We stand with you, Paris.
https://t.co/hqUX4oqWMj
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 15, 2015
This episode began with cast member Cecily Strong emotionally giving tribute to the city and people of Paris, France after a horrible group of attacks that occurred in the City of Lights the previous evening (November 13). The fact that they ditched a usual Cold Opening for something as poignant and emotional as this is absolutely amazing. And Cecily did a marvelous job, performing the Open in English and French (which really overwhelmed me). Plus, she looks really emotionally drained, like she had connections to the country. And the fact she performed in perfect French really strengthened these thoughts. But she did an incredible job, and made it memorable so soon after it aired.
This is simply an amazing last-minute Open and just like the open with the New York City Children's Chorus back on December 15, 2012 after the equally horrifying Sandy Hook Shooting, and of course Season 27’s opening after 9/11, this one really warms your heart and makes you praise SNL for something different after painful tragedies.
God bless you, producers. And God bless you, Cecily.
After the intro, Elizabeth Banks performs what I think was one of the best Monologues this season so far.
After a slow start (mentioning that she starred in The Hunger Games movies), she takes her brief directing career to good use by asking SNL’s director Don Roy King to give the reigns to her while performing the Mono..which was really awesome. (Shout-out to Don Roy King for speaking on the show for the first time. His voice sounds cool.)
She performed “What A Feeling” while calling the shots. And while her voice wasn’t amazing, her “direction” was (the angle changes, the green screen, the star wipes, and the removal and return of Bobby Moynihan in the dancers), and it was funny too. I really enjoyed this Mono, and is calling it the second-best of the season so far.
"Aron’s List" is a Pre-Taped Sketch that made me cringe hard. And I couldn't stop laughing. It’s like Angie’s List, but replace suggested services with sex offenders.
This was painful...ly funny. I honestly thought this was a spoof on something that happened in the past week, but who knows. It really had me dying for a bit, even if I wondered why I did it.
--
Black Jeopardy! 2
Remember that sketch from the first episode hosted by Louis CK? That sketch that felt so stereotypical-ly cringing but hilarious? Yeah, well, it returned this week, and…
OH MY GODS!! THEY'RE BRING BACK BLACK JEOPARDY!!!! #SNL
— Maroon Mondays (@MaroonMondays) November 15, 2015
I was excited.
This edition here was much better than the last. It feels more polished in its near ratchet-ness, and more confident in its dialogue filled with “yes, they did say that”’s and “wow, I feel uncomfortable”’s. Banks did great as the unintentionally-naive and seemingly-uncultured one white contestant trying to score, but failing.
Fave Lines:
“Yeah, I dated a black guy once. So, I don’t see color, it’s just Jeopardy! to me.” -Alison
“Okay, we’ll see how that goes.” -Darnell Hayes
--
“Okay, the answer: He try’na act like nothing happen. (buzzer) Amir?” -Hayes
“Uhh, who is Jason Pierre Paul?” -Amir
“Uh, you damn right!” -Hayes
--
“They try’na act like Jesus don’t exist. (buzzer) Keeley?” -Hayes
“Uhh, what is Starbucks?” -Keeley
--
“Okay, the answer: After everything he did, he try’na act like he don’t owe us an explanation. (buzzer) Alison?” -Hayes
“Who is Bill Cosby?” -Alison
“No. I’m sorry, but no. Correct answer is Tom Brady.” -Hayes
--
“It’s just, as a white person, I’m not really sure how to answer these questions.” -Alison
“Oh, I’m sorry--you’re what? I don’t see color.” -Hayes
--
“We were there. Where were you? (buzzer) Alison?” -Hayes
“Well, it just so happen--” -Alison
“NO.” -Hayes
This was one of my favorite sketches this week, and I couldn't be go from 0 to 100 any quicker to say this.
---
Next, a pre-tape pretty much mocking girl groups (and boy bands) of the 90s with the white female cast members performing “First Got Horny 2U”.
Okay. I don’t know which is more cringe-inducing between them: Aron’s List or this.
