S40.E12: Blake Shelton

[ChromaKelly]

I was really surprised they didn't do a cold open with the SOTU and Republican response, with Kate playing Joni Ernst. I thought for sure she would be a lock for that.

This episode was overall meh for me. The standouts were:

The Wishin' Boot - I don't like country but have been subjected to it by co-workers, and it was a good parody of the cheesy lyrics.

Riblet - Love Bobby. He completely sells whatever he is doing and is so enthusiastic. I'd take him as an anchor, even in Riblet form.
Joan - It was semi-funny. OK I'm not a weirdo, but Kate in the background pictures was so lovely. She's very striking and wears that 40's-50's look well.

 

[peeayebee]

The amount of Sasheer in this episode further cemented that she is quite limited. Whether she's doing standup at the WU desk or doing an "impression" (which, to be fair, are probably as good as any of Kenan's impressions), her delivery always comes off quite flat and uninspiring.

ITA. I'm sure she's made me laugh at some point in all her appearances, but I can't recall any right now. Oh, maybe when she played a girl with an internet show or something like that? *shrug* She might be the weakest performer on the show.

[Traveller519]

I'm not a fan of the Family Feud sketch.  They have to spend so much time getting through the 8 impersonations that there's barely any time for any sort of plot.

 

 

There was something off about those sketches that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And I think you summed it up perfectly. There's so much set up, and then 3/8ths(or 9ths if you include Harvey) of the impressions don't get a second call back. The best contrast was Celebrity Jeopardy, when there were really only 2 new impressions to add to the mix, and they became flushed out. Add in the growing animosity between Connery and Trebek and it made for a good recurring sketch. Doing Family Feud or Celebrity Game night just bogs down the sketch plot.

 

They're trying their hardest with update, the jokes are decent and personas are slowly growing, but they're digging themselves out of whole that's a result of Lorne's fumbling the wholes transition from Seth. I said it, in the make SNL better forum last week, but you HAVE to get those guys into some other sketch work. The two of them feel too distant to the rest of the show. I know Lorne wants his head writer at the desk, but the format doesn't have to follow the Seth Meyers template. Michael especially seems roped in by those constraints. My worry is that they're too far in the make the broad changes to shake up the segment.

 

I wasn't a big fan of Shelton as the host. He seemed happy to be there and gave it his effort, but he just doesn't have the comedic charisma to carry a sketch. The Prison sketch was the highlight for me because you had Keenan and Cecily doing the heavy lifting. Magic show was okay in its weirdness, and I'll give Shelton on selling the hell out of his character on that one. Wishing Boot and Farm Hunk were evidence that not everything Kate and Aidy have a hand in is going to be gold, despite their best efforts.

[vb68]

 

The Wishin' Boot - I don't like country but have been subjected to it by co-workers, and it was a good parody of the cheesy lyrics.

 

 

I watched that again, and it really is quite catchy.   I prefer the parody to his real song with the line, "Chewing tobacco, chewing tobacco, chewing tobacco, spit."

 

Ugh.

[JTMacc99]

I didn't like Riblet simply because it was funny enough to prevent me from fast forwarding through the news. 

 

I liked Wishing Boot a lot. Actually, I enjoyed this episode in general. I think this cast is finding a pretty good groove. It feels like they're short just one super funny cast member and/or writer, somebody who could elevate things from funny and enjoyable to memorable.

[Princess Sparkle]

The Wishing Boot has been stuck in my head for the past three days.  An SNL song hasn't ear-wormed me like this since the Sparkling Apple Juice song.

[Suzysite]

 

I'm still not seeing any range in Leslie, she does the same thing all the time.

She's the worst.   I'm actually puzzled as to how she got a job on SNL.  She's the opposite of funny and ruins every sketch she's in by playing the same Sassy Black character.  I FF whatever she's in. 

