Saturday Night Live Season 31 Episode 5

Okay this was a prety medicore episode. I like Jason Lee but he just wasnt given good stuff to work with. ANd the gay falcon on man love scene killed some points. Skits were,[NOTE this is from the recap]








HARDBALL: Scott McClellan sweats under the pressure, Nancy Pelosi won't say a word, and Zell Miller gives his tips on how to make someone talk. (Forte, Hammond, Poehler, Sudeikis)





MONOLOGUE: Jason Lee realizes that several castmembers shouldn't skateboard if they don't know how to. (Lee, Armisen, Mitchell, Samberg, Sanz, Thompson)





J.J. CASUALS: Jack Johnson introduces the new casual footwear that looks like feet. (Dratch, Forte, Hader, Mitchell, Poehler, Samberg, Sudeikis, J.B. Smoove)





GOOD MORNING METH: 24-7 morning talk show has hopped-up hosts and strange guests high on crystal meth. (Lee, Forte, Hader, Poehler, Sudeikis, Thompson)





THE FALCONER: A wealthy landowner gives The Falconer a million dollars for one night with Donald. (Lee, Forte)





THOMAS & DOBBINS: Company stresses that lower class workers should invest in lottery tickets. (Mitchell, Poehler)





THE SOAKING WET KILLER: Oblivious couple unintentionally give murderous hitchhiker helpful information. (Lee, Parnell(VO), Sudeikis, Wiig)





REFURBISHMENTS: Carpentry expert introduces the use of caulk in household cracks. (Lee, Armisen, Dratch, Parnell)





"DOA": (Fighters)





WEEKEND UPDATE: French ministry surrenders to Parisian bread-wielding children; Wilma McNabb forces her son Donovan McNabb to get Terrell Owens back on the team; Tina Fey and Amy Poehler re-enact the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders bathroom tryst with Barbie dolls; youngest-elected mayor Michael Sessions will use his political power to get back at bullies. (Armisen, Fey, Hader, Mitchell, Parnell(VO), Poehler, Samberg, Thompson)





BUTT PREGNANCY: Root of butt pregnancy indicates the use of anal sex. (Lee, Dratch, Fey, Forte, Parnell(1 and VO), Poehler, Wiig)





'STACHIN': Unusual host and guests discuss the positives of their mustaches. (Lee, Dratch, Meyers, Parnell)





MCNULTY & SONS: Founder specializes in a family-owned business of mustache-rides. (Samberg, Sanz, Sudeikis)





"BEST OF YOU": (Fighters)





AMERICAN TASER: Spokespersons introduce several tasers that fit their everyday needs. (Lee, Dratch, Forte, Hader, Hammond(1 and VO), Meyers, Mitchell, Parnell, Poehler, Samberg, Sudeikis, Thompson)

First of all, I'd like to thank those who wrote such thorough reviews, especially HelloStuart, wow! I appreciate all your time and effort.





Since this is my first review, a little about me. I'm a 43 year old dude who's been watching SNL on a regular basis since the original cast was on in the 70's. My favorite music of all time is still 80's punk. I don't watch TV much, maybe 3-4 hours a week, but almost always include SNL in that viewing time.





To sum up the current state of SNL, this is one of the better casts that's graced the Saturday late night stage on NBC over the years. The problem is they're running out of ideas. They've been going slowly downhill for the last few seasons, and this season is continuing the trend.





This show was the best of the season so far but I'm afraid the bar is not set very high right now. I've never seen "My Name is Earl" other than the promos, but I had an open mind and thought Jason Lee was the best host they've had this season. He was actually funny for the most part. That's much more than I can say about Catherine Zeta-Jones' horrible musical opening or the rambling from the Napoleon Dynamite guy.





I have to agree with most of the other reviewers on the highlights. The satirical "Hardball" sketches are always the highlight of the show, as are most of the political humor sketches. The “Girl on Girl Reenactment” during Weekend Update was also quite funny. Sadly, there's little else good to report.





Musically the show has been exciting and fresh as always and, even though I don't like all the acts and musical genres, I can appreciate the variety they try to include. That said, the Foo Fighters are one of my personal favorites and get a 10 for their stage presence and performance. I do have to complain about the mix though as Dave Grohl's voice seemed overpowered by the instruments and sounded overly strained. Still a top notch performance overall.





I firmly believe they need some new faces and some fresh ideas to complement the few things that are still working well for them. They need to stay away from actors and singers as hosts and stick with people who can tell jokes in the monologue and be funny. They really need to dump the kind of big production musical monologues they've been doing. E.g. Zeta-Jones (worst ever!).





Not all actors are bad and there have been a few good hosts that are actors recently. Ones that immediately come to mind are Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken. Yeah, I know they’re old guys but still very funny. One of the most humorous skits they've done in recent memory and involve these two guys is a mock TV show called "Prankster" hosted by Seth Meyers. Very, very funny!





