Another mediocre episode of SNL, albeit one with some high energy and effort, thanks to all the singing. Anna Kendrick gives a good performance as host, and she tries hard, but the writing is just really bad.
COLD OPEN: A strange choice for the opening, as Kate is the CEO of GM, evading questions before Congress about the recent recall. It's not that funny, so a bad sign to start the night.
MONOLOGUE: It's been a while since they did a straight musical opening monologue, so Anna Kendrick comes out, mentions her musical theater background and leads the entire cast in a song set to the opening from Beauty and the Beast (which makes me feel old, due to the implication that 90's Disney movies are old time classics now- yikes). It's kinda fun though.
FOX & FRIENDS: Another skit that hasn't made an appearance in a while- too bad when they bring it back it's so unfunny. It should be easy to make fun of the idiots on this show, and while they do a good job of showing how stupid they are, there are just no punchlines to this premise anymore.
DONGS: A pre-taped bit with a bunch of the girls singing about "dongs" all over the world- i guess it's nice to let the girls be raunchy for once, but again, I didn't actually laugh at this sketch. Some people will probably like it, since it's essentially a digital short.
LITTLE MERMAID: Continuing a Disney theme designed to make twentysomethings feel ancient, this one has Anna as the mermaid and Aidy as Ursula (whose impression sucks by the way), and the joke is that this Ariel can't sing. She keeps doing auto-tuned and rap songs while Flounder (Bobby) and Sebastian (Jay) stare in embarrassment. It's not too bad, but it goes on way too long.
FLIRTY: Ugh- every time Kyle does a pre-taped bit I cringe in anticipation, and unfortunately I'm always right to do so. This time he and Vanessa are awkward flirters in the same apartment building who can't quite get together. It pretty much sucks from beginning to end. I'm starting to hate anything this guy does.
PHARRELL: Since I liked so few of the skits tonight, I'm posting Pharell doing "Happy," because that's the one thing that can brighten anybody's mood. Am I right?
WEEKEND UPDATE: Thankfully, Colin and Cecily's jokes are better this week and they actually made an attempt to interact with each other, but Colin Jost is still about as exciting as watching paint dry. I'm convinced Cecily must love him though because he makes her look like the pro. Kate comes on as her crazy Angela Merkel and Bobby makes an okay appearance as George R.R. Martin, but Brooks Whelan is terrible, again trying to sell himself as a comic personality (is he using his stand-up persona maybe?) I think he might be gone by next year, because he's made one of the lesser impressions of the new people and he's obviously desperate.
LES JEUNES DE PARIS: Yet another one that hasn't shown up in at least a year. The french cafe and stereotypes are back in a skit that gives everyone a chance to dance again. It's all right this time, one of the better ones of the night.
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON: This is actually a skit that I used to like, but now it's just gotten old, as Jay once again does his pissed off principal and Kenan his pissed off coach, but it's wearing pretty thin at this point. Anna is fine as a zoo employee terrorized by the students on a field trip, but the best I can say about it is that it's not painful.
BIG JOE: Meh. Mediocre bit set in the Old West, with Taran as Big Joe, the tall guy with a bone disease who can't lift the rocks off a trapped Bobby. It's fairly lame, no laughs in this one either.
AUDITIONS: This one's better, with a grinning Pharell joining Taran and Kenan looking for a new backup singer. Anna and Vanessa are sisters who try out, with Anna as a good singer and Vanessa a horrible one, but Pharell's into them both. I liked the way Kenan and Taran make fun of Pharell's infamous hat.
NCAA TOURNEY: Last bit of the night is an ad for the best of the white guys in the NCAA tournament- it's kinda funny and mercifully short.
So, I'd give tonight a C. There was a lot of energy put into the music and dancing bits, and the second half of the show was an improvement on the first half, but the writing remains horrible and I'm still waiting for some better jokes for god's sake. It feels so much like they're phoning it in lately. Seth Rogen returns next week and let's hope he brings some of his own material with him, because these guys are seriously flailing.