On second thought, the horny teenagers over the sex offenders.
Look, this was just hilarious in everything: writing, singing, concept, etc. Even the inclusions of Nessa’s crush on the Melendez Brothers and of Baby Aidy’s pussy crush on Robbie Sinclair from Dinosaurs, of all people/things, were hilarious!
The weider it went, the funnier it got.
This is why we should have the ladies do more musical pre-tapes.
It just works that way.
--
I don’t like this sketch that much, which is now recurring. The Theater Showcase from Woodbridge High has returned yet again. And this time...I can really stand it. The bit is pretty boring, yes, but the jokes were that funny most of the time (I even got the point of it), and the best from this are the reactions of audience members trying to watch without disgust. The points the teenage students made sound good, but the fake angst from it makes it truly hilarious.
This edition was very fine; I did laugh at more jokes than the last time, and got the feeling a lot more, and while I’m still not fond of this one, this was a more progressive effort.
It’ll take a while before I come close to enjoying it, but I enjoyed it this time around.
Fave Lines:
“Oh no, there’s been a death!” _
“Check his license. What is his 'neame'?” -Female Student (Liz Banks)
“It says...The Earth.” _-Male Student (Taran)
--
“Who Run the World” -Beyonce
“WHITES!” -Students
…
“But, why would they do that scene when they’re all white?
That sounded like bragging.” -Male Attendee
--
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.” -Female Student (Aidy)
--
The “See World” act
--
“That was the worst moment of my entire life.” and
“What? I’m her mom. ...I’m not dead! Also, she’s such a bitch to me every day.” -Female Parent
---
This next sketch is based on the probably fabricated stories of the life of Dr. Ben Carson.
The pacing was slow, the jokes weren’t hilarious and I frickin’ hate Carson, but I enjoyed how well-done in concept and satire that the producers and writers did to it. It makes the bit watchable.
--
A middle-aged guy wins a money-spending raffle and goes on the set of a drama series. But he gets more than he bargains for. Including the fact that cast and crew are blissfully-aware sardonic assholes, and that people are stupid enough to believe a fake character is a real sex offender.
While it started off meh, this sketch got better when it cranked up the surprises including the picture of him in a unitard signed by the cast and a promo featuring him being shown during the Super Bowl. Yeah, poor guy. I enjoyed this one a lot.
--
This season saw the departure of writers from last season. One of them was one-time featured member Mike O’Brien, who them went back to the writers’ room a season later. Now, after his leaving it seems we’ll never see his filmed works on the show again.
Well, I wouldn’t be so excited this time. I wasn’t too in love with this film, which follows every other joke on TV these days about Uber.
It wasn’t hilarious the first half of it, the jokes didn’t pick up quickly, and even when I gave patience for it, it wasn’t all the way funny until later on when the valley women and the dick Uber guy went to a drive-through, and he knocks over her drink. That’s when it got funny. And then when they hit a dude and try to hide his body, and become the best of pals, that’s when I enjoyed it.
--
Finally, four women are at a bistro and chat about thing that are “so ghetto”. And then one of them reveals the things she experienced that really IS ghetto.
It’s like the character in this sketch and the one she played in Black Jeopardy are the complete opposite. Had they switched places...we might have some interesting sketches.
Anyway, this was yet another cringing-ly hilarious sketch. The fact that a white woman is revealing that she is actually living in the projects with a poor family and doing things that true trailer trash would revel in is just shocking, but bold. And yet it’s really funny in execution.
The joke at the end with her Uber ride (that’s just a black guy carrying her around in) is just icing on the Little Debbie snack cake. This sketch is so ghetto.
Fave Lines:
"Snitches get stitches, bitch!"
--
This week’s musical guest has had a great big past few years.
One of their songs became a huge hit thanks to the featured artist (who performed alongside them this week) and since becoming mainstays in electronic music.
They’ve now hit gold around the world and prove it with their appearance on the Studio 8H stage. And along with them are two musical hot commodities who themselves took the industry by storm in their own ways (a gay guy with the pipes of an angel and a lady who refuses to confine herself to the mainstream).
