About 
Check out our updated preview for tonight's episode of Aaron Korsch's Stephen Amell-starring Suits LA, Season 1 Ep. 12: "Angry Sylvester."
Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL Review: "Weekend Update," Wickline Shine Despite Mixed Bag Effort
While not the strongest show of NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50, Jane Wickline and "Weekend Update" were two strong SNL standouts.
We're going to chalk up the penultimate episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 as a combination of a bad case of the nerves and the SNL writers taking some big and very random creative swings this week. It wasn't that it was a bad show; far from it, in fact (which I'll get to in a minute). It definitely wasn't because host Walton Goggins and the SNL cast weren't putting it all out there – they definitely were. But with this being the first time Goggins has hosted the long-running live late-night sketch comedy and music series, it felt like nerves had Goggins a little focused on getting the lines right at the expense of being fully "in the moment" during the live sketches. As much as that may be a criticism, it's also very understandable, and I would love to see how much more relaxed Goggins would be with a second go-around (though Shane Gillis actually took a few steps back after hosting a second time).
In terms of Arcade Fire, that's a matter of musical taste. Personally, I didn't think they did a whole lot to add to the vibe – it was more "sleepy" than "showtime" (but again, that's just me). As for the sketches themselves, it was definitely a diverse lineup of topics and approaches, from dog theater critics and a horny Mother's Day brunch to a themed diner that "horrifyingly" mundane. But overall, it felt like each sketch could've benefited from having some seconds trimmed off, with one or two leaving me wondering which sketches they beat out to make the cut. Even Dan Bulla's "Saturday Night Live Midnight Matinee," which we've been fans of since it debuted, stumbled with "Boss's Bathroom," a premise that you see coming and then gets beaten to death a bit (even with the impressive effects).
SNL 50 Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire Highlights
"Trump Mother's Day Cold Open": Full disclosure? I hated when SNL turned over their Cold Open to honor Mother's Day (don't judge me). It's nothing against the holiday; it was just a weird, way-too-soft way to kick off a show. So when Marcello Hernandez, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang appeared with their mothers, we were prepared to go "Grinch" and be hated by a decent portion of you because of it.
Thankfully, SNL understood that this was too intense of a news week to ignore – with Trump (James Austin Johnson) once again hijacking the Cold Open to offer a rundown of his latest "accomplishments." From some great Pope Leo XIV/VP JD Vance jokes to Colin Jost's U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth being on the receiving end of some serious spittakes, it was a strong way to start the show. But the headline-grabber was the like-she-never-left return of Cecily Strong as Judge Jeanine Pirro, ex-FOX "News" talking head and new U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C.
"Weekend Update": I like two types of "Weekend Updates." The first are the ones where Colin Jost, Michael Che, and the audience are in sync and everyone's comedically on the same page. The second are those when Jost and Che can vibe that the audience may not be with them, so they double down and hit even harder with the jokes. This weekend, it was definitely the second option – hitting on everything from Trump and Pope Leo XIV to K-Pop star Lisa and the nightmare that airline travel has become.
Between the headlines, Hernandez offered another winning turn as The Movie Guy – a character that we first thought would be a one-and-done but has now grown on us. Serious props go to Heidi Gardner for channeling some serious Carol Burnett vibes as Dianne, The Mom Who's Only Read About New York on Facebook, a performance that I'm sure hit close to home for a lot of folks watching ahead of the big holiday. Mikey Day's A Guy Who Just Walked Into a Spiderweb, who was there to discuss Trump's tariffs, proved to be the perfect mix of satire and absurdity – one of those sketches you "get" even though it takes a while for you to understand why.
"Tiny Baby Shoe": Our love and appreciation for Jane Wickline's talent and what they have to offer SNL has grown steadily over the course of the season. Even in sketches that may not have worked for us, Wickline was always someone to watch. "Tiny Baby Shoe" was the clincher for us – even more impressive considering the sketch included Goggins, a whole lot of the SNL cast, and even an appearance by Sam Rockwell (Goggins' friend and The White Lotus co-star). Wickline can anchor viewers enough into reality so as not to get lost in its absurdity while still embracing it. I literally laughed out loud when Wickline shut down Rockwell before he had a "What Did We Learn Today?" moment, and again when Wickline shut down Goggins' dream of a "Cinderella" ending. For Season 51, how about an SNL musical sketch from Wickline and John Mulaney? That would be epic.
Saturday Night Live Season 50: Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire
7/10
We're going to chalk up the penultimate episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 as a combination of a bad case of the nerves and the SNL writers taking some big and very random creative swings this week. It wasn't that it was a bad show; far from it, in fact (which I'll get to in a minute). It definitely wasn't because host Walton Goggins and the SNL cast weren't putting it all out there - they definitely were. But with this being the first time Goggins has hosted the long-running live late-night sketch comedy and music series, it felt like nerves had Goggins a little focused on getting the lines right at the expense of being fully "in the moment" during the live sketches. As much as that may be a criticism, it's also very understandable, and I would love to see how much more relaxed Goggins would be with a second go-around (though Shane Gillis actually took a few steps back after hosting a second time).
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
