S42.E08: Emma Stone / Shawn Mendes

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Host Emma Stone; musical guest Shawn Mendes

[VCRTracking]

[helenamonster]

I'm excited! I thought her first time hosting was a great episode.

(Also, I have no idea who Shawn Mendes is, but Google points to him being one of those Justin Bieber knockoffs.)

[Princess Sparkle]

I'll give Shawn Mendes some credit - he strikes me as a more talented Justin Bieber. Dude has a pretty good set of pipes on him for a pop singer. 

I do like that the promos this year have started to branch out a little more from the "host and cast member interact on location". Those are still fun, but I think the one above with Emma Stone (and the Dr Strange-type one with Benedict Cumberbatch) have been really cute and well-done. 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Princess Sparkle

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Yeah, they have to say "this really happened" because the truth is far stranger than anything the writers could come up with. Even bringing on the Grim Reaper as Steve Bannon doesn't have that big of a punch. Otherwise, I liked it.

Monologue: I really like the "go through the backstage" monologues. Love that Leslie & Kyle are still a thing.

Student Theater Showcase: We needed Kenan & Vanessa's commentary through this.

Candle: Ahh, this was great. The one candle that gets regifted to everyone is such a great thing to write a song about. Really loved the 90s(?) look to it.

Posters: Really liked this one. Emma's dumb voice was just really funny.

The Hunt For Hill: Yes! I knew that with all the stuff about people meeting Hillary hiking that something like this would be made.

WU: Lots of uncomfortable laughter at this tonight. Good. Comparing the Standing Rock natives to Milton from Office Space was quite apt. Apt! Vanessa as Rachel from Friends is back! And joined by the real Rachel! I actually liked seeing everyone break.

Cleaning Crew Show: This was stupid.

Debette Goldry: Loved that Leslie wanted to be credited for the Olympics. And hey, Jennifer Aniston stuck around! 

Wells For Sensitive Little Boys: Loved this. This was just delightfully weird. And did anyone else notice the band starting up through it?

Mary & Joseph: This was fun. And hey, the backstage llama was finally used in a sketch!

Next time is John Cena. Okay, then. 

EDIT: Trump is already butthurt on Twitter about this episode. Good.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Galileo908

[dkb]

The Debette Goldry sketch was my favorite tonight, Kate is always such a MVP. Emma was great and none of the sketches were too cringey or bad.

I like Shawn Mendes, he has a great voice, and I have to support him as he seems like a good Canadian kid. Please don't turn out like Justin, Shawn.

Edited December 4, 2016 by dkb

[ebk57]

I thought the show was pretty decent tonight.  I was going to say it felt like Emma was hardly in it, but going over the sketches, she was in all of them.  I guess she just blended in with the cast.  Which could be good, or bad...depending.  Sorry I'm just rambling, but the show seemed to kinda ramble to me.  Not bad, but not great.  Decent.

[backformore]

The President Elect has already tweeted that this episode hurt his feelings.  

I mean -  he said it was unwatchable, biased, not funny, and Baldwin's impression couldn't get any worse.  Yeah - hurt feelings.

[vb68]

Quote

EDIT: Trump is already butthurt on Twitter about this episode. Good.

Heh.   I thought they were still pulling their punches with him.  The cold open was no where near as critical or mocking as it could have been.   How soon before it gets meta as they show him tweeting during a sketch that he hates the show now?  

Who thought the monologue was going to be another song?   Not there's anything wrong with that. ;) 

Emma is always a great host and into the show.  She saved some of the weaker sketches,, like the one with math and hotdogs.

Really appreciated the hunt for Hillary sketch.

Update was pretty great.  Leslie just gets bolder and bolder with her material.  "Don't promise me ribs and bring me a short penis."   Ok. Duly noted.  And again, I have no idea if Leslie and Kyle are an actual thing, but I'm rooting for them.   It was funny Jennifer Aniston showed up because I was totally thinking she probably hates that impression.  Cool she stayed for another sketch but odd she skipped the good nights. 

(And speaking of the good nights, Hey Emma turn around.  Sasheer really wanted a hug.) 

Edited December 4, 2016 by vb68

[lou ann b]

I will start with the girly comments-I totally coveted the dress Emma was wearing during the monologue. Of course, I'd have to have her figure first, but.....Want That Dress.

