December 2019 – Page 3 – The 'One SNL a Day' Project

December 7, 2019April 23, 2022

October 25, 1997 – Chris Farley / The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (S23 E4)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

PERMISSION TO HOST
testimonials of TIM & CHC persuade skeptical LOM to let CHF return to SNL

— Tim: “Fatty falls down, ratings go up!” Hmm, season 20’s ratings seem to disagree with that statement.
— Right from Chris Farley’s entrance, you can see what horrible shape he’s in by this late stage of his life. He’s fatter than we’ve ever seen him and his voice sounds hoarse as all hell. I once read an online comment on the SNL newsgroup (alt.tv.snl) saying that, compared to how he looks in tonight’s episode, Farley looked like Mr. Universe in the classic Chippendales sketch from 1990.
— I like the hint of something infamous that supposedly happened during the Marisa Tomei episode, as Farley vaguely explains to Lorne “I had to go to the bathroom!”
— When the camera cuts to Lorne after Farley brings up an incident where he set Tim up with a transvestite, Farley lets out the most INSANE-SOUNDING wheezing laughter I’ve ever heard in my life. I don’t know whether to laugh or be horrified.
— Pretty funny gag with Chevy Chase, of all people, being Farley’s sponsor. However, it’s hard for me to get excited for a Chevy cameo at this point in the show’s history, for reasons I don’t think I need to explain.
— Despite the health issues and delayed timing in his delivery of some lines, Farley is still giving me some laughs here, and as the ending of this cold opening shows, he can still do a mean pratfall onto a table.
STARS: ***

MONOLOGUE
TIM & CSR take over the monologue while waiting for CHF to show up

— Hmm, a monologue with the host failing to show up after Don Pardo announces their name. I don’t think SNL has done that since way back in season 2 (the Candice Bergen episode).
— A very fun idea to have this monologue be a continuation of the cold opening. It’s a shame, though, that Farley’s subsequent drug-related death casts such a dark shadow over the premise, so much so that both the cold opening AND monologue would later infamously be removed from Comedy Central’s 60-minute version of this episode, causing this episode to abruptly begin with the opening montage before abruptly going right into the Morning Latte sketch.
— Amusing line from Chevy saying he previously sponsored Robert Downey Jr., which reminds me that I recall once hearing that Downey is who SNL originally wanted to cameo as Farley’s sponsor tonight, but they weren’t able to get him, so they had to settle for Chevy.
— Feels weird seeing Farley interacting with a newer cast member who joined after he left the show (Ana).
— I like Ana’s “Eeww” response to finding out her dressing room used to be Farley’s.
— Another dig at how surprisingly long Tim has been on SNL: Chevy excitedly says to Lorne, in regards to Tim, “He’s really got something. Is he new?” and Lorne responds with a deadpan “This is his eighth season.”
— I love Tim desperately wanting to host this episode, despite still being a cast member. (Trying to pull an Eddie Murphy, are we, Timmy?) It sure is nice seeing him standing on that home base stage as if he is indeed tonight’s host.
— Chris Rock! However, there’s some sadness to his appearance tonight when you’re aware that he truly was brought into SNL earlier this week as an emergency backup host, because SNL realized that Farley’s condition was so bad that they weren’t sure he’d be able to go through with hosting the show that weekend.
— Rock, on hosting SNL again: “I’m on more now than when I was on the show!”
— Rock: “I’m not the host tonight… and Timmy DAMN SURE ain’t the host tonight!”
— Feels good seeing season 16 rookies Tim, Farley, and Rock standing together onstage, which Rock points out by saying all three of them started the same year.
— When going on about how he, Farley, and Tim’s careers have advanced since starting out on SNL together, I love how the only thing Rock can say about Tim is “Timmy’s still black.”
— Rock is fantastic in this monologue, and as much as I hate to say this, he’s clearly in a far more suitable condition to host tonight than Farley is.
— When concluding the monologue while standing onstage by himself, Farley does the same arm-running gesture that he famously did in the very first Matt Foley sketch when saying “We gotta get ourselves on the right track!”
STARS: ***½

YUM BUBBLE GENITAL HERPES GUM
combat sexually-transmitted disease with Yum Bubble Genital Herpes Gum

— Boy, this premise is just plain dumb, and not the funny kind of dumb.
— I guess SNL thinks that if they say “genital herpes” enough times in this commercial, it’ll eventually start being funny. Nope, still not funny after the 50th utterance of the term.
— I think this is the first pre-taped fake ad in this era that I’ve given a negative review of. I hadn’t realized until now what a good track record this era has been having with fake ads.
STARS: *½

MORNING LATTE
Tom (WIF) & Cass (CHO) trade insipid personal anecdotes

— This sketch makes its debut.
— Will and Cheri are doing a fun and spot-on imitation of typical morning show hosts.
— Farley’s already-hoarse voice seems to be getting worse and worse as this episode goes along.
— Funny part with Cheri being wrong on what an Italian phrase that Will said means.
— More laughs from the denseness of Cheri’s character, with her always missing a point that someone has just made to her.
— A good part where, right in the middle of his and Cheri’s lighthearted laughing, Will suddenly turns the mood somber and grim by bringing up a school shooting that recently happened.
— Classic part with Farley telling Cheri “OVER THE WEEKEND, YOU STUPID BITCH!” Something about Farley’s hoarse, lower-pitched voice strangely made his delivery of that line funnier, as bad as I feel for saying that.
STARS: ***½

ST. MONICA AUTUMN DANCE
at a school dance, (CHF) boogies with wallflower Mary Katherine Gallagher

— Funny little part with Cheri immediately going from laughing at Jim’s rude comment to randomly asking him “Do you wanna feel me up on the dance floor?”
— Feels weird seeing Farley playing off of Mary Katherine Gallagher, but I definitely see why they’re doing this sketch with him, as his knack for pratfalls will fit perfectly in a recurring sketch that regularly features pratfalls from Molly. Though for that same reason, part of me kinda wishes that SNL combined this and the Matt Foley sketch that we’ll be seeing later tonight, by doing a “Matt Foley meets Mary Katherine Gallagher” sketch.
— The timing for this sketch feels off in certain parts, and for once tonight, it’s seemingly not Farley’s fault. This sketch just feels a bit under-rehearsed.
— I am liking the dramatic, sentimental turn this sketch has taken after Jim humiliates poor MKG on the dance floor.
— A sweet slow-dancing scene with MKG and Farley.
— Heh, now we get the obligatory double helping of pratfalls from Molly and Farley that this sketch was building up to. However, Farley’s pratfall here looks surprisingly very tame for his standards, especially when compared to the pratfalls that Molly’s doing.
STARS: ***

