S41.E15: Ariana Grande

[formerlyfreedom]

Host and musical guest Ariana Grande.

 

 

 

[Snlwatcher97]

All I have to say is "It's all on you, Grande" to make this the best episode of March

Edited March 8, 2016 by Snlwatcher97

[VCRTracking]

I'm glad she doesn't actually speak in that baby voice she uses when she played Cat on Victorious in real life,

[helenamonster]

I'm glad she doesn't actually speak in that baby voice she uses when she played Cat on Victorious in real life,

 

Thank God. Now let's just hope she doesn't use it on this show either. And if she does, I hope they roll out Vanessa's Laura Parsons character to make fun of her for it.

[BoogieBurns]

Hoping for a donut licking sketch.

[VCRTracking]

Please god let there be a Kate as Hillary Clinton at Nancy Reagan's funeral cold open.

[vb68]

I think it almost has to be a Trump rally now.

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Time for one last appearance of Jay's incredible Ben Carson impression. And I loved Larry David coming back again. "I'm great, but not five posts a day great!" The past few days have been weird.

 

Monologue: Of course Kenan's around to bring up that they both got their start on Nickelodeon. For those wondering, Kel's on the opposite coast at the Kid's Choice Awards, so that's why he didn't randomly cameo. Hey, the host tonight is a singer, the monologue breaking out in song was to be expected. I'm not the only one who puts the monologue songs at mute at this point, am I?

 

People For Hillary: "Feel The Bern. For Her." This was so brilliant. Someone finally made a Hillary ad where she slowly morphs into Bernie Sanders. At least we know that Kate can pull it off when Larry David's not available.

 

Kid's Choice Awards: Hey speak of the devil, a Kid's Choice Awards sketch. They so nailed the cadence of the people at these shows. The countdown going UP is truly a circle of hell for these people. (According to a writer on twitter, this was a sketch cut from last week's dress rehearsal, but with the KCAs added on to it)

 

This is Not A Feminist Song: Loved it.

 

True Tales From The Sea: Kate improves anything, she just sold this as Blobfish Mermaid. Also, the makeup department on this show remains phenomenal.

 

WU: No one knows "vision" and "energy" like Dr. Ben Carson. And hell yes for talking about the clusterfuck that was the past three days of Trump. I really loved Cecily's "Drunkest Contestant on The Bachelor," especially when Colin brought up they'd be dead if Leslie Jones finds out. Tonight's WU was incredibly strong, I laughed out loud several times. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Riblet showed up. But man, Che got better at this gig, but Riblet was still fun.

 

Tidal System Check: We've seen this Tidal sketch before, haven't we? Some singer sings music on a stream so no one notices. But it was for Pandora. Loved having everyone dance to the singing. What the hell was that Shakira bit? That didn't sound like anything. The twist that Jay was Jay Z the whole time was so stupid but I laughed anyway.

 

Family Feud: Man, trotting out a "Celebrity Impressions Parade" sketch this late in the show? But hey, I liked the impressions. Kate as Tilda Swinton! Bobby as Kevin Smith! I also liked Arianna as Jennifer Lawrence, she got the voice down at least. And of course, Kenan's Steve Harvey remains fantastic.

 

The Sound of Music: Meh. The only stinker of the night, which is a good thing considering the quality of this show. The kids sure love it when shows take the piss out of the "How Do Solve A Problem Like Maria" bit from Sound of Music.

 

This show turned out much better than expected. And we return April 2nd with...Peter Dinklage?! I can't wait.

[DrScottie]

 

What the hell was that Shakira bit? That didn't sound like anything.

That was an impression of Shakira's "Wherever, Whenever." It was pretty spot-on. 

 

And, yes, Bruno Mars was the intern in the Pandora sketch.

Edited March 13, 2016 by DrScottie

[Janimo]

I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a terrible show, and it wasn't.. I actually liked pretty much the whole show.

[vb68]

I also think this one was much better than expected.  They really played to Ariana's strengths, and it all worked pretty well.  She did a pretty great impression of J Law, and sounded damn good to my ears trying to pull off Whitney in the Tidal Music sketch.

 

 

Tidal System Check: We've seen this Tidal sketch before, haven't we?

They did it with Bruno Mars!

 

And this was the single best Update I have seen in several seasons now.  I couldn't stop laughing.   One of Che's best- "This 80 year old guy has wanted to punch a black guy since he first heard Jazz!"     The writing was just incredibly sharp, and they were on fire.

