was crap. All in all a much stronger showing. I really hope they do a good job with Amy Adams next week because I really like her. 

[SFoster21]

First time in years that this show was funny!

(in the movie Breach, devout Catholic wife refers to "drugstore" Catholics, picking up pieces of the doctrine from the shelf.)

[benteen]

The monologue totally flummoxed me because he didn't mention what has to be his second best-known role in the U.S. It seemed like the joke was that Americans aren't familiar with him, but The Hobbit commercials (which admittedly don't prominently feature him but he's in there) have been on my TV every 5 minutes for a month and also frequently during the 2 years prior, so ....??? And lots of Americans love the British Office because I always have to hear about how the U.S. version was inferior. And then he doesn't mention Sherlock at all, which just won a boatload (more than any other show) of American Emmys (including one for him)? Is he unhappy doing Sherlock or something? In a fight with the producers or his costar? The whole thing was weird. I've thought too much about it.

I agree with everyone's assessment of the show. The Office, Christmas Mass and Girl from a Male-Centered Comedy were all on-point; everything else experienced varying degrees of success (and failure).

 

I find the lack of Sherlock reference completely baffling. 

 

Amy Adams should be good on the show.  She gives it her all whether in a dramatic performance or doing lighter stuff.

[vb68]

Here's a rave review saying it's one of the best shows in the past few years.  And I agree about the top sketch.  Taran is one of the best impressionists the show has ever had up there with Bill Hader and Darrell Hammond, and it's time he was acknowledged  as such.

[mizkat]

I find the lack of Sherlock reference completely baffling.

 

I thought--or maybe it was wishful thinking--that someone yelled "Sherlock" as Martin was talking, once it was clear he wasn't going to mention it. Definitely strange. At the very least, he could have been bunking with Benedict instead of Alan Rickman. Alas, no. 

 

Loved this episode, very few misses for me. Which is crazy because usually it's the other way around. I appreciated the level of complexity in the Heinz skit, in both the writing and performing of it. The ending was just right. Martin is crazy talented, and seemed very comfortable in every sketch. Unpopular opinion, but I'm a Keenan fan, so I loved Sumptin Santa. Less loved the lounge skit but Taran saved it. I also thought he was Chrisley, too, in the morning sketch. 

 

The Christmas Mass short was brilliant. I'm not Catholic but I've been to a few masses and went to Catholic school, so I got all the references. Plus a lot of that translates to protestant services--the sweaty hand, surly atheist teen, 500 verses of Christmas carols, the soloist who is OTT, the mumbly pre-teen reader and the reader who thinks she's reading a verse under a spotlight on Broadway. They nailed it all. 

[Toaster Strudel]

Sumptin Santa gives cash!!! Let's be naughty!

[peeayebee]

Where did this show come from? Honestly, I was wondering if they hired a bunch of new writers. I loved it.

 

The Cold Open was great. I was so worried they'd do something with the torture report that would make me cringe, but this was an inspired take on it. The two psychologists being proud of their work was great. I loved how the audience suddenly got where the sketch was going when the psychologists mentioned Time Warner Cable. Oh, and I enjoyed Taran's Charlie Rose, as well as his line about the torture report being like the Cheesecake Factory menu. Very clever.

 

I knew Martin Freeman would be great on the show. His monologue wasn't rib-splitting, but it was fun and showed his comfort with ad-libbing as well as doing comedic stuff. Kate as Maggie Smith was wonderful, but Taran was perfect as Alan Rickman/Snape. I love how he eased off camera.

 

Loved Sump'n Claus. Loved the wedding. The best line was from the doctor about Martin's shattered penis being like a late-stage Jenga tower.

 

The Office: Middle Earth was amazing and hilarious. They got the look of The Office down pat. Even the glimpse of Kate as elfin Dawn was great. Taran as Gollum was so much fun. Bobby as Gandalf/David Brent was perfect. Man, I loved this sketch.

 

The Morning Show with Gracelynn and Cory was ok. I enjoyed the performances. I'm not aware of Todd Chrisley. I never would have guessed Kate could do Keith Urban. More please.

 

The St Joseph Church Christmas Mass Spectacular was spectacular.

