S42.E14: Alec Baldwin / Ed Sheeran

[Bees]

While I'm super glad that I'm not the only one with a thing for Mikey Day, I can't go too far to say that he makes me not miss Taran because man do I miss him. He had great range and I would've loved to have seen how he did in this season's cast. Also, I think they were both on Wild n' Out together (this was MTV's way to capitalize on how Whose Line is it Anyway? managed to get a niche audience...it was okay). 

[FilmTVGeek80]

1 hour ago, DollEyes said:

The Fatal Attraction spoof was awesome! The way I saw it, it wasn't about sexualizing Kellyanne Conway; it was about mocking her desperate/borderline psychotic need for attention. KAC is definitely fair game and as far as I'm concerned, SNL should not only keep going after her, they should show no mercy. 

On the one hand, I didn't particularly find the "Fatal Attraction" sketch funny, and it did seem a lot darker than their normal stuff. But, as someone who finds Conway to be human toilet film, I say take her down as brutally as possible.

Quote

"I just want ONE DAY of turning on CNN and not being scared to death."

I think the line was about getting CNN alerts on the phone and I definitely related so much. I get those CNN alerts too (as well as other outlets like NY Times) and I always have to brace myself before looking at them lately, especially if I glimpse 45's name.

The Spicer sketch did feel a little like those sequels that are basically just a retread of the original, but since the original Spicer sketch was so hilarious, I didn't mind so much. The leaf blower on Cecily, the dolls, the shilling of Ivanka's stuff, the motorized podium - all gold! 

Edited February 12, 2017 by FilmTVGeek80

[WhosThatGirl]

I didn't find the KAC sketch sexiest, I found it funny and true. I'm also apparently of the few who likes the Chicago sketch of her.

I think the game hungry KAC sketches we are getting now are much better than the ones of her being "don't acknowledge my presence" vibe they were doing. Kelly Anne is addicted to the fame and will go on any show that will have her and will spew made up news to do it.

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, potatoradio said:

 

"I just want ONE DAY of turning on CNN and not being scared to death." Oh my gosh, it's an underrated part in that skit, but whoever played MM got it pretty darn right (thought it was Strong, but wasn't sure). I cheered at that line.  

Yes it was Cecily! Love that line too. And I think what was underrated in that sketch was Cecily's impersonation of Judge MM. She got her mannerisms with the glasses and leaning back in her chair down pat!

[Dev F]

15 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

People's Court: Here's the Trump sketch! And holy crap, it's a callback to the opening sketch! Good to see AND I'M ERIC Trump and Grim Reaper Bannon in the background.

My theory is that they put Death's-Head Bannon in the gallery to make sure the "Trump's character witness" bit played right. If he hadn't been there and Trump had started talking about this great friend and wonderful guy who was ready to testify for him, I imagine a significant portion of the audience would've anticipated a Rosie O'Donnell Bannon cameo or something similar, and would've been disappointed when the character witness just turned out to be Beck's Putin again.

[zxy556575]

I AM HEARTILY SORRY FOR MY SINS, FATHER. I'm offering this act of contrition for never having fully appreciated the comedic wattage of Melissa McCarthy. For these sins and those I cannot now remember, I humbly repent and ask for absolution.

Man, the woman never breaks, never looks like she's reading from the prompter, and is even able to speak around wads of chewing gum. She was adorable and all as Sookie, but her Groundlings experience is really shining through now. (I was also impressed that she was able to lift her leg onto the podium.)

Given the chance, Lorne will always run a sketch into the damned ground, but in this case I probably won't mind.

I just hope my penance isn't that I have to watch Mike and Molly.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Lord Donia

[mtlchick]

What's this?  Someone on Trump's staff had a sense of humour about being portrayed?!  

 

[jschoolgirl]

Elizabeth Warren has been very shrill all of the times I've been around her. I think she comes across as borderline nut job (I am not talking about her political views at all), and I thought Kate's portrayal was WAY too mild.

[Ottis]

8 hours ago, jeansheridan said:

I couldn't even watch the Kellyann sketch. So so bad. I liked their take on her as a hostage to Trump. It still made her seem ridiculous but not so bat shit.

