I'll be honest with you:
I'm not much of a fan of Amy Schumer. Her humor (especially on her Comedy Central sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer) is amazing on the surface and brilliant much deeper to everyone. But I'm not one of those people. I don't find it that way sometimes.
But when I learned that she would be a part of the first batch of hosts this season, I was actually quite intrigued. I wanted to find her funny here like I found other female hosts in the past two seasons, hoping she will put on a great show.
This week's episode Cold opened with everyone's favorite network news punching bag, Fox and Friends!
Lemme tell ya, this startoff was brilliant AND hilarious. Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer and especially Bobby Moynihan haven't missed a beat as co-hosts Steve Doocy, Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Brian Kilmeade. And I miss the ending. This was super great start to another episode that was surprisingly fantastic.
Amy's monologue was exactly what you expect from her. And yet, it was hilarious. I didn't pay attention to all ofit because it ran so long, but I still laughed my ass off at the end. Good for Amy for being herself at this moment and impressing me so well.
The Sketch After took place on a Delta airplane. Two stewardess are beginning the flight with a safety instruction song. But The ladies aren't very careful about it.
(Seriously, they need to do something about the damn door.)
For starters, that safety instructions song is freaking catchy--I really can't get it out of my head (not that I want to).
Also, I just couldn't stop laughing at their foolish misfortune. It's really stupid of them to keep walking to the door the second time, but hey, Rule of Funny. Also their scolding their co-steward Mark was pretentious, but it has it's plus. Speaking of Mark, his screaming like a girl was also a highlight, as was Kenan dancing to the song in exuberance like the Spice Girls were singing it.
I also loved how high in concept this one was. The timing of the wind, and the horrible accident itself was amazing to watch. As was Mark's shrill screaming. Seriously.
Fave lines:
The Song
--
This next skit is a parody of those timeless porno films featuring a super hot teacher (Schumer) seducing her male student (Kyle Mooney). What happens next, involving a female student ("Baby" Aidy Bryant), is absolutely priceless.
I just love how over-the-top and corny as hell it is (granted it's the joke, because most porn films feature hilariously crap acting, and strange before-sex touching, so this is pretty much normal). Just the crap cinematography makes it perfect.
Also, the constant intrusions of the female student with her mundane situations and crap, while not noticing that her teacher is about to bone the shit out of her classmate is just balls-out hilarious.
Also, it's weird to me-it feels like this sketch could not decide what it is. Is it a porn parody? Or Is it a classroom skit sketch with a teacher close to banging a student when another student's mom comes in for a chat? It just can't be both, but yet it is. And its awesome.
Fave Lines: Almost Everything Ms. Dayworth (because of the corny sleazy dialect) and the female student (for her obliviousness and) said. Especially...
-"Uh, Ms. Dayworth, I wasn't all the way gone yet, and I heard you mention an oral exam?"
-"He's in hot water. He's got a 68 on his last test. Now I'm gonna show him how to get a 69!"
"Okay, that's still a D+, Ms. Dayworth." (this was D best--I mean, the best of them all. I couldn't stop laughing after that.)
-
This episode is on a roll. So much funny, so little time.
Like this Pre-Taped Sketch lampooning the scandal on gun control, showing people with the
It it, many people are living their lives, and with guns by their side, life couldn't be any more happier.
Of course, the Pre-Tape is lampooning the scandal on gun control, after President Obama announced yet another order on stricter control on distribution on guns. I found it funny and interesting too. I love how these people are portrayed--not crazy, insane semi-toting yahoos and show them as normal, sane people (well, more or less) who are toting guns wherever they go.
Now, this one was embroiled in controversy.
Some viewers didn't like the sketch for mocking the talk of gun control , especially after a heartbreaking incident, the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Just look at the comments on YT, and there is a wide variety. Some about how they don't like the sketch, other about some stupid liberal agenda (heh, whatever.), and of course the inevitable, "Remember when SNL was funny?".
I understand the backlash (some more than others), but it's a spoof on guns, and the people who own them. Plus, they were portrayed as normal sane people. If you don't like it, that's fine. But if you can't realize that this is a parody...I don't know.
--
Next, at Ford's Theatre, visitors are treated to a reenactment of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by an actor played by TKill). But this is ruined by the actress (Amy) playing Mary Todd. Mainly, "John Wilkes Boothe" (KyMoo) wanting to plow her.
