Let me be honest for a moment. Before tonight's finale, Saturday Night Live Review has been an on-and-off segment. When on, I have the time of my life recapping and critiquing one of my favorite TV shows, looking forward to whatever sketches and performances i loved and those I wish I never seen in my whole life. When off, I have no excitement, no amusement, and no time to waste on it. Its as if my focus is a high-speed roller coaster at Six Flags.
After tonight's finale, I'm largely giving up on SNL Review... and SNL itself. Like the review, after years of dwindling anticipation and increasing consternation, I realize for whatever reason (less amusement for the sketches, more attention to the same few cast members, musical guests I refuse to waste a second of oral or visual consumption on, the stale forced and schmaltzy production feel and much of anything missing more than hitting overall), SNL isn't a much-watch program for me anymore. And thus, im more interested in watching another show or my eyelids from now on. Apparently, I've become one of the old geezers whom decry every year about SNL's yearly decline in quality after season 5 or a decade before the 2010s. Yep, I'm a hypocrite who is now like the people I hate, I can admit it.
So what better time to bid goodnights to the Icon from Studio 8H than when the biggest stars of the shows current era under Kenan Thompson are departing. Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson and the Benevolent Queen who reigns over all else Kate McKinnon are leaving the show after an impressive and (depending on the actor) unforgettable run in the cast. I cant say im not surprised but I also cant say I m not heartbroken. We'll get to more on that later, but first, we got a show to watch.
We begin (no surprise) with one of the most popular and successful recurring sketches possibly ever... Alien Abduction 3. You know what it is. Like the last ones, this one its just hilarious. Even if I know Aidy and especially Kate would take the spotlight, everyone else (Cecily Strong, Mikey Day and host Natasha Lyonne) kept my attention before they speak
again. I also expected a visual aid to Kate's exit with the spaceship was bittersweet but refreshingly nuanced and simple and beautiful.
And now, the final Monologue by Ms. Lyonne, looking fabu like the dive bar's Catwoman. In it she talks about what makes SNL SNL, her start in acting on an episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse and her rough but sweet and inspiring childhood in comparison to Fabio getting hit by a baseball. Her crackling, eager voice telling the story made it work and funny. Oh and Maya Rudolph and Fred Arminsen returned real quick to mimic her voice. Okay...
In the Pre-Tape After, a bunch of people talk about what it means to be... stupid. Not mentally-challenged, but plain stupid and their encouragement for other smarter Americans to vote in the midterms. It was so damn funny, seeing the subjects doing and saying random things that cant be described immediately is the best of them all.
In the final Sketch After the Monologue, a new radio announcer joins a New York Yankees radio station WNYX (which has to be a next-level reference to NewsRadio) for a broadcast... and is terrible. This was hilarious. Lyonne (and her rough, yet hot 50s sexpot voice) commanded the skit with the new host random, uncomfortable and inappropriate commentary, and Funtime Mikey's desperate straight man attempts to siphon attention back to the diamond competition were also funny. It seems like whatever attribute and talent the host has, the show will mine it for all eight sketches and the Cut for Time YouTube clip.
At a special event, the lounge singer guest Treece (Kenan) and his band, keyboardist Brad Dates (Mooney), wandering dancer Helen (CecStrong), and harmonica harper Cassie Marie (Lyonne) are serenading the guests. Other than Treece's begging for allergy medicine (like me as I'm suffering from the bout I've probably ever had), this was alright and chuckleworthy. Kenan and Lyonne had some sprinkles of chemistry but it was too hype for my taste. Plus I don't blame the gay man played by Bowen Yang -- that shit is four dollars too much for me to run out from too.
In the next Pre-Tape, a high schooler (played by Andrew Dismukes -- the better, more successful, happier and even better-looking) narrates the future events of his classmates at their senior proms as it reaches its doldrums. Despite the syrupy nice voice, the events themselves sound like something out of a period piece dramatization and a true crime show together with jokes that make you uncomfortable and crossing the line twice aplenty. This was even better than the "stupid people vote" one. It had me both shivering (not from the allergies I swear) and splitting sides. White Andrew was perfect to narrate and the offsetting visuals mesh well with the events. Gosh this was insane. (I would later end up in a metal hospital for the brutal assaults of four distant cousins at a family reunion at Fairmount Park near a five-year-old's birthday party. I ate a piece of the cake and then shat on the clown.)
It's Time for a Final Update! Michael Che and Colin Jost are back for the last time this season with what always has to be their best jokes of the season (which explains why they've been coasting half the time the last several years). Jokes include Jost's Nostradumbass moment involving COVID's plateau, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk being Republican evil edgelords, the baby formula shortage, TikTok in the Catholic Chruch, .
The Guy Who Just Bought a Boat (Alex Moffatt) is back to be everyone's favorite high-end punchable douchebag saying anything that could be the grosser White version of the first verse ass-grabbing asshole in verse one of Queen Latifah's U.N.I.T.Y. while making everyone feel like the most used expression in the 2020s -- utter shame and disgust. He was one of my favorite characters of the Che/Jost era and Moffatt portrays him with such perfection and never skips a beat while possibly feeling grossed out while reciting every line.