The cold open pointed up something a lot of are still thinking:HE'S actually going to be President in a few weeks. Loved the reactions of Kenan and New Guy.

Candle:I was ROLLING. Been on the receiving and giving end of The Candle. ROLLING.

 

More tomorrow. Still want the dress.

[MerBearHou]

Favorite thing from tonight's show:  the monologue dress (totally agree, lou ann b!).  Who is the designer??

The candle sketch killed me -- so true, so true and the singers in minks were hilarious.

Shawn Mendes has a ton of talent -- really enjoyed him.

Skipped WU to walk my dog.  It was still on when we got back -- must have been a long WU.

I agree that Emma seemed to just blend in which is fine -- she's always such a game host.  It wasn't a super dynamic show but steadily enjoyable.

Emma and Aidy were funny together at the beginning (attended the same high school -- impressive for Xavier) and I laughed when Beck thought she was excited to see him in the hall, but it was for Aidy.

Kate McKinnon is just stellar.  My gosh.

Is Bobby really engaged?

Yep, I heard the band start up a little too soon during the boy with the well skit.  SN Live!

I've always watched the end of show goodbyes and hugs really closely and noticed all kinds of awkwardness like who wants a hug but doesn't get one, who turns to someone, looks at them and then moves on to find someone different, who looks like no one will talk to them...it's a very awkward scene every single week that seems very high-schoolish, if you ask me.

Edited December 4, 2016 by MerBearHou

[Peace 47]

21 minutes ago, vb68 said:

And again, I have no idea if Leslie and Kyle are an actual thing, but I'm rooting for them.

I know it's probably in bad taste to ship real people, but they're so cute together!  I kind of wish they were "real."

Emma is such a pro.  She's wonderful.  She really made that nativity sketch.  "Super cute during every day of my 14 years."  Haha.

[VCRTracking]

The "Fisher Price Wells for Sensitive Boys" commercial was brilliant.

Emma has always been a great host.  Especially loved her in the posters sketch.

Jennifer Aniston appearing twice was a nice surprise.

That Trump is so ridiculously thin-skinned is now terrifying to me once he gets in office.

[TV Anonymous]

Too bad that the writer did not know that the President of Taiwan was a woman.

[jmonique]

I really wish the show would stop acting like Kellyanne Conway has any kind of regrets about the election.

[Mumbles]

Quote

I really wish the show would stop acting like Kellyanne Conway has any kind of regrets about the election.

Yeah, just look at that blowup fight up at Harvard this week. She's thrilled that Trump won.

To me the big surprise is that Bobby Moynihan is close to 40. I had to Wikipedia it and it's true. 

I wonder if this must be the end of the Rachel Green appearances? Too soon.

I was never fully on board with the horny Leslie Jones shtick but at thus point I just tune out.

[fastiller]

10 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Cold Open: Yeah, they have to say "this really happened" because the truth is far stranger.... 

<snip>

EDIT: Trump is already butthurt on Twitter about this episode. Good.

And Danielle Muscato (my new Internet hero) responded in epic fashion.

[Fabricationary]

7 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

The "Fisher Price Wells for Sensitive Boys" commercial was brilliant.

Agreed.  The little boy cupping his hands over his mouth and then releasing his "secret" to the well seemed like a Stefon reference to me.

[vb68]

Quote

I was never fully on board with the horny Leslie Jones shtick but at thus point I just tune out.

I never fully understand the criticism.  Not really. Yes, she's loud and audacious. But I find it empowering for a woman who's nearly 50 years old to own that type of shtick. And she is genuinely hilarious IMO.   

Edited December 4, 2016 by vb68

[Primetimer]

Sure hope you like humor about teenagers and high school!

View the full article

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

The candle sketch killed me -- so true, so true and the singers in minks were hilarious.

I absolutely LOVED this! I want to give someone a peach candle for xmas, but only if they watched the show.

 

Quote

I laughed when Beck thought she was excited to see him in the hall, but it was for Aidy.

That was great. The whole backstage monologue was a lot of fun, like when Vanessa says she made two movies, Trainwreck and another one.

