S44.E01: Adam Driver / Kanye West

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Hosted by Adam Driver; musical guest Kanye West.

Season premiere airing September 29, 2018!

[VCRTracking]

[ajsnaves]

Just a note, this is S44 not S43. (Unless we're going back in time.  If we are though, can we go back a bit further?)

I have mixed feelings about Adam Driver, but it will be nice to be live again.

[JZL]

Eek, that promo is a minute-eight of suck.

I'm not much for Fishdicks (West), but he usually impresses on SNL. 

[vb68]

Who plays Brett Kavanaugh?

I have a feeling Kate goes all in on Lindsey Graham tonight.

And I could see Aidy playing that prosecutor. 

I hope it's a good show. I agree that was far from their best promo.

Edited September 29, 2018 by vb68

[Galileo908]

I'm hoping Matt The Radar Technician shows up again.

[Spartan Girl]

Was playing Kavanaugh Matt Damon's penance for those MeToo comments?

I kind of think they wasted an opportunity to have Adam Driver play Kavanugh; nobody can play a whiny bitch boy like him. Still, that cold opening was hilarious and Kate SLAYED as Graham.

[Kimmmmmm]

The Kanye number was a fucking mess....he's an idiot

[DuckyinKy]

5 minutes ago, Kimmmmmm said:

The Kanye number was a fucking mess....he's an idiot

Oh thank God someone else said it - because my husband and I were sitting here wanting that 3 minutes of our life back. Did the not-Kanye-bottle actually get a few F words out? I am sure I heard them. 

[theredhead77]

Someone needed to axe the switch birth control with Tic Tacs line ahead of airing.

[Fostersmom]

10 minutes ago, DuckyinKy said:

Oh thank God someone else said it - because my husband and I were sitting here wanting that 3 minutes of our life back. Did the not-Kanye-bottle actually get a few F words out? I am sure I heard them. 

I was fast forwarding and thought that I messed up and was missing a sketch and not Kanye like I was trying to do. So I rewound and realized it wasn't a sketch but was a hot mess. I thought I heard the not Kanye guy say fuck in the 4 seconds I heard, so I'm going with yeah, he did. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I have okay hopes for this. I remember Adams first stint hosting, his golden globe skit and his Kyle Ren boss skit always make me laugh.

Matt Damon was.. okay at the cold opening.

The Fortnight was fun until the last line about Adams character needing to go back to rehab. I wish they had just left it at him being a dorky dad.

I’ve never gotten the Kyle skits? It kind of only made me sad Arinia grande had to cancel her musical appearance, as she probably would have popped in a skit or two. I remember her being funny when she hosted but I do understand why she had to cancel for herself.

Sadly the “this isn’t fancy coffee, it’s coffee from Burger King!” Wasn’t as funny as when they did it with Ryan gosling and the not  fancy Italian place. 

I didn’t get that party skit.. felt like a time filler? 

Kayne west isn’t my thing so I can’t say very much on his performances. 

Weekend Update was kind of fun. Until the Pete stuff. I get he’s all self deprecating but.. some of that wasn’t funny.

Didn’t really quite understand the parent skit but Adam driver made me laugh with all his yelling. Makes me wish he had played BK in the opening. 

[Fostersmom]

The hell? I get Arianna had to cancel, but this is the best they could do? 

[GoldenGirl90]

23 minutes ago, Kimmmmmm said:

The Kanye number was a fucking mess....he's an idiot

That was so fucking stupid. I really wish he would just go away. 

Kate as Graham was great. ??

"I am usually an optimist. I'm a keg-is-half-full kinda guy." - Matt Damon/Kavanaugh ??

[rollacoaster]

That career day skit made me laugh until I cried. I remember the movie character they are spoofing, if not the name of the film.

Kanye, you suck. I thought his first song, plus Pete Davidson's bit during WU, were very tone deaf. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by rollacoaster
Grammar

[GoldenGirl90]

9 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Weekend Update was kind of fun. Until the Pete stuff.

Yeah it was fine up until then.

"If you took a shot every time Brett Kavanaugh lied about his yearbook, you'd be as drunk as Brett Kavanaugh in 1982." - Colin ??

[callmebetty]

I see Kayne really wanted to be in a Bring it on down to Homelessville skit.

 

I must say the woman in his second song, I envy her stomach.

