Sealab 2020: Andrew Applauds Animation

Morning, class! Today we're taking a trip to the Challenger Seamount to meet the crew at work and witness shark attacks, oil spills, bounties on marine life, malfunctioning submarine destruction--  wait, what!!

Hey, everyone! I'm Andrew and I think it's about time I review a classic cartoon from back in the day. Waaaaaay back in the day.

It's Sealab 2020.

The Show:

Welcome aboard Sealab, a research base on the underwater Challenger seamount. Found on the base are a small but brilliant 250-strong group - men, women and children -  dedicated to the findings and cultivation of the newest scientific discoveries contingent to our world’s natural future. But in their mists are unforeseen threats -- shark and squid attacks, oil spills, environmental  catastrophes, threats to marine life, etc -- challenging the crew to their limits, but always coming out on top, with all lives spared. It IS Hanna-Barbera after all.

Created by Alex Toth and produced and directed by William and Joseph themselves, Sealab 2020 takes place at an underwater research base and features the adventures and tribulations of the people who work and live there, both of which in the year… 2020. The series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, aired Saturday mornings on NBC from September 9 to December 2, 1972, lasting for one season of 13 episodes.

The Plots:

Sealab 2020 is one of Hanna-Barbera’s few animated series that is a full-blown drama. Although it has some genuine humor in a few scenes per episode, it is still a more serious affair.
Each episode features the crew going about their lives and jobs to find, create, cultivate and/or protect (or a combo of the four) new and old discoveries throughout the ocean blue in very serious plots pertaining to our environment and the lives of our aquatic friends, but also features genuine threats to indefinitely throw Sealab and its human inhabitants into disarray. Sea animal attacks, natural disasters, and random damages to Sealab, its inhabitants, and the Challanger Seamount make up a majority of the series' plots. Specific plots include a hunter planning to kill a blue whale as a whale expert and his son arrive ("The Singing Whale"); Hal and Gail are trapped in the home of a squid while trying to install a seismograph unit ("The Deepest Dive"); Sealab is damaged by an anchor and flooded ("Green Fever"); the crew try to stop and delay an unauthorized oil drilling but the workers ignore the warnings to their detriment ("Where Dangers Are Many"); and a malfunctioning sub destroys the edge of Seamount and threatens Sealab ("Collision of the Aquarius"). But in the end, our beloved crew always find a way to save their base/home and the friends and surfaces that depend on them for their survival.

These plots and environmental Aesop per episode may make for a boring, uninteresting and forgettable cartoon. But despite them, the series is actually incredibly entertaining. The conflicts in each episode do leave you at the edge of your seat, the action surprisingly exciting, the thrills are low-key exhilarating, and the day-saving climax is amazing and a breath of fresh air. And there are some fun moments and funny jokes in between that give you a breather before and after the conflicts.

Characters:

And now, let’s meet your Sealab crew

(well, the ones that talk a lot, have names & appear throughout):

Dr. Paul Williams - Sealab’s lead scientist
Hal Bryant, Gail Adams & Ed Thomas - the three lead junior scientists
Lieutenant Sparks - Captain Murphy’s second-in-command
Ms. Thomas - teacher and Ed’s mother
Robert “Bobby” Murphy - Captain Murphy’s grandson
Salli - Bobby’s best friend
Jamie - short blond friend of Bobby & Salli, and
Captain Michael “Mike” Murphy - head of Sealab’s security

While this group of merry men aren’t as zany or goofy or over-the-top as the casts of other H-B cartoons, they are still well-written and really well-rounded. 

