S40.E10: Amy Adams / One Direction

[formerlyfreedom]

Host Amy Adams; musical guests One Direction.

 

 

[Primetimer]

Like, think they'll talk about that whole thing with The Interview at all?

Read the story

[MarquisDeCarabas]

I realise this is very very small but I can't help wondering if there's anything being rewritten right now in response to what happened in Brooklyn

[questionfear]

Probably too late. At most they might pull a few weekend update jokes.

[Galileo908]

I have friends who are cops that had to respond to that. It's awful, but that's neither here nor there right now.

 

Cold Open: IT'S DR. EVIL!! Here to tell off both Sony and North Korea. Which, of course, was awesome.

 

Monologue: I love Amy Adams and the whole thing was very sweet and sincere, but no more f'ing songs! And no more Kristen Wiig, please. It was a callback to the last time Amy Adams hosted, but still.

 

Asian-American Doll: I loved that. Now if only they hired an Asian-American cast member...

 

Christmas Rap 2014: This was a fun one. Loved Kate in this.

 

Serial: The Christmas Surprise: Of course it was magic, that specific NERF gun wasn't made back then. I haven't seen Serial but have heard what it's about, but this seemed like a great parody of it. This was just funny on its own.

 

Girlfriends Talk Show: I'm beginning to think Cecily's character is a horrible friend. At least the host isn't playing another cool girl that overshadows Aidy. And here's the requisite One Direction cameo. I'm pretty sure one of those guys was a robot. "Hel-lo Mor-gan."

 

Office Christmas Party: This was great. "Why is there a goat here?!"

 

WU: Loved Michael Che's talk to Kimberly Jong Un. And Bobby showing up as Kim Jong Un (and being called out on it). I even liked Kenan's super-positive neighbor. But that all came to a halt once Garth and Kat showed up.

 

A Very Cuban Christmas: I'd appreciate this more if I was Cuban. I liked how they used Cuban celebrities, and then started to grasp at strings with Cuba Gooding Jr. And here's a better Fred Armisen cameo! Loved seeing "Fidel," and the requisite shoehorning of Obama. I felt like this could've been better.

 

A Magical Christmas: This one was weird, and compared to other 12:50 sketches, that's saying something. Se 1940's dames want to eat garbage? Because they were raccoons this whole times?

 

Whiskers R We: The weird cat people are back! I love Kate McKinnon, she was great in this. Also, those cats were adorable, even the one that has power of attorney.

 

Kristen Wiig aside, I really enjoyed this one even if I felt like they didn't seem to do much with Amy Adams. The show returns January 17th with Kevin Hart as host (and with the lack of a musical guest announcement, I'm gonna assume he'll be covering that, too. A guy can dream).

[Fabricationary]

Was Amy Adams even in this show?  It seems like she had minor parts in a handful of skits, while most of the main players were featured a lot more.  Heck, even Kristin Wiig had more to do this show.

 

Like, think they'll talk about that whole thing with The Interview at all?

http://previously.tv/saturday-night-live/what-will-happen-when-amy-adams-hosts-saturday-night-live-this-time/"> Read the story

 

You guys consistently write funnier skit ideas that what actually airs!

[bmoore4026]

Well, that bit with the raccoons came way the hell out of nowhere.  But who cares?  KITTIES!

[MarquisDeCarabas]

That was really not good Amy disappeared for the large chunk of the show.  Garth and Kat REALLY?  why can't that bit die.

 

(Also am I the only one who believes the reason why Kristen came out carried by those dudes was because of the Amy being held by 1D promo and she wanted to one up it?)

[opus]

A singing monolog WITH Kristen Wiig. I'm almost afraid to wander in here.

[Toaster Strudel]

Kirsten Wiig you went away, please stay away.  You ruin things. 

 

Also Garth and Kat.  Went you went away, Kirsten, Garth and Kat was crappiest skit you mercifully took with you.  Why of all the crappy characters you did, you chose to resurrect the very worst?

 

Please never come back.  Please.  Let this be the last time.

