"She's so stunning I'd like to shoot her in the back of the head."
Cold Open: O.J. Today
Johnnie Cochran makes his final arguments to the jury
We start off with an introduction to the OJ Today news team including your OJ anchorperson, your OJ weatherman, OJ Sports, OJ Traffic and cooking tips with Mr. OJ Food. See, the joke here is that the news of the day was all OJ all the time. All of this setup is fun but kind of pointless because we then go to Tim Meadows as Johnnie Cochran addressing the jury. He's upset that people are saying he's using the race card to cater to a predominately black jury. While he says all this he is wearing an African tie, African hat and tribal earrings. We then pan over to the other lawyers and they are all dressed in African garb. There's a touch of hypocrisy here that the whole sketch is about pointing out the absurdity of using race as an argument and then we cut to the very white Mark McKinney playing the Asian Judge Ito. This was basically a Tim Meadows monologue, the best line for me was when he said that they were playing the "race card" but nobody is upset that the prosecution is playing the "evidence card".
This is a seminal episode of SNL for me. I think I started watching religiously around season 17 or 18 and then over the summer I hear that they are overhauling the cast. I remember reading the names Ferrell, Koechner and Oteri and was excited to see new faces. Over the summer I made a list of my dream SNL cast, I included people like Chris Elliott (who I loved from season 19) and some comedians I saw on Comedy Central at the time. I can't remember who all was on the list but I do remember thinking David Alan Grier would have been a great addition. When the camera panned over to the rest of the O.J. Dream Team I saw David Koechner, Jim Breur and Steve Higgins? Not sure why Darrell Hammond couldn't have played F. Lee Bailey for a walk on role but I remember wondering who that guy was. He wasn't in the opening credits. I spent the whole episode wondering who that guy in the F. Lee Bailey tribal wear was. Why wouldn't they give that part to a cast member? Or why didn't they make Steve Higgins a cast member? My teenage mind was very confused. Also, all the pictures of the O.J. reporters at the beginning were of (I'm guessing) writers or stock photos. You have an entire cast of fresh faces that nobody has seen before, why not put them in those pictures?
Mariel Hemingway Monologue
We start off with an introduction to the OJ Today news team including your OJ anchorperson, your OJ weatherman, OJ Sports, OJ Traffic and cooking tips with Mr. OJ Food. See, the joke here is that the news of the day was all OJ all the time. All of this setup is fun but kind of pointless because we then go to Tim Meadows as Johnnie Cochran addressing the jury. He's upset that people are saying he's using the race card to cater to a predominately black jury. While he says all this he is wearing an African tie, African hat and tribal earrings. We then pan over to the other lawyers and they are all dressed in African garb. There's a touch of hypocrisy here that the whole sketch is about pointing out the absurdity of using race as an argument and then we cut to the very white Mark McKinney playing the Asian Judge Ito. This was basically a Tim Meadows monologue, the best line for me was when he said that they were playing the "race card" but nobody is upset that the prosecution is playing the "evidence card".
This is a seminal episode of SNL for me. I think I started watching religiously around season 17 or 18 and then over the summer I hear that they are overhauling the cast. I remember reading the names Ferrell, Koechner and Oteri and was excited to see new faces. Over the summer I made a list of my dream SNL cast, I included people like Chris Elliott (who I loved from season 19) and some comedians I saw on Comedy Central at the time. I can't remember who all was on the list but I do remember thinking David Alan Grier would have been a great addition. When the camera panned over to the rest of the O.J. Dream Team I saw David Koechner, Jim Breur and Steve Higgins? Not sure why Darrell Hammond couldn't have played F. Lee Bailey for a walk on role but I remember wondering who that guy was. He wasn't in the opening credits. I spent the whole episode wondering who that guy in the F. Lee Bailey tribal wear was. Why wouldn't they give that part to a cast member? Or why didn't they make Steve Higgins a cast member? My teenage mind was very confused. Also, all the pictures of the O.J. reporters at the beginning were of (I'm guessing) writers or stock photos. You have an entire cast of fresh faces that nobody has seen before, why not put them in those pictures?
