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Posted in: NBC, Review, TV, YouTube | Tagged: boygenius, nbc, Review, saturday night live, snl, Timothee Chalamet
SNL Cast, boygenius Guarantee Chalamet's "5-Timer" Future: Review
The SNL cast, host Timothée Chalamet, and musical guest boygenius gave us a whole lot to love about NBC's Saturday Night Live this weekend.
After a week off, NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend with host Timothée Chalamet (Wonka) and musical guest boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus). While we won't waste a lot of time with build-up before deep-diving into why this episode worked, we do have a message to send to Chalamet (so if any of you know him, please pass this along). As long as you hold up your end of the bargain with your films, you should have no problems getting your "Five-Timers" jacket – and probably a few more down the road. Once again, Chalamet has fun without making it all about him – and that kind of vibe allowed the SNL cast to shine in an impressive run of sketches this week. Even more impressive was the fact that this weekend came off of an "off-week," with returning shows having the reputation of being a little slow getting back up to speed. That was definitely not the case this go-around, with the cold open setting the right tone for what was to come. And while we discuss the band more later on, serious props to boygenius for breaking up the comedy with music that has me checking out their other songs. So with that in mind, let's take a look at this week's SNL…
What Worked, What Didn't Work & What Fell Somewhere In-Between? Right off the bat, I'm happy to report that there wasn't a sketch or segment that didn't work or that painfully missed the mark. Were there a few moments that left me staring at the screen, wondering if I missed the point? Sure, but few and far between. "Calm Sleep Story" felt incomplete, with a very oddly-timed (on a number of levels) appearance from Alec Baldwin not helping the situation. Heidi Gardner's "Your Co-Worker Who Is Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing" appearance on "Weekend Update" was one of those segments where the absurdity of it all either really works or it doesn't – but this go-around didn't hit for me.
But the vast majority of the episodes popped (like Josh Groban likes his women to do – someone will get that reference) – with "The Woman in Me: Auditions" giving Chloe Fineman a chance to show off her Britney Spears and a lot of other folks the chance to roll out some great imitations that we may have never seen otherwise. Side note? Serious props to Punkie Johnson for rocking great takes on Nicki Minaj (during the opening monologue) and Ice Spice in this sketch.
"Gym Call" had all of the makings of a sketch where everyone could've broken at any point – with Chalamet & Mikey Day's gym employees being the right amount of frustration for Gardner's caller (with a very jacked Sarah Sherman making an appearance). "Troye Sivan Sleep Demon" winds because you can't help but respect a sketch that ends with Bowen Yang, Chalamet, and the members of boygenius dancing while flashing us their red undies. Even with a sketch where you know where it's going, Please Don't Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins & Martin Herlihy) still keeps us watching to see what happens to Chalamet's "Jumper." And Colin Jost & Michael Che have become comedic forces of nature on "Weekend Update," able to rise above any moans or groans or silence from the audience in ways that show us time and again why they anchor that desk.
Here's What Really Hit Us Hard This Week: Oh, yes – there were definitely some sketches & segments that rose above & beyond, sticking with us well after the show ended – more reasons why the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series has been around for nearly 50 seasons:
"Republican Debate Cold Open": As great as it was to see Fineman, Higgins, Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, Molly Kearney, and Devon Walker in some great roles, it was James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump breaking the fourth wall to twist the knife on both his fellow Republican nominees and SNL that made this opener work.
Timothée Chalamet Monologue: This was a major charm offensive on Chalamet's part – and it worked. From his Wonka-themed enthusiasm over the SAG-AFTRA strike ending to a great like about working with Martin Scorsese on a perfume commercial, we were quickly reminded why Chalamet was welcomed back. But the monologue was blown up to another level when Chalamet was joined by Marcello Hernández and Johnson for a rap ode to baby faces.
"Museum of Hip-Hop Panel": A panel made up of Mary J. Blige (Johnson), Rick Rubin (Austin Johnson), Dr. Cornel West (Thompson) – and SmokeCheddaDaAssGetta (Chalamet)? How could this not be top material? Along with some interesting statements it made about younger generations being uneducated on the history of music and how technology can make anyone a superstar, I will never pass up an opportunity to watch Nwodim portray growing disgust while trying to keep everything in check and moving forward.
"Little Orphan Cassidy": When Chloe Troast ends up being a comedic superstar, this will be the sketch that folks look back on. This is the kind of late-in-the-show sketch that deserved a pre"Weekend Update" spot – with Troast offering a breakthrough SNL turn on par with Bill Murray's "shower singing" sketch. And don't sleep on some excellent reaction comedy from Chalamet's moon after he realizes he's dealing with a 26-year-oldish "orphan."
"Giant Horse": Chalamet's space hero must confront the Tiny Horse he parted ways with – now seduced to the dark side to become Giant Horse. Yup, it's a sequel sketch – one that had me guessing until the big reveal. As absurd as the entire premise is – because none of you saw a space epic sequel coming our way – it still hit our feels hard. If you're a sketch that can have us guessing, keep us laughing, and hit our heartstrings? That's deserving of serious attention.
While we're familiar with the members of boygenius, this was the first time we heard the supergroup perform – and they definitely earned the title of "supergroup" based on their live SNL performances of "Not Strong Enough" and "Satanist." The Grammy-nominated band impressed – and has a new fan:
Saturday Night Live Season 49 Episode 4: Timothée Chalamet & boygenius
9/10
After a week off, NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend with host Timothée Chalamet (Wonka) and musical guest boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus). While we won't waste a lot of time with build-up before deep-diving into why this episode worked, we do have a message to send to Chalamet (so if any of you know him, please pass this along). As long as you hold up your end of the bargain with your films, you should have no problems getting your "Five-Timers" jacket - and probably a few more down the road. Once again, Chalamet has fun without making it all about him - and that kind of vibe allowed the SNL cast to shine in an impressive run of sketches this week. Even more impressive was the fact that this weekend came off of an "off-week," with returning shows having the reputation of being a little slow getting back up to speed. That was definitely not the case this go-around, with the cold open setting the right tone for what was to come. And while we discuss the band more later on, serious props to boygenius for breaking up the comedy with music that has me checking out their other songs. So with that in mind, let's take a look at this week's SNL...
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