-- Captain Murphy and Dr. Williams are very cordial and respectful to one another and take the other’s high position in Sealab into strong consideration. And when a major threat looms, both men converse (mostly in the Captain’s security quarters) to figure out how to suppress and solve the conundrum).
-- Each of the three scientists have some nice chemistry
--- Hal is sweet and gentle with a heart for sea animals ("basking sharks are like the puppies of the ocean.")
--- Ed is cool and sharp-witted with a touch of snark (and zero jive, thank God)
--- and Gail is strong-willed, confident and rises up to the challenge as well as the guys
-- And their relationship with their boss Dr. Williams is built on trust, respect, admiration and care, with no examples of criticism, admonishment or shame.
-- While they aren’t shown together more than a few times, Ed and Mrs. Thomas does have a good relationship as mother and son (and no, not husband and wife as some assumed -- ew.)

Also there are other characters in minor speaking roles, but you won’t see them in more than one episode.

One of my favorite elements of Sealab 2020 is its grasp on realism. Okay, future year aside The main characters are very smart people who handle their positions within Sealab and the challenges that befall it and them very well. Unlike the characters of most other H-B cartoons, they don't do ridiculous slapstick or physical comedy to reach the solutions to their problems and the climax of a given episode. They use realistic ideas and plans to save the day.

Animation:
Taking away the obvious factoid that many cels are recycled many times here (as per H-B’s wont), the series’ ink and pain look amazing. While everyone looks like normal people who would work at/live in an underwater. No black dots for eyes, no skinny body frames, and everyone does their job with decorum, professionalism and respect (for themselves and each other). Plus, thumbs up to everyone for the characters not wearing the loud, colorful and extremely dated fashions and styles of the decade (... well, hairstyles aside).

The animators do a great job of Sealab not being too futuristic. Yes again, it does take place in another year in the future, but please bear with me. Most depictions of the 21st century (specifically the designs of city buildings, the fashions, the technology, the human behavior, etc.) in TV and movies before, during and even after 1972 make every year in it look and sound way too strongly from a sci-fi comic book or novel. And as a human realistically living in this century, story aside (except for comedic ones), all of these depictions make me laugh till my guts hurt. So it’s refreshing to see a version of 2020 that doesn’t look like almost all the rest and instead go for a lighter minimal tone that focuses on the walls, inhabitants, adventures, conflicts and (although the jury’s still out on those water-cars).

Conclusion:

In my opinion, Sealab 2020 is a very entertaining Saturday morning cartoon in its own way. As a more dramatic production, it’s not like… literally every other SMC on that year’s schedule (whether on NBC or the other Big 3 networks), but it works in its favor. Some may see the pro-environmental slant and Aesops as boring and preachy, but to me they do help getting a message across to treat the planet much better (as we need it to live and breathe, rather than it needing us to walk on). And the outdoor and action sequences are no slouch in keeping me interested and invested.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never heard of Sealab 2020 throughout my childhood. If there ever was a time I watched it back then, it’s safely vaulted in the back of my mind. Heck, even other H-B shows of the decade got more clearer recollections ; late night airings of Devlin, Speed Buggy, Super Friends and Banana Splits; and even ToonHeads, Speed Racer, Rocky & Bullwinkle, and freaking Wait Till Your Father Gets Home on Cartoon Network back in the late 90s and early 2000s (and that’s if I’m lucky to stay up some nights) were what I got to see to my quiet prepubescent delight. The reason I do know of it now was… when I looked it up and watched it this year. Sure I was lucky to stay up and watch a certain parody of it when it debuted in 2003, but even then I had no idea that it was spoofing this show; I honestly thought they were drawn that way!

But I’m happy about watching & appreciating it now as an adult over never knowing it existed.

And that's my review of Sealab 2020.

Thank God the staff didn't write in a viral outbreak because it would've been depressing prediction gone true. Plus, if this series was just as iconic as other Hanna-Barbera shows (and of course no pandemic), we would've had a Sealab of our very own this year.

Thank you all for checking in, and thank Christ that the namesake year it took place in is over. It was a dang awful, unbelievable and heartwrenching year, and no doubt we've all suffered (myself included). But 2021 is around the corner, and as long as we keep the faith, stay safe, be kind(er) to and look after one another, and take the vaccine, we'll all get through this. I think we all need a win, and if we contribute well to the betterment of society and not be crap to each other, 2021 may be a colossally amazing year. We shall see.

