Monday Morning Quarterback #2 (10/5: Nate Bargatze/Coldplay)
Reviewing SNL's 50th Season
Here we are folks, entry/episode #2. Can I go the distance and review the entire season? We’ll see. I’d give last night’s show a B+. Two strong sketches (Mile High and Water Park), a few other solid bits, but held back by a few clunkers and a boring cold open.
My global critique for this episode is that the three sketches I’ve applauded as “Good” are all similar in that they rely on some sort of macabre twist. It’s probably not a good thing if all the best stuff in a show relies on the same type of humor because you don’t want the audience to go into a sketch expecting the twist to happen. Could be the sensibility of the host (who - I think - exercises some control over what gets into the show) at play here, or just coincidence, but future shows will tell if the show can produce a well-rounded body of work this season.1 (Of all the footnotes I’ve ever offered, please click that one and watch Diner Lobster! Guaranteed to make you smile.)
The Good
Mile High Burger
This was glorious. Heidi Gardner killed it. If you’re squeamish about gross-out stuff, maybe this isn’t for you, but I love how she wrung every drop out of her role. This is a funny sketch with somebody who doesn’t commit as much as she did, but it’s hilarious because she went crazy with it.
I know Lorne Michaels has mixed feelings about players breaking during a sketch, but you know you’ve got something good when they can’t keep it together on stage.
Golf Tournament
Fun idea, and they took it to some interesting places. Solid, bread-and-butter sketch.
Water Park
This sketch felt like an improv scene; somebody comes up with a killer premise, and everybody just hangs as much as they can onto it like a Christmas tree until it’s time for the scene to end. I bet this was a blast to write.
Weekend Update: Jane Wickline
It’s fun to watch new performers on the show try to carve out their niche. In appearances so far, Wickline has seemed nervous (understandable), but the song is fun! Maybe she could fill the musical-performer role like Adam Sandler did in the nineties. Hope she does more of this.
The Bad
VP Debate 2024 Cold Open
If you read my review of last week’s cold open, you already know that I don’t like it when they burn so much time on campaign stuff unless they really have something to say. They didn’t here, and it’s just leeching time that could have been spent doing something else. If I’m a writer whose sketch was cut from the show this week, but this rambling got eight minutes, I’m not happy.
Sushi Glory Hole
I know I was supposed to celebrate this because of Andy Samberg’s return (he is the father of the SNL digital short), but the premise (see title) was just too random and Mad-Libby for me to get into it. Also why draft Samberg for this when the Please Don’t Destroy crew hasn’t had anything in the show for two episodes?
Coach Alan
Just a flat character who didn’t really progress throughout the sketch - they just hit the check thing a few times, and called it a sketch. This premise had promise, but I would have liked to see more out of Coach Alan than the single note that we got.
The Ugly
Chris Martin’s Feet
Look at those flippers!
Now I have a folder on my computer labeled “Chris Martin Feet Pics.” The things I do for you people…
Opening Monologues by Standups
I don’t know Bargatze’s stuff at all, but I thought this was funny enough. Trouble is that standups’ opening monologues on SNL sometimes feel a little too polished, like it’s just 7 minutes cut out of their usual set (see also: Shane Gillis).
I hope they can, because a sketch like the glorious Diner Lobster is totally out of step with the grim stuff, but is one of the high points of recent SNL history. I want Mulaney to try to top it when he hosts later this season.