 

Quote

I've always watched the end of show goodbyes and hugs really closely and noticed all kinds of awkwardness like who wants a hug but doesn't get one, who turns to someone, looks at them and then moves on to find someone different, who looks like no one will talk to them...it's a very awkward scene every single week that seems very high-schoolish, if you ask me.

I tried to watch the goodbyes last night because people here talk about it, but it just doesn't interest me. It may be kind of high-schoolish, but I'm sure a lot of it is that the people aren't aware that someone behind them is waiting for a hug. There's always an odd man out. The high-schoolish part, imo, is how viewers watch this.

 

2 hours ago, jmonique said:

I really wish the show would stop acting like Kellyanne Conway has any kind of regrets about the election.

But it's so funny! It helps the sketches a lot when her 'character' regrets what she has done and knows she sold her soul. Whether or not Conway really feels that way doesn't really matter, does it? Either way, she is part of the people to blame for his election.

Alec Baldwin is so so good as DT, and it's awesome that it gets Trump's goat. GOOD! I really loved that they pointed out that the retweets were real. (I had heard about the first, but not the second). For a moment I thought they were show one of his unflattering (i.e., accurate) photos, but it was much better when it turned out to be a plate of mashed potatoes. Kenan screaming when it was mentioned that there are only 7 weeks to inauguration was great. 

The Student Theatre Showcase was good. It always is. I loved Kenan saying that it wasn't just Mandarin because he heard them say dog in Spanish a few times. I had heard it too. Perro. I thought the 'basketball' improv was actually pretty funny.

The weakest sketch for me was the math one. I didn't really like Emma's dumb blonde hot dog poster, though that's where most of the laughs came from. Still, I thought everyone else in this sketch was better than she was. I wondered why Pete started cracking up when Kenan started speaking.

The Hunt for Hill was great. 

WU was also good. Trump's Thank You Tour is the absolutely the most Trumpian thing ever. He can't get enough applause, can he. I still can't imagine him doing press conferences. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do them at all. Like, "Submit your questions and I will answer them on Twitter." The stuff with the Dakota pipeline is just angering. The pipeline could have gone thru Bismarck, but there are white people living there. The Lucy "or that bitch cray" cracked me up. I loved seeing Vanessa doing Rachel from Friends. JA actually being there didn't add anything. She was only there to promote their movie. Bleh.

The office cleaning crew xmas songs were hilarious. I can imagine them being real, and Leslie doing the cheek-popping was excellent.

The Paley Center sketch was ok. Debette Goldry made it work.

I was a Iittle uncomfortable with the Fisher-Price playsets for sensitive boys because the boy seemed to be autistic. I thought the boy portraying him was very good, but maybe it would have worked better for me if the boy or performance was a little different. Still, the sketch was well done. Loved Vanessa and Bobby.

I wish I liked the Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sketch more. My favorite part was when the shepherds said, "We wish to look upon him!" and Joseph  said, "Sure! Take a look." I really like Emma Stone, but I didn't like how she played Mary. I'm not sure what would have been better for me. Maybe it's just me.

BTW, I had to rewind as I watched this on my DVR to catch that NBC has a new show coming called The Wall. I figure this was in the works before the election.

Edited December 4, 2016 by peeayebee

[futurechemist]

Emma Stone was very funny and versatile tonight, she did seem to be 1 of the cast.

I thought the cold open wasn't that impressive.  I was hoping for something more than just "here's some actual stuff that Trump did recently".  Also, I didn't get why Bannon was dressed as the Grim Reaper. I was hoping for something bolder like a Klan robe or Nazi uniform.

Interesting during Update that the audience didn't seem to be responding much to the harsher jokes.  Che saying that the North Dakota police should be asking if they were the bad guys didn't get much response, and his rant about the smoke law being a (pardon the pun) smokescreen to replace poor tenants with rich people got no audience response at all.

I fell asleep during Shawn Mendes' 2nd song, so I guess that's my review of his music.

[JZL]

I know those bumper pictures are touched up a lot, but Emma Stone sure is pretty.  That said, her monologue dress made me cringe, which says something since I'm a middle-aged guy who usually doesn't care about that stuff. 

It's interesting to see how the show is going to treat Trump, but it looks like the gloves are off, as they should be.  Unlike Obama, Trump is a comedic geyser.  When will it get to the point that conservative businesses start threatening to pull advertising?  

