SNL Season 43: Kumali Nanjiani

 

SNL closed off its opening 3 weeks with Kumali Nanjiani. Onto the review.

Donald Trump Trucker Rally (Cold Open):  Honestly, the Trump cold opens are starting  to blend into each other. There's only so much you can do in parodying Trump. Though a part that did stand out was 'trump' ordering Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) out of various events following his NFL walkout stunt. (6.8)

Monologue: The stand-up type of monologues are time and again the best. Kumali touched on some important points regarding racism and criticism he's received in the past. (8.5)

Bank Breakers: This was more or less a one-note game show sketch, as Kumali kept on winning money away from Cecily Strong's character who was going through some tough family obstacles. (7.2)

Kellywise (short): We finally get Kate McKinnon's Kellyanne back in this short based off of "It". This wasn't just a critical piece on Kellyanne, but also the media in general who keep on inviting her back time and time again when all she really does is lie and spin. (8.9)

Office Halloween Party: (5.5)

Film Panel: SNL first took on the Harvey Weinstein scandal with another sequel to their film panel sketches. This was a good avenue for Kate's character Debette Goldry, in detailing that abuse in Hollywood has always been around. Its certainly a tough subject to deal with. (7.5)

(Pink): (9.0)

Weekend Update: Jost and Che took on the Weinstein scandal head-on, with Jost stating that Weinstein doesn't need rehab, but jail. Update has gotten good in dealing with their opening subjects.

Cecily portrayed Ivana Trump, on her book tour. I really hope we see more of Cecily's Ivana, which was just as good as her impression of Melania. (7.2)

Hotel Check-in: (6.3)

Nursing Home: (7.0)

(Pink): (7.9)

Customer Service (short): This was another good example of SNL setting up the punchline. We see Kumali in a customer service call center, and he develops a friendship with none other than an unhappy Melania. This could have legit been made into a short film. (8.5)

You could tell that Kumali was just having a blast in hosting, and I imagine we'll see him again. You can also tell though that the change up in the SNL writing room is taking a little bit to really find the right flow. (7.48)

Ryan Gosling: 7.63

Kumali Nanjiani: 7.48

Gal Gadot: 7.08  

 

SNL Season 43: Gal Gadot

 

SNL kept its opening stretch moving along with Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot. Onto the review

 

Jason Aldean Cold Open: A fitting cold open for what had been a rough week in the music world. Jason Aldean offered an opening statement remembering the victims from the Las Vegas shooting, and followed that with a cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", who we also lost this past week. SNL pulls off these moments really well. (10) 

Monologue: A fairly run of the mill monologue. It was nice seeing Leslie Jones decked out in wonder woman garb interacting with Gadot. (6.9)

E! New Lineup (ad): This overstayed its welcome a bit, but had some great moments, especially Gadot as Kendall Jenner asking her phone which sister she was. You could totally envision E! coming up with all of these show ideas. (7.3)

First Date: This sketch worked to its main punchline......that OJ is now on the dating scene. At first you're wondering why the wait staff is acting antagonizing, and why things seem awkward. SNL does these kind of sketches well, building to the main point. (8)

The Chosen One (short): (7)

Mirage: (7.5)

Safelite (ad): (8.3)

(Sam Smith): (5)

Weekend Update: Once again, the main political bits of the week were centered in Update. Jost and Che are really developing a good chemistry. They each made some good points on gun control (Che especially).

Kate McKinnon appeared as the "notorious" Supreme Court Justice RBG. She usually hits the same points, but there's just something about this character that's delightful.

Pete Davidson returned, discussing his mental health. I thought he dealt with it pretty well, not going overboard and using it as a bit to appear on the show more. (7.5)

The Maid and The Mice: (5.5)

Espionage: (6.7)

(Sam Smith): (5.5)

Themyscria: Kate and Aidy Bryant should team up more in sketches. There were perfect here. Part of me feels like this was just an avenue to get Gadot and Kate to make out (jk, but it was the main landing point of this sketch). (7.4)

The Naomi Show: (6.5)

This was a pretty okay show overall. Nothing really tanked, but only a few parts really stood out. It seemed like the material wasn't quite there this week. (7.08)

Ryan Gosling: 7.63

Gal Gadot: 7.08  

 

SNL Season 43: Ryan Gosling

 

After what seemed like a lengthy layoff (due to a news filled summer), SNL finally returned for its season premiere with Ryan Gosling & Jay-Z. Onto the review.

The Chaos President (Cold Open): Alec Baldwin made his return as Trump. This cold open combined a lot of different elements, from Trump picking a fight with the mayor of San Juan over Hurricane Maria relief, to his reported feud with Jeff Sessions. Overall, this cold open felt a little flat, though Kate McKinnon is brilliant as Sessions. (6.8)

Monologue: Hey, did you know Ryan Gosling "saved jazz"?. That was the premise here, with Ryan even giving a little jazz tutorial on piano. At first, it seemed like he was going to run this premise in the ground, but he made it work. We even got a cameo from Emma Stone. (8.4)

Another Close Encounter: Right off the bat, they brought back this alien abduction sketch that hit it out of the park the first time around. While it didn't quite hit the same notes the second time around, there was still enough new material that it really, really worked. McKinnon just has that natural presence that can get anyone to break, especially Ryan as she was busy "fondling" him in a demonstration. (8.8)

Levi's Wokes (ad): (7.3)


The Fliplets: There isn't much to say about this HGTV show parody, just that wow can Ryan really get into his character. (6.6)


(Jay-Z): (8.6)

Weekend Update: Jost and Che came out firing in this opening Update. There was a lot of genuine frustration over Trump's Puerto Rico attacks, and Che had some of the more intense moments, calling Trump "a bitch" in response to his "nasty" comment, and on top of that, calling him a "cheap cracker".

Kate showed up as Angela Merkel, doing her usual thing. We also got Alex Moffat back as "The guy who bought a boat", with his cousin Ryan "The cousin who joined soho house". There's something here with this character, but I think Alex needs a few more appearances to really flesh it out. (8.0)

Henrietta & the Fugitive: (6.2)


Italian Restaurant: (6.4)


(Jay-Z): (8.5)


Papyrus (short): I always say that SNL is at its best when it gets super random, and that's what we got with this short. Some writer was genuinely irritated at Avatar's font. I almost wish this short was even longer so it could pack even more of a punch, but even as is it really landed. (8.9)

Dive Bar: (7.0)



All in all, a very solid and consistent season opener. Ryan Gosling makes for a really reliable host. Yes, he breaks often in sketches, but just there's something about him that makes it charming (unlike certain other former cast members....who host The Tonight Show) (7.63)




Ryan Gosling: 7.63