[WhosThatGirl]

Just now, callmebetty said:

I see Kayne really wanted to be in a Bring it on down to Homelessville skit.

 

I must say the woman in his second song, I envy her stomach.

The second performance was... better? I mean still NOT my thing. But whatever. 

[backformore]

29 minutes ago, Kimmmmmm said:

The Kanye number was a fucking mess....he's an idiot

Kanye's crazy. 

I think he had a weird dream about giant lady and bottles of water, and he thought it was genius.  The song was crap, the bottle costumes made it look like a comedy sketch, and Kanye as a bottle of Perrier water is the stupidest thing he's done yet.  

[ebk57]

Vermont - where the leaves change color but the people never do.

Ha!

[WhosThatGirl]

Why does Kayne get a third song?

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Matt Damon was the last person I expected to play Kavanaugh. I was hoping for Jason Sudeikis, or some other cast member. But oh my god, did he kill it. And speaking of a role that a cast member could've done, we had a cardboard cutout of Alyssa Milano (they also brought in Rachel Dratch as Klaubaucher). And seeing Kate as Lindsey Graham was the bit we were waiting for...and didn't disappoint. She looked like Jiminy Glick if you ask me. Of course, much like the Trump stuff, there was not much more they could exaggerate over what actually happened.

Loving the new opening, looks snazzy. Was Kyle skipped? I think he was skipped.

Monologue: Adam "Designated" Driver is back! Really liked this one, especially the bit with Kenan. Pete looked like he just escaped from prison. Yeah...he's had quite the summer.

Fortnite: First sketch out of the gate is pretty ambitious. I really like how they set this up. This could've been awkward, but I liked the angle of Adam being a dad not knowing how to play. I love how Adam held the controller, that was my favorite detail.

Kyle: Yay, more of the saga of Kyle! And yeah, jealous of Pete's year where he turned INTO Pete was glorious. That Wu-Tang shirt was the best, and I loved how he tried to one-up Ariana Grande with Wendy Williams.

Coffee: Ego in the sketch! And had a line! And oh look, branded content! Looks like a repeat of the Terrazano's sketch from last year or so.

Rad times At Frat U: "This is gonna turn out to be about Brett Kavanaugh, right?" And it turned out to be so much more. I love sketches that use everyone, and this used EVERYONE and I am here for that.

Update: Colin and Che giving zero fucks. Back to the grind after the Emmys. I can see why Colin kept nervously laughing, young Kavanaugh looked just like him. And thank you kate for coming back as Notorious RBG. Loved Leslie doing the Serena bit. Of course they had to cover that. Leslie did NOT post dozens of instagram videos all summer for the Serena bit to go to waste. The Cosby bit was great. Yeah...The COSBY Show was about Cliff Huxtable. I always thought that was weird. And of course Pete had to talk about his summer. Honest thought: Still surprised Pete & Ariana Grande are still a thing.

Career Day: This could've went so many ways, but Adam Driver as an old oil baron was a genius choice. Adam just killed it. Where have THESE acting chops been?! Pete couldn't stop breaking.

"I wanna be you when I grow up!"
"AND SO YOU SHALL!"

League of The South: White Man's paradise is Vermont. Not New Hampshire? "Don't worry, I'm from Boston" and "the leaves change color, but the people never do" was that uncomfortable laughter this show doesn't pull out that often. Everyone wanting to rent Subarus was oddly specific, but yeah, makes sense.

Goodnights: Hoo boy, we got a third Kanye song in place of a sketch. I tuned out when everyone cleared the stage.

Next week: Awkwafina and Travis Scott. I'd say I might skip it because I'll be at NYCC...but seeing as how I always stay up for it anyway, I'll be here.

Speaking of comic con, I expect to see a Perrier Kanye cosplay. People work quick, it's only five days away.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Galileo908

[Ms Lark]

Glad I am not alone in the WTF Kanye? I've never understood what makes him popular (he's an ass) and tonight didn't help at all. That was beyond sad. What were those catchy lyrics again? Oh, yeah.

I enjoyed the opening sketch and I liked Matt Damon as Kav. Adore Weekend Update, but Pete Davidson? Meh. Love is truly blind!

Whoa! Wait, was that a line from "Keep me Hangin' On" by Cream? Dang. Crank up the wayback machine.

[Galileo908]

12 minutes ago, rollacoaster said:

I remember the movie character they are spoofing, if not the name of the film.