Thanks again. I'm Andrew saying be safe out there, and love yourself and each other.

And may the good toons be yours....

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 46 REVIEW: nine - Kriisten Wiig IV & Dua Lipa Deux (The Christmas Episode)

Merry Christmas week, everyone!

And yes, this year, we certainly need a little cheer, holly, jolly, noel, mistletoe, yada-yada-yada and an state-load of the egg nog Timmy Turner's Dad loves to get us through the fifth circle of hell shithole we still call 2020 (and when midnight hits on January 1, we no longer call it that). 

But until then, as many of the holiday TV specials and movies we love, the music we always listen to every year anyway but find the right time to now, the stuff we buy from stores before we wake up in buyer's remorse and (at least for me) enjoy the last episode of Saturday Night Live.

Speaking of which, I feel it's time that yours truly spin you a tale in which a long-time dream of mine finally came true. And yes, it invloves this very show.

It was March 6, 2018. Your ol' pal Andrew was in New York City for his 24th birthday. After living the sights, sounds and smells I've always heard about on TV and in film (just the good and funny parts), I got to go on the famous tour of NBC Studios. The stops on the tour were Nightly News, what was then that failed experiment to make that Fox News loon seem talented known as Megyn Kelly Today and Late Night with Seth Meyers. The last stop was none other Studio 8H... or at least, the doors of it, as they were preparing for a show at the time. But the fact that I was there was wonderful enough. Oh, I was also involved in a part of the tour where you can host your own talk show, with a band, studio staff, a guest and an audience. I was... okay. Overexcited but okay. I was aiming for early-Tonight Show Jimmy Fallon. But walking to those doors would only foreshadow what would later become, for me - Andrew, a dream come true.

It was Friday, May 10, 2018. Your ol' pal Andrew was chillin' like a villain at home, doing what all mild people on their time off at work do -- masturbating to anime characters in their underwear under the air of occasional loneliness and shame. I'm kidding. I do that every other day to regular cartoon characters in their underwear. Kidding again! (...or am I?) Actually, I was sitting on the living room couch surfing the web when I got an email from some department at NBCUNIVERSAL informing me that I had won a ticket to a taping of Saturday Night Live. I just about hit the ceiling! (Not literally because my place is a rental.) As revealed in the email, the taping is the dress rehearsal for tomorrow evening at Studio 8H in NBC Studios on 30 Rockefeller Center. I was so excited, I just accepted the ticket and didn't plan out everything. Since it was my first taping just 24 hours away, how could you? I just grabbed the best transportation money can buy on short notice -- Chinatown Bus. (And it you have a random trip you must take the next day, go to them. They gotcho back!)

The day finally came. I barely could sleep; the jubilation was on overload. When I boarded the bus in the best duds I owned (a loud blue sweater, a cheap gray blazer, church pants and shoes like they're from Ross, and a tacky blue shirt and tie [I worked at UPS at the time]), all I could think about was that I'm finally gonna be in the audience of one of my favorite TV shows. When I finally reached New York, my grin was about as wide as the Grinch's, but not as yellow or full of bugs. Stepping out of the bus, onto the subway and into 30 Rock, I could barely breathe because ny heart skipped a beat too much to count (not serious as a heart attack though). After walking actoss the areas I could walk to pass the time (the common shopping arear and the Shops at NBC Studios), the time finally came to come. After waiting in their guest waiting room and finally returning my ticket, I was in line for SNL's dress rehearsal.