This is actually brilliant. The ad-libbing of the actress is the meat of the sketch. The meat that makes it so delicious and satisfying. Unlike the Whopper burgers with the black buns that make you poop green. (available at Burger King throughout the month of October!) Oh, and the joke about blacks is perfectly timed and thus bitingly hilarious.
--
At a California's city municipal meeting, some councilors (Moyni & Cecily Strong among them) are answering questions from citizens, who give really strange questions.
This skit was consistently funny (not one of the best though), but the best part was definitely Schumer's portrayal of little 7-year-old Amy Meriwether-Sherman with her demand of keeping her and her father's guns at bay, alluding to this week's scandal of gun control--the third skit in total. Her voice as a child is perfect.
Another great part was Leslie Jones appearing (in her only sketch this week) as a woman thinking she went to an AA meeting after being sober for 20 minutes. And Kenan's appearance as Gary Loomis. So goofy and quaint.
And one thing I want to ask:
Is this sketch really taking place in California? And not some city in the South? Because, half of everyone was speaking in a questionable Southern accent (besides MC Strategy), which is really weird. If this was in a Southern state (more specifically in the East Coast), this would've made more sense.
That's One thing that's really grating. That's the only complaint, but it's only minor.
Fave Lines:
All of Little Amy's lines (it's the baby girl-like voice that sold it for me)
"Have you seen Bieber's dong?...Yeah, yeah, yeah...It was alright, right?" -Rick
"Yeah. yeah, I thought it was pretty good." -Male Councilor
--
In the Five-to-One sketch, a baby shower is taking place. But...there is a more important matter going on...SOMEONE'S PURSE IS MISSING!!
This sketch sucked.
It wasn't very funny, there wasn't much to like, the jokes were crap, and the end was just meh. The only good things it had going for it is Amy and the establishing shot house that reminds me of Good Luck Charlie.
This skit ended Episode 2 on a low note. Fortunately the rest of it was genius and funny, or else I would get upset.
Like Panda upset when his phone got stolen.
--
The Weeknd, this week's musical guest, is pretty much the hottest thing in the game right now. Ever since he appeared on Drake's album Take Care and dropped a few hot mixtapes, he's become a brilliantly dope alternative R&B artist (pretty much one of the first of such too). With this year being his, he's released singles that have become white-hot on the charts and online: the scarily-great "The Hills", the numbingly-poppy "Can't Feel My Face", the strangely-sexy "Often" and "Earned It" from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, his most memorable hit at the moment.
So it makes much sense for him to be the first only musical guest of Season 41 (it just has to be.) as he performed two of the aforementioned singles: "Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face", his other memorable hit at the moment.
This performance featured a surprise guest in Nicki Minaj, who is featured in a remix for this song. I wasn't very interested in Minaj, but I thought she did a great job here. Her verse fits the song as was Weeknd's, and is just as scary, if not horrifying as well, in that the relationship they share is a dark and painful one, and that drugs were involved.
Also, I'm a huge fan of the beat. It's as dark, mysterious, disorienting and spine-tingling as the lyrics and Abel's vocals and makes this song so dreadfully perfect in every way. The woman's scream in the hook is frightening, but fits great, and is kinda turn-on--ish.
Also, I love the lyric at the end where Abel sings in his native language Amharic. This soft, lullaby-like lyric ends the track on a calm, sweet note, and makes this one of the best and most expansive songs this year. And makes this performance amazing.
Just as amazing as the last one of "Can't Feel My Face".
I will say that I wasn't as enjoying his vocals here as I did with the last one, but I still loved this one. People have compared this track (especially with Weeknd's vocals) to the work of Michael Jackson. I can agree with it, what with the similarities in vocals and techniques between them. Plus his dancing is pretty cool.
I'll be honest in saying the performances were, to me, more dominated by the setup lighting than by Abel himself. But he was mind-blowing great with his stage presence and performance. Sure, his falsetto vocals can be grating to most people (which makes his short speaking appearance on Weekend Update-which I'll get to later-utterly refreshing), but I can get past that, as he knows how to put on a good show. Especially because both songs are great to listen to--despite the underlying dark writing and tones in both. Weeknd is a very talented artist and it's good to see him get both critical and commercial success in the mainstream these days. And with these performances, which I'll call the one of the best of the season so far, he's certainly on his way.