MARTHA STEWART LIVING
Martha Stewart (ANG) tells how to carefully plan your Halloween tricks

— Surprisingly, this is only the second time Ana has played Martha Stewart, after almost an entire year has gone by since the classic Martha Stewart Topless Christmas Special sketch. This is also the first time that Ana is playing Martha in a live sketch.
— A lot of laughs from Martha Stewart showcasing various traditional Halloween prank items in her usual professional way.
— Great ending line from Martha about spending 364 days of the year suppressing her inner demons but inviting them to dance on “All Hallows Eve”.
STARS: ****

SPINNING CLASS
Matt Foley tries to inspire a health club exercise cycle workout class

— A laugh from Tim’s inappropriate line “I’m thin, I’m handsome, I can have sex with anyone in this room.”
— As soon as Tim mentions he hired someone to motivate his spin class, I like how you can tell that the audience immediately knows who’s about to show up.
— Holy hell, Farley’s stomach looks bigger than ever in his usual tight Matt Foley button-down shirt.
— Another holy hell at how awful Farley sounds when trying to do his old Matt Foley voice. I recall an old comment from someone on the aforementioned SNL newsgroup saying that, at some points of this sketch, they almost thought Farley was randomly attempting to make fun of the way deaf people typically talk. That comment is sadly spot-on, especially the way Farley sounds when he says “–and I am a motivational speaker” early on in this sketch.
— It’s so interesting in retrospect seeing Farley and Will interacting with each other.
— Funny bit with Matt Foley’s pants being heard loudly splitting when he gets on the exercise bike.
— I’m noticing throughout tonight’s episode that Farley keeps making a rockstar finger sign with his hands for some reason (here’s an example of what I mean by “rockstar finger sign”). It seems out of place when he’s doing it as Matt Foley.
— Man, Farley keeps sounding dangerously out-of-breath throughout this sketch, when he’s barely even moved around yet.
— Yeah, throughout this sketch, I’m constantly alternating back-and-forth between laughing at the material and being scared for my life in regards to Farley’s health.
— Speaking of being scared for my life for Farley’s health, what was with the brief moment where Farley abruptly stops in the middle of his coffee-drinking to hold his hand near his chest and go “Whoa, whoa, whoa”? Frightening moment there.
— Jim would later mention during a radio interview that when Farley spits out his coffee all over some of the cast members in this sketch before yelling “SHUT YER PIPEHOLE, MISSY!”, Jim uncontrollably burst out laughing so hard that he couldn’t get his next line out, and thus, they had to cut to someone else. Jim has actually told a lot of interesting Chris Farley backstories from this episode during that radio interview (Jim’s a great SNL storyteller in general), but as you can imagine, almost all of his Farley stories are very sad.
— Oops, we get an instance of a camera mistakenly entering the shot (screencap below).

— After Matt Foley’s crash through the wall, Tim’s over-the-top delivery of “OH MY GOD!!!” slays me every single time I watch this sketch. Only Tim Meadows could make that type of overacting come off so damn funny.
STARS: **½

WEEKEND UPDATE
TRM reminds viewers of his SNL claim to fame- being “the other black guy”

— Haha, damn, Norm is laying on his usual bluntness particularly thick tonight, by flat-out calling various women in the news unattractive. I feel like not even Michael Che could get away with doing that on Update nowadays, but who knows?
— It’s noteworthy that after one joke gets a tepid audience reaction, Norm ad-libs “Try to laugh anyway, cuz it helps Farley get a little rest.”
— Tracy doing an Update commentary as himself for the very first time. And this particular commentary would go on to be a very important part of Tracy’s SNL timeline, as he playfully addresses his lack of airtime and lack of identity on the show. This is basically his version of Bill Murray’s famous “I don’t think I’m making it on the show” sketch from back when Bill was a struggling new cast member.
— I love Tracy’s demeanor during this “The Other Black Guy” commentary, and there are some really funny and memorable bits here, such as Tracy teaching us how to spell his first and last name, and talking about his recurring character: The Guy Who Smiles Real Big At The Goodnights, complete with a montage of Tracy at various goodnights. As I pointed out during the last episode I reviewed, smiling real big at the goodnights was literally the ONLY thing Tracy got to do in that entire episode. I’d like to think that’s what inspired him and/or the writers the following week to come up with this meta Update commentary that Tracy’s now doing.
— The audience reaction during Tracy’s commentary is merely okay; they’re not laughing as much as I would’ve expected them to. I think this commentary of Tracy’s holds more significance to us SNL fans in retrospect, considering the fact that, unlike SNL audiences in 1997, we have the benefit of knowing the trajectory and upswing that Tracy’s SNL tenure would eventually take.
— Great ending to Tracy’s commentary, with his “I’ll see you in 45 minutes” line.
— Norm does a good variation of his usual “Don’t I know it!” gag (where he usually holds up several dollar bills), this time by holding up a realistic-looking human kidney.
— Holy hell, Norm’s “Which once again proves my theory: women can’t drive” joke receives one of the most uproarious audience reactions I’ve EVER seen a Norm Macdonald Weekend Update joke get. Lots of “Ohhhh!”s and exuberant screaming, cheers, and whistles from men in the audience.
— I’m almost surprised we went through this entire Update without getting the return of a Farley character (Bennett Brauer, perhaps? Then again, no, because they’d never be able to top his last appearance with the classic “wire caught on the light fixture” blooper), but as Norm said earlier, Farley needs some rest by this point of the show.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Impression That I Get”

— The lead singer’s raspy voice strangely matches how Farley sounds tonight. If I was watching this musical performance with my eyes closed, I’d think Farley was doubling as tonight’s musical guest.

GOTH TALK
Azrael’s brother Glen (JMB) intercepts Baron Nocturna (WIF)

— A change of pace for Goth Talk, with tonight’s installment being set in a garage instead of a living room.
— Boy, Kattan sure screwed up his laugh line “And I don’t get beat up in the mall parking lot.”
— In these Goth Talk sketches, I always get a huge laugh from the sudden mood change when Jim crashes the show as Kattan’s dickish older brother.
— I got a laugh from Farley bragging about his “suh-weet Grand Cherokee”.
— A pretty funny mention of “The Gloom Room” being right next to a Pizza Hut.
— Very funny brief walk-on from a distressed, soaking-wet, depantsed Will.
— Jim and Farley actually make a good team.
— Kattan seems to be playing his Azrael Abyss character in an even more childlike manner than usual tonight.
— Overall, I like how this installment of Goth Talk changed things up and didn’t follow the same formula of the previous two installments of this sketch (though part of me is a bit curious about what it would’ve been like to see Farley in goth make-up playing the interviewed guest).
STARS: ***

