Posted in: NBC, Review, TV, YouTube | Tagged: charl xcx, nbc, paul rudd, Review, saturday night live, snl, steve martin, tina fey, tom hanks

Saturday Night Live Filmed, "Best Of" Effort Saves Holidays: Review

So what was supposed to be a fun, family-feel episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live as it headed into the holiday break became anything but. The reality of surging COVID variant cases in NYC created a day-long drama yesterday that left folks wondering if there was going to be a show at all. By mid-afternoon, the decision was made that they would lose the live audience and go with a limited cast & crew. Unfortunately, that meant musical guest Charli XCX's musical performances would have to be cut. From there, it was a question mark as to what would finally make it to air. As of 8 pm ET on Saturday, the word was that Tina Fey had been tapped to appear as well as join "Weekend Update" for one of the rare live moments for the night. But when showtime came, we weren't welcomed by host Paul Rudd (at least not yet) but by Tom Hanks, who revealed (along with the caption at the bottom) that the show would be made up of recorded sketches from earlier in the way and that day along with some holiday-themed "Best Of" moments.

Now before we get to the new stuff, a couple of thoughts. First, considering all of the last-minute decision-making going on throughout the day and up until only hours before going live, I have mad respect for what Lorne Michaels and the team were able to put together. Did it feel a little weird? Definitely, but for me that had more to do with COVID-related feelings than about anything the show did or did not do. Second, while I can understand folks questioning why they didn't just call it a wrap for the year I don't think SNL is deserving of getting shit for it. Just the opposite. Because if there's one thing that the folks who work on SNL have been known for and for quite some time is its "The Show Must Go On!" approach to their craft. I have a feeling Michaels had more of an issue sending people home who wanted to appear than he did finding folks to take part. Because the show being on the air means something. It sends the message that even in a time of crisis, art can still shine through and bring a little light into the darkness. And while last night's last-minute "Episode 2.0" may have felt a bit odd here and there, it was still 1000x better than running a repeat or the SNL holiday special. So with all of that in mind, here's a look at what we did get in between the holiday greatest hits:

"5-Timers Cold Open": Rudd is formally inducted into SNL's 5-Timers hosting club by Hanks, Fey, Steve Martin (with non-5-Timer Martin Short), and longest-running SNL cast member Kenan Thompson. As much as the "4-1/2-Timers" line was a good joke, you could tell there was a ton of truth in Rudd's comment about being disappointed. And props to SNL for showing once again how that show still has bonds that bring folks back to "save" it no matter how long it's been or how successful they've become.

"HomeGoods": Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant are two women who turn Rudd's attempt to film a holiday commercial for HomeGoods into a therapy session that ends with Rudd's realization that he not only wants kids but grandkids, too. While I think this would've been a perfect "palate cleanser" sketch between two tougher-toned live ones, it still holds its own because of the journey McKinnon, Bryant, and Rudd take us on, making it feel both absurd and all-too-real at the same time.

"An Evening with Pete": Ummm… am I the only one that thought this sketch felt like Pete Davidson was saying goodbye to SNL? That said, this was another example of the amazing work SNL has been doing over the past several seasons after they learned to stop worrying and love the filmed sketch route. An impressive piece of introspection on Davidson's part.

"The Christmas Socks": Once again, the combination of melodrama with the brutal realities of waiting in line to do holiday shopping made for a sketch that made you love it. From Rudd and Kyle Mooney's earnest telling of a story that took way too long to get to an ending to Bryant deftly balancing being in on the joke while still questioning why a grown-ass stranger would befriend her son. But the best part was that it found a way for Charli XCX to still be part of the show and at least perform in some way. Granted, it was in a bird costume as "T.J. Rocks" but you take your wins where you can get them.

"Tina Fey & Michael Che with a Special Christmas Weekend Update": First off, "Weekend Update with Fey & Che" has a sweet ring to it so it was already starting on a strong note. Along with that, the stripped-down version really worked and didn't lessen the impact of what were some quality "news items." Having Hanks, Thompson, Rudd, and the limited crew as the "live audience" they were playing to actually heightened the humor and added an intimate "we're all part of the same cool club" vibe. Also, maybe we were reading his facial expressions and body language wrong but Michael Che looked like he was honored and excited to be working with Fey. It was one of the rare moments when a bad situation can make for something very, very good.

Saturday Night Live Season 47 Paul Rudd & Charli XCX

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Review by Ray Flook

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8/10

Considering all of the last-minute decision-making going on throughout the day and up until only hours before going live, I have mad respect for what Lorne Michaels and the Saturday Night Live team were able to pull together. Did it feel a little weird? Definitely, but for me that had more to do with COVID-related feelings than about anything the show did or did not do. Second, while I can understand folks questioning why they didn't just call it a wrap for the year I don't think SNL is deserving of getting shit for it. Just the opposite. Because if there's one thing that the folks who work on SNL have been known for and for quite some time is its "The Show Must Go On!" approach to their craft. I have a feeling Michaels had more of an issue sending people home who wanted to appear than he did finding folks to take part. Because the show being on the air means something. It sends the message that even in a time of crisis, art can still shine through and bring a little light into the darkness. And while last night's last-minute "Episode 2.0" may have felt a bit odd here and there, it was still 1000x better than running a repeat or the SNL holiday special.

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