Cold Open: Second Presidential Debate
3 Stars
Bush and Gore tend to agree on most issues
Not as memorable as the one from last week, but I'm also 20 years removed from what they are mocking. Gore and Bush seem to agree on most issues, Bush takes pride in being able to pronounce the names of foreign leaders, Jim Lehrer gets fed up and starts watching a baseball game. Chris Parnell gets his second "Live from New York..." of the season in the second episode.
Kate Hudson Monologue
4 Stars
Not as memorable as the one from last week, but I'm also 20 years removed from what they are mocking. Gore and Bush seem to agree on most issues, Bush takes pride in being able to pronounce the names of foreign leaders, Jim Lehrer gets fed up and starts watching a baseball game. Chris Parnell gets his second "Live from New York..." of the season in the second episode.
Kate Hudson Monologue
4 Stars
Kate, the daughter of Goldie Hawn, gets visited by other Laugh-In offspring
Kate barely gets a plug in for her new movie before being visited by Rachel as the daughter of Laugh-In player Ruth Buzzi. Arte Johnson Jr., Jo Anne Worley's daughter and Alan Sues's son follow. Kate joins in for the reunion, ripping off her dress to reveal a bikini and a tattooed body similar to her mom's role on the 70's variety show. Sort of a deep dive, I'm only passingly familiar with Laugh-In and I'm sure the majority of SNL's audience has no knowledge of the show, its cast, or the fact that Goldie Hawn was on it. Still, this was really cute and Kate comes off extremely likable here.
Home For College
4 Stars
Kate barely gets a plug in for her new movie before being visited by Rachel as the daughter of Laugh-In player Ruth Buzzi. Arte Johnson Jr., Jo Anne Worley's daughter and Alan Sues's son follow. Kate joins in for the reunion, ripping off her dress to reveal a bikini and a tattooed body similar to her mom's role on the 70's variety show. Sort of a deep dive, I'm only passingly familiar with Laugh-In and I'm sure the majority of SNL's audience has no knowledge of the show, its cast, or the fact that Goldie Hawn was on it. Still, this was really cute and Kate comes off extremely likable here.
Home For College
4 Stars
A daughter's Spring Break rowdiness comes to light due to a late night commercial
Will and Molly are watching TV with their daughter when a commercial for Girls Gone Wild comes on. Their daughter features prominently in the ad, drinking, flashing her breasts, and getting arrested. The calls from Grandma and other relatives start pouring in and we get a nice punchline of Molly also being featured in the commercials.
The X-Presidents
2 Stars
Will and Molly are watching TV with their daughter when a commercial for Girls Gone Wild comes on. Their daughter features prominently in the ad, drinking, flashing her breasts, and getting arrested. The calls from Grandma and other relatives start pouring in and we get a nice punchline of Molly also being featured in the commercials.
The X-Presidents
2 Stars
The X-Presidents help their offspring in the debate
5th appearance of The X-Presidents. This TV Funhouse selection ranges from great to completely forgettable for me. This one down right confused me. The presidential debates are on and Ronald Reagan uses some kind of mind powers to turn George W. Bush into a fluent Spanish speaker. Then Al Gore turns into Amy Carter, Ronald Reagan Jr., and Gerald Ford's dog. I was unclear what the hell was going on here, turns out it was Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan behind the whole thing. They were trying to flood the election with more candidates so they could create chaos. The only real laugh I got from this was the continuing sight gag of George H W Bush nailing his wife.
Inside The Actors Studio
2 Stars
5th appearance of The X-Presidents. This TV Funhouse selection ranges from great to completely forgettable for me. This one down right confused me. The presidential debates are on and Ronald Reagan uses some kind of mind powers to turn George W. Bush into a fluent Spanish speaker. Then Al Gore turns into Amy Carter, Ronald Reagan Jr., and Gerald Ford's dog. I was unclear what the hell was going on here, turns out it was Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan behind the whole thing. They were trying to flood the election with more candidates so they could create chaos. The only real laugh I got from this was the continuing sight gag of George H W Bush nailing his wife.
Inside The Actors Studio
2 Stars
James Lipton interviews Drew Barrymore
The first installment of this we got Clint Eastwood, then after Tobey Maguire played Screech from Saved By The Bell I thought we were going to get more ridiculous guests. Instead we get Kate this time playing Drew Barrymore and I appreciate the effort but don't really get the impression. She keeps using words like "magical" but something was missing here for me, most of all jokes. This one lacked the comedy and pace of the previous two as Will has to resort to a pratfall at the end to try and save this.
Sully's Home
The first installment of this we got Clint Eastwood, then after Tobey Maguire played Screech from Saved By The Bell I thought we were going to get more ridiculous guests. Instead we get Kate this time playing Drew Barrymore and I appreciate the effort but don't really get the impression. She keeps using words like "magical" but something was missing here for me, most of all jokes. This one lacked the comedy and pace of the previous two as Will has to resort to a pratfall at the end to try and save this.
