S40.E20: Reese Witherspoon / Florence And The Machine

[formerlyfreedom]

Reese Witherspoon hosts; Florence and the Machine are musical guests.

[nowandlater]

Edited May 8, 2015 by nowandlater

[helenamonster]

Promos:

 

 

 

I don't know what we as a species did to deserve Florence Welch, but I'm eternally grateful for it.

[Janimo]

I loved the clip with Aidy and Reese.

Florence Welch, too! WHOA!!
I'm hoping it's gonna be a really good, fun show.

[Primetimer]

How Wild will she get?

Read the story

[opus]

As a guy, I resent there will never be a Father's Day edition of SNL.

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Ah, making fun of Republican candidates never gets old.

 

Monologue: Everyone bringing out their moms for mother's day? Sweet? Having the cast apologize for the terrible things they did? Great. And then they show embarrassing home videos of the cast & Reese as kids?! That made it fantastic. And each video was amazing, especially Jay's (and his reaction when it cut back to the cast). Even at young ages, you knew that these kids were all talented. Loved that Kenan's embarrassing childhood video was from Mighty Ducks!

 

Be Scene in LA: So this was Couger Den but as a real talk show?

 

Picture Perfect: Did not see the twist that Bobby had to draw Muhammad coming, that made this dumb sketch worth it. I love that Reese Witherspoon ended up guessing it right despite nobody drawing it. Also, Kenan as Reginald Vel Johnson (Carl Winslow) was something that needed to happen.

 

Mr. Westerberg: This was just funny. Weird, uncomfortable, but funny as hell.

 

WU: Hey, if Hawkeye ran for president, you'd vote for him. And speaking of "HiPACracy," Colin shouldn't be criticizing anyone for not being exciting. Leslie Jones finally showing up was definitely welcome here. Her killer stare to Colin? Awesome. And it was really sweet that Colin and Michael told jokes their moms texted to them. (Gonna beat everyone to the comment that they were better joke writers). They really should've ended with that bit.

 

"I can't wait to take you to brunch tomorrow, mom."

"And I can't wait to take you to dinner tomorrow, Colin's Mom."
 

And hey, That Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party brought a friend! I think bringing in Reese Witherspoon really energized the bit.

 

Theater Students: Oh look, the weird theater students are back. They're still weird and pretentious. I'll say this again, but this sketch is probably based on some of the cast's experience. Leslie Jones was speaking for all of us. "Who is this play for?!"

 

Wine: This was a funny one, each one was weirder and weirder. Didn't really think the twist with the women robbing the house was necessary.

 

Water Slide: Did anything actually happen in this one? Besides that dumb teenagers work at water parks?

Whiskers R We: I love this sketch. Kate as a crazy cat lady and adorable kittens are always a winning combination.

 

This one was an odd one but I mostly I liked it! Can't wait for Louis CK next week!

[opus]

It has to say something about me that 2 of my favorite pieces this season have been the Isis commercial ("Oh dad, its just Isis") and tonights reactions to drawing Mohammed.

[vb68]

I loved seeing all the Moms come out.  I remember when they use to do that regularly in the late 80s /early 90s. ( For whatever reason, I remember Chris Rock's mom's name is Rose Rock.  And that's how I learned that Maya's mom was Minnie Riverton.)  The videos were great, too.  It's rare that the monologue is the best part of the show.  I thought it was so sweet that Kate's mom said,"Hey, weird got you here!"  Truth.   I did feel bad for Taran.  After the Update guys did their Moms bit, I think he was the only one not included.   

 

The rest of the show was a little choppy IMO.

 

I'm thinking the main objective of the cold open was just to show which cast member will be playing which candidate.

 

Leslie killed again on Update.  She makes Colin so much better.  If she could just sit there the whole time giving him one long death stare, I'd be for it.  I actually think she needs a permanent Leslie's Corner like they gave to David Spade at one point.

 

 

And hey, That Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party brought a friend! I think bringing in Reese Witherspoon really energized the bit.