THE LOST DEEP THOUGHTS

SALLY
teen mom (CHO) can’t control giant baby (CHF)

— This has the distinction of being the very first sketch that then-new SNL writer Tina Fey ever got on the air.
— A laugh from the photo with Farley’s head being shown on a baby’s body.
— This is getting good mileage out of the huge size difference between Farley and Cheri.
— Farley’s doing a funny and accurate portrayal of a toddler, and we’re getting a lot of solid physical work from him here.
— I love the part where, when talking about how fast Farley’s body is developing, Cheri says in regards to Farley’s brain “That ain’t developin’” as Farley is seen staring into blank space with his tongue hanging out.
— Great blooper with Farley making Tim crack up when whispering baby nonsense into Tim’s ear.
— A huge laugh from the outrageous gag of Farley tearing off Tim’s arms, which Ana’s Sally and Cheri both treat as if Farley had just done something minor.
STARS: ****

BOSEEPHUS
sound engineers (TIM) & (WIF) find respect for Hank Williams, Jr. (CHF)

— A rare sketch appearance in this era for SNL band member Lenny Pickett.
— Farley is cracking me up as Hank Williams Jr., a.k.a Boseephus, despite how his portrayal of Boseephus’ out-of-control alcoholism has unfortunate similarities to Farley’s own out-of-control substance-abuse issues at this late stage of his life.
— Okay, this sketch is starting to fizzle out really fast.
— Colin “Oh, he’s in the cast?” Quinn makes his obligatory useless one appearance of the night, this time playing Boseephus’ redneck buddy who just silently stands behind him the whole time. Colin’s role practically might as well be played by an extra. (In fact, the first time I ever saw this sketch years ago, I actually did think that was an extra playing Boseephus’ buddy, until I recognized Colin at the very end of the sketch. Then I went “Holy shit, that was Colin Quinn all this time?!?”) Once again, I have to ask, they promoted Colin to repertory player for THIS? At this point, I’m starting to wonder that, if he hadn’t eventually replaced Norm as a Weekend Update anchor later this season, would Colin have been fired after this season? It’s starting to seem that way. They are really struggling to find things for him to do this season.
— Hmm, interesting serious turn with Boseephus standing up to the technicians while defending himself and his buddy.
— A nice-sounding soft, slow-tempo version of the Monday Night Football theme song sung by Boseephus and the technicians (while Colin, of course, continues to just stand silently in the background).
— A good touching ending direct-to-camera message from Boseephus. Between the more sentimental parts of the Mary Katherine Gallagher sketch earlier tonight and now the ending of this Boseephus sketch, I like that they’ve been letting Farley perform some tender, heartwarming, semi-dramatic moments tonight.
STARS: ***

THE SUPER FANS REVISITED
Mike Ditka’s [real] departure causes Super Fan schism; Bill Kurtis cameo

— A Super Fans follow-up! A pre-taped mockumentary is a very creative way of bringing these characters back tonight.
— Great to see George Wendt and Robert Smigel again.
— Solid visual of Wendt’s character wearing a half-Bears/half-Saints jersey, glued together with nacho cheese.
— Very funny scene with Smigel’s character being stripped down to his bear-head underwear while he’s having a nervous breakdown.
— I like Farley’s character being in denial by pretending he’s living in 1986.
— What the…? Is that Mike Freakin’ Myers playing the Chicago-accented rabbi who says “Forget it, my friend, Todd’s a fruitcake.” (the fourth-to-last above screencap for this sketch) If you look past the fake beard and sunglasses, it sure looks like Mike’s face, and the voice sure sounds like his. Did Mike Myers seriously just make a disguised cameo in a Chris Farley-hosted episode, and no viewers knew about it all these years? I’ve never seen Mike’s cameo mentioned ANYWHERE. Not on SNL Archives, not in any episode guides, not in any SNL reviews, nowhere. (SNL Archives claims that’s Darrell playing the rabbi, but it’s definitely not.) Also, the fact that the rabbi is named Naftali “Pat” Ehrenfeld is further evidence that this is indeed Mike Myers, at Pat was the first name of Mike’s Super Fans character Pat Arnold, and I think this sketch is cleverly implying that Pat Arnold changed his identity and became a rabbi. Still, it blows my mind that seemingly no SNL fans, including myself, have realized until now that Mike Myers makes a disguised cameo in this episode. That’s hilarious.
— Showing how much faith SNL has in Will Ferrell, he gets to be the only current cast member to appear in this nostalgic throwback short film.
— For obvious reasons, Farley’s heart attack sequence in this sketch comes off more unsettling tonight than it did in previous Super Fans sketches.
— Mike Ditka cameo!
— I love Ditka informing Farley that “I’m coachin’ the Saints now” and “We actually suck”. I also love the harsh reality check he eventually yells at Farley.
— The ending felt a little abrupt. I used to think Comedy Central’s 60-minute version of this episode shortened the ending of this film (which they had a habit of doing with some sketches from 1994-1999), but I’m currently watching the original live version, and it turns out that’s just how the film originally ended.
STARS: ****½

WEATHER SCOPE
pro wrestler El Nino (CHF) challenges hurricanes to rumble

— Classic scene with Farley’s introductory speech as El Nino, especially his line “El Nino is Spanish for……… The Nino!”
— Fun premise, doing a Weather Channel/WWF hybrid.
— Once again tonight, Farley’s out-of breath, delayed delivery after getting beaten-up by Jim’s Ric Flair just makes you scared for Farley’s real-life health.
STARS: ***½

GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A very difficult episode to assess; in fact, it’s one of the most difficult episodes I’ve ever had to assess in this entire SNL project of mine. It’s needless to say that Chris Farley’s horrible condition and subsequent death a mere two months later casts a pall over this entire episode. However, the writing of the episode itself was fine (certainly better than the writing Farley was typically given during his last two seasons as a cast member), and despite his terrible health, his on-air struggles, and how much of this episode I spent being worried for his dear life, Farley was still able to get laughs out of me throughout the episode. I could still see glimpses of his usual talent and commitment. So, yeah, this episode… I dunno what to say. Very mixed feelings from me right now.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Brendan Fraser)
a mild step down, due to Chris Farley’s health, though writing-wise, both episodes are about on the same level… in fact, tonight’s might be a little better

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
Thankfully, an SNL alum in actual good health: Jon Lovitz

December 6, 2019April 23, 2022

October 18, 1997 – Brendan Fraser / Bjork (S23 E3)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

JANET’S BEDROOM
in her bedroom, girlish Janet Reno (WIF) has a Bill Clinton (DAH) fantasy

— A funny childlike scenario for Will’s Janet Reno. Also a humorous detail with the Jonathan Taylor Thomas poster on her wall in the background.
— I love Reno’s line “I have nails for dinner, and for dessert, I eats A-bombs! Aoow-oww!”
— Interesting voice that Tim is using as John Conyers.
— John Conyers: “What are you going to wear to the justice department?” Janet Reno: “My one blue dress.”
STARS: ***½

OPENING MONTAGE
— The new theme music from the first two episodes of this season has been replaced with a different one tonight, which is the one that will be used for the remainder of this season. This new theme music fits this opening montage decently enough, but I personally have never cared much for this music, which I guess is even more fitting, since I don’t care for this opening montage.

MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— Interesting out-of-the-ordinary entrance from Brendan Fraser, with him entering by swinging on a rope, ala George of the Jungle.
— I’m enjoying this monologue’s unconventional, laid-back premise of Brendan just listing off the many things he likes, especially when his likes start getting random and absurd.
STARS: ***½

LEMON GLOW
Lemon Glow floor cleaner convinced wild (MOS) to settle in suburbia

— A solid Molly Shannon showcase, and lot of laughs from how her details of her disturbing, troubled past is being interspersed with dissonant shots of her pleasantly showcasing the shine that Lemon Glow is giving her floor.
— Great detail with the seedy tattoo being seen on Molly’s arm.
STARS: ****

XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS
fight between Xena (MOS) & Urswina (host) contains hints of lesbianism

— I’m liking Ana’s performance as Gabrielle.
— A funny opening spiel from Brendan when he makes his entrance.
— A classic blooper right now, where Molly accidentally yanks off Brendan’s wig, and Brendan, after getting thrown to the floor, frantically tries to put his wig back on in a hurry. This blooper causes both Brendan and Molly to uncontrollably laugh their way through the rest of the sketch. Without this great blooper, this would be a forgotten sketch.
STARS: ***

ISSUES
stoners (host) & Jeff (JMB) lose focus when topic’s not legal pot

— After two seasons of Joe Pesci and Goat Boy, Jim attempts a new recurring sketch, in a role that he was born to play: a stoner.
— I’m aware that Brendan’s giggling is purely in character, as he’s playing someone who’s high, but I wonder if some of it is genuine leftover giggliness from the Xena wig blooper that happened mere minutes ago.
— Accurate stoner characterizations from Jim and Brendan.
— I got a laugh from Brendan’s line “Bake sale? I’ll be there.”
STARS: ***

THE DELICIOUS DISH
Margaret Jo & Terry talk gourds with controversial squash expert (host)

— Very scattered recognition applause from the audience at the beginning of this.
— Amusing bit with Ana and Molly looking at vacation photos that we can’t see, while making very vague comments about them.
— A laugh from Brendan’s passing mention of his squash-inspired haikus.
— I love Ana’s playful “We can get in a lot of trouble for this show; I hope the censors aren’t listening” line after Brendan brings up something very tame and innocent.
— Very funny how the trivia segment is only one question, which Brendan already answered earlier in the sketch.
— For the very first time, a Delicious Dish sketch has a caller that’s NOT Cheri or the recently-departed Mark McKinney. This time, it’s Tim.
— Overall, one of the better installments of the always-good Delicious Dish.
STARS: ****

THE GOLORDS
Golords beat robots but fail to save NYC from Bill Gates’ nuclear warhead

— I’m surprised to see this so early in tonight’s episode, considering its debut in the preceding episode aired towards the end of the show, and that’s where I remember most of these Golords films airing.
— I didn’t realize until now how catchy that Golords theme song is.
— I got a huge laugh from the male Golord telling Bill Gates “Hands up, dickweed!”
— Another laugh-out-loud line, this time from Bill Gates bragging “I use $100 bills to wipe my ass!”
— Very funny scene with the female Golord trying to make the robots go haywire by taking off her clothes, suggestively eating a banana, and washing a car.
— Odd fourth-wall break with Bill Gates pandering to the live SNL audience by praising New York City’s crowd, resulting in SNL’s audience being heard cheering in response. Not sure what the point of that is, unless it’s a reference to something Bill Gates said in real life.
— Overall, The Golords continue to be a solid new addition to this season.
STARS: ****

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Frank Gifford (DAH) mixes NFL & personal matters; Eric Dickerson cameo

— There are some laughs from Darrell’s Frank Gifford ranting endlessly in a professional sportscaster voice about problems in his personal life, but this sketch is pretty one-note.
— When talking about problems he has with his wife Kathie Lee (who’s identity he thinly hides here by substituting her name with “the Jacksonville Jaguars”), I like Frank Gifford’s passing reference to “that K-Mart sweatshop thing”.
— Boy, Eric Dickerson’s cameo has been met with DEAD SILENCE from the audience.
STARS: **

PHARMACY
Colette Reardon explains her medication needs to pharmacist (host)

— Cheri’s Colette Reardon character officially becomes recurring.
— I like this character of Cheri’s, but is it necessary to have her second appearance be in the exact same pharmacy setting that her first appearance was in? Seems kinda lazy. At least in her subsequent appearances, they place her in different settings, such as Weekend Update, her home, and a school classroom.
— When seeing Brendan’s pharmacist character, Colette asks “Where’s Cliff?” I wonder if Cliff is the pharmacist that John Goodman played in the first installment of this sketch. If so, at least we’re getting some continuity in this recurring sketch.
— Brendan: “What kind of dog is he?” Colette Reardon: “He’s an amputee.”
— Colette Reardon on her menopause: “Menopause, you know, meaning no chance of gettin’ pregnant.” Brendan: “I think that’s good news for all of us.” Colette Reardon: “Ha ha haaaa! Yeah!” Brendan: “I’m serious.”
STARS: ***½

WEEKEND UPDATE
Harry Caray’s (WIF) World Series analysis mostly deals with team mascots

— Boy, Norm’s first few jokes tonight are getting a very tepid audience reaction. However, their reaction isn’t quite as bad as I had remembered. My memory of this Update had Norm’s first two jokes getting literally ZERO laughs from the audience.
— Weird seeing Will’s Harry Caray appearing for the second consecutive episode, though he has an excuse to appear tonight, with that year’s World Series going on.
— As always, tons of funny kooky lines from Harry Caray, especially the whole bit regarding scalps and Indians.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Bachelorette”

