S43.E06: Chance the Rapper / Eminem

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Hosted by Chance the Rapper; Eminem is the musical guest.

[vb68]

I'm not surprised at all that Chance is hosting. It seems like the show has really taken him under its wing and is super supportive of him. I think it was a huge break for him when he was the musical guest for the first time.

[Galileo908]

Just a heads up to the people who like my posts: I'm gonna be out late tonight and am gonna miss it, and I'll post when I can. 

This one looks like a good one.

Edited November 18, 2017 by Galileo908

[JZL]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Just a heads up to the people who like my posts: I'm gonna be out late tonight and am gonna miss it, and I'll post when I can. 

This one looks like a good one.

This is so confusing-- you mean you have a life?

[formerlyfreedom]

3 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Just a heads up to the people who like my posts: I'm gonna be out late tonight and am gonna miss it, and I'll post when I can. 

This one looks like a good one.

Thanks for the heads up, @Galileo908! We'd worry if we didn't know!

[DollEyes]

Chance the Rapper is the second host suggestion in a row that SNL has approved. At this rate I should be a booking agent. : p

[formerlyfreedom]

Alex Moffat as Eric is never NOT going to make me laugh, you guys. I seriously 'less than three' that portrayal.

[Ms Blue Jay]

This episode is good.  I haven't said that in a while.  Chance is a success.

[Mystery]

I was laughing out loud at Pete Davidson, who I usually don't find all that funny, on WU. "That's a DEATH threat! In a NEWSpaper!" The best thing was that he was using actual newspaper quotes. 

Chance was pretty good; he seemed game for everything. I agree that Alex's Eric Trump will always be funny. 

[formerlyfreedom]

I think this was my favorite episode all season. Great job by Chance the Rapper, and loved seeing so many of the cast!

[mortonsalt]

2 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I think this was my favorite episode all season. Great job by Chance the Rapper, and loved seeing so many of the cast!

Yes, this was one of the best episodes for awhile. Everyone got something to do, and I loved how they actually utilized Chance the Rapper. It seems like too many of the shows this season have barely used the guest host. I think Chance the Rapper was in every skit except the cold open. 

Is that the first time they've only done one musical performance? I was wondering what was going on when it kept going on and on, but I thought there was going to be another musical performance later. Then I thought maybe Eminem had to leave early which is why they just hat one long performance, but then he was there at the end of the show. So I'm back to being clueless as to what was going on there.

[opus]

A nice touch during the hockey sketch was that the scores and records scrolling at the bottom were actually from tonight's games.

And yes, it feels empty without the Galileo908 review...

Edited November 19, 2017 by opus

[Peace 47]

26 minutes ago, Mystery said:

I was laughing out loud at Pete Davidson, who I usually don't find all that funny, on WU. "That's a DEATH threat! In a NEWSpaper!" The best thing was that he was using actual newspaper quotes. 

I thought that Pete’s bit was the highlight of the show.  That was so funny how the Staten Island newspaper is all heart eyes emoji for Colin and still pissed at Pete for his diss.

To me, it seemed like the audience was really not feeling the cold open, but I thought it had some good lines and was better than last week’s.  Particularly Eric calling Wikileaks “Ricki Lakes.”

I thought Chance’s best sketch was the hockey one.  I liked when he said, “reporting from hell” or something like that.  It’s not really cold at hockey games, though, right?  That emphasis on how cold it was seemed a little weird.  But I liked when he turned the guy around, saw “Skj” on the jersey and promptly gave up.  Good acting.

Edited to delete my Family Feud sketch comment!  Didn’t realize Steve Harvey was that slimy in real life, too.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Peace 47

[Mystery]

2 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

I thought Chance’s best sketch was the hockey one.  I liked when he said, “reporting from hell” or something like that.  It’s not really cold at hockey games, though, right?  That emphasis on how cold it was seemed a little weird.  But I liked when he turned the guy around, saw “Skj” on the jersey and promptly gave up.  Good acting.

