S41.E09: Tina Fey & Amy Poehler / Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band

[Ottis]

Surprisingly boring and unfunny. Meet Your Second Wife was good. Somebody's Mom was good, partly because they broke. Everything else, meh. That's kind of been the story of this season, though.

[JTMacc99]

The horrified/ scandalized laughter of the audience during all the "Meet Your Second Wife" jokes was the absolute best. That sketch served up great, cutting satire.

Agreed.  

 

It was constructed beautifully. You start with Bobby and Vanessa getting the 12 year old and the reason being he will suddenly become very successful.  Bobby's reaction of "Oh, now I see it." was gold.

 

It builds to Taran and Aidy with the 5 year old and the kayak accident, which has the layers of "he's not a bad guy, because he didn't actually leave his wife, but on the other hand, that girl is 25 years younger than him" and of course the skit coming back to the kayak joke at the end.

 

And then it gets to Keenan and Leslie, where we are at the point of the sketch where the general feeling is "Oh No...", and they played it perfectly.  You get Keenan's clear expression of Oh No! on his face, combined with "please don't be white" and of course Leslie's death stare from the audience. Hehehe! I'm chuckling as I type this.  Then the temporary relief that at least his girl is a college sophomore, followed quickly by a NOPE. Heh.  

 

Just an all around well constructed, well acted, and a little too on the nose for people in their forties like me, sketch. I loved it.

[Bruinsfan]

The big hits for me were Hammond's Trump, Amy and Tina as 2007 Hillary and Sarah Palin, and the Meet Your Second Wife sketch.

 

Given that her time writing the show continued the usual "hilarious" scenes of men kissing other men (and it's so disgusting and sick...lol!), I'm not that surprised. SNL always sees gay men as a sick joke, and I doubt it will change anytime soon.

I thought the show did a bit better in Seth Michael's era as head writer. The Weekend Update Stefon sketch on Hader's final show managed to be both sweet and hilarious, for example.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Watch The Most Notable Moments Of Tina Fey And Amy Poehler's Saturday Night Live Co-Hosting Gig
Are two heads better than one?

[KerleyQ]

And then it gets to Keenan and Leslie, where we are at the point of the sketch where the general feeling is "Oh No...", and they played it perfectly.  You get Keenan's clear expression of Oh No! on his face, combined with "please don't be white" and of course Leslie's death stare from the audience. Hehehe! I'm chuckling as I type this.  Then the temporary relief that at least his girl is a college sophomore, followed quickly by a NOPE. Heh.

 

 

And his "does the show provide some kind of overnight accommodations? Where I can stay indefinitely?" 

[vb68]

After the look Leslie gave and her "you're a dead man!", I expected him to run like hell.

 

 

I didn't notice that, but Jay seems to play Ben Carson as gay.

 

 

I've been seeing complaints about this.   It was an interesting choice for sure.  Jay seems to go further with it each time.

[peeayebee]

I forgot to mention it earlier, but in the variety show sketch, Maya was singing and was literally throwing presents around without really paying attention.  She almost took out the first kid twice! 

I noticed that, too, but I bet the presents were actually gift-wrapped blocks of foam.

[Traveller519]

I think it was high expectations that made this one crash a bit of me. There were definitely elements I liked, but something just felt off. Having two professional comedians resort to a singing monologue, especially one without a larger joke (see: Banks, Elizabeth) is a shame. Play to your strengths!

Meet your second wife was great, not just for the promise but also having all the queens and kings of reaction shots play that up perfectly. It was a good run on from the dating game with the hosts daughter with Woody Harrelson last year.

Reheated salmon is known for being stinky. Che's aside about it was very apt.

"Awww, wife!"

"Not a complement, that's just what you are."

[jonesingjay]

It was nice to see Paul McCartney at the end. That's all I've got.

[VCRTracking]

Given that her time writing the show continued the usual "hilarious" scenes of men kissing other men (and it's so disgusting and sick...lol!), I'm not that surprised. SNL always sees gay men as a sick joke, and I doubt it will change anytime soon.

 

I thought the show did a bit better in Seth Michael's era as head writer. The Weekend Update Stefon sketch on Hader's final show managed to be both sweet and hilarious, for example.

 

 

I think in recent years sketches like "The Kissing Family" became less "ew gross" and more fanservicey to the Tumblr crowd. There are conservative types who are probably still offended but the large part of the younger audience reactions would be more  "OMG Bill Hader and Paul Rudd are kissing! (GIF of someone fainting)"

Edited December 22, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Mumbles]

 

often find Fey's comedy really sharp and insightful, but sometimes she does go for the cheap joke. And occasionally it feels like those cartoony, anything-for-a-laugh moments aren't just cheap -- that they're hiding a kind of mean-spirited hipster nihilism. Like how Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starts out as this edgy but empathetic look at a woman who refuses to be defined by the trauma in her past, but in its last few episodes becomes this sneering satire about how small-town folks are stupid, gullible rubes.

