S43.E15: Sterling K. Brown / James Bay

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Sterling K. Brown is the host; musical guest is James Bay.

[formerlyfreedom]

 

I'm pretty much as excited as possible for this Saturday night...

[topanga]

1 hour ago, saoirse said:

 

I'm pretty much as excited as possible for this Saturday night...

Great Promo!

[Fostersmom]

The Care Bear as Aidy might be my favorite thing ever. Cute, cute, promo!

[helenamonster]

If they decided to replace the regular opening credits with this...I wouldn't be mad.

[formerlyfreedom]

On 3/8/2018 at 4:16 PM, saoirse said:

I'm pretty much as excited as possible for this Saturday night...

Annnnd the monologue does NOT disappoint. Plus, he nailed that Kenan impression. Oh, man - please don't let me down tonight, show!

[ebk57]

"You're more like a TED Talk set to music"

 

I had to write that down because it's hilarious and I have no memory and don't want to forget it... 

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: The Bachelor with Robert Mueller? Okay, this is brilliant. But also really slow, awkward, and unsatisfying. I'm assuming that's like the real Bachelor. Bodes well for the rest of the show.

Monologue: He's fun. So...he's really emotional on This Is Us?

Family Feud: Here's the requisite Oscars sketch, plus getting all the celeb impressions out of the way. "Well, sketch comedy is great, but at some point, you have to move on." (cut to Kenan) Yeah, they went there and I love it. But yeah, too long and long-winded for me. I was feeling like Kenan at the end.

1 hour ago, ebk57 said:

"You're more like a TED Talk set to music"

Yeah, that's line of the night right there.

This Is U.S.: Heh, Get Out 2. And a MUCH better political sketch than the cold open. And while I will forever love Jay Pharaoh's Ben Carson, SKB's version was dead-on.

Dinner: Ha, SKB really loves Shrek. But I wish they pointed out that Shrek was an Oscar winner, too.

Sasquatch: This was fun. And here I thought Bigfoot was gonna have his way with Mikey, but peeing on his hat and wiping himself on him was much better.

WU: "This week in presidential porno updates..." Yay! Don Jr. AND I'M ERIC! I love watching Eric trying to read pop-up books. And it was great to see Dawn Lazarus again. "Cameras will make your mouse go poop."

Black Panther Deleted Scenes: Ha, Kenan is the embarrassing uncle of Wakanda. Thank goodness I saw Black Panther on Sunday so I knew what was going on.

Dr. Love: This was fun, if predictable. 

Movie: SKB was good in this. Loved when Cecily had a bag over her head.

Good Neighbor: "Whats Better Rock Music or Rap" I love these man on the street sketches.

Mrs. Gomez: She's delirious, she's singing Nickelback. I've said a while back that my generation was finally running the show, and this episode certainly shows it. This was weird, but Sterling K Brown was 100% into it.

This was an okay show, Sterling K Brown's energy really carried it. Can't wait for Bill Hader next week.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Galileo908

[formerlyfreedom]

O.M.G.

I do think this was the best episode of SNL I've seen 'live' in a long time. Sterling Kathleen totally committed and was into being on this show.

Highlights for me, besides everything SKB did -

• Kenan getting called out in the FF sketch (and to be honest, I don't think it's wrong for him to stick with SNL for  70 billion years, but DAMN, that made me laugh!);
• Don Jr and Eric (MVP to Alex Moffat again here - I was bummed we didn't see more of him as Willam Dafoe!); and
• the Nickelback sketch, because...oh I hurt my side laughing there again...

[vb68]

I really enjoyed that! Sterling is so engaging and charismatic.  Most of the sketches were just fun.

The cold open was interesting. I don't feel it really came together where both sides blended together that well, but points for creativity.

The monologue was great and really set the tone for the rest of the episode.

My favorite impression in the Family Feud sketch was Heidi's Allison Janney. She got the voice. And the meta stuff with Kenan was awkwardly funny. You have been there a loooooong time, Kenan. Ooooooh weeeee, T Shane.  Yeah, it's been awhile.

Pete as Jared Kushner is an impression that should have started way before tonight. He's perfect for that one. 

The Shrek vs Coco dinner had me wondering if that was from a real experience.

Melissa had a great night for once. Good for her. Luke Null danced in the last sketch.

The movie sketch was the highlight of the last half hour for me. Gotta be honest. I didn't think Rock or Rap was ever gonna end.

Nice to see you Vanessa.

Bring back Sterling again.  Leslie's beaming face as Sterling embraced the show in the goodnights said it all.  Look out Kyle.   

