"Confused at last! Confused at last! Lou! Lou, Mr. Fields wants the rent!"
Cold Open: A Former President Speaks To The Nation
2 Stars
Gerald Ford talks about the Suez Canal
Chevy as former president Gerald Ford looks at the wrong camera, answers a glass of water instead of a phone, falls over a bunch of stuff and basically just looks like a big, dumb idiot. I know this was the funniest thing in 1978 but I never found Chevy that funny. He's got the hipper than you but clumsy shtick and that's about it. There's about 4 moves you get from Chevy and like them or love them, you'll be seeing them a lot.
Chevy Chase Monologue
Chevy as former president Gerald Ford looks at the wrong camera, answers a glass of water instead of a phone, falls over a bunch of stuff and basically just looks like a big, dumb idiot. I know this was the funniest thing in 1978 but I never found Chevy that funny. He's got the hipper than you but clumsy shtick and that's about it. There's about 4 moves you get from Chevy and like them or love them, you'll be seeing them a lot.
Chevy Chase Monologue
2 Stars
Chevy rambles on and on
Again, not a huge Chevy Chase fan and this episode has been nothing but Chevy so far. He panders shamelessly for applause by mentioning all the New York boroughs by name, he sings a bit of a song and then invites Al the cue card man up on stage who has been holding cards with everything Chevy's been saying. This is Chevy's way of breaking the illusion of spontaneity. I've done a few episodes already that Chevy has hosted and the weakest part of all of them by far have been the monologue.
Moth Masher
Again, not a huge Chevy Chase fan and this episode has been nothing but Chevy so far. He panders shamelessly for applause by mentioning all the New York boroughs by name, he sings a bit of a song and then invites Al the cue card man up on stage who has been holding cards with everything Chevy's been saying. This is Chevy's way of breaking the illusion of spontaneity. I've done a few episodes already that Chevy has hosted and the weakest part of all of them by far have been the monologue.
Moth Masher
1 Star
A machine that helps you laminate moths so you can carry them in your wallet. Meh. Bass-O-Matic, this is not. It felt like a pale imitation.
After Love
3 Stars
A man and woman talk after sex
Chevy and Gilda have just slept together for the first time and he wants to know if she had an orgasm. He also wants to know who is Phil is as she was screaming his name. Turns out Chevy said he was a pitcher for the Yankees to get her into bed but she knew he was lying the whole time. It's a cute sketch and Chevy and Gilda have a pretty good chemistry.
Billy Joel
Chevy and Gilda have just slept together for the first time and he wants to know if she had an orgasm. He also wants to know who is Phil is as she was screaming his name. Turns out Chevy said he was a pitcher for the Yankees to get her into bed but she knew he was lying the whole time. It's a cute sketch and Chevy and Gilda have a pretty good chemistry.
Billy Joel
"Only The Good Die Young"
Chevy coughs when the camera cuts to him because...he does that bit every single time he hosts. Billy Joel is one of my favorites and this was a much needed energy boost in a slow episode.
King
1 Star
Meeting between Martin Luther King and The Kennedys
I don't know what this was about. I'm assuming it was based on something that happened in the news, although that doesn't make any sense as this was 10 years after Martin Luther King was killed. Maybe some new details came to light about him? I really don't know, nor do I care since I didn't laugh at all during this. Garrett plays Martin Luther King as he meets with the Kennedys (Dan and Bill playing John and Bobby) who love their "chowda". Bobby gives Martin a pin that's obviously a microphone and John asks Martin if he ever made it with a white girl.
Weekend Update
I don't know what this was about. I'm assuming it was based on something that happened in the news, although that doesn't make any sense as this was 10 years after Martin Luther King was killed. Maybe some new details came to light about him? I really don't know, nor do I care since I didn't laugh at all during this. Garrett plays Martin Luther King as he meets with the Kennedys (Dan and Bill playing John and Bobby) who love their "chowda". Bobby gives Martin a pin that's obviously a microphone and John asks Martin if he ever made it with a white girl.
Weekend Update
Laraine Newman interviews striking coal miner Ray Floyd. As he talks he can't stop coughing as black soot flies from his mouth.
John Belushi comes out to talk about the recent Muhammad Ali / Leon Spinx fight but instead talks about a fight he got into when watching the Ali / George Foreman fight. He puts on a pair of boxing gloves to teach Jane some moves and ends up beating her to the ground. Apparently this bit was just a plan to get Chevy to anchor Update alone.