I didn’t care for the Family Feud sketch.  It seemed a little weird to make up some story about a real person having an illegitimate child and sleeping around on tour, even if it was just for a silly joke (unless Steve Harvey is known for all that—I don’t know anything about him).  For something that worked better in a similar vein, I think of that one Tracey Morgan Family Feud sketch where he left Leslie’s character for a new family.

It can get cold right down on the ice, and when you first sit in the stands, but gradually the warmth of all the bodies and the alcohol (what? some people go to hockey games and don't drink beer?) warms you up. That was good acting by Chance. When he did his initial report and then the other two anchors started asking him questions (keeping him down there on the ice), he let his shoulders slump a little. A nice subtle acting choice. 

Steve Harvey is a notorious cheater. 

[Lantern7]

Can't blame Pete for badmouthing Staten Island . . . though I've never found heroin or meth in my years living there. Granted, I didn't really look for those. Also didn't know the borough was that in the tank (weeds?) for Colin. It seemed like yesterday where everybody was crapping on his WU gig. Today, he's found a groove with Michael, and he only does the Leslie/Kyle sketches. It's a good life.

[vb68]

I thought this one was pretty solid all the way through. I don't know if it had a big viral breakout that everybody will be talking about, but it was just a fun show and the energy flowed better than it has all season.

The opening was basically all I'm Eric, but that's fine with me. Maybe they are starting to move on from Alec as Trump?

Chance is both very charming and seemingly sincere. That's not always easy. He seemed a bit nervous at first, but his Thanksgiving song was really good. (I did giggle at him saying there are no Thanksgiving songs because Adam Sandler might dispute that. As well as my brother who still sings "Love to eat Turkey" every year. Seriously.)

I liked the Bruce Wayne sketch. Maybe he does have some things to consider or get Woke as they say.

And Family Feud was clever. I wonder what the real Steve Harvey thought of that. And I'm assuming the extra guy was a writer next to Che.

Update was good. They didn't spare Al Franken. I may be a minority on this, but I like Bruce Chandling. I think it's Kyle's true genius at work and shows how original and offbeat he can be. And Pete just crushed it tonight. Might be the hardest I've ever laughed at him.

I thought the Hockey and History of Rap sketches were both funny and made terrific use of Chance.

I am starting to feel bad for Luke Null. He's getting left behind.  

Edited November 19, 2017 by vb68

[Peace 47]

1 minute ago, Mystery said:

Steve Harvey is a notorious cheater. 

Ohhhhh, okay.  I withdraw my previous comment then.  Go after him, SNL!

[Mystery]

I actually respect you more because you didn't know that! 

[vb68]

16 minutes ago, mortonsalt said:

Is that the first time they've only done one musical performance?

I think they did that before with Prince? I seem to remember that.

 

4 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Also didn't know the borough was that in the tank (weeds?) for Colin.

Don't forget Colin wrote them a love letter with his Netflix movie Stanton  Island Summer.  So it does make sense to me that he's a favorite son.

Line of the night for me is probably. "Sexiest joke writer is really specfic. It's like smartest horse."

[Trini]

I think that was the first time I've laughed so much at Pete D. on Weekend Update!

 

11 minutes ago, vb68 said:

I don't know if it had a big viral breakout that everybody will be talking about,

I'm hoping it's the 'Come back, Obama' music video!

Yeah, it was weird there was only one musical performance. I wonder why??

[TheGreenKnight]

I still need to catch up with last week's episode, but this one was fantastic. Pete Davidson during Weekend Update was probably the funniest part of the show, but McKinnon as Jeff Sessions and Assange were big highlights, too.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Pete Davidson's bit on WU had me cracking up and was my personal favorite from this episode. Cracking up again just thinking about it again. 

Chance was good! I don't think I've ever listened to him and know next-to-nothing about him, but he's been probably my favorite guest so far this season. 

Also, that music video about Obama. I had no idea where they were going with it at first, but damn that was funny. And mildly depressing.

[Ms Blue Jay]

57 minutes ago, Trini said:

I think that was the first time I've laughed so much at Pete D. on Weekend Update!