 

Even WU seemed better to me. Maybe it was my mood. I did like Che's line about the price of oil dropping to below $60 a barrel, making it so low that it's also a good deal on barrels. Sasheer's bit on emojis was ok. I'm sorry to say I don't think she adds much to the show. I LOVE Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy. I did notice, however, that the little laugh Vanessa does sounds a bit like the noise she makes as the strange poetry teacher.

 

I agree with others about the ketchup factory sketch. It seemed ok but was instantly improved by the blue light ending. However, even without that I enjoyed Taran's performance. The red hair and setting did make me think of the famous I Love Lucy scene. 

 

The Pine River Lodge Christmas show was strange. I found it to be the weakest sketch.

 

I loved the Waterbed Warehouse commercial. "That's me. JaNEEEEEENNNN!" Aidy was great in this. 

 

A+ episode. Yay!

Edited December 14, 2014 by peeayebee

[absnow54]

I thought this was a really strong episode, definitely Taran Killam's Emmy reel. I also wanted to give props to Colin Jost  for finally nailing a bit with the one dimensional female character interaction. He's almost settling into a personality. 

[helenamonster]

I thought for a second Kethcup Assembly Line was going to go to an "I Love Lucy" place but it didn't.

 

Me too, and I think that's why I was getting so aggravated with it. But the blue light saved it. Maybe that can be a new SNL-related euphemism. When a sketch looks like it's going nowhere and then they wrap it up well at the end.

 

I kept waiting for the Aaron Sorkin dig.  He really deserved one.

 

Yeah, I think maybe three or four pages of my paper alone were about the dismal, dismal portrayal of women in The Social Network. Great movie for the most part, but any time I watch it I think they would have been better served by not having any female characters at all.

 

Also, who played the Orc? I'm not sure who but I gotta give props on SNL's makeup job. 

 

I was wondering this too! For a hot second I thought it was Bobby, but he was Gandalf. Kyle, maybe?

 

(in the movie Breach, devout Catholic wife refers to "drugstore" Catholics, picking up pieces of the doctrine from the shelf.)

 

There's also "cafeteria Catholics," which is basically the same thing (taking the things in a cafeteria line that you want/like and ignoring the rest).

 

Count me in as someone who was rather shocked at not a single Sherlock reference. I've never watched the show (as it has done with many things, Tumblr has turned me off to it), but I'm sure most of the fangirl demographic that SNL was hoping to garner were expecting something. I wonder if there are some BTS issues. Or maybe they're hoping to get Bendyhort Cumbersnoot in the near future.

 

I'm still surprised at how well The Office: Middle Earth sketch worked for me. I've never seen the UK version of The Office but there will still enough similarities to the US version that I wasn't too confused. Taran's character seemed to be very Dwight, while Martin and Kate had a Jim/Pam vibe. And I think it just goes to show that parodies can still be funny, even if someone isn't familiar with the source material. Like, I've never seen an episode of Girls but I loved that short last year. And I've only seen on LOTR movie and fell asleep halfway through but I could still find some enjoyment in this.

 

In general it was an enjoyable show. Just proof that energy can make or break an episode, imo. Idk if the sketches this week were any better written than last week, but everyone just seemed to plod along with James Franco while this week they seemed energized and into it. I guess that's just one of the elements that has to be factored in when you air something live.

Edited December 14, 2014 by helenamonster

[DrivingSideways]

Great episode!  Kudos, SNL.

 

Did Charli XCX and her band lip-sync the second song?  I didn't see a keyboardist around and the mouths didn't seem to match the vocals.

[Katmai]

Terrific episode! I've never seen LOTR but my hubby is a fan so he thought the Middle Earth Office was the best SNL sketch he's seen in a very, very long time. I thought it was funny, too. Taran is crazy talented, as is Kate.

 

I'm so tired of Jacob, but then I'm not much of a Vanessa fan either.

 

Having never heard of Charli XCX before, I liked the first song ok. The second one was a mess. It did look like they were lip-syncing and not playing the guitars or drums either. We watched their fingers (on the guitars) and they rarely moved, even for playing chords, like they were supposedly doing.