 

Loved the raccoon singers, Amy Adams was pretty much invisible the whole hour and a half.  Last week's Sumpthin' Claus was better than this entire show.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Toaster Strudel

[Irlandesa]

Admittedly, my attention was divided between this and football so that may have been part of the problem, but this episode didn't really do much for me which is a shame because a) Amy Adams is usually a good host and b) The cold open was great so I thought that signals the chance that the rest of the show would be great.  It was not.

 

The cold open was everything right about a former cast member coming back. It was unexpected.  He was playing a very recognizable character, even if it wasn't one of his very recognizable SNL characters.  It was a great way to take on the biggest news story of the week and had some great one liners.

 

Kristen Wiig showing up in the monologue was everything wrong about a former cast member coming back.  Both her appearance and the overall premise completely sucked the air out of the show.  Then you add Garth and Kat to WU and it's the second indication of bad things happening when a former cast member comes back.  In my years of watching SNL, I don't remember anyone talking about whatever Garth and Kat did on Weekend Update so why do they keep going to this well?

 

Such a letdown after last week.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Irlandesa

[MarquisDeCarabas]

If it wasn't for Fred being in the the Cuban Christmas Sketch I would have thought Garth and Cat was a last minute add in to cover missing material from WU.

 

I feel bad for Amy she didn't seem particularly enthused during the closing, no I had a great week no this was amazing, just thanks special guests.

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: Was not in the least bit expecting Dr. Evil so kudos on the swerve there. First time I'm saying this about a cold open this season, but I wish this had gone on longer. There's so much idiocy on all sides of this thing (like, who was the brain trust who greenlit this movie in the first place?!) that I think that, even though this was the Christmas show, they could have done one of their longer, more in-depth cold opens. Well, this is a thing that will probably still be happening by the next new show, so maybe they'll do more with it.

 

Monologue: Someone is actively trolling, right? They can't think people want Kristen to be showing as often as she does, can they? It's such an astounding lack of self-awareness. I do always forget how much she and Amy Adams look and sound freakishly alike.

 

Asian American Doll: This was awesome. The struggle to present minorities properly and nonstereotypically in the media is so real, especially in a culture that wants more minority representation.

 

Tenderfield Christmas 2014: I thought this was a great parody of all those lame white families that make home-made rap videos and they go inexplicably viral. Kate the sociopath...everything is right with the world.

 

Serial: I haven't seen Serial but I have heard a lot about it and thought this was still funny.

 

Girlfriends Talk Show: Oh, Show. You went so long. Back on the wagon with you.

 

Office Christmas Party: I spent the whole time wondering how The Lonely Island would have approached the subject matter. Booorring.

 

Weekend Update: Ok, I've figured out what's wrong with Colin and Michael. They don't let jokes breathe. They just look like they're trying to get through the whole thing as quickly and emotionlessly as possible like they have a bus to catch. It's so robotic and mechanical, and not in a faux news anchor way. Also, did no one want to let Michael know how to pronounce "sedative"? Bobby as himself as Kim Jong-un was funny, but too short. I have no idea what Kenan's "character" (quotations needed because was he even really playing one?) was rambling on about. And I'm someone who actually used to actively enjoy Garth and Kat (I know, I'll show myself out) but they were such a mess. I mean, more so than the mess that they're supposed to be.

 

A Very Cuban Christmas: Who was I before Kate McKinnon? This whole thing was good, I guess. Idk, the show was kind of starting to lose its momentum at this point.

 

A Magical Christmas: Blue light! I was so annoyed with this sketch and then it turns out the "dames" were just three raccoons who wanted to be humans? Sold!

 

Whiskers R We: Ok, I love Kate. And I love cats. And I love Kate with cats. But this really is one of those sketches that only works once.

 

Poor Amy Adams just got lost in the shuffle of everything, didn't she? I guess because she's not a beloved frequent host or former cast member she gets shoved to the side, even during the Christmas special. What the fuck ever, Show.

 

Oh, One Direction. So pretty, so dull.

Edited December 21, 2014 by helenamonster

[Galileo908]

Monologue: Someone is actively trolling, right? They can't think people want Kristen to be showing as often as she does, can they? It's such an astounding lack of self-awareness. I do always forget how much she and Amy Adams look and sound freakishly alike.