 

 

especially when Colin brought up they'd be dead if Leslie Jones finds out.

 

He read my mind.  I actually expected her to come out and make a big scene after they kissed. 

 

Oh that reminds me, I was a bit worried for Larry David after he miffed Ariana's intro on the first song.  She does seem like she would cut a bitch.

 

ETA:  The joke from Colin that had me on the floor was the Mitt 69 joke.

 

Don't forget to spring forward with your clocks.  :) 

Edited March 13, 2016 by vb68

[Peace 47]

Because I'm getting old, the only thing I knew about Ariana Grande was that she licked a doughnut once, but she's a talented little vocal impressionist. That Tidal sketch was bonkers amazing.

The cold open was a lot of fun (as I weep internally for our nation, of course). I like Beck as Tapper acting as a master of ceremonies for the cray-cray the past few weeks, and Larry David had another great turn as Sanders. He wears his jammies under suits, and that's why the suits are so baggy--haha.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Peace 47

[helenamonster]

Cold Open: Idk what they're going to do if Sanders wins the election, but every time Larry David comes back at him I laugh so fucking hard. The bit in his pajamas was gold. "That's why my suits are so baggy!" And the audience was not ready for "guys, I said not to beat up this one." Oof were they not ready.

 

Monologue: I liked the shoutout to Kenan's Nickelodeon career, but then it devolved into a generic song monologue.

 

Kid's Choice Awards: Very solid. I loved all the different twists, the clock counting up, and then blinking 12:00 like it was the oven clock and they'd lost power.

 

Feminist Song: Amazing, though I feel like it's going to get misinterpreted in the morning by some people.

 

True Tales from the Sea: Fucking Kate, man. Jesus, what can't she do? Also, why do I feel like this sketch originated at, like, 2am when someone was so strung out and tired that they just started googling facts about blobfish? Either way Kate is my tv wife, I love her so much.

 

Weekend Update: Seriously on fire tonight. Was Cecily playing Lace, that Bachelor contestant everyone said she looked like? Either way I couldn't stop laughing. And Riblet!

 

Tidal: I loved when they did a similar sketch with Bruno Mars way back when, and it was really good here too.

 

Family Feud Celebrity Edition: Whoa, where did that JLaw impression come from? I liked Taran's Tarantino too. Heh, Taran Tarantino. Please tell me people laughed about that during rehearsals.

 

The Sound of Music: This was a thrown-together mess but I thought the concept was pretty funny. I mean, those nuns were talking shit pretty loud.

 

Yep, definitely much better than I was expecting it to be. And, uh, excuse me Ariana Grande, but since when could you do all those voices? Do you know how many hours I spent babysitting listening to you use that damn voice on Sam and Cat, and now apparently you have a spot on JLaw impression?

 

Don't watch GoT but I bet Peter Dinklage is gonna be awesome.

[teebax]

You guys covered the high points really well, so I'll just add to the WU love. My goodness, it has improved leaps and bounds this season. I would've loved it if Leslie Jones had come out after that kiss, but other than that it was perfect. The jokes were fantastic, and I loved the Riblet appearance. I've never seen The Bachelor, but I still felt like I knew the character Cecily was doing.

I called dibs on Kate a long time ago. I'd even make out with her in that ridiculous fish costume. She's so awesome.

I wonder if we'll get Keenan playing Steve Harvey in a sketch based on the Little Big Shots show.

[Trini]

Well, that was better than I thought it would be. Although I was annoyed on behalf of the hair people having to make Ariana's wigs fit her fakey fake ponytail.

 

Not enough Leslie, and did they let the host write that last sketch herself?

[VCRTracking]

And with that SPOT ON Jennifer Lawrence impression I am now fully on board the Ariana Grande train.

[niklj]

Taran Killam is also a Nickelodeon alum :) Wish they would've given that a shout-out, but it would've been a little more obscure.

[VCRTracking]

I'm always surprised how good most of the female cast members since the days of Amy, Kristen and Maya can sing. I don't think they include that skill set whey they auditioned, they just happen to have good singing voices.

Edited March 13, 2016 by VCRTracking

[Janimo]

I'm really getting a kick out of the fact folks seem to have enjoyed this ep.
I had no idea Ariana Grande was more than a cute young woman who sang.

[Prairie Fire]

The streaming music skit was awesome....when they did it the first time with Bruno Mars. I thought the sequel with Ariana was just a'ight. She's a great singer but it wasn't nearly as funny. Her best work was in the Kids' Choice skit.

