Saturday Night Live
Paul Rudd & DJ Khaled
May 18, 2019
Paul Rudd is a Goddamned gem and he should be contractually obligated to host Saturday Night Live at least once a season, the end.
Alec Baldwin is back with his Trump impersonation for the cold open, singing Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” along with various administration figures because, get it, no one is stopping them from doing … anything. The lack of Bill Barr — the man who is literally allowing Trump to get away with everything, is glaringly absent. Patton Oswalt had a show in Detroit that night, so that makes sense.
Grade: B
Paul Rudd’s monologue is delivered as a best man’s speech and it’s not bad, it’s just completely unmemorable. Except for the part where he remarks on the height of the two men who bring him the champagne and boutonniere — I met Paul Rudd about 20 years ago (yes, he looks exactly the same) and he’s not 5’10” no matter what his bio might say about it.
Grade: B
They bring back one of Kate McKinnon’s most famous recurring characters, the woman who, along with her friends, has extraordinary things happen to her — but not in a positive way. McKinnon is famous for making her co-stars break with this character, but Paul Rudd is such a professional that even Kate McKinnon humping the back of his head and licking his ear doesn’t shake his composure. I like this recurring bit just OK, but for some reason, the added tension over whether or not Rudd was going to break — it maybe made it funnier?
Grade: A-
Pete Davidson performs a rap tribute to his favorite show, Game of Thrones Grace and Frankie.
Grade: A
In this game show, very dumb contestants have to figure out what is wrong with a simple picture and they get it very, very wrong. I loved this dumb bit, in large part thanks to Rudd’s deadpan delivery. “That’s inappropriate.”
Grade: A
The first half of “Weekend Update” is your typical “Weekend Update” bit: topical, funny enough. But Jost and Che end the season by doing the thing where they write jokes for one another to read, and it is, as it was the last time they did this, genius.
Grade: A+
Jeanine Pirro is back mostly to throw her martinis at Colin Jost.
Grade: A-
Leslie Dracarys That Bitch Jones takes on the abortion debate with this fiery bit. “This looks like the casting call for a Lipitor commercial. This looks like the mugshots of everyone arrested at a massage parlor.” Preach, dragon lady.
Grade: A+
This sketch that involves an antique dealer singing a music box song about a farting ballerina is not the worst sketch of the night but it is a very close second.
Grade: D
The View, Meghan McCain, and her victim complex are back, this time to interview Mayor Pete. The timing is off, particularly when Jones’ Whoopi is supposed to be breaking up Joy and Meghan’s bickering, and at the very end when the women fantasize about Biden. But that said, Rudd is great as Pete Buttigieg and Beck Bennett is perfect as his husband, Christian. (It’s also pretty much the only time we see Beckett this episode, and I for one did not miss him.)
Grade: B-
Leslie Jones and Kyle Mooney revisit their fake relationship and discover that there really is something there. And then Paul Rudd gets involved.
Grade: B
In the absolute worst sketch of the night, some ten girls summon a demon at a slumber party and then mean girl her. It’s just awkward and unfunny and feels unrehearsed. At least the music box sketch said “fart” a lot. That’s going to make someone giggle. This, it didn’t even have a fart joke in it.
Grade: D
Cut for time was this sketch that was clearly written by Beckett and Mooney. It should be thankful it won’t be graded. Still, points to Rudd for giving his full commitment.
Final Grade: B+. That feels right.
Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC.
This has nothing to do with SNL but are you going to do Bachelorette recaps? I understand if this season is too brutal.
I’m working on the first episode right now. I will say, I’m going to be a little slow-going just because I am behind, and I need to finish Game of Thrones, and also fate thought it would be funny to schedule my son’s graduation from high school this week so I have a ton of people coming into town that I have to entertain and the TL;DR is yes. But you might need to be patient with me for the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading and sorry to be so late,
T