There Will Be Blood. 

Which was spoofed in the I Drink Your Milkshake sketch, which was made like a few months after the movie came out and nobody understood it and ran after Update.

[hendersonrocks]

I am an enrolled member in the Matt Damon is a Douche club, but he sure played a good Brett Kavanaugh. Douches of a feather flock together, I guess. (Okay, let me be fair, Matt Damon isn’t nearly as bad nor as dangerous and now I hate Kavanaugh even more.)

The only thing I could think of during Kanye’s first number was whether it was actually a Justin Timberlake skit in disguise. Bring it on down to whateverville in your generic plastic bottle costumes, Kanye.

Adam Driver gave it his all as Mordecai’s dad. Nothing but respect for that.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yay Alex Moffat is part of the main cast now (and Melissa Villaseñor). No longer part of the "featuring" crew (which is only 3 people this year??). And Chris Redd is still on that list? He's been "featured" for like 3-4 years now, hasn't he? 
------

Opener: If only it didn't exactly resemble real life. Like, real life shouldn't be that funny and this should be a made-up scenario, but it's tragic how real it all is. There was so much material to choose from, from the hearing. Anyway, thought Matt Damon was going to crack there a few times there. Kate was good as Lindsey Graham, although her voice could have gone up a few pitches to sound more like that whiney little Senator. 

Adam Driver intro: Wow, how.... riveting. Not. At least it was short. Driver looks like he's a cartoon character from Hey Arnold! turned into real life person. Just can't get into him. 

Fortnite: Hi, Mikey Day's guns.

Kyle as Pete's Clone: I don't know what I was expecting, but it got some giggles out of me. Thank you Alex Moffat for shooting an arrow into Driver's leg.

Domenicos coffee: no comment.

Rad Times at Frat U: I laughed at "DEAD" but that was about it.

Kanye/YE/whatever TF he is: no comment because I skipped his performances. Who was the Fiji bottle dude? Not that it really matters.

WU: "I'm glad I'm sending my kids to a black school" LOL. Liked the Dunkin' Donuts/diabetes joke and rat hepatitis.

Career day: I forgot to pay attention to this one, clearly it didn't hold my interest. Whoops. 

I'm too lazy to talk about the rest of the show for now... ha. ETA: Never mind, all I have to say, is, fuck Kanye's MAGA hat (well, and also, fuck Kanye). Am I supposed to know who the dude in the tie-dye shorts is since he was also in the Kyle/Pete sketch?

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by MVFrostsMyPie

[Galileo908]

28 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Someone needed to axe the switch birth control with Tic Tacs line ahead of airing.

A Simpsons reference if I ever saw one, but I'm sure that was the bit that got an "Oh my god" from the audience.

[callmebetty]

12 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

There Will Be Blood. 

Which was spoofed in the I Drink Your Milkshake sketch, which was made like a few months after the movie came out and nobody understood it and ran after Update.

"I drink your milkshake "

"Well I have a cold, so the jokes on you"

 

I still quote that sketch often.

Edited September 30, 2018 by callmebetty

[heatherchandler]

6 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Why does Kayne get a third song?

He really shouldn’t have.  The man is mentally ill, I feel bad laughing at him but what the hell was that first song??

[Galileo908]

2 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

"I drink your milkshake "

"Well I have a cold, do the jokes on you"

 

I still quote that sketch often.

I think about that sketch all the time, and it's the only thing I associate There Will Be Blood with.

[ebk57]

7 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Loving the new opening, looks snazzy. Was Kyle skipped? I think he was skipped

I also love the new credits!  Kyle was there, but Darrell didn't say his name for some reason.

 

The local news before the show said Kanye has changed his name to...something else.  But they still called him Kanye during the how.  Did they not get the memo? 

[Galileo908]

1 minute ago, ebk57 said:

I also love the new credits!  Kyle was there, but Darrell didn't say his name for some reason.

 

The local news before the show said Kanye has changed his name to...something else.  But they still called him Kanye during the how.  Did they not get the memo? 

They ain't changing those cue cards.

[WhosThatGirl]

4 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

He really shouldn’t have.  The man is mentally ill, I feel bad laughing at him but what the hell was that first song??

Yeah, they normally give third performances to certain performers or sometimes a special performance like they did for an episode they had before Christmas when they had a special Christmas performance and Paul Marcartney showed up! 