 

Between Ariana's "Oh shit" in the monologue and Larry David messing up Ariana's intro, I wonder if Lorne cancelled the after-party and sent everyone to bed.

[absnow54]

Ariana's done her singing impressions on Jimmy Fallon's show a few times, and since Bruno Mars already did the sketch, it wasn't quite as exciting, but she still nailed all the voices, and I liked the Jay was Jay Z the entire time reveal, and that he just wanted a cup of coffee.

 

The Nickelodeon sketch was an obvious parody of Bow Wow at the Grammy's, and they captured the awkward perfectly.

 

Weekend Update was incredible this week. Michael Che did not hold back, and I'm glad SNL let him go with some more hard hitting material, when they usually try to remain as generic as possible. Well except for the go bake a cake joke. Ugh.

 

I thought Ariana did a great job and seemed to gel well with the cast, I'm sure they'll have her back... unless the cursing come back to bite her.

Edited March 13, 2016 by absnow54

[mtlchick]

Only saw the opening monologue, but found it amusing that she was singing about attempting to do something bad...and she said "oh shit" during it.

[Princess Sparkle]

And this was the single best Update I have seen in several seasons now. I couldn't stop laughing. One of Che's best- "This 80 year old guy has wanted to punch a black guy since he first heard Jazz!" The writing was just incredibly sharp, and they were on fire.

That line from Michael absolutely killed me; I had to pause and wait for my laughter to subside. His entire Trump bit was great. Ceicily's bit was great as well; her face when she was trying to prove that she "wasn't crazy" was hysterical, as was Colin's "Um, you have a lovely smile"

Ariana Grande was better than I anticipated, but I should've known she'd do pretty well - former child stars usually do. I was VERY impressed with her Jennifer Lawrence impression, and I have to say, other than Bobby's Kevin Smith (which was more about the look), everyone really nailed the voices in the Family Feud sketch. Even the new guys Scorcese was pretty good.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the (This is Not a) Feminist Song. Aidy and Kate and their song writing partners really come up with some great songs.

Peter Dinklage and Gwen Stefani makes me unreasonably excited. I hope for a return of Peter Drunklage.

[AriAu]

The streaming music skit was awesome....when they did it the first time with Bruno Mars. I thought the sequel with Ariana was just a'ight. She's a great singer but it wasn't nearly as funny. Her best work was in the Kids' Choice skit.

 

It was a dead-on rip off right down to the glasses, the bad jokes and the power outage, but still great. Ariana was really awesome and I loved them dancing and the JZ from Jay was perfect. Actually, I think her impersonations were closer than his!

There were more celebrity impersonations than usual, but not a bad thing, especially the JLaw. Why didn't they let Jay do any or all of the comedians he did last week!

I thought the show was a little out of order with so many strong sketches after WU and weak ones before. I did not think the Nickelodeon was all that funny and while the women all have nice voices, I guess I didn't find the digital short all that funny or interesting and thought the Family Feud and especially the Sound of Music sketches were much funnier and more clever.

[hendersonrocks]

That was an amazingly good show all the way around. I almost can't believe live in a world where Ariana Grande was exponentially better on SNL than Jonah Hill. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. 

 

Did anyone else see Leslie Jones in the closing send off? She was standing right behind Ariana and right next to Taran, and she looked PISSED. (Perhaps a related question: was she in any of the live sketches? I can only remember seeing her in This Is Not a Feminist Song.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ariana made a joke in the Sister Maria sketch, something like, "Nun TEA!"  Can someone explain that to me?  I get that tea is slang for gossip, but was that all it is?  Because I didn't really get the delivery.

 

Ariana's song "Dangerous Woman" is exactly like "Earned It" by The Weeknd.  I checked, and many people have already noted this on Twitter.   Mash-ups have already been created. Not a surprise because "Earned It" is a huge hit and on the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack.  I'm sorry but she has horrible producers.

 

Can someone tell me how Larry David screwed up introducing her please?

Edited March 13, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[peeayebee]

I figured Ariana Grande would be good since she's always been a good performer on those Nick shows (Victorious and the spinoff). I'm glad she did well here.

 

The Cold Open was good, except for Jay's Ben Carson impression. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks it's terrible. He makes Carson look like a gay mad scientist. Anyway, loved Trump telling his supporters, "Guys, what did I say? Not THIS one!" I also liked that it was a Trump steak on Carson's eye. And it's always wonderful to see Larry David as Sanders. 

