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WARNING: Some of the videos linked below can be especially faily and triggering. I'm not going to talk much about the fail of a lot of last night's sketches, because - honestly - I think there are better people out there who can address these issues more eloquently than me. Instead, I'm focusing on Betty White's performance, that of the regular cast and the alumni, and the quality of the overall show.
Er, pardon my bias, but Betty White? On SNL? Was fucking amazing.
The show was built around a special Mother's Day theme with White headlining and several SNL female alumni (Tina Fey, Amy Peohler, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon) returning to the show as support. Jay-Z was the musical act (an odd choice for a Mother's Day themed show, but okay, I went with it...). White appeared in nearly every single sketch, stealing the show in nearly every one with her cutting, wicked humor, unexpected for an actress best remembered as the sweet and naive Rose Nylung on Golden Girls. I think people (including myself) forget that she is a topnotch comedienne/actress who has been in this game for over 70 years. On SNL, her comedic timing was PERFECT, her delivery of her lines as each persona she adopted was flawless, and she knew how to "edgy" and "shocking." Several times, her characters would utter obscenities or shockingly blunt lines ("That's because she's a lesbian," she said in one skit, as she knitted in the corner. The skit was about a 1900's American family composed of entirely "girly" girls, with the exception of one tomboy played by Poehler, who wanted nothing to do with frilly dresses and dances, unlike her preoccupied sisters - not the strongest skit the entire night, since it hinged entirely on White's bored repeated one-liner on Poehler's character's sexuality*), and she would say them in such a way that the impact of it was still fresh.
Having several old cast members return was a nice treat as well, but I think it showed several failings of the cast and show this season. The current cast - with a few exceptions - obviously did not have the skill to support someone like Betty White; several of the best skits were the ones performed by alumni with White (like the NPR one**). The cold open - a fictional performance on The Lawrence Welk Show - was mediocre, mostly because the comedy relied on Kristen Wiig's character*** - the youngest disabled member of a quartet of singing sisters - taking center stage with her "creepy" advances on Will Forte's character with her tiny, doll-like arms, licking a squirrel, and several other disgusting displays of hipster ableism. The only current cast members that White had any sort of on-stage chemistry with were Kenan Thompson - see Scared Straight and him at the end of the Fey/White skit, Census - and Will Forte - in his MacGruber sketches.
I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on the cast and crew of SNL. They really did try their best with Betty White, and their efforts paid off. Their best, however, consisted of bring back several old cast members, who outclassed their current cast a million times over, and relying on at least two "classic" numbers (the NPR one and the Weekend Update REALLY?! with Seth and Amy segment****). A lot of the sketches were faily, too, but this is SNL we're talking about; it's not the most politically correct comedy show on the air,***** so my expectations for the quality and sensitivity of the comedy were actually pretty low. White performed admirably with the material she was given.
Jay-Z's performance was interesting. I've never seen him perform before, but I was impressed, nevertheless. His first set was actually a medley of some of his hits; I only realized it was a medley when he launched into "99 Problems," which for a Mother's Day episode? Was not in the best taste. And he accidentally(?) slipped "bitch" in there before he launched into "Empire State of Mind" (featuring Bridget Kelly, who sang Alicia Keys's parts). My mom (who I was watching this with) didn't seemed to be fazed or upset by this, but I think she might've kept her comments to herself. (Afterward, she asked me about Jay-Z and if he was "one of those rappers people talk about." I replied, "Yes. In fact, he's the most famous rapper in the world at this time.")
Jay-Z's second set was "Young Forever," which he dedicated to Betty White at the end. Unfortunately, there's no video yet on SNL's site and any YouTube vids have been taken down. You might be able to see it in the full episode, which is available only if you're in the States. It really is incredibly sweet.
Overall, it was a decent show. I wouldn't call it THE BEST that SNL has produced, or even rank it in the Top 5, but for this season, it was pretty good. Betty White stole the show and was fucking amazing, even if the material she was given was rank. And the alumni showed us just why a lot of them were able to have successful lives after SNL (though "success" is completely subjective, varying from actress to actress). Unfortunately, all this feminine awesomeness just showed us that the current cast really doesn't have the chops of their predecessors. I'm hoping this changes next season with some replacements.
Footnotes
* I think it was written by the same writers who churned out the dreadful "Don't make me sing sketch," when John Hamm hosted. Kristen Wiig - who I don't think is great when she's the lead in a sketch (she's much better as support, like in the MacGruber skits) - probably repeated "Don't make me sing" close to 100 times, and it had lost its punch by the fifth time she said it.
** The premise of which is about two calm, NPR hosts discussing several foods, which have alternate meanings on American slang, usually with a guest. The best skit revolved around Alec Baldwin - playing a character named Schweaty - and the ladies discussing his confectionery pièce de résistance, Schweaty balls. The second best skit was the one with Betty White, in which she's a baker, discussing her muffins. Insert several clever vaginal references here.
*** Of all the performers in the cold open, she was the weakest. Yeah, it seems like I have it out for Kristen Wiig, but seriously, none of the characters she plays (as leads in skits) are memorable or even funny. People who say that Catherine Tate is a black hole of comedy have obviously never watched a SNL skit with a Kristen Wiig character.