After going into the elevator and walking down the hall, hearing the beautiful music of the SNL Band, I was finally living a dream I've had since I've watched my first episode - over 13 1/2 years earlier. I am here. I got to sit on one of the yellow baseball stadium seats overlooking the studio. It is... smaller than it was on TV (then again, so is every one of them). Other than that, I was witnessing glorious television production unfolding before my very eyes. The host of the episode was legendary award-winning actress Emma Thompson and musical guest were legendary (for Radio Disney) boy band Jonas Brothers. I still couldn't believe I was in the same room as Nanny McPhee and the guys who sang "Year 3000", "SOS" and "Burnin' Up". But it happened. Here's what I saw that didn't air on TV. Michael Che hyped us up, then Kenan serenaded us with "Gimme Some Lovin'" with Heidi Gardner, Melissa Villasenor and Ego Nwodim on backup vocal (they were smokin'), and then after a few minutes and the iconic countdown (FIVE SECONDS!!), the dress began to form. While most of the sketches you  in that episode where performed, there were a couple that didn't make it. There was one involving a woman making a speech at a classic toy celebration (I think the Toy Hall of Fame) honoring her creation - Ms. Potato Head. It wasn't great but I did give a few laughs, including her putting on the hat and glasses that make up the toy.

The other sketch was one of those sleepover sketches in which the girls play Ouija and conjure up a female demon from the netherworld, only for it to whine about not being invited to some in her shorter years. This very sketch would later be retooled into one of those that did make the cut on the next episode, the season finale hosted by Paul Rudd.

Also just before one sketch mocking the goof seen during that episode of Game of Thrones with the Starbucks cup, Kenan and Ego waved to everyone above where they were standing -- including me! Everyone waved back. I waved with both hands separately like a damn spaz.

Also, I'm proud to say, I lived my life being in the same room with two of the best ladies Lorne has ever hired for the show (and two of my favorites ever), Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. 

So in short, my dream came true, and I had the time of my life, I could never have a TV experience like this ever again (unless I go to an awards show) and I will never forget it. Even if I had no time to catch the Chinatown Bus back home, freaking out on the streets I didn't live in, losing a lot of money (includingon a gift for Mother's Day), evading, and ending up spending the night in one of the most terrifying places on Earth to not do it -- the Port Authority Bus Terminal! But... if I had the chance to do it again. I'd do it again. Just with more money.

And that's the story of yours truly going through hell to get to TV heaven. And speaking of TV heaven, former cast member Kristen Wiig hosts the 46th Christmas episode, and Dua Lipa is the 46th merry musical guest.

We begin with VP Mike Pence taking the COVID vaccine. Highlights include the mother/wife jokes (shoutout to Lauren Holt, continuing to holt... it down. haha), Pence trying to be macho cool instead of the creepy evil joke he really is and everything Kamala says (shoutout to Maya Rudolph for holding down the biggest easiest job she's ever had). Alex Moffitt is taking over from now on as Pres-elect Joe Biden and does a good job (not Jason Sudeikis good, but still good.) Mikey Day was there, Kenan was there, and Kate McKinnon was there as national grey pube hair Rudy Guiliani. 

Kristen Wiig returned to SNL for the fourth time (and second holiday episode; one more she gets in the Five-Timers Club and wins Holiday Host Bingo). In her monologue, she jokes about being Employee of the Month (makes sense, she was in a lot of sketches later on) she admonishes her assistant Glenn for getting things she said wrong and for not getting her a stool for her to sing her... interesting version of "My Favorite Things". The jokes and lyrics were hilarious and pinpoints Wiig's brilliant balance of confidence and pure absurdity. Maya returns to add on the cringe and made it a beautiful duet. Kate had no business being here, but it still was a nice touch.

The Sketch After unsurprisingly is the always delightful and reliable "Secret Word". This was a game show that's pretty much Password, but with a very full-of-herself actress Mindy (Kristen) ruining the game for and saying the word instead of her civilian partner (this time by Holt) and her opponent being their own type of washed out (this time an Austrian actress played by Kate). As always, this was hilarious and shows the phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is still alive and well.