[VCRTracking]

Agree with my fellow Catholics(lapsed or otherwise) that the "ChristmasMass" sketch totally nailed it.

 

Loved the Hobbit/Office sketch and Bobby as David Brent/Gandalf and Taran as Gollum was hilarious.

 

I liked the wedding sketch and Kate making Leslie break was awesome.

 

Never heard of Charlie XCX but seems to be a brunette Gwen Stefani with bigger boobs.

Edited December 14, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Ms Blue Jay]

Kate McKinnon in the wedding sketch.  It doesn't matter what she does or how or it's just so genius every time.  I liked Leslie Jones breaking, too.

 

Taran was in every sketch.  Fantastic as Gollum.  Who played the Orc (sp? I have no idea what that is)

 

Martin Freeman's accents were admirable I thought.  He really showed a range.  I only really know him as Tim from The Office so this was kind of cool to see.

 

Our Waterbeds are the baaaahhhhhhhhstttt!

Edited December 14, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[Mumbles]

 

Actually, I thought because they didn't mention Sherlock, we'd for sure get a parody of it later on. I will remain disappointed that that they didn't go there but hey, maybe next time.

It's too bad they didn't do a parody. I think Taran could have done a good Cumberbatch.

 

It was a great show. I've been a Martin Freeman fan since BBC America started running The Office. What's great about him is a paradox of being a great comedic actor, but capable of "blending in" as well, while still not letting himself get rolled over. He can hold his own against guys like Ricky Gervais and Benedict Cumberbatch, but lets them do their thing as well. This was apparent in the Right Side of the Bed sketch - two very loud, over-the-top characters, and he barely had any lines but every time I saw him, I laughed.

 

What else can be said about the Mass Spectacular that hasn't been said yet? Leslie Jones asking if they were still singing about Jesus cracked me up - her delivery was great.

[VCRTracking]

I do recall  a while back seeing promos for Chrisley Knows Best and that does seem to be who Taran was basing his character on in the talk show sketch. Somebody on Twitter reminded me of the old SNL character played by Dana Carvey, "Lyle: The Effeminate Heterosexual".

[opus]

I guess it was a pretty good episode if the biggest complaint seems to be that nobody mentioned SHERLOCK.

Edited December 15, 2014 by GaryE

[Irlandesa]

I guess it was a pretty good episode if the biggest complaint seems to be that nobody mentioned SHERLOCK.

While he didn't mention it on the live show, he did mention it during the "previews" he filmed with Kate McKinnon.

 

 

Not exactly the exposure as the live show but not totally running from it either.

[VeryNot]

He also didn't mention his part in Love Actually as the porno actor stand in. Which I guess isn't all that odd, heh. But yeah, not mentioning Sherlock was odd.

Howled when the blue light came on. One of the more clever endings to a sketch that I've seen.

[peeayebee]

I was thinking about Love Actually, too. Of course Alan Rickman was in it as well. I don't recall if they had any scenes together.

[xls]

I thought that was who he was supposed to be when I first saw him.  I was surprised when he introduced himself by another name.  

 

I loved that wedding sketch way too much.  I was in just the right mood for it that, when we got to "Jenga," I lost it.  

Me three.

[Madding crowd]

This was my favorite show of the season. I swear the St. Joseph skit was exactly like my church, and I even have a teen son named Devin. Loved Bobby as the Priest. Taran is always great and I loved his appearance as Roman in the lounge act skit, which was oddly funny to me. I can't think of anything I disliked which is rare. Bravo SNL!

[Traveller519]

Maybe I shouldn't have watched this episode while unable to sleep and likely still drunk from my Christmas party. It seemed all very, middle of the road to me. Nothing to memorable, though reading the reviews does has made me feel better about it.

 

I do think this was the strongest Weekend Update of the year, Jacob aside (he's already presented Hanukkah I believe; there's nowhere new to go with this character if Cecily isn't there to intimidate him). Sasheer was nervous, but I loved how she and Che riffed back and forth with Colin unwittingly, and literally, caught it the middle. I have no idea why Che seemed so nervous early this season since he held down his Daily Show duties very well, but I think he's finding his groove.