"Madeline Kahn is pretty good, but I think I could do a better job than that"
Cold Open: The Trial Of Lee Harvey Oswald
1 Star
Lee Harvey Oswald gets a pie instead of a gun
Huh? This seemed like something thrown together last minute. Lee Harvey Oswald is being walked out and Jack Ruby runs up but instead of shooting Oswald he hits him in the face with a pie. Oswald then looks in the camera and screams, "Live from New York...". This couldn't have been a topical reference as Oswald was shot in 1963 so I'm thinking they had nothing else to open the show and threw this on. A pie in the face? That's how we're starting our hip comedy show?
Opening Credits
I didn't mention the opening in the last episode because I didn't really like it. The cast's names flashed across a scoreboard. This opening was pretty cool as the cast walked past a screen in Times Square displaying their names and react. Dan feigns a crazed excitement, Jane proudly displays her name, Bill gives a couple of bucks to the cameraman and Gilda runs on excitedly and eats an apple.
Madeline Kahn Monologue
Huh? This seemed like something thrown together last minute. Lee Harvey Oswald is being walked out and Jack Ruby runs up but instead of shooting Oswald he hits him in the face with a pie. Oswald then looks in the camera and screams, "Live from New York...". This couldn't have been a topical reference as Oswald was shot in 1963 so I'm thinking they had nothing else to open the show and threw this on. A pie in the face? That's how we're starting our hip comedy show?
Opening Credits
I didn't mention the opening in the last episode because I didn't really like it. The cast's names flashed across a scoreboard. This opening was pretty cool as the cast walked past a screen in Times Square displaying their names and react. Dan feigns a crazed excitement, Jane proudly displays her name, Bill gives a couple of bucks to the cameraman and Gilda runs on excitedly and eats an apple.
Madeline Kahn Monologue
4 Stars
Madeline talks about the unknown
This proves that it doesn't really matter what you're talking about as long as you're entertaining. Madeline rambles on about the unknown as this is live television and we don't know what is going to happen. She ends by telling us that the only thing we truly know is that we are all going to die. An odd note to start a comedy show on but Madeline is such a wonderful presence that she filled me with hope for the proceedings.
Swill
This proves that it doesn't really matter what you're talking about as long as you're entertaining. Madeline rambles on about the unknown as this is live television and we don't know what is going to happen. She ends by telling us that the only thing we truly know is that we are all going to die. An odd note to start a comedy show on but Madeline is such a wonderful presence that she filled me with hope for the proceedings.
Swill
5 Stars
Natural mineral water straight from Lake Eerie
A commercial parody as timely today as it was back then. Bill advertises Swill, water bottled straight from Lake Eerie. Carly Simon's Anticipation plays as the sludge water slowly pours from the bottle ending with the punchline of a bottle cap landing in the glass. About as classic as you're gonna get.
Bad Opera
A commercial parody as timely today as it was back then. Bill advertises Swill, water bottled straight from Lake Eerie. Carly Simon's Anticipation plays as the sludge water slowly pours from the bottle ending with the punchline of a bottle cap landing in the glass. About as classic as you're gonna get.
Bad Opera
2 Stars
Scene from an exceptionally terrible opera
Dan introduces an opera where a woman is cursed by the Gods to keep singing the same note until she dies. We go to the opera and Madeline hits a high note which is held for an incredibly and annoyingly long amount of time. I feel like this would have worked better if Dan interrupted the proceedings periodically. How it played out here is Dan set up the opera and basically gave away the joke. Once Madeline hits the note and it repeats there is nowhere for the sketch to go. Which is evident when the cast of the opera awkwardly bows.
Anyone Can Host
Dan introduces an opera where a woman is cursed by the Gods to keep singing the same note until she dies. We go to the opera and Madeline hits a high note which is held for an incredibly and annoyingly long amount of time. I feel like this would have worked better if Dan interrupted the proceedings periodically. How it played out here is Dan set up the opera and basically gave away the joke. Once Madeline hits the note and it repeats there is nowhere for the sketch to go. Which is evident when the cast of the opera awkwardly bows.
Anyone Can Host
Not a rateable segment as this is just an explanation of the contest rules. Lorne explains to the audience that they can host the show by sending in a postcard explaining why they would make a good host. He clarifies that your entry would be disqualified if you submit the postcard in person and annoy him while he's eating dinner. This is just a set up for something that will happen in a few episodes. I was expecting some kind of joke. If I was watching this live I probably wouldn't think it was a real thing.
Bianca Jagger And Three Or Four Of Her Close Personal Friends
1 Star
Bianca Jagger, Truman Capote, Grace Kelly and Margaret Trudeau have dinner
I'm not sure what this was. I have absolutely no context for this. It seemed like a "you had to be there" story that I wasn't there for. I know this is a reference to something, but to what? Bianca Jagger and her friends discuss something, I'm not sure what but it's not entertaining. How do I give a rating to something I don't understand? I didn't like it but there's no way I ever could. When I watched it a second time I tried to strip away the references and just watch it for comedy. I disliked it even more.