BIOGRAPHY
Jack Perkins (DAH) drinks during Courtney Love (MOS) profile

— Darrell’s drunken Jack Perkins is always worth some laughs. I worry, though, that this joke might get a little old if they do one more Biography sketch, but IIRC, the only remaining Biography sketch is a bit of a different one where Darrell’s Perkins is bitter because he’s being replaced by a new host, Harry Smith, and thus, Perkins does a very slanderous biography on Smith.
— I love the part with Courtney Love’s mother revealing that Courtney invented crack as a child.
— Funny contradictions between Courtney and Brendan’s respective interviews regarding Courtney’s stint as a stripper.
— Haha, holy hell at Jack Perkins’ line “They call that shotgunning a beer… and it was a shotgun that Courtney’s husband Kurt Cobain used to BLOW HIS HEAD OFF!”
— I never can get enough Frank Sebastiano sightings on SNL (the sixth above screencap for this sketch).
— Wait, former SNL stage manager Joe Dicso?!? (the last screencap above) What’s he doing here? I thought he left after season 21. And no, his (pre-taped) appearance in this Biography sketch isn’t a clip from the Courtney Love Show sketch that he appeared in back in the Christine Baranski episode from season 21. Even though he gets wildly kissed by Molly’s Courtney Love in both this sketch and the season 21 Courtney Love Show sketch, they’re both different scenes. Maybe this scene is from a cut dress rehearsal sketch from back when Dicso was still working at SNL? That’s the only explanation I can think of.
— The ending felt a little abrupt. I was expecting more scenes.
STARS: ***½

MANGO
(host) becomes obsessed with enigmatic male stripper Mango (CHK)

— Ohh, boy. Right from the start of this sketch, I can already tell which dreaded character is about to enter.
— Yep, there he is. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a major recurring character debut! I feel wrong for saying that with an exclamation point, as if I’m excited about that. It’s merely a catchphrase of mine that I copy-and-paste whenever I reach the debut of a particularly big recurring character, whether the character is good or bad.
— As I often do when covering the debut of this era’s most polarizing recurring characters, I’m going to approach this Mango debut by treating it as a standalone sketch, pretending that I’m unaware it’s the first of a series of sketches.
— I do like Brendan’s befuddled facial expressions when Mango is seducing him.
— Aaaaand the sketch is now over, with me having said practically nothing about it. Geez, even in its first installment, this Mango sketch already wasn’t good. I will admit that I did kinda appreciate what the format and narrative of this sketch was going for, but it just wasn’t very funny or entertaining. I did notice, though, that Chris’ take on Mango was lower-key here compared to how exaggerated and cartoonish his characterization of Mango would gradually become over time.
STARS: **

THE SHARK CHANNEL
Shark Channel programming only partially reflects network’s implied focus

— I’m enjoying the absurd escalation from normal shark programming to increasingly un-shark-like programming, especially the shark-themed teen pregnancy show.
STARS: ***½

BUDDY SONGS
creeped-out cast watches as host sings about his new best friend WIF

— Very interesting premise, and I almost always like the rare times that post-1985 SNL has a sketch that takes place on the home base stage. That was much more common in SNL’s first 10 seasons.
— Geez, I keep forgetting that Colin is even a cast member this season. He’s JUST NOW making his first and only appearance of the night, in a small supporting role in this 10-to-1 sketch, and he’s obviously only appearing in this because it’s a (sorta)full-cast sketch. Will somebody please remind me why SNL promoted him to repertory player this season? We’re three episodes into this season, and he has done jack squat except for that Friends sketch from the preceding episode. Hell, I think he got more airtime back when he was just an occasionally-credited featured player.
— But hey, at least Colin’s actually appearing tonight, which is more than I can say for poor Tracy, who isn’t in ANY sketches tonight (which is something he’ll sadly have to get used to these next few seasons, as this is far from the last time this will be happening to him). Hell, Tracy gets far more face time during this episode’s goodnights than he does during the actual show, which reminds me of a certain important Weekend Update commentary he would do as himself in the very next episode (you’ll find out what commentary that is when we get to it).
— I’m loving this sketch, and there’s a lot of amusement from Brendan’s sappy buddy song. And something about the simplicity, innocence, and friendliness of the song lyrics make this sketch feel connected to Brendan’s “Things I like” monologue from earlier tonight.
— Great touch during the song with Will just sitting there with a frozen smile on his face the entire time while having his hand placed on Brendan’s leg.
— When the camera pans across each cast members’ disturbed facial reaction to the song, I love how the shot ends on Norm with a big gleeful smile on his face. (Unfortunately, this “camera panning across a group of people who are weirded-out by what they’re witnessing, except for one individual who’s actually enjoying it” gag would go on to be overused in later SNL eras.)
— Funny line about Colin’s Hip Hop Napoleon sketch getting cut.
— Norm’s very awkward delivery of his line about growing apart from his buddy is unintentionally hilarious in the way that only Norm could make it.
— More laughs from Norm, this time with his badly out-of-sync attempt to sing in harmony with Will and Brendan.
STARS: ****

GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A good episode. A lot of fairly solid segments, a few great segments, and not too much that didn’t work for me.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Matthew Perry)
a mild step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
A near-death Chris Farley

December 4, 2019April 23, 2022

October 4, 1997 – Matthew Perry / Oasis (S23 E2)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

PRACTICE
hoping to become real Spartans, Craig & Arianna practice for tryouts

— A bit of a change of pace by having the Cheerleaders star in a cold opening.
— I got a laugh from the prostate exam part of a cheer that Craig and Arianna do.
— Funny bit about Arianna’s brother’s blow-up doll.
— This feels like a step backwards for this recurring sketch as a whole. I’ve never been crazy about the Cheerleaders sketches that just have Craig and Arianna doing various cheers for four minutes and occasionally having a conversation with each other in between the cheers, which basically sums up the first few sketches they appeared in, as well as tonight’s installment. I prefer the more recent (at this point in the show’s history) Cheerleaders sketches that involve actual storylines and various characters.
STARS: **½

OPENING MONTAGE
— The theme music is still the same one that was introduced in the preceding week’s season premiere, but the tempo is slowed WAY down tonight. This slower-tempo theme music doesn’t fit this opening montage at all. The faster-tempo theme was much more in line with this montage’s style.
— I do like the long saxophone note that’s played at the beginning of tonight’s theme music, though.

