No opening tirade here, aside from the fact that Classic Saturday Night Live no longer airs on NBC All Night (as of January 2007, anyway.) That's not a bad thing. The reruns were getting to the point where every episode from five or six years ago was considered classic. Don't get me wrong, some of them are, but Val Kilmer/U2? How about Sam Kinison/Lou Reed, jerks?
Nancy Pelosi Cold Opening - Better-than-average political cold opening, with some japes at the Democratic Party focusing too much on the minority vote. Also, there were sex slaves. Sure, the cold opening made fun of the stereotypical right-wing impression of Democrats, but what the hell. If every other cold opening this season was as good as this one, it'd make for a stronger SNL. It really would.
Alec Baldwin Monologue, Featuring Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan - Typical solid Baldwin monologue, bolstered by his interplay with Tracy Morgan. Seeing Morgan again (and considerably thinner than he was when he left SNL) reminds me of how good the man actually was a cast member, even though Morgan tended to play "the other black guy" for most of his tenure. Too bad about his DUI, though.
e-zdate.com - Meh. That's all, just "meh." This weak dating site parody is the first commercial to air on SNL this season? Gurn.
"Britney Spears Divorce Settlement" - Britney Spears talks about her marriage to Kevin Federline. I didn't think this was much of a sketch, but my thoughts on the Britney Spears/K-Fed saga are enough that I can't review this sketch fairly. Honestly, who gives a shit about anything and/or anyone Spears does?
"Saddam Hussein Talks To His Lawyers" - Baldwin plays Saddam Hussein. It's the Britney Spears sketch format translated for Hussein's trial, resulting in a better sketch overall. I couldn't see Hussein worrying about Borat or caring about American pop culture, though. I love reviewing reruns of shows I should have caught the first time.
Valtrex - Not bad. The commercial parodies have been weaker than usual this season, and there has yet to be a commercial parody this season on par with what Saturday Night Live is capable of.
"Bobby McFerrin Raped My Grandmother" - Baldwin episodes aren't Baldwin episodes without build-up sketches, so SNL has to fill status quo here. Baldwin and Wiig carpool and trade stories with each other that make increasingly little sense. Lots of great one-liners were to be had here ("I'm metal from the waist down;" "I believe in Bigfoot... I've seen him twice, so he's real;" the aforementioned McFerrin line and subsequent callback to said line.) Sure, this sketch was no "Bill Brasky," but he's a tough man to follow.
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
Watching it again a few days after Hussein's execution, I particularly enjoyed his lawyers explaining that yes, they were really going to hang him. That they were explaining this specifically to Alec Baldwin, the greatest actor of them all, was particularly gratifying.
And I especially liked Aunt Linda. That's one twisted Auntie.
2 - lori
christina aguilera wasn't faking her crying, that night she learnt her granma had died. that last performance was really botched, but it's ok at least she's not like ashlee simpson. alec baldwin was brilliant.
3 - dave d
what was the song and who was the actual artist for the brazilian bar scene?