Edited March 11, 2018 by vb68

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I could watch an entire hour of Alex Moffat being Eric Trump.

[Peace 47]

I think my favorite sketch was “This is U.S.”  That was clever with the warning post-it notes when Sarah H. Sanders was “doing something she shouldn’t be doing.”  And she had on a Steelers jersey at one point!  And Pete shirtless all the time, like Justin Hartley.   They should have worked a crock pot in there somehow.  I guess they settled for having crack pots instead.

The cold open should have worked, but really did not.  I’ve never seen an episode of The Bachelor in my life, and even I heard about what happened, so that was a good launching pad for spinning off a fresh take on the same old political cold open, but it was an entirely one-note sketch.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Peace 47

[vb68]

I meant to say I find Kate's Robert Mueller impression even creepier than her Jeff Sessions. 

[Lizzing]

Sterling K. Brown was good; they need to bring him back often.

As for the musical guest, I'm glad Johnny Blue Jeans finally found work again, some 20 years after the cancellation of Viva Variety. ;)

[Spartan Girl]

The reference to Kenan being the longest running cast member on the show made the Family Feud sketch all worth it. Has he beaten Tim Meadows' record?

Was hoping for a This Is Us skit, but This is US? Gold!

The Shrek vs Coco skit made me laugh so hard.

Come back any time, Sterling!

[mtlchick]

It's ok to hate Sterling for being so damn talented, right?

 

Gucci Del Taco made a Wayans Bros movie.  I laughed more than I should at that. 

Quote

"You're more like a TED Talk set to music"

I will be using that sentence for any musician that preaches too much in their singing from now on. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

7 hours ago, vb68 said:

Melissa had a great night for once. Good for her. Luke Null danced in the last sketch.

She was in a bunch of sketches this episode -- more than made up for her near-absence last week.

SKB was pretty good, and I really liked this energy and enthusiasm.

I do not care for the Dawn Lazarus bit on WU -- once was enough, now they are just beating the proverbial dead horse.  Is that all they could come up with for Vanessa Bayer cameo ?
 

Mrs. Gomez/Nickelback sketch did make me laugh.

Eric and Don. Jr were great.

[hendersonrocks]

Damn, Sterling Kathleen. That’s how you make your hosting debut matter. He was FANTASTIC.

Hard pass on the musical guest, though.

[ottoDbusdriver]

19 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

Hard pass on the musical guest, though.

Watched the first song by James Bay -- passed on the second song.

It was improvement over last week since there was no auto-tune involved, but that's not saying much.

[Quickbeam]

Eric Trump just can’t come back from this. 

“ My dad drives a 97 Frigidaire”. Hee!

[Tachi Rocinante]

Vanessa was not necessary.  That character was good once, just like the majority of Armisen's that we were punished with.

SKB seemed genuinely eager, which always makes it fun.

[VCRTracking]

57 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

SKB seemed genuinely eager, which always makes it fun.

Agreed. He really committed in the "Shrek" sketch, the "Doctor Love" sketch and the Nickelback dying old lady sketch.

The meta-comment about Kenan being in sketch comedy for so long(even before SNL, on Nickelodeon) was hilarious. Also loved Kate's Frances McDormand impression!

So relieved the Sasquatch sketch didn't end with like it raping Mikey Day. Two years ago it probably would have!

I like the movie sketch because I've read that's what happens sometimes. They film one actor's closeup while the script girl reads the line off camera because the other actor is a bigger star and filmed their closeup first and leaves. Marlon Brando didn't do that for Rod Steiger for the "I could have been a contender" scene  on On the Waterfront! The movie BTW seems to be like that Beyonce/Idris Elba movie Obsessed.

Edited March 11, 2018 by VCRTracking

[helenamonster]

The cold open could definitely have used something more, but it was so different from what they usually do that I don't want to slam it too much and discourage the show from stepping outside the box on these. More of this, SNL, and less of Alec-as-Trump monologuing about the past week.

My inner six-year-old connected to the Shrek sketch on a spiritual level.

Sterling was fantastic. I don't watch This Is Us (it's on my list, too many damn tv shows these days) but I had the biggest crush on him in People vs. OJ. He was so game, so into it, and they used him really well. Come back anytime!

38 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

The movie BTW seems to be like that Beyonce/Idris Elba movie Obsessed.

Exactly what I thought about two seconds into the sketch! I would now like Obsessed 2: 2 Obsessed 2 Furious starring Sterling K. Brown, Heidi Gardner, and Leslie Jones in the Beyonce role.

[vb68]

Somebody got a hold of the rundown from last night.