Mariel Hemingway Monologue
2 Stars
Mariel wishes the cast a good show, especially the women
Mariel is excited for the show and the new cast. She brags that the one episode she did on Roseanne gives her more television experience than anyone else here tonight. She takes us on a backstage tour to meet everyone. She says Hi to Will Ferrell and David Koechner but gives Cheri Oteri a big kiss on the lips. She walks right past Darrell Hammond and gives a big smooch to Molly Shannon. She walks in the control room and kisses director Beth McCarthy-Miller. Nancy Walls is getting changed in the dressing room and she gets a liplock. Being 20 years removed from this episode I had to look up Mariel Hemingway and forgot that the episode of Roseanne she mentioned was famous for having an on-screen lesbian kiss. Hemingway also played a lot of lesbians in her film career (most notably Personal Best). This was fine, I'm just not a fan of comedy where the punchline is simply two people of the same sex kissing. It makes it seem like there is something bizarre or shocking about same sex relationships. Granted, this was 1995 and it was a different time.
A.M. Ale
Mariel is excited for the show and the new cast. She brags that the one episode she did on Roseanne gives her more television experience than anyone else here tonight. She takes us on a backstage tour to meet everyone. She says Hi to Will Ferrell and David Koechner but gives Cheri Oteri a big kiss on the lips. She walks right past Darrell Hammond and gives a big smooch to Molly Shannon. She walks in the control room and kisses director Beth McCarthy-Miller. Nancy Walls is getting changed in the dressing room and she gets a liplock. Being 20 years removed from this episode I had to look up Mariel Hemingway and forgot that the episode of Roseanne she mentioned was famous for having an on-screen lesbian kiss. Hemingway also played a lot of lesbians in her film career (most notably Personal Best). This was fine, I'm just not a fan of comedy where the punchline is simply two people of the same sex kissing. It makes it seem like there is something bizarre or shocking about same sex relationships. Granted, this was 1995 and it was a different time.
A.M. Ale
5 Stars
A beer for when you're on the go
David Koechner is running late for work so he reaches in the fridge and grabs a 40 ounce bottle of A.M. Ale as he heads out the door. We also see Molly Shannon chugging while working as a crossing guard. Will Ferrell is a truck driver with a bottle in his hand. Jim Breuer anxiously waits for a bar to open. It was weird to see all the new cast members in non speaking roles and because of the Steve Higgins cameo in the cold open, I'm not sure who's a real cast member and who's a writer. I laughed hysterically when the jingle said that you can trust A.M. Ale with your secrets. This was really well done.
Get Off The Shed!
David Koechner is running late for work so he reaches in the fridge and grabs a 40 ounce bottle of A.M. Ale as he heads out the door. We also see Molly Shannon chugging while working as a crossing guard. Will Ferrell is a truck driver with a bottle in his hand. Jim Breuer anxiously waits for a bar to open. It was weird to see all the new cast members in non speaking roles and because of the Steve Higgins cameo in the cold open, I'm not sure who's a real cast member and who's a writer. I laughed hysterically when the jingle said that you can trust A.M. Ale with your secrets. This was really well done.
Get Off The Shed!
3 Stars
A BBQ is disrupted by rambunctious children
Ferrell is having a BBQ with his wife, Mariel Hemingway, and his neighbors, Koechner and Walls. As he's flipping burgers he routinely gets distracted by his children and their refusal to get off of the shed. He gets more and more violent, threatening to punch them in the face at one point. For the first episode of the season with a new cast this was odd to see as this was Will Ferrell being brazenly Will Ferrell. He seems to not care if the audience is on his side but rather will do what he finds funny and hope the audience will catch up. The sketch had a pretty weak ending, the kids get off the shed but then Mariel tells them to get out of the fountain.
I remember watching this episode live and me and my dad started using 'Get off the shed' as our catchphrase for when a sketch started running too long. Coincidentally it is also the sign off used on my Saturday Night Live podcast 'Saturday Night Jive' (available on iTunes).
Nightline
Ferrell is having a BBQ with his wife, Mariel Hemingway, and his neighbors, Koechner and Walls. As he's flipping burgers he routinely gets distracted by his children and their refusal to get off of the shed. He gets more and more violent, threatening to punch them in the face at one point. For the first episode of the season with a new cast this was odd to see as this was Will Ferrell being brazenly Will Ferrell. He seems to not care if the audience is on his side but rather will do what he finds funny and hope the audience will catch up. The sketch had a pretty weak ending, the kids get off the shed but then Mariel tells them to get out of the fountain.
I remember watching this episode live and me and my dad started using 'Get off the shed' as our catchphrase for when a sketch started running too long. Coincidentally it is also the sign off used on my Saturday Night Live podcast 'Saturday Night Jive' (available on iTunes).