**** I think Seth Meyer still does this one on his own, which in itself says a lot about SNL's writing, too.
***** Even then, that shouldn't be an excuse for the epic fail and triggers that some of the sketches hit last night. I spent my time squirming uncomfortably through a few.
Er, pardon my bias, but Betty White? On SNL? Was fucking amazing.
The show was built around a special Mother's Day theme with White headlining and several SNL female alumni (Tina Fey, Amy Peohler, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon) returning to the show as support. Jay-Z was the musical act (an odd choice for a Mother's Day themed show, but okay, I went with it...). White appeared in nearly every single sketch, stealing the show in nearly every one with her cutting, wicked humor, unexpected for an actress best remembered as the sweet and naive Rose Nylung on Golden Girls. I think people (including myself) forget that she is a topnotch comedienne/actress who has been in this game for over 70 years. On SNL, her comedic timing was PERFECT, her delivery of her lines as each persona she adopted was flawless, and she knew how to "edgy" and "shocking." Several times, her characters would utter obscenities or shockingly blunt lines ("That's because she's a lesbian," she said in one skit, as she knitted in the corner. The skit was about a 1900's American family composed of entirely "girly" girls, with the exception of one tomboy played by Poehler, who wanted nothing to do with frilly dresses and dances, unlike her preoccupied sisters - not the strongest skit the entire night, since it hinged entirely on White's bored repeated one-liner on Poehler's character's sexuality*), and she would say them in such a way that the impact of it was still fresh.
Having several old cast members return was a nice treat as well, but I think it showed several failings of the cast and show this season. The current cast - with a few exceptions - obviously did not have the skill to support someone like Betty White; several of the best skits were the ones performed by alumni with White (like the NPR one**). The cold open - a fictional performance on The Lawrence Welk Show - was mediocre, mostly because the comedy relied on Kristen Wiig's character*** - the youngest disabled member of a quartet of singing sisters - taking center stage with her "creepy" advances on Will Forte's character with her tiny, doll-like arms, licking a squirrel, and several other disgusting displays of hipster ableism. The only current cast members that White had any sort of on-stage chemistry with were Kenan Thompson - see Scared Straight and him at the end of the Fey/White skit, Census - and Will Forte - in his MacGruber sketches.
I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on the cast and crew of SNL. They really did try their best with Betty White, and their efforts paid off. Their best, however, consisted of bring back several old cast members, who outclassed their current cast a million times over, and relying on at least two "classic" numbers (the NPR one and the Weekend Update REALLY?! with Seth and Amy segment****). A lot of the sketches were faily, too, but this is SNL we're talking about; it's not the most politically correct comedy show on the air,***** so my expectations for the quality and sensitivity of the comedy were actually pretty low. White performed admirably with the material she was given.
Jay-Z's performance was interesting. I've never seen him perform before, but I was impressed, nevertheless. His first set was actually a medley of some of his hits; I only realized it was a medley when he launched into "99 Problems," which for a Mother's Day episode? Was not in the best taste. And he accidentally(?) slipped "bitch" in there before he launched into "Empire State of Mind" (featuring Bridget Kelly, who sang Alicia Keys's parts). My mom (who I was watching this with) didn't seemed to be fazed or upset by this, but I think she might've kept her comments to herself. (Afterward, she asked me about Jay-Z and if he was "one of those rappers people talk about." I replied, "Yes. In fact, he's the most famous rapper in the world at this time.")
Jay-Z's second set was "Young Forever," which he dedicated to Betty White at the end. Unfortunately, there's no video yet on SNL's site and any YouTube vids have been taken down. You might be able to see it in the full episode, which is available only if you're in the States. It really is incredibly sweet.
Overall, it was a decent show. I wouldn't call it THE BEST that SNL has produced, or even rank it in the Top 5, but for this season, it was pretty good. Betty White stole the show and was fucking amazing, even if the material she was given was rank. And the alumni showed us just why a lot of them were able to have successful lives after SNL (though "success" is completely subjective, varying from actress to actress). Unfortunately, all this feminine awesomeness just showed us that the current cast really doesn't have the chops of their predecessors. I'm hoping this changes next season with some replacements.
Footnotes
* I think it was written by the same writers who churned out the dreadful "Don't make me sing sketch," when John Hamm hosted. Kristen Wiig - who I don't think is great when she's the lead in a sketch (she's much better as support, like in the MacGruber skits) - probably repeated "Don't make me sing" close to 100 times, and it had lost its punch by the fifth time she said it.
** The premise of which is about two calm, NPR hosts discussing several foods, which have alternate meanings on American slang, usually with a guest. The best skit revolved around Alec Baldwin - playing a character named Schweaty - and the ladies discussing his confectionery pièce de résistance, Schweaty balls. The second best skit was the one with Betty White, in which she's a baker, discussing her muffins. Insert several clever vaginal references here.
*** Of all the performers in the cold open, she was the weakest. Yeah, it seems like I have it out for Kristen Wiig, but seriously, none of the characters she plays (as leads in skits) are memorable or even funny. People who say that Catherine Tate is a black hole of comedy have obviously never watched a SNL skit with a Kristen Wiig character.
**** I think Seth Meyer still does this one on his own, which in itself says a lot about SNL's writing, too.
***** Even then, that shouldn't be an excuse for the epic fail and triggers that some of the sketches hit last night. I spent my time squirming uncomfortably through a few.
