Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph & Vampire Weekend
May 11, 2024
I don’t know what I can say about Maya Rudolph that hasn’t already been said: she’s a comedic genius, and one-third of what I consider the triumvirate of the greatest SNL female performers of all time, along with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. She is a giddy delight, a talented singer, and she arrived fully loaded for this week’s episode, which thanks to her stewardship managed to be one of the best of the season so far (maybe the best? DON’T @ ME, RYAN GOSLING PEOPLE). Admittedly, not every sketch hit it out of the park, but by God, Maya Rudolph committed to each of them like she believed that they had. I know we can’t hire her back — I know she doesn’t want to come back and be a full-time cast member — BUT CAN’T WE, LORNE? PLEEEEEEEEEASE? PRETTY PLEASE?
In honor of Mother’s Day, our cold open features each of the cast with their moms, cracking what can only be described as “Mom Jokes.” It’s very cute and very sweet, and because it’s Mother’s Day, I won’t point out that it probably could have been rehearsed a couple more times. Oh wait …
Grade: A-
Maya Rudolph is a comedy queen, a goddamned goddess, she is Mother. And this monologue song should be the last monologue song that is ever done because nothing will ever top this. Stop trying.
Grade: A++
Having not learned her lesson the first time she appeared on the YouTube wings and interview show, Hot Ones, Beyoncé returns to tackle “Satan’s Taint Charred Chili” and “Sergeant Sphincter’s Volcapeño Sauce” and once again finds herself defeated, this time her “bones are on fire.” Perfect, no notes except more Queen Bee from Maya, please.
Grade: A+
The “Please Don’t Destroy” boys are back and they REALLY don’t want their girlfriends to see their Instagram explore page, lest they discover the weird “online girlfriend” for men with self-confidence issues they are following. It’s a funny enough idea, but Maya Rudolph’s character is what takes it to the next level.
Grade: A-
TEACHERS BE TIRED, Y’ALL. In this end-of-the-year PSA, teachers explain that the students, these little Gen Alpha weirdos who came out of the pandemic … different … have defeated the teachers’ ability to deal with anything anymore. As the sister of one teacher, and the friend of many others, it’s true. (Especially spare a prayer for the HISD teachers who are dealing not only with these feral kids but with an administration that is doing everything in its power to get them to quit.)
Grade: A
OK, so it’s cavemen, but they have British accents. They’re British cavemen. That’s it, that is the whole joke. It’s very specific, a little weird, and way too long.
Grade: B
As a tribute to moms everywhere, Maya plays a mother who has to come pick up her daughter from multiple sleepovers, while coming up with increasingly wild excuses for why said daughter has to come home that won’t embarrass her. Genuinely sweet while also managing to be quite funny.
Grade: A
“Weekend Update” takes on Stormy Daniels, the crisis in Israel, and RFK Jr.’s brainworm, and Michael Che once again has a rough night with the audience.
Grade: B
Obviously, Sarah Sherman is RFK Jr.’s brainworm and obviously, it is once again an excuse to make fun of Colin Jost.
Grade: B+
Chloe Fineman Heidi Gardner is A Woman Who Insists She’s Not Mad (but she’s really fucking furious).
Grade: B
Here, Maya is a notoriously difficult actress filming a coffee commercial, despite never having drunk coffee before. She quickly goes off the rails and there are a lot of fart jokes. A LOT.
UPDATED: Just saw this TikTok video of outtakes from a commercial Faye Dunaway had filmed in the 80s, and this is clearly the inspiration for this sketch:
@dozendivas In 1997 I was in the #firstbroadwaynationaltour #nationaltour #broadwaytour of #masterclass starring FayeDunaway. This was a shoot for a commercial. 🤣 yes she was like this every day. @BroadwayBob @Charles Osborne 😎
Grade: B-
In honor of Nurse Appreciation Week, Maya and Ego Nwodim are a pair of Jamaican nurses saddled with a racist old horny patient who harasses them. As someone who recently had a family member who was cared for by home nursing aides, all I can say is: I’m so sorry. You all deserve the goddamned world.
Grade: B-
Finally, Maya Rudolph and Mikey Day run a lawn care business that employs only unattractive and socially awkward dudes to discourage any hanky panky with bored housewives. The endpoint is somewhat belabored, but I enjoyed this overall.
Grade: A-
Finally, there is this cut-for-time sketch, in which Maya and Kenan play an R&B couple who record love songs for married couples who have lost the spark in the bedroom. I don’t grade the cut for time sketches, but if I did, this might be one of the lowest-graded bits of the night. It’s not that it’s terrible — on any other episode, it would do well — it just goes on way too long, and feels very self-indulgent.
Final Grade: A.
Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.