Cold Open: The First Presidential Debate
5 Stars
Al Gore and George W. Bush debate policy
One of the funniest debate parodies SNL has ever done. It could be the fact that we have Will and Darrell at the top of their game and these impressions haven't been run into the ground yet. It could be just because it's well written. But I think it's because this stands up even if you have no political context. This is an intellectual boring guy debating a dumb guy. That's just classic comedy. Al Gore talks about his plan to put the government surplus in a camouflaged lock box. George W. Bush passes on hard questions and sums up his plan for America in one word "strategery". Chris Parnell gets the first "Live from New York..." of the season under heavy makeup to look like debate moderator Jim Lehrer. I remember at the time thinking that this was some new cast member, I truly didn't recognize Parnell under all of that.
We get a new opening montage this season which is a big step up from last season. It's nice to see live footage of the cast hanging out at a New York nightclub rather than stock photos. Just some few minor cast changes. Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri and Colin Quinn are gone, last year's featured players Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph stay on and are joined by Tina Fey and Jerry Minor.
Rob Lowe Monologue
One of the funniest debate parodies SNL has ever done. It could be the fact that we have Will and Darrell at the top of their game and these impressions haven't been run into the ground yet. It could be just because it's well written. But I think it's because this stands up even if you have no political context. This is an intellectual boring guy debating a dumb guy. That's just classic comedy. Al Gore talks about his plan to put the government surplus in a camouflaged lock box. George W. Bush passes on hard questions and sums up his plan for America in one word "strategery". Chris Parnell gets the first "Live from New York..." of the season under heavy makeup to look like debate moderator Jim Lehrer. I remember at the time thinking that this was some new cast member, I truly didn't recognize Parnell under all of that.
We get a new opening montage this season which is a big step up from last season. It's nice to see live footage of the cast hanging out at a New York nightclub rather than stock photos. Just some few minor cast changes. Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri and Colin Quinn are gone, last year's featured players Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph stay on and are joined by Tina Fey and Jerry Minor.
Rob Lowe Monologue
3 Stars
Rob takes questions from the audience
A questions from the audience monologue, what is this Season 19? Jerry Minor asks Rob how big Hillary Clinton's booty is, writer T. Sean Shannon asks about Al Gore's hot daughters, Paula Pell taunts Rob about not being nominated for an Emmy, and Jim Downey asks where in the White House is the room where they blow the President. Not too bad, just feels kinda lazy, especially for the season premiere.
Corn Chip Nail Chips
After only two appearances last season, this is the first time I remember noticing Maya Rudolph as she and Tracy dance in a subway with corn chips on their fingers. Horatio gets some solid laughs as a hobo on the train. I feel like this should have been better but it's just okay. I mean, who hasn't put corn chips on their fingertips and pretended they had witch hands? The style of this is funnier than the idea.
Monday Night Football
1 Star
Dennis Miller joins the Monday Night Football team
Darrell as Al Michaels and Will as Dan Fouts welcome their newest commentator, SNL alum Dennis Miller. Jimmy is basically doing an impression of Dana Carvey doing an impression of Dennis Miller, all the same beats, the hair flip, the head shake, the references, it's downright stealing. Like how everyone who did a Ross Perot impression would say "can I finish?". I liked Will in this and Darrell's plugs for new ABC comedies (The Geena Davis Show, Madigan Men, Gideon's Crossing) was funny in hindsight since all those shows were quickly cancelled. I have a distinct memory of watching Madigan Man (because it was on after Norm MacDonald's sitcom) and thinking it was truly awful, much like Jimmy Fallon in this sketch.
Backstage
To talk about the explicit lyrics in rap music we get Grand Master Rap and Kid Shazaam, two old school rappers who only like fun lyrics about putting your hands in the air and waving them like you just don't care. Their commentary is joined by Eminem who has decided to clean up his act, drop all the profanity and just rhyme about good times. Not all that memorable but cute and inoffensive.
Blind Date
2 Stars
Will and Molly go on a blind date in an airport bar
This one gets a big "huh?" from me. Will and Molly are on a blind date and it's awkward. When Will asks her where she lives she gets defensive and evasive. Kattan shows up as the bartender to tell them they are all out of chicken fingers. Molly eventually leaves but Will gets good news when it turns out they did have chicken fingers. I think I understand what they were going for here, but it was a really odd fit for the show and left me wondering what the hell this was. The performances keep this out of 1 star territory but it's pretty close.