 

They did take advantage of this the first time Amy Adams hosted. They played twins who always switched places with each other (but one of them got fat).

[Racj82]

You know, I actually don't have a problem with Wiig. What I do have a problem with is her being made to be some devil that has a huge ego and wants to ruin everything. People don't like her. I get it. I mostly indifferent. But, she was borderline harmless. I don't get the over the top hate. She was alot of fun in the opening monolgue. Her and Amy were delight there. I could with out the Update bit but there are worse bits out there. And it always goes last on Update so you can just skip/ignore it pretty easy.

 

I think it was a fun SNL overall. There was never going to be that much put into this episode. It's the holidays and they probably had one too many episodes in a row recently. I'm just wondering if this should be called Saturday Night LIVE anymore. Half the show was taped bits.

[vb68]

I swear I could hear all the moaning when Kristin came out in the monologue, and of course there was singing as well.   My friend  and I use to have a running gag that Garth and Kat was always good for a bathroom break.  I think that's still true.

  

I wanted a lot more on the Sony stuff.  Like the executives going round and round with Obama, and maybe Obama getting in more James "Flacco" digs.

 

Does anyone know if the Serial parody was really on point?  I've never listened to it 

 

I thought Kate had the swimmer (sorry blanking on the name- Diana something) down in the Cuban Christmas sketch.  She always seemed a little off to me.

 

Loved the three raccoons.  .

 

Just my impression, but the cast didn't seem overly huggy with Kristin and Fred, but who knows.  I also think Amy was very low-key in the goodbyes like she knew she had been hosed. 

Edited December 21, 2014 by vb68

[Racj82]

Yes, the Serial parody was on point.

 

I think the one former SNL alum Michaela Watkins did with Funny or Die was better though.

 

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6ab2d45a77/the-last-episode-of-serial

 

Tons of in jokes in the video though. People who listen to the podcast had a field day with it.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Racj82

[pythonite]

Great show! Amy was very natural, almost like a cast member.

Loved they went after Kim jung Un.

Office Christmas Party was very Lonely Island.

Highpoint might have to be Leslie and Harry Styles spooning.

Loved seeing Kristin Fred, & Mike. Taran singing. Everyone did great!

[VCRTracking]

Michael Che calling Kim Jong-Un "Kimberly" might be my new favorite thing.

 

Loved that Kate McKinnon was all over the episode including back as the Cat shelter lady with Amy Adams as her new girlfriend

 

I just realized why Dr. Evil looked strange to me in the cold open(and it's not because Mike Myers might have put on a few pounds.) It's because his eyes were brown and not blue like they are in the movies:

 

(this image is from Wikipedia so I hope it's cool to use by PTV guidelines).

Edited December 21, 2014 by VCRTracking

[nowandlater]

Kristen Wiig's SNL apperances in 2014:

 

1. May 17: Season finale.

2. October 11: Bill Hader episode.

3. December 20: Amy Adams episode.

 

Fred Armisen's SNL apperances in 2014:

 

1. February 1: To say goodbye to Seth Meyers

2. March 8: For Weekend Update

3. May 17: Season finale.

4. December 20: Amy Adams episode

 

 

Also, Wiig and Armisen appeared in a December 2013 episode together.

 

For SNL to evolve, they need to stop having these 2 on.

[absnow54]

The Serial sketch was really on point. Kyle's Santa impression of Adnan was brilliant as well as Cecily and Kate's inept attempt to retrace his steps. 

[Samsnee]

Seriously. I respect former cast members more when they go away and let the newer members find their own voice.

[Fabricationary]

Seriously. I respect former cast members more when they go away and let the newer members find their own voice.

 

I totally agree (with the possible exception of Tina Fey - I'm always happy when she comes back for a cameo, probably because she doesn't try to be the center of attention or suck the air out of the room like others (*cough*Wiig*cough*) do).

[peeayebee]

Office Christmas Party: I spent the whole time wondering how The Lonely Island would have approached the subject matter.