Taj Mahal
"Queen Bee"
This. I loved this. More of this, please.
Schiller's Reel
The Acid Generation: Where Are They Now?
3 Stars
The children of the 60's reflect on their youth
Watching this 40 years after the fact ruins the joke but it's still fun. The hippies of the 60's are interviewed several years later and they are all very elderly people. A quick and simple little mockumentary that was fun for what it was.
Weekend Update
Watching this 40 years after the fact ruins the joke but it's still fun. The hippies of the 60's are interviewed several years later and they are all very elderly people. A quick and simple little mockumentary that was fun for what it was.
Weekend Update
"A spider made the news this week when he spun a web that looked exactly like John Denver's son"
Is Dan doing a bit? I don't quite understand what is going on. Since I'm not laughing, I feel like I'm missing something. But then I think, I'm not missing anything, this just sucks. If doing these recaps have taught me one thing it's that I hate Weekend Update. Why are they acting like this is a real newscast? These are jokes and they should be delivered like jokes. This is like watching Dan Rather and Katie Couric read headlines from The Onion. Then there's a weird moment where they wish Chevy Chase a happy 37th birthday. The audience laughs as if that is a ludicrous age, he would have been 34 at the time.
Bill Murray returns with a review, this time he's talking about The New Marie starring Marie Osmond but once again he hasn't seen the show so he's reviewing still photos. Same bit as last week.
Silver Balls & Golden Pins
1 Star
Bill gives a sermon as a preacher while Madeline sings a song as part of a bowling trophy. I don't know what this is. I watched this while scratching my head with my mouth agape. What the hell was this?
Reverse Discrimination
4 Stars
A white man sues a law school for selecting a black man over him
Holy crap, an actual sketch that I enjoyed. Garrett is a blind, black man who has been chosen for a law school over John, a white man with good test scores. John threatens to sue the school for reverse discrimination claiming that they chose Garrett based on the color of his skin and his disability. Trying to avoid a lawsuit, the school tricks Garrett by telling him that John is also black. Then they decide who gets the spot with a game of odds or evens, which Garrett "loses". John then has to hightail it out of there when Garrett's two big and imposing cousins enter. It's not the greatest sketch but this episode has been such a bummer that I was just excited to see a sketch with an actual premise.
Autumn In New York
Holy crap, an actual sketch that I enjoyed. Garrett is a blind, black man who has been chosen for a law school over John, a white man with good test scores. John threatens to sue the school for reverse discrimination claiming that they chose Garrett based on the color of his skin and his disability. Trying to avoid a lawsuit, the school tricks Garrett by telling him that John is also black. Then they decide who gets the spot with a game of odds or evens, which Garrett "loses". John then has to hightail it out of there when Garrett's two big and imposing cousins enter. It's not the greatest sketch but this episode has been such a bummer that I was just excited to see a sketch with an actual premise.
Autumn In New York
2 Stars
Madeline sings a song
This was interesting and I like interesting but this episode has been light on funny so this was starting to put me to sleep.
The Pink Box
This was interesting and I like interesting but this episode has been light on funny so this was starting to put me to sleep.
The Pink Box
3 Stars
A woman's product with unknown qualities
Gilda has been feeling so confidant and self-assured ever since she's gotten a mysterious pink box. Laraine asks what it does and where it goes but Gilda has no idea. I liked this bit of nonsense. I'm not sure if it's a commentary on how advertisements for sensitive products need to skirt what they actually do but that's what I got out of it.
Hercules
Gilda has been feeling so confidant and self-assured ever since she's gotten a mysterious pink box. Laraine asks what it does and where it goes but Gilda has no idea. I liked this bit of nonsense. I'm not sure if it's a commentary on how advertisements for sensitive products need to skirt what they actually do but that's what I got out of it.
Hercules
3 Stars
A voice actor dubs a movie into English
Similar to a season 12 sketch where Bill Murray played an out of shape Hercules in a dubbed film, Dan does all the lines of dialogue as John, Gilda and Garrett act out the scene. This was cute and featured a good performance from Dan as he quickly changed between all the voices. It reminded me of a Whose Line Is It Anyway? skit but it was a fun little piece for the end of the night.
Dame Edna
Similar to a season 12 sketch where Bill Murray played an out of shape Hercules in a dubbed film, Dan does all the lines of dialogue as John, Gilda and Garrett act out the scene. This was cute and featured a good performance from Dan as he quickly changed between all the voices. It reminded me of a Whose Line Is It Anyway? skit but it was a fun little piece for the end of the night.
Dame Edna
2 Stars
Madeline interviews Dame Edna
I don't really know what to say about this. Dame Edna comes out and talks to Madeline but I didn't really understand the concept. Madeline seems to be put off by the man in drag and I wasn't sure why. Edna wasn't exceptionally annoying or overbearing and I started to think that maybe it was just due to the cross-dressing aspect of it all. This bit probably could have benefited from a little more rehearsal. It seemed like an off the cuff interview with no real point, leading to a clumsy ending where Madeline tries to throw to commercial but Edna stops her and brings out a prop of a pineapple and sausage plate.
