“Do you think Lucille Ball is a pinko?”
Cold Open: Strauss-Kahn's Cell
3 Stars
Can’t say I have any idea who Dominique Strauss-Kahn was but this still works without context. After he’s lead into jail he gets accosted by his cellmates but the twist is they know a lot about global politics and are very well educated. Once you get the reveal it goes on a bit too long but solid performances from both Jay and Kenan and a nice punchline of “We gonna rape you now”.
Justin Timberlake Monologue
4 Stars
Justin is not the musical guest tonight, he’s just the host, so he doesn’t have to sing. So he sings a song about it. And it’s damn catchy. Gotta give it to the kid, he’s a charismatic son of a bitch.
Liquorville
4th appearance of The Dancing Mascot. I was never a fan of these but the crowd eats it up and it provides some energy to the show. I can’t hate it but you couldn’t pay me to tell you anything specific about it. These leave my brain real quick. Lady Gaga joins in as a singing corkscrew.
WXPD News New York
3rd appearance of Herb Welch, this time reporting on a gas leak at a school. This is definitely my favorite of the first 3 this season as they’re starting to have fun with things like the microphone beatings. Herb at one point pulls out a second microphone to hit Justin with and somehow is able to hit Jason in the studio. We also get a fun moment when Herb beats up Fred after hearing his Japanese name and a pic of Herb at Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassination.
3-Way (The Golden Rule)
Nice continuity to have the two exiting their respective mother’s houses at the beginning. Andy and Justin sing about how all rules are off in a threesome. In hindsight I could see how someone could interpret this as homophobic but I think the main joke is that these two guys obviously want to bang each other they just don’t want to admit it. So the joke is on them. It’s definitely the weakest of the Dick In A Box trilogy but it’s still fun and the song’s a bop.
Lady Gaga
"The Edge Of Glory / Judas"
Weekend Update
And we end Update with Seth heading off with Stefon to a beach covered in jellyfish. A fun way to end the season.
What's That Name?
I was very apprehensive about seeing this a second time but they provided enough extras to keep it fresh. It’s the celebrity edition and Justin and Lady Gaga are playing for charity. Gaga remembers every one of her fan’s names while Justin can’t recall the woman he had sex with last week or his former band mate Chris Kirkpatrick. He does recognize MC Skat Kat though. Bill absolutely kills it her as the game show host who delights in torturing his contestants.
Merryville Love Tunnel
I’m also reluctant for a second helping of this but this turned out better than the first. Jason is a step up in the straight man department and both Justin and Taran get to demonstrate some impressive poppin’ and lockin’. I also enjoyed them making Nasim their bride.
Secret Word
I’m not sure how this sketch is gonna work a 5th time…oh, wait, yeah I do. Exactly the same as the other 4. Justin has some fun moments as a terrible magician and Bill is fun as usual in his second game show host role of the night.
Lady Gaga returns with "Born This Way"
The Barry Gibb Talk Show
And we’ve officially hit the tipping point for my nostalgia. It’s the 5th appearance of this sketch that I have always hated.
“Let me teabag you all night long”
Average
3.1 Stars
MVP
Bill Hader
WXPD News New York, Weekend Update, What's That Name?, Merryville Love Tunnel, Secret Word
Best Sketch
What’s That Name?
Worst Sketch
The Barry Gibb Talk Show
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
I’m just now realizing, was everything recurring? Outside of the cold open and monologue everything was a repeat. The first half didn’t feel like it since it was all the sketches you expect from a JT episode but I definitely noticed it in the back half with the one-two punch of What’s That Name? and Merryville. And I certainly noticed when they trotted out yet another Secret Word. Would have been nice to have one thing I haven’t seen before but I’ll let it pass for the season finale. It almost felt like a best of episode.
Host Analysis
Solid throughout. The guy’s a showman. I remember at the time rolling my eyes a bit but that was probably with a twinge of jealousy.
Final Thoughts
A fun series finale. The recurring character train definitely had diminishing results but didn’t fully run out of steam until the end. The gamble of bringing back What’s That Name? and Merryville paid off but I’m glad they didn’t do them too many more times after this.
Time for one final newbie check in. Not a whole lot for Vanessa in the back 7. She got to play Miley with Miley and was one of the Fox News anchors but she’s holding steady. Paul’s stock continues to drop. He had the Hallmark Mother’s Day commercial and Funky Boy but it’s bit parts aside from that. My favorite moment of his was in the Elton John episode where he reported on Sting jizzing all over a dragon. Taran is also holding steady in the back half but the second dose of Les Jeunes des Paris and Merryville Trolley is a boost of confidence. And Jay played Will Smith twice.
Up Next
Lists, lists, and more lists. A Best Of/Worst Of for the season and a cast ranking
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