SNL Dual Review 38.01 - Seth MacFarlne

Today we introduce a new feature to the blog.  In the style of the SNL Perpetual Post, Guest Blogger Daniel and I will each give our own short reviews of each SNL sketch.  While Daniel and I do both love SNL (and many other shows), we often have very different taste.  For example, Daniel loves Surprise Sue, while I hate it.  I love Nuni while Daniel hates it.  We will be writing these reviews separately without knowing what the other is saying.  (I will say that in general, Daniel is a harsher critic than I am.)

Cold Open: Democratic Rally

Jason: Great opening sketch for the season.  As much as I love Fred, Jay does a better Obama.  Glad to see Jason back doing his always amazing Romney, and look forward to more Paul Ryan from Taran.

Daniel: Liked it. Loved Fred passing the role of Obama to Jay and Jay wasn't great but much better than Fred used to be. Jason Sudeikis stole the show though.

Monologue

Jason: As expected, Seth MacFarlane did a musical number.  And as expected, lots of Family Guy voices.  Still enjoyed it though. Was hoping for a Mila Kunis and/or Seth Green cameo, but oh well.

Daniel: Ok I guess but a little too forced with the Family Guy voices. Doing both the voices and the song seemed too long. Not great but not bad.

Commercial: Obama for America

Jason: More Obama/Romney! They have a whole summer's worth of politics to catch up on, so that makes sense.  Enjoyed this commercial.  It went a little too over the top at times, but still good.  Loved Kenan here.

Daniel: This was  just not great. The only laugh came from Kenan who kept getting fired. Throwing Jay in at the beginning was annoying and unnecessary. For a first add of the season this was really weak.

Sex After 50

Jason: I hate this sketch.  It was amusing the first time, and just gets repetitive every time after it. Nothing new is ever added.  Wish they'd stop reprising this one.

Daniel: Not a big fan of this Fred character but he hasn't done it in a while. It had some good lines. Kate McKinnon was particularly good.

Eastwood and Chair

Jason: Well you knew this was coming.  Bill does his great Clint Eastwood impression as always, and while the story is a bit old at this point, I'd be disappointed if they didn't do some sort of Clint/chair sketch.

Daniel: HOMERUN. I was wondering what they were gonna do with Eastwood considering his train wreck convention speech and Bill’s great impression. This was really really funny. Bill was fantastic as usual and I loved Jay’s reaction and the return of Taran’s Gay Theatergoer. Just a great pre-taped bit.

Lids (Gangham Style)

Jason: Gangham Style!  I had a feeling Psy might make a cameo since he was in New York on Today the previous day.  I enjoyed it, but felt like they could have done more with it.  Why was it in a hat store?

Daniel: This was weird but entertaining. Bobby and Taran were both great. Bill also got a laugh out of me in his quick appearance.

Puppetry Class

Jason: Bill just owned this sketch.  The character was a bit reminiscent of Will Forte's "Hamilton" character, but Bill's intensity juxtaposed with the puppets worked really well.

Daniel: Hader hits another homerun. Just hilarious. Had me on the floor. Kenan was funny in his supporting role. 

Weekend Update:

Jason: Seth's jokes were good. Haven't watched Honey Boo Boo (and don't plan to) but still enjoyed the bit (Bobby more than Vanessa). Seth MacFarlane's Ryan Lochte impression was funny, but a bit to exaggerated. Enjoyed Cecily's character ("Stop it!").

Daniel: Seth had a few good jokes but was not on fire like he usually is. I loved the “Innocence Of Muslims” joke. First time I watched it, I didn't love the “Honey Booboo” bit. After watching a trailer for the actual show and watching the bit again, I liked it a lot more. Vanessa was a bit annoying but it didn't matter cause Bobby stole the show with a great impression of “Mama.” I didn't love the Ryan Lochte bit cause Ryan Lochte never struck me as brain dead. In her SNL debut, Cecily Strong learned that a spot on accent can’t always save a feeble character. Jay had some pretty good mannerisms but overall just not a good bit.

Drill Sergeant:

Weak sketch. Interesting premise, but didn't escalate enough.

Daniel: I hated this skit. As someone who has dealt with stuttering problems I found it offensive. I know its not that different that making fun of gay people or black people or Jewish people or British people and stuff like that but it felt different to me. Also I’m Jewish and I’ve never felt offended by a skit mocking Jews.

Steve Harvey Show:

Jason: A fun sketch.  I liked Kenan's Steve Harvey impression last time (on Millionaire) so glad to see it back.  Now that Steve Harvey has a show, I could see this as a recurring sketch (replacing What Up Wit That?).

Daniel: Kenan does an ok impression but the concept is not really there. Not a great skit. Also Vanessa is really bad at being the straight man.

First Date:

Jason: This was silly, but it worked for me.  I like how it escalated from just the couple to random people doing the voices.  Also like how almost the whole cast got to do a little bit.

Daniel: I actually enjoyed this one. I usually don’t really like Nasim’s stuff but both her and MacFarlane both gave really good performances. Kenan was good as the annoyed waiter, Bill was funny as the guy with the weird voice, and Fred really got me as the robber.

Wooden Spoon Warehouse:

Jason: Um, ok...

Daniel: What was this? What ever it was not a fan. Put simply this is the definition of a stupid skit.

Overall:

Jason: Decent start to the season.  The new cast is showing promise, and loving Jay's Obama leading into the election season.

Daniel: Decent show. Bill provided the two highlights in “Eastwood And Chair” and “Puppets.” A few more weak skits then you like to see in the premiere but generally solid. Can't wait for next week when the always enthusiastic Joseph Gordon-Levitt returns!