Posted in: NBC, Review, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Austin Butler, Cecily Strong, lizzo, nbc, Review, saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live: Strong Swan Song, Butler Surprises & Lizzo Rules

Midseason, year-end episodes of NBC's Saturday Night Live are tough ones to judge because folks are feeling a little punchy after a stretch of episodes and ahead of a much-needed break. That's why SNL has a reputation for going with "SNL Family" for those and the season finale episodes. So we were surprised when we saw that Steve Martin and Martin Short were booked to host last week's episode and not this weekend's edition. While having Lizzo aboard definitely added to the chill vibe last night, she was a last-minute rescue after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had to bow out. And then we learned hours before the show that it would end up being special for a surprising/not surprising reason: Cecily Strong was departing SNL with this weekend's episode. And as you're about to see, host Austin Butler and her castmates gave Strong the kind of goodbye that one of the best players ever to grace the stages of Studio 8H more than deserved. But a few notes before we jump into Strong's farewell moments:

Saturday Night Live: Austin Butler Impresses, Lizzo's Awesome & More

We weren't sure what to expect from Butler other than the fact that we were feeling for him as a first-time SNL host having to take the reigns of the year-end show. But even not being able to set a proper bar for him to clear as host, I was impressed. Based on a monologue that otherwise set a solid tone, I was afraid we would be getting various versions of Elivs from Butler. Well, he more than proved me wrong on a number of occasions- especially "Jewish Elvis," where he almost stole the sketch from Sarah Sherman (to be clear, we're saying almost). As for the sketches that worked? Along with "Jewish Elvis," we were all-in on the Trump NFT cold open, "A Christmas Epiphany" reminded me of the classic SNL "It's a Wonderful Life" deleted scene sketch with Dana Carvey in all of the right ways, "Marzipan" wore me down until I found myself saying the damn word over & over again, and Chloe Fineman's disturbingly spot-on Jennifer Coolidge impression. But leave it to Please Don't Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins & Martin Herlihy) and Lizzo to deliver another absurdist kick to our comedy feels as they pitch their new product "Plirts" to Butler:

Cecily Strong Says Goodbye; Butler Serenades One of SNL's Best

Once the news hit late on Saturday that Strong would be departing the long-running, late-night sketch comedy/music series, fans were waiting to see at what point during the show Strong would have a chance to say a proper goodbye (before the final bow at the end of the night, of course). Appropriately enough for a segment that she both co-anchored and appeared in over the years, that moment came during the Colin Jost & Michael Che-anchored "Weekend Update." Appearing as Cathy Anne, Strong had some heartfelt things to share about "heading to prison," where Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant are apparently waiting for her based on the graphic that appeared behind her:

But what got the tears flowing was the final sketch that turned into Butler & the SNL cast breaking from the "Radio Shack" sketch (so much metaphor there, it was starting to hurt) to serenade Strong with an Elvis Presley-style take on "Blue Christmas" (with Strong's singing voice reminding us once again what a true multi-talent she is):

Saturday Night Live: Krampus, Great Aunt Pat Kidnap Weekend Update

From Donald Trump's trading cards to Elon Musk's continued man-child downward spiral at Twitter's expense and a whole lot of things in-between, it was another round of fresh, cringy & wonderfully stinging commentary from Jost and Che. But this week, they were riding shotgun next to Bowen Yang's Krampus and Heidi Gardner as Jost's "Great Aunt Pat" (with a major assist from Mikey Day).

There's something inside of Yang that appreciates the creative challenge that comes with being in a very elaborate costume while trying to make "serious" points. Seriously, look no further than the Titanic Iceberg segment from a while back. This time around, Yang blends the absurdity of Krampus being on "Weekend Update" with a pretty decent argument defending what he does for a living. So what if his horn falls off mid-sketch? Yang finds a way to make it work. And Gardner's Aunt Pat went the wonderfully tipsy "A Streetcar Named Desire" route, over-the-top at just the right moments and then reigning it in when needed. And while Day deserves a lot of credit for going with a twisted version of himself, sketch credit should actually go to his crotch (and we're hoping its stunt double):

Lizzo Performs "Break Up Twice" & "Someday at Christmas"

Do we need even say anything else other than Lizzo performed "Break Up Twice" & "Someday at Christmas"? The performances were great, and at this point, she's up there with Justin Timberlake in my eyes when it comes to being an honorary member of SNL. Keeping fingers, toes & other various body parts crossed that we see more guest appearances when the show returns (we're assuming) in January 2023 (they won't make us wait until February… right?):

Saturday Night Live Season 48: Austin Butler & Lizzo

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Review by Ray Flook

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8.5/10

Midseason, year-end episodes of NBC's Saturday Night Live are tough ones to judge because folks are feeling a little punchy after a stretch of episodes and ahead of a much-needed break. That's why SNL has a reputation for going with "SNL Family" for those and the season finale episodes. So we were surprised when we saw that Steve Martin and Martin Short were booked to host last week's episode and not this weekend's edition. While having Lizzo aboard definitely added to the chill vibe last night, she was a last-minute rescue after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had to bow out. And then we learned hours before the show that it would end up being special for a surprising/not surprising reason: Cecily Strong was departing SNL with this weekend's episode. And as you're about to see, host Austin Butler and her castmates gave Strong the kind of goodbye that one of the best players ever to grace the stages of Studio 8H more than deserved.

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