I didn't care much for Che's police joke but the the tenant joke with the little phonetic "coke" twist at the end was hilarious.  I thought the audience laughed.  I'll have to go back and see.

Edited December 4, 2016 by JZL

[candall]

36 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

... The Wall. I figure this was in the works before the election.

Well, one hopes so!  Yikes.

 

I thought it was a good solid show.  I'd be happy to see the women do a video song every week, and I thought that "Wishing Well for Sensitive Boys" showed some creative thinking in the writers' room--from scratch, as it were, instead of "Hmm, no one's seen Hillary around much, what can we do with that?"  (Although "The Hunt For Hil" was clever.)

Critically, I'm over both Rachel and Jennifer, and I thought Shawn Mendes was pop music decent, but his (lack of) breath control bugged.

 

I hope Alec Baldwin stays strong and healthy and continues to be committed to his DT portrayal.  After watching all the political/media talking heads kill themselves all week being delicate and diplomatic, it feels sort of stunning to have someone, anyone, skip the tiptoeing.  Crazy to say, but I think it's a service to the country, and even to the man himself.

Keep watching, Mr. President-Elect.  It's a mirror which apparently no one else is holding up.

[wknt3]

14 hours ago, backformore said:

The President Elect has already tweeted that this episode hurt his feelings.  

I mean -  he said it was unwatchable, biased, not funny, and Baldwin's impression couldn't get any worse.  Yeah - hurt feelings.

At this point it's a feedback loop. I really don't think Baldwin is particularly interested in doing the character anymore. He thought it would be a short term gig that would allow him to build his personal brand, attack someone he didn't like, make a couple points, and set up some other project he had more interest in and now he has no real clue as to what to do given the unexpected results as well as public expectations and the demands of the behind the scenes backer who has allowed him to come back from his previous bad behavior. (Seems familiar somehow... ) I really think the only reason he's still doing at this point besides not wanting to alienate Lorne is because he really does hate Trump and enjoys the fact that it so clearly gets under his skin. I certainly don't feel any sense that he his having fun like he was at the beginning even if he was still motivated by the desire to make a point and insult Trump. So it becomes even more personal which leads to a bigger hissy fit which means the next cold open is even more personally insulting...

4 hours ago, jmonique said:

I really wish the show would stop acting like Kellyanne Conway has any kind of regrets about the election.

I actually thought that Kate was funnier as Conway than Baldwin was as Trump. There is a bit of a stylistic clash here - Baldwiin is going for vicious satire and pointed attacks while Kate is creating a character that really isn't trying to make a point, but simply attempting to be funny by mimicking a few surface characteristics. Which is more typical of SNL's political humor over the years at least as far as sketches are concerned. To me the bigger failure was Bannon as the grim reaper - it wasn't really funny or sharp and insightful and felt more like they wanted to include him, but didn't really have any jokes. Or they had to re-write because John Goodman backed out at the last moment and nobody in the cast could do him.

Edited December 4, 2016 by wknt3
additional thoughts

[cpcathy]

I only really liked the CO, WU and the Mary and Joseph sketch. The rest just fell flat for me. Why did we need Jennifer Aniston twice? Isn't she over yet? She took up too much time, I really did want to see more of Vanessa's Rachel, although every time I think she needs to wear something other than the overalls, and then continuously tug at the bottom of her shirt, it's another acting "quirk" of Jen's.

I notice, that other Presidents have taken SNL's ribbing in stride, like Bill Clinton having Darrell (in matching tuxes!) at some function to play him, and George H. W. meeting Dana Carvey in person, and, though not SNL, Obama having his "anger translator" with him at the WHCD. Why can't Trump understand this is part of the deal?

[vb68]

Quote

Or they had to re-write because John Goodman backed out at the last moment and nobody in the cast could do him.

I'm sure that Bobby could have a field day with Bannon, but they used him in the sketch as a random that Trump retweeted.  Beck could also do in a pinch.  I think the main issue so far is that Bannon is a behind the scenes player and there aren't many clues as to his personal characteristics yet. Going over the top as the grim reaper is sorta easy (and sure, lazy) but also kinda makes sense. 

Spot on analysis of Alec's motivations.  Loyalty to Lorne is the biggest factor right now in him still doing the impression, I think.  I still think the cold open could have been sharper. But admittedly I was looking for something with the phone call to the President of Taiwan.   