Sully's Home
2 Stars
Sully and Denise get a visit from Nomar
Sully and Denise are making an audition tape for Survivor in their basement. The two Boston teenage lovers make their 5th appearance here. I don't really care for these characters, Kate's performance is a little sloppy here and they are later joined by Boston Red Sox player Nomar Garciaparra, who has little to no comic timing. Horatio gets some decent chuckles as their stoner buddy.
Radiohead
Sully and Denise are making an audition tape for Survivor in their basement. The two Boston teenage lovers make their 5th appearance here. I don't really care for these characters, Kate's performance is a little sloppy here and they are later joined by Boston Red Sox player Nomar Garciaparra, who has little to no comic timing. Horatio gets some decent chuckles as their stoner buddy.
Radiohead
"The National Anthem"
Um...well, it's definitely noise. Music is a bit generous. I never really understood Radiohead so apologies if you're a fan. They just don't do anything for me. At least it's short and the performance is entertaining with Thom Yorke bouncing and flailing around the stage.
Weekend Update
It's the 2nd episode for Tina and Jimmy and I can now go back to passively watching this segment. Or so I thought, this is not good. You can blame it on growing pains but they are lacking in chemistry and their delivery is still very weak. We only get one official desk piece this week but Jimmy and Tina both get little commentaries. The first goes to Jimmy who talks about the upcoming subway series between the Mets and the Yankees which is pretty lame, then Tina briefly talks about the stock market before tossing off a joke about how dumb Jimmy is, then Jimmy does a Movie Minute where he reviews Meet The Parents. This is just an excuse for him to do his Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro impressions which reminded me of something you'd see on a bad stand-up comedy show from the 1980s that would film in front of a brick wall. Last note, did they swap Jimmy and Tina's hair stylists this week? Tina's hair was far less feathered in her debut and she's resembling the mop top that Jimmy would later sport.
President Bill Clinton shows up with his thoughts on the upcoming election. He thinks both candidates suck and is looking into extending term limits so he can stay in office. He also gloats about how many laws he routinely breaks. I wonder why the show has never gone this avenue with Donald Trump, making him a boastful cad rather than an inept dumdum. I'm not saying that SNL needs to lighten up on Trump, just brainstorming different avenues. Speaking of which, seeing Darrell Hammond up here makes me wonder if his name was ever thrown out as a possible replacement for Colin Quinn. It would have been really different but with the right angle on it I could see him succeeding.
Woodrow
Woodrow
3 Stars
Kate Hudson follows a homeless man down in the sewer
Much like James Lipton, they seem to be taking something that worked last season and doing it again and something is missing on the followup. We last saw Woodrow in the Britney Spears episode from last season and this is just the same sketch with a different actress. They sing an oddball duet with lyrics about boogers, poops, and tiny mouse tits and then share a kiss which makes Woodrow piss his pants. I enjoyed the semi-dramatic and heartfelt ending to this and it's also nice to see Tracy get something on the show. My favorite part of this might have been Chris Kattan though. Kattan, Parnell and Molly are left to fill time as Kate and Tracy move to the sewer set and something about Kattan's ad-lib of "I've never been done there, I wonder what it's like" when referencing the sewer tickled me.
Meet The Press
3 Stars
Much like James Lipton, they seem to be taking something that worked last season and doing it again and something is missing on the followup. We last saw Woodrow in the Britney Spears episode from last season and this is just the same sketch with a different actress. They sing an oddball duet with lyrics about boogers, poops, and tiny mouse tits and then share a kiss which makes Woodrow piss his pants. I enjoyed the semi-dramatic and heartfelt ending to this and it's also nice to see Tracy get something on the show. My favorite part of this might have been Chris Kattan though. Kattan, Parnell and Molly are left to fill time as Kate and Tracy move to the sewer set and something about Kattan's ad-lib of "I've never been done there, I wonder what it's like" when referencing the sewer tickled me.
Meet The Press
3 Stars
Tim Russert seems to be playing favorites with the candidates for New York senator
This isn't just a dated political sketch, it's a dated political sketch that specifically focuses on the New York senate race. I don't think I would have been too familiar with this in 2000, much less 20 years later. Jimmy is playing Rick Lazlo and doing a pretty good job, his impression is funny and (this is such faint praise but) I was surprised that he kept that smirk off his face for the whole sketch. Meet The Press host Tim Russert tosses softball questions to the Republican but when he questions Hillary Clinton he points out her big ass and tries to get her to say anti-semetic remarks. It's a little late in the show for a sketch like this and we get a rare break from Darrell at the end. Which isn't something I like but I was really surprised it came from him and not Jimmy.
Rabun To Shuri
1 Star
This isn't just a dated political sketch, it's a dated political sketch that specifically focuses on the New York senate race. I don't think I would have been too familiar with this in 2000, much less 20 years later. Jimmy is playing Rick Lazlo and doing a pretty good job, his impression is funny and (this is such faint praise but) I was surprised that he kept that smirk off his face for the whole sketch. Meet The Press host Tim Russert tosses softball questions to the Republican but when he questions Hillary Clinton he points out her big ass and tries to get her to say anti-semetic remarks. It's a little late in the show for a sketch like this and we get a rare break from Darrell at the end. Which isn't something I like but I was really surprised it came from him and not Jimmy.
