Sia takes to the stage
Well, I'm immensely relieved to report that this was NOT a terrible episode of SNL tonight! And I'm happy to say that I've finally seen enough of Kevin Hart to understand why he has actual fans- now that I've gotten a dose of his standup I can see why his style just isn't suited for things like presenting or hosting awards shows (which is really the only exposure to him I've ever had), but yeah, I now see that he at least can be funny. He was a pretty dynamic host tonight, committed to everything and elevating it, even when it was lame material (there's still no shortage of that, of course).
COLD OPEN: This was fairly tepid, with Kenan appearing as the ghost of MLK to high school student Pete, who tells him about all the racial "progress" we've made. It gets in a few digs at Selma's Oscar snubbing at least.
MONOLOGUE: Kevin Hart comes out and does his stand-up, as all comedian hosts do, and I finally see that he's funny, and can understand why he bombed at hosting the VMA's- he's not a punchline guy, he's a storyteller, and he needs time on stage. But yeah, this is pretty funny! I think I "get" him now.
CALVINS: Hilarious! Kate spoofs the Justin Bieber Calvin Klein ads and it's gold. She continues to be awesome and their best current cast member.
WHY'D YOU POST THAT?: This is a total misfire, no thanks to some serious technical glitches that fuck up the first few seconds and then again in the middle. Kevin is a host who ridicules guests for posting stupid Instagram pics, but the whole thing is kinda marred by the foul-ups offstage.
BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN: Kenan, Kevin and Jay are three guys telling stories on the corner in Brooklyn. It's pretty decent, a couple of chuckles.
APOLLO: Kevin actually dares to take on a James Brown impression (always a risk after Eddie Murphy's legendary character) but he does a pretty good job as he just makes fun of the lack of rhythm of the white band members. It's not that funny, but boy is Kevin committed to this. He's totally filled the stage with energy tonight.
NANCY: Random sketch where Aidy hosts a talk show reunion of a soap opera cast, but the joke is that Vanessa is the only cast member who gets dopey "loser" music played as she walks out. It's a little funny I guess, in spite of the fart jokes part. Kevin even manages a laugh as the tech guy behind the scenes.
UPDATE: Oy. I never look forward to this anymore, but Colin and Michael have some slightly better jokes tonight as they target Romney's third run for president, and the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations. Then Kate comes out as an old lady with tips for dealing with loud neighbors, and she rocks as usual.
DRAGON: Very odd one set in a kind of Game of Thrones-esque palace where Taran, Cecily, Sasheer and Kenan sing about having to leave the village due to a dragon attack, while Kevin runs around panicking about actually leaving. The only laugh comes at the end when Leslie shows up as Kevin's wife to sing her part about him ditching her.
HEINZ HALL: This one is good! Leslie confronts Kevin about a one night stand years ago resulting in his love child, and brings Jay in, who does a spot on impression to his face. With both of them talking to each other it's actually pretty hilarious. Nice one.
CHOCOLATE DROPPA: I can't believe it- the last sketch of the night is another good one. Kevin goes for it 100% once again, as a rapper who spills all his friends secrets in his new song. And the jokes are pretty good. It works.
Wow. So, I'm surprised but I'll take it! A decent episode tonight that warrants at least a B- (there were still some lame sketches, but Sia's usual nutty performance art routines made up for that too). Kevin Hart brings it as the host and for once, there were a handful of actual good jokes tonight. I won't keep my hopes up, but this was a nice change of pace. Blake Shelton is hosting and singing next week- I would not expect him to be as good as Kevin was, but we'll find out soon enough. See you next week everyone!