Speaking of dead inside and unwell, the matriarch of this family (Kristen) is depressed. While everyone else got a multitude of presents, she got a robe. That's fucking it. I was howling throughout after the second time she mentioned the robe, but you just can't stop but feel sorry for her. And even more goddamn dog got more than her while she has to suffer from stove burn and getting yelled at by her son for accidentally stepping on his Big piano. Maybe I should get my mom two presents.

At a USO show in 1944, a famous singer and an Asian singer perform a... more progressive 2010s R&B/pop song. This has to be the Best Sketch of the Week. The 1940s USO setting (and widescreen) was a brilliant setup for the bait-and-switch that had me rolling in heat like a cat in a botanical garden. And Oh Hi, Dua Lipa. I had no idea you'd be here  (I lied, I knew you were in there when the beat dropped).

A sketch parodying A Teacher? Yes, ma'am. This was brilliant, with a black teacher actually saying no to the student and shaming him deep only a black woman would? Yessuh!

Keeping hold with the widescreen is a deleted/alternate/random/deservedly removed scene from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Uh... meh? Melissa Vilasenor made a passable Kevin McCallister. And the part with the pidgeon pickling the pizza and Kristen laughing with fake blood on her face while the Crazy Bird Lady shanks the Wet bandits to death with her umbrella was very funny though. 

Time for the final Update for 2020.

Jost and Che kick things off by helping us prepare to say good bye to Donald Trump's presidency in perfect and delectable fashion. Seemingly, the audience just wasn't hitting right for most of these jokes, which made me roll my eyes and laugh more.

In his first appearance in... some long time, Chris Redd appears as Motown icon Smokey Robinson after his strange Cameo video saying Chanukka wrong. Other than the fact that they barely look alike, his voice is perfectly on par. As for the drop-by, the jokes on Robinson's fascination about the Jewish culture and holiday along with his horrific mispronunciation of the elements of the holiday (swagalong/synagogue, templay/temple, latchkeys/latke and monster ball/matzah ball) was just terrible -- I'm sorry, terrific.

Kenan returned since... the cold open as Michael's neighbor Willie to give us all the extra optimism we need from this year. But since it's Willie, we may feel sorry enough to give some back. The COVID vaccine, waking up in an ice bath after defects, dealing with his dog being rifled and ending beat boxing at a nursing home are just the latest examples of man whom is way too excited to be loving life instead of praying for quick painless death. I wish I had his cheerfulness. I could need it just for every time I go to the can just to force no deuce.

No matter what the influencer platform, or weird name from the female name generator they give her "I'm rich, biatch!", Heidi Gardner just kills it. This time it's Landis Trotter, an influencer who gets connection from the oddest places like Merrill Lynch or Hitatchi Healthcare. Gardner slays as Landis with the voice, personality and nonchalance when sponsoring these products.

And finally, because it's Christmastime, Colin and Michael present each other jokes that they wouldn't say themselves. Of course, Che gives Jost the racial jokes and vice versa on the sec with whities jokes. This year was no exception and maybe even surprisingly darker. But hilarious all the same.

Merry Christmas, Colon and Michelle!

In case your forget about that Christmas Robe Pre-Tape, everyone (Kyle Mooney, Chloe Gardner, Kristen and the overused Male--this time Mikey Day) returned for this next skewed retelling of a Dr. Seuss classic. This time, it's The Grinch. It was a torrid love affair full of disgust and shame, that'll make you reach for a bucket and puke to the frame. The children should play in the cold and snow, and not bare witness to their parents and Pete Davidson being each other's furry fleshy ho. If there's a lesson to discover, this is not a sketch to watch again or even hover. (Plus originally I thought there were two Mikeys in this one. Seriously, he and Kyle look alike with them Seussian noses.

And finally, Sue the Surprise Stabber is also back to ruin the fun for another family reunion. Only this time, it just didn't have the magic like before. In fact, any one of Wiig's other famous characters would've been better slotted here. I guess "if it ain't broke don't fix it" doesn't work every time.