But she IS batshit, driven by a need to be important. I thought that of her long before she joined Trump, and would appear on pundit shows as a "Republican strategist." The held hostage thing SNL started with was never on point. This skit was more accurate, though as someone who saw Fatal Attraction I found watching a copy less interesting than original writing. 

[Lantern7]

Two quick questions:

1. Is there a writer on the New York Times named "Glenn"? If so, does he look like Bobby?

2. You think Melissa/Sean's lectern/podium vehicle was a surprise to the other actors? A few of them look like they didn't see it coming.

ETA: Leslie's sketch reminded me of the bit on SNL where Phil Hartman left a void in the Clinton department, and the other players auditioned. IIRC, the last one was Tim Meadows, who got into it for a few seconds, then was all, "This isn't going to happen, is it?"

[Kel Varnsen]

7 hours ago, DollEyes said:

My verdict: loved it!  I wasn't sure that Melissa McCarthy's newest take on Sean Spicer could top last week's brilliance, but the dolls, the bracelet and the high heels proved otherwise.  And the Segway podium? O!M!G! That was priceless! However, I do think that they should use "Spicy" sparingly and maybe do it one more time before the Season Finale. 

I think that has to be a tough one for them. I mean using McCarthy is getting them even more buzz then Baldwin as Trump lately, so I can see why they would want to use it. Plus I have seen it suggested that Spicer might be on his way out, so it would suck to save that character for the finale and then have him let go a month before that.

[burner]

26 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

1. Is there a writer on the New York Times named "Glenn"? If so, does he look like Bobby?

 

Yes. I actually saw him on one of the CNN roundtables a few days ago and they showed a clip from the previous episode. He seemed super embarrassed and uncomfortable about the whole thing.

[Irlandesa]

28 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

1. Is there a writer on the New York Times named "Glenn"? If so, does he look like Bobby?

Glenn Thrush.  Yes he's real.  I don't think he looks like Bobby but if you Google, you'll be able to see for yourself.  He does reference the recent portrayal on his Twitter, though.  And the great Cecily line about the CNN alerts. 

I thought the episode was terrific.  I think my favorite bit was the Black History Month/Valentine's Day bit.  I would love to know who made the chocolates. I was spoiled for the segway podium but it still made me laugh hard. 

[Racj82]

18 hours ago, JZL said:

I have a cream that the rest of the season will be this good.

Phrasing!

[DXD526]

I want to see as many male Drumpf staffers as possible portrayed by SNL ladies. Leslie as Ben Carson. Make it happen. 

[Lantern7]

4 minutes ago, DXD526 said:

I want to see as many male Drumpf staffers as possible portrayed by SNL ladies. Leslie as Ben Carson. Make it happen. 

I think she's taller. Maybe Universal can negotiate with Viacom to bring in Trevor Noah. His Ben Carson is near . . . the guy that used to play him. You know, Not-Kenan-Not-Michael.

[Bruinsfan]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

What's this?  Someone on Trump's staff had a sense of humour about being portrayed?!  

I can't see Conway being upset about receiving ANY kind of attention. I want to see a skit where she's mesmerized for hours by one of those Jesus portraits where the eyes follow you.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I usually hate this but I want to see a skinny man play Kellyanne. 

Although I personally would also love seeing Melania played as a big fat joke just to get under not-my-president's skin, I do appreciate the show's decision not to use the family members as fodder. The people who ran or went after their jobs are 100 percent fair game. 

[vb68]

Quote

ETA: Leslie's sketch reminded me of the bit on SNL where Phil Hartman left a void in the Clinton department, and the other players auditioned. IIRC, the last one was Tim Meadows, who got into it for a few seconds, then was all, "This isn't going to happen, is it?"

Awesome call back.

Quote

  I want to see as many male Drumpf staffers as possible portrayed by SNL ladies. Leslie as Ben Carson. Make it happen. 

 

Quote

I think she's taller. Maybe Universal can negotiate with Viacom to bring in Trevor Noah. His Ben Carson is near . . . the guy that used to play him. You know, Not-Kenan-Not-Michael.

