"Mr. Death, can you kiss me goodnight?"
Cold Open: Locker Room
1 Star
John is moving to Hollywood
The anchor of the NBC Evening News is stepping down so everyone at the company is moving up a rung on the corporate ladder. As a result, John is going to star on Grizzly Addams but needs to change his name to Kevin Scott. This gag continues into the opening credits as Don Pardo introduces Belushi as Kevin Scott and he's even listed last to keep the alphabetical order consistent. This seemed lazy even by cold open standards. There weren't a lot of jokes and the one good one they had (the bear on Grizzly Addams having final approval) they repeated twice.
Christopher Lee Monologue
The anchor of the NBC Evening News is stepping down so everyone at the company is moving up a rung on the corporate ladder. As a result, John is going to star on Grizzly Addams but needs to change his name to Kevin Scott. This gag continues into the opening credits as Don Pardo introduces Belushi as Kevin Scott and he's even listed last to keep the alphabetical order consistent. This seemed lazy even by cold open standards. There weren't a lot of jokes and the one good one they had (the bear on Grizzly Addams having final approval) they repeated twice.
Christopher Lee Monologue
4 Stars
Christopher shows some horror trailers
Christopher Lee is mostly known for starring in those horror movies you see on television late at night but he hasn't been in one for a while because he's not been happy with the quality. To show us how crappy the genre has become he shares with us 3 trailers for upcoming horror films.
Christopher Lee is mostly known for starring in those horror movies you see on television late at night but he hasn't been in one for a while because he's not been happy with the quality. To show us how crappy the genre has become he shares with us 3 trailers for upcoming horror films.
Laraine checks in to the island of Dr. Mobius but can't leave as this is also The Island Of Lost Luggage. Garrett laughs maniacally as a hunchbacked Gilda brings her the wrong bags.
Bill and Jane try to give John subtle hints that the party is over and it's time to go home but he still wants to listen to some records, make long distance phone calls and watch some TV in The Thing That Wouldn't Leave.
Dan plays Vincent Price who drinks a strange concoction and ends up slipping into a cardigan in Dr. Jekyll And Mister Rogers. All 3 of these were very funny, short and sweet. It was a little awkward when we cut back to Christopher who stares at the camera for a second before saying "See what I mean?". Probably should have just gone to commercial after the last bit.
Speech Therapy
1 Star
Henry Higgins teaches Baba Wawa to speak cowectwy
Oh, this was bad. The gag that it's Baba Wawa coming in to work with Henry Higgins was strong but the sketch had nothing other than that. You know instantly that she's going to say "The wain in Spain faws mainwy on the pwain" and she does. I suppose if you really love this character then this sketch works for you, I find her repetitive to the point of annoying. This sketch moved very slowly as Christopher Lee is not demonstrating the greatest of comedic timing. There's also a running gag where music starts but they don't ever start singing that I thought was kind of cute but didn't really get. I kept waiting for this one to be over.
Meat Loaf
"No Place To Go"
Christopher Lee's introduction to Meat Loaf is the funniest thing he does all night. "I'd like you to meet, Loaf! Beg your pardon? Oh, sorry. Ladies and gentlemen, Meat Loaf!". I never realized until now that his name is Meat Loaf. I always thought he was Meatloaf, one word. I didn't know that if you looked him up in the phone book he would be listed as Loaf, Meat. Mr. Loaf sings a song exuberantly with the apropos lyrics "Every Saturday night, I felt the fever grow...".
Weekend Update
We get our first Point/Counterpoint of the season. In this one they debate whether they should have the Point/Counterpoint segment. They argue on a personal level and Dan calls Jane an ignorant slut. This was a bright spot in a segment I have disliked watching all season. There's also a real groaner of a joke when Jane reports that Bill Cosby, Beverly Sills, Johnny Cash and Connie Chung have started a singing group, Cosby, Sills, Cash and Chung. Get it? Boo!
John Belushi comes out, or rather Kevin Scott comes out. Remember from the cold open? Yeah, this is the last time they bring it up. Not the greatest running gag. He talks about oil tankers and uses a model to demonstrate how sturdy they are. As he gestures with the model it starts spilling oil everywhere. I think either the prop was faulty or this wasn't executed as well as they wanted it to be. You can see Belushi really shaking the tanker to get it to spill more oil. What should have been all over his face and hands just ends up a little on his sleeve.