Yeah, I was imagining it being much better done by those guys. I wanted to like this, but the only thing that really worked for me was Aidy tackling the tree. Oh, and I liked the little bits of Beck being the guy trying to work and Taran doing an impression of the IT guy, but they could have been executed so much better.

 

 

Weekend Update: Ok, I've figured out what's wrong with Colin and Michael. They don't let jokes breathe. They just look like they're trying to get through the whole thing as quickly and emotionlessly as possible like they have a bus to catch. It's so robotic and mechanical, and not in a faux news anchor way. Also, did no one want to let Michael know how to pronounce "sedative"? 

His mispronunciation of 'sedative' took the air out of the joke, which was a pretty good one. And I agree with you about them not letting jokes breathe. That jumped out in particular this time to me.

 

I loved the Willie character. I hope he returns. "It's like my pastor always says – You can't sleep here, Willie!" "It's like they always say – You can forget about that dog, Willie!"

 

I like Kat and Garth. I think Kristin and Fred trying to sing together is very funny, and I liked seeing them break.

 

I didn't see Amy Adams' previous hosting gig, but did she participate more then? She did well in all her skits tonight, so I don't know why she wasn't more present.

 

Loved the Cold Open. First, Taran's Sam Smith cracks me up. And then… Dr Evil! It really was fun seeing Mike Myers again.

 

I wouldn't have minded listening to Amy just sing a straight Christmas song. I don't hate Kristin, but I didn't like the joke of her taking over.

 

Loved Asian-American doll. Excellent.

 

The video Christmas card was good. One of my favorite parts was Taran's face when the son barked. I also got a huge kick out of Kenan appearing and saying, "In my Christmas sweatpants." His delivery was hysterical.

 

I listened to all of Serial, and that skit was perfect. They had everything down, plus it wasn't just an impression, but it had good jokes. 

 

I'm not a fan of Girlfriends Talk Show. Oh well. One line I did like was when Cecily says to Aidy, "Morgan, make a word."

 

I thought A Very Cuban Christmas was awful. The only good part was when we see Beck as Fidel Castro.

 

I loved the Magical Christmas sketch. Bobby and Kyle were really good. Loved their voices. The weirdness with the garbage was funny, then having it explained by their being raccoons was great.

 

The cat sketch wasn't all that good. I wish they had left out the bits about Amy trying to feel up Kate. The cats were cute. I liked hearing them purr. I liked some of the cat puns, like catchuler.

 

So, some good parts, some so so, some not so good.

[PRgal]

I'm of Chinese descent and I FLOOOVVEED (am I allowed to say "FLOOOOVVEED" on this board?) Asian American Doll!  Good way to criticize the over-PCness of our society and can be seen as a hint that more WESTERN entertainers of Asian descent are needed. 

[theatremouse]

The cat sketch cracked me up, and I don't even know why. The first time they did it I thought it was fine not great, but something this time, I'm not even sure what maybe the combination of Kate going full force and some of Amy's facial expressions... I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. It's one of those "I shouldn't find this so funny and yet I do" kind of sketches. And I hate cats.

Edited December 21, 2014 by theatremouse

[slowpoked]

I know it's probably losing its novelty by now, but I was waiting for the SNL Ladies' song number (ala Twin Bed last year), since Li'l Baby Aidy said in Back Home Baller that they'll be back for Christmas. And it would have been fun to see them do it with Amy.

[theredhead77]

We get Garth and Kat but no Californians?

 

Really?!

[vb68]

I don't think they would do The Californians without Hader.

[absnow54]

Loved the Cold Open. First, Taran's Sam Smith cracks me up. And then… Dr Evil! It really was fun seeing Mike Myers again.

The Sam Smith sketch on its own was really funny too. He had two stocking hanging up in the background, one for Sam and one for "Nobody"

 

I don't think they would do The Californians without Hader.

See, that's why I don't mind cast members making cameos when former cast members are hosting, because it opens the door to a lot of nostalgic sketches. Kind of like last year when Jimmy, Horatio, Chris, and Tracy did the Christmas Song Sketch. One thing I don't think I'll ever get nostalgic for is Kristen hijacking a monologue and then crashing Weekend Update for Garth and Kath. There are some Kristen Wiig characters that I would be excited to see again, but they seem to only cart out her most irritating bits.