Emily Litella comes out to tell Chevy that since he's left she hasn't been on the show because Jane (or Miss Clayton as Emily calls her) doesn't like her. Jane wakes up to yell at both of them and they both call her a bitch.
We get one last call back to the old days as we end with Garrett Morris doing the news for the hard of hearing. Chevy repeats the top stories while Garrett yells them.
Baggage Inspection
4 Stars
A customs agent inspects some suspicious packages
Dan is training Chevy at being a customs agent. Dan tells him to ignore priests and mainly focus on black people, as they are always the criminals. While Dan arrests Garrett for finding a marijuana seed in his luggage, Chevy is left alone to inspect John and Laraine coming back from Bolivia. They open a suitcase that is filled with drugs but Chevy fails to notice and instead asks questions about whether they bought any clothing from out of the country. Cocaine powder flies with wild abandon, Laraine's fake breasts leak cocaine everywhere. He lets the couple go and also lets go a priest with a fake nose and a wheelbarrow full of cocaine but targets a black woman. This made me laugh a lot and Chevy's bumbling worked well in this.
A Film By Gary Weis
The Voice
2 Stars
A woman is haunted by a mysterious voice
Laraine goes about her day but everywhere she goes she is haunted by a mysterious voice, singing ominous songs and sometimes narrating what she's doing. She pulls up to a house, walks in and finds the woman recording the voice-over upstairs and tells her to stop. The first time I watched this I spent the entire film waiting for the punchline and only being slightly amused when it hit. The second time I watched it, knowing the ending, I liked it even less.
1 Star
A priest from the church of confusion gives a sermon
Boy, did I hate this. This was just a bunch of Chevy talking nonsense, making faces and flubbing his lines and making a bit out of it. Everything I don't find funny about Chevy was on display here.
Great Moments Of War
3 Stars
American soldiers inspect a suspicious truck
A group of obvious German soldiers show up to an American checkpoint. They are asked questions to make sure they are American like state capitals and baseball statistics. They are finally discovered when they hand the Americans a matchbook from Berlin. The final test to prove they are who they say they are is to name the manager of the Cleveland Indians, which they don't know and neither do the Americans. They come to suspect that they are all Germans and all put their hands up. This was cute, even if you can see the punchline coming.
Billy Joel returns with "Just The Way You Are". Another good song.
Endings
5 Stars
A sketch that refuses to end
Except for a few bright spots (Baggage Inspection and Great Moments In War), I have not been enjoying this episode but at least it ended strong, by not knowing how to end. The girls are doing a Monty Python like sketch where they are playing English ladies screaming. Chevy tells them that the sketch isn't working and they need to wrap it up. He had a better ending for the show but now can't remember what it was. They cut to Dan as Rod Serling who gives a Twilight Zone ending that these people are all stuck in a sketch without an ending. Then we cut to John as Truman Capote watching the show without pants. Bill then comes out as a director to tell John that he's not wearing pants and this is not a good ending. John then has a heart attack as does the rest of the cast. Then Chevy comes out as the Land Shark and Garrett comes out as the Archbishop to say "That's all folks!". After a lackluster episode, it was nice to see them throw a bunch of silliness at the wall and see what sticks.
FINAL ANALYSIS
John Belushi comes out to talk about the recent Muhammad Ali / Leon Spinx fight but instead talks about a fight he got into when watching the Ali / George Foreman fight. He puts on a pair of boxing gloves to teach Jane some moves and ends up beating her to the ground. Apparently this bit was just a plan to get Chevy to anchor Update alone.
Emily Litella comes out to tell Chevy that since he's left she hasn't been on the show because Jane (or Miss Clayton as Emily calls her) doesn't like her. Jane wakes up to yell at both of them and they both call her a bitch.
We get one last call back to the old days as we end with Garrett Morris doing the news for the hard of hearing. Chevy repeats the top stories while Garrett yells them.
Baggage Inspection
4 Stars
A customs agent inspects some suspicious packages
Dan is training Chevy at being a customs agent. Dan tells him to ignore priests and mainly focus on black people, as they are always the criminals. While Dan arrests Garrett for finding a marijuana seed in his luggage, Chevy is left alone to inspect John and Laraine coming back from Bolivia. They open a suitcase that is filled with drugs but Chevy fails to notice and instead asks questions about whether they bought any clothing from out of the country. Cocaine powder flies with wild abandon, Laraine's fake breasts leak cocaine everywhere. He lets the couple go and also lets go a priest with a fake nose and a wheelbarrow full of cocaine but targets a black woman. This made me laugh a lot and Chevy's bumbling worked well in this.