 

I thought the monologue was good. I'm on the West Coast, so we didn't get any swearing from Grande. What was the context? I thought the song was good too.

 

The Hillary ad and the Feminist Song were both good. Aidy was really funny.

 

The highlight skit was definitely the Mermaid one. When the blobfish mermaid appeared I was trying to figure out which guy it was. It took me a moment to realize it was Kate. Man, just hilarious.

 

WU was great. I loved Cecily's drunk Bachelor contestant even though I don't watch the show. Colin's line "If Leslie Jones hears about this we're both dead" was perfect. Loved the line about turning 69 being a sin for a Mormon. I was so excited to see Riblet. Now I want to say 'jorb' and "boof" all day. The bit with Riblet outside was fantastic for the punchline to the question where was he with all those men standing in line. "I am currently outside of Che's mama's house."

 

Loved the Tidal Music Streaming sketch. I'd seen a clip of Grande doing her impressions on Fallon, so her skill didn't surprise me. I also loved the ending that Jay's character was actually Jay-Z a la Undercover Boss.

 

I didn't really care for Celebrity Family Feud. Grande did the best impression. It seems like she has a natural talent at imitating people. I thought Taran's Tarantino was a little off. There was a bit of Paul Lynde in there. The others didn't do much for me either.

 

I really enjoyed the Sound of Music sketch. I particularly loved Aidy, esp when she sang that one line in the song. I'm not sure I understood all of Grande's attitude here. Seems like she was referencing young folk stuff, and I'm an old folk. I also got the feeling that she had some big fans in the audience who really appreciated some lines and gestures that made me feel left out. Anyway, I still liked this one.

Edited March 13, 2016 by peeayebee

[Awesomesauce]

Yes it looks like most people must have caught the West coast feed (or muted the monologue) since barely anyone has mentioned the S bomb. It was right after a line about smacking Adele, she just threw in a quick, "oh, shit!" I rewound a few times and I can't figure out why she said it, it wasn't like she flubbed a line or started to fall or something. I almost wonder if she did it on purpose, especially considering that she was singing a song about wanting a scandal. She can afford the fine.

Overall an enjoyable episode. Ariana's Whitney brought tears to my eyes.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The connection with Cecily Strong is that she looks a lot like the Bachelorette in question, named Lace.  Many SNL fans noted that Lace not only looks like Cecily but is basically The Drunk Girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a Party.  So the internet community basically came up with the idea of the sketch IMO and Cecily kind of did that as a cute tribute to cross-section of SNL and The Bachelor fans.

 

https://www.romper.com/p/bachelors-lace-is-just-like-cecily-strongs-girl-you-wish-you-hadnt-started-a-conversation-with-at-a-party-according-to-the-internet-3543

 

I thought that "This is not a Feminist song" was lame, lame, lame.  I rarely like musical humour to begin with so this was a waste in my eyes.  Not funny and incredibly long, and I fast-forwarded through a lot of it..

Edited March 13, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Primetimer]

Who knew she was a gifted non-singing impressionist, too?

Read the story

[AdorkableSars]

I went into this episode with pretty low expectations because of Ariana Grande (even though she was actually not bad on Scream Queens...yes, I watched that show. Please don't judge me.), but I think it's my favorite episode of the season, and Ariana was amazing. I did not know she was that great of a singer, and her J. Law impression was so on point. So now I feel like a jerk...thanks a latte, Grande. (Haha, see what I did there? Latte...Grande...I'm sorry. I'm the worst.)

 

Being Canadian, sometimes the politcal jokes/impressions go over my head a little, but I can still appreciate the humour in some of it. But I'll refrain from commenting on too much of that, except to say that it was great to have Larry David back. I thought the opening monologue was fun! The bit with her and Kenan was good and I thought the song was great too. I loved when Pete came out because he heard she wanted to smoke pot, and when she said they should smoke crack instead, his "I'm good" cracked me up!

 

I actually loved all of the sketches, but I think my favorite was the mermaid/blobfish one. It was so random and ridiculous and hilarious, and I was crying with laughter. Kate is everything. I loved the #FeministSong too. So many of the female cast members have incredible voices, and I love hearing them sing! This was so endearing.

