I imagine it must be frustrating for an SNL writer to go on break for a few weeks, just to have huge news stories arise and fade into irrelevance during the hiatus. In the three weeks since SNL has aired a new episode, we’ve seen the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the Greek debt controversy, the sexual harassment claims made about Herman Cain, the Kim Kardashian divorce, and the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests.
While SNL is certainly not the only vehicle for American satire (nor is it the most lethal these days), for better or worse it’s the most traditional one. While other TV comedies have embraced more sophisticated forms of satire, SNL has reliably bore the torch for the ancient art of mimicry. Perhaps there’s nothing particularly clever about donning a bald cap and speaking in an accent, but a successful impersonation produces a necessary catharsis for American audiences. As Lorne Michaels has lectured in countless “exclusive” inside looks at SNL, citizens need to see powerful individuals being deprived of their power. Personally, the mere possibility that people might confuse parody for reality makes me giddy.
Normally I’m annoyed when SNL falls into pure, basic parody of topical events without any clever twist, but I suppose the longer I go without seeing a new episode, the more satisfied I am to see Fred Armisen just be Gaddafi for a few minutes. While last weekend’s episode had a fair balance of topical sketches to recurring pieces and a strong performance by host Charlie Day, the night’s best moments, for me at least, occurred when SNL relied on the form of satire it does better than anyone else: straight-up impersonations.
What hit:
Ghost of Gaddafi Cold Open.SNL joined hundreds of Libyan rebels in dancing on Gaddafi’s grave with this message from the deceased dictator — no, not one that was pre-recorded — one literally from his ghost. Armisen had some fun in what will likely be his swan song in the role, offering the living some handy advice (“Never dare people to kill you.”) and pointing out that hell “looks a lot like Libya.”
Monologue. Charlie Day’s monologue wandered a bit, beginning with a few jokes about seeing New York through an infant’s eyes, followed by a cameo by Danny Devito and finishing with a song by Day. Luckily, Day’s frenetic energy is always fun to watch, and his bickering with Devito was a nice treat for Always Sunny fans.
Kardashian Divorce Special.SNL perfectly (and predictably) went after the Kardashian clan with a special on the E! network covering Kim’s divorce with the same sick pomp it did her wedding. Several cast members had nice cameos, specifically Kristen Wiig as Kris “The Fourth Sister” Jenner and Taran Killam as her husband Bruce, whose tears are even artificial.
Ask Dr. Oz. Bill Hader played a faithful Dr. Oz moderating an uncomfortable audience Q&A, with Day as an audience member reluctantly sharing his “dead rectum.” This role was perfect for Day — blowing into a human rectum and wearing a “poop” sign around his neck I think technically falls under Charlie work.
Comedy Tour. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy this commercial for hacky, catchphrase-centered comedians as much as I did during its first go-around last season, Day’s turn as a very Dane Cookian comic was wonderful. It seemed like the entire cast — Seth Meyers included — wanted a piece of this sketch, causing it to run a few beats too long. Still, it’s nice to see SNL has started mocking the idea of one-note, catchphrase characters instead of actually creating them and putting them in sketches. And movies.
Weekend Update. Meyers redeemed the previous few weeks of weak update segments with a great joke lineup and a hilarious rant about the European debt crisis — including a few harsh words for Greece’s “yogurt-based economy.” Hader made a cameo as a mumbling, bicep-flexing, drunk Rick Perry, who presented a Spanish-speaking dashboard hula girl as a solution to high taxes, and Wiig made a brilliant return as her nervous travel expert Judy Grimes, who might have gone on her longest and funniest “justkidding” tangent yet.
Crime Scene. The week’s 10-to-1 sketch (if you don’t count the previously-aired “Lil’ Poundcake” commercial) featured an out-of-touch detective (Day) who didn’t recognize how much a crime scene resembled the set from Seinfeld. I was amazed at the lengths the crew went to re-create the famous sitcom set and loved the concept, and while I worried that the sketch wandered away from it for a beat, it was nice to see them return to it and make some nice tie-ins.
What missed:
Greek Gods. The gods of Greek mythology convene atop Mount Olympus to discuss the country’s debt crisis. This premise felt a little lame to me, especially when the bulk of the jokes centered around the personalities of the gods — the kind of material your cool 9th grade English teacher used to help you through that mythology section — instead of their attitudes on the crisis itself. Still, it had some nice moments, namely Andy Samberg as a dolphin-sex obsessed Poseidon.
Getting Freaky with Cee Lo. What is it about musical talk show sketches with Kenan Thompson that make me want to fast-forward the moment they begin? Kenan’s Cee Lo Green was great, and it was a pleasure to hear him describe himself as “a big ol’ sexy hairless Ewok.” But the mix of absurd characters (Day’s Freakasaurus and Hader’s Colonel Nasty — who deserves his own spinoff sketch) with straight ones as guests on the show made the structure a little unclear.
Dolphin Movie. More dolphin humor! Day played an actor trying to do an emotional movie scene with a dolphin while its trainer made distracting noises and movements out of frame. I suspect Killam’s delivery hit harder in dress rehearsal than it did in the live show, and the sketch took a fun but awkward turn with Thompson’s boom operator assuming the lead role. I liked the concept of this sketch, but the delivery just didn’t stick like it needed to for it to work.
It’s unfortunate that when SNL tries to do fresh, non-topical sketch premises, they don’t go over as well as the recurring, familiar material. It’s no wonder Lorne keeps bringing back crowd pleasing Wiig and Hader characters. Still, it was a highly enjoyable episode, one that allowed Charlie Day to showcase his ability to play both frustrated, beaten-down men (Ask Dr. Oz, Dolphin Movie) and cocky crackpots (Comedy Tour, Crime Scene). The cast treated us to long-missed impersonations and the writers packed the scripts with some great one-liners.