[kassa]

This show needs to find humor in something other than the gays. Seriously. It's 2015, yet every freaking episode has at least one uncomfortably gay joke or implicng gay humor should be off limits, I make jokes about myself all the time. But this show goes to that well way too often, to the point where I wonder if the writers don't have any other material.ation. I've been out since 1995, and I'm not sayi

 

 

I get so skeeved with the sketches -- they actually seem homophobic to me.  "Weehooo - look, guys kissing!  So sick you're going to laugh at the incredible audacity we had to go there!!"

 

It's almost like seeing those old clips of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin kidding around with Sammy Davis, Jr.  The humor is completely racist yet they're soaking up kudos for being the cool white guys with a black friend.  (Note -- they may well have been perfectly lovely friends together off stage -- but the on stage bits will make you cringe)

 

Two male characters suddenly locking lips was unexpected decades ago, when shock value combined with the sketch would have made it pay off.  The only thing making the bits pay off now is the flashing applause sign, because I seriously can't see 2014-15 audiences finding two comedians kissing to be all that funny on its own.

[candall]

(I didn't see this first time around.) 

 

Little black wishing boot was great.  LOL at the boot on the prison phone, pulling a knife, disguised as the dog.

 

I'd love to hear "wishing boot" pop into conversation sometimes.  It still makes me smile when someone refers to an improvement as "more cowbell."

[VCRTracking]

Rewatching Kate McKinnon was definitely channeling Reba McEntire in the video.

[vb68]

And Aidy was basically doing Wynonna, I thought. 

[ktwo]

Aidy was definitely Wynonna. I thought Kate was more Martina McBride than Reba. Blake was very Alan Jackson-y.

[HelenBaby]

I didn't see this the first time around, but I thought the parts I saw were pretty good. I'm old now so after Update I had to go to bed. I haven't watched too much since most of the previous cast left, but I just wish that Lorne hadn't succumbed to the pressure of casting minorities because it seems like he just picked Sasheer, Michael and Leslie because of them being black, not because they were funny because for the most part they aren't. Maybe they'll improve because god knows it took Jay Pharoah a couple of seasons but you could see potential. Michael is just bad at Update. I understand that he had a bad experience while on The Daily Show so I understand him leaving. Update is just so bad right now. Even Colin Quinn was better, and he's the worst the show ever had until now. Jost and Che have no chemistry. If you're going to have two people, they need to interact.

I apologize for the rant, which makes me look racist, but I'm just so disappointed that none of these people feel comfortable on the show. I know the show is a pressure cooker where the stakes are high for new people. Maybe they need better writers.

[Princess Sparkle]

(I didn't see this first time around.) 

 

Little black wishing boot was great.  LOL at the boot on the prison phone, pulling a knife, disguised as the dog.

 

I'd love to hear "wishing boot" pop into conversation sometimes.  It still makes me smile when someone refers to an improvement as "more cowbell."

I should be mad at you for getting The Wishing Boot stuck in my head again, but instead, I just downloaded it from iTunes.  It gets funnier to me everytime I listen to it.

 

"It paid my bail and bought me a new suuuuuiiiiitttt"

"The whole dang time that dog had been the boot"

[candall]

I should be mad at you for getting The Wishing Boot stuck in my head again, but instead, I just downloaded it from iTunes.  It gets funnier to me everytime I listen to it.

 

"It paid my bail and bought me a new suuuuuiiiiitttt"

"The whole dang time that dog had been the boot"

LOL.  I was wondering how that thing would play without the visuals.  Can you play it to someone and report back the mystified facial expression when you start be-boppin' along?

Edited February 23, 2015 by candall

[ktwo]

I understand that he had a bad experience while on The Daily Show so I understand him leaving.

I don't think that's true at all. Jon Stewart had a nice on-show send off for him even though he had only been on for a very short while. I think he left TDS because SNL wanted him, not because TDS didn't want him anymore.

[editorgrrl]

I apologize for the rant, which makes me look racist, but I'm just so disappointed that none of these people feel comfortable on the show. I know the show is a pressure cooker where the stakes are high for new people. Maybe they need better writers.

 

They definitely need better writers. JK Simmons hosted recently, and even his strong performance couldn't elevate the weak material.