Bill Murray gives his first ever Oscar picks. He goes through the nominees, picking Diane Keaton and Richard Burton for Actress and Actor, mentioning that John Travolta cancelled on hosting SNL at the last minute (which he reportedly did because he thought it would hurt his chances of winning), and predicting that The Goodbye Girl will win Best Picture as it is the only nominated movie he saw.
Mr. Death
2 Stars
Mr. Death visits a young girl
A young Laraine is sad when her dog dies and Mr. Death comes to apologize. He explains the concept of death to her and says that he doesn't like taking puppies from little girls, it's just his job. This was cute but not that funny. Once again, Christopher Lee seems to not be the greatest comedic actor. Serious actors can work on the show, you just have to give them funny lines. He's doing a good job acting here, he's just the wrong fit for SNL.
Suggestions For Sadat
1 Star
Anwar Sadat asks for advice
This is so topical that I can't even begin to tell you what it's about. Even if I was up on my Egyptian history from 1978, I still don't think I would find this funny. It's so short that it feels like a filler piece anyway.
A Film By Gary Weis
Cold As Ice
2 Stars
A man is repeatedly murdered
Come on, SNL. This has not been the strongest episode so far, and now you're giving me a music video? Foreigner's Cold As Ice plays as a woman keeps murdering Stacy Keach. He gets a gunshot to the belly, scissors in the back and finally a shotgun to the crotch. This is a straight up music video, and not an incredibly interesting one. No idea why this made the show. Afterwards, we cut to the audience to see a young Rick Overton in the crowd.
Del Stator's Rabbit Hut
2 Stars
A restaurant where you pick your own rabbit
What happened this week? This seems like something thrown together last minute. Dan welcomes a family into his restaurant, they pick the rabbit they want to eat, at first the kid doesn't want to eat it but then says it tastes like chicken. I would say this was an idea they cobbled together quickly, but if that was the case, where did they get all the rabbits? You mean this was something they wrote and rehearsed?
Vampire / Nixon
1 Star
Vampire hunters ascend on Richard Nixon
Christopher, Jane and John are a group of vampire hunters. When they finally meet their target, it's former president Richard Nixon writing his memoirs. They storm his room, stab his memoirs which kills him. After they leave, Nixon rises and starts to work on his book again. None of this worked for me.
Richard Belzer
2 Stars
I wasn't expecting Munch to be this animated in his stand-up. He does a bit about a lounge singer doing a Rolling Stones medley which transitions into a Mick Jagger impression. A weird bit to do on the show seeing as how one of SNL's recurring characters at the time was a lounge singer. I liked his impression of Bob Dylan as an old Jew.
Meat Loaf returns with "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" which is a decent performance. If I was unfamiliar with Meat Loaf and you told me that this was a comedian's comic persona, I would probably believe you.
The Mr. Bill Show
Mr. Bill's Circus
2 Stars
A man made of clay is tortured at the circus
I feel like Mr. Bill was cool at the time. I loved him when I was a kid and these shorts inspired me to both play with my own toys and make movies with them. I find it a little annoying now and this episode was so bad that ending with this feels like they just really didn't have anything this week.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"I'm inevitable. Everything has to die, people, animals, flowers"
Average
1.8 Stars
MVP
Laraine Newman
Monologue, Mr. Death, Del Stator's Rabbit Hut
It was really hard to pick an MVP this week as literally nobody seemed interested in trying to save this episode.
Best Sketch
Christopher Lee Monologue
Worst Sketch
Vampire / Nixon
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
I can't really give advice on how to fix this, it was just bad. I guess they could have written some decent sketches. Almost everything in this episode felt like an afterthought. The worst part about this wasn't the filler pieces like Cold As Ice, Mr. Bill and Richard Belzer, it was the failed running gag of John Belushi changing his name. They mention it in the cold open, opening credits and Weekend Update and then don't do anything with it. I needed closure to this joke. Give me a Grizzly Addams sketch or Belushi meeting with the President of NBC, something. Why introduce a gag if you don't have a punchline?
Host Analysis
Christopher Lee seems like a really nice guy. He's a good actor. Sketch comedy is not for him and they really should have limited his screen time. He was only in 3 sketches but they were the slowest paced sketches due to his delivery and lack of comic timing.