 Interesting.  I liked Reese overall and thought she fit in really well with the cast.  She felt like another cast member.  But I didn't think she added that much to that bit. 

Edited May 10, 2015 by vb68

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: Hmm, this seemed like a straight-up rip-off of the Coachella sketch from last year. Though I guess it served the purpose of letting us know which cast members will be playing which GOP candidates. Also, SNL, it's either "Tu eres muy loco" or "Usted es muy loco." Never is it "Tu es muy loco." That's Spanish 1, y'all.

 

Monologue: What is usually the weakest part of the night (besides WU) was actually the only thing to save a rather blah show. Man, did I love this. The moms, the videos, all of it. It was sweet and funny. Was Leslie the only one who didn't come out? I'm not sure what her situation is regarding her mother, I hope she didn't feel left out.

 

Be Scene in LA: I liked Kenan and Jay, especially Jay...he reminded me of the YouTuber Kingsley. But, um, yeah, some women pee their pants and all women fart. And there's nothing gross about an unused Poise pad.

 

Picture Perfect: Oh my Goooooooddddd. Although it would have been nice if Reese's character deducted what the clue was based on the fact that the Prophet Muhammad might be the only thing in the world that most people would not want to draw, instead of just being a random guess.

 

Hallmark: I missed the first half of this cuz my mom was talking to me about something, but I'm guessing it wasn't much different than the second half. Eh, not bad. Forgettable, but not terrible.

 

Weekend Update: Eh, I liked their mom jokes. And Colin's, "Oh, so you do know where the cleaning supplies are." Leslie was good. GYWYHSACWAAP didn't really need a sidekick. And, I say it every week...Stop. Saying. What's. Up. At. The. Top. Of. The. Segment. Oh. My. Fucking. God.

 

High School Theater: I'm not even mad that they brought this sketch back. "Your daughter is very good." "She's my stepdaughter, and no she isn't." "We were all black."

 

Robbery: Blue light! Thank God, cuz this was going nowhere fast. Also, Kate is beautiful.

 

Waterpark: I don't think this could be legally qualified as a sketch. Congrats to the grown adults who thought this was fit to put on national television!

 

Whiskers R We: Nothing will beat the first iteration of this sketch, but those cats are just so damn cute and Kate, as always, just totally lives in the skin of her characters and I can't help but laugh.

 

Another blah show. It's so obvious everyone has one foot out the door for summertime. The only thing I'm looking forward to next week is the monologue. And maybe they'll put Rihanna in a sketch.

 

Florence Welch for President.

[Thinbalina]

...uhh..Sportscenter don't have a halftime..

 

..."I knew I was down there for too long."

[vb68]

 

Though I guess it served the purpose of letting us know which cast members will be playing which GOP candidates.

 

Great minds.

 

Oh yeah, Leslie's mom wasn't there either.  I hope she and Taran hugged or something during that.

[Bees]

Cold Open: Not bad. Not bad at all. I can't really say anything more about it. It was good but not great.

 

Monologue: This is tied with Michael Keaton for the best monologue of the season. I loved seeing the cast members with their moms and seeing how much each of them resemble their mother. And the embarrassing videos were amazing too. It was so sweet and it made me think back to the early 90s SNL when they would have their mothers on the show and do some mini segments with them. I second the hilarious awkward child video for Kenan being a clip from The Mighty Ducks. I'm thinking they wanted to use All That but since Nick is owned by CBS, that wasn't going to happen.

 

Be Scene in LA: Oh come on, Cecily. We all know you were doing an impression of LIsa Rinna. This had some mildly amusing moments mostly with Jay and Kenan as the sound crew. Otherwise, this really didn't go anywhere. 

 

Picture Perfect: I absolutely loved this sketch. I liked how quick it was and I loved how Reese's character got it correct anyway (though as someone noted above, it would've been much funnier if she came to the conclusion by deduction). Of course having Bobby and Kenan reacting is almost always guaranteed for a few laughs. And Taran is always great as the shallow smarmy host. 

