Producing a live show in six days is tough, and doing it on a high level consistently for 40 years is unheard of in television. This is something that makes Saturday Night Live unique and a landmark of American television.
This consistency also makes SNL the target for harsh criticism when the show is not working, and we are currently in the middle of a down time for the show. I understand that getting this show together every week is a small miracle, and that’s part of the reason that I like it so much. I’ve also been watching SNL for 25 years, so I know that the show has had bad patches, and that even great seasons have bad episodes, but poorly written and acted sketches are becoming the norm at SNL.
Whether it’s the size of the writing staff and cast leading to too many voices fighting for air-time, or a diluted pool of talent due to the increased avenues for exposure during the past 20 years, something has changed at the “grad school” for comedy. I’ll be looking into the reasons for the downward spiral of SNL over the rest of the season, but this is supposed to be a recap for Saturday’s episode.
The Chris Rock hosted episode wasn’t completely terrible, but it was a step back after a couple of good episodes. It was plagued by flubbed lines, missed marks, and poor material. The bad overshadowed the good for another week at SNL.
Cold Open: The Kelly File
Last week, I wrote about SNL’s issues with making President Obama funny. The writers have none of these issues with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Bobby Moynihan). It definitely helps that Christie consistently gives them great material to work with, and did again this week after his decision to have nurse Kaci Hickox quarantined for Ebola upon her return from Sierra Leone.
Best Sketch: Swiftamine
In another week where nothing really stood out as the overwhelming “best” sketch this Dramamine/Taylor Swift parody commercial wins out. I mean who among us has not had a Taylor Swift induced vertigo episode? My only knock against this sketch is that Dr. David Doctor feels like a bad Dr. Leo Spaceman ripoff.
Worst Sketch: The Couple
How bad was this sketch? The above video has been edited to remove Leslie Jones’ attempt to escape this awful sketch before returning, and looking about as lost as I’ve ever seen a cast member. It was a bad moment for the show, and for Jones who has been a highlight this season. This sketch about a bickering couple wasn’t funny even without Jones’ misstep.
Weekend Update Moment: Michael Che Flubbing Tim Cook Joke
I was really hoping SNL would address the cat-calling comments made by co-anchor Michael Che via Instagram this week, but watching him completely mess up a joke about Apple CEO Tim Cook seemed like karma.
Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah appeared as Suge Knight and Katt Williams, and Pete Davidson let us all know that he sends pictures of his penis to his mom. For once, Colin Jost was the highlight of “Weekend Update.”
Standout Performer: Prince
It’s never a good thing when the musical guest is the most talked about moment from an episode of SNL, but an eight-minute medley from Prince was going to be the standout performance no matter what happened during the rest of the show.
Other Notes:
Chris Rock last hosted SNL in 1996. In his monologue he mentioned Sunglass Hut.
Fake accents made a comeback with this week’s “Shark Tank” sketch featuring members of ISIS.
Saturday Night Live returns in two weeks with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Kendrick Lamar.