 

Weekend Update was great again. Cecily was brilliant as the drunkest contestant on The Bachelor. I have a great appreciation for people who can act fake drunk and have it be hilarious, and Cecily nailed it. Her "I'm not crazy" and the smile slayed me! And it was great to have Riblet back. I love all of Bobby's WU characters, he's so funny. (Sidenote: I really hope that Taran does a character on Update at some point this season...I miss him. Bonus points if Jebidiah comes back, SNL! There's so many TV shows, movies, music, etc that he hasn't yet reviewed!!) Colin's pencil drop at the end of Update was adorable.

[vb68]

 

Did anyone else see Leslie Jones in the closing send off? She was standing right behind Ariana and right next to Taran, and she looked PISSED.

 

 

Maybe she was indeed  pissed about the Bachelor segment on Update! ;)  ( The more I think about it, it really was a missed opportunity for her not to run out there.) 

 

Mike Ryan has this one rated the best show of the season.  I thought it was very good and was probably the most surprising of the season but don't think it beats the Tracy Morgan or Larry David episodes.

Edited March 13, 2016 by vb68

[helenamonster]

Taran Killam is also a Nickelodeon alum :) Wish they would've given that a shout-out, but it would've been a little more obscure.

 

Oh my God yes, how could I forget his turn as Spaulding from the "Moody's Point" sketches on The Amanda Show??? He's actually a hybrid Nickelodeon/Disney alum, as he was also Jordan Cahill in the DCOM Stuck in the Suburbs.

 

Between Ariana's "Oh shit" in the monologue and Larry David messing up Ariana's intro, I wonder if Lorne cancelled the after-party and sent everyone to bed.

 

Ooh right, forgot about her little slip in the monologue there. Not sure what caused it, she seemed to be doing fine.

 

And lol, Larry messing up the first intro and then being really careful with the second was great. Only he could get away with that.

 

Ariana made a joke in the Sister Maria sketch, something like, "Nun TEA!"  Can someone explain that to me?  I get that tea is slang for gossip, but was that all it is?  Because I didn't really get the delivery.

 

Can someone tell me how Larry David screwed up introducing her please?

 

"Nunty" was a play on the word "hunty," which is is a slang term that combines the words "honey" and "cunty." You call someone "hunty" when you're being condescending to them, usually.

 

When introducing her first song, Larry just seemed to get a little tongue-tied over her name and then just gave up and didn't bother to correct himself. He just kind of smiled knowingly and let the camera pan over to the music stage.

 

I thought the monologue was good. I'm on the West Coast, so we didn't get any swearing from Grande. What was the context? I thought the song was good too.

 

After the part where she said she'd slap Adele, she then randomly said "oh shit." It's hard to tell if she messed up a line, hit a bum note, or said it on purpose as part of the "scandal" song.

[catrox14]

Oh. Gods. The Mermaid skit was the best. Kate McKinnon is a national treasure.  I laughed a stupid amount. I don't know how Beck didn't laugh. 

 

Not enough Leslie Jones this week.

 

I thought The Feminist Song was great. 

 

I never knew anything about Ariana Grande other than something about donuts, but HOLY MOLY that girl has some pipes! She's quite talented.

 

Loved Weekend Update.

[Bees]

I don't think I've been this surprised at a host being this good since Josh Hutcherson. I mean man, there wasn't a single sucky sketch at all. Everything worked and Grande was super game for anything. And she had some pretty awesome impressions. I don't know if I could be a fan of her music (though I do unabashedly love "Break Free") But anyways, he's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown for me.

 

Cold Open: Always love seeing Larry David as Bernie Sanders. I feel like SNL seems super pro-Hillary because they have no idea what they're going to do if Bernie wins the nomination. I mean Larry David is too perfect as Bernie. It'll be hard to go from there. Though I'm totally for Bernie and even I laughed at the "not 5 posts a day good" and also it's always good to see Ben Carson. For some reason the mugging from Jay Pharaoh cracks me up.

 

Monologue: I know I usually come down super hard on Singing Monologues but this one worked well for me. Maybe it's the musical styling or the idea of her hoping for a big scandal, but it just really worked for me. Also I do love Kenan appearing though Taran was also a Nickelodeon alum. IIRC, he was on The Amanda Show. Anyways this worked for me somehow. 

 

Hillary Ad: This was great. I loved the slow reveal of her trying to be Bernie up to the hair. It was just so much fun to see. Huh...maybe Kate could be Bernie?

 

Kid's Choice Awards: They totally nailed the way Nickelodeon handles their award show pre-shows. I loved the way everything kept going wrong and the faces made by everybody. Also, as an aside, the Kid's Choice Awards are basically just "Let's award Nickelodeon shows with the TV awards even if Gravity Falls probably got the most votes or something" because it's kind of hilarious that Spongebob somehow won like 15 years in a row or something (and yes, I watch Gravity Falls...or watched since the show has ended. It's pretty amazing especially if you're a fan of shows like Twin Peaks). 