Besides just being interesting to look at, one thing that apparently got cut was a sketch on Blackish's Writers' Room written by Che and Jost. I hope it appears online. I would really like to see that.

[teebax]

This was, for me, the best episode of the season. I love Sterling so much and am thrilled to see his rise. 

[JZL]

I liked it a lot, too.  I really liked the CO for its originality, relevance, the way Kate and Cecily sold it, and it was funny, even if not belly-ache funny.  This show had a lot of zingers, which also makes for a good re-watch ("Oh I forgot about that one!")  The Jordan Peele "dig" on Keenan, even causing Keenan to faux drop character, was priceless. 

SIX YEARS?!  MAY!?  Which is it!?  : )

[possibilities]

11 hours ago, vb68 said:

The Shrek vs Coco dinner had me wondering if that was from a real experience.

It reminded me of the one Aziz Ansari did, with LaLaLand vs Moonlight, but weirder (I like weird sketches, so that's not a complaint) and with a less social commentary. Still fun, though.  I wonder if it's going to become a recurring bit where people get totally insane over movie preferences.

I thought this was Cecily's best episode. She did characters not the same as her usual, and I thought she was terrific in every single one.

I went to You Tube and searched "saturday night live cut for time" and found a page with sketches I'd never seen before, some recent. I'm hoping the Blackfish Writers' Room will show up there.

Edited March 11, 2018 by possibilities

[ottoDbusdriver]

56 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Somebody got a hold of the rundown from last night.

Besides just being interesting to look at, one thing that apparently got cut was a sketch on Blackish's Writers' Room written by Che and Jost. I hope it appears online. I would really like to see that.

Looking at that rundown, and it says James Bay's first song was called 'Pink Lemonade' -- I did not get that at all -- though it might go well with last week's 'Stir Fry'.
Is this some sort of trend about food-themed songs ?  Maybe Arcade Fire will break out a new track next week called 'Licorice'.

[Gabby929]

Good, funny episode but am I the only one who was put off by Sterling's line readings - he stared at the cue cards so much, very distracting.

[Irlandesa]

I saw The Bachelor scene SNL was parodying which I think helped make it successful for me.  In a short time, they managed to capture the "please make it stop" feeling of the original.  If I hadn't seen it, I'm not sure how I would have felt about it but as it is, I lean towards it being well done.   On the other hand, after not having seen Black Panther, that sketch just went over my head.

I adored the Family Feud skit from the impressions to meta Keenan to the Ted Talk line.  They have the formula down pat for that bit but it held some nice surprises anyway.  And the This Is U.S. bit is the cleverness I always hope to see from the show. All it takes is just to see it (Us=U.S.) and I imagine the bit writes itself.

I didn't get the Nickelback bit but of course I sang along. 

I love Vanessa but I, of course, wish she had appeared for another Hungry Man commercial over the weather girl bit she does.

Overall, I found myself fast forwarding through fewer sketches than normal.  The only two that really missed for me were Dr. Love and the Black Panther bit.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Irlandesa

[Uncle Benzene]

4 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

She was in a bunch of sketches this episode -- more than made up for her near-absence last week.

Very happy about that. I had no idea who Melissa was when she first arrived last season, but I've quickly grown to love her. She's awesome.

And Pete seems to have been all over the show here lately as well. Good for him. Seems his rehab has gotten him into a much better place.

[Ottis]

Line of the night was about the Amelia Earhart Barbie... well done. 

Cold open managed to be both boring and irritating. Don’t watch Bachelor and never going to start. 

Monologue .... I tried to watch This is Us, didn’t like it for the same reason this monologue seems to highlight. Fast forward through monologue. 

Keenan is always a joy. 

Shrek vs Coco... why? Lots of yelling. 

Dr Love... why?

Nickelback (I guess, never heard the song)... why?

Sasquatch... thought that was going somewhere, nope. 

The host was into it. And I liked that there were some oddball bits. They just weren’t very interesting or funny or clever. 

[TV Anonymous]

I am far away from being a Nickelback fan - or even liking them on regular basis - and the sketch makes zero sense at all, but I laugh like crazy with Mrs. Gomez Last Words.

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I like the movie sketch because I've read that's what happens sometimes. They film one actor's closeup while the script girl reads the line off camera because the other actor is a bigger star and filmed their closeup first and leaves. 

 

Coincidentally, a recent Closeup With the Hollywood Reporter roundtable had some of the actors talking about this. I believe it was Bryan Cranston who said a lead actress on a show did this to him. He did not appreciate it.

