Ahoy, ahoy fellow Coneheads.
Blossom by blossom the spring begins and so does a new stretch ofSaturday Night Liveepisodes!
This batch kicks off with living legend, singer,voice actressextraordinaireMaya Rudolphreturning to host.
Maya Rudolph hosting ‘SNL’.NBC
In other words, there may be a certain familiarity to the proceedings here.
I am joined tonight by formerSNLcast member Patrick Weathers.
He says that the modernSNLhas “got a very talented cast.
The problems are always on writing with the show.
It comes up, and it goes down.
That’s always a concern.”
Cold Open
It’s Snatched, Vaxed, or Waxed!
Ordinarily, I applaud creative approaches tackling current events like this in the cold open.
But this felt rushed and one-note.
Monologue
Rudolph comes out and talks about her parents getting their vaccine.
“Goodbye sweater weather, hello leather weather.”
She talks about her four kids, who are in attendance.
It turns into an extendedBreakfast Clubriff; Punkie seems embarrassed to be up there.
“We’re all going to be alright.”
Rudolph certainly sells this, I will give her that.
“She’s phenomenal, highly talented,” asserts Patrick Weathers.
Get them to work with you, you will have more allies.
But don’t break anyone’s kneecaps."
Hot Ones
Celebrities answer questions while eating hot wings!
Beyonce (Rudolph) is guesting and this appearance may be beneath her.
The Hitler wing is closing her throat.
The Devil’s Diarrhea scorpion sauce is also causing her trouble.
Kiss my ass!"
“This wing is wrecking me.”
Room temperature milk and water are being sprayed everywhere, as she rubs her eyes.
Melissa Villasenor really kills the chorus here.
Thompson’s channels an elderly Biggie, which is bittersweet.
And Nwodim’s Edith is a scene-stealer.
A Kamala Harris Unity Seder
VP Harris is celebrating a new beginning.
She introduces her husband co-host, Doug Emhoff (played byMartin Short).
Then again, the stunt casting is regrettable.
Their first guest is Aidy Bryant’s Ted Cruz.
He blames his daughters for scratching Doug’s prius.
Ella Emhoff is played by Chloe Fineman.
Joe Biden (Alex Moffat) shows up too.
Short’s line reading stumbles over his entrance.
Biden’s dog Major joins him and, shockingly, attacks Doug.
The crowd is silent.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Cecily Strong)shows up as well.
This is a mess.
She plays off of Biden and the relationship.
The seasoned old private eye and the upstart, younger female protege.
There’s maybe a little sexual energy between them but nothing that is acted on.
Like Faye Dunaway and William Holden inNetwork."
Not sure Moffat’s Biden quite works here.
Weathers offers: “Phil Hartman did a reallygood job on Ronald Reagan.
They did it juxtaposed to his public image, which was the kindly, soft-spoken, witty old grandfather.
Then you see him behind the scenes and he’s megalomaniacal and his whole staff is frightened of him.
You might find some humor there, going beyond the public image of Joe Biden.”
“Without Me” spoof
Okay, guilty: I love Eminem.
For better or worse.
But spoofing “Without Me” in 2021, with Janet Yellen (Kate McKinnon) and NFTs?
Not sure it tracks.
Jack Harlow shows up with “a rapping part” channeling Will Hunting.
Still, whatever keepsThe Eminem Showrelevant in today’s chaos, I’m for it.
Also: I like the Fat Jerry subliminal.
Harlow’s appearance tonight got some boost due to Chet Hanks' curious call-out in acontroversial Instagram postthis week.
Patrick Weathers weighs in: “Rap is a lot of fun.
When I was first in New York, the Mudd Club was a punk club.
An alternative to the uptown disco thing.
It was called the Easter Monks.
We did shows with Run DMC, when they were starting out.
So I was around a lot of the early rap stuff.
I like a lot of it.
(To be fair, Trump also gets his share of hits.)
Sidney Powell (Strong) shows up to defend herself on her allegations of voter fraud.
She claims she is not guilty of libel or slander.
This almost works if just to see Strong gobble like a turkey and babble about Kraken.
Next up:Bowen Yan, who Jost introduces as the “Asian cast member.”
He goes over the utmost concerns of Asian Americans during these fraught times… according to him!
Lesbian characters inSailor Moon, Brooklyn Paneras.
He is grappling with serious issues of “class, gender, imperialism.”
He is a comedian with no answers but implores people to do more.
This is a moving, delicate piece.
The Return of Broadway
Kent Sublette penned this one.
Thompson and Rudolph are dueling choreographers, former lovers battling over the chance to lead a dance session.
“I need to be with you like food on a plate!”
They must resolve their differences if the show is to go on.
“This is bad right?”
Pop the hip, point the toe!
2021 Barfly Awards
The cast gets to play drunk!
In this case, it just feels a little mean?
These are people who need help!
Maya kills it in her role though.
Jack Harlow - “Same Guy”
Adam Levineprovides vocals on this one.
Here isthe official audiofor “Same Guy.”
And the crowd sounds noticeably more into it following the commercial break.
I wonder if they’d been primed, given how muted they were throughout this episode.
Patrick Weathers hasput outthreealbums, and is working on a new project right now for this summer.
With tonight’s performance, I asked him what he would like the show to do musically.
And it’s never really had anything compete against it.
Even when the ensemble or writing has fallen short, the music is always up there.
They always get the greatest, most current trendy music guests.
Some of them come out and they’re better than ever.
He does it with a small band and very true to the record.
I think it would be interesting to have people on like that from time to time.
She strolls around the hallways, reminiscing.
“Sum 41, that’s when music was music.”
Thompson performs a spot-on Scatman Crothers.Kristen Wiig’s Gilly is there as twins.
AndRachel Dratchis naked in a tub.
Wish they had maintained this tone throughout the episode.
BackstageSNLis always a fun space for the show - sad and meta.
I am floored with this one.
(Is it possible Rudolph’s husband Paul Thomas Anderson had a hand in this?
Final Thoughts
-A lackluster, awkward episode.
The timing was consistently off and the crowd did not seem to know what to make of it.
Let me know!Vote here.
-Thank you to Patrick Weathers for his thoughts.
Check out his new music in the coming months.
-Jack Harlow touching Martin Short in the goodnight is surreal.
