Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL Review: Too Soon to Make Timothée Chalamet Honorary Cast Member?

NBC's Saturday Night Live heads into its anniversary break with another amazing effort from Timothée Chalamet and SNL's writers and cast.

Okay, I'm going to start things off by being a bit of a "Debbie Downer." Based on the promo that ran during last night's show, it doesn't look like NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 will be back until after the big primetime anniversary show on Feb. 16th – meaning that Saturday, Feb. 22nd would be the earliest that we would have a new show (though we can't shake this feeling that SNL might not return until the first Saturday in March – we'll see). That said, if that's the case, then this weekend's pre-break show with host and musical guest Timothée Chalamet was an excellent note to go out on. After two previous outings killed, Chalamet upped his game for his third hosting gig by pulling double duty and never missing a beat. Look, at this point – based on what he has lined up film-wise – we could see Chalamet getting his "Five-Timers" jacket by the end of Season 3, and he's earned it.

Hosting and performing would be impressive enough, but Chalamet did pull back on one for the sake of the other – knocking out three songs over two sets and appearing in an impressive number of sketches along the way. Was I hoping for more "Tiny Horse" and $mokeCheddaThaAssGetta? Definitely, but I respect and appreciate that Chalamet and the SNL cast and writers didn't go the route we were expecting. Instead, we were treated to a run of live and filmed sketches that offered a wide assortment of comedic offerings – from laugh-out-loud and heartwarming to thought-provoking and cringe-inducing moments. It's easy to see that Chalamet is someone that the SNL cast and writers feel creatively connected with, and it's been making for some epic shows along the way. While we could give you an easy 300 words on every sketch – they were all bangers, no misses – we're going to hit you with some random thoughts we had during the show.

SNL Host/Musical Guest Timothée Chalamet: Random Thoughts

"Founding Fathers" Cold Open: James Austin Johnson found a way to make me hate Donald Trump even more when he came out to cut off Lin-Manuel Miranda's return as Alexander Hamilton (with Johnson getting Miranda to break just a little).

"New Barista Training": As great as Chalamet was (and bonus points to Kenan Thompson at the end), I'm obsessed with knowing the backstory of the passive-aggressive hate the two trainers (Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner) were throwing at Ashley Padilla's trainee.

"AI Software": Serious bonus points to the writers, who were clearly haunted by all of their AI exposure and needed to exorcise those demons (six fingers!!!) in this sketch because it hits hard. The same could be said for Chalamet and Bowen Yang, who brought a disturbingly natural tone to the words that only increased the creepiness factor – like listening to two aliens trying to pass themselves off as human in a conversation.

"Oedipal Arrangements": Gardner, Day, and Michael Longfellow offer a disturbing twist on the "Edible Arrangements" offering. Gardner and Day realize just how uncomfortable some folks are going to feel and then dial it up so far that the laughs far outweigh the cringe. Confession? That quick cut to Longfellow imaging killing and disposing of his dad's (Day) body had me laughing harder than it had any right to.

"Weekend Update: Andrew Dismukes and His Puppet Dad on Crazy Families": Serious props to Andrew Dismukes for a segment during Colin Jost and Michael Che's "Weekend Update" (which was excellent, by the way) that had no right being that funny while hitting us in the feels when we least expected it.

"Dog Run": A big ensemble sketch (Chalamet, Day, Gardner, Thompson, Yang, Dismukes, Johnson, Marcello Hernández, Sarah Sherman, and Chloe Fineman) that hit a lot of dog owners hard on social media. Heartfelt and humorous, it harkened back to the days when SNL would roll out some truly original comedy after the midnight hour.

"Grandma's Birthday": Sure, watching Chalamet's cardiologist squatting over Sherman's dying grandmother to administer "Fart CPR" had that shock factor comedically – but SNL understands that the real humor is what comes after the absurdity. The aftermath makes for some great moments – especially Thompson's Mr. Davis refusing medical treatment when he starts having a heart attack now that he knows how he's going to be saved.

"God – An SNL Animated Short": Day, Gardner, Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline voice Angels who are charged with helping God (Chalamet) create the world. MESSAGE TO EP LORNE MICHAELS: This needs to be a series. I'm not talking just an SNL series – I'm talking about an actual animated series, maybe stemming from your production company. Because that short felt like a pitch for something more, and it took less than three minutes for it to have me wanting more.

Saturday Night Live Season 50: Timothée Chalamet

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Review by Ray Flook

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9.5/10

Okay, I'm going to start things off by being a bit of a "Debbie Downer." Based on the promo that ran during last night's show, it doesn't look like NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 will be back until after the big primetime anniversary show on Feb. 16th - meaning that Saturday, Feb. 22nd would be the earliest that we would have a new show (though we can't shake this feeling that SNL might not return until the first Saturday in March - we'll see). That said, if that's the case, then this weekend's pre-break show with host and musical guest Timothée Chalamet was an excellent note to go out on. After two previous outings killed, Chalamet upped his game for his third hosting gig by pulling double duty and never missing a beat. Look, at this point - based on what he has lined up film-wise - we could see Chalamet getting his "Five-Timers" jacket by the end of Season 3, and he's earned it.

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