A Film By Gary Weis
The Voice
2 Stars
A woman is haunted by a mysterious voice
Laraine goes about her day but everywhere she goes she is haunted by a mysterious voice, singing ominous songs and sometimes narrating what she's doing. She pulls up to a house, walks in and finds the woman recording the voice-over upstairs and tells her to stop. The first time I watched this I spent the entire film waiting for the punchline and only being slightly amused when it hit. The second time I watched it, knowing the ending, I liked it even less.
Sermonette
1 Star
A priest from the church of confusion gives a sermon
Boy, did I hate this. This was just a bunch of Chevy talking nonsense, making faces and flubbing his lines and making a bit out of it. Everything I don't find funny about Chevy was on display here.
Great Moments Of War
3 Stars
American soldiers inspect a suspicious truck
A group of obvious German soldiers show up to an American checkpoint. They are asked questions to make sure they are American like state capitals and baseball statistics. They are finally discovered when they hand the Americans a matchbook from Berlin. The final test to prove they are who they say they are is to name the manager of the Cleveland Indians, which they don't know and neither do the Americans. They come to suspect that they are all Germans and all put their hands up. This was cute, even if you can see the punchline coming.
Billy Joel returns with "Just The Way You Are". Another good song.
Endings
5 Stars
A sketch that refuses to end
Except for a few bright spots (Baggage Inspection and Great Moments In War), I have not been enjoying this episode but at least it ended strong, by not knowing how to end. The girls are doing a Monty Python like sketch where they are playing English ladies screaming. Chevy tells them that the sketch isn't working and they need to wrap it up. He had a better ending for the show but now can't remember what it was. They cut to Dan as Rod Serling who gives a Twilight Zone ending that these people are all stuck in a sketch without an ending. Then we cut to John as Truman Capote watching the show without pants. Bill then comes out as a director to tell John that he's not wearing pants and this is not a good ending. John then has a heart attack as does the rest of the cast. Then Chevy comes out as the Land Shark and Garrett comes out as the Archbishop to say "That's all folks!". After a lackluster episode, it was nice to see them throw a bunch of silliness at the wall and see what sticks.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"I don’t think that ending’s gonna work"
Average
2.4 Stars
MVP
Chevy Chase, I suppose, since he was all over this episode but I didn't really like anything he did.
I'll go with John Belushi
Weekend Update, Baggage Inspection, Great Moments In War, Endings
I'll go with John Belushi
Weekend Update, Baggage Inspection, Great Moments In War, Endings
Best Sketch
Endings
Worst Sketch
King
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
My main problem with this episode was the Chevy Chase-ness of it all. It makes sense to get the band back together and do a show like you would in the old days but did we need 15 minutes of Weekend Update, a Gerald Ford cold open and a Chevy talks straight to camera piece? I didn't mind Chevy when he was just part of a sketch like Baggage Inspection and Great Moments In War but when you just put the camera on him and let him make a bunch of stupid faces and babble incoherently, that's when I check out.
Host Analysis
I've talked about my feelings toward Chevy in other recaps, I don't find him funny. He has a very limited bag of comedic tricks and does them all every time he hosts. I know exactly what Chevy is going to do and I don't like it.
Final Thoughts
The weakest of the season so far, although it did have some bright spots so it wasn't insufferable. Actually, I would put the Madeline Kahn and Hugh Hefner episodes below this in terms of enjoyment I got from them. I'm probably harder on this episode because it was hosted by someone I don't think is very funny and he was all over this episode. I didn't think Mary Kay Place was that funny either but, apart from her monologue, she didn't hurt the flow of the show. If you take out the cold open, monologue, Weekend Update, King and Sermonette, this is a decent episode. Half of this episode worked, the other half was a bummer to watch.
Up Next
Uh oh. O.J. Simpson is hosting...oh, wait, what? It was before all of that other stuff? He was just a football star who appeared in Roots and The Towering Inferno? He hasn't, you know, yet? Oh, ok. Looks like it's a family show as his relatives Ashford & Simpson are the musical guest.
Uh oh. O.J. Simpson is hosting...oh, wait, what? It was before all of that other stuff? He was just a football star who appeared in Roots and The Towering Inferno? He hasn't, you know, yet? Oh, ok. Looks like it's a family show as his relatives Ashford & Simpson are the musical guest.
You don’t seem to know much about the show.
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