I wonder if they feel like they had to appease Kayne? Didn’t someone record him during his last time on and and he got mad? I can see them wanting to just make him happy.

Edited September 30, 2018 by WhosThatGirl

[ottoDbusdriver]

Not sure which of Kanye's performances was worse -- the bottled water cosplay in the first performance or the standing still to 30 seconds of prerecorded talking in the second performance.  And then out comes the MAGA hat in the 3rd performance.  FFS !

I suppose Kanye got 3 songs because he was pretty much a backup singer in the first two songs.

@ebk57 -- Apparently Kanye wants to go by 'Ye', because 2 syllable single names is so last year, or who knows for sure why.

Edited September 30, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Maybe they can do a sketch next week about Kanye's first performance from tonight. 

[backformore]

2 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

The local news before the show said Kanye has changed his name to...something else.  But they still called him Kanye during the how.  Did they not get the memo? 

Yeah, I heard he was dropping the "Kan"  and calling himself "Ye"

Just now, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Maybe they can do a sketch next week about Kanye's first performance from tonight. 

Yeah, they can have him come out in various costumes - Perrier with a MAGA hat, Ketchup bottle with a MAGA hat, wine bottle with a MAGA hat,  orange juice bottle with a MAGA hat - a running gag throughout the show. 

[ebk57]

2 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Not sure which of Kanye's performances was worse -- the bottled water cosplay in the first performance or the standing still to 30 seconds of prerecorded talking in the second performance.  And then out comes the MAGA hat in the 3rd performance.  FFS !

I suppose Kanye got 3 songs because he was pretty much a backup singer in the first two songs.

@ebk57 -- Apparently Kanye wants to go by 'Ye', because 2 syllable single names is so last year, or who knows for sure why.

I think (and I try not to do that often - it never goes well) that the end of the second song was a recording of his mom, which is why he was just listening.  Although I may be mistaken.

1 minute ago, backformore said:

Yeah, I heard he was dropping the "Kan"  and calling himself "Ye"

Bless his heart... 

[callmebetty]

Didn't he go by Yeezy before?

[DuckyinKy]

8 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

He really shouldn’t have.  The man is mentally ill, I feel bad laughing at him but what the hell was that first song??

He really really is, I mean the first two performances were disasters, so they thought they would give him a third? Why do people say he is a genius, it is like the age old story of the emperor with no clothes. 

[Lantern7]

I guess video game sketches are cool after Boo Boo Jenkins. I was at a small comic show last week, and they had consoles with Fortnite. Didn't play it. Kinda wanted to, but kids were there the whole time. I should have taken pictures of that every 10-15 minutes, because those might have been the same kids.

I reckon we should stop trying to figure out Kanye West. Or just call him "Gay Fish" and be done with it.

17 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Coffee: Ego in the sketch! And had a line! And oh look, branded content! Looks like a repeat of the Terrazano's sketch from last year or so.

 

Spelled "Ego," pronounced "Eggo."

Hey, a Kyle sketch without Colin getting horribly injured! I know, that probably applies only when Leslie is involved. Kyle did get run through by a sword from Pete, so I guess that counts.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

19 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Why does Kayne get a third song?

Maybe since Ariana Grande was originally supposed to be the MG and she's Pete's squeeze, she was going to get 3 songs, but since she backed out they let Kanye/YE/fuckface 3 performances too? 

Other artists who have gotten 3 performances were U2, Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire.

[DrScottie]

23 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Who was the Fiji bottle dude? Not that it really matters.

That was somebody who calls himself Lil Pump whose song "Gucci Gang" was parodied last year on SNL with "Tucci Gang"

[bilgistic]

I certainly shouldn't count on SNL to be a paragon of ethics, but having the problematic Pete Davidson, Matt Damon and Kanye West all on the show at the same time in the midst of a national climate of incredible moral and ethical crisis was tone deaf at best and harmfully dismissive at worse.

[vb68]

So happy the show is back...

The Cold Open was everything I needed. I thought Matt Damon slayed it even with his giggling.  Called Aidy as the prosecutor. Almost everybody had a part, which is always fun. The material really does write itself. I agree Kate could have been a bit more hysterical as Lindsey., And I kinda wish they had Kav try to actually fight someone, as I swear he seemed like he had roid rage. Hi Rachel. Good to see you. Cecily's Feinstein is subtly funny and on point.  

