Tag: jack harlow
In which Jack Harlow’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ is overshadowed by the haunting of David S. Pumpkins
Saturday Night Live
Jack Harlow
October 29, 2022
Even though I am An Old, I am vaguely aware of who Jack Harlow is thanks to my love for Lil’ Nas X, and Jack Harlow’s collaboration with him on “Industry Baby.” And because of that collaboration, I know Harlow is a rapper who has a decent sense of humor and enough security in himself and his masculinity that he can appear in a music video filled with a bunch of naked men twerking in a shower without worrying — or caring — that he might be presumed to be gay by association. And that’s not nothing, especially in the world of Hip Hop. What Harlow demonstrated by collaborating on that song and participating in that video and in live performances is that he has a healthy self-image, the ability to laugh at himself, and a willingness to take risks — all of which are excellent qualities for a successful Saturday Night Live host.
So I was not disappointed when Harlow helped deliver the best episode of the season so far — though he had a big assist from Tom Hanks and the loveable Bobby Moynihan. Because the truth of the matter is, no matter who was hosting, people were going to love this episode thanks to the return of one David S. Pumpkins. In fact, it was almost a disservice to Harlow as host, because the return of David S. Pumpkins is going to be the only thing people remember from this episode, even though Harlow himself was funny, goofy, and game. Any questions?
We need to talk about ‘The Midnight Club,’ because Mike Flanagan has done it again, y’all.
Did ‘Better Call Saul’ schedule itself into some Emmy wins? We’ll soon find out.
Maya Rudolph will never escape ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and that’s just fine.
Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph & Jack Harlow
March 27, 2021
Saturday Night Live has been on hiatus for a month (a well-earned break, honestly) and I was a little worried the gears would be a little rusty when they returned this week. It was a fear that wasn’t entirely unfounded: the cold open was off, the monologue was off, the sketch that was clearly supposed to be the cold open but was so stiff and unfunny that they buried it mid-episode was waaay off. However, the show was helmed by a consummate professional, former cast member, and sketch legend, Maya Rudolph, who saved a number of bits and tried her very damnedest to salvage a few otherwise unsalvagable others (specifically those mentioned above).
That said, I don’t want to come off too harsh. Despite some weak spots, this episode was fairly solid and had bright spots that did not rely on a vet to prop them up. Notably, Bowen Yang’s heartfelt plea to stop anti-Asian hate, and a music video that reminds us that Boomers will always shove their way to the front of the line were bits that did not depend on Rudolph and I think were moments that we will remember long after this season ends. All in all, the positive outweighed the negative in this episode; a mixed bag if you will, which honestly is the best you can hope for in a variety show that is made up of 12-14 individual sketches an episode. Good job, kids.
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