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Pete Davidson returning and some strong runs by the SNL cast's featured players helped boost what was an otherwise okay effort this week.
Posted in: Current News, NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL 51 Featured Players, Pete Davidson Boost Otherwise Okay Effort
Pete Davidson returning and some strong runs by the SNL cast's featured players helped boost what was an otherwise okay effort this week.
If we had to rank this weekend's Nikki Glaser-hosted effort on a Saturday Night Live Season 51 scale – with Miles Teller being the best and Sabrina Carpenter being the worst (at least, so far) – it would rank in the middle, with a slight lean towards Teller. It wasn't a bad show by any means, but there were pressure points that kept it from being as strong as it could've been. Last weekend, we had an actor who excelled at comedic acting as a host, which made the sketches feel natural and genuine. This week, it became a little too obvious, too many times, that Glaser was leaning hard on the cue cards (with "Sorority Meeting" being one example). A couple of sketches (for example, "Karaoke Night) could've used a little trimming, and the opening offered a Cold Open that felt a bit too rushed (clocking in at about four minutes) and a monologue that went on a bit too long (clocking in at about nine minutes). Again, not a bad show – especially for the featured players, who really got a chance to shine this week – just more of an "okay" effort.
That isn't to say that there weren't highlights. Musical guest Sombr offered outstanding performances of "back to friends" and "12 to 12," and "Weekend Update" continued hitting hard. As for SNL sketches, here's a look at what earned high marks from us:
"Weekend Update: Pete Davidson Talks About His and Colin Jost's Staten Island Ferry": This was a very different Pete Davidson than we've seen in the past. More conversational, a bit toned down, and much more introspective, yet still self-deprecating. It made a very funny, and at times kinda sweet, exchange between him and Colin Jost. I'm hoping EP Lorne Michaels considers having him drop in to offer commentary for "Weekend Update."
"American Girl Doll XL": The moment they mentioned "XL" and "life-sized," we knew where this was headed, but it was still amusing to watch just how creepy things would get. Glaser did a great job trying to talk up what the dolls are actually intended for while pushing back on the creeps (Andrew Dismukes, Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Kam Patterson, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) who definitely have other ideas in mind.
"Mechanical Bull": Glaser and Sarah Sherman grabbed the absurdity of this sketch by the throat and squeezed out of it all that they could, making this work in ways that it had any right to. Johnson definitely gets bonus points for offering the perfect folksy musical narration, a Country music vibe that contrasted nicely with Glaser and Sherman's interstellar travels.
"Brad and His Dad – An SNL Animated Short": Funny, sweet, touching, and very real, Brad's (Mikey Day) dad (Streeter Seidell) is just looking to spend some quality time with his son. The father-son dynamic that Day and Seidell offered isn't one we often see on television, avoiding the clichés we've come to expect. Sure, Brad's dad tries to get his son to connect with him on the things he likes, but he also demonstrates a willingness to adjust to Brad's world. Also, they didn't portray Brad as just some detached gamer who wants nothing to do with his Dad – he wants to connect with his dad, too, and recognizes the effort. More of this, please!
"Pinwheel": Now that she's an adult, it's time for Glaser's Anna to say goodbye to her Make Believe Meadow friends (Day, Bowen Yang, Sherman, Marshall, and Jeremy Culhane), but not before sharing some gifts – and then it goes to Hell from there (in a good way). Day and Culhane understood the assignment and ran with it, no looking back. Their love and fascination with pinwheels was so over the top that it took us on an emotional journey in less than a minute. We thought it was funny, then found it annoying, and then couldn't stop f***ing laughing – especially when everyone else snapped.
Saturday Night Live Season 51: Nikki Glaser & Sombr
7/10
If we had to rank this weekend's Nikki Glaser-hosted effort on a Saturday Night Live Season 51 scale - with Miles Teller being the best and Sabrina Carpenter being the worst (at least, so far) - it would rank in the middle, with a slight lean towards Teller. It wasn't a bad show by any means, but there were pressure points that kept it from being as strong as it could've been. Last weekend, we had an actor who excelled at comedic acting as a host, which made the sketches feel natural and genuine. This week, it became a little too obvious, too many times, that Glaser was leaning hard on the cue cards (with "Sorority Meeting" being one example). A couple of sketches (for example, "Karaoke Night) could've used a little trimming, and the opening offered a Cold Open that felt a bit too rushed (clocking in at about four minutes) and a monologue that went on a bit too long (clocking in at about nine minutes). Again, not a bad show - especially for the featured players, who really got a chance to shine this week - just more of an "okay" effort.
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