 

Hallmark: I liked this. It was very dark but it still worked for me. I almost expected them to turn this into a sexual harassment commercial or something. Regardless, I enjoyed this sketch. 

 

Weekend Update: Goddammit, I'm starting to like Colin Jost. I'm okay with Michael Che. The only problem is that they have zero chemistry. Once again, they should really do a Weekend Update segment about a couples therapist on giving advice about keeping a marriage fresh and then focusing on Jost and Che. That would've been awesome. I liked the Mother's Day quip too which really felt like an ending line. I enjoy Leslie Jones' bit but most of that is that I enjoy her hitting on Colin Jost mercilessly. I wasn't a huge fan of Willy or Girls You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With. 

 

School Play: No matter the year, there's always those high schoolers that come off as pretentious smug little shits who think they know everything. I love seeing that skewered. Leslie and Bobby as the playgoers was lovely. 

 

Robbery: Hey, it's a Blue Light Sketch. I wasn't sure what they were doing with this. I did like the twist but I feel like they should've hinted at it a little more. I did love the over the top stories. 

 

Waterpark: I feel like this sketch should've been longer but a lot of it was cut for time so they whittled it down to that amount of time. This sketch wasn't really awful per se...but it was seriously unfinished. Just embarassing really. 

 

Whiskers R We: This is the first Whiskers R We that I actually liked. So there's that. The descriptions of the cats were amazing. Though I really want to know why is this a recurring sketch? This confuses me.

 

Anyways this episode wasn't terrible but it was a lot better than I expected. I felt like they were going to be a cruise control and saving up their best material for the season finale. While the jury is still out about whether Kenan is leaving or not, I think we'll get our answer if we encounter a "What's Up With That?" next week. Otherwise, I think it's safe to say he'll be around another season longer. One other good thing about next week --  no singing monologue since Louis CK would probably do some of his own material. 

[Blakeston]

I'm really sick of the writers (and/or cast members) thinking that obnoxious young female characters with vocal fry = hilarity.

[Galileo908]

This was one of those weeks where it was hard to tell whether a character was played by Kate McKinnon or Reese Witherspoon in a wig.

[bmoore4026]

Whenever they do a Mother's Day episode, it's usually a treat, seeing all the moms.  The home movies (and the actual movie clip Keenan was in) was a treat.  "I need my cocaine!  YOU DON'T NEED COCAINE!"  Oh, Cecily.

 

I was surprising please by Florence and the Machine.  They had a rather nice Fleetwood Mac-esque sound.  Usually, I don't like today's music, but this was a nice exception.

 

Not a bad episode.  Kind of forgettable, though.

[Trini]

 

Monologue: Everyone bringing out their moms for mother's day? Sweet? Having the cast apologize for the terrible things they did? Great. And then they show embarrassing home videos of the cast & Reese as kids?! That made it fantastic. And each video was amazing, especially Jay's (and his reaction when it cut back to the cast). Even at young ages, you knew that these kids were all talented. Loved that Kenan's embarrassing childhood video was from Mighty Ducks!

 

This was already funny, then they brought out home videos! Gold. Even before they showed anything, I already started to laugh once I recognized "Genie in a Bottle." /high school memories

[vb68]

I'm pretty shocked that Sofia Vergara didn't cameo.

[futurechemist]

I agree this episode was forgettable.

 

Weekend Update was weak.  Still no chemistry.  And the guests didn't help.  Willie was funny the first time, but it's just the same jokes.  And the party girl is just another version of Drunk Uncle, which is a lot funnier.

 

I liked the cat sketch, if only because the show manages to have a lesbian couple without feeling the need to make that the butt of the joke, or have other characters shout out "you're lesbians!"

 

I wanted to like the pictionary sketch.  But part of me felt the joke was aimed in the wrong direction.  Instead of making fun of people who are afraid to draw Mohammed, shouldn't the show make a more biting joke by mocking the idea of not drawing Mohammed, or the people who are seemingly enforcing that prohibition?