 

I'm hoping it's the 'Come back, Obama' music video!

Yeah, it was weird there was only one musical performance. I wonder why??

Well it was a medley of like 3-4 songs.  It was a lot.  (For me ;)  )  "Walk on Water (normally with Beyonce)", "Stan (normally with Dido)", "Love the Way you Lie (with Rihanna)"... am I missing a 4th?

It was "Come Back Barack", I think?  And I loooooved it

Edited November 19, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[VCRTracking]

Even though Leslie muffed up her first lines the Batman sketch had me LOLing. I also loved Melissa coming in at the end talking about the "Yoker".

[Traveller519]

Pete sitting at the update desk with Colin, waxing poetic, needs to become a midweek Web show! That whole thing was delightful... "Dire Wolves are bad ass, you don't need to watch the show to get that" He was in need of a great feature sketch and this one along with the filmed sketch on rap history nailed that.

Chance seemed a little nervous early on, but once he settled in, he was gold. That hockey sketch was all him, and he nailed it! Come back soon on double duty!

Leslie again couldn't get her lines out during the Wayne Manor sketch, but she was great in the Family Fed skit, maybe because it was more physical, which she always kills. Who was the last of the Harvey clan?I'm assuming a writer.

I wouldn't be sad if they sent Kate's Jeff Sessions out to pasture. There's never anything new to it. It's the freaking Gilly of political impressions.

[CheetaraThunder]

Probably the best episode of the season. Chance did seem nervous at first, but in my eyes, he was fantastic. I was already a big fan of his, not just of his music. It what he gives back to the community of Chicago. He was charming, sincere, and genuinely funny. His Steve Harvey was actually better then Kenan’s, and I like his Harvey impression.

That Come Back Barack music video game me 112/Dru Hill vibes to the fullest and I love it even more.

That hockey sketch, is basically every non hockey fan I know. My Dad ( who is black), said that was basically 90% black people when they think of hockey...” yep that’s a s, k, j together...nope” lol

[Clare]

This was a good show.  Chance was so great.  He has such positive energy, I thought he did great.  I agree the Steve Harvey was a riot.  Leslie's face had me cracking up. Chance's impression was really good.  

I assume Eminem only preformed one song because it was longer then normal.  It was probably almost the same amount of time.  I love Skylar Grey's voice,  she so talented, she wrote Walk on Water and Love the way you Lie.  Eminem sings along with the chorus parts, LOL.

I agree this was the best show of the season.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Clare

[kirinan]

I normally don't find Pete Davidson funny at all, but his Staten Island bit cracked me up tonight. The Kyle Mooney/Bruce Chandling sketch, on the other end, was excruciatingly unfunny IMO. He's another one I just don't get, and even Michael Che seemed embarrassed (or I could just be projecting). The Trump brothers sketches always make me laugh, and tonight was no exception. I think I would like the real Eric better if he really was like this.

I have heard the name Chance the Rapper, but had no idea who he was (I either never saw the show he performed in or just muted it; I'm not a fan of rap). He was great tonight! I hope he comes back again. He carried that hockey sketch so well. One of the best hosts so far this year.

[Fostersmom]

8 hours ago, vb68 said:

I am starting to feel bad for Luke Null. He's getting left behind.  

I swear he's gotten like 4 minutes sketch time the entire season so far. I'm predicting he's a one and done cast member.

[cpcathy]

Great episode! Chance had so much joy, you could really tell he was having fun. Loved the hockey sketch! It will be one of my go-to's on the SNL app. 

[mtlchick]

So Silive.com has a response to Pete: http://www.silive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/11/snl_update_pete_davidson_bashe.html#incart_big-photo I can see this as a long term gag.

 

Chance had a really rough start as he fumbled through the monologue, but his Steve Harvey version was a hoot.  And the hockey sketch was a great one for him.  I think they could have thrown in a picture of PK Subban just to shock Chance's character that there's at least one black guy who plays the sport.   He's like the male version of Tiffany Haddish; so much joy and positivity flowing from him.

