One of the nice things about my Saturday Night Live recaps not being posted until Monday morning is that it gives me a chance to watch each episode again before writing the recap. I usually don’t sway too far from my initial impression, but occasionally I will see a sketch or a performance differently after watching it again. Saturday’s episode of SNL is a perfect example of why this method works for me, and why first impressions are sometimes terrible.
When I went to bed early Sunday morning, I thought the Michael Keaton hosted episode was boring and uneven. Yes, it had a couple of bright spots, but overall, I thought it was a letdown after last week’s very funny episode hosted by Dwayne Johnson.
I’m not sure if I was half-asleep Saturday night, but I’ll admit that my initial reaction was wrong. Keaton will be giving Johnson some competition for “host of the season,” and this episode may have the best sketch of the season. It is definitely the best sketch featuring Colin Jost.
Cold Open: Road to the Final Four
The cold open this week wasn’t hysterical, but it had some very good jokes at the expense of the NCAA and its “student-athletes.” A highlight was the exchange between Charles Barkley (Kenan Thompson) and Kenny Smith (Jay Pharoah) about not wanting to be the only NBA player who didn’t know about Emily Dickinson.
This sketch also showed how SNL can be working on a sketch up until the last minute before airing. Wisconsin defeated Kentucky just a little over an hour before airtime, and just a few hours earlier, Duke beat Michigan State. If Duke had lost, would Taran Killam have been portraying Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, and not Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski? Would Jahlil Okafor have been replaced by Denzel Valentine or Travis Trice in the chemistry exam joke?
Best Sketch: Neurotology
Last Sunday, HBO aired the critically acclaimed Scientology documentary Going Clear, which led to some renewed scrutiny toward the religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Jumping at the chance to poke fun at Scientology while the fire’s still hot, SNL decided to parody “We Stand Tall,” the strange video produced in 1990 by the church to either boost morale amongst their followers, or make us all fear Xenu.
You can watch the original here, which is also apparently where the SNL writers got the idea for the “where are they now?” aspect of their parody.
Second Best Sketch: Easter Candy
This sketch has been used featuring Steve Buscemi with Christmas ornaments back in 2011, and Edward Norton, who talked about Halloween candy, last season. Michael Keaton and Kate McKinnon are pretty great as Michael Keaton and Portia, and Bobby Moynihan is his usual goofy self as Keaton’s friend Jordan.
Weekend Update Moment: Jost and Che
I know I’ve written about it before, but these guys are on to something. This could potentially be the beginning of the next great “Weekend Update” anchor duo, and this week was possibly Colin Jost and Michael Che’s most solid joke-reading “Update” of the season. No flubs or interruptions, just a little over 13 minutes of some great jokes at the start about nuclear weapons and Israeli/American relations just kept the segment rolling.
Appearances by “Resident Young Person” Pete Davidson — who was shot with an arrow by Darryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) from The Walking Dead — and Jebidiah Atkinson (Taran Killam) seemed to derail the flow that Jost and Che had going throughout “Weekend Update.”
Standout Performer: Michael Keaton
For the second week in a row, the host had a great performance, and as I said in the introduction, Keaton will most likely be considered one of the best hosts of the season. This shouldn’t really come as that much of a surprise for older viewers who remember Keaton and his comedic work from the 1980’s.
Other Notes:
Keaton first hosted SNL in 1982 after the success of Night Shift, and again in 1992 after Batman Returns.
Mike O’Brien returned this week with another odd short film, “Prom Queen.”
Pete Davidson is the only cast member who wasn’t born when either Beetlejuice or Batman were in theaters. Davidson was born in 1994.
Saturday Night Live returns on April 11 with host Taraji P. Henson and musical guest Mumford and Sons.
