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Posted in: NBC, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL Team, John Mulaney, Chappell Roan Offer Pre-Election Hope, Humor
SNL, with host John Mulaney and musical guest Chappell Roan, delivered the kind of pre-election stress relief that many of us needed.
Let's be clear about something. Host John Mulaney and musical guest Chappell Roan did not have an easy task ahead of them heading into this weekend's Saturday Night Live. NBC's long-running late-night sketch comedy and music series was coming back from a one-week for the fifth new show of its milestone 50th season, so there are always those "return worries." Add into the mix that it was also the last show before U.S. voters make the choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz and ex-reality show host, multi-impeached ex-POTUS, and convicted felon Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance. So, yeah – there was some pressure, to put it mildly.
But by the time the final credits rolled following Mulaney wishing everyone the best (and Roan and SNL star Bowen Yang holding hands and laughing, putting social media minds at ease), we had an appearance by the very real VP Harris, Roan debuting a new song, Pete Davidson and Tim Kaine (yup) making an appearance, "Weekend Update" introducing us to our new favorite couple, the emotional rollercoaster that was Beppo's story, and so much more. If it sounds like this might be the best episode of the season so far, you would be right.
This week's review is going to be a bit different – mainly because we're exhausted from covering the news that SNL was breaking last night. So, for the sake of physical and mental well-being, here's a down & dirty rundown of how the night went. Spoiler? There were absolutely no misses this week, but there were some very huge creative swings from the SNL cast and writers that showed that they understood what this weekend's episode meant – they got the assignment and offered extra credit.
"2024 Pre-Election Cold Open": Though we covered it more thoroughly last night, a few more notes. Serious props to the writers for bringing VP Harris into the Cold Open in the best way possible. Maya Rudolph and VP Harris have a warm and inviting chemistry together, and VP Harris was an excellent comedic partner for Rudolph. Also, bonus points to Mulaney, Roan, and the SNL team for not letting the show be all about VP Harris appearing – instead, they offered strong sketches and performances that kept the energy levels high.
Opening Monologue: Mulaney continues excelling with his stand-up art, continuing to find this perfect blend between "classic" on-stage style and approach with an openness and honesty about his life and his struggles that works on any number of levels. Mulaney's humor is the kind that hits you upfront with the laughs – but you'll be thinking about it hours later (and also probably laughing again).
What's That Name: Election Edition: How can you not love a sketch that twists the knife on in-the-moment uber-liberals who lack a bigger-picture perspective and have short-term memories that had Michael Longfellow showing us what Patrick Bateman would look like as a game show host (that's meant as high praise) and Kaine showing up for a double dose of self-deprecation? But it was having Sarah Sherman as Margaret Atwood – a creative decision that was both random and made perfect sense – that won the sketch for us.
Port Authority Duane Reade: What begins with Mulaney's Duane Reade cashier ringing up two customers (Davidson, Andrew Dismukes) quickly becomes an eight-minute mini-musical of epic NYC proportions. There was a whole lot to love in this one, but serious props to Ego Nwodim for not breaking during the "lactating possum" portion of the sketch – and to Andy Samberg, who brought way more than he probably needed to as a rapping version of the dead bear cub that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. dumped in Central Park.
"Weekend Update"/Reba McEntire/The Couple You Can't Believe Are Together: Colin Jost and Michael Che continue to show why they should be able to take those chairs with them when they eventually (hopefully, not anytime soon) step down from "Weekend Update." We're all about Jost and Che giving us some on-air insight into which jokes they thought would or wouldn't hit – it feels like we should be keeping score. As for Heidi Gardner's Reba McEntire – yeah, we need more of that combination of down-home folksy and batshit crazy. But Marcello Hernandez and Jane Wickline really made an impact as a couple who you could never see being together – and yet, you can absolutely see it. The only way that Hernandez's in-your-face could've worked was if he had someone strong in their silence to balance it, and Wickline nailed it on so many levels.
Chappell Roan: Roan hit the Studio 8H stages with the confidence and bravery of a five-timer. Her performance of "Pink Pony Club" reminded us of the artistic powerhouse that she is, and her new song "The Giver" offered us a glimpse of just how much more she has to offer us creatively.
"Saturday Night Live: Midnight Matinee—Beppo": Can we please have one of these Dan Bulla shorts every week? I've watched at least three "legit films" in the past month that didn't take me on the emotional rollercoaster that this one did. Also – and I'm not sure what this says about me – these "Midnight Matinee" shorts give me old-school Adult Swim vibes in that they have me nervous from the jump with this expectation that things are going to take a dark, twisted turn at any moment… and i like it.
"New York City Council Campaign" & "Little Richard": If you're looking for sketches with a heavy dose of silliness, anchored by two comedians who go all-in with their real-life portrayals (yes, Harvey Epstein is a real person), then Mulaney and Kenan Thompson have you covered big time. Both sketches were a nice change of pace from the other sketches that night, adding nicely to the "there's-something-for-everyone" vibe of the night.
Saturday Night Live Season 50 Episode 5: John Mulaney & Chappell Roan
9.5/10
Let's be clear about something. Host John Mulaney and musical guest Chappell Roan did not have an easy task ahead of them heading into this weekend's Saturday Night Live. NBC's long-running late-night sketch comedy and music series was coming back from a one-week for the fifth new show of its milestone 50th season, so there are always those "return worries." Add into the mix that it was also the last show before U.S. voters make the choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz and Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance. So, yeah - there was some pressure, to put it mildly.
But by the time the final credits rolled following Mulaney wishing everyone the best (and Roan and SNL star Bowen Yang holding hands and laughing, putting social media minds at ease), we had an appearance by the very real VP Harris, Roan debuting a new song, Pete Davidson and Tim Kaine (yup) making an appearance, "Weekend Update" introducing us to our new favorite couple, the emotional rollercoaster that was Beppo's story, and so much more. If it sounds like this might be the best episode of the season so far, you would be right.
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