[Princess Sparkle]

I think Ive watched the Serial sketch 10 times already. They NAILED it, and I have to give special credit to Kyle and Aidy, because they sounded exactly like their counterparts, right down to the cadence. Especially Kyle. It almost makes me wonder if he had a hand in writing it, because Kyle-as-Adnan/Santa was close to perfection.

[peeayebee]

The Sam Smith sketch on its own was really funny too. He had two stocking hanging up in the background, one for Sam and one for "Nobody"

I missed that! I'll have to look at the stockings when I rewatch.

 

 

I think Ive watched the Serial sketch 10 times already. They NAILED it, and I have to give special credit to Kyle and Aidy, because they sounded exactly like their counterparts, right down to the cadence. 

 

I forgot about Aidy as the defense attorney. For those who didn't listen to the podcast, the hilarity of Aidy's voice work will be unappreciated, so I was kind of surprised -- but happy! -- that they included this joke.

[Bees]

Couldn't really get into this episode at all. Just had a really hard time to. 

 

Cold Open: I missed the very beginning of this, but Sam Smith is very easy to parody because he makes James Taylor come off as Mr. Optimism compared to him. When Dr. Evil interrupted, all I could think was "Hey, 1997 called, they want their pop culture reference back!" but it was nice to see Mike Myers and I enjoyed some of the lines. Just really weird to see Dr. Evil out there. 

 

Monologue: Want to know how to completely lose me as an episode only 10 minutes in? Combine a singing monologue and Kristen Wiig being a show hog. I expected a singing monologue since it's Christmastime AND Amy Adams is a bit of a singer, but the appearance of Wiig made me yell out "GO AWAY KRISTEN WIIG" followed by "THAT'S ENOUGH, KRISTEN WIIG!" Seriously, I really want to know if current cast members get pissed at the billion times that Wiig and Armisen always seem to show up. I don't care if it's a callback to something that happened last time Amy hosted, it's still really annoying. Was there really any better way to go about this if they wanted to do a singing monologue?!

 

Asian American Doll: I can't help but wonder if the Tumblr legion are offended by this. I feel like they should be. I thought this was biting and spot on. Some folks are just way too uptight and overly PC these days. It's like a depriving of learning about other cultures. However, i understand completely about not wanting to be outright offensive, but there's a line. I did love the lack of acknowledging the puppy and the chef hat combination and then the voice over swearing and saying "WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY THINK OF THAT?!"

 

Video Christmas Card: Why was Kyle's character 6 years old. It just felt really really off. I did like Susie the Sociopath and Kate nailed that dead eyed evil glare perfectly and the way she said "In my Christmas sweatpants" was great. This was fairly lame for the most part. I did like how Ron came into the picture as well. Poor Dad character, everything just went to hell on him the following year. 

 

Serial: I've never heard this podcast but I love the concept of it. I'm sure if I had seen the podcast, I'd love it much more. I can't really say much about it other than it was pretty amusing. 

 

Girlfriends Talk Show: I have a strange appreciation for this sketch for nailing the awkwardness of the age they're portraying where some folks just wanna grow up too fast and others want to just take it slow. I also appreciate it for its portrayal of a friendship that has clearly run its course but both parties (or at least one party) is trying to hang onto it for reasons that are even beyond them. I did like that Morgan finally had a moment where she danced with someone and a guy showed some sort of interest. Otherwise, kind of boring. 

 

Office Christmas Party: This was great. No complaints here. It wasn't super funny save for Carol from New Media tackling the Christmas tree, Beck's character being stuck on a call (that's so true of every office christmas party -- there's always that one guy who's stuck on the phone and really wants to get off), and the descent into madness was lovely. Just great. 

 

Weekend Update: It was okay. Not great, not terrible...just okay. At least the Update itself. As for the guests, I kind of like Bobby Moynihan as himself portraying Kim Jong Un and the laser pointers on him and being like "Welp, not today..." and going about his way. However, the moment I saw Garth and Kat, I audibly groaned and just glared at the TV. Once again, not funny. I don't get it. Seriously, with these two, I feel like the villain in Zoolander when he points out that all of Derek Zoolander's faces are the same and says "Doesn't anybody notice this?! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" I feel that way about Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen in general. I don't get it, it's all the same crap to me. 