Edited December 4, 2016 by vb68

[ruby24]

I don't like the Conway character being treated with kid gloves either. That person is absolutely evil, despicable and soulless. A monster. I don't know where they're getting this idea that she has regrets or whatever. She's his Joseph Goebbels.

The Hunt for Hil was great!

Edited December 4, 2016 by ruby24

[peeayebee]

19 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

I notice, that other Presidents have taken SNL's ribbing in stride, like Bill Clinton having Darrell (in matching tuxes!) at some function to play him, and George H. W. meeting Dana Carvey in person, and, though not SNL, Obama having his "anger translator" with him at the WHCD. Why can't Trump understand this is part of the deal?

He has no sense of humor about himself, no self-deprecation. The end.

[Bees]

Maybe I've just been spoiled with how good some of the episodes were, but I felt like this one wasn't that great (granted I didn't like the Wiig episode much either).

Cold Open: It was alright. My favorite part was Kenan getting the jibblies realizing they're at a point where it's at the point where we can count weeks and not months before it happens. Also, they're being way too easy on Kellyanne Conway. I almost want to say it's kind of sexist because they're basically holding a woman unaccountable for her actions because vagina. I feel like there's better people to use for that.  

Monologue: I enjoyed Vanessa in this. And pretty cool to hear that Aidy and Emma went to the same high school. I enjoyed the Macguffin in the background of the llama and the weird continuity of Leslie and Kyle. By the way, is it just me or is there a lot of amusing continuity stuff this season on SNL? There's at least another example but I can't remember exactly what it was.

Student Theatre Showcase: Vanessa and Kenan are the real stars of this sketch, IMO. Their snark of the holier than thou but well-meaning high schoolers is the best. I liked the part with AIDS. It reminds me of how a lot of my friends seem to act with things like that. Like the sentiment is there but the execution is just so hilarious wrong. 

Candle: Yeah, this is too accurate. And it captures that weird 90s Christmas music feel they were going for. The plights of Secret Santas, man. I feel like there's a cheesy yet touching Christmas Story buried in here about the candle that has been passed down from family to family, just wanting to bring the Christmas Spirit into someone's house and finally someone lights them and they were able to spread the joy they longed to spread...okay I just made myself a little verklempt.

Posters: At first I thought this was going to be a rehash of that sketch where they go inside a teen's (played by Davidson) head where they dismiss old memories to remember new ones. I remember Nicki Minaj was in that one. Anyways, I wasn't really that big on this one. I did like Kate getting so annoyed that she went over and ate the hot dog. This feels like something that would've aired in the Wiig years where she'd play the hot chick just suck the life out of the rest of the sketch.

The Hunt for Hill: Seeing a show or two that were much like those Hunt for Mythical Creatures or whatever, this was accurate. I thought this was very well done and was funny as hell. Especially the shoeprint and the Wisconsin Recount Bait. 

Weekend Update: Not their best. Also, as someone noted above, isn't the President of Taiwan a woman? I enjoyed Leslie Jones as usual. I know she's polarizing but I enjoyed her. I'm forever on the Leslie/Jost train. Sorry Kyle/Leslie fans. Just kidding, of course! The Rachel from Friends thing was alright, did like seeing Jennifer Aniston though. And the nacho segue was great. Also as someone who blames the Election Results mainly on the Democratic Party, I appreciated the joke about the Thank You Tour having a stop to the Democratic Party HQ. 

Office Cleaning Crew: The weakest sketch of the night, IMO. I did like how Beck was oddly enjoying the entire thing. I always enjoy when like everybody but one person is against something. I just like the weirdly subversive one dude/lady who is like "Let's see what else they got!"

Debette Goldry: Interesting to see her back again. Also interesting to see Jennifer Aniston back too. I liked it, but as I've said before, I feel like this could've been a lot more oomph to it. Like a "You and your first world problems..." which it sort of goes but not all the way. Though, that also could go the wrong way as well because I meant it more in a "Yes, we got some more progress to go before full on equality, but look at how things were back then and let's also recognize how far we've come".