But in the future, if they can't do any better than "Donald Trumps Chicken Shack" or "Derek Jeter's Crab House" or some other stupid skits like those, I'm afraid I'll be going to bed a little earlier on Saturday nights.





Bob

Overall, a pretty average show. Some good laughs here and there, and some sad head-shaking the rest of the time. Ah well...





Jason Lee: not a big fan. I think I've seen him in a movie sometime, but he (obviously) didn't stand out. Oh, and I hate the moustache.





Foo Fighters: LOVE. It's great that they at least had someone onstage to put on a good show. If there's one thing Dave Grohl knows how to do, it's give it his all. And oh, how he did. Though I'm not loving his hair. It works for Taylor, but for Dave....meh, I suppose he likes swinging it around.





Alright, down to the actual content:





Honestly, there's not much I can say. Most of the sketches were pretty forgettable. Although there was one or two that actually had me feeling embarassed for them (Thomas & Dobbins and McNutly & Sons come to mind). Though, juvenile as it was, the Refurbishments skit got one of the biggest laughs of the night from me. "Does anybody know where I can get my hands on some black caulk?" Great.





Highlight of the night:


The "Girl On Girl Reenactment" on Weekend Update. The barbies and the social commentary and the random make-out at the end....I just can't even put it together to make a coherent sentence. THAT'S how much I loved it.





Sad, though, that, once again, the highlight of the night comes from Weekend Update. Though I've gotta say, I'm starting to really like Bill Hader. His character in the Good Morning Meth sketch was probably what saved it for me, even though he was only there for a few seconds.

This is by far the worst episode of the entire season, so far. The sketches were mediocre, badly written, and unfunny. The host was bad. The musical guest was so-so. We got to start sometime, so here we go . . .





HOST: This week’s host was my name is Earl’s Jason Lee, AKA Pilot Inspektor father. I am not a fan of his, and barely know what else he has done. But I had an open mind. Though that did not help. I did like his monologue, but in his sketches, he seemed to play the same character. I was not impressed. But I am in a good mood, and I think the writing is the cause for his mediocrity. So, I won’t fail him, he just barely passes. D+





MUSICAL GUEST: This week’s musical guest was the Foo Fighters. They performed “DOA” and “Best of You.” To be honest, I am not a fan, so didn’t listen, and just heard the beginning and end of songs. But they had a pretty good stage presence. C+





SKETCHES:





Hardball: I love this skit, most of the time. But luckily, Zell Miller was on. It wasn’t like the one from the Jude Law/Ashlee Simpson episode, but I did enjoy seeing him. B-





JJ Casuals: Why don’t I really remember this skit? I’m going to guess it was about clothes. C





Good Morning Meth: Dumb concept. Dumb skit. Way unfunny. F





The Falconer: Well, this was disgusting. But I do like the skit. D-





Thomas and Dobbins: Once again, not funny. And not very memorable. F





The Soaking Wet Killer: I did like the ending. It was dumb as a skit, but had a clever ending. C-





Refurbishments: Unfunny, and unmemorable. F





Butt Pregnancy: Dumb, unfunny, like some of the others. F





Stachin: Figure out what I wanna say: F





McNutly and Sons: I didn’t even watch this. I watched the first 2 minutes, and didn’t want to torture myself. F





American Tasar: Okay, this was the best of the night, and since it was the best, I give it the good score. It was pretty funny. I did laugh. A-





Best Moment: I enjoyed seeing that Lorne could shred like that. Wow. Not even the young guys could do that. And the American Tasar was good too.





Worst Moment: Um, most of the show.





Surprising Moment: Once again, who knew Lorne had those skills? I was surprised to see the 4 new guys being used so much, especially the new chick. Glad to see that cause they all have talent.





Rating: 3.5/10 Sparkling Diamonds

A Review by “HelloStuart,” Amateur Critic and Thrillbilly





Entering this week’s show, it appears that there’s been another cast addition. According to some sources, Groundlings alumnus Kristen Wiig has become a featured player to fill the vacancy left by Maya Rudolph, whose maternity leave has allegedly left her SNL future in question. Through another female presence has been needed, the cast is beginning to look overcrowded and it’s putting a cramp in what has been so far a middling season. (Yes, the show is still very uneven, but why should I flog a dead horse?)





This week’s host is Jason Lee, the veteran character actor and star of my favorite new show of the season, “My Name is Earl.” The musical guest is Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, who are now making their fourth appearance (Dave’s sixth) on the show. I’m not sure if they can top the Jim Carrey cameo for their last SNL performance three years ago, but that shouldn’t distract from the fact that they’re a formidable live act.





And now, the sketch-by-sketch analysis:





COLD OPENING: Oh joy, it’s “Hardball” again, and this time Chris (DH) berates and makes weird analogies for a sweaty Scott McClellan (JS) and a strangely reserved Nancy Pelosi (AP) before handing it off to Zell Miller (WF) and his obtuse theories about torturing our enemies. Once again, the show takes a stab at the possible collapse of the GOP and the tree falls in the forest without making a sound.