[Iboatedhere]

"He's a medical genius but tell that to his what he says."

I don't think the audience appreciated that but I sure did.

[nowandlater]

I'm pretty shocked that Sofia Vergara didn't cameo.

 

She was in NYC earlier in the week for Fallon and a pretaped Watch What Happens Live with Reese that aired Thursday night.

 

On Thursday she had her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony and an after-party.

 

And on Friday she had an engagement party. (I follow her on Instagram.)

 

I guess it didn't make sense to fly back to NYC since she was all but done with promotion.

Edited May 10, 2015 by nowandlater

[Fostersmom]

This was one of those weeks where it was hard to tell whether a character was played by Kate McKinnon or Reese Witherspoon in a wig.

 

I think Reese had a wig on in every single sketch, maybe not on Update. It got to be distracting. 

[vb68]

Here's Mike Ryan's review.  I think he liked this one a little more than I did.  Picture Perfect  is maybe the edgiest (and therefore among the best) sketch(es) of the season?  I didn't think so at the time, but this makes me rethink it.  

Edited May 10, 2015 by vb68

[Racj82]

She was in NYC earlier in the week for Fallon and a pretaped Watch What Happens Live with Reese that aired Thursday night.

 

On Thursday she had her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony and an after-party.

 

And on Friday she had an engagement party. (I follow her on Instagram.)

 

I guess it didn't make sense to fly back to NYC since she was all but done with promotion.

I can't imagine knowing that much about any celebrity.

 

But in other news, this episode was borderline garbage. A few chuckles doesn't not equal a good or even okay episode for me. Especially after Update. I don't like animals so a sketch full of cats isn't going to pander to me either.

 

The monologue was indeed good. I have to be fair.

[possibilities]

I love Whiskers R We. I cna't explain why, I just do. So I'm glad it's a recurring sketch. I think a lot of the recurring bits are one joke sketches, but if you like the joke enough, you want to see it again. It's like kids, reading the same book 1000 times while mom and dad roll their eyes and die of boredom, I guess. But for me, this applies to Whiskers R We, Jebediah's movie reviews, and some of the others currently in rotation. NOT all of them, though. There was a time when most of the recurring bits on SNL were not to my taste, and it made the show seem sooooo stale and lazy to me. So I see how it's just a matter of luck whether you happen to like or hate the ones  the show's repeating.

 

I loved the cold open (but I usually like the political stuff), and of course the Mother's Day monologue was great. I thought WU was pretty good, but not awesome. Appreciated the drawing show, Mr Westerberg (I hope I'm remembering the boss's name correctly) sketch, and was OK with the ladies' robbery club and high school theater; even though the HS theater isn't funny enough that I personally want to see it, I totally get why other people would. My least favorite was the "Scene in LA" bit, but I totally understood why it was in there-- the sound guys and the "oops your mic is still on" stuff I think would have been funnier if the host lladies weren't so annoying to me in the first place. It's like they tried to pack the sketch with two different premises-- vapid annoyhiog hosts AND behind the scenes issues. I think the "behind the scenes problems" makes a potentially funny premise on its own, and adding the repetitive annoying lady host part just made it kind of an annoying sketch more than funny.

 

My biggest takeawy from the show, though, is how good Reese Whitherspoon is, which I was not expecting. I felt kind of bad for Cecily, because Cecily is good, but seeing Reese W do her character during WU, made it seem like RW was better at it than CS, and that has to sting a bit. And I'm not generally a RW fan, so it's saying something that I thought he was just a cut better than everyone she shared a scene with, except for kate (the two of them were the berst in Whiskers R We, elevting a sketch i already tend to enjoy). "Stop! I'm on beta blockers!"

 

They really should find a way to do a Fathers Day show. Colin keeps going to the dad well on WU, so you know he has that simmering somewhere.... and he's head wsriter, correct? Maybe they can just flat out acknowledge that since they're not in production during the summer they're going to do Father's Day in the fall.