 

Yeah, comedy should point upward, and sometimes Tina's points downward. I made it through two episodes of Kimmy Schmidt before I gave up.   Pohler's humor is a more humane humor and I like what she does with Ask Amy and Smart Girls at the Party.

 

 

the show did a bit better in Seth Michael's era as head writer. The Weekend Update Stefon sketch on Hader's final show managed to be both sweet and hilarious, for example.

 

Yeah, I think Colin Jost era has taken a step back. I remember Pete Davidson's early appearances at WU last season revolved around gay panic.

[Pete Martell]

I thought the show did a bit better in Seth Michael's era as head writer. The Weekend Update Stefon sketch on Hader's final show managed to be both sweet and hilarious, for example.

 

I thought that was sweet too. I never really thought the gay New Jersey guys WU bit was too bad either (just one-note). I tend to associate Tina's era and gay men with oh-so-hilarious sketches like Will Ferrell going from an everyday guy to sex-crazed, lisping, and very effeminate after being repeatedly raped by a bear, because ha ha ha, men being raped "turns" them gay. 

Yeah, I think Colin Jost era has taken a step back. I remember Pete Davidson's early appearances at WU last season revolved around gay panic.

 

Jost gives the typical frat boy vibe. It doesn't help that SNL's writing these days is crude and stereotypical all around.

[lou ann b]

Why didnt tina and amy host update? Cause that would have been overkill,IMO.loving jost and che more every week.

[methodwriter85]

Re-watching the Brunch skit, I'm struck by just how good Kate, Aidy, Vanessa, and Cecily really are. It's such a nothing sketch, but it's made funny by just how good those four are. I really wish Tina and Amy had collaborated more with them on something instead of just kind of pushing them off to the side, save for Kate doing Hilary.

 

The "I'm Lesbian" skit was supposed to be a nod to Carol, right? I am so sick of the ads for that.

[VCRTracking]

 

I tend to associate Tina's era and gay men with oh-so-hilarious sketches like Will Ferrell going from an everyday guy to sex-crazed, lisping, and very effeminate after being repeatedly raped by a bear, because ha ha ha, men being raped "turns" them gay.

 

It was "The Christmas Kangaroo" who Will Farrell playing Hugh Jackman's dad who had to fight but lost and then got raped by the Kangaroo. There was a line like it seemed he wasn't "trying to win" the last few times,. Hugh Jackman as himself recalling his "childhood memories" and breaking towards the end of this part: 

"And that's how the Christmas Kangaroo's reign of terror ended. Now, sure, on Christmas morning all the Australian boys and girls might not get toys, but it spared the horror of watching a giant marsupial taking their old man to browntown."

 

Yeah, comedy should point upward, and sometimes Tina's points downward. I made it through two episodes of Kimmy Schmidt before I gave up.   Pohler's humor is a more humane humor and I like what she does with Ask Amy and Smart Girls at the Party.

 

It's why I liked Parks and Recreation over 30 Rock because as broadly comic as the characters on P&R are, they're more three dimensional than the characters on 30 Rock. They each have depth and a soul.

Edited December 22, 2015 by VCRTracking

[leighroda]

I was expecting Tracy Morgan to make a cameo, but I'm guessing since he was already on it wasn't necessary.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

I didn't notice that, but Jay seems to play Ben Carson as gay.

And handicapped. The sleepy thing was initially funny but it's getting worse. The guy IS a neurosurgeon. 

[helenamonster]

I mean, I think Jay playing Carson as constantly on the verge of falling asleep isn't that bad because the dude does always look like he's five seconds away from curling up in a ball for a nap. And he may be a neurosurgeon, but he's a neurosurgeon who believes that Joseph from the Bible built the pyramids to store grain, so...

[Bruinsfan]

Yeah, sleepy and crazy fit, but Jay plays him as both feyly coy and apparently suffering cerebral palsy or some other disorder that makes his arms draw up. It's weird.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

Yeah, sleepy and crazy fit, but Jay plays him as both feyly coy and apparently suffering cerebral palsy or some other disorder that makes his arms draw up. It's weird.

All I can think of is a T-Rex dinosaur - the ones with the really short arms. 

[lou ann b]

I don't see Jay playing Dr Carson as fey..just coy and a bit dippy.Loved the line "On the outside,I'm a koala bear,on the inside..I've never held public office "

[possibilities]

I do find the t-rex arms a bit strange, though. Does Carson do that? I don't recall seeing him do it.