Dateline Pre-Tapes
3 Stars
Average
A questions from the audience monologue, what is this Season 19? Jerry Minor asks Rob how big Hillary Clinton's booty is, writer T. Sean Shannon asks about Al Gore's hot daughters, Paula Pell taunts Rob about not being nominated for an Emmy, and Jim Downey asks where in the White House is the room where they blow the President. Not too bad, just feels kinda lazy, especially for the season premiere.
Corn Chip Nail Chips
3 Stars
fake fingernails made out of corn chipsAfter only two appearances last season, this is the first time I remember noticing Maya Rudolph as she and Tracy dance in a subway with corn chips on their fingers. Horatio gets some solid laughs as a hobo on the train. I feel like this should have been better but it's just okay. I mean, who hasn't put corn chips on their fingertips and pretended they had witch hands? The style of this is funnier than the idea.
Monday Night Football
1 Star
Dennis Miller joins the Monday Night Football team
Darrell as Al Michaels and Will as Dan Fouts welcome their newest commentator, SNL alum Dennis Miller. Jimmy is basically doing an impression of Dana Carvey doing an impression of Dennis Miller, all the same beats, the hair flip, the head shake, the references, it's downright stealing. Like how everyone who did a Ross Perot impression would say "can I finish?". I liked Will in this and Darrell's plugs for new ABC comedies (The Geena Davis Show, Madigan Men, Gideon's Crossing) was funny in hindsight since all those shows were quickly cancelled. I have a distinct memory of watching Madigan Man (because it was on after Norm MacDonald's sitcom) and thinking it was truly awful, much like Jimmy Fallon in this sketch.
Backstage
3 Stars
Rob Lowe doesn't recognize Ralph Nader
Presidential candidate (and former SNL host) Ralph Nader is talking to Lorne backstage. He thinks it's unfair that he wasn't in the debate sketch. Lorne passes him off to Rob who doesn't recognize him. Rob's inner thoughts are heard as he tries to figure out who this guy is. Was he in St. Elmo's Fire? Is he one of my agents? A pretty cute piece. A little weird that this is Rob's first appearance outside the monologue, the show hasn't really started yet and we're already seeing him backstage.
Pros And Cons
Presidential candidate (and former SNL host) Ralph Nader is talking to Lorne backstage. He thinks it's unfair that he wasn't in the debate sketch. Lorne passes him off to Rob who doesn't recognize him. Rob's inner thoughts are heard as he tries to figure out who this guy is. Was he in St. Elmo's Fire? Is he one of my agents? A pretty cute piece. A little weird that this is Rob's first appearance outside the monologue, the show hasn't really started yet and we're already seeing him backstage.
Pros And Cons
5 Stars
Nancy Grace interviews Shaggy and Scooby Doo
Ana plays Nancy Grace and her main guest this week is Chris Parnell who is representing a man in jail who was arrested after dressing up like a ghost to scare off intruders from a haunted amusement park. The two that caught him were Shaggy and Scooby Doo. Rob does a hilarious impression of Shaggy and this was just pure and perfect silliness. The real hero of this is Parnell who, as always, has the ability to say the most ridiculous things with a straight face. He lists all the counts of meddling raised against the Scooby gang and describes Shaggy running in place in midair and shuffling two loaves of bread into a sandwich. Scooby advocating for the "realth renalty" also got a big laugh from me.
Eminem
Ana plays Nancy Grace and her main guest this week is Chris Parnell who is representing a man in jail who was arrested after dressing up like a ghost to scare off intruders from a haunted amusement park. The two that caught him were Shaggy and Scooby Doo. Rob does a hilarious impression of Shaggy and this was just pure and perfect silliness. The real hero of this is Parnell who, as always, has the ability to say the most ridiculous things with a straight face. He lists all the counts of meddling raised against the Scooby gang and describes Shaggy running in place in midair and shuffling two loaves of bread into a sandwich. Scooby advocating for the "realth renalty" also got a big laugh from me.
Eminem
"Stan"
Dido sings the hook to "Thank You" in between Eminem rapping about an obsessed fan. This song always makes me want to hear the original song by Dido but I did like the oddness of Eminem trying to hype up the crowd during this song about a deranged man on the edge. Yeah, mental health is a real issue, man. Now get on your feet and throw your hands in the air!