 

2 hours ago, JZL said:

The Jordan Peele "dig" on Keenan, even causing Keenan to faux drop character, was priceless. 

Kenan, not Keenan. You made me wonder when he had a dig on Keenan Michael Key.

 

1 hour ago, Gabby929 said:

Good, funny episode but am I the only one who was put off by Sterling's line readings - he stared at the cue cards so much, very distracting.

I certainly noticed it, but he read so well that I didn't mind. I know that there are often last-minute rewrites.

I agree with everyone that SKB was great. Loved his monologue. Besides the crying, the other stuff I liked was when he referred to the This Is Us aftershow, That Was Them, and the version where an all-black family adopts a white child, This Us?   

I didn't really care for the CO. Yes, it's nice for them to do something different, but this just dragged too much. Fortunately I heard about the show on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me yesterday, because I don't watch The Bachelor. And I'm not a fan of Kate's Mueller. The makeup, though pretty good, is distracting, and I don't know why they couldn't have gotten one of the guys to do him. Alex Moffat, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day.

I enjoyed the Family Feud sketch. I loved Heidi's Alison Janney impression. Kate's Frances McDormand was good, too. Melissa's Sally Hawkins was so-so and not all that funny. I thought Beck did a good Guillermo del Toro (or Guiseppe Daytona), though I don't know why they didn't give him coke-bottle glasses. Pete's Timothée Chalamet was pretty good. I saw Chalamet give his acceptance speech at the Film Independent Awards show, and I was so embarrassed for him. He came across like a 13-yr old. 

I liked the This Is U.S. sketch, though I wanted more SKB as Ben Carson.

The Coco vs Shrek sketch was my favorite. SKB was hilarious.

I didn't really care for the Sasquatch sketch. I'm not sure how it could have been better.

The Black Panther sketch was ok. Again, I don't know how it could have been improved.

I enjoyed the final, Nickelback sketch. And yay for Melissa getting used a lot this ep.

Kyle's film was way too long. I usually like his stuff, but this was interminable.

But Sterling Kathleen Brown acquitted himself very well, as expected. 

I loved seeing Vanessa as the nervous meteorologist again. I would love to see her script. The lines are great, as is her reading of them.

And the Trump Brothers!!!!! I loved Eric's reaction to the pop-pop (heh) book, and I always roar at him imitating Don's hand gestures.

Edited March 11, 2018 by peeayebee
WU comments

[ottoDbusdriver]

3 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Kyle's film was way too long. I usually like his stuff, but this was interminable. 

Agreed, it really dragged.  If it was actually funny I could have tolerated it.  Alas, it wasn't.    

I can just see someone in the writer's room thinking this was HILARIOUS -- but it wasn't, not even mildly amusing.

[Peace 47]

Kyle seems to revel in awkwardness-as-comedy.  It’s the thread that runs through his Bruce Chandling Update bits, to The House, to the 90s awkward sitcom skit, to the sketch last night.  And for me, there’s mixed results because the humor has to break through and overpower the awkwardness, which I don’t think he always achieves (or achieved last night), although I think he is very talented.

I just don’t know if he is the world’s strongest improviser because he seemed at a loss for a funny, in-character reaction line to the people he was interviewing, when I was thinking that Stephen Colbert or Tina Fey would have done better with that.  I also didn’t think that the attempted racial humor in the sketch (“rock is for people of all colors”) was helpful.  But I do like him generally.

[LADreamr]

Sterling Kathleen can get an Emmy nomination for hosting, can't he?

[Tachi Rocinante]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Coincidentally, a recent Closeup With the Hollywood Reporter roundtable had some of the actors talking about this. I believe it was Bryan Cranston who said a lead actress on a show did this to him. He did not appreciate it.

Kenan, not Keenan. You made me wonder when he had a dig on Keenan Michael Key.

Keegan, not Keenan.  Unless you were joking.

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, LADreamr said:

Sterling Kathleen can get an Emmy nomination for hosting, can't he?

In the Guest Actor for Comedy, yes.  Dave Chappelle won for his hosting stint last year

 

3 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Besides just being interesting to look at, one thing that apparently got cut was a sketch on Blackish's Writers' Room written by Che and Jost. I hope it appears online. I would really like to see that.

Considering the Blackish episode that was supposed to air on Tuesday was pulled  and made the news yesterday morning, I would love to see it. 

[absnow54]

Apparently I still know all the lyrics to How You Remind Me. Not my proudest moment, but that sketch was a lot of fun. 