Final Thoughts
This was not only a low point of a good season, it was a low point in the show's history. This season has had some incredible highs with certain episodes ranking as my favorites of all-time. This was on par with Deion Sanders in season 20 (my gold standard for terrible). Nothing, outside of the monologue, worked. This was bordering on abysmal to watch. Sketches were either way too long and slow to be funny or they were so short that they felt like filler. Watch the monologue of this episode if you're gonna watch anything but you can also skip this one entirely. In a way, I'm glad this episode stunk. One of the main reasons I've avoided watching the original seasons is because I thought they would be over-hyped. I've always heard so many glowing things and for the most part, I have agreed. This season has been incredibly strong. It's nice to know that even in its heyday, SNL can still suck. It's what I love about the show. You never know what you're gonna get. Every now and then you get gold, but you get an equal amount of terrible. You need these lows to fully appreciate the highs and forgive the mediocre.
Up Next
After 2 weak episodes, 3 if you count the Art Garfunkel episode which had some great stuff between all the slow songs, I'm hoping Michael Palin can break us out of this mid-season slump.
Dan plays Vincent Price who drinks a strange concoction and ends up slipping into a cardigan in Dr. Jekyll And Mister Rogers. All 3 of these were very funny, short and sweet. It was a little awkward when we cut back to Christopher who stares at the camera for a second before saying "See what I mean?". Probably should have just gone to commercial after the last bit.
Speech Therapy
Henry Higgins teaches Baba Wawa to speak cowectwy
Oh, this was bad. The gag that it's Baba Wawa coming in to work with Henry Higgins was strong but the sketch had nothing other than that. You know instantly that she's going to say "The wain in Spain faws mainwy on the pwain" and she does. I suppose if you really love this character then this sketch works for you, I find her repetitive to the point of annoying. This sketch moved very slowly as Christopher Lee is not demonstrating the greatest of comedic timing. There's also a running gag where music starts but they don't ever start singing that I thought was kind of cute but didn't really get. I kept waiting for this one to be over.
Meat Loaf
"No Place To Go"
Christopher Lee's introduction to Meat Loaf is the funniest thing he does all night. "I'd like you to meet, Loaf! Beg your pardon? Oh, sorry. Ladies and gentlemen, Meat Loaf!". I never realized until now that his name is Meat Loaf. I always thought he was Meatloaf, one word. I didn't know that if you looked him up in the phone book he would be listed as Loaf, Meat. Mr. Loaf sings a song exuberantly with the apropos lyrics "Every Saturday night, I felt the fever grow...".
Weekend Update
We get our first Point/Counterpoint of the season. In this one they debate whether they should have the Point/Counterpoint segment. They argue on a personal level and Dan calls Jane an ignorant slut. This was a bright spot in a segment I have disliked watching all season. There's also a real groaner of a joke when Jane reports that Bill Cosby, Beverly Sills, Johnny Cash and Connie Chung have started a singing group, Cosby, Sills, Cash and Chung. Get it? Boo!
John Belushi comes out, or rather Kevin Scott comes out. Remember from the cold open? Yeah, this is the last time they bring it up. Not the greatest running gag. He talks about oil tankers and uses a model to demonstrate how sturdy they are. As he gestures with the model it starts spilling oil everywhere. I think either the prop was faulty or this wasn't executed as well as they wanted it to be. You can see Belushi really shaking the tanker to get it to spill more oil. What should have been all over his face and hands just ends up a little on his sleeve.
Bill Murray gives his first ever Oscar picks. He goes through the nominees, picking Diane Keaton and Richard Burton for Actress and Actor, mentioning that John Travolta cancelled on hosting SNL at the last minute (which he reportedly did because he thought it would hurt his chances of winning), and predicting that The Goodbye Girl will win Best Picture as it is the only nominated movie he saw.
Mr. Death
2 Stars
Mr. Death visits a young girl
A young Laraine is sad when her dog dies and Mr. Death comes to apologize. He explains the concept of death to her and says that he doesn't like taking puppies from little girls, it's just his job. This was cute but not that funny. Once again, Christopher Lee seems to not be the greatest comedic actor. Serious actors can work on the show, you just have to give them funny lines. He's doing a good job acting here, he's just the wrong fit for SNL.
Suggestions For Sadat
1 Star
Anwar Sadat asks for advice
This is so topical that I can't even begin to tell you what it's about. Even if I was up on my Egyptian history from 1978, I still don't think I would find this funny. It's so short that it feels like a filler piece anyway.