Wishing Well for Sensitive Boys: I enjoyed this. I knew a many sensitive boys who could've used a toy like this. Hell I would've probably spent my time just hanging around this as a kid and I'm a girl. Though part of my brain was thinking that they may have unintentionally been conflating sensitivity and autism. At least that's the vibe I got. I did like how Emma's character was like "YOU HAVE EVERYTHING!!" as if it's the other boy's fault that he isn't a "sensitive boy" (even though you never really know about that stuff because perhaps there is a sensitivity there). Anyways, I liked it.

Mary and Joseph: See, the llama came into play! I liked the idea of this a lot but I felt like the execution just fell a little flat. I did love the joke of "For all 14 years of my life" as it points out that a lot of those women in the Bible were quite young to be mothers by today's standards. 

Anyways, the show was okay. I wasn't as big of a fan as others were, but there were enjoyable moments. I just played Pokemon during Shawn Mendes' performances. Next week we got JOHN CENA!! (sorry...I can't resist the meme) which could go either way but I feel like he'll be really good. Wrestlers tend to do well with live settings, you know. And with Casey Affleck the week after, there'll be two weeks in a row with New England ties (Cena is from West Newbury, MA). So yeah looking forward to seeing how the first half of the season ends.

[Quickbeam]

Leslie has a lovely figure. 

[Charlie Baker]

Enjoyed it.  But I missed Les Jeunes de Paris--didn't ES do the first one?  Therefore I missed Taran.

[wknt3]

2 hours ago, vb68 said:

I'm sure that Bobby could have a field day with Bannon, but they used him in the sketch as a random that Trump retweeted.  Beck could also do in a pinch.  I think the main issue so far is that Bannon is a behind the scenes player and there aren't many clues as to his personal characteristics yet. Going over the top as the grim reaper is sorta easy (and sure, lazy) but also kinda makes sense.

I'm not sure that Bobby could do him justice. He has the right body type sure and has done some good work playing shlubs, schmucks and opportunists. But has he ever played an outright sociopathic asshole? I wonder if we wouldn't have a repeat of the Darrel Hammond as Trump problem where he just doesn't go for the jugular enough. I agree that there isn't a lot out there for casual viewers to recognize. But why include him at all if you don't have either a hook or anything insightful to say?

[JZL]

3 hours ago, wknt3 said:

I really don't think Baldwin is particularly interested in doing the character anymore. He thought it would be a short term gig that would allow him to build his personal brand, attack someone he didn't like, make a couple points, and set up some other project he had more interest in and now he has no real clue as to what to do given the unexpected results as well as public expectations and the demands of the behind the scenes backer who has allowed him to come back from his previous bad behavior. (Seems familiar somehow... ) I really think the only reason he's still doing at this point besides not wanting to alienate Lorne is because he really does hate Trump and enjoys the fact that it so clearly gets under his skin. I certainly don't feel any sense that he his having fun like he was at the beginning even if he was still motivated by the desire to make a point and insult Trump. So it becomes even more personal which leads to a bigger hissy fit which means the next cold open is even more personally insulting...

His counter-tweet today was along the lines of, "Show us your tax returns and I'll stop!" 

It's not exactly the kind of role where you can tell whether the actor is having fun, is it, being so dour and all?

[theatremouse]

24 minutes ago, JZL said:

It's not exactly the kind of role where you can tell whether the actor is having fun, is it, being so dour and all?

I think he is almost certainly not enjoying one second of it, because he thought it would not have been necessary for him to be doing it at this point, and given the reason why he still is, he would gladly have never needed to do that impression ever again.

[peeayebee]

Sure, Baldwin wishes Trump hadn't been elected, but I think he's enjoying the heck out of needling Trump.

[Sesquipedalia]

4 hours ago, candall said:

I hope Alec Baldwin stays strong and healthy and continues to be committed to his DT portrayal.  After watching all the political/media talking heads kill themselves all week being delicate and diplomatic, it feels sort of stunning to have someone, anyone, skip the tiptoeing.  Crazy to say, but I think it's a service to the country, and even to the man himself.

Keep watching, Mr. President-Elect.  It's a mirror which apparently no one else is holding up.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it's a service to the country. And I agree with others that Kate McKinnon's Kellyanne Conway is way too soft and sympathetic. It seems like she and the writers are having a hard time coming up with a take on her that rings true.