 

Interesting take down of Al Franken, but I'm not sure if it was a good idea NOT to mention that he was part of the cast 25 years ago. 

Edited November 19, 2017 by mtlchick

[ahisma]

6 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

So Silive.com has a response to Pete: http://www.silive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/11/snl_update_pete_davidson_bashe.html#incart_big-photo I can see this as a long term gag.

Thanks for the link! Wow, they sound butthurt. (Fortunately several people in the comments had senses of humor.) Pete and Colin's WU bit had me crying with laughter! 

I also loved the cold open, but their Don Jr. and Eric always kill me.

And I really enjoyed the Wayne Thanksgiving (on the weekend a Batfleck movie opens :D), hockey announcer, and Come Back Barack sketches. Overall a solid show. 

[Mumbles]

My favorite episode this season. Chance was great and so cute.  Someone on that writing staff has a real absurdist streak that I love. I’ve watched that Batman sketch three times now and laugh hard every time. “You talking about Batman?” “Let’s burn down his cave!” Beck Bennett is my new Bill Hader - the cast member who elevate a sketch with solid straight-man performance.

The show has had a good run in the past few years with young singers as hosts.  Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande were great shows too. 

I loved Skank Babysitter too, as a sequel to Skank Math Teacher on the show Amy Schumer hosted.

No  Alec Baldwin as Trump and it was not missed.

I never laugh at the Sessions stuff because I don’t find the real life one that funny.

[VCRTracking]

I'm a sucker for when an established artist suddenly breaks out one of their old hits so when Eminem started "Stan" in an unexpected medley I was like "Yes!" I'm not familiar with Skylar Grey but I liked her singing of the Dido part.

39 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

I loved Skank Babysitter too, as a sequel to Skank Math Teacher on the show Amy Schumer hosted.

There was also the Adam Driver sketch where it was a gay porno and he was a doctor examining an injured high school football player played by Beck Bennett.

ETA: The singer's name.

Edited November 19, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Ms Blue Jay]

Skylar Grey is the singer.  The song I like her from is "I Need a Doctor".

"In 2010, she co-wrote Eminem and Rihanna's hit single "Love the Way You Lie", alongside Eminem and British record producer Alex da Kid, who subsequently signed her to his label imprint, KIDinaKORNER. Grey is also best known as a guest vocalist on several hit singles, including Fort Minor's "Where'd You Go", Diddy's "Coming Home", Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor" [Eminem is also on this song], Nicki Minaj's "Bed of Lies" and Macklemore's "Glorious"." - Wikipedia

Edited November 19, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[VCRTracking]

7 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

Leslie again couldn't get her lines out during the Wayne Manor sketch, but she was great in the Family Fed skit, maybe because it was more physical, which she always kills. Who was the last of the Harvey clan?I'm assuming a writer.

Both sketches though made me think "Wow, she looks good in a wig."

[JZL]

Yay for Chance and for Skyler Grey.  I'm sorry but eminem reminds me a of a meerkat.  Chance can act and sell a bit, and he's probably been in productions at some level.  If not, what a natural!

Just when I was getting over my Jeff-Sessions-as-opossum nightmares there's Kate McKinnon doing a whiskered, opossumesque (new word?!) Julian Assange. 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by JZL

[vb68]

I have to admit I'm not familiar with Skylar Grey and kept wondering during the performance if that was Dido.  I know. Get off my lawn.

I really do think that was the best Pete Davidson has ever been.

[ebk57]

Thoroughly enjoyed this show.  I love Chance.  He was into everything and he seems like such a good guy.   Loved Pete (thanks for the link to the silive article @mtlchick!)  I can't think of a sketch that didn't have something funny in it.  Even the Bring Your Dad to Class was amusing although it didn't quite land. 

 

Hope @Galileo908 had a nice evening :-) 

[Delphi]

Chance is adorable.  And wow,  what people are mean to Pete, whose also adorable,  so they need to back off. 

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Delphi said:

Chance is adorable.  And wow,  what people are mean to Pete, whose also adorable,  so they need to back off. 