Don't forget Sasheer! She always needs something to do.  I thought her Beyonce in this one was very good, btw.

Edited February 13, 2017 by vb68

[theatremouse]

The bought-a-boat guy basically did nothing for me, however when he said "naughty Col" I completely cracked up. He didn't lampshade it and for some reason that's why it landed for me.

[helenamonster]

On the one hand, I agree that this show has a penchant for diminishing returns. But knowing how much the original Spicy sketch affected morale at the White House, I can totally understand the temptation to do it again. The thing with Moana? Hilarious! And of course, the segway podium. Melissa is a treasure.

"I'm not going to be ignored, Jake." I loved the Fatal Attraction bit, and don't understand the criticism of it being sexist (the ongoing discussion of gender politics in the original film aside). Conway is just as desperate to be in front of a camera as Alex was to be with Dan. The way she was dressed was just to set the mood of the send-up. Here's the original scene for reference for those who haven't seen the movie (or have only seen it once, like me, because it scared the ever-living bejesus out of them):

Honestly, I would be perfectly happy with a new Tapper/Conway movie parody every week.

I loved Kate's Elizabeth Warren, and The AV Club is super stoked about their shoutout.

The People's Court bit was a nice callback to the Cold Open, and I agree with those who thought Cecily was the best part. "Just ONE DAY I'd like to turn on CNN and not be scared to death."

I felt like the "Leslie as Donald" bit was another great way to needle him about women playing men in his staff. I mean, he was portrayed by not just one woman but two, and one of them was black! You just know he threw a hissy fit about that one. I also liked the continuity of Leslie dating Kyle (and I'm still not totally convinced that that's not real, btw).

My 30 Rock-loving heart fluttered at seeing Alec and Tracy hug during the goodbyes. It's nice to see Tracy doing so well.

Way too excited about Octavia Spencer in March, y'all. I have a good feeling she's gonna kill it.

[vb68]

Quote

My 30 Rock-loving heart fluttered at seeing Alec and Tracy hug during the goodbyes.

And to see the genuine warmth and affection in Alec's face. He doesn't usually let his guard down like that.

[Sesquipedalia]

A Google image search of Glenn Thrush shows him wearing a hat like the one in the skit. I don't see why the portrayal should bother him though. He's just playing the "straight man" being abused by Spicy.

I don't want to be overly dramatic, but I really feel like Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon are geniuses of our time.

The Spicey sketch hit a lot of the same notes as the original but was still so so funny. I may only watch it five times instead of ten.

I used to criticize McKinnon's portrayal of Kellyanne Conway as too soft. But not anymore! Place that Fatal Attraction sketch into the dark humor column. I loved it. (I just tweeted Conway kudos for having a sense of humor about it. Unlike Trump, his staff members at least seem to be able to take a joke.)

McKinnon went a little overboard with Sessions' accent, but I thought her Elizabeth Warren was quite good. The way E-War was played and written was subtle but insightful.

[Eucrid]

Does anyone else think Kate is turning into the new Kirsten Wiig? She is dominating the show far too much. Now don't get me wrong I think Kate is brilliant but did we need 2 new politicial characters from her when she's already Hillary, KAC, Merkel, etc

[fastiller]

8 hours ago, helenamonster said:

My 30 Rock-loving heart fluttered at seeing Alec and Tracy hug during the goodbyes. It's nice to see Tracy doing so well.

 

&

8 hours ago, vb68 said:

And to see the genuine warmth and affection in Alec's face. He doesn't usually let his guard down like that.

I honest-to-God teared up at their hug.  Was going to post about it but thought that'd be odd, then I see I'm not the only viewer who noticed it.  I think it was seeing TM "I Love You" to AB (at least it looked like that was what he said).  Nice to see TM doing well indeed.

[absnow54]

Does anyone else think Kate is turning into the new Kirsten Wiig? She is dominating the show far too much. Now don't get me wrong I think Kate is brilliant but did we need 2 new politicial characters from her when she's already Hillary, KAC, Merkel, etc

I love Kate. She's good at what she does, and she hits every character she's given out of the park, but yes. When she showed up as Jeff Sessions, it was like really? Could nobody else in the cast play him? Then I realized that she's actually the Darrel Hammond of political sketches. You give her a public figure and she effortlessly captures their essence. I think this episode (and this season in general) has been dominated by Kate only because it's been dominated by the election and Trump's presidency, and she's the utility impersonator right now.