MONOLOGUE: Banky Edwards struts to the stage, compliments himself on his killer mustache before showing video footage of him teaching the cast how to skate. Where everyone from Samberg to Kenan fails to get their jolly ollies, Lorne’s body double comes out of nowhere to show who’s the boss.





“J.J. Casuals”: Laid-back singer-songwriter Jack Johnson (AS) endorses a new style of shoes that resemble plastic feet. I’d buy them, but wouldn’t they feel kinda sweaty after awhile?





“Good Morning Meth”: It’s about time crank addicts got their own talk show, especially now that Domino Harvey’s gone. This sketch had the good, the bad the ugly; the “good” was Jason, who turns out to be a pretty convincing tweaker, the “bad” was Amy, who comes off as a cross between a zombie and her allegedly popular Caitlin character. And as for the “ugly,” what’s the deal with Bill Hader and funny voices?





“The Falconer”: In their latest misadventure, Ken Mortimer (WF) and his feathered life partner Donald are nearly torn apart by an amorous contractor’s (Jason) indecent proposal. Incredibly hot man-bird action ensues.





“Thomas & Dobbins”: A broker (FM) explains that there are investments for “the rest of us,” as evidenced by a carnival worker (AP) with a yen for playing the lottery. Like the majority of SNL ad spoofs, the humor lied within the concept, and even then it made for a decent throwaway sketch.





“The Soaking Wet Killer”: A seemingly aloof yuppie couple (JS, KW) pick up a hitchhiker (Jason) that might be a prison escapee, all the while trying to give him a sense of trust over the most minute details of their private lives. Though the twist ending could be seen from a mile way (as usual), Kristen was surprisingly sublime as the female archetype of suburban banality.





“Refurbishments”: Holy cow, if you say “caulk” too many times, it begins to sound like a phallic metaphor! Despite the good intentions of Chris, Rachel, and Jason, this sketch was way too derivative of “Colonel Angus” from Year 28 and seems as if it was written by an intellectually and physically stimulated 15-year-old boy.





MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: From their recent double-disc release “For Your Honor,” Dave and the boys tear the roof off the dump with the leadoff single “DOA.”





WEEKEND UPDATE: When analyzing “Update,” it’s best to look at what worked and what was hard to sit though. The “live” coverage of the French Minister of the Interior (FA) was… how should I say… incredibly stupid, but when the going gets tough you had another appearance by Donovan McNabb (FM) and his nagging, self-important mom (KT) trying to explain their side of the Terrell Owens controversy. Tina and Amy’s Barbie-doll reenactment of the Carolina Panthers cheerleader scandal was silly yet struck a nerve, while Tina’s chat with teenage small-town mayor Michael Sessions (AP) covered no new ground and only enforced dorky-teen stereotypes.





“Baby Shower”: A “butt pregnancy” that would make Bob Widette proud disturbs partygoers at a baby shower, and to hide the fact that this sketch had no real ending it turns out to be an autobiographical detail of Will Forte’s upbringing. Amy is right, though- a butt pregnancy would make things a whole lot easier.





“Stachin’”: First it was crystal meth, and now it’s facial hair. In this latest demographic-specific talk show spoof, a panel discusses the state of lip-fur while helping a woman (RD) come to terms with her own mustache. This peculiar and scattershot sketch leads into…





“McNulty & Sons”: …an ad spoof for mustache rides (Very unfunny and sophomoric) with Horatio Sanz (Equally unfunny and sophomoric) cracking up every ten seconds (So unfunny it falls completely off the radar).





MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Foundations continue to be shaken during the rocker “Best of You.” What, no leg guitar?





“American Tasar”: With a series of hot new self-defense toys with names like “Pink Pulse” and “The Domesticator,” wouldn’t you be bound to get a little trigger-happy?





In spite of some late shakiness, this turned out to be the best episode of the season so far. Granted, an abnormal amount of sex jokes can only be funny if executed masterfully, and with a handful of exceptions (“McNulty & Sons,” for example) this hormonally enhanced show hit more targets than it missed. What was also evident tonight was the consistency that the show has been lacking recently; there were no outright classic sketches but you were guaranteed a good chuckle in almost every sketch.





Sketches/Segments That Will Be Removed In Repeats: “Thomas & Dobbins,” about two-thirds of Update, “Stachin’,” “McNulty & Sons,” and “American Tasar.”





Next Week: It was almost inevitable- a Desperate Housewife jumping network lines to host SNL. Brace for yourself when Eva Longoria takes one for the team with musical guest Korn.

So far, i think this episode was the best of this new season. I heard that this was ratings week. Can someone confirm this? If so, then they really upped the content with some raunchy and sexy skits. The best skit had to be the chaulk skit. I was laughing hard, maybe you will hear me. Foo fighters rocked. What made this episode awesome had to be the fact that Jason Lee was in almost all of the skits. His all around talent made him a versatile host. Thumbs up!! Also, thumbs up to the American Taser skit, makes me proud to own their stock :)