Saturday Night Live 41 Review: Ep. 1 -- Miley Cyrus and Miley Cyrus (The Premiere)

Well, we're back.



Since I heard that Miley Cyrus was hosting the Season 41 premiere, I just wanted to skip this.
Like my Review of Season 40's Episode 11, I wanted to tune out from that episode because of the host as well (that episode's host was Kevin Hart). But I decided to check it out and review it anyway, and I was glad I did, because to me that episode was one of the best. So I should give it a chance.

Also, Miley Cyrus--while she is an annoyingly terrible singer, she isn't a bad actress. In fact, she's really talented. From watching Hannah Montana as a kid, all the way up to her guest appearances on Two and a Half Men among others, she had great performances and very nice delivery. Not to mention her last gig hosting SNL wasn't bad at all. I even enjoyed her musical performances (granted, those songs are stupid as hell, but still). So I was willing to give this episode and Miley the benefit of the doubt, and see if it wouldn't tune out as horrible as I thought it would be.
And you won’t believe this. I was right. This episode was better than I thought.
In fact, this is already one of the best episodes of the season.

The episode starts with a Message from...Donald Trump.

This sketch is the introduction of Taran Killam, the latest cast member to receive the role, to the Trump role. And he played it fantastically. His voice is perfect, his mannerisms are on-par, the facial expressions are amazing; hell, even his wig is perfect. Killam has everything to make his impersonation of Trump carry on to be one of the best of this season, and just in time for election season.
The rest of the skit was hilarious; Cecily Strong played a perfect Melania Trump, and the writing was brilliant, with all of The Donald's policies and controversies as presidential candidate being mocked to perfection. I was expecting myself to laugh a few times, but I laughed all the way through. This was an awesome start to what was an awesome premiere. And now, that it's time again

Host and Musical Guest Miley Cyrus presented the first Monologue of the season.
When she came out, I didn't know what all was on her dress.
Flowers? car air fresheners? colored condoms? LifeSavers?
When it was shown to be flowers, I wasn't worthy enough a joke, mostly because we were halfway through the sketch.

Anyway, the better half was on her singing a dedication to the people who've made the news in the Summer of 2015:
(And all of them were bad people)
-Rachel Dolezal (the white woman who pretended to be black for 20 years and got busted by her parents)
-Kim Davis (the old wench who said her religious beliefs caused her to not give marriage licenses to gays, despite -herself being married 4 times, and divorced 3. Hypocrite.)
-Walter Palmer (the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the Lion)
-Warner Bros. (for the Entourage movie. Remember that? Me neither.)
-The pizza rat (for being more inspiring than bad. Somehow.)
-Drake and Meek Mill (for their dumb-ass feud.) (And I know you're asking: Who the hell is Meek Mill? I've been still asking that myself.)
-Lenny Kravitz (for accidentally showing his glorious junk on-stage at a concert in Stockholm)
-A Donut (for being licked by Ariana Grande)
-Jared Fogel (for being a child predator while working for Subway), and
-Josh Duggar (for being borderline incestuous with his sisters while supposedly being a deeply religious man under a deeply religious family.)
These are the people who make 2015 a very memorable year in the news.

The cast members were hilarious in their movements as those people (especially with Bobby Moynihan), Miley has wonderful singing (probably better than her performances), and the
Great Mono, and one of the best so far.

The first Pre-Tape After of Season 41 is an ad for a new drug to help people move on with their lives after bouts with mental illness. And for these guys, who are still believing that they're running for president, this drug is practically calling their name...if not the White House. It's Abilify for People Who Think They're President.

This sketch is just brilliant. Detailed spoof of the candidates who dropped out of Presidential race believing they're still in there. And their wives confessions were just as funny. This is a prefect start to what will be one of the best parts of the show.

In The Sketch After the commercial break, a school dance is happening, and three couples are finding love: A nerd (Kyle Mooney) with a nerdy girl (Kate McKinnon), a bad boy (TKill) with a hot bad girl (Cecily), and Jock with the popular girl (Miley)...who raps.

This sketch started off pretty good. Catchy song, cast members singing well (nothing more or less--we'll they're not qualified for Grease Live so...), and a fun atmosphere. Until Miley came and made everything...better. No seriously, when she gave her line, I couldn't stop laughing. That was balls-out hilarious. I mean...wow. She subverted my expectations and made this sketch better than I thought. Great job. This was one of the Best sketches of the episode.

Also, this is the first sketch to fully feature newest cast member Jon Rudnitsky. I'd say he did a pretty good job singing for his longing for a girl and reacting to the popular girl's strangeness...and Nasty Jack. Poor guy.

Fave lines: Most of them from her black friend, Nasty Jack
"I'm from Philly!"
"Oh! It's gon' happen!"
"So we datin' or what!?"
-And everything Miley said
--
Next up, election season isn't in full swing yet, but everyone is talking in full speed. Including at a bar, where Hillary Clinton (Kate McK) is sulking about the American people discussing Donald Trump more than her, with possible vote going to him than her. And then she meets the bartender Val.