[Eucrid]

Thats a good point. She isn't just Hammond though, she's Wiig, Ferrell, Chevy, etc too. She's dominating the show in a way I don't think I've seen in a long time. It just feels there is very little time for the rest of the cast. And maybe thats on them for not raising their game. Can't deny Kate kills it almost every time.

[Milburn Stone]

Seems like somebody had a long talk with Che after last week's disgrace. Good.

Kate McKinnon gets better and better. There's no trace of the "crazy-eyed one-trick-pony" of earlier seasons. Her Elizabeth Warren, lampooning Warren's interrogatory style, was priceless.

[mtlchick]

Quote

I think this episode (and this season in general) has been dominated by Kate only because it's been dominated by the election and Trump's presidency, and she's the utility impersonator right now.

Not to mention her Emmy win. 

[DollEyes]

14 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I think that has to be a tough one for them. I mean using McCarthy is getting them even more buzz then Baldwin as Trump lately, so I can see why they would want to use it. Plus I have seen it suggested that Spicer might be on his way out, so it would suck to save that character for the finale and then have him let go a month before that.

That could be even better: a sketch with the new WH Press Secretary being constantly interrupted by Spicer, who refuses to leave and has to be dragged out by security.

[teddysmom]

Quote

I didn't find the KAC sketch sexiest, I found it funny and true. I'm also apparently of the few who likes the Chicago sketch of her.

I think the game hungry KAC sketches we are getting now are much better than the ones of her being "don't acknowledge my presence" vibe they were doing. Kelly Anne is addicted to the fame and will go on any show that will have her and will spew made up news to do it.

So glad to hear this. On Morning Joe forum, some were stating it was over the top and a sexist trope that "difficult women" are obsessive psychos.

Um. Barbra Streisand could be difficult. KAC is an obsessive psycho.  Stating a fact isn't sexist.  

Quote

My 30 Rock-loving heart fluttered at seeing Alec and Tracy hug during the goodbyes. It's nice to see Tracy doing so well.

Baldwin's line in the monologue of 'being with Lorne Michaels when he ran over someone is why I've hosted 17 times" was SO reminiscent of a 30 Rock Jack Donaghy line. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

12 hours ago, helenamonster said:

The thing with Moana? Hilarious!

I guess Moana isn't Hawaiian, or she would be a citizen?

13 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

I usually hate this but I want to see a skinny man play Kellyanne. 

Did anyone see this?:  http://www.usmagazine.com/news/denis-leary-i-look-like-kellyanne-conway-w464858

[fastiller]

21 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I guess Moana isn't Hawaiian, or she would be a citizen?

I was hoping Cecily Strong's reporter character would bring this up.  (Or any other of the reporter's come to think of it.)

[Bruinsfan]

On 2/12/2017 at 0:07 AM, Lantern7 said:

Seriously, isn't February a sweeps month? Why knock off for two weeks?

They're hitting a 6-year ratings high with the Melissa McCarthy sketches. Maybe just having those two shows in the February Sweeps will actually boost their average ratings?

20 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I guess Moana isn't Hawaiian, or she would be a citizen?

Trump has a long history of asserting that people born in Hawaii aren't US citizens.

[Traveller519]

After last week it was great to see Update go of completely smooth. I enjoyed Guy who Just Bought a Boat to mix it up a bit though. I like what they're hitting, but getting something off the political spectrum was fun. Alex and Beck are going to be in competition for who has the "least desirable junk"

Cecily's Judge was great too!

Please don't run Spicey into the ground, please don't run Spicey into the ground!

[Ottis]

5 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

I enjoyed Guy who Just Bought a Boat to mix it up a bit though. I like what they're hitting, but getting something off the political spectrum was fun.