 

Feminist Song: This was alright, had it's funny moments but MAN, this could've been so much better. They tried to go there with the way feminism can be sometimes (it's like walking on eggshells sometimes) but they just didn't go full on. I mean obviously not anti-feminists and I did like Beck chiming in like "What about us dudes?!" since there is that whole deal with how dudes try to make things about them at times. But man, this could've been far more incisive but they just didn't go there.

 

Tales of the Sea: This sketch seems to showcase the difference between Kate and Kristen Wiig. Like if this was Kristen Wiig as the Blobfish, I feel like it wouldn've have worked as well. There'd be way too much overacting. Kate has a way of playing things much more straightforward and not as annoying. Plus, it's not as if she's being a sketch hog. Basically, my point is I'd probably hate this ore if Wiig was doing the Blobfish.

 

Weekend Update: I'm at a point where I just love Weekend Update now. And I know that cake joke was pretty harsh but I feel like the addition to it made it at least somewhat funnier. I too was hoping for Leslie to come busting out but I did love Jost acknowledging that Leslie Jones was going to kill them both if Drunkie Bachlorette tried anything else. And I always enjoy Riblet. I just like how he's actually GOOD at being the Update anchor and him imitating Che's sign-off feet on desk was funny.

 

Tidal: Yeah, this was basically just an excuse for Ariana Grande to give her impressions of musical artists that she had done on Fallon, but I don't care. It was still pretty grand. I wish she did more with the Celine Dion, but most of that is because they did the ONE song of hers I actually unabashedly love (I think it's because it's a Jim Steinman song). But she did fantastic for everybody. I also kind of liked "Jay-Z all along" for some reason. It was just a silly twist that made me smile.

 

Celebrity Family Feud: I wish we saw more of the Scorcese. Was that Rudnitsky? It was pretty good. Also, I never knew that a Jennifer Lawrence impression was possible. Lo and behold, Ariana Grande busts out an impeccable impression. I love when hosts bust out great impressions especially when you don't expect them. Also Taran's Tarantino was great but it also made him sound kind of campy. 

 

Sound of Music: I kind of enjoyed this one. It definitely wasn't the best sketch of the night or anything, but it was pretty funny. I always wondered what Maria would've thought of the nuns talkng shit about her.

 

Overall, I loved this episode. It's probably tied with the Larry David episode for my favorite. The Larry David one may have a slight edge, but most of that is because of Kevin Roberts. So overall, loved the episode and I hope that they build upon this with Dinklage.

[cpcathy]

Wow, color me shocked, but I really enjoyed this. Loved her voice in the monologue song. I howled with laughter at Che's "that cake's not gonna bake itself."

I absolutely adore Bruno Mars, so I did prefer his version of the Tidal sketch (is Pandora no longer a thing then?)--his Billy Joe Armstrong was just barking and it was perfect!

I have a soft spot for Sound of Music, so I loved the Maria sketch, those nuns really were biatches, weren't they?

 

Peter Drunklage!

[vb68]

 

Tales of the Sea: This sketch seems to showcase the difference between Kate and Kristen Wiig. Like if this was Kristen Wiig as the Blobfish, I feel like it wouldn've have worked as well. There'd be way too much overacting.

 

It's interesting you say that because conceptually it did me remind me of those Lawrence Welk sketches.  But yeah,  this character thankfully didn't chase water bubbles or anything like that.

[SomeTameGazelle]

Sound of Music: I kind of enjoyed this one. It definitely wasn't the best sketch of the night or anything, but it was pretty funny. I always wondered what Maria would've thought of the nuns talkng shit about her.

 

I thought Ariana as Maria was funny but the overall sketch was weak because there didn't seem to be enough characterization of the nuns -- they were just generic. In The Sound of Music Maria is not a nun but a postulant, and the nuns who sing How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria include the Mother Abbess, the Mistress of Novices, and the Mistress of Postulants. They're not just being mean girls, it's their job to decide whether Maria is cut out to be a nun (i.e. move from postulant to novice). I don't mind the sketch wanting to treat it as if it were high school drama, but I think it would have been stronger if the nuns had actually seemed like a clique of specific individuals instead of basically one collective nun.