Lemme say real quick: Dua Lipa is fucking everything. She can sing, she's Cleopatra Hot, she can dance, and if she came to me to say on personal message that that favorite family member just died, I wouldn't feel all that bad. And both performances (of "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating") exemplified all of this. Standing in a bevy of bright, beautiful colored LED lights and similarly-structured dancers, Dua commanded the stage with everything we've known her for since "New Rules" - pop music that is both fun and mature. And I love the juxtaposition of the stories of both tracks. While Don't Start Now is about breaking off with a bad lover and forging him to forget her existence and their excuse of a relationship, Levatating is about the refreshing feeling of flight when beginning anew in the romance department. And her outfits are top-notch personifications of them. Especially the white dress and flowing jellyfish hat that makes her look like the prettiest version of those disgusting monsters from that episode of Space:1999 that look like dead rotting trees wrapped in lights with beachball eyes and spread apart green moss (he says holding back vomit). If there is an album to listen to enjoying the recreations of sounds your parents loved back in the day... yes, it's 24k Magic, but the aply-titled Future Nostalgia is also for you. Smashing job, Dua Lipa. Holly good show!

And that's it. Kristen was great. The cast was great. Wonderful spread across everyone. even though work still can be done to have the lower deck play regular people. I'm tired of him... and guest Maya Rudolph might as well come back full-time since Kamala isn't going anywhere. 

Merry Christmas, everyone.

I'm Andrew Pollard saying... "I'll be w as watching A Christmas Story and wishing for 2021 to be the best year I ever lived through and all years since play catch up, and if I hear "You'll shoot your eye out, kid.", I'll just buy a bunker." Goodnight...

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 46 REVIEW: seven - Jason Bateman & Morgan Wallen Take 2 (lucky motherfμcker)

It's finally here. The worst year in recent recorded history ever is almost over. We're close to a vaccine of the most powerful virus since the Kansas Flu (since some people indignantly want to call COVID the Chinese Flu, the Kung Flu, Wuhan Flu or the Wu-Wu [fuck you in the mouth] because that's where it came from [no shit], I'll call the Spanish Flu the Kansas Flu since that is where it possibly originated in the USA), it's the Holiday Season and it's time to start being genuinely happy again. Because being sad and bored during most of the year was killing me. (Oh sorry. Didn't mean that way.)

Anyway, SNL is back for December and the final three episodes of the year. So Xmas decor shrewn across 8H, sketches rubber stamped across the holiday (and Hanukkah if you're lucky; Kwanzaa be damned), and for this year skits about Trump sweating off his airy second skin as he screams and cries until his epic "fuck off" from the White House (praise me if I'm right; don't quote me if I'm wrong).

Our first of our Holiday Hosts Three, sketch comedy fans, is the male half of the Twins Bateman. Jason Bateman may not be as well-known an actor or heartthrob as Kirk Cameron, Scott Baio, Todd Bridges or Michael J. Fox , he is still a great enough performer on the static box. Thr Hogan Family, Arrested Development and now Ozarks, his Emmy-winning contributions to television have nothing short of laughs, tears, memories and sparks. Although if you told me this isn't his first time hosting (it's his second!), I'd be shocked. Because it doesn't seem like he hosted before on this late night block. But as a fan of Hogan Family and Arrested Development (and have at least heard of Ozarks), I'm totally excited for his appearance.

On the other hand... I bring you to the most lucky and forgiven motherfucker on the planet. You remember Morgan Wallen, the guy who got the chance of a lifetime to perform on SNL back on October 10th (the episode hosted by Bill Burr), but fucked it all up when he got caught on camera partying at an Alabama bar with everyone not masking or social distancing and had to apologize for it? Well, Lorne decided to accept his plea for forgiveness (and desperate attempt back to crossover relevancy) to let him perform less than two months later. And he seems to hold up on his comeback by wearing a mask during promos. I never had interest in his music and was going to start before his original appearance, but dropped after his foolish faux pas. But if Lorne can turn the other cheek on this walking major COVID safety violation, then so should I.

