SNL Season 41: Ep.13

Melissa McCarthy returned to host SNL again for not quite her 5th time. So how was it? Onto the review.

Cold Open: Hillary Clinton "Make You Love Me" - A table of young people openly admit that they like Bernie Sanders, and then Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) appears in the background singing "Make You Love Me", without anyone noticing. This cold open sort of weaved in and out. It had its moments, but it shows how much the writers are struggling with this election season. (5.4)

Monologue - The basis of McCarthy's monologue was basically that she thinks its her 5th time hosting......when its only her 4th. A big song and dance then commences...and that was pretty much it. There really is nothing more to say. (5.8)

"The Day Beyonce Turned Black" trailer - SNL weighed in the waters of the "Formation" music video with this trailer. White people come to a stunning realization that "Formation" may not be directed for them, which in this trailer is baffling. As Cecily Strong says "But everything's for us". This was just great satire all-around. The scene with Aidy Bryant and her friend's daughter towards the end was also great. Its stuff like this that SNL still does very well. (9.1)

Test Screening - A group of people are at a test screening of a new horror movie, including a recurring character of Melissa's (Dottie). We've seen this character before in similar focus group situations where she looks to over-react. The reactions here were pretty great. Its this kind of comedy that really differentiates McCarthy from the rest. (7.0)

Movie Night - We've all been there, sitting through an awkward love scene with your parents. It was nice seeing Pete Davidson get an early sketch lead here, as he watches a "Terminator" sex scene with his parents (McCarthy & Bobby Moynihan). There wasn't much going on, but their personal monologues and when they tried to break the tension were pretty humorous. (6.4)

(Kanye West) - (4.5)

Weekend Update - Update again was able to get a quick reaction to the night's GOP Debate. In this sense, Update has been doing a pretty good job covering the election. They even had a running list of reasons why people may have trust issues with Hillary Clinton. 

The first guest was "Rachel from Friends" played by Vanessa Bayer. Her impression was exactly spot-on, and the random "Friends" esque cutaways were hilarious.

Next Von Miller came on....and pretty much talked about nothing. I seriously don't get what the point was of him being there if they didn't really have a planned segment.

And finally, given that it was Valentine's Day, Leslie Jones came on. This may have been her best segment with Colin yet. It was like a work of art. (7.7)

Leslie Jones

Pick-Up Artist - This was a somewhat out-there sketch, as Cecily teaches some women in a bar about her pick-up techniques, but Melissa's character doesn't quite get it. This seemed like a good idea in the writer's room, but it didn't quite play out (but Melissa did her best to sell it....even choking Kyle Mooney). (6.1)

Kyle vs Kanye (short) - A Kyle Mooney short that didn't run in the 10 to 1 spot, alas. Here Kyle states his aspirations to be a hip hop star, but were dashed with his hiring by SNL. But he thinks he has one last shot, with a rap battle with Kanye West. Kyle's comedic style seems to be one that you either love, or hate with little to no middle ground. Now for me, when Kyle goes solo, he's pretty great. You could even say he's like the new Fred Armisen (he has that sort of 'Portlandia' feel to him). (8.1) 

Bus - Leslie Jones sits on a bus next to Melissa McCarthy.........who really loves "Roots", but has trouble talking about other "Black" movies. You could tell that this was trying to make a point, but it didn't quite hit home....and the "Speed" reference in the end sort of came out of left-field and derailed the overall idea. (5.8)

(Kanye West) - (8.0)

Whiskers R We - A recurring sketch for Kate McKinnon, as usual in the 10 to 1 spot. These sketches are always pretty great. This time around, it feels like they used this as a vehicle to get some jokes in there that they couldn't find for (like the OJ "juice" line). (7.4)

This was somewhat of an odd show. Melissa McCarthy certainly brought it, but maybe it was just this weird energy that Kanye had (especially his first heavily auto-tuned performance). Vanessa Bayer & Leslie Jones both continue to be pretty fantastic this season. Going back to my first point, part of that lack of energy may be due to the political climate. The writers can't seem to get a firm grasp on this 2016 election. Luckily for them, they have plenty of time though before things really heat up next season.

Overall Score - 6.78

Tracy Morgan - 7.94

Larry David - 7.73
Elizabeth Banks - 7.53

Adam Driver - 7.22

Chris Hemsworth - 7.20
Amy Schumer - 7.18

Matthew McConaughey - 7.13

Tina Fey/Amy Poehler - 7.03
Ryan Gosling - 6.92

Melissa McCarthy - 6.78
Miley Cyrus - 6.07

Ronda Rousey - 5.78
Donald Trump - 4.92