MONOLOGUE
host tries to get NYC residents to help re-create Friends fountain dance

— I like the older woman responding “F*** off!” to Matthew’s question about dancing in a water fountain.
— Adam McKay probably wrote this monologue, as we get an appearance from two of his Upright Citizens Brigade buddies, Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, the latter of whom has probably the funniest part of this monologue, as a guy who all-too-eagerly takes his shirt off as soon as Matthew asks him the water fountain question.
— Funny scene with Matthew and a fat guy jovially dancing with each other in a water fountain while the “Friends” theme song plays.
STARS: ***½

COOKIE DOUGH SPORT
the drink replenishes sugar lost during exercise

— Hilarious concept, replacing Gatorade with cookie dough, of all things.
— I love the cookie dough-themed recreation of scenes from typical Gatorade commercials.
STARS: ****

CELEBRITY JEOPARDY
Michael Keaton (host) & others exasperate Alex Trebek (WIF)

— The audience finally gives Norm’s Burt Reynolds impression the recognition applause it deserves when he’s shown during Will-as-Alex-Trebek’s introductions to each contestant.
— I like Trebek immediately replacing the “Renaissance” category with the much simpler category “Shapes”.
— I don’t understand Darrell’s John Travolta impression at all. It sounds nothing like Travolta, and just seems like Darrell’s doing a bad variation of his Bill Clinton voice. Once you hear Clinton in his Travolta voice, you can’t unhear it.
— Matthew’s Michael Keaton impression is cracking me up. I know a lot of SNL fans have found his Keaton impression baffling and nothing like the real thing (it doesn’t help that the wig and make-up do nothing to help Matthew resemble Keaton), but I definitely see what he’s going for, especially with the hesitant mannerisms and constant eyebrow raises. It’s all making me laugh.
— Michael Keaton: (dramatically) “I’m Batman!” Alex Trebek: “No, you are not.”
— I absolutely love how the Audio Daily Double for the “Name this continent” question is just a man saying “ASIA” in a booming, monotone voice.
— Wasn’t necessary to have Norm’s Burt Reynolds do the “Kick me” sign prank a second time.
— A big laugh from Travolta’s “Miso Horny” Final Jeopardy answer.
— Overall, another great Celebrity Jeopardy, though for me, these sketches haven’t quite reached five-star status yet. (And Darrell’s bad Travolta impression didn’t help.) IIRC, these sketches finally become five-star worthy with the next installment of this sketch later this season, even though Norm and his Burt Reynolds impression are unfortunately gone by that point.
STARS: ****½

SARCASM 101
students in (host)’s Sarcasm 101 class get first-hand irony experience

— After the opening sarcastic conversation between Matthew and the students, I like the eventual reveal that the class is named Sarcasm 101. This sarcasm premise seems perfect for Matthew, given his character on “Friends”.
— A laugh from Tim telling Ana “Whenever you talk, it makes me wanna have sex with you less.”
— Norm’s off-beat, idiotic one-liners are priceless.
— Interesting twist with Ana turning out to be a plant.
— When Norm is told that he cannot take a bath with Ana, I absolutely love the brief close-up of him just looking at the camera with a hilarious teeth-gritting facial expression (screencap below). That is an all-time classic Norm Macdonald image to me.

— Yet another hilarious bit from Norm (who’s providing my only real big laughs here, though I am enjoying the sketch), with him going “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!” You can tell that’s not part of the script, as Tim and some of the background extras are seen being genuinely amused by it. Also, pay attention to Will during that part: while Norm is going “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!”, Will still stays in character and just stares towards the camera in a comically dumbfounded manner.
— Speaking of Norm’s “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!”, he would later repeat it in his epic monologue when he hosts in season 25.
STARS: ***

THE LADIES’ MAN
old-fashioned player Leon Phelps (TIM) takes some calls

— Ladies and gentlemen, we have a major recurring character debut!
— The lisp on Tim’s Leon Phelps is a nice touch.
— When a caller asks how he can spice up his love life, I love Leon’s response being a blunt “May I suggest you consider the butt?”, which is followed by the caller immediately hanging up the phone.
— Leon not knowing what self-esteem means is funny.
— Some laughs from Leon’s bad, insensitive advice to the overweight female caller.
— Tracy’s role as Leon’s stage manager ends up becoming a recurring character in these Ladies’ Man sketches, but gets dropped after a few installments and is now forgotten by SNL fans. I myself didn’t even remember Tracy’s recurring role in these early Ladies’ Man sketches until seeing it just now.
— An overall good debut for this sketch, and Tim already seems to have a good handle on this soon-to-be-big character of his.
STARS: ***½

SPACE, THE INFINITE FRONTIER WITH HARRY CARAY
Harry Caray (WIF) drifts into sci-fi

— I have mixed feelings about seeing this sketch officially become recurring. On one hand, Will’s Caray is always a hoot and the first installment of this sketch with Jeff Goldblum was a bonafide classic, but on the other hand, I already know they’ll never top that first installment and I’m worried the follow-ups will just come off as inferior imitations.
— I got a good laugh from Caray’s “Don’t jerk me around, Ronald, it’s a simple question!” line.
— Overall, this was very funny, but yeah, doesn’t measure up to the first installment. While Harry Carey had lots of funny absurd statements and questions tonight as usual, none of them really stood out as classic and some of them just felt like thinly-altered versions of some of the memorable lines from the first installment.
STARS: ****

WEEKEND UPDATE

— Norm surprisingly does a Janet Reno joke that, for once, doesn’t end with a punchline about her being a man.
— Norm’s “forgetting to go to an evangelical group meeting” joke was so bad in itself, but he made it so damn funny with his delivery. It’s that weird Norm magic.
— No guest commentaries tonight.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Go Away”

MTV NEWS
Goat Boy sings with Willie Nelson (WIF) & Julio Iglesias (host)

— I think this is the only time Kincaid appears outside of season 22, but I’m not sure.
— Kincaid AND Goat Boy sketch in the same sketch? A rare occurrence of two unrelated recurring sketches colliding.
— Kincaid’s typical routine of reminiscing about pop culture is receiving dead silence from tonight’s audience. I still find it somewhat funny, though her routine feels more forced than usual in this sketch. If this indeed ends up being her final appearance, no big loss there. I’m surprised by how tolerant I’ve been of her in my reviews, though, considering I used to find her pretty insufferable when I was younger. Goat Boy, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. I used to find him pretty funny when I was younger, but he now does nothing for me.
— Hmm, the audience gives Kincaid nothing in this sketch, yet a minute later, they laugh heartily at the weak, one-note Goat Boy shtick that ran its course long ago. Go figure.
— Matthew’s Julio Iglesias impression is pretty funny. In fact, he’s been providing my ONLY laughs here.
— This feels like a jumbled, messy, unfunny mishmash of a sketch.
STARS: *½

THE KEVIN FRANKLIN SHOW
The Kevin Franklin Show will be different from the other black talk shows

— Interestingly, the title of this sketch, The Kevin Franklin Show, was actually used on SNL before, in another Tim Meadows-hosted talk show sketch back in the Danny Aiello episode from season 21. (Even the “The Kevin Franklin Show” logo is the exact same) However, the Kevin Franklin character that Tim played in that season 21 sketch appears to be different from the Kevin Franklin he’s playing in tonight’s sketch. He has a completely different look and personality. Makes me wonder why they bothered reusing the “The Kevin Franklin Show” title.
— A good parody of interchangeable urban talk shows from this era.
— Tim’s always able to get laughs with silly-but-likable characterizations like this.
STARS: ***