 

RE next week, Louie C.K. is unpredictable. It's one of the things I like about him, even though a lot of his more recent experiments have not been to my taste. So, while  I think it's unlikely he'll do a singing monologue, I wouldn't put it past him to surprise us. And it might be something I'd like to see. I can't picture him singing, at all. Which means it might be funny in some unexpected way, like maybe he'd actually be good at it. CK doing a soft shoe successfully would be awesome. I don't mind the singing monologues though, in general. What I don't want to see is another visit to the bar that ends with him gross-kissing another desperate patron at closing time. Enough with that. Shudder.

[cpcathy]

No, Louis will certainly not sing!

 

I thought this was awful. Just flat, not funny. And if the new WU is the funniest thing about the show, we have a problem.

 

However, loved the monologue, just loved it. A lot of the cast look like their moms. Does anyone know, are Taran's and Leslie's moms, er, available?

[opus]

Here's a cut piece from last night:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/10/snl-inner-white-girl-reese-witherspoon-leslie-jones

[Blakeston]

I love Whiskers R We. I cna't explain why, I just do.

There's no shame in liking those sketches. A kitten named Peanut because 5% of people have a life-threatening allergy to him? That's pretty damn funny.

[Peace 47]

Does anyone know, are Taran's and Leslie's moms, er, available?

I was wondering (worrying) about them, too, even though it's completely none of my business. My mom died of cancer at a relatively youngish age a few years ago, and so I was quite emotional during the monologue and feeling empathy for anyone whose mom wasn't mentioned. The monologue was very sweet, though, and it was a really nice tribute.

I missed some bits and pieces of the show, but I have to say that I'm not feeling Florence's new music (though I *love* her old stuff), which is exactly how I felt about Mumford on the show a few weeks ago. Maybe I'm just--gasp--getting old.

[Katmai]

I liked the Mom monologue and the home movie clips. I agree, we need an out-of-season Father's Day episode - make it happen, Lorne.

 

I know I've voiced this opinion before, but when it's the first thing out of my hubby's mouth during WU, maybe I'm not alone, but Leslie seems quite one-note in the angry black woman character. She does the same thing, just with different topics and I just don't find it funny at all. She's quickly falling into the Kenan well with me as they play the same character, in the same way, in most every sketch they do. She just hasn't brought it for me yet, but I am hopeful it'll happen very soon. Kenan, please don't let the door hit ya on the way out this time.

 

Florence has terrific pipes. Although not a fan of her music, I do appreciate a great voice.

 

I didn't see the last few skits of the show, but thought Reese did a pretty good job. I am so glad Sofia did not make a cameo. She's over-saturated the market for me with all of her commercials, movies, interviews, personal news.

[cpcathy]

I was wondering (worrying) about them, too, even though it's completely none of my business. My mom died of cancer at a relatively youngish age a few years ago, and so I was quite emotional during the monologue and feeling empathy for anyone whose mom wasn't mentioned. The monologue was very sweet, though, and it was a really nice tribute.

 

My mother also died of cancer when I was 17, that's why I was wondering about Taran and Leslie.

[buttersister]

The point in Picture Perfect needs to be made. Maybe it can be someday in a way that's much better than this was. By someone else. This crew likes to go there/but not all the way--and not in any memorable way.

 

I'll watch Louis. At least I know he'll go for whatever he's going for. (Which in this case, I guess, is awareness of his show. Although I can see him being supportive of SNL in the hopes that it crawls out of the lame shame pit.)

[VCRTracking]

Wow, the monologue may be the best evidence of "Black don't crack" I've ever seen.

[Maire]

I had to rewind to admire Aidy's mom and her beautiful shiny silver hair. Loved it!

[justjen]

 Also, SNL, it's either "Tu eres muy loco" or "Usted es muy loco." Never is it "Tu es muy loco." That's Spanish 1, y'all.

 

 

 

I thought that was the joke...

[Irlandesa]

I liked the Mom monologue and the home movie clips. I agree, we need an out-of-season Father's Day episode - make it happen, Lorne.