I've only watched the Cold Open, The Candle, Hill Hunting, and Rachel/Jennifer Anniston so far and thought they were all pretty funny.

I keep getting all these articles across my Facebook about the bright side of Hillary losing--at least she gets to walk in the woods , not wear makeup, and be a regular person! I hate these articles so much. To me her wandering around in the woods is emblematic of my lost soul and the soul of the country. The Hill Hunting sketch was the first thing that made me laugh about it. 

Now I feel like I can never give a candle as a gift again, even though I actually really like candles.

[Mumbles]

15 minutes ago, Sesquipedalia said:

It seems like she and the writers are having a hard time coming up with a take on her that rings true.

The one that they used for Family Feud on the Margot Robbie episode - a Conway who could just spew lies and spin stories without batting an eye - was good but it's hard to use in the context of these post-election sketches.

[Johnny Dollar]

I liked the high school sketch the best. The fact that all of the students were white and apparently from fairly affluent families seemed to be lost on some.

[Dee]

3 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

Enjoyed it.  But I missed Les Jeunes de Paris--didn't ES do the first one?  Therefore I missed Taran.

I  also missed Les Jeunes de Paris. And yes, ES was in the initial sketch.

This season has been pretty good thus far but the absence of Taran and Jay continue to be a huge blow, especially since the two new guys are fairly meh imo.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Dee

[Fostersmom]

Who amongst us haven't given and received the candle? Or received and given it? Sometimes in the same Christmas? Or the body wash/lotion set for that matter. That one made a really nice gift for my nephew's girlfriend last Christmas after I got it from my bosses along with a check. It even came with a candle too! LOL!

I'm holding out hope the next time Trump goes off on a Twitter rant after the cold open they manage to cover it in the weekend update during the same show. Or better yet, get Baldwin to make an appearance at the desk quoting it. That might just make Trump's head literally spin. 

Emma did a good job. I liked all the sketches except the talking poster one, that one was just stupidly executed. I really like the nativity scene sketch, but it might help I'm an atheist so the religious aspect was removed for me. 

[Princess Sparkle]

17 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Is Bobby really engaged?

 

He actually got married over the summer (I saw him on Seth Meyers talking about it). 

17 hours ago, lou ann b said:

I will start with the girly comments-I totally coveted the dress Emma was wearing during the monologue. Of course, I'd have to have her figure first, but.....Want That Dress.

 

I want that dress too.  I'm sure it's way out of my price range, but I'd love it in my closet.

I was on the floor with the high school theater sketch. "That's the rules of the holocaust" and "Yup, you guessed it; I have AIDS!" just killed me.  The candle song was fantastic as well. I would venture to say that every woman has received some version of "the candle".  The promotion of Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelley to head writers was a really good move, because on the whole, the writing for the show has been better and a whole lot tighter than it was last season. 

I don't always love when the cast breaks, but I found myself in a fit of giggles when both Leslie and Colin broke during WU, and when Pete was fighting to keep from completely losing it when Kenan first entered during the poster sketch. 

I continually notice that while the three new supporting cast members haven't necessarily had a standout sketch, they all fit into the cast very seamlessly.  I think all three have already had more screen time than Jon Rudnitsky did for all of last season. 

[vb68]

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I'm not sure that Bobby could do him justice. He has the right body type sure and has done some good work playing shlubs, schmucks and opportunists. But has he ever played an outright sociopathic asshole? 

Well, there's Chris Christie depending on where you would put him on that spectrum. Oh, and Snookie. (I kid. Kinda.)  I think Bobby could play it no problem. He has a better range than he generally gets credit. '

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But why include him at all if you don't have either a hook or anything insightful to say?

I think they just wanted a quick joke about the quality and influence of the people Trump is appointing and listening to, and they did that. Again, I still agree it was lazy. 

[stonehaven]

I really loved the WU piece on Standing Rock....and cheered loudly.....the Hunting For Hill sketch was awesome..hope it continues....and I did love the opening sketch and felt they were calling Drumpf out on a lot of things...Build the Swamp being one...

[backformore]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Sure, Baldwin wishes Trump hadn't been elected, but I think he's enjoying the heck out of needling Trump.

The best part is that a skit about Trump tweeting is followed by Trump going on Twitter to bitch about the skit.   Trump's response makes it funnier, almost like the point of the skit was to provoke him to tweet about it. 