FRIENDS
host doesn’t care for COQ’s fey Chandler characterization in Friends skit

— I’m surprised tonight’s obligatory “Friends” parody is being buried so late in the episode. I feel like in more recent years, this would be the first sketch right after the monologue.
— I’ve seen much better Jennifer Aniston impressions in more recent years (including on SNL itself), but I can see what Cheri is going for with the Rachel mannerisms, especially the head-bobbing, which is pretty funny.
— Facially, Ana could not look any less like Phoebe, but her vocal imitation is pretty solid.
— Chris’ Ross impression is dead-on and hilarious.
— Speaking of Chris, he’s surprisingly been having a quiet season so far. He’s barely appeared in any sketches in these two episodes. Maybe I should be happy about that, considering the very next episode has him debuting a certain dreaded recurring character that would go on to define his SNL tenure (you can probably guess which character I’m speaking of).
— Speaking of underused cast members, the recently-promoted-to-repertory-player Colin Quinn is just now making his first live appearance of the whole season, after practically being shut out of the season premiere.
— Colin’s inaccurate foppish imitation of Chandler is very funny.
— I like Matthew visibly being thrown off by Colin’s baffling take on Chandler, but trying to stay in character as Joey.
— Yikes, Matthew screws up what was supposed to be a big laugh line. He tells Chris “Do yourself a favor and stick to characters that TALK!”, when the latter part of that line was obviously supposed to be “characters that DON’T TALK”. As you can imagine, this botched line results in confused silence from the audience. Oof. You can tell Matthew realized he screwed up the line, as he delivers his next line in an awkward, halting manner, as if he was distracted while probably thinking in his head “Wait, did I just fuck up that last line?” SNL would later show the dress rehearsal version of the second half of this sketch in reruns, where Matthew delivers his “characters that don’t talk” line correctly and the sketch in general flows better.
— The ending is also a bit different in reruns. In the live version I’m currently watching, the sketch ends with Matthew entering the set of “Friends” while saying in Colin’s foppish Chandler voice “Ooh-hoo, Chandler’s home!”, before the screen does a freeze-frame as the “Friends” ending music sting plays. The rerun version has Matthew’s “Ooh-hoo, Chandler’s home!” line being followed by a few more foppish lines from him before the freeze-frame and music sting occur.
STARS: *** for the live version, ***½ for the dress rehearsal version shown in reruns

THE GOLORDS
puppet siblings Mike & Sissy Golord rescue kidnap victim Bill Clinton

— An out-of-the-ordinary segment for SNL, which eventually becomes a recurring segment this season.
— The Asian whorehouse scene has some good laughs, especially the male Golord getting a “quickie”.
— I love the differing reactions that Bill Clinton and his impostor have to being shown a picture of Paula Jones.
— Some very funny gory visuals when the Golords are beating up the villains, such as one villain’s brains getting blown out all over the wall behind him when he gets shot (which receives groaning laughter from the audience) and another villain getting his heart pulled out through his stomach.
— Overall, this was surprisingly hilarious. When I last saw these Golords segments ages ago, I remember kinda dismissing them as an unnecessary alternative to TV Funhouse, but I now have gained much more appreciation for them during tonight’s viewing. I’m looking forward to seeing more installments of this.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Acquiesce”

GOOD MORNING WITH LIZA!
unstable Liza Minnelli (MOS) & Woody Allen (host)

— Meh, yet another example of SNL’s lazy habit of giving celebrity impressions their own talk show sketch. I can occasionally let it slide when it’s great stuff like Space The Infinite Frontier, but the idea of a talk show sketch hosted by Liza Minnelli doesn’t exactly excite me.
— I am kinda liking Molly’s unhinged, quivery take on Liza Minnelli. The sketch itself isn’t doing much for me, though.
— Yet another funny celebrity impression from Matthew tonight, with him now doing a spot-on Woody Allen.
STARS: **

DISCOVERING FAITH
a sober Kevin Franklin announces his new show- Discovering Faith

— I like how Tim-as-Kevin-Franklin’s hyped-up descriptions of “unusual, innovative” things his talk show will contain are actually just generic things that every talk show has.
— Interesting twist with a now-solemn and rehabilitated Kevin Franklin condemning his former self and announcing a retooled version of his show. The incomplete feel of the first Kevin Franklin Show promo earlier tonight now makes sense, as it just turns out they were waiting until later in the night to give us the payoff. This is more clever than funny, but still fairly well-done.
— Funny line from Kevin Franklin about not legally being allowed anywhere near a party anymore.
STARS: ***

GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— An average episode. Not much else I can think of to say, other than it was a satisfying-enough episode with a few strong highlights that were buried among a sea of averageness, and there were a few sketches I could’ve done without.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Sylvester Stallone)
a mild step down

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
Brendan Fraser

December 3, 2019April 23, 2022

September 27, 1997 – Sylvester Stallone / Jamiroquai (S23 E1)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

OPRAH
Marv Albert (NOM) discusses his unusual sexual practices

— It’s noteworthy that this is the very first live SNL episode to have an NBC station bug in the bottom corner of the screen, as can be seen in this review’s screencaps.
— A laugh early on from Tim-as-Oprah’s “I lost 20 pounds!….aaaaand I gained 35” announcement when talking about her summer.
— A humorous way to tackle that summer’s Marv Albert scandal.
— Yet another great celebrity impression from Norm.
— Oprah: “Here’s the difference between you and me, Marv: I like to eat baklava, baby back ribs, and back bacon. But you like to eat back.” Marv Albert: “Yessss! And ASS!”
— Marv Albert: “Usually when I eat pizza, I do not have a FULL ERECTION!”
— Yet another funny line from Marv Albert, with his “It’s great to have the support of Rod!”, which is more funny for Norm’s delivery of it.
STARS: ****

OPENING MONTAGE
— New montage.

— Yikes. SNL, what are you doing with this montage? This is just plain bad. The graphics are overly simplistic and boring, and this has the distinction of being the only SNL opening montage to not show any New York City scenery. SNL opening montages and NYC scenery should go hand-in-hand. Overall, this is easily the worst opening montage in SNL history, in my opinion.
— I recall hearing that there was a new Ed Sullivan Show commercial at this time that the style of this SNL opening montage seemed to be inspired by. I’m curious to see that Ed Sullivan commercial for myself, just to compare to this opening montage.
— The new theme music isn’t bad, though, and the fast tempo of it fits this montage well. Speaking of the new theme music, it’s actually different from the one that would soon go on to be regularly used for this montage.
— Colin Quinn has been promoted from featured player to repertory player.
— After debuting a year ago, TV Funhouse now has the honor of being credited in the opening montage, being billed as “A Cartoon by Robert Smigel”, which feels like a nice throwback to how the opening montage in season 1 used to credit “A Film by Albert Brooks”.

