Oh, and Ryan Gosling.
You all know me.
You know how I earn a livin'.
Raye, Kristen Wiig, and Bowen Yang on ‘Saturday Night Live.'.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
I’ll recap this episode for ya, but it ain’t gonna be easy.
[scratches fingernails against a chalkboard.]
Will the show check the box and acknowledge it in the monologue?
She was a centerpiece the last time the show was truly firing on all cylinders.
I love that she is an upstate New York, Rochester gal.
Being a Syracuse girl upstater, I am especially thrilled for her success.
Going back to the beginning, includingJohn Belushi, throughEddie Murphy, toPhil Hartman, toWill Ferrell.
Wiig is a comic genius.
Rayeis the musical guest here - lets explore, shall we?
She is so cool!
The crowd loves this talk.
The men’s teams this year are not nearly as fun.
LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey (Heidi Gardner) is tough.
But shes also not watching.
And…thats that?
Gardner awkwardly enters the wide shot early for the LFNY.
Not much of a Cold Open premise this week.
Worth skipping this one, folks, unless youve really been loving this years March Madness coverage.
Hes hosted twice, but wearing a jacket seems they are just giving these things away!
Its not even that special, Wiig laments.
But in todays rudderless, leaderless era, these elements of the show have become just so perfunctory.
I know it, you know it, the show clearly knows it.
But hey, Im being cranky.
The song is fun.
Stay til the end, friends great final cameo!
“Jumanji”
Wiig is datingJames Austin Johnson shes finally meeting his friends.
Our manDismukessuggests they play a new board game, Ticket to Ride.
No, Wiig says.
I dont…play board games.
Shes not afraid of playing them per se, shes cautious about gettingJumanjid.
Its a movie about a magical game but she isnt taking any risks.
Or does the game come to you?
Do you go into it?
Another fun ending, though I didnt need the cameo.
Wiig is the heir toCarol Burnett, but you dont need to go full Carol Burnett, you know?
Trailer “Pilates”
From the makers ofSaw X,a terrifying spoof of pilates exercise classes!
Love the vibe, the dialogue here.
So hard but so boring, warnsSarah Sherman.
You dont understand, time is different in there.
The women are former dancers, first time moms, sometimesKaia Gerber.
Finally a good role for Molly Kearney!
Another great one watch it!
“Secretary”
Wow, repeat character alert!
We saw this back in thePete Davidson episode.
Trudy is the ultimate devoted executive assistant, even landing pratfalls in a way that conjure Farley.
Tootie (Wiig) joins her.
The banter is straight out of Howard Hawks.
Bowen Yang, Wiig, and Jon Hamm channelingDon Draper can barely suppress their laughs here.
This is how Ireviewed the first sketch FYI:
Gardner sells it hard literally, falling into a desk.
It doesn’t totally kill, but it’s yet another example of Gardner bringing an original character.
In a different era, she’d be one of the show’s breakout players, easily.
Is this Gardners Lisa from Temecula?
“Retirement Party”
Jerry (Thompson) from accounting is retiring.
Bowen Yang takes the mic he vamps and does his Yang thing.
Meh, skip this one folks.
Another familiar one, where its a rotation, everyone takes a turn.
I did enjoy Matt Damon referring to himself as the Hollywood actor fromLegend of Bagger Vance.
Raye has written for the likes ofBeyonce, including onCowboy Carter.
Bit of anAmy Winehousevibe.
Weekend Update
An earthquake happened in New York City or did it?
The earthquake (Marcello Hernandez) comes on to discuss the surprise and chaos he caused.
Did you just…feel something?
He punched the whole city in the face, causing minutes-long delays.
He lands a great joke about New Jersey.
Kenan plays the pending eclipse.
I love when the Update commentaries takes on their own life, and become mini-sketches.
They talk trash like its Wrestlemania.
Really fun, check it out!
Lots of Trump jokes.
And a nice meta joke aboutCheandDiddy!Jostleaves him hanging.
Recurring character alert!Aunt Linda(Wiig) comes out to discuss hit movies.
Someones gotten some work done.
She is a bitter, angry, middle-aged film critic.
A lifetime in show years!
Aunt Linda is Wiig’s favorite character from her time onSNL.
“Go-Karts”
Dismukes appreciates his parents (Wiig, Johnson) taking him to go carts.
Theres been a delay once its over, his parents have something awful to tell him.
They keep debating and delaying the news, presumably regarding divorce.
This is a bit weak.
Its fine, but no need to nudge the play button.
She asks if the person she loves will be worth giving up time for.
She also jumps into Let There Be Light off her upcoming album.
Lots of jazz scatting.
“La Maison Du Bang!”
One of these a public broadcasting host (Ego Nwodim) does a retrospective of an old program.
French pop songs from the swinging ’70s get spoofed as part of the old variety showLa Maison Du Bang.
Wiigs pop star character steals the show.
Final thoughts
Well, what did you think?Vote here!
Especially after last weeks clunker of a show, they brought it.
Lorne clearly still loves Wiig.
Everyone is wearing the jackets during the goodnights.
So so many cameos tonight.
I guess it was justified…right?
This weekend is the final episode ofCurb Your Enthusiasm.
(Its a show from formerSNLwriterLarry David, FYI.)
I was on the show in season 4 and it was already established back then.
I, like a lot of other people, have been addicted to Larry.
I’m also addicted to the other characters and their relationships.
Speaking ofCurb, smartSNL in Reviewdevotees will recall this clip I posted from another pastSNLwriter:JB Smoove!