The monologue was semi-creative and hey, it wasn't a song. 

Kyle's film was fantastic. But hey, where was Leslie? I guess she didn't fit with Wendy Williams in there, but I wish she would had been there asking him to come home for consistency's sake. Oh and at least on the show, Pete is a really big deal now guys. Like, BIG DEAL. 

Loved Update. And this shows why the Emmys didn't work for Jost/Che. They were off brand there.  Che's sad little "hey, hey, hey" for Cosby killed me. But I thought all the jokes worked. Again, Pete's a big deal now.  He should just come out and sing the theme from that old show Greatest American Hero- "Look what's happened to me. I can't believe it myself...!" I was expecting Don Jr and I'm Eric.

Adam Driver was having the time of his life as the old dad.

First show of the season and lots of miscues and giggles galore. Darrell did bypass Kyle, and They messed up the music for those Ginsburns.

I admit Kanye is a bathroom break for me. No use for him, and I did not appreciate having to endure him and his stupid hat at the end. I hope they mock him next week.

Edited September 30, 2018 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

1 minute ago, bilgistic said:

I certainly shouldn't count on SNL to be a paragon of ethics, but having the problematic Pete Davidson, Matt Damon and Kanye West all on the show at the same time in the midst of a national climate of incredible moral and ethical crisis was tone deaf at best and harmfully dismissive at worse.

This is the show that bear hugged Trump. It's just a big part of who they are and of how Lorne Michaels sees culture and politics. It's one of the reasons why the media push to make SNL some kind of big voice again just because Alec Baldwin (another mess...) pouted into the camera a lot baffled me so much. At least that seems to be over now.

[vb68]

2 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

It's one of the reasons why the media push to make SNL some kind of big voice again just because Alec Baldwin (another mess...) pouted into the camera a lot baffled me so much. At least that seems to be over now.

No, Alec announced he's still doing it.

24 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Spelled "Ego," pronounced "Eggo."

I'm sure she hates this, but let go my Eggo.

I can not not think of that.

[Pete Martell]

2 minutes ago, vb68 said:

No, Alec announced he's still doing it.

Oh I knew he'd still be around, unfortunately. I meant the whole song and dance of how his lousy impression and the poorly written sketches he was in were some kind of potent political force and isn't this so hilarious and wonderful because it upsets Trump, and all that. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by Pete Martell

[Peace 47]

That cold open was killer.  Fun to hear the audience go “ooohhh” when they first saw it was Matt Damon.  “I’m gonna start at an 11!!!”  Blaming the Clintons and “Mr. Ronan Sinatra.” 

I thought it was one of the strongest shows, on a start to finish basis, that they had done in awhile:  I laughed a lot.  To me, there were no horrifying clunkers to interrupt the flow beyond Kanye being his typical trainwreck self.  I know I’ve defended him here in past years when he was the musical guest and did some wacky things, but his TMZ antics this year left me completely done with him other than wishing he would get some intensive professional help.  And when people get a third song, they still let the host get their goodnights in, don’t they?  I assumed that Kanye just barreled through that and did what he wanted, though maybe I am wrong.

On the Kyle sketch, what happened to Kyle and Leslie’s romance for the ages?  He’s with Wendy Williams now?  ?

I hope Daryl Hammond is doing okay.  This isn’t the first time he’s messed up names, including the huge John Mulaney flub just a few episodes ago (someone he knows and worked with).  It’s not a lot of work:  he should get it right, and it makes me wonder what’s going on with him.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Peace 47

[Amethyst]

Seeing Kanye like this makes me sad.  It feels like he just gets deeper into the shit and there's no way out.  The first performance made no sense, and the censor must have been asleep, because there were at least 3 f bombs during the song.  Second was pretty bad, he didn't have the vibe with Teyana like he did with Fade.  As for that third, it was eh.  No idea who the woman in leather pants was, but she seemed nervous.  

Kanye also made a speech after the credits, with the SNL cast just hanging in the background.  Chris Rock was in the audience and put it on his Instagram story.  From what I saw of it, awkward is putting it lightly. 

I noticed that none of the Black cast-members were on stage for that part, and I read that Adam Driver also left midway.  Such a damn mess.

[GoldenGirl90]

18 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Seeing Kanye like this makes me sad.  It feels like he just gets deeper into the shit and there's no way out. 

Ever since his mom died something changed and he’s been... different.