If you guessed the Cold Open was on that viral Senate commitee hearing with that Looney Tune bitch with a mouth that runs on idiocy, congrats. You don't get smacked on the back of the head.

First off, CECILY STRONG IS FINALLG BACK LIVE!!! Thank God she is safe and healthy. She did fantastic as... Whatever her name is. The sketch perfect captured how bonkers the hearing was. Maybe a little too bonkers. Kate McKinnon was fab as Giuliani (fart and all) Nothing more notable to say here cause that's all we expected.

Bateman finally made his return to the main stage after FIFTEEN YEARS (he last hosted in 2005). After mentioning what I said earlier, he recounts a sketch in which he plays monkey who chucks shit at famous people (after joking he had the vaccine, I wish a monkey did it to him). I bet it sucked, but the more important chunk was during the goodnights when the same monkey almost either sucked face or ate off his face. It was a crazy sight, but the story droned on a bit until JB mentioned the sweet denouement that the monkey wanted to make amends and did. Then he got sent to the glue factory. That punchline paid off.

The Sketch After was a meh but the little things made it worked. At (yet another) sleepover, the host's father talked with them about one of them having their first little red dot on the couch (but it wasn't big). Of course the chick portraying the cunt clump culprit is Kate, but she sells it well. Otherwise, it was forgettable.

On the contrary, this Pre-Tape is brillant. 

So, Santa is getting letters from the kids and is about ti pick the good ones for presents. Well, one of them isn't Stu, who's desperate for a PS5, as the clip switches to a parody of... that Eminem song "Stan"? Well, what a twist! Seriously, this was so incredible. The PS5 element was brilliant, the set was on point, the lighting and colors were well-contrasted, the rap by Pete Davidson was A1, the Dido-esque vocals by Kate were smooth, Bowen Yang was slammin' as Sir Elton John (because of capturing the charisma and bravado; not the gay thing) and the Santa bits were sweet and savory. A definite must rewatch.

At an outdoor event, there is some singing by two hosts with assistance from the piano player... Blah blah blah. I didn't pay attention because it got tepid immediately and i wad behind.

Fortunately, I was brought back by the next pre-tape. Three women try to tell their mothers thst because of COVID, they can't come to their homes. So the moms reacted the way they usually do -- overreacting, guilt-tripping, fake tears and feigning anything that'll get them out the door without reasonable explanation. This was hilarious; the reactions are what most parents would go for and don't hold back. And the kids' begging to stop and understand are equally funny.

Not funny is this next sketch, which seemed to be the show dissing Wallen for attending a party instead of waiting to party at the show with his performances. But they didn't seem to stick the knife of mockery in his back like they were supposed to and showed this stupid twist in which his future self, his Asian future self and Pere Davidson warn him of the consequences of his drunken debauchery. There's a problem with that. He's already there, there's much less people at the place, the woman is holding a phone she more likely swiped off the lock and chain from the Metro store down the street and like Morgan here would listen to his future self when he's smashed beyond oblivion. This is the show less shaming him for wasting their time and money on his biggest platform play and more begging him to stat and suck his dick as a thank you. I swear they banned Rage Against the Machine for speaking their mind against a billionaire running for president, but if your musical guest is doing a stupid thing of getting bombed at a college party, let's say "hey we're disappointed qyou in not doing the right thing and putting yourself and us at risk, but we're not ballsy enough in banning you because we have none, so come back in two weeks and we'll prepare our jaws, eh?". And prepare they did.

Because Morgan Wallen performed for the first time. And... He was alright. His first track was a smooth track about... Reminiscing about some girl or town or party. I wasn't paying attention on account of the extra lighting across the set. It's as if they're twisting the knife in us (or at least those who hated his given a second chance in the first place).

Time for an Update

Jost and Che this week riffed on Guiliani being a major nutcase with leaking hair dye and a blasting ass throughout the past month. Absolutely hilarious.