Weekend Update
At the end of my Season 25 recaps I forgot to say goodbye to Colin Quinn. No big loss there but not sure if Jimmy and Tina are a huge step up. I remember seeing the story in USA Today that these two were taking over and my initial thought was "Hooray! No more Colin Quinn Weekend Updates!", then that thought was immediately followed with "Who's Tina Fey? And why Jimmy Fallon?". This is a slow start but I'm not going to immediately write them off. For the record, and anyone new, I generally dislike Weekend Update no matter who is the anchor and I'm sure 20 episodes later I will be groaning audibly whenever this segment airs. We get jokes about Strom Thurmond dating Anna Nicole Smith, George W. Bush is stupid, Arsenio Hall, and stoners laughing at Matlock. Tina has a nice bit about Britney Spears. While critics say her outfits are too sexy, Tina thinks she needs to take care of that ass while she's still got it. But for the most part these are the same bad jokes with new people telling them.
Weekend Update
At the end of my Season 25 recaps I forgot to say goodbye to Colin Quinn. No big loss there but not sure if Jimmy and Tina are a huge step up. I remember seeing the story in USA Today that these two were taking over and my initial thought was "Hooray! No more Colin Quinn Weekend Updates!", then that thought was immediately followed with "Who's Tina Fey? And why Jimmy Fallon?". This is a slow start but I'm not going to immediately write them off. For the record, and anyone new, I generally dislike Weekend Update no matter who is the anchor and I'm sure 20 episodes later I will be groaning audibly whenever this segment airs. We get jokes about Strom Thurmond dating Anna Nicole Smith, George W. Bush is stupid, Arsenio Hall, and stoners laughing at Matlock. Tina has a nice bit about Britney Spears. While critics say her outfits are too sexy, Tina thinks she needs to take care of that ass while she's still got it. But for the most part these are the same bad jokes with new people telling them.
Leon Phelps shows up to talk about sex and violence in Hollywood but he's really here to promote his new movie, The Ladies Man. Hey Tim, dude, you literally just left the show after 10 years. You can't wait one episode before coming back? I'm not too upset. I love Tim and I also like Leon Phelps and this bit has some giggles. Biggest laugh I got was when Tim also shamelessly plugs his role in the upcoming The Michael Richards Show, another short lived sitcom mentioned in this episode. I wonder if Kenan Thompson saw this and said to himself, "If I ever get on SNL, I will never leave. Look what happened to Timmy Meadows!".
Blind Date
2 Stars
Will and Molly go on a blind date in an airport bar
This one gets a big "huh?" from me. Will and Molly are on a blind date and it's awkward. When Will asks her where she lives she gets defensive and evasive. Kattan shows up as the bartender to tell them they are all out of chicken fingers. Molly eventually leaves but Will gets good news when it turns out they did have chicken fingers. I think I understand what they were going for here, but it was a really odd fit for the show and left me wondering what the hell this was. The performances keep this out of 1 star territory but it's pretty close.
Dateline Pre-Tapes
3 Stars
Stone Phillips wants more takes
Rob, making only his 3rd sketch appearance of the night, is Stone Phillips recording an intro for a story on Dateline. Unhappy with how he delivered his intro about deadly trampolines, he does it over and over with the exact same inflection until he's satisfied. This is all about Rob's performance, which is quite good, and reminds me a bit of the Dana Carvey sketch where Tom Brokaw announces Gerald Ford's death (just without the jokes).
Eminem returns with "The Real Slim Shady" which is kind of boring and repetitive. I liked Eminem around this time but mostly for his music videos. I never really enjoyed him as a live performer, at least on SNL and awards shows which is really the only experience I have with him.
Personal Profile
3 Stars
Rob, making only his 3rd sketch appearance of the night, is Stone Phillips recording an intro for a story on Dateline. Unhappy with how he delivered his intro about deadly trampolines, he does it over and over with the exact same inflection until he's satisfied. This is all about Rob's performance, which is quite good, and reminds me a bit of the Dana Carvey sketch where Tom Brokaw announces Gerald Ford's death (just without the jokes).
Eminem returns with "The Real Slim Shady" which is kind of boring and repetitive. I liked Eminem around this time but mostly for his music videos. I never really enjoyed him as a live performer, at least on SNL and awards shows which is really the only experience I have with him.