[JZL]

5 hours ago, JZL said:

I liked it a lot, too.  I really liked the CO for its originality, relevance, the way Kate and Cecily sold it, and it was funny, even if not belly-ache funny.  This show had a lot of zingers, which also makes for a good re-watch ("Oh I forgot about that one!")  The Jordan Peele "dig" on Keenan Keegan Kenan, even causing  Keenan Keegan Kenan him to faux drop character, was priceless. 

SIX YEARS?!  MAY!?  Which is it!?  : )

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Kenan, not Keenan. You made me wonder when he had a dig on Keenan Michael Key.

Fixed! (sorta)  *cough*Keegan-Michael*cough*

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Keegan, not Keenan.  Unless you were joking.

No! I admit to a brain fart. 'Scuse me.

[vb68]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I loved seeing Vanessa as the nervous meteorologist again. I would love to see her script. The lines are great, as is her reading of them.

Hap!

3 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Considering the Blackish episode that was supposed to air on Tuesday was pulled  and made the news yesterday morning, I would love to see it. 

I wonder if they (i.e. Lorne) got nervous about the sketch for that reason.

[augmentedfourth]

Every couple of episodes there's a sketch that is so completely random, I find myself laughing uncontrollably despite my better judgment. The Shrek sketch was one of those sketches. Everyone, especially Sterling K. Brown, just sold the hell out of it and it was unexpectedly hilarious. I even had to rewind a couple times to hear lines I missed.

 

Heidi's Allison Janney impression was spot on. I hope she sticks around for a while, I've really been impressed with her this season.

 

Sometimes I think Kyle is brilliant and other times I wonder how he even has this job. His bit this time, though it's worked for me in the past, fell into the latter category. I think I finally figured out that for me, he needs at least one other character to play off of to make his stuff work. (And interacting with the anchors on WU as his comedian character doesn't count, I can't stand him.)

[Mumbles]

So Heidi is gaining rapidly as an unsung MVP. She managed to do a spot on imitation of Alison Janney, a person I didn’t think would be readily imitable. That and Girlfriend of the Boxer in a Movie from an early WU this season, she has a great talent for picking up on something specific and running with it.

[LizDC]

9 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 

I saw The Bachelor scene SNL was parodying which I think helped make it successful for me.  In a short time, they managed to capture the "please make it stop" feeling of the original.  If I hadn't seen it, I'm not sure how I would have felt about it but as it is, I lean towards it being well done.   On the other hand, after not having seen Black Panther, that sketch just went over my head.

 

I don't watch The Bachelor but I know the gist of what happened there so I got what SNL was doing but it didn’t really work for me.

[JZL]

2 hours ago, augmentedfourth said:

Heidi's Allison Janney impression was spot on. I hope she sticks around for a while, I've really been impressed with her this season.

Sometimes I think Kyle is brilliant and other times I wonder how he even has this job.

Concur about Heidi. 

I'm beginning to think Kyle needs to go, at least as a performer.  His misses are outnumbering hits way too often any more.  It seems a lot of his stuff is drawn from the same stilted Bruce Chandler well.  It works occasionally but when it doesn't it fails hard. 

[teebax]

6 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Apparently I still know all the lyrics to How You Remind Me. Not my proudest moment, but that sketch was a lot of fun. 

I sang along too, but I'm a shameless Nickelback fan who has never understood the hate they get. 

The Shrek sketch was my favorite, but I liked the whole show. 

[possibilities]

I don't watch The Bachelor, but I follow politics obsessively, and the cold open worked for me. There is a certain segment of the population that is desperate for Mueller to come to conclusions, and the way Cecily's character was driven to despair, and her comment about how miserable she was and that she had been pinning all her hopes on him... it totally captured the mood. Among a certain subset of political junkies, Mueller is a rock star, his every word is clung to for hope, etc. And he's famously unemotional and devoid of drama. So the whole thing was hilarious to me. I thought it was genius.

[Nellise]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't watch The Bachelor, but I follow politics obsessively, and the cold open worked for me. There is a certain segment of the population that is desperate for Mueller to come to conclusions, and the way Cecily's character was driven to despair, and her comment about how miserable she was and that she had been pinning all her hopes on him... it totally captured the mood. Among a certain subset of political junkies, Mueller is a rock star, his every word is clung to for hope, etc. And he's famously unemotional and devoid of drama. So the whole thing was hilarious to me. I thought it was genius.

I thought the conversations worked, but the long times with no interaction between the two slowed it down way too much. I'm guessing they were trying to imitate how the Bachelor really is, but it was hard to tell if that was the case or there were just screwups. The pauses felt like when SNL has some technical issue so it was throwing the whole thing off for me.