[Kromm]

Because I'm getting old, the only thing I knew about Ariana Grande was that she licked a doughnut once, but she's a talented little vocal impressionist.

She always has been. Years ago, before she turned into an ego monster, I recall seeing videos of her doing all kinds of impressions and it made me like her a lot at the time. Pity she let fame turn her dark.

Celebrity Family Feud: I wish we saw more of the Scorcese. Was that Rudnitsky? It was pretty good. Also, I never knew that a Jennifer Lawrence impression was possible. Lo and behold, Ariana Grande busts out an impeccable impression.

How good she looks in that Jennifer Lawerence get up also shows how tired her stupid ponytail look is.

[KerleyQ]

Count me in as another one pleasantly surprised.  When I saw that Ariana Grande was the host and musical guest for this week, I may have groaned out a "seriously??"  But she did a great job.  And she's a very skilled mimic. 

 

This was probably the best Jost/Che WU yet, especially for Che.  I felt like all of his jokes worked this time.  And Collin's "if Leslie Jones finds out about this, we are both dead," was so great.  

 

Kate was, as always, perfection.  

 

The only downside to this episode was the disappointing lack of Leslie Jones.  As WU proved, just hearing her name makes me laugh, so it's disappointing when we don't get to see her do her thing.  

 

I really liked the Family Feud sketch, both for Arianna's dead on J-Law impression, and Keenan's re-phrasing of the answers, especially "show me cocaine!"  

Edited March 13, 2016 by KerleyQ

[possibilities]

I loved this week's episode and I really didn't expect to. Honestly, I knew nothing about Ariana G other than that she's a young Disney-type singer, and that's not usually my type. But first of all: the monologue convinced me that she has a legitimately awesome voice. She's not just a marketing gimmick, she has real talent. So that was cool to know. And then, I just thought she was genuinely great in some of the sketches and perfectly decent in others. That Jennifer Lawrence impersonation was amazeballs. And I thought she totally NAILED the "orange carpet" host demeanor. And the Whitney Houston singing: not an impersonation for the faint of heart. Good for her. Also: "My mama told me I'd grow up to make millions of people angry someday, and now it's happening!" made me laugh-- it's probably the healthiest attitude to have if you grow up as a property of Disney.

 

My least favorite was the blobfish, just because I'm not a fan of humor that turns on "woe is me, the poor dude is forced to be with the ugly chick" but I still liked it for other reasons, like the solidarity of the mermaids, the way Kate ("my Kate" is what I call her in my very creepy way) can do anything, and the general air of absurdity which is usually a winner with me when all is said and done.

 

I actually am a Sanders fan, but I still thought the Sanders stuff was funny. And the Hillary stuff, too. I do vote Kate takes on the impression if Larry David loses interest. She can do anything, but I suppose it's too much to ask her to be both Hillary and Bernie at the same time (this week's Hillary ad notwithstanding) so I hope David sticks around at least until June/the convention.

 

Carson is actually MORE sleepy and weird than the impression, I think. I'm always surprised when people think Jay's taking it too far.

"Ebony and Orangey" made me guffaw.

 

There really weren't any duds this week.

 

Has anyone noticed that no one hits on Che during WU? When it was just Leslie going for Jost, I didn't think anything about it either way. But now they had Bachelor Crazy after him too.

Edited March 13, 2016 by possibilities

[peeayebee]

Carson is actually MORE sleepy and weird than the impression, I think. I'm always surprised when people think Jay's taking it too far.

I don't think Jay is doing any "sleepy" anymore. I understand an exaggerated impression, but I think Jay's exaggerated it to the point of not being like Carson at all. Again I should concede that I'm in the minority, but as far as Carson impressions go, I think Trevor Noah does a much better and funnier one.

[Awesomesauce]

Has anyone noticed that no one hits on Che during WU? When it was just Leslie going for Jost, I didn't think anything about it either way. But now they had Bachelor Crazy after him too.

I think Vanessa played a "Girl from every rom-com" type character a few eps back where she awkwardly hit on Che a bit.

[VCRTracking]

It's been bugging me all day but now I realize Kate's blobfish mermaid looks like Jonathan Banks from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul!

[SlackerInc]

Because I'm getting old, the only thing I knew about Ariana Grande was that she licked a doughnut once, but she's a talented little vocal impressionist. That Tidal sketch was bonkers amazing.