Personal Profile
3 Stars
Chris Kattan gets ready for a sketch
This was interesting but bizarre. Kattan warms up for his 85th talk show sketch like an Olympic athlete with the help of Brendan Fraser (who annoyingly and loudly plugs his new movie Bedazzled during the goodnights). While Kattan is getting ready we hear sportscasters talk about how he's better with gay characters who don't talk but he's been training all summer. He passes by Tracy Morgan who is ineligible for this sketch due to not passing a drug test and waves to his parents in the audience (a drag queen and a monkey, which makes perfect sense). Then we just pan out. A weird little piece that needed a punchline or at least a sketch afterwards. We never see the sketch that he is warming up for which breaks the reality and makes this seem out of place and pointless. According to one site on the internet, the sketch was supposed to air but was cut for time.
Dream Team 2000
3 Stars
Video showcasing the worst acts of poor sportsmanship by America
Apparently the Americans at the Olympics were not setting a good example for others this year and this video documents all of it. We see a swimmer showing off before barely winning an event, another swimmer spitting in an opponent's lane, a sprinter mocking runners behind him, and a group of men flexing after winning an event. I do not remember the Olympics from 2000, nor did I probably pay attention at the time, but this provided enough context that it worked.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Basically, everything reminds me of Ass Party"
This was interesting but bizarre. Kattan warms up for his 85th talk show sketch like an Olympic athlete with the help of Brendan Fraser (who annoyingly and loudly plugs his new movie Bedazzled during the goodnights). While Kattan is getting ready we hear sportscasters talk about how he's better with gay characters who don't talk but he's been training all summer. He passes by Tracy Morgan who is ineligible for this sketch due to not passing a drug test and waves to his parents in the audience (a drag queen and a monkey, which makes perfect sense). Then we just pan out. A weird little piece that needed a punchline or at least a sketch afterwards. We never see the sketch that he is warming up for which breaks the reality and makes this seem out of place and pointless. According to one site on the internet, the sketch was supposed to air but was cut for time.
Dream Team 2000
3 Stars
Video showcasing the worst acts of poor sportsmanship by America
Apparently the Americans at the Olympics were not setting a good example for others this year and this video documents all of it. We see a swimmer showing off before barely winning an event, another swimmer spitting in an opponent's lane, a sprinter mocking runners behind him, and a group of men flexing after winning an event. I do not remember the Olympics from 2000, nor did I probably pay attention at the time, but this provided enough context that it worked.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Basically, everything reminds me of Ass Party"
Average
3.1 Stars
MVP
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
The First Presidential Debate, Monday Night Football, Dateline Pre-Tapes (VO), Personal Profile (VO)
Best Sketch
Pros And Cons
Worst Sketch
Monday Night Football
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
Not a bad season premiere. Only two clunkers in the bunch and while I could have done without Monday Night Football and Blind Date, they didn't ruin the show. I remember this episode being great from when I saw it live but I think I was only remembering the two sketches Rob Lowe starred in. I would have replaces one of those aforementioned stinkers with whatever sketch Kattan was going to do that got cut just so that Olympic warm-up has a payoff. Other than that, this episode flowed pretty nicely.
Host Analysis
Was it just me or did Rob Lowe not share the screen with a single cast member tonight? He handles the monologue solo, talks with Ralph Nader, hangs out with a guy in a Scooby Doo costume, and speaks directly to the camera in Dateline Pre-Tapes (only briefly interrupted by Will). Am I reading too much into this? Could nobody get along with this guy long enough for a sketch? That's very odd to see in this era of SNL, a host who is virtually absent or solo the entire episode. On the plus side, he knocked his few sketches out of the park and when it comes to SNL, I don't need the host in every sketch. He could have been a sideline commentator in Monday Night Football or the waiter at the airport bar, but what would be the point of that?
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
A weird episode due to Rob Lowe only appearing in sketches by himself, but a fun and solid season premiere. I haven't seen the majority of this season since it aired back in 2000 so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Based on this episode and my recent re-watch of last season I can make a few assumptions. We are in for a lot of political material as this election isn't going to end overnight, Will Ferrell will assuredly continue to be the anchor of the show, and Jimmy Fallon will continue to annoy me. I'm interested to see what Molly Shannon brings in her final season, I'm hoping we get some new stuff from here and not a handful of Helen Madden. I'm also curious about Jerry Minor's time on the show. When he started I thought he would get the Tracy Morgan treatment and get 4 seasons headlining a sketch, but instead he just got the one. Hopefully this is the season where Tracy finally breaks out. I also have high hopes for Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph and Chris Parnell.
Up Next
2nd episode of the new season hosted by Kate Hudson with musical guest Radiohead.
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ReplyDeleteIs there any reports of any tension between Rob and the cast?
ReplyDelete