So next week, maybe it will be followed by a skit about Trump tweeting about the skit about him tweeting, and then he'll HAVE to tweet about that.  And on into infinity. 

[potatoradio]

7 hours ago, candall said:

I hope Alec Baldwin stays strong and healthy and continues to be committed to his DT portrayal.  After watching all the political/media talking heads kill themselves all week being delicate and diplomatic, it feels sort of stunning to have someone, anyone, skip the tiptoeing.  Crazy to say, but I think it's a service to the country, and even to the man himself.

Keep watching, Mr. President-Elect.  It's a mirror which apparently no one else is holding up.

This ^. So much.

I thought the WU humor has gotten far edgier and biting than it has been and I think that's a good thing. No kid gloves. I like political humor that needles and questions and gets a little uncomfortable. We need that now. 

It's just sad how much more likable and human KM's portrayal of Dementor Conway is than the actual person. The actual person is beyond reprehensible to me and I can't even watch her without throwing up in my mouth.

Loved the candle and the Hunt for Hill and the high school drama sketches. Those had me spitting out my drink. That's a good night. 

[Irlandesa]

20 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I've always watched the end of show goodbyes and hugs really closely and noticed all kinds of awkwardness like who wants a hug but doesn't get one, who turns to someone, looks at them and then moves on to find someone different, who looks like no one will talk to them...it's a very awkward scene every single week that seems very high-schoolish, if you ask me.

It reminds me of being in Catholic Church when I was a kid and after "Our Father" there was a bunch of "May the Peace Be With Yous" and handshakes. (I think it was after Our Father--it has been a long time since I've been to church.) And since you're in pews, there are only so many options of people whose hands you can shake.  And inevitably, you will turn around and try to shake someone's hand who is talking to someone else. And it's kind of awkward.  That's what these look like to me.  There's only so many places to go and so many people in the immediate vicinity to hug and there's a little bit of luck involved in finding someone free.

[Fannysue]

22 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Trump is already butthurt on Twitter about this episode. Good.

Good!  Maybe if the show keeps annoying him, it will keep him  tweeting in overtime and keep  him from doing much damage to our country
!

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, JZL said:

"Show us your tax returns and I'll stop!" 

Ha!

4 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I'm holding out hope the next time Trump goes off on a Twitter rant after the cold open they manage to cover it in the weekend update during the same show. Or better yet, get Baldwin to make an appearance at the desk quoting it. That might just make Trump's head literally spin. 

Yes, please!!

Like several others, I also liked the monologue dress so much that I was planning to comment on it. Didn't realize it would be so popular, since usually the clothes I like turn out to be the ones other people don't.

I thought the Bannon joke was that he was kind of the last straw for a lot of people who were already upset about who Trump was choosing to work with. Bannon was the death knell to all hope and the moment quite a few people stopped thinking maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be as bad as was feared. They could have used a devil costume, too. Basically, it just had to be something seriously bad which no one could like.

Loved the Mary skit. I never even thought before about how the woman just gave birth (in a barn!) and is receiving unfamiliar men as guests. Loved her exasperation.

I thought Leslie's WU bit tonight was not about her being horny. It was advice to men on how to please a woman-- that's more about her knowing what's what than her usual schtick about her being unwanted. I liked WU quite a bit, overall, but I usually do.

Baldwin has said he doesn't enjoy doing the Trump impression. I was surprised he's still around. Maybe he agreed to stay until/unless they get someone else who's equally good at it. Every moment Trump is tweeting, he's not launching a nuclear attack or otherwise governing the country, so I am happy enough to keep him busy watching and reacting to comedic criticism. Anything to keep him from actually focusing on doing his job will be good for the world.

[VCRTracking]

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I wish I liked the Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sketch more. My favorite part was when the shepherds said, "We wish to look upon him!" and Joseph  said, "Sure! Take a look." I really like Emma Stone, but I didn't like how she played Mary. I'm not sure what would have been better for me. Maybe it's just me.

I'm not sure either. I thought it was okay but a better sketch was when David Alan Grier hosted back in 1995 about the three wise men on their way to Bethlehem and the one played by Grier realized he didn't bring a gift!

Edited December 5, 2016 by VCRTracking