 

I didn't even know about the donut licking.  Just, as someone said upthread, "another former Disney singer", which I guess isn't even quite accurate.  But now I think it's fair to say I'm obsessed with her.  Not her own music, which is not my style at all, but her a-mah-zing impressions (I now have also seen the Fallon deal where she did "Wheels on the Bus") and her general comedic stylings (I thought she was quite funny as Maria).

 

As for the rest of the show, my take is closest to that of possibilities, as I thought it was the best ep of the season but I didn't care for the mermaid sketch all that much.  Except I'm with peeayebee in thinking the Ben Carson impression is not very accurate.  Which is weird, because Jay is ordinarily the best impressionist on the show.

[mtlchick]

Ariana's J Law = This year's Christina Aguilera's Kim Cattral from Sex and the City. Both were dead on.

 

Side note: glad we were spared of Ariana's brother Frankie who bugged me on Big Brother.

[Ottis]

I have assumed for years that Ariana Grande is actually a robot, based on her dead eyes and not-quite-there live demeanor. I still think it is possible, however, she is a much more talented robot than I thought. We actually replayed some of her impressions just because they were so spot on that we wondered if she was lip syncing dialogue/songs from the real actor/singer. Her JLAw speaking impression was stunning. Did JLaw tweet anything about it?

 

The one bit of goofiness was the changed camera angle when she did Whitney Houston, as she took on "the lyric." That was just pandering.

 

Best line of the night was Larry David as Bernie Saunders, "young people support me because they really identify with me ... we both have big plans and no idea how to achieve them."

 

Second best line was Colin's, about Leslie Jones finding out.

 

The drunkest girl on The Bachelor was very much like the girl at a party you don't want to talk to, but less funny.

 

Didn't get "The Feminist Song." Was it in reaction to someone saying a popular song actually wasn't empowering to women? I assumed so, but the SNL skit never seemed to go for anything specific, it was just a general statement made over and over. Kind of boring.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Ottis

[Trini]

A few of the celebrity impressions didn't work for me 'Javier Bardem' (voice and looks), 'Idris Alba' (looks mainly), and Grande's Rihanna; but mainly because I don't think anyone else could sing "Work" as well as Rihanna herself. However, I was impressed with her singing Whitney Houston; I for sure thought that was going to be the one she'd mess up.

[ChromaKelly]

Count me in as one who audibly groaned last week at the announcement of Ariana Grande as host. I don't care for her music and thought she was no-personality "celebrity". I was pleasantly surprised by her hosting abilities. (although I still FF'ed through the musical performance). So, why doesn't she sing like that on her own music? She does that breathy, no-oomph style that I can't stand. The monologue alone was better than her singles.

Weekend Update was great. I am really enjoying Che and glad they gave him a chance to get adjusted. I remember how stilted and stumbling he was the first few weeks. Che and Jost have really found their groove and I enjoy their little digs at each other. And Riblet! All I have to do is catch a glimpse of Riblet and I'm in hysterics.
The blobfish was funny and I totally get the comparison someone upthread mentioned about how Kristen Wiig would have played it vs Kate. I actually like Wiig, but I get the dislike of her. She did have a penchant for taking over sketches.
Overall, good episode. Looking forward to Peter Dinklage. Yes!!
 

[VCRTracking]

Didn't get "The Feminist Song." Was it in reaction to someone saying a popular song actually wasn't empowering to women? I assumed so, but the SNL skit never seemed to go for anything specific, it was just a general statement made over and over. Kind of boring.

 

 

That's the joke, that the song didn't want to be specific for fear of offending people. The the writer from The Mary Sue website had a great take on it:

 

Personally, I think this sketch accurately captures the fear of failing other women and letting your own biases get in the way that can accompany making feminist media. Intersectional feminism ain’t easy, and although fear of failure shouldn’t prevent us from trying to be the best allies and the most inclusive feminists we can be, I know that for myself it sometimes does. In the interests of lane-staying, or out of fear of misrepresenting feminism and other women, I sometimes unintentionally double-down on exclusion. For me, I see this video as a reminder that it’s stupid to not aim for more inclusion just because I’m afraid I might fail.

 

I also thought “This Is Not a Feminist Song” was a pretty funny take on the pressure placed on feminist media by men to defend itself outright, as well as the dueling expectation that any female-lead project should be explicitly feminist. It’s fitting that two of the cast members in “This Is Not a Feminist Song” also star in the new Ghostbusters—that’s not a movie that to my knowledge any of the stars or creators have described as feminist; but, because the cast is primarily female, it’s expected to be nonetheless.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2016 by VCRTracking