Next up, a family visit a Mall Santa and Ms. Claus. But because of the pandemic and despite the mall still opening, the two reps of Christmas must do their duties so they accommodate. With terrible results.

This sketch is the second funniest based on the physical comedy alone. The commitment JB and Cecily go through is commendable. Also the talent of the little girl saying her one line is very good and cute. Plus, the robot elf with the tablet face is pretty funny too.

I have nothing negative to say anymore about Morgan Wallen anymore. I have now realized watching his second performance - looking like Joe Dirt Jr. and mugging the camera the level of Milton Berle - that this anger got unhealthy and staying pissed at him much longer would ulcer me. So I'll stop and say he did quite well. His music isn't bad and I'm happy he reaching the heights he's reaching. I'll just shit on him the next time I'll joke about him later in the future. Now to leave my real anger and disgust at those who deseve it -- COVIDiots, people who dismiss Elliot Page's transition as relevancy and attention-seeking and blasphemous and the people in the right wing and Democratic establishment [everyone fuck off].

Finally, a pre-tape about that one guy in a circle of dudes who sucks at joking at the drop of a hat and keepa trying despite falling flat every time. Of course, Kyle Mooney plays this to perfection and the loopy, trippy, colorful wonderland in his inner musical monologue is amazing. Too bad the audience didn't see it that way.

Speaking on the audience, it seemed they were as dead as the assholes they were forced to treat from COVID--uhh, the flu. The laughs were barely noticeable, the times there wasn't any dragged the live sketches down (and to be honest, half of them weren't great anyway and were there because the sets looked like they shouldn't have been used just for dress. My guess is they just got back from hiatus and needed that jolt back after Thanksgiving break and it shows -- and much better during the pre-tapes at that. We shall see next week, but... Meh.

Jason Bateman made a great host. Despite the fifteen year absence, he looked and acted like his last time was last season. He was totally game for the show and was a highlight of them. Whether as the judgemental dad shaming his daughter for makimg her mom sad to Dad who just can't see the tomboy fucked up his couch because of her pussy over-power, to seemingly unmotivated cabaret piano player to the Mall Santa not giving a shit about his job as more of an acting afterthought, the former David Hogan showed that he is not a forgotten 80s gem. He's a forgotten 80s gem-turned-unfogettable Emmy-winning dynamo. And he didn't need SNL for a brief career revival; SNL needed him, and he said "sure, lemme check my schedule. I'm sure there's a date open. Ahh, how about whenever I feel like it". One part I made up; guess which is it.

The cast is closer because Cecily Strong is back on! I really missed her. Her contributions were sorely needed and her disappearance felt like a slow withdrawal. Hopefully the weekly hits keep on comimg. Speaking of withdrawal, where's Dismukes? Do I have to mourn yet another featured freshman?? Amongst the sausage fest this week from the regular men, I'm surprised I still remember his face and that we share a name and that in some way we're linked in thst we're just watching from afar. Meanwhile, Lauren Holt and PUNKIE POWER! have definitely earned their places with the FaceTime sketch. 

In Conclusion, episode seven was okay. Just not up to par like the marathon six before it. I guess again the break is to blame. The sketches were presented well - especially the ones focusing on the holiday season under the COVID pandemic. Lots of areas to cover and they were well-covered. The jokes were middling but with strong potential - and I can blame that on the audience for not being there (and maybe the writers for trying harder). This outing is a bit forgettable but fortunately, we're two more weeks before the actual Christmas episode so here's hoping for a much better installment.

Until then, we got the pre-Christmas epiosde next week hosted by the most sexy young actor today with the cutest name to match - Timothée Chalamet, with musical guest - and the most badass rocker and backup touring band(?) to come from medium-town Jersey, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

See you again next week. Until then, I'm Andrew Pollard, and my concern for a pasty-faced white male cast member of SNL named Andrew is its own concern. Goodnight...