Nightline
4 Stars
Bob Dole debates Colin Powell gearing up for the Republican primary
Ted Koppel interviews both Dole and Powell. Powell is considering a run for the presidency and Bob Dole insinuates that he's gay.
"Prayer in school, Bob Dole's for it, balanced budget, Bob Dole's for it, vaginal sex, Bob Dole's for it."
"The American people need to know that Bob Dole won't sell out the country for an erotic back rub from Boris Yeltsin."
First time we've seen Norm's Bob Dole impression. The sketch is funny and holds up almost exclusively because Norm is so good.
Leg Up
Ted Koppel interviews both Dole and Powell. Powell is considering a run for the presidency and Bob Dole insinuates that he's gay.
"Prayer in school, Bob Dole's for it, balanced budget, Bob Dole's for it, vaginal sex, Bob Dole's for it."
"The American people need to know that Bob Dole won't sell out the country for an erotic back rub from Boris Yeltsin."
First time we've seen Norm's Bob Dole impression. The sketch is funny and holds up almost exclusively because Norm is so good.
Leg Up
2 Stars
Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller host a show about dancing
Molly Shannon plays Ann Miller and Cheri Oteri plays Debbie Reynolds. They are old ladies but full of life. They bring out Elizabeth Berkley (star of Saved By The Bell and Showgirls) as their guest. There are some good lines about sex with old celebrities.
"You're looking at the lunch meat in a Gene Kelly/Donald O'Connor sandwich"
"I rode Mickey Rooney from Kalamazoo to Kansas"
Berkley does a pole dance and they call her a whore. I was never sure what this was supposed to be.
Weekend Update
Molly Shannon plays Ann Miller and Cheri Oteri plays Debbie Reynolds. They are old ladies but full of life. They bring out Elizabeth Berkley (star of Saved By The Bell and Showgirls) as their guest. There are some good lines about sex with old celebrities.
"You're looking at the lunch meat in a Gene Kelly/Donald O'Connor sandwich"
"I rode Mickey Rooney from Kalamazoo to Kansas"
Berkley does a pole dance and they call her a whore. I was never sure what this was supposed to be.
Weekend Update
"It's scrotum licking good"
It feels so good to have Norm back in my life doing these recaps. I sat through Kevin Nealon, Christopher Guest and Dennis Miller and now I'm back to watching the master. For some reason this segment starts with the theme song to Friends and Norm says that he will be there for you as if by gunpoint.
Best Jokes
Review of Showgirls: A high budget porno that is just an excuse to show bare breasts and buttocks. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 10.
Carnie Wilson is hosting a new talk show and she will treat her guest with respect. Then she will eat them.
Better Than Ezra topped the college charts. At number 2: Ezra.
Then we get Nancy Walls with the Head Shaking News. She tells an exceptionally sad story and then shakes her head in dismay. Her final item is personal.
"I'm a new cast member and this Head Shaking News bit is my big piece on the show tonight."
I said this many times during season 11 and 19, but why do they always jump to the self deprecating humor? This is the first episode of the season, do something, anything, before you tell America that you suck.
Blues Traveler
"Run-Around"
Ah, Blues Traveler. This is peak George getting into popular music. I'm sure I owned about half of the CDs of the musical guests we'll be seeing this weekend. I actually owned this album on cassette. In fact, before I bought it I recorded this song off the radio. I've seen Blues Traveler live twice and always thought they were an awesome band. John Popper plays a mean harmonica and this song is catchy as hell.
Getting Off The Phone
4 Stars
A husband helps his wife when she's chatting with a verbose friend
Mariel is bored while she's talking on the phone. Her husband, Will Ferrell, asks if she needs help getting off the phone.
'You on the phone again bitch!? You better get off that before I bash your head in!'
Cut to one hour later and she is again on the phone.
'I am Skeletor, spawn of the hell beast. Hang up the phone and pay homage to my awful power."
Cut to the next day.
'Honey, the police are here. Quick, hide this balloon of heroin up your rectum!"
They visit a doctor who assures them that Will is not retarded. He's just not good at coming up with excuses, but he should still stay a couple of days for observation.
Cut to two months later and Mariel is again on the phone. Will calmly tells her that he needs to use the phone. Mariel tells him that was terrific.