 

I know I've voiced this opinion before, but when it's the first thing out of my hubby's mouth during WU, maybe I'm not alone, but Leslie seems quite one-note in the angry black woman character. She does the same thing, just with different topics and I just don't find it funny at all. She's quickly falling into the Kenan well with me as they play the same character, in the same way, in most every sketch they do. She just hasn't brought it for me yet, but I am hopeful it'll happen very soon. Kenan, please don't let the door hit ya on the way out this time.

I think she's no more stuck in her persona than Pete is in his stoner dudebro persona. That's who they are at the desk.  I think she plays different characters in skits.  Sometimes they bend towards louder characters but being loud, boisterous or bold doesn't make her "angry."   For instance, I wouldn't describe her character in the high school performance artists sketch as angry...just typical of the WTF reactions those in the crowd usually have in those skits.

 

The beginning monologue was a highlight. 

 

And if Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton get the nominations of their respective parties, SNL will be in a bit of a pickle.

[helenamonster]

Great minds.

 

If I wanted to be more cynical I could say it was a way of letting us know which cast members have job security next season, but Kenan was among them and I'd like to think he's finally ready to graduate.

 

I felt like they were going to be a cruise control and saving up their best material for the season finale.

 

I thought this last year, and, imo, it ended up not being the case...the Andy Samberg episode was God-awful and about as lazy as they could get (the alumni cameos were ridiculous). They are all just bouncing in their seats to be done for the season and go on summer break. I'd love to be proved wrong, though.

 

And if Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton get the nominations of their respective parties, SNL will be in a bit of a pickle.

 

I was thinking that. But then I realized the fun we could have with sketches where Kate has to play both at the same time and I've decided I would enjoy that.

 

Still laughing at 12-year-old Aidy singing "Genie in a Bottle" with balloons falling all around her and holding what looks to be a perfume bottle. Bless.

 

Kate's mom is great. "Weird is what got you here." I don't know you, Mrs. McKinnon (er, I guess it's Berthold), but I love you.

[Maverick]

 I know it's a comedy bit and all, but Beck and (especially) Kyle's "apology" to their mom's were kinda creeptastic.  Overall, though, the I like the whole bit and did feel bad for Taran and Leslie.  I hope their mom's either just weren't available to be in NYC or are horribly camera shy.

 

 I hate WU.  Why the hell does it go on so long?  I thought the tribute to their mom's bit was the end, but nooooo it keeps going and going.  Between how much later it seems to start now and how much longer it goes on it seems like this broken mess eats half the show.  

[BatmanBeatles]

I liked this line from the kitten sketch:

 

“This cat is a gift from god. At least that’s what he told his cult.”)

[JTMacc99]

Whenever they do a Mother's Day episode, it's usually a treat, seeing all the moms.  The home movies (and the actual movie clip Keenan was in) was a treat.  "I need my cocaine!  YOU DON'T NEED COCAINE!"  Oh, Cecily.

That cocaine line was soooo funny. I need to start filming my daughter doing the crazy shit she does just in case somebody says to me in 2035, "So, was she always like this?" 

[teddysmom]

And if Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton get the nominations of their respective parties, SNL will be in a bit of a pickle.

 

If Carly Fiorina gets the nomination, everybody's invited to my house to watch the monkeys fly out of my ass. 

[teddysmom]

Whenever they do a Mother's Day episode, it's usually a treat, seeing all the moms.  The home movies (and the actual movie clip Keenan was in) was a treat.  "I need my cocaine!  YOU DON'T NEED COCAINE!"  Oh, Cecily.

That cocaine line was soooo funny. I need to start filming my daughter doing the crazy shit she does just in case somebody says to me in 2035, "So, was she always like this?"

 

I am definitely going to start working "I need my cocaine" into my every day life. 

 

Did anyone else think Jay Pharaoh's mother looked familiar?  I swear she looks like an actress I've seen on tv, but couldn't place her or find it online. 

