Well, the Halloween episode of SNL gives us Jim Carrey trying his hardest, but for all his efforts, there's only a couple of sketches that really work. Still, a couple of skits is better than SNL on a good day, so that's something, I suppose. And in another development that should have been obvious for anyone watching, Leslie Jones is officially added to the featuring cast now.
COLD OPEN: Jay's Obama opens tonight to appoint an ebola czar that has to answer a bunch of very Fox News- esque questions, I have to say. This isn't funny at all, but what I don't get is why SNL is apparently endorsing the overblown ebola hysteria. Smarter satire would be to ridicule it, since there's nothing legit about it at all.
MONOLOGUE: Jim Carrey comes out in his Helvis costume for the Halloween episode and leads a church choir singalong to his Elvis impression. It's not that good, really, but at least he's got some energy.
LINCOLN AD: Ha! A genuinely hilarious spoof of Matthew McConaughey's Lincoln car commercials. The best thing about this one is that it aims pretty squarely at the cynicism of a recent Oscar winner shilling for a crappy car, when SNL usually tries to remain toothless. Good.
CARREY FAMILY REUNION: Jim has a family reunion, giving cast members a chance to do their best Jim Carrey impressions, as he reveals he stole all his catchphrases and characters from them. And Jeff Daniels shows up as Lloyd! It's ok- Taran's impression is the best one, but by the end it feels a little bit self-congratulatory.
GRAVEYARD: A bad sketch with Jim and Taran as singing ghosts Paul and Phil, who keep upsetting the other headstones and ghosts in the cemetery. It's pretty lame though.
UPDATE: A bunch of ebola jokes fall flat, then Vanessa comes out as a romantic comedy expert flirting with Michael. It's mild, not that funny, and then Drunk Uncle makes an appearance, ranting about Halloween, but he's not as good as he usually is. By the way, Colin Jost continues to remain awful in this position, please get rid of him, guys.
SECRET BILLIONAIRE: A Bachelor-type reality show where all the bachelors answer Cecily's questions, and Jim is an old man in a wheelchair with insanely involved, conspiratorial answers. He's funny, and it's another one where Jim is really going for it (I get the feeling he made up a lot of these stories).
GHOSTS: FACT OR FICTION: A spoof of those ghost-hunting reality shows that showcases new cast member Leslie as the terrified one in the group. She's kinda funny here, albeit playing up a very old stereotype.
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE: Yikes. This sketch is dead in the water, as Jim is a survivor in the apocalypse who wants to keep his zombiefied son Pete. It's really bad, and falls utterly flat. Worst of the night, aside from the cold open.
OFFICE COSTUME CONTEST: Jim and Kate (who finally shows up this season) have a dance off to the 'Chandelier' music video and it's awesome, with both of them running all around the studio as they outdo each other in the dance. Love it!! How come they don't use Kate more? She rocks whenever she's given the chance.
GEOFF'S HALLOWEEEN EMPORIUM: Vanessa and Cecily do an ad for Geoff's Halloween superstore, with Jim as the creepy owner hogging the shots. Jim's funny again, but it's too short to be all that effective.
And that's it for tonight. Not too painful of an episode, but the best stuff was without a doubt the Lincoln ads and the Chandelier dance-off. Jim gave it his all though. I guess for him and the rest of the skits being mostly harmless, I give it a C. Next week Chris Rock comes back as host, with Prince as the musical guest, so hopefully that holds some promise. See you then and Happy Halloween!