A Film By Gary Weis
Cold As Ice
2 Stars
A man is repeatedly murdered
Come on, SNL. This has not been the strongest episode so far, and now you're giving me a music video? Foreigner's Cold As Ice plays as a woman keeps murdering Stacy Keach. He gets a gunshot to the belly, scissors in the back and finally a shotgun to the crotch. This is a straight up music video, and not an incredibly interesting one. No idea why this made the show. Afterwards, we cut to the audience to see a young Rick Overton in the crowd.
Del Stator's Rabbit Hut
2 Stars
A restaurant where you pick your own rabbit
What happened this week? This seems like something thrown together last minute. Dan welcomes a family into his restaurant, they pick the rabbit they want to eat, at first the kid doesn't want to eat it but then says it tastes like chicken. I would say this was an idea they cobbled together quickly, but if that was the case, where did they get all the rabbits? You mean this was something they wrote and rehearsed?
Vampire / Nixon
1 Star
Vampire hunters ascend on Richard Nixon
Christopher, Jane and John are a group of vampire hunters. When they finally meet their target, it's former president Richard Nixon writing his memoirs. They storm his room, stab his memoirs which kills him. After they leave, Nixon rises and starts to work on his book again. None of this worked for me.
Richard Belzer
2 Stars
I wasn't expecting Munch to be this animated in his stand-up. He does a bit about a lounge singer doing a Rolling Stones medley which transitions into a Mick Jagger impression. A weird bit to do on the show seeing as how one of SNL's recurring characters at the time was a lounge singer. I liked his impression of Bob Dylan as an old Jew.
Meat Loaf returns with "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" which is a decent performance. If I was unfamiliar with Meat Loaf and you told me that this was a comedian's comic persona, I would probably believe you.
The Mr. Bill Show
Mr. Bill's Circus
2 Stars
A man made of clay is tortured at the circus
I feel like Mr. Bill was cool at the time. I loved him when I was a kid and these shorts inspired me to both play with my own toys and make movies with them. I find it a little annoying now and this episode was so bad that ending with this feels like they just really didn't have anything this week.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"I'm inevitable. Everything has to die, people, animals, flowers"
Average
1.8 Stars
MVP
Laraine Newman
Monologue, Mr. Death, Del Stator's Rabbit Hut
It was really hard to pick an MVP this week as literally nobody seemed interested in trying to save this episode.
Best Sketch
Christopher Lee Monologue
Worst Sketch
Vampire / Nixon
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
I can't really give advice on how to fix this, it was just bad. I guess they could have written some decent sketches. Almost everything in this episode felt like an afterthought. The worst part about this wasn't the filler pieces like Cold As Ice, Mr. Bill and Richard Belzer, it was the failed running gag of John Belushi changing his name. They mention it in the cold open, opening credits and Weekend Update and then don't do anything with it. I needed closure to this joke. Give me a Grizzly Addams sketch or Belushi meeting with the President of NBC, something. Why introduce a gag if you don't have a punchline?
Host Analysis
Christopher Lee seems like a really nice guy. He's a good actor. Sketch comedy is not for him and they really should have limited his screen time. He was only in 3 sketches but they were the slowest paced sketches due to his delivery and lack of comic timing.
Final Thoughts
This was not only a low point of a good season, it was a low point in the show's history. This season has had some incredible highs with certain episodes ranking as my favorites of all-time. This was on par with Deion Sanders in season 20 (my gold standard for terrible). Nothing, outside of the monologue, worked. This was bordering on abysmal to watch. Sketches were either way too long and slow to be funny or they were so short that they felt like filler. Watch the monologue of this episode if you're gonna watch anything but you can also skip this one entirely. In a way, I'm glad this episode stunk. One of the main reasons I've avoided watching the original seasons is because I thought they would be over-hyped. I've always heard so many glowing things and for the most part, I have agreed. This season has been incredibly strong. It's nice to know that even in its heyday, SNL can still suck. It's what I love about the show. You never know what you're gonna get. Every now and then you get gold, but you get an equal amount of terrible. You need these lows to fully appreciate the highs and forgive the mediocre.
Up Next
After 2 weak episodes, 3 if you count the Art Garfunkel episode which had some great stuff between all the slow songs, I'm hoping Michael Palin can break us out of this mid-season slump.
So bad it is good?
ReplyDeleteWho wrote this? That Kevin Scott joke was gold. Highly unconventional and fitting in with the sporadic and off the wall comedy that made the first 5 years so good. Have you seen anything like it since? And the Weekend Update part had Dan breaking character 3 times. Foh
ReplyDelete