Sometimes, a host just isn’t funny. That was the case here. It’s fine! Michael B. Jordan is a talented multi-hyphenate but not everyone can bring the mustard. The writers did what they could to hide it. Lots of help in the monologue. Trying to use him as a straight man in sketches. Not serving big punchlines up to him lest he miss. It was a valiant effort, but for the most part, this was a terrible episode with no standout sketches and the lowest rated episode of the season by a pretty decent margin.
Note: While all the new players have proven themselves to be excellent additions to the cast, it’s Molly Kearney who has surged ahead, becoming a key player on the show. Their numbers this season are up by stalwarts Bowen Yang and the Weekend Update guys and they’ve killed it whenever they’re on screen.
A Word on Laughstatting:
Everyone has a different sense of humor, so the things that I laugh at will most likely not be the exact same things you laugh at. The goal of this exercise is not to convince anyone, but to say “here’s what worked for me” and hopefully, if our tastes are similar enough, maybe it worked for you too and the overall stats for the season will have some value. It also strangely works if you have polar opposite taste to me, because you’ll know the episodes that were a hit for me might not land with you.
I try to be very generous with my rankings in the hopes that eventually a more clear picture of the cast and season will shape itself and contribute to some additional insight. And we get charts.
Everyone likes charts.
Classified Press Conference Cold Open
Concept: Badass librarian Merrick Garland and FBI agents update the public on investigations
Execution: Pretty rough.
s – Kenan Thompson: “I knew right away this man needed a friend.”
s – Kenan Thompson: “How can you leave when you’re it?”
s – Bowen Yang: “I was in Barack Obama’s house.”
Michael B. Jordan Monologue
s – Host: “Because Michael B…in therapy.”
s – Chloe Fineman: fake laugh entrance
s – Chloe Fineman: “Bitch.”
S – Ego Nwodim: “Go on bitch.”
s – Ego Nwodim: “Aw, our first fight.”
S – Punkie Johnson: rubbing MBJ
Roller Coaster Accident
Concept: Bizarro absurdist gross-out sketch where news reporters get stuck on a roller coaster.
Execution: Fucking mental. It must have killed in rehearsal to actually open the show with it.
S – Kenan Thompson: “Wow, you look nuts!”
l – Kenan Thompson: What?”
Southwest Airlines Announcement
Concept: Southwest commercial
Execution: Very good
S – Heidi Gardner: “We are finally updating our entire communications systems to 2008 Dell Computers.”
S – Devon Walker: “Say bye bye to those 2002 IBM laptops with the little red nipple in the middle.”
l – Host: “These big bitches don’t play.”
s – James Austin Johnson: eye reveal
Towel Guys
Concept: slice of life with two chatty pool boys
Execution: Lots of energy and effort but unable to overcome a thin concept & terrible script
s – Kenan Thompson: “My friend is on the duolingo.”
s – Marcello Hernandez: “So, for the first wipe: it’s crazy.”
s – Marcello Hernandez: “One for the old little mermaid and one for the new little mermaid.”
S – James Austin Johnson: “I’ll do you one better than a tip. How about a prayer? Here we go.”
s – Kenan Thompson: “I wanted the money, papi.”
s – Kenan Thompson: “Money is better.”
Jake from State Farm
Concept: State Farm is always there. Like, always.
Execution: Very good. Perfectly capturing the lighting, graphics and tone while going dark
s – Mikey Day: suspicious look
s – Heidi Gardener: “Jake and the kids and I went out for pizza but there should be stuff in the fridge to make a sandwich.”
l – Mikey Day: squeezing shitty mustard
s – Heidi Gardner: “Jake thought it would be nice to take the kids to church.”
S – Mikey Day: “To church?”
l – Mikey Day: reaction to now excuse me
S – Host: hand on wife’s back
Video Game Session
Concept: Looping some audio for a Street Fighter video Game
Execution: Good, considering the script was wafer thin
S – Bowen Yang: “Hoo!”
S – Bowen Yang: “Yes, chef.”
s – Bowen Yang: “I saw you changing in the locker room but I was completely soft, my dude.”
Male Confidence Seminar
Concept: A poser is outed by some prick delivering water
Execution: I mean, jesus. I didn’t even crack a smile, there’s too much here to unpack. (And not because men don’t deserve this lambasting, but because it’s so painfully accurate and sad.)
King Brothers Toyota
Concept: An auto dealership commercial complaining about local traffic
Execution: Very good, and tonally on point. It just wasn’t all that funny, unfortunately.
S – James Austin Johnson: initial goofy facial expression
s – James Austin Johnson: “Little JC as Nathan Detroit in Guys & Dolls at the middle school.”
Falling Down
Concept: A SNL cast member keeps seeing the host take diggers
Execution: Good. Weird button, but I was okay with it.
l – Andrew Dismukes: “You don’t want me to see you fall down, quit falling down where I work.”
S – Andrew Dismukes: “And sometimes, I there.”
Party in Palm Springs
Concept: A stripper brings his pregnant wife to a gig
Execution: Again, the acting isn’t bad, but christ with these scripts. They’re hanging the cast out to dry.
S – Chloe Fineman: reaction to being sandwiched
S – Sarah Sherman: reaction to hose in her face
l – Heidi Gardner: breaking at having a giant hose penis
Baptist Church
Concept: Two preachers are con men
Execution: Good, but not funny at all
S – Kenan Thompson: “Stop doin’ that dance.”
Weekend Update
s – Colin Jost: “Because he’s posted some very disturbing fan fiction about the green M&M.”
l – Michael Che: “And only two years after their dads were there.”
S – Colin Jost: “Okay, honey. We knew that from your contouring.”
s – Kenan Thompson: “That’s what I told that little dummy.”
S – Michael Che: “And one guy who thinks he’s both.”
l – Colin Jost: “And toilets are calling the apocalypse.”
