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Ongoing Saturday Night Live Discussion Thread

JirinPanthosa

JirinPanthosa

Admiral
Admiral
The old one went away, so here's a new one. I want to talk about yesterday's episode.

I was hard on the show at the start of the season but I think it's gotten a lot better since. I don't know if they hired new writers since the start of the season, but they seem to have a better handle on current culture than they have in a while.

The 'Asian American Doll' sketch was a hilarious commentary on liability paranoia when it comes to racial imagery. Follow that up with what seems to be an ongoing theme of social commentary through the perspective of a Youtube video. A family that got famous on Youtube through a funny Christmas video tries to make another one about the horrible year they had where the father lost his self respect and manhood and the daughter was diagnosed as a sociopath.

Pete Davidson seems to be their answer to fill the Andy Samberg role of making shorts that make hilarious observations about the mundane. He's certainly made a more immediate impression than any of those guys they tried to bring on last year.

Weekend Update still sucks. I think Michael Che would work great as a counterpart to Cecily Strong but Colin Jost is just awful.

I don't know why they feel they need to keep trotting out Kristin Wiig.
 
I haven't watched SNL in years, when I last watched it I just didn't find it consistently funny and way, way to repetitive. I do catch the occasional clip on-line though when they do some sketch relating to current-event topic.

But, for me, the last time SNL was good was back in the 90s.

Watched the cold-open from last-night's episode. Loved for that very reason.

DrEvil2.gif
 
Speaking of repetitiveness there's one more thing I want to give kudos for.

Usually when SNL has a sketch every time they run the sketch they just run through the exact same jokes. They did the 'Best friend show' thing this week but they did different jokes. They didn't bring in some other girl who Aidy Bryant was threatened with stealing her position as best friend, they had her lying about her position on the cheerleading squad.

I wish this was how SNL would treat recurring characters. Don't just run through the same jokes over and over, think of new jokes to tell with the same characters.
 
Repetitive jokes/characters like the Spartan Cheerleaders grew old, tired and annoying very, very quickly.
 
I have to disagree on Update. I was laughing so hard I was in tears. I know Jost is hated around the Internets, but I find him funny, if a little stiff at times, but he'll get over that eventually. Tina Fey started slow as well.

I also really loved the pet infomercial at the end and the Best Friend skit you mentioned was pretty funny, I think Cecily Strong is one of the (no pun intended) strongest aspects of the show right now. And I realize both of these skits are probably recurring bits, but I've only just started watching he show again after a five year absence, so they're new to me.
 
I would compare Jost more to an early Meyers, before he got over his obnoxious snideness and learned how to interact with the update characters. Meyers did get better, so Jost could too.
 
I've not seen the show in years either, but was a regular viewer for about the first ten years, having begun with the first episode in 1975. So if they can hang in there another 10 years or so, they can hit their 50th anniversary. That's the only reason I can think of why it didn't get cancelled long ago.
 
JirinPanthosa said:
I would compare Jost more to an early Meyers, before he got over his obnoxious snideness and learned how to interact with the update characters. Meyers did get better, so Jost could too.
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I'm disappointed I never watched the show when Strong was doing Update. I did go back and watch one show of hers t when she was on Update through youtube and enjoyed it and than was disappointed she didn't get to do it alone.
 
Why do they keep trotting out the series premiere for a special occasion? The early seasons rocked, but the first episode sucked. Okay, last time they did it was George Carlin's death and he was the first host, that made some sense. They have no excuse this time.

Anyone else watching the 40th anniversary special tomorrow?
 
JirinPanthosa said:
Why do they keep trotting out the series premiere for a special occasion? The early seasons rocked, but the first episode sucked. Okay, last time they did it was George Carlin's death and he was the first host, that made some sense. They have no excuse this time.

Anyone else watching the 40th anniversary special tomorrow?
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No excuse? They're celebrating the 40th anniversary, so they showed where it all began - it makes perfect sense.
 
Then wouldn't they want to show an episode they can be more proud of? ;)

Any big round number you can make the same argument for. Should this episode be aired once every five years just because it's first?
 
JirinPanthosa said:
Then wouldn't they want to show an episode they can be more proud of? ;)

Any big round number you can make the same argument for. Should this episode be aired once every five years just because it's first?
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Why not? Name another American TV show that has been on the air 40 years straight. That alone gives the first season historic value which makes the first episode historically, the most valuable.

Showing the Carlin episode has nothing to do with how it compares to the other episodes esthetically, but with the fact that it was first. No one in that first episode, I would wager, would have predicted a 40 year run for the show.
 
I just wish they'd pick different first season episodes every time instead of showing the same one for every big occasion. If they keep showing Ep 1 over and over, it's going to end up so strong in everyone's memory that it will lose all intended impact.
 
So, I'm going to miss the last half hour so I can turn over to John Oliver, but I enjoyed the reunion special. A lot of strong moments. "That's when you break!" Seinfeld's interaction with the celebrities in the audience.
 
Eddie Murphy was really phoning it in, wasn't he? :sigh:

And I imagine all of Jane Curtin's lines (past and present) read by Kate Mulgrew.
 
I loved the run through the Presidential bids. The jokes through the Clinton and W years were the greatest. IMHO :lol:
 
I loved that they had Paul Simon singing "Still Crazy", like he did all those years ago. They should have put him in a turkey suit again!
 
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