It’s Disclosure with their special guests Lorde and Sam Smith.
They performed songs from their second album Caracal--“Magnets” and “Omen”.
Starting with “Magnets”, this song makes me feel some type of way. Hilariously enough, because it’s a song about the dangers and plusses of adultery.
The song is awesome! The tribal sound and explored concept is everything, and hearing for the first time on live television, along Lorde’s saucy, savory vocals (and scarecrow-like dancing) that we know and love, makes this performance so great. The second the song started, I couldn't stop dancing and smiling, and when it ended I just couldn't stop thinking about it (that is until the last performance came).
I really hate song about cheating unless they have actual effort and a great beat it balance the crap within, so this is a major exception. Gosh, I wish I heard this a long time ago.
I seriously love this song and performance.
Just like their second play “Omen”.
I admit, I just wanted to watch to see Sam Smith sing on the show again. He didn’t disappoint.
The song is a sequel of sorts--it reunites the brotherly duo and Smith after their equally-cool first collab “Latch” in 2012. And darn it, reunited really feels so good.
The House beat and Smith’s vocals mesh very well and provide a very good feeling every time you listen. So listening to it live feels like an event.
These performances were spectacular. I enjoyed the performances of Lorde and Smith, and Disclosure’s enigmatic experimental sounds were absolutely brilliant to hear, especially live. (And if you think this is great, check out their other live performances like their Amex Unstaged on YouTube) I truly like this group and I believe these guys will be huge stars soon after this performance.
Disclosure’s second album Caracal, which features “Magnets” and “Omen”, is available now.
Also, if you haven't noticed, throughout the bumpers, the SNL logo (in both its full and abbreviated names) was colored in the colors of the French flag, in honor of the victims and survivors of the attacks in Paris, along with the city itself and its citizens. And as you have noticed as well in the Disclosure bumpers, the word "Review" in the bumpers along with the names of Lorde and Sam Smith, are colored in the colors of the flags of other countries that were ravaged by tragedies in that same day--
Mexico (shootings),
the West Bank,
Beirut, Lebanon (bombings--it was on the 12th),
Japan and
Baghdad (market truck bombing),
along with the French flag. It's such a shame these attacks happened and are more examples of the disgusting nature of terrorist trying to destroy the liberty and freedom of all in free countries across the world. We know that with our continued strength and and perseverance in standing up--tall and strong--to our enemies, they are failing.
Time for an Update:
Part 1:
Part 2:
I don’t know what was up with this week.
The jokes were either pretty funny or really trying to be edgy, with no middle ground.
Wraparound:
There were some consistently great humor, dialogue and performance this week. And considering that this came after the Donald Trump episode, even if it sucked, this one would automatically be made better than that. Only one sketch truly faltered--the Young Ben Carson Sketch, along with the Bruce Chandling segment from Update.
I laughed really hard, I enjoyed the balance between cast members in sketches, and
Banks was on her A game and really showed it in the sketches. She really had range in her characters, and you can truly feel diversity between them. She seriously is so well utilized her, that I’ll call her the best host this season. Yep, better than Tracy Morgan, better than Amy Schumer, even better than DONALD TRUMP!!
Also, Disclosure with Sam Smith and Lorde frickin’ killed it. No words.
ConcLuSioN:
I really enjoyed this episode. I think this was the second-most enjoyable and truly funny episodes so far. And if I wasn’t a fan of Amy Schumer, this would’ve been my favorite.
I laughed, I laughed again, I laughed hard, and I really enjoyed all the way through (outside the Carson sketch. [Seriously, screw that guy!])
Well, the last episode in November 2015 is coming this week.
Mr. Alright-Alright-Alright himself, multiple-award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey makes his return to Studio 8H in over a decade for his repeat as host. But you won't be watching for him, right? You'll check out Adele making her return to 8H performing "Hello" and some other song. I don't blame you. (Gee, this part of this season is all about second appearances, don't you think?)
Review next week. See you then!!
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