Whew, A huge sigh of relief this week as former SNL champ Bill Hader comes back (along with Kristen Wiig) to make things funny again. Even if most of what was funny belonged to his old, recurring bits, at least it was a break from this current struggling cast.
COLD OPEN: This one doesn't deliver though, as it's an incredibly lame opening with Bobby as the rumored ailing and currently missing Kim Jong-Un, but there's just nothing good at all about this bit. Fail.
MONOLOGUE: Bill is back, excited to be there and ready to sing, and who comes out to help him but best bud Kristen Wiig, who as everyone knows can do "anything." Bill's singing voice sucks though, and he compares it to Harvey Fierstein, who wouldn't you know it, also appears to help him out. Boy, he's looking kinda rough. The whole bit is cute, I guess.
HERB WELCH: Yay! The grumpy old reporter is back, shoving the mic in people's faces and grumbling racist and sexist remarks. It's the same as it was before, which is funnier than anything the show does currently, so I'm happy to see it.
THE GROUP HOPPER: This is a spoof trailer of all the YA movies that have come out in recent years, but even though the premise is good, there are just no good jokes in it. This should have been a lot funnier, it's kind of an easy target.
HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT: Kate is a terrific Jane Lynch as the host, in one of those skits meant to showcase celebrity impressions. Sadly, aside from Kate, all the current cast is weak, while Bill and Kristen bring the funny thanks to their Al Pacino and one of my old faves, Kristen's Kathie Lee Gifford (yea!). They stand out from the pack on this, which is a sad commentary on the current group (sans Kate, who's really not being used enough this year).
CHARLES DANIELS: Bill is one of those guys asking for donations on a commercial to help African villagers, but Jay, Kenan, Sasheer, and Leslie complain about wanting more than 39 cents a day. It's pretty good- could be sharper, but at least they can actually do stuff like this now that they finally have more than one or two black cast members. But someone needs to tell me why Leslie Jones isn't just a featured player, since she's clearly willed herself onto the show from behind the scenes.
LOVE IS A DREAM: Bill and Kristen introduce a nice tribute to the late Jan Hooks, one of the classic sketches with another gone too soon great, Phil Hartman. It's a classy move, and appropriate that they did it.
UPDATE: Some mild jokes this week, and Pete Davidson shows up as the hip-hop correspondent to do another stand-up bit, but it's not as good as last time. And then, the moment we've all been waiting for- it's Stefon, everyone! He's back! And he's awesome, hilariously salivating over Colin and Michael as "Barack and Mitt" and randomly targeting 90's MTV host Dan Cortez as a feature of every new hotspot. It feels like it hasn't actually been that long since we've seen Stefon (it'd have more impact if it had been at least five years or something), but he's undoubtedly one of the most beloved characters in SNL history, and every single time he's showed up he's delivered, so I'm happy.
PUPPETS: Ha! Another great recurring Bill skit, with Tony the traumatized war vet puppet. I love this sketch, I have to say. That puppet kills me every time, thanks of course to Bill's total commitment to the bit.
INSIDE SOCAL: Sigh. Not excited for this basement college show thing from Beck and Kyle again, but wait a minute- Bill shows up and actually makes his bit funny? Yes, he does! Wow. Only a few seconds, but see what a great sketch player can do in that time? Cool.
CAT IN THE HAT: Last of the night is one of those random weird ones, but hey, this one works too! Bill's the Cat in the Hat who once had an affair with Cecily, the mother of two kids who want him to sing and dance for them. I love it, actually. Bill's reactions kill it.
Okay, so that was pretty decent! It started off weak, but in a twist, got better as the night went on. All because of Bill, but yeah, this was a good one. Adding it all up, I'd say it was a solid B+, which is a huge improvement, and I'm happy to take what I can get. Jim Carrey is hosting on the 25th, and his last one wasn't great, so relish this one while you can, guys. See you later!