My jaw dropped when I saw the Hillary Clinton. She was rumored to appear in the premiere, but I never read into it. But the rumors were true, and she lived up to the "hype".
And she very well with what she was given, and made her stand out, even though she's standing in front of the genius woman brilliantly playing her. It's clear that the writing is pretty much geared towards her, but it's still good and funny nonetheless.
"...I just wanted to say, my sister's gay, so thank you for all you've done for gay marriage."
That just came out of nowhere, and was just pandering to Clinton. Luckily for him, she's right there.
And then the two gal-pals sang "Lean on Me". While "Hillary" had a meh voice, "Val" has a great singing voice. Impressive.
Another one of the Best sketches of the Episode.

Favorite Lines:
All of "Hillary" and "Val" lines
"Oh no. They're multiplying!" -Bill Clinton
--
American Voices presents an old talk show from the 50s that didn't last long...or make sense.

This one has a great concept, and the set-up and lighting were brilliant, especially under the live cameras, but the execution wasn't really great. The jokes fell pretty flat, and the stereotypes, while obvious, weren't that shock-worthy. I did chuckle a few times here, but this wasn't the best of the episode.
--
A group of gal pals (Vanessa, Leslie, Miley and Cecily) trek to a restaurant where they reenactment the scene from When Harry Met Sally.... (You know it) But, Rhonda gets carried away.

Well, that was strange. Nut damn me if I didn't find Rhonda's fake gasms hilarious. When she said "OH NO, THE CONDOM BUSTED!", I was close to the floor. Jones' delivery and enthusiasms of these lines may have made this for me.

Fave lines: You know the one.
But here's a hint: "OH MY! THE PROPHYLACTIC BROKE!"
--
The Squad (yet another pre-tape)
Years after a car crash sent them into a coma, two women wake up in a post-apocalyptic world. But this is not caused by zombies, nuclear war or mass destruction. But by the world's exuberance to join Taylor Swift.

I like Taylor's music, but I'd be damned if I even join T-Swift's "squad" willingly. Hell, I'd have to start brushing up on my trigger skills if any Swifties try to "Shake it Off".
Oh--anyway, this was a pretty funny taped sketch. It wasn't hilarious--clearly because the audience didn't laugh as loud or hard, so I couldn't resonate. And even then, I didn't find much to laugh at anyway. Very good cinematography, though.
And I wouldn't be surprised is Taylor saw this, and asked Lorne to host again sometime along the road. Hell, She doesn't even have to ask--He'll immediately give her the gig, without the potential of huge ratings. Everyone wants her on their
--
Miss "The Californians"? Why?
Anyway, there's a new soap opera in town. And it may or may not be as good. It's "The Millennials".

In this "new Fox drama", which may or may not hinge on the fact that people still believe that the Animal network is a one for the young ones to watch. Anywho, this sketch does a good job spoofing those young adults who believe they are a huge, important part to society; but end up huge pains in the ass. And their bosses are left to wallow in their stupidity of hiring them.
Remember that sketch from last season, "I Can't Even"? Well, this wasn't hilarious, but I'd take this over that any day. It's annoying, but is meant to be that (and that one was probably meant to be that to), and works better in this case.
It's definitely not one of the true funniest skits of the episode, or best, but it's still a fine one.
Also, Miley, Kate, Pete and Rudnitsky somehow look perfect as young people. Must be the hair.

Fave Lines:
"Do it." -Black Co-worker (Kenan)
"Just do it." -Boss (TKill)
It's the delivery of these lines that make it the best.
--
Time for an Update
Part 1:

Part 2:


Jost and Che are back!! (to groans of half of everyone reading)
But, they have improved a bit.
My main problem is with Jost. It seems he gotten back to his starting characteristic of a super-boring dullard. Every line he speaks sounds like they're slipped so slowly, it's like paint drying. Maybe he's being careful with his enunciation of the jokes, but the show is using cue cards. The only time something wrong happens is when someone drops them or a giant fan blows them away.
He has gotten better with his timing and humor, but I think he needs to speed up the tempo. That's my only problem.
My other problem with him is this joke.

Missed these guys.

Posted by Saturday Night Live on Sunday, October 4, 2015

That was just crap. Fortunately Che's scolding him was funnier.

Another problem with the first Update of the season is Pope Francis--at least his impersonation by Kyle Mooney. Apparently since his historic trip to the US, he gotten some sort of respect with just the urban crowd. Because he keeps using the lingo, the peace sign, the hand gestures along with it.
And his accent is thick as hell! So grating It feels like I'm getting cut in slices by a roll of pastrami. I know the Pontiff has some Italian dialect, but it wasn't that thick!
All in all, this appearance was a very limp one, and was the worst of the segment.

However, things got much better as time went on.
Resident Young Person Pete Davidson returned to discuss his thoughts on the upcoming Presidential Election.
Of course, he's strained. And probably high.

And funny again. He's returned to form, and is as genius as ever with his questionable analogies. He's been a great member of the Update gang and his appearances have been some of the best as of late. Certainly should stay as a member for this season. Should be a constant stream of great laughs this season.

