Well, that was kind of a nice surprise, actually. Kerry Washington proves a very game and talented host, and her very appearance allows the show to mock itself and gives Kenan and Jay a chance to shine in several skits tonight.
COLD OPEN: We start off with an Obama sketch interrupted by Kerry as Michelle, who Barack says he hasn't seen in months. But then press secretary Taran informs them that Oprah has stopped by to see them and Kerry will have to change to play her too, and then Beyonce. So right away SNL takes on the controversy and semi-apologizes for having no black women in the cast, but it's kind of irrelevant anyway, as Al Sharpton informs us at the end, we really didn't learn a thing from this skit. But at least they tried. Right?
MONOLOGUE: Not much to the monologue in this one, as Kerry pretends to do her Scandal "fixer" thing for several cast members, but it's pretty forgettable.
CAREER WEEK: Ugh. This one spotlights Nasim, who seems to be trying to get back to being featured, seeing as she's one of the more veteran cast members by now, but this career advice character is just shrieking and yelling. Kerry's full on commitment to the sidekick shows she's going to be a pretty good host though. It's actually the worst sketch of the night, so I have no idea why this was first up.
WHAT'S MY GIRL SAY?: A pretty good video spoof that reminds me of one of the old digital shorts. Jay and Kerry bring a lot of energy to it.
HOW'S HE DOING: Hey, this was good! Kenan, Jay and Kerry as black citizens committed to President Obama no matter what, and it has some pretty funny observations in it.
MISS UNIVERSE 2013: Eh. A mediocre skit with occasional funny bits from some of the girls who play contestants from lesser known countries. Kerry again stands out as Miss Uganda.
WEEKEND UPDATE: A couple of healthcare and Obama jokes, then Kate comes on as Angela Merkel, who's upset at being spied on. She's pretty good, but she's immediately outshined by Kenan and Jay, who appear as Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal to talk the start of NBA season. It's hilarious, and Kenan and Jay seem to be becoming quite the reliable duo, aren't they?
CARTOON CATCHPHRASE: This one's a game show sketch that features Aidy as a woman with a philandering husband, and the jokes kinda fall flat for me. I don't know what it is, but I just haven't found Aidy to be very funny in much of anything she's done. She just doesn't stand out.
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH: Another one with the trio of Kenan, Jay, and Kerry as the teachers at the rough high school- this is usually one of my favorite skits, but this time it's only fair. Not too many laughs, but Kerry gives her all again- she's really impressed me tonight.
DATE OR DISS: A lame MTV dating show spoof with Taran as the flummoxed guy who has to choose between Aidy, Cecily and Kerry as three idiots. This was way too long, but again, I just don't find Aidy funny (and I don't get the combo of Aidy and Cecily either- it hasn't worked for me).
ICE CREAM: A pre-recorded Kerry-less bit with Vanessa and Beck Bennett giving the ice cream shop guys (Kyle and Taran) too much to think about. It's really short and kinda weird, but a tad amusing, I suppose.
So, tonight was an improvement on the last few, Kerry Washington brought her A-game, and it's starting to look to me like Kenan and Jay are becoming quite a formidable duo on this show. I hope their enhanced screen time wasn't simply because Kerry was hosting and a response to all the criticism. They're good and should be focused more. Eminem was good tonight too, and rocking his Slim Shady bleached blonde look again. All in all, I give this one a B (the Tina Fey premiere was still the best of the season so far). Be back on the 16th for the Lady Gaga hosted episode!