'You know what else is terrific? I killed the dog."
She screams as he pulls out a dead dog puppet. It definitely had a bizarre ending but the sketch was just the right amount of stupid for the end of the night.
Spade In America
Mariel is bored while she's talking on the phone. Her husband, Will Ferrell, asks if she needs help getting off the phone.
'You on the phone again bitch!? You better get off that before I bash your head in!'
Cut to one hour later and she is again on the phone.
'I am Skeletor, spawn of the hell beast. Hang up the phone and pay homage to my awful power."
Cut to the next day.
'Honey, the police are here. Quick, hide this balloon of heroin up your rectum!"
They visit a doctor who assures them that Will is not retarded. He's just not good at coming up with excuses, but he should still stay a couple of days for observation.
Cut to two months later and Mariel is again on the phone. Will calmly tells her that he needs to use the phone. Mariel tells him that was terrific.
'You know what else is terrific? I killed the dog."
She screams as he pulls out a dead dog puppet. It definitely had a bizarre ending but the sketch was just the right amount of stupid for the end of the night.
Spade In America
1 Star
David Spade has some advice for the Unibomber
So, this was a failed experiment. They fired almost everyone in the cast from season 19 but kept Spade around to do some commentaries. So, after Weekend Update, which has an avenue for stuff like this, we get another Update where Spade can talk straight to camera. What's the big bit he's gonna start the season with? The Unibomber looks 'gay'.
"The hoodie, the mustache, the sunglasses. It all screams, 'I'm not crazy about chicks'."
He then goes on to give him some advice, like change your name to 'The Terrorist Formerly Known As The Unibomber'. Get it, a Prince joke. Apparently Prince was booked on the show but backed out so Spade is mad about that too. He says that if Prince did show up he would warmly welcomed with a 5 finger sedative from DS. He's gonna punch Prince in the face? He also suspects some people of being the Unibomber like Sylvester Stallone, because he makes big Hollywood bombs, and Colin Powell, because he's mysterious. He also says that you shouldn't confuse the Unibomber with the Yanni-bomber. This was very lame and a little sad.
Biography
So, this was a failed experiment. They fired almost everyone in the cast from season 19 but kept Spade around to do some commentaries. So, after Weekend Update, which has an avenue for stuff like this, we get another Update where Spade can talk straight to camera. What's the big bit he's gonna start the season with? The Unibomber looks 'gay'.
"The hoodie, the mustache, the sunglasses. It all screams, 'I'm not crazy about chicks'."
He then goes on to give him some advice, like change your name to 'The Terrorist Formerly Known As The Unibomber'. Get it, a Prince joke. Apparently Prince was booked on the show but backed out so Spade is mad about that too. He says that if Prince did show up he would warmly welcomed with a 5 finger sedative from DS. He's gonna punch Prince in the face? He also suspects some people of being the Unibomber like Sylvester Stallone, because he makes big Hollywood bombs, and Colin Powell, because he's mysterious. He also says that you shouldn't confuse the Unibomber with the Yanni-bomber. This was very lame and a little sad.
Biography
3 Stars
Mariel Hemingway's role on Central Park West was intended for 4 guys
When Darren Starr, the creator of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, was casting his new show Central Park West he initially wanted the lead role to be played by 4 men. We then get Mark McKinney, Will Ferrell, David Koechner and Tim Meadows in a dress and a wig together speaking at the same time. This was incredibly stupid but really funny. Once Starr realized the error of his ways he continued to let them do the show but he didn't put any film in the camera.
Fuzzy Memories
When Darren Starr, the creator of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, was casting his new show Central Park West he initially wanted the lead role to be played by 4 men. We then get Mark McKinney, Will Ferrell, David Koechner and Tim Meadows in a dress and a wig together speaking at the same time. This was incredibly stupid but really funny. Once Starr realized the error of his ways he continued to let them do the show but he didn't put any film in the camera.
Fuzzy Memories
4 Stars
Jack Handey recalls a moment from his past
If you're familiar with 'Deep Thoughts' this is the spiritual successor. Jack Handey still narrates but now we have people acting it out and instead of random thoughts it's moments from Handey's childhood. He remembers when he got beat up by a bully at school. When he told his dad he asked his son if the bully has a big dad. They move to a new town and Dad advises his son to never fight back with a bully unless he's sure that the bully doesn't have a dad or if the dad is really small.