 

A Very Cuban Christmas: God what a snoozefest. Really nothing else to say, it wasn't funny, it wasn't clever, it was just boring. Only moment I kind of smiled at was the propped up Fidel waving. I feel like they only aired this sketch because of time constraints and they had a much better sketch or a slightly better sketch earlier on. 

 

A Magical Christmas: As someone above me stated, Blue Light! I think sketches like this should be called Blue Light sketches. The sketch seemed really lame and not that funny at first. The whole garbage thing was weird and I was like "What the hell are they doing with this?!" Then the reveal of them being raccoons completely saved the sketch. It wasn't hilarious, but it was a lot better upon learning that part. 

 

Whiskers R We: Much like the last time we saw this sketch, it was amusing and the cat stories were amazing. I liked how Kate's character just wanted her new girlfriend to back off. Though I preferred the first woman she was with who had like an unrequited crush on her and kept trying to hit on her. That one was funnier to me. 

 

For a Christmas episode, there wasn't that many cameos. I expected a ton more. 

[Lakewood27]

I think Ive watched the Serial sketch 10 times already. They NAILED it, and I have to give special credit to Kyle and Aidy, because they sounded exactly like their counterparts, right down to the cadence. Especially Kyle. It almost makes me wonder if he had a hand in writing it, because Kyle-as-Adnan/Santa was close to perfection.

Also loved Kate mangling 'MailChimp' because I wanted to stab myself in the ear every time that person said "mail...kimp?...shimp?" at the beginning of each show.

I just wish someone had made a joke about a shrimp sale.

[Fostersmom]

In regards to the Christmas Sweatpants, watch the original if you've ever seen Christmas Jammies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kjoUjOHjPI Even better, someone at SNL either is obsessed with the Holderness family or they themselves were in on the sketch. This years update mentioned the real mom having a bit part in a movie. They really did nail this, as odd as that might be. 

 

Seriously, the Sony hackers should work with Wiig, she's obviously got something big over Loren to keep her on the show for so damn long and then her ever annoying visits. 

[opus]

Sometimes Kristen Wiig seems like that free U2 album.

[missalanny]

 

Sometimes Kristen Wiig seems like that free U2 album.

 

LOL... I tend to agree with the poster who doesn't understand the Wiig over-hate, but this^ made me laugh. 

[MarquisDeCarabas]

I'm sure it's been done to death but for me the problem with Wiig is what appears to be a need to be the center of whatever sketch she's in.  Like Penelope Broadway star, Gilly, Don't make me sing, Denise (I think it is where she's gross but one guy finds her sexy) Sue who freaks out over surprises.  She's always the focus.  The only recent reoccurring sketch where she isn't is the Californians, and that's probably cause she didn't come up with it. 

 

Amy's Monologue is a perfect example.   Like all week long I've been seeing that image of Amy being carried by 1D, and how does Kristen show up?  The same way only making it more about her.

 

You don't see that with the other cast members really male or female.  They have spotlight sketches, but no one has as many as Kristen does.

[buttersister]

I didn't care for Kristen "Desperate" Wiig when she was an actual cast member, much less when she just won't. go. away. Don't know if it's entirely her fault (although Garth and Kat are channel changing time, if I'm watching live--ugh), but lots of things were off/just not that good/lame.

 

I really enjoyed Michael Che on TDS and was sad to see him go but thought he was getting a big break. Now I'm thinking he just wasn't ready for prime time--or is, but is the victim of writing/directing that isn't on TDS level. Blowing the "sedatives" line didn't help.

[helenamonster]

You know, I actually don't have a problem with Wiig. What I do have a problem with is her being made to be some devil that has a huge ego and wants to ruin everything. People don't like her. I get it. I mostly indifferent. But, she was borderline harmless. I don't get the over the top hate. She was alot of fun in the opening monolgue. Her and Amy were delight there. I could with out the Update bit but there are worse bits out there. And it always goes last on Update so you can just skip/ignore it pretty easy.