His album Beauty Behind the Madness is available now on digital and physical.
--
Time for an Update:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Jost and Che are back for Round 2 and have gotten much more leeway than last week. It's refreshing after the meh start last Saturday.
There were some hilarious jokes, especially the jokes they share, like their ribbing of presidential candidate Ban Carson for malpractice suits against him, the public's responses to President Obama's gun control executive action, Jost's perchance on Justin Bieber's penis being the next Speaker of the House,
The jokes, the execution and the other anchor's reaction.
This week, Update introduced a new correspondent, Solomon, who claims to be a travel buff, and was sent to Italy to write up the perfect hot-spots for vacation. What he got back is absolutely nothing.
I loved the performance by Pharaoh as this complete habitual liar. His shame in getting rid of the ticket for his own devices and getting the job just to get by comfortably, along with begging Colin to not get the team to fire him is very funny. It's in his whiny, urban voice and mannerisms. I really feel like I won't expect him back at the desk anytime soon. But if he does, I wouldn't mind it at all.
Kate McK makes her first sit at the desk this season as Ms. Santini, a neighbor of Colin's who discusses overcrowding in New York city's apartments, thanks to a recent study.
This was a good character and performance by Kate, but I felt this ran a little longer than most because of how slow she was.
In time, I've gotten to enjoy her strange methods of helping a family quite their baby more. And her letters to random people were hilarious.
Best Bits:
Ben Carson Malpractices
-"I'd never say this out loud or on TV, but America, please choose anybody BUT the black guy!" -Che
The Talk of Gun Control
-"We don't need a beer, that's a margarita inside a beer." -Jost
Solomon
-"My sister ain't got no kids." -Solomon
Ms. Santini
-"Dear, cast of the movie Friday..." -Ms. Santini
"The Weeknd Update"
And now, The Weeknd Update.
Posted by Saturday Night Live on Saturday, October 10, 2015
Wraparound:
Everyone was awesome.
I thought Amy Schumer was going to be obnoxious and annoying, but she wasn't that at all (half of the time--and even then, the behavior was pretty funny. She took her role as host seriously, while being as loose as possible. And yet, I feel she took brilliance from being white trash (in some sketches) and parlayed it perfect hilarity.
I think I'm now a fan of Amy Schumer (well, a little over casual).
Congrats, lady. You are one of the best hosts this season.
I will not speak on the cast members who appeared in almost every sketch. I know how you guys have gotten tired of me talking about it...and I've also gotten tired of it because of the waste of hours discussing this.
All the cast members did a great job this week, not matter how big or small their appearances are, they all put in amazing performances.
For the standouts, I'd say Taran Killam (I mean duh), Vanessa Bayer (especially in the Fox and Friends and Delta Fallout sketches), Bobby Moynihan (for the Fox and Friends sketch--seriously I miss braindead Brian Kilmeade) and Leslie Jones (for the barely sober lady losing her way around)
How Was the CO?
Unlike the first hour, very accurate (and funny)
Best Sketches:
Assassination of the Assassination
Delta Fallout
Porno Parody
Honorable Mention:
City Council/Municipal Meeting
Baby Shower
(hell, all of them have a great moment. Because...)
Worst Sketches:
If I can say that none of them were bad in the Miley Cyrus episode, then I'd be damned if I choose a bad one in this episode.
ConcluSLoN:
THIS EPISODE IS THE BEST OF THIS SEASON SO FAR!!! (Almost) every sketch was not only hilarious, but brilliant in writing and execution as well. Not only did I laugh, but they also made me think about some things. And then laugh again. Thanks to the news stories of the week, the touch of realism in some of these skits make them near flawless. I love this episode so much.
This is the episode we've all been waiting for. Months have finally passed, the time has finally come, and the moments will already be remembered. Next week will begin the ultimate redemption for the host and we will be there to support and cheer him on when he does.
Ladies and gentlemen, Tracy Morgan is back. And he will be hosting Episode 3.
Please tune in, and make this the highest-rated episode of the year. He deserves this great honor.
Oh, and Demi Lovato is the musical guest.
See you Monday for the review. Good night!
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