Blues Traveler returns to sing Hook and this song rocks, my favorite one off the album.
The Chicken Lady Show
If you're familiar with 'Deep Thoughts' this is the spiritual successor. Jack Handey still narrates but now we have people acting it out and instead of random thoughts it's moments from Handey's childhood. He remembers when he got beat up by a bully at school. When he told his dad he asked his son if the bully has a big dad. They move to a new town and Dad advises his son to never fight back with a bully unless he's sure that the bully doesn't have a dad or if the dad is really small.
Blues Traveler returns to sing Hook and this song rocks, my favorite one off the album.
The Chicken Lady Show
1 Star
Chicken Lady hosts a late night sex show
I wrote down 3 times during this sketch, "What the hell am I watching?". McKinney plays The Chicken Lady (who was a character I never liked from The Kids In The Hall), her daddy was a drifter and her mother was a hen. One day he got the sex fever and Chicken Lady was born. Her cohost is Mickey The Dyke and she's also joined by Ernie The Infantilist (Will Ferrell in a diaper) and Bob The Gimp (Adam McKay in bondage gear). Chicken Lady wants people to call in and tell them a horny story. She gets a caller who is just curious as to what the hell Chicken Lady is. David Koechner comes out as a stripper and Chicken Lady explodes in a cloud of feathers. What the fuck was this? I'm all for absurdity but this not only made no sense, it wasn't funny either. I could feel McKinney and Oteri trying their hardest which was just making me sad.
FINAL ANALYSIS
I wrote down 3 times during this sketch, "What the hell am I watching?". McKinney plays The Chicken Lady (who was a character I never liked from The Kids In The Hall), her daddy was a drifter and her mother was a hen. One day he got the sex fever and Chicken Lady was born. Her cohost is Mickey The Dyke and she's also joined by Ernie The Infantilist (Will Ferrell in a diaper) and Bob The Gimp (Adam McKay in bondage gear). Chicken Lady wants people to call in and tell them a horny story. She gets a caller who is just curious as to what the hell Chicken Lady is. David Koechner comes out as a stripper and Chicken Lady explodes in a cloud of feathers. What the fuck was this? I'm all for absurdity but this not only made no sense, it wasn't funny either. I could feel McKinney and Oteri trying their hardest which was just making me sad.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Get off the shed! Get off the Shed! GET OFF THE DAMN SHED!!!"
Average
2.9 Stars
MVP
Will Ferrell
OJ Today, Monologue, A.M. Ale, Get Off The Shed, Getting Off The Phone, Biography, The Chicken Lady Show
OJ Today, Monologue, A.M. Ale, Get Off The Shed, Getting Off The Phone, Biography, The Chicken Lady Show
Best Sketch
Getting Off The Phone
Worst Sketch
The Chicken Lady Show
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
This was a pretty good episode when it comes to sketch placement. You got the topical sketches up front and then the weird ideas at the end. The only thing wrong is that incredibly lame Spade In America piece after Update. This could have been a sketch but instead David Spade needed to go on a homophobic rant. It's weird, I may have liked it (or at least given it a pass) if it was a Weekend Update desk piece but this bit is so weak that it did not need to have a theme song. Knowing that this was the only thing Spade was gonna do all night makes it weaker. This is why they kept him around? They couldn't have asked Chris Elliot back for another season?
Host Analysis
Mariel Hemingway made almost no impression on me whatsoever. She was fine in the sketches she appeared in, if a bit hammy. I didn't mention her weird moment in Get Off The Shed! where she awkwardly smelled Nancy Walls's hair. I was wondering if that was a continuation of the monologue but it just came off as clumsy.
Final Thoughts
This is going to be a completely different season for me to review. I started with season 20 where it was the end of an era, then I went to season 19 where the writing was starting to form on the wall, then season 10 which was a random one off season starring established stars, then season 11 which was supposed to be a rebuilding year but failed. This was also a rebuilding year but it succeeded. I'm interested to see how the likes of Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon grew into the stars of the show but I think it's going to be hard to separate myself from knowing what became of them. I remember watching this episode live and thinking that nobody in this cast had the goods to make it. Watching it now I was loving how committed Will Ferrell was to being Will Ferrell.
Up Next
Bizarre coincidence, Chevy Chase hosted the second episode the last season I watched which was exactly 10 years earlier than this one. Even more bizarre Chevy Chase never existed, he was just a figment of your imagination.
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