Forgot about this. This guy just seemed like an adult frat boy to me. What was the connection to a boat? I admit I may have tuned out, once I realized he sounded like every frat boy I knew in college, but 10 years later.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Ottis

[Traveller519]

11 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Forgot about this. This guy just seemed like an adult frat boy to me. What was the connection to a boat? 

He was frequently dropping references to having a boat and basically it being a substitute for his *ahem* junk.

I don't think he'll work as a recurring character, but it's nice to mix it up.

[slowpoked]

I was worried when they brought in Spicey again after such an awesome debut last week. I thought the novelty and surprise of MM would get old really fast, but what I loved about the sketch was they actually improved on last week's, if that was even possible, but hey, this administration is giving them material after material, so there's that. I loved how Spicey started off by saying he's calming down, or trying to calm down, but in the end becomes angry anyway. Then the props to show how the travel ban will be specifically enforced. Then the hawking of Ivanka's stuff - I just lost it when MM showed that Spicey is wearing high-heeled shoes, obviously as a reference to the president's disdain that his Press Sec is being played by a woman on SNL. And the tour de force was the motorized podium, makes it easy for Spicey to run the reporters over. 

They improved on every single aspect of the sketch! Even the bubble gum part. I loved it!

The most amazing part is MM doesn't seem to read from the cue cards, so she's not stuck to looking at one area and can really act as the Press Sec who talks to everyone in the room and looks each reporter in the eye.

EDIT: Who is the musical guest with Octavia Spencer? Either I didn't see one or missed it.

Edited February 13, 2017 by slowpoked

[Writing Wrongs]

23 hours ago, vb68 said:

 

Quote

"I just want ONE DAY of turning on CNN and not being scared to death."

That was the line of the night for sure.  It felt like she was speaking for the whole nation. 

Edited 23 hours ago by vb68.

 

The line was: "I want one day without a CNN alert that scares the hell outta me." and I could not stop rewinding that. So accurate.

[Phishbulb]

Guy who Just Bought a Boat seemed like something Seth Meyers would have done back when he was an actual cast member and used to do sketches on the show. In fact I think I've even seen Seth's brother Josh play a similar douche-y guy character somewhere. 

[Tara Ariano]

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

See Highlights From Alec Baldwin's Solid 17th Hosting Of Saturday Night Live

Spicer returns, and topicality is a gift for the show this week.

[Temperance]

So I really liked it. 

Favorite part of the cold open/Spicer: was when the QVC screen stuff came up (don't watch the channel too much). I thought it was good if a little long. I loved the one piece of gum since real Spicer told her to cut back. Kate as Sessions seems designed to further bother 45 with another woman playing a man.

Furthermore Kate as Elizabeth Warren was easily my favorite part of Weekend update. I really liked it. By the way the AV Club says the shoutout was to review of the show when 45 guest hosted.

Guy who bought a boat needs to loose the complete modern slang and use real words and speak clearly. I couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time and I'm a millennial. 

I also was disappointed Che didn't say anything about the Super Bowl. 

I really didn't like Kellyanne Fatal Attraction scene and yes I saw the movie on tv (too young to have seen in the theater) and it's sort of a sexist movie to begin with.  I agree KAC isn't a hostage, but in the Chicago sketch(which I was thought was good), they brought up she working for Cruise and not Trump originally. Her switch was not just a sellout move on her part, she followed her party as did many other people when Trump became the inevitable nominee. I don't want to get too political, but SNL deals with her motivation. I don't think she's just sellout for money/fame or someone who took a job with so many misgivings; she has some political leanings that make working for the people she works for tolerable.

I loved the  People's Court.  Both Don jr. and Eric were sitting behind their dad.One part I loved was the ending; next case

President Trump

vs. 

A Manager at Nordstroms! Ha!

I liked the Cheetos sketch, and I loved the black history chocolate sketch.

 

On 2/12/2017 at 1:55 AM, Bees said:

Russell Stover Black History Chocolates: I thought this was pretty funny. I liked that there was a Bill Clinton one. Kind of carries onto the Weekend Update joke about Bill being pretty much black. This gave me a good laugh. 