Rabun To Shuri
1 Star
A Japanese version of Laverne & Shirley
Um...what the shit was this? Sketches like this are why I like doing these recaps. Remember when Maya and Kate Hudson did a Japanese version of Laverne & Shirley? You probably won't find this on many best of compilations and for good reason. There's no joke to this. Unless the joke is simply Japanese people have funny accents. Maya and Kate play Laverne & Shirley, Jimmy and Kattan show up as Lenny & Squiggy, and we get Parnell as The Big Ragu. It's all in Japanese. The audience is dead for this and then it just ends and I'm completely confused. A slow start for Maya who makes one of her first appearance this season after only 2 brief roles last season, one of which where she played another Asian character. The only laugh I got out of this is when they flashed Akira Yoshimura's name as a producer.
Radiohead returns with "Idioteque" and I understand this maybe a little less that the previous sketch.
Vote Sober 2000
Um...what the shit was this? Sketches like this are why I like doing these recaps. Remember when Maya and Kate Hudson did a Japanese version of Laverne & Shirley? You probably won't find this on many best of compilations and for good reason. There's no joke to this. Unless the joke is simply Japanese people have funny accents. Maya and Kate play Laverne & Shirley, Jimmy and Kattan show up as Lenny & Squiggy, and we get Parnell as The Big Ragu. It's all in Japanese. The audience is dead for this and then it just ends and I'm completely confused. A slow start for Maya who makes one of her first appearance this season after only 2 brief roles last season, one of which where she played another Asian character. The only laugh I got out of this is when they flashed Akira Yoshimura's name as a producer.
Radiohead returns with "Idioteque" and I understand this maybe a little less that the previous sketch.
Vote Sober 2000
2 Stars
The SNL cast advises you to not drink and vote
My copy is missing the very beginning of this. The cast stands on home base and talks about the dangers of voting while intoxicated. Missouri elected a 5 year old as Lieutenant Governor and Kentucky voted to make Kung Fu Fighting their state's national anthem. We get a shot of Will sporting his blonde Zoolander hair (now that I look back he was wigged in every sketch). We also get a Jerry Minor appearance. He was missing from the opening credits and when he first started talking I have to admit that I had the thought of "Tim sounds weird today". Then the sketch ends very awkwardly as the camera pushes past the cast to reveal the SNL band playing us out to commercial. I would say this was a cool change of pace but it came off a little sloppy and under rehearsed. It reminded me of an episode of Roundhouse (a Nickelodeon show from the mid 90s that would occasionally have the cast talk directly to camera to deliver a moral or lesson).
FINAL ANALYSIS
My copy is missing the very beginning of this. The cast stands on home base and talks about the dangers of voting while intoxicated. Missouri elected a 5 year old as Lieutenant Governor and Kentucky voted to make Kung Fu Fighting their state's national anthem. We get a shot of Will sporting his blonde Zoolander hair (now that I look back he was wigged in every sketch). We also get a Jerry Minor appearance. He was missing from the opening credits and when he first started talking I have to admit that I had the thought of "Tim sounds weird today". Then the sketch ends very awkwardly as the camera pushes past the cast to reveal the SNL band playing us out to commercial. I would say this was a cool change of pace but it came off a little sloppy and under rehearsed. It reminded me of an episode of Roundhouse (a Nickelodeon show from the mid 90s that would occasionally have the cast talk directly to camera to deliver a moral or lesson).
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Kibbles and bits, tiny mouse tits, and I love you"
Average
2.6 Stars
MVP
Will Ferrell
The Second Presidential Debate, Monologue, Home For College, Inside The Actors Studio, Vote Sober 2000
The Second Presidential Debate, Monologue, Home For College, Inside The Actors Studio, Vote Sober 2000
Best Sketch
Home For College
Worst Sketch
Rabun To Shuri
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
I would have moved Meet The Press to the cold open and made The Second Presidential Debate the lead off sketch. Other than that this episode had a nice flow to it until you got to the end of the night with Japanese Laverne & Shirley, Radiohead and Vote Sober 2000.
Host Analysis
I thought she was a delight, I was just let down by the sketches she was in. She handled herself well in the monologue, Home For College and Woodrow but was a bit stumbly in Sully's Home. Her Drew Barrymore impression gets an A for effort but left something to be desired and then good on her for taking her lumps and speaking Japanese in Rabun To Shuri.
Final Thoughts
It's second episode syndrome. Usually the 2nd show of the season is a step down in quality. I'm trying to go back and find examples that prove this theory of mine but I ended up finding more examples where the 2nd show was a step up from the premiere. Still, there's Susan Lucci, Malcolm MacDowell and Madeline Kahn, so that's 3 that back up my claim. Theory or not, I'm having trouble remembering this one and I just watched it. I keep having to scroll back up to remember that this one had a promising start but dipped in the middle and crashed at the end.
Up Next
Up Next
Former SNL star Dana Carvey returns with musical guest The Wallflowers.
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