[OpieTaylor]

I thought almost all of the sketches were horribly unfunny, and I was really underwhelmed by Reese (who I like in her movies). But since everyone was so bad in most everything, I felt like it was just really bad writing. 

[niklj]

I'm really sick of the writers (and/or cast members) thinking that obnoxious young female characters with vocal fry = hilarity.

 

Seriously. It was like every skit tonight was written with the formula: Unfunny Premise + Weird Voices + ??? = Hilarity! The last half of the show was just painful. I'm really sad because it seemed like they were on a streak, but who the heck let that Water Park skit even go on air?! Did it really play that well during dress?

 

It's a sad day when the pre-taped bits are better than all the live skits combined. The only one that got a laugh out of me was the Pictionary skit and....yeah, that's about it.

[Princess Sparkle]

We've got a cut sketch with Reese playing Leslie's "Inner White Girl".  It's almost weird to hear it without any laughter, because when I laughed at home, I felt like I was laughing at an inappropriate part.  

 

Ciecely's "I NEED MY COCAINE!" is still making me laugh 3 days later, as was Jay crying because his mom went to the store.  I was cringing in sympathetic embarrassment watching some of those clips -  I feel like my parents have one somewhere that is DANGEROUSLY close to Aidy's, only it involves an NSYNC song, so thank god I'm not famous and it will never see the light of day.  

Edited May 12, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[wknt3]

And if Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton get the nominations of their respective parties, SNL will be in a bit of a pickle.

 

If Carly Fiorina somehow gets the nomination SNL's casting issues will be the least of my concerns. Although I'd almost like to see Fiorina/Palin against Clinton/Warren just to watch Lorne and company scramble.

[BoogieBurns]

Although I'd almost like to see Fiorina/Palin against Clinton/Warren just to watch Lorne and company scramble.

 

They'd be calling in a lot of favors from Amy and Tina if that happened.

[lulee]

I am definitely going to start working "I need my cocaine" into my every day life. 

 

Did anyone else think Jay Pharaoh's mother looked familiar?  I swear she looks like an actress I've seen on tv, but couldn't place her or find it online. 

She reminded me a bit of Sheryl Lee Ralph but I have the vague notion that she reminded me more of someone else I can't place.

[Traveller519]

Really liked this episode, though it may have been fueled a bit by being watched via DVR late following a long flight home from Chicago. The monologue was so refreshing. I would have liked some more meta stuff (Kate, "Mom, I'm sorry that I came out to you on National Television." Mom: "When did you do....ooooooo"), because that's just me, but of course Keenan's Mighty Ducks clip was great and filled that void. Reese's clip was her at 18, seemed much older than the rest.

 

That Cougar Den talk show would have been worthwhile but the fucking fart joke sank it.

 

I have no further qualms with Weekend Update. The chemistry is maybe a bit lacking, but I think they're doing a much better job of playing off one another. They both look much more natural, and they work well the guests. I don't think any change needs to be made there.

 

I can't quite figure out why we needed celebrity impersonations in the pictionary sketch. It was the only thumbs down I had on an otherwise great skit.

[helenamonster]

I thought almost all of the sketches were horribly unfunny, and I was really underwhelmed by Reese (who I like in her movies). But since everyone was so bad in most everything, I felt like it was just really bad writing. 

 

Ding ding ding! I think most everyone on the show has the chops to do some quality work, but the writing is really hit or miss and not everyone is talented enough to elevate the material.

 

I can't quite figure out why we needed celebrity impersonations in the pictionary sketch. It was the only thumbs down I had on an otherwise great skit.

 

Maybe the dress rehearsal version was longer and did more stuff with the impersonations? Cuz yeah, Cecily as Rosie Perez was there for all of half a second.

 

I, too, am glad I'm not famous and all the embarrassing videos of me will never see the light of day. I've got 14 years worth of dance recital tapes, and my best friend since fifth grade used to bring her video camera everywhere and tape everything and there is literally hours of footage of me making the biggest asshole of myself and if any of it aired on national television I would probably jump off a bridge.