Two on-trend forecasters (Baby Aidy and Gay-by Bowen) predict the weather while being the most out-of-pocket drama-excreted Queens. of RuPaul's Drag Race. The individual and collective performance was ridiculously hilarious and their voices are perfect. The one line by Yang, hand-holding and embracing for Baby Aidy was just so beautiful, I almost cried.
Pete Davidson makes his one final appearance in the finale to talk about his time on the show, leaving as he got hired -- a brunette (sometimes blonde) rail-thin, pale-skinned comedian who set the world on fire with his borderline acting and weed-soaked demeanor. It was a tumultuous tenure, and i was there for most of it with eyes peeked and mouth puckered with some laughs in-between. So it makes sense for his farewell speech to be bittersweet and humbling. I admit, I wanted him to leave or end up let go for the past few years thanks to his teasing. But now that he is, I'm kinda sad to see him go. But not sad enough because a successful career waiting for him at the other side of the studio doors. You see kids, a lesson is learned. If you do fine enough to convince the creator of a TV show to hire you and then do less and less on said show while dealing with a whole bunch of shit outside and doing more effort into your personal projects, you too can have a very successful career at the end of the rainbow. Pete, congrats on your time on SNL, I hope you'll be happy and healthy as the years progress and I wish you a damn good career in comedy.
Next in this parody of 9 to 5 (called 9:15 to 5:10), three women (CecStrong, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim) deal with their misogynistic boss (Lyonne) - not with their feminism and awesomeness, but by killing him. Then it becomes a Weekend at Bernie's ripoff as they try to keep their supervisors (Armisen and KyMoo) unaware. Honestly, thr only thing that was funny was the physical comedy by the girls and Lyonne and Natasha's successful attempts at not corpsing. Like the cameo by Armisen too.
Next up, making their SNL debut at the last and luckiest possible moment is alternative pop band Japanese Breakfast. I love listening to new bands on SNL, because I try my best to expand my musical footprint from 2000s pop, 90s and 2000s R&B and the handful of tracks from 1972. And that's all i can think about on the surface. So I think Japanese Breakfast would be a good candidate for my thirst for new music. And... they succeed with their reteaux new-wave sound like it came straight from the works of John Hughes and frontwoman Michelle Zauner's hauntingly velvety voice. Both performances are bright, ethereal, charasmatic and colorful with the set flanked by bright multicolored LED lights and a backing band playing their hearts out like they're about to make their big break (and do). It's amazing and I will definitely be hearing more and more from the Beakfast so Japanese-y very soon.
In the final Sketch for Grey pigtails, three middle-aged women decide to mesh with the years and let go, and two spokeswomen (Baby Aidy and Katey) encourage them to do so. It was okay, but it was still beautiful seeing McKinnon, Mooney and Bryant in a non-flashy final Sketch before saying goodbye.
Which is what happens after a final hang with the 8H Band. I'm gonna miss them a lot, because of their upbeat, professional, saxophone-dominated sound. I grew up on listening to smooth jazz, so I always found listening to Lenny Pickett rock out on the woodwind a constant collection of joy, charm and warmth. Besides listening to WJJZ as a kid, this is the best presentation of recurring live popular music in media. It's gonna be hard to walk away from the 8H Band.
Now to the cast members leaving. Honestly for the last few years, I was sick of seeing them so much more than other cast members every week, no matter how talented they are or how their performances make the show work partially. Every Sketch they're in takes precious time and potential away from the newer members (which they'll finally get next season - even if Cecily Strong, Mikey Day and Kenan will still take refuge in most of them) that make me wonder what the point was of even hiring them in the first place. And Pete sometimes not being there would make me happy if I never noriced his absences to begin with. That seems to be the criticism the show by others as well, but they're still here nonetheless. They even took some episodes off to do other projects -- which isn't bad but could've happened during summer break. But now that they're leaving, I honestly will miss. They're still incredibly talented and brought us some unforgettable characters and memorable sketches,, and their presence was totally felt every time they were on screen. I cannot and never had time to deny it. I wish them the best in their careers from here on out and I hope they are happy and grateful with everything Lorne and the producers have given them this past better part of a decade. It's too bad I can't feel excited for what's to come later on this year and probably beyond.
I'm gonna stop watching SNL for a long while, as I've mentioned earlier, because it's just to much of a chore for me to watch. Just too cumbersome and time-consuming to do. Even if it has a great cast and crew at the moment, and Lorne is still at the top of his game, I feel no interest in watching anymore. That's why the Review segment has diminishing and diminutive returns. I feel nothing about it now. So consider this the very last review I'll ever do for Saturday Night Live. (I'm sure you're very pleased) I hope you enjoyed this show and all the jokes I wrote bring you some good in times of good and bad and I hope you'll enjoy the other posts I'll do here from here on out.
Oh, as for the episode itself, it was really good. Natasha Lyonne was a firebrand as host, the cast were amazing as always and it was a bittersweet, beautiful send-off for the four departing cast members. I knew my eyes would well up from second one and they did. I knew it would be emotional and funny and I have the words go prove it.
And so ends this final review of Saturday Night Live (at least maybe until Season 50 comes around. MAYBE.) This is Andrew Pollard saying, and if you've read this far ... I just wanna say, I hope you had a great day, that life's treating you nicely and that you're doing whatever is making you happy (or at the very least, that you're doing that makes you money). May God, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Hare Crisna, Satan or Visnu (or whoever you worship) bless you and have a great life. Goodnight.