Pocket Pal
I don't really know what to say about this. Dame Edna comes out and talks to Madeline but I didn't really understand the concept. Madeline seems to be put off by the man in drag and I wasn't sure why. Edna wasn't exceptionally annoying or overbearing and I started to think that maybe it was just due to the cross-dressing aspect of it all. This bit probably could have benefited from a little more rehearsal. It seemed like an off the cuff interview with no real point, leading to a clumsy ending where Madeline tries to throw to commercial but Edna stops her and brings out a prop of a pineapple and sausage plate.
Pocket Pal
5 Stars
A traveling aide that predicts airplane collisions
Dan introduces us to the Pocket Pal which will accurately predict a midair collision 10 seconds before it happens. We see the device in action as it goes off and the passengers on the plane go into a burst of panic as they realize their impending doom. A short bit of absurdity that really tickled me.
Phone Call
Gilda and Madeline are drinking while Gilda waits for a man she likes to call. As they get more drunk they start to share secrets with each other. Gilda hates her breasts, Madeline finds herself extremely sexy. Then they talk about how men stink until the phone rings and Gilda is relieved that her man called. I found the performances interesting but was waiting for a joke of some sort or a purpose for this sketch. Nothing really amounted to much of anything and I questioned why I was watching this.
FINAL ANALYSIS
Dan introduces us to the Pocket Pal which will accurately predict a midair collision 10 seconds before it happens. We see the device in action as it goes off and the passengers on the plane go into a burst of panic as they realize their impending doom. A short bit of absurdity that really tickled me.
Phone Call
2 Stars
A woman waits for a man to call with her best friend
FINAL ANALYSIS
"I certainly cannot promise you quality of any kind"
Average
2.7 Stars
MVP
Bill Murray
The Trial Of Lee Harvey Oswald, Swill, Bad Opera, Bianca Jagger, Weekend Update, Silver Balls & Golden Pins, Reverse Discrimination, Hercules
The Trial Of Lee Harvey Oswald, Swill, Bad Opera, Bianca Jagger, Weekend Update, Silver Balls & Golden Pins, Reverse Discrimination, Hercules
Best Sketch
Reverse Discrimination
Worst Sketch
Bianca Jagger And Three Or Four Of Her Close Personal Friends
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
My first instinct is to say, space out the singing sketches but they kind of did. There was a lot of music in this one and even with it spaced out, it seemed like a lot. I would definitely give Taj Mahal another song as his performance was the highlight of the episode for me. Probably cut Silver Balls & Golden Pins and give Taj the stage again. I hate to argue for a longer Weekend Update but I liked the format of last week’s show where you had less jokes and more desk pieces. With a cast this small they could have each one give a 90 second monologue and it wouldn’t feel too bloated. Stretch out Update and lose that Bianca Jagger sketch. Finally, just give me more sketches with a clearly defined premise. What’s the joke of these sketches? Reverse Discrimination had a clear setup-punchline while the other sketches just had people talking or singing and left me scratching my head wondering what I was supposed to enjoy about them.
Host Analysis
Host Analysis
I absolutely adore Madeline Kahn but I did not really care for her in this episode. They really leaned in heavily on the singing. Bad Opera, Silver Balls & Golden Pins and Autumn In New York was just too much singing. She's a fantastic actress but they didn't give her much to do outside of that. I liked her performance in the final sketch, I hated the Bianca Jagger sketch but felt that she did the best she could with it but her worst moment was probably the Dame Edna interview. I didn't get a sense of who Dame Edna was, why any of this was happening or why Madeline seemed to dislike her guest. My feelings on this episode are in no way an indicator of Madeline, who I love in practically everything she ever did.
Final Thoughts
I’m hesitant to say this was bad. Trashing the first 4 seasons of SNL is akin to desecrating the flag. This was before my time so maybe I just don’t get it. This is probably good, I’m just watching it through the wrong lens. I watched this episode like my girlfriend watches Twin Peaks when I try to get her to sit through it, confused, angry and annoyed. I kept wondering what I was missing and then I had the happy realization, I’m not wrong, the show sucks sometimes. There’s no holy grail of seasons where every episode is perfect. Even the best years have some stinkers. Me thinking an episode was a big turd is not disrespecting those who came before me. I grew up in the Chris Farley era and Lord knows that cast had their fair share of duds, but I love watching those episodes whether they’re good or bad. The vast difference in quality between episode to episode is one of the reasons I love the show. You never know what you’re gonna get from week to week. So, in summation, I hated this episode but I’ll always love the show.
Up Next
Up Next
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner hosts, which doesn't really instill me with much confidence. I am completely unfamiliar with musical guest Libby Titus so I have no idea what to expect on that front.
First dud of the season.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone, this episode is a legitimate dud
ReplyDeleteGood news is this one of the weakest of the season. The rest of it ranges from good to great.
ReplyDeleteDan Akroyd wanted John Belushi to play Venkman but he died before they started shooting so Bill Murray was cast instead cool to see them in a pic together.
ReplyDeleteWhen is your next review up George?
ReplyDelete