Relationship Expert Leslie Jones also returned with her take on sex with men who text their thoughts afterwards. She is not pleased with that.

This was a funny set, but I'm beginning to feel like Jones' commentary on relationships is starting to get one-note to me. Her yelling gets annoying, her explorations are more creepier than the compliments from a 21-year-old dude about a teenage female character of an animated series (...apparently), and her flirting with Jost gets more strange. It's not to say it isn't funny, though. But yeah.

Favorite Jokes:
-Bush Criticizes Trump--Big boy Pants
-Refusal for the Democratic Debate
-Trump & Carson--Too Many %
-Planned Parenthood--Unfortunate Events

Best Sketches:
-Dance of '55
-Hillary Clinton Bar Talk (aka "Hill and Val")
-Katz's Deli
Honorable Mentions:
The Millennials
America's Voices (aka that one talk show ABC still regrets to this day, despite their "progression in race".)

Best Pre-Tape:
Abilify for Candidates

Worst Sketches:
Surprisingly, NONE.
All of these sketches did make me laugh in some way, and I wasn't truly frustrated with them. It wasn't Miley, it wasn't the writing and it wasn't any of the cast members. All of them make the episode more than tolerable (at least in my eyes).

So yeah, this was a great episode. And a great start to the season.

Miley was great as host. She did what the writers wrote for her to do amazingly, and did a great job with her performance. While I warmed up considerably before the episode premiered because she’s not a bad actress to me, she exceeded my expectations twofold. I was actually laughing more than I thought I wanted to. I’m very impressed with her. And the writers.

Speaking of them, I feared there would be turbulence coming from this new switch, as this new challenge for each of them would be a hard, seeing as this show is live. But they did a great job, too. Their writing was fresh and genius, and I actually enjoyed most of what I heard from the cast and Miley. They faced a challenge and came out barely unscathed. Great for them.
Now they need to prepare for the other 20 episodes they have to write for. But I think they can do it. I believe in you, new writers; you can make this a very good season. Good luck.

At first, I thought, since the cast size is large, some cast members wouldn’t be seen at all. But, to my surprise, all of them have appeared well. All got between at least a few lines and a major part of a sketch. And I find it amazing that the producers found a way to make sure everyone got something to do in the episode. I applaud the producers for giving this cast a full showing on screen.

Now to the little runt of the litter: latest cast member Jon Rudnitsky.
He was well-represented here. He got some some limelight in his first sketch, some time with Miley, some lines in some sketches and isn’t half bad at all, despite his Twitter presence. he wasn’t truly hilarious, but this is his first episode, so I will cut him some slack. He can be a good cast member, but it will take some time to gel. I wish him good luck as a cast member.


And if that wasn’t enough, I actually also enjoyed Miley’s Music performances as well; more than I’d want to admit. First off, she didn’t perform “Dooo It”. She actually performed two other songs with her newest embarrassment to pop/rock music--I mean, new band, Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz. This set up of the first performance reminds me of a less creepier, yet more-stranger version of that episode of The Fairly OddParents, where Timmy Turner wishes his dead hamster back to life. It’s like it had a different life after Timmy went to summer camp (camp...camp...camp...camp...camp...) camp. He came back to life with a bunch of his other pets his parents neglected to care for, learned how to play instruments, and then went to Miley (probably on acid at the time) and convinced her to start a new band. An this is the turn out.
I wish this was the back story..

Her second song, just her, is presumably a ballad/tribute to her dog, Floyd, who died either last year or this year; I couldn't remember. I could assume that because of his picture on the piano. Her vocals really nice and her skills on the keys were beautiful. I will also say that those screams in the chorus scared the living hell out of me, and that final note at the end was uncomfortable, Other than those, I actually enjoyed this particular performance. Congrats Miley, you actually had me enjoy your music. It’s too bad I still won’t listen to your album.

So...the consensus. This episode was great. I laughed my butt of more than I wanted to, and I the sketches were mostly perfect in their own ways.

Taran was perfect as the new Donald Trump (I think he’ll be marvelous), Hillary Clinton was fantastic in her surprise appearance as...Val (her delivery in saying “Great name. I’m Val.” had me on the floor.), and I missed Darrell Hammond as Bill. Still keels me every time.

So yeah, this was a slam-dunk start to this season, and I think this will be a great one. I know there will be a few missteps along the way, but I think Lorne, the producers and the writers will pull off some hot streaks to over power them. Let’s hope for the best, guys. I’m rooting for ya!!
(Don’t let us down.)

So...even though I will be watching this season (and not because I'm forced to against my own will for some reason), I'm more excited for what will happen next week. And EVEN MORE excited for the show airing in two weeks. (Oh God, I can't WAIT!)


But for now, tune in next week when newest success story in comedy/ , Emmy Award-winner Amy Schumer hosts Episode 2, with music provided by the man responsible for the below-the-surface scariest and druggist R&B music today that'll (possibly) make even Tyler the Creator squirm, The Weeknd.