Also, as an aside, I LOVE Ed Sheeran's second song "Castle on the Hill" and it bothers the crap out of me that "Shape of You" is the one that's the big hit instead of "Castle on the Hill" which is just a fantastic song and a breath of fresh air of sorts in a pop music landscape that's just kind of downbeat as hell. 

There is a long tradition that was started by Chris Rock (with one of his stand-up routines)that Bill Clinton was the "First black president". It goes back to the 90s when Bill was president. 

I agree with you that Castle on the Hill is way more interesting  and Shape of You is kind of silly and dumb, but our culture prefers love/break-up/hook-up songs I think. . (Is Castle on the Hill too upbeat in terms of lyrics? I agree it's a better song, but the end is we are no longer kids and have difficult things to deal with.) The first verse to Shape of You is now an earworm since it was on both SNL and the Grammys. It's also possible that Shape of You is really the first single. Castle on the Hill will get it's moment later.

[fastiller]

6 minutes ago, Temperance said:

 

I loved the  People's Court.  Both Don jr. and Eric were sitting behind their dad.One part I loved was the ending; next case

 

And the one on the outside standing up when Alec Trump mentioned a character witness, as if he'd be the one to be called.  That was funny.

[ruby24]

6 hours ago, Eucrid said:

Thats a good point. She isn't just Hammond though, she's Wiig, Ferrell, Chevy, etc too. She's dominating the show in a way I don't think I've seen in a long time. It just feels there is very little time for the rest of the cast. And maybe thats on them for not raising their game. Can't deny Kate kills it almost every time.

I agree on her dominance, but frankly I think it's earned. She's incredible, definitely one of the top ten SNL players of all time, imo.

[AriAu]

Quote

I really didn't like Kellyanne Fatal Attraction scene and yes I saw the movie on tv (too young to have seen in the theater) and it's sort of a sexist movie to begin with.  

The movie was a little sexist and pretty unrealistic, but was terrifying. While I thought the sketch was BRILLIANT, it was almost too close to the movie's tone and KACs motivation to be really, really funny. It was clever and biting and might have been what the White House has been saying-a little too mean. Comedy, and especially political satire, has to walk a fine line between biting and mean. The Chicago parody was clearly on the comedy side of the line, but this one came very, very close to crossing the line and being mean....even if probably true.

[slowpoked]

15 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I agree on her dominance, but frankly I think it's earned. She's incredible, definitely one of the top ten SNL players of all time, imo.

I liked Wiig on SNL, but I think the major difference between her and Kate, IMO, is that Wiig's characters were annoying, and therefore grates easily. Kate does a lot more impressions of real people so you don't quite get annoyed with her presence.

[peacheslatour]

4 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I guess Moana isn't Hawaiian, or she would be a citizen?

Did anyone see this?:  http://www.usmagazine.com/news/denis-leary-i-look-like-kellyanne-conway-w464858

Or Iggy Pop or Willem Dafoe.

[possibilities]

I thought all of Wiig's characters were the same. Kate's are all different.

Count me as another person anticipating greatness from Octavia Spencer. Also, for the person who asked, I don't think they listed the musical guest for her show. For a second I thought: "Wait.. does she sing, too?"

Alec saying "cookie chill-out" instead of "chili cookout" made me laugh.

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, vb68 said:

And to see the genuine warmth and affection in Alec's face. He doesn't usually let his guard down like that.

I also liked his little dance with Leslie right before the credits cut off too.

11 hours ago, Eucrid said:

Does anyone else think Kate is turning into the new Kirsten Wiig? She is dominating the show far too much. Now don't get me wrong I think Kate is brilliant but did we need 2 new politicial characters from her when she's already Hillary, KAC, Merkel, etc

So slowpoked basically wrote my response before I got a chance but having these all be different real people helps tremendously.  Wiig dominated with original characters who not only were annoying but annoying in a similar way.

I also think Kate comes off as a better teammate than Kristen.  She's funny but others are written for too in her skits.

[Bruinsfan]

I've got to disagree with all the Tracy Morgan love. Him never returning to television would have been more than fine with me. After all that hateful drivel he was spewing back in his Nashville show, I'd have cheered on the Wal-Mart driver that crashed into him if not for the other passengers in the limo.