What did you think? Are you satisfied with the actors’ ability to do spot-on impersonations of famous figures, or are you looking for a deeper, cleverer statement about what that person is at their core? Do you think we saw enough of Charlie Day throughout the night, or do you wish we saw more of him? And which was better: Col. Nasty’s rainbow goatee or his cackle?
I’ll see you next week, when Emma Stone will host with musical guest Coldplay.
Erik Voss is a writer and performer living in Los Angeles. He performs with his improv team Natural 20 at the iO West Theater.
Bill Hader's Rick Perry was the highlight of the show for me. If Perry's weird NH speech didn't kill his presidential ambitions, then I'll go out on a limb and say that sketch did.
Swedish Detective
In the last few seasons SNL has been at its best when it uses impersonations in different situations and then creating back door opportunities for satire. The most salient example that comes to mind is Armisen and Hader being the Queen and her husband last year. It was a brilliant example of taking current events, using them as a base, but then going off into absurd tangents that mocked the very idea of royalty.
http://www.shawncomedy.com Shawn Miller
I thought this was an OK episode. I think I enjoyed the dolphin training sketch a little more than I should have and I should probably give the Dr. Oz another look because I didn't love it the first time around.
I've always loved seeing impersonations on SNL. It's a huge part of their show – it's part of the reason Celebrity Jeopardy was such a beloved sketch. It makes the criticism of political figures more fun as to opposed to the occasional Daily Show bit that just makes Stewart seem angry.
I thought Charlie Day was a fine host, he brought a lot of energy and I love him as an actor – though he does lack the range that makes the great hosts great. It reminded me of a production of 'The Music Man' I once saw in Pittsburgh with Jeff Goldblum. I love Goldblum, he was great…but he was more Dr. Ian Malcolm than Professor Harold Hill.
iamjustryingtolive
I loved Charlie as a host. Firstly, he was soooo happy to be there and that really shined through. Secondly, his manic energy fed the cast and (imo) lifted them to better work. Yeah the catchphrase comics did go long but i love that silly parody stuff and Charlie's Dane Cook was nothing short of brilliant. Forget Steve Byrne, we know who stole Cook's essence.
http://www.shutupshelley.net/ Shelley
I loved the episode, but then I love anything Charlie Day does, so it's not an entirely unbiased opinion.
I didn't really like the Dr Oz sketch (but man Hader was amazing as always). And I did enjoy the Greek Gods sketch. I know it wasn't a solid sketch, but Bobby Moynihan being Demeter Goddess of the Harvest sold it for me. Otherwise, I pretty much agreed with your hit/miss choices.
Oh and I agree with the world that Bill Hader's Rick Perry was the best thing ever!
Gotta disagree about Greek gods sketch–one of the highlights for me. I love sketches that feature (almost?) the entire cast. Weekend Update though, outside of Rick Perry, went on way too long. It's surprising that Kristen Wiig insisted on retiring Gilly for being one-note when Judy Grimes is even worse…she just doesn't have her own theme song that rubs her annoyingness in our faces. It's impressive that she can talk so quickly (although I noticed there were a lot more pauses this time than in the past) but that's meaningless if the material isn't funny. I really hope this is her last season.
http://eavoss.com Erik Voss
@Anthony Coro CORO! Always so disagreeable.
Judy Grimes doesn't fall in the category of "one-note." Judy's behavior is motivated by a relatable human emotion, and every time her anxiety takes her to new, exciting places. No other comedy actress in the world can pull off Judy like Kristen Wiig can. I also hope this is Wiig's last season, but only so that she can move on to bigger and better things. SNL will lose a giant.
Megh Wright
@Erik Voss Amen bro. Of all characters to call worse than Gilly — Judy Grimes? What!? I simply will not allow this to happen.
Anthony Coro
@Erik Voss @Megh Wright Oh damn, my name is remembered? Yikes, I didn't realize my confrontational nature was so notorious around these parts. *steals Erik's lunch money and shoves Megh on the playground because it's my impish way of showing that I think she looks cute in her little icon thing*
I'll clarify that I like Wiig in Bridesmaids and she comes across as a cool lady in interviews…but I don't think she's ever created an SNL character that had legs beyond its first segment. She came up with some funny concepts for sure–I lost it the first time they did The Laurence Welk Show "Doonise," but now it's at the point where if I see Fred Armisen waving a baton against a backdrop of bubbles, I [insert violent reaction here].
(Actually now that I think of it there is one recurring Wiig bit that I loved every time–Two A-Holes. How long has it been since we've seen them? We're long overdue.)
As far as saying Gilly > Judy Grimes…sorry. ;) Nah, in all seriousness, Gilly was never a favorite of mine but I do have to give her credit for abusing the Glee kids.
Milo Oran
Many people disagree with me but I love it when they integrate the musical guests into the sketches. One of my favorite digital shorts is the one where Rainn Wilson runs a business meeting and, out of nowhere, pops Arcade Fire. I find the way they integrated Adam Levine (1/6th of the band at the time) to be truly creative and fun-spirited. If I were a musician performing on SNL I would love more than anything to grace the stage with the cast.
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I imagine it must be frustrating for an SNL writer to go on break for a few weeks, just to have huge news stories arise and fade into irrelevance during the hiatus. In the three weeks since SNL has aired a new episode, we’ve seen the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the Greek debt controversy, the sexual harassment claims made about Herman Cain, the Kim Kardashian divorce, and the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests.