 

I think it was a fun SNL overall. There was never going to be that much put into this episode. It's the holidays and they probably had one too many episodes in a row recently. I'm just wondering if this should be called Saturday Night LIVE anymore. Half the show was taped bits.

 

I don't want to speak for everybody here, but I think the issue is two-fold. One: when she was an actual cast member, she was a fucking screenhog. And this is coming from someone who actively found/still kind of finds her hilarious. She couldn't just play a side character, the whole sketch had to revolve around her, and there was this weird thing where she was parodying people who had to be the center of attention only for her to turn into that person. Also, while I've never heard anything official/definitive on this, I think a good case could be made that Jenny Slate, Michaela Watkins, Casey Wilson, and Abby Elliott lost their jobs because Lorne, who pushed for what was essentially The Kristen Wiig Program, didn't want other ladies stealing the spotlight. The only woman to come out of that era unscathed was Nasim. And two: she (along with Fred) shows up every few months to be a fucking screenhog again. Last night wasn't as bad as other times, but still. You are not on this show anymore. You had your time (and that time was significant), move the fuck on and let everyone else have a turn for Christ's sake. Also, a lot of the times she shows up she'll make some "yep, me again! aren't you annoyed?" joke, clearly thinking that there aren't actually a ton of people who would be perfectly fine if she never stepped foot on the 8H stage again. It sucks, because I do think she's funny. Bridesmaids is one of my favorite movies, nothing she does will take that away from me. But with every cameo, I dislike her more and more. Please deal with your incessant need to be the center of attention in therapy like a normal person.

 

As for the excess of not live bits, I think there's three every week. The thing is, I've noticed that if one of those is not a Good Neighbor short, all three tend to be shown in the first half hour, presumably because they're more likely to go viral that way. It's definitely a little jarring, and I wouldn't mind if they cut the pre-taped bits down to two a week.

 

I think my favorite thing about Asian American Doll (and idk if this was intentional or not) is that the little girls really wanted to learn about her/her culture. They wanted her to have a name and a more specific ethnicity. Then slowly, they started to catch onto the racism with the "wait, is she gonna eat the dog?" thing. It was a subversive or unintentional way to show how racism/prejudice gets internalized by children.

[Chit Chat]

They lost me with the cold open.  I have never seen the movie with Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil ( I have seen the clips though), and maybe the 'GOP is evil' line is from that, but it rubbed me the wrong way, so I tuned out after that. 

 

My question is, did they ever make an acknowledgment of the slain police officers?  I know that everything happened so quickly last night in that regard, but I was hoping they would say something. 

[Galileo908]

I'm sure it's been done to death but for me the problem with Wiig is what appears to be a need to be the center of whatever sketch she's in.  Like Penelope Broadway star, Gilly, Don't make me sing, Denise (I think it is where she's gross but one guy finds her sexy) Sue who freaks out over surprises.  She's always the focus.  The only recent reoccurring sketch where she isn't is the Californians, and that's probably cause she didn't come up with it.

 

You really hit the nail on the head there. As a performer, I'm perfectly fine with her. She has total commitment to anything she does, tosses herself into any character she plays, and I love her impressions (ie, Suze Orman was always completely dead-on). She seems to me like she's such a great person, but just about every sketch she's in revolves around her character. Very rarely is she ever "woman #1," a member of an ensemble. It's always about her, and everyone else has to react to her. It's like Poochie from the Simpsons, it's almost as if a sketch doesn't star her, everyone should be asking "Where's Kristen Wiig?"

 

A great example was from last year's episode where they parodied The Sound of Music Live. It starts off good, then Doonise (the weird tiny hands girl) shows up and shoves Kate's character out of the way and takes over.

 

And that's on top of that every one of those sketches had the same joke every. single. time. The only thing that changed were the people reacting to her.

 

It's a reason why I love Kate McKinnon. She has that same awesome commitment and talent, but she can also be part of the ensemble.

[opus]

The only woman to come out of that era unscathed was Nasim.

Well, she ended up on MULANEY, so she's a bit scathed.