Eh. Pete has always enjoyed a lack of filter. Far before the show. He's going to push people's buttons at some point.

[Mystery]

I think that I liked Pete because he was being, if not entirely himself (I have no idea how much is true) then at least mostly himself, as opposed to a character. I'd much rather see him do standup that way than watch him try to act. (Hm. That sounds meaner than I meant it, but I can't think of a way to make it better. I guess, I might like Pete the person more than Pete the actor.)

[One Imaginary Girl]

There was a real-life case of Chance as hockey reporter during the NASCAR race today: former Olympic track medalist Ato Boldon , who is originally from Trinidad, was a trackside reporter. Well, he does know about speed. (NBC might have been using him on NASCAR broadcasts for a while, but I've been paying less attention since my favorite drivers retired.)

Edited November 20, 2017 by One Imaginary Girl
Autocorrect changed correct spelling. Grrr.

[peeayebee]

I like Chance the Rapper. I thought he did very well. 

The Cold Open had Eric & Don Jr, so that's good, but I didn't think the CO was a roaring success. I didn't get much out of the monologue or Thanksgiving song. I didn't really like WU except for Pete Davidson. The Career Week at School sketch was weird, but I liked Aidy & Cecily's interaction as well as Pete cracking up in the background a couple of times.

What I loved was Come Back Barack and History of Rap. The name Lil Doo Doo cracks me up, even now. The 70's rap group, whose name I can't remember now, was really funny. I love the new guy. Chris? He was GREAT thruout the show. He's an outstanding addition to SNL.

I liked the hockey sketch, too. Some of the lines and Chance's deliveries were hilarious:
Beck: I want to talk about this Ranger offense.
Chance: You should do that.

Chance: In the next period, how you gonna do that hockey?

[Delphi]

1 hour ago, Mystery said:

I think that I liked Pete because he was being, if not entirely himself (I have no idea how much is true) then at least mostly himself, as opposed to a character. I'd much rather see him do standup that way than watch him try to act. (Hm. That sounds meaner than I meant it, but I can't think of a way to make it better. I guess, I might like Pete the person more than Pete the actor.)

I get what you mean,  Pete as acerbic and awful as he is, is just off colour and funny.   He's not the best actor. 

[helenamonster]

I thought this episode was, to steal a phrase from TV Tropes, So Okay It's Average. Chance was an engaging host and clearly enjoying himself, there weren't any true clunkers, but I will have completely forgotten this episode ever happened in about a year.

The one stand out for me was Pete on WU. That was delightful.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, One Imaginary Girl said:

There was a real-life case of Chance as hockey reporter during the NASCAR race today: former Olympic track medalist Ato Bolding, who is originally from Trinidad, was a trackside reporter. Well, he does know about speed. (NBC might have been using him on NASCAR broadcasts for a while, but I've been paying less attention since my favorite drivers retired.)

There is a much closer real life case, from a year and a half ago.  He still has 75,000 followers on Twitter from it.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/mans-live-tweets-hockey-game-viral-38730866

[Mystery]

10 hours ago, Mumbles said:

I never laugh at the Sessions stuff because I don’t find the real life one that funny.

I couldn't put my finger on it during the show, but you hit the nail on the head for me. When Melissa McCarthy made fun of Sean Spicer, it was because he was so awful. Everything she did was supposed to be awful. But sometimes it feels to me like SNL is normalizing Sessions instead of pointing out what a liar and horrible person he is. He's not a cute elf. He's a racist perjurer. 

[helenamonster]

I do think the show is trying to rectify any Sessions softballs by giving him a possum tail. Nothing about that is cute, it's downright creepy and unsettling.

[Giuseppe]

I too thought it was a really enjoyable episode. Loved all the bits everyone's already mentioned, but my absolute favorite exchange of the whole night was during the Career day sketch, when Cecily innocently joked about how she might need to become a roller coaster designer, and Aidy dismissively mentioned needing to have an engineering degree for that, and Cecily testily barked back that she was just joking.  I don't know, it was just so unexpected to me and I howled at that for a good couple minutes!