Saturday, October 24, 2020

Setting the Fire after Making the Rain | SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 46 REVIEW: four - Adele & H.E.R.

Hello.

It's me.


How are you?




Can you hear me?


Oh. well.
At least I can say... I'm weird.


Welcome back to Saturday Night Live Review.

Tonight two incredibly talented women strut into Studio 8H and give us, the American audience needs right now: beautiful R&B music and what could be surprising talent in comedy.


Let's begin with our musical guest.
H.E.R. is and has been a wunderkind of a comperser and lyricist since her debut. In fact she had talent years ago as a little girl during anappearance in a singing kid segment on Today. Since then, her singles have been straight fire, her performances have inspired, her look (mostly sunglasses and fatigues at her beginnings) is mysterious yet highly lovely, and her many talents as an instrumentalist is second-to-none. She was born to appear on SNL. It's just a shock that she has hasn't appeared sooner. I just can't wait to see what she'll do.

Also under anticipation is Adele. This is bloody brilliant British blowout took the industry by storm when she released Chasing Pavements in 2008. I can't tell you how many times I've sung along to it, but I think I have less outward body parts than times I've bumped to it. But three platinum albums, singles that changed pop culture forever and a slimming look that dropped jaws. When I saw a pic of her after the hosting gig was revealed, mine was halfway to Brian Griffin's. Jiminy Cricket, the last person that shook me to the core with their change in appearance was Josh Peck. There was one time I've seen her be funny and that was a skit during one special she did when she went to a look-alike contest, acting homely and mousey and later surprised her "competition". That was hilarious. I hope the writers can tap into her homegrown humor and surprise us with a new comedy star instead of jokes of her Britishness. As if they don't do enough of that.

And so we begin with the last CO on the second and (thank all the deities) last Presidential debate. Instead of Kamala, Maya Rudolph appears as moderator Kristen Welker - who deserves a medal for dealing with 45.

This was a mostly boring and iffy. Alec Baldwin And Jim Carrey give their best as Trump and Biden, but the excirmenr and novelty has worn out more and more. I blame low number studio audience. And the writers for not even trying.

Loved the Eastwooding bit and Trumps joke on how 2020 has changed the scope of time in our minds. Plus, the racial jokes toward Welker and blacks were barely punchy but still chuckleworthy. When Carrey!Biden said Melatonin instead of Melanin, I knew I felt tired without taking that suppliment. The old jokes from Carrey!Biden can only go nowhere.

Finally making her way to the other side of the set, Adele's monologue was... Not much. Just jokes about her weight loss and the money ahe lost from her lowest selling single to a swear jar commendeered by Kenan. They were funny, I expected a bit more. But I guess the writers knew Adele is a first timer and needed to find her sea legs, so I understand they needed to tread lightly at the start.

So with the Sketch After, we get the big jump. In 2019, an excited and unassuming group of people visit a strange fortune teller (Kate McK of course) telling extremely off-the-wall and humiliating futures in 2020. This was a soft one, but its still pretty funny. Kate commanded the sketch but the other cast and Adele still had good reactions. Also, this has too be the straightest gay character Bowen Yang has played.

Chad is back once again, and proves to be one of the most expendable characters this show has ever seen. Not since  Samurai has this dude been in different situations and still ends the same way with laughs aplenty. Here he's at a haunted house with a ghostly owner telling her story and asking him to tell it. Only Chad doesn't so easily. I was truly mesmarised by Adele as the homeowner. Her voice is enchanting and her makeup screams Hollywood glamour.  This has to be one of the best Chad editions ever, and I can't believe theres a few.

If theres a good reason to still have Adele sing, this sketch is it. In yet another skit mocking The Bachelor, Adele appears on a reality dating show with other girls. They get annoyed when she gets the guy's attention and when she doesn't get it, she sings her songs. The joke is when the guy turns to other girls, Adele sings a song that fits in with the situation, and that is brilliant. Even when she isn't singing, she does very well done. And shout out to Heidi and Chloe and Aidy for their reactions.

Next up a pretape on what the aftermath of the election would be. As it turns out, Trump leaving and his behavior would still elicit the samw conversations. The accuracy is also on point, as yes this is what we talk about most of the time. ID rather go back to hating Baby Shark.

Time for an Update.
Pretty much all the jokes made me laugh out loud this week. Im so backed up, and guffaw so loud, thsts all I have time for.
Melissa Villasenor gave the best performance this week just from her appearance with her impressions of The Little Rascals, Stevie Nicks and Sia.
The Village People appear to shit on Trump, but then say some possible incriminating threats. This was just as great, thanks to Kenan's high-energy vocals, the other male members dancing, the studio audience clapping along and Jost's interrupting to say they're saying felonious threats.
Another home-run this season so far. Im starting to think most of the creative juices this season went to Update.

There is this sketch about these kids that visited their grandmother. It was funny but mostly weak.

Next is a travel commercial for Africa, where white women after their divorces go there to see the beaches, the oceans, the wildlife, the black man dick, the sunrise... wait what?
While the innuendo and subtlety was funny enough, Adele's corpsing upgraded it to hilarious. Her cracking up and continuing to the end were just perfect enough to make this the second best after the Bachelor rip off sketch.

Our musical guest H.E.R., is as Adele says, devine. Both her performances were if soul and rock had a baby, and a vibe that can't be explained for days but when you do, you get out something like "Yass, Queen!". While most performances so far have been incredible, H.E.R.'s is something I'd play for days soon after. And not just because her sound is my speed (although it's mostly the reason).

Lastly, a spoof on 80s ads you'd find on MTV and 80s pop-rock music all in one. Ass Angel Designer Jeans. They make your derriere smell very fair... And is a kidney killer. It was real good and well done for what it is. Too bad the audience didn't think so.

Such a smashing episode. While there wasn't many uproarious or servile humor to be found, the jokes were mostly funny and charming. Adele really has a gift for comedy and was a fantastic host. Her otber talent still found a way into the show and was still amazing. (Lucky frickin audience!) I have no doubt Lorne and the producers will try at the after party to convince her to return for a double bill next season when her next album drops (Im guessing 29 or 30). As for H.E.R., wow. I love when she performs live, and this set was no exception. Her soft smooth grooves were slick and sensational. Her current and later albums should be red hot hits (if they haven't been already).

Next week, epsiode will be the first episode to air exactly on Halloween! Join host (former writer and comedian) John Mulaney and musical guest The Strokes as the cast tries their hardest for the sketches to be both funny and scary. Sure can't top the 1981 Halloween epsiode (wow was that traumatic). We shall see.

Until then, goodnight... And keep on chasing pavements, turning tables, setting fire to the rain, rolling in the deep and finding someone like you. Never focus on me.

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