Edited December 22, 2014 by GaryE

[BatmanBeatles]

 

Girlfriends Talk Show: I'm beginning to think Cecily's character is a horrible friend.

I figured that out long ago.

[MarquisDeCarabas]

A great example was from last year's episode where they parodied The Sound of Music Live. It starts off good, then Doonise (the weird tiny hands girl) shows up and shoves Kate's character out of the way and takes over.

 

Or a more current one.  The Hollywood Game Night sketch where she played Kathie Lee again.  If you watched that sketch blind and asked who was the host?  You'd have no idea, it was 100% Kristen.

 

Now like outside of SNL she seems to play fine with others, but on it?  Not so much.

 

Another good example to me is Girlfriends talk show.  Both Cecily and Aidy get moments to play on that sketch.  Even though the focus may be on Aidy, Cecily gets the my boyfriend bit.  Both actors contribute, where as the Today show, Hoda's pretty much superfluous it's all Kathie Lee.  They recast Hoda at least once and it didn't matter, (yes part of it is it's an impression as opposed to a character, but it's the same thing with the Lawrence Welk show) Doonice's sisters are about as important to the sketch as the back up singers to What's up with That?

 

It probably didn't help matters that it was only two months earlier she was back for Hader's show, and that at least made sense.  I have no idea why she was there for Amy Adams.

[VCRTracking]

She might have been there for One Direction or at least the one called Harry Styles! Video of them dancing at the afterparty:
 

http://www.etonline.com/news/155519_harry_styles_and_kristen_wiig_dance_party_after_snl_performances/

 

(from Tumblr)

 

 

 

 

They lost me with the cold open.  I have never seen the movie with Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil ( I have seen the clips though), and maybe the 'GOP is evil' line is from that, but it rubbed me the wrong way, so I tuned out after that.

It's not. The line about "One million dollars" is.

Edited December 22, 2014 by VCRTracking

[The Solution]

Garth and Kat has got to be the most self-indulgent, unfunny bit SNL has ever done.

 

Unless, of course, you count The Californians.

[helenamonster]

Well, she ended up on MULANEY, so she's a bit scathed.

 

Touche. Though I was referring to just in the context of the show. Nasim would still be here if she hadn't decided to do Mulaney. She didn't get tossed out with the other four.

 

Another good example to me is Girlfriends talk show.  Both Cecily and Aidy get moments to play on that sketch.  Even though the focus may be on Aidy, Cecily gets the my boyfriend bit.  Both actors contribute, where as the Today show, Hoda's pretty much superfluous it's all Kathie Lee.  They recast Hoda at least once and it didn't matter, (yes part of it is it's an impression as opposed to a character, but it's the same thing with the Lawrence Welk show) Doonice's sisters are about as important to the sketch as the back up singers to What's up with That?

 

It probably didn't help matters that it was only two months earlier she was back for Hader's show, and that at least made sense.  I have no idea why she was there for Amy Adams.

 

I may be the only one still mourning the premature loss of Michaela Watkins, but that sketch seriously went downhill for me after she left. She just embodied the whole "I do not want to be here but I have to and I am a professional, goddammit" thing that Hoda used to project on the show, and while I liked both of them, Jenny and Nasim never quite had that in their impressions. I agree with the point you're making, but I still felt like her Hoda was an integral part of what made the first couple iterations of that sketch work.

 

As for why she was there for Amy Adams...the flimsy excuse is that it was a callback to the last time Amy Adams hosted where she also crashed the monologue (and even though I'm fairly certain I watched that episode live, I cannot for the life of me remember that monologue at all). Either way, the monologue was not so unbelievably spectacular that it necessitated a callback. She didn't need to be there. End of.

[VCRTracking]

I remember the monologue when they said Amy and Kristen looked alike(which at the time, with Kristen's long hair, she did) and they sang "What is this Feeling?" from Wicked.

[helenamonster]

I remember the monologue when they said Amy and Kristen looked alike(which at the time, with Kristen's long hair, she did) and they sang "What is this Feeling?" from Wicked.

 

Thank you! Now that you mentioned the Wicked song it's all flooding back.