SNL Season 41: Ep.15

Coming off of a dismal Jonah Hill-hosted show, all eyes were on Ariana Grande. So, how would she do? Onto the review

Cold Open: Carson Endorsement: SNL again went with the CNN recap in covering the news in the 2016 election of the week, but it worked out better this time around.  First, we got Jay Pharoah's Ben Carson again, as he endorsed Trump (Darrell Hammond). Then we got some more Larry David as Bernie Sanders. He talked about his Michigan upset, and mentioned that while he's good, he isn't  "5 posts a day good". Then, they went back to that Carson endorsement, and this is where the writers may have finally nailed it in regards to Trump. In the sketch, Ben Carson had been mistaken for a protester, and punched. He promptly had a "Trump Steak" to cover his eye, with Trump saying "No, he's one of the good ones". They finally got around to being creative in covering Trump and this 2016 election. (8.3)

Monologue: This week's monologue turned into a singing one, with Ariana wanting a "real scandal". In context with Jonah Hill's disastrous monologue, this one was significantly better.  She may have inadvertently done a mini-scandal openly saying "shit", whether intentional or not. (7.0)


Hillary Campaign Ad: SNL had a pretty good week in covering politics. Their writers must have had their Wheaties. They had previously hit Trump and Sanders, and now they took on Clinton (Kate McKinnon). In the ad, they had Clinton gradually morph into Bernie Sanders, both in rhetoric and appearance. This may have been the top week of the season in regards to their political coverage. (8.1)



Kids Choice Awards Pre-show: This sketch was basically about red carpet hosts and how they kick it off to the actual awards show. Vanessa Bayer and Taran Killam really sold this, and Ariana as well as the host backstage. It was a kind of sketch where their faces just said it all, as they watched in horror as the countdown clock started counting up....and then just flashing "12:00". This was also a relevant sketch, as something like this happened with a preshow Grammy's host just a few weeks back. And now the review continues......"Right Now!" (8.4)

"This Is Not A Feminist Song" Short: SNL has been on a bit of a run when they've done these female ensemble shorts. The best was "On my twin bed", but they had a pretty good one this season with Elizabeth Banks' "1st got horny to you". This one wasn't quite up there with those two, but it was decent in its own right. There wasn't a big punchline, but it just grew, as they threw in some famous women in history, yet still trying to make it clear that this wasn't a feminist song.....until they realized it. (7.4)

Mermaids: This was a pretty out there sketch, yet it still worked. Taran Killam/Beck Bennett/Bobby Moynihan played three sailors who encountered mermaids who requested a kiss to walk on land (Ariana/Cecily Strong/Mckinnon). However, McKinnon was a mermaid who was half "blob fish". Huge props to the make-up team, as they made Kate nearly unrecognizable. She just sold this. I'm not sure this kind of sketch works in any other SNL era without Kate Mckinnon. (8.5)

(Ariana Grande) "Dangerous Woman": (9.5)

"Dangerous Woman"

Weekend Update: Colin Jost has finally found his own way. This was evidently clear with his "Mitt Romney turns 69...which for Mormons is a sin" joke. I didn't think it was possible, but Jost and Che are really finding a rapport, and are finally working this season. Update is slowly returning to that "must-watch" status it had with Seth Meyers.

The first guest was "The Drunkest Bachelor Contestant" (Cecily). Whether you've seen this season of The Bachelor or not (I haven't), this was still hilarious. I have no idea how she didn't break character. There also was continuity, as Colin said Leslie Jones would be mad at her kiss.

The Drunkest Contestant on the Bachelor

We got the long-awaited return of "Ribet" (Moynihan). To this point, this character has just been a delight. It takes the perfect amount of energy to allow this to play out. (8.3)

Riblet

Tidal: This sketch played out like the one from a few seasons back with Bruno Mars. The streaming service went down, and they needed Ariana to fill in. She pulled off impersonations of Britney Speaks, Shakira, Rihanna, Celine Dion and ultimately Whitney Houston.  Yes, this was used as a vehicle to show off her pop star impressions, but they were still really really good. (8.1) 




Family Feud: Unlike the Tracy Morgan Feud sketch, this one went back to celebrity impressions. It was pretty much the same old-same old, except for Ariana's impression of Jennifer Lawrence. If you closed your eyes, you would have sweared it was actually JLaw. A good host is one that can single handedly carry a sketch, and that's what Ariana did here.  (6.4)


(Ariana Grande) "Be Alright": (7.3)


Sound Of Music: Speaking of carrying sketches, Ariana did it again with this "10 to 1" sketch...although it played like a sketch that could have lead off the show. Maria (Ariana) walks into the nuns as they sing "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria", and then reads them off. This was a clever wall-breaking musical sketch. It was somewhat awkward in execution, but as I said, Ariana just sold this and made it work. (8.1)

Sound Of Music

 What a difference a week makes. Ariana Grande was just fantastic. She brought energy, humor, just everything that Jonah Hill didn't last week. She was really present throughout the show. SNL also had a good week in covering politics, so here's hoping that picks up when they return from another 2-week break.

Overall Score - 7.95

Ariana Grande - 7.95
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

Jonah Hill - 5.13
Donald Trump - 4.92