MONOLOGUE
trainer Mickey (JMB) advises host- “less Cop Land, more Rocky”

— Jim’s impression of Burgess Meredith’s Mickey character from “Rocky” is cracking me the hell up, though I’m aware that some SNL fans at the time considered it a bit tasteless, considering Burgess Meredith had recently passed away.
— Funny walk-on from Tracy as Mr. T (wearing the same camouflage pants Tracy wore as Mike Tyson in the cold opening).
— A fun, energetic turn this monologue takes at the end when Sylvester allows himself to go full-on Rocky.
STARS: ***½

XEROX ASSJET 790
the Xerox Assjet 790 photocopier is optimized for office hijinks

— Every time I’ve seen this commercial in the past, I’ve always howled at the part where Will as the spokesman asks us, in regards to a sophisticated copier, “But can it copy your ass?” as Jim is seen in the background accidentally crashing ass-first through the copy machine. During that part, you can hear screaming laughter from a woman in the audience.
— It’s Colin Quinn’s first episode as a repertory player, and he makes his ONLY appearance of the whole night in a brief, silent role in a pre-taped ad. Geez. An early sign of the huge struggle for airtime Colin is going to have in the first half of this season, before he gets the Weekend Update anchorperson gig mid-season when Norm gets canned.
— A particularly funny feature of the Assjet, with the butt-shaped bucket that you place your ass onto.
— A very funny and solid execution of a juvenile premise.
STARS: ****

NEW CAR
Rita Delvecchio is excited when husband (host) brings home a new Cadillac

— I’m kinda surprised they’re leading off the season premiere with this, but I’m not complaining, as I always like this character and find her to have more depth than most of this era’s recurring characters.
— Interesting how we now get to see Rita Delvecchio’s husband for the first time ever.
— The car alarm saying “Back away from the freakin’ car” in a monotone goombah voice made me laugh way more than it should’ve.
— I like Rita’s anger over Molly having ridden in the new car first.
— We get a Frank Stallone reference from Sylvester.
STARS: ***½

ACCIDENT
car wreck victims (NOM) & (ANG) slam host’s career when he comes to help

— Here comes one of my all-time favorite Norm Macdonald sketches.
— Seems to be a car theme in tonight’s sketches so far.
— Great premise of a dying Norm calling out Sylvester on his bad movies.
— I got a huge laugh from Norm’s sudden yell of “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I just remembered ‘Staying Alive’!”
— I particularly love the part right now with Norm snarking on the ridiculous premise of “Over The Top”, involving Sylvester arm-wrestling for the custody of his son (I can’t even describe that movie’s premise with a straight face).
— Sylvester’s a good sport to allow this sketch.
— Will, to Sylvester: “The man is injured and he happens to think ‘Tango & Cash’ is jackass, so you hit him?!?”
— Norm, in a panicked, half-conscious manner: “Stop… Stop… Stop… Or My Mom Will Shoot sucked.” I also love Sylvester begrudgingly repeating to everybody “He said ‘Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot’ SUCKED!!!”
— A priceless ending with Will finding a copy of “Rambo” in Norm’s possession, only for it to turn out to be a porno titled “Rambone”.
STARS: *****

THE ROXBURY GUYS
Roxbury Guys take Rocky (host) on the town & teach him how to dance

— Meh, this sketch again, although having this installment be a crossover with “Rocky” has promise and might add some new life to this recurring sketch.
— This is the third consecutive sketch tonight to involve a car. Just a random little thing I’ve been noticing.
— I like the turn with Rocky’s “I can’t dance!” outburst.
— Sylvester’s performance is fun, and is helping to make this sketch more tolerable than most of the latest Roxbury Guys installments.
— Not sure what the point is of Rocky being joined by a large group of kids dressed as the Roxbury Guys. Seems corny to me. Maybe this is just SNL’s way of showing how much the popularity of the Roxbury Guys sketches has been taking the nation by storm, much like how a Halloween sketch that SNL did in the preceding season involved, at one point, two trick-or-treating kids dressed as the Spartan Cheerleaders. Is there a “kids dressed as Mary Katherine Gallagher” sketch that SNL eventually does, to complete the trifecta?
STARS: ***

INVESTIGATION
Janet Reno (WIF) mulls Clinton fund-raising charges; Richard Jewell cameo

— I have to laugh at how the real Richard Jewell showed up just to punch Will’s Janet Reno in the gut and then immediately leave.
— I am kinda liking the montage of Reno in deep thought at various locations.
— This overall sketch felt a little weak and seemed kinda underdeveloped compared to other Janet Reno sketches.
STARS: **½

TV FUNHOUSE
“Fun With Real Audio” by RBS- flatulence dominates Casablanca outtakes

— I can appreciate a well-done fart gag, but man, this cartoon is NOT working for me and is very one-note.
— That’s it? The cartoon is over? I was hoping this would take an unexpected turn. Overall, this is, by far, my least favorite TV Funhouse to air up to this point.
STARS: **

WEEKEND UPDATE
Cinder Calhoun sings “Sausage of Pain” to protest existence of hot dogs
though Richard Jewell [real] has been cleared, NOM is still suspicious

— The audience reactions to some of Norm’s jokes are pretty delayed.
— Did I just hear Norm say “flemale” instead of “female” during the WNBA joke?
— Ana’s Cinder Calhoun character, who made her debut in an ensemble sketch the preceding season, now makes her first Weekend Update appearance, with a bit of a different physical appearance.
— Good characterization from Ana here.
— A pretty good laugh from the little touch with Cinder Calhoun’s accented pronunciation of the word “Latina”.
— Funny “Sausage of Pain” song from Cinder.
— Boy, Norm could not look any less interested during this Cinder Calhoun commentary.
— Another Richard Jewell cameo.
— Meh, this Richard Jewell commentary isn’t too funny, but I am liking Norm’s delivery throughout it.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
Joe Pesci (JMB) is upset with host for stealing his co-stars

— A nice deviation from SNL’s usual straightforward musical guest intros.
— I like Jim’s Pesci complaining about being in the movie “8 Heads In A Duffel Bag” “with freakin’ David Spade ova here”.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Alright”

THE COMPUTER STATION
Orange Julius holdover (host) waits on customer (WIF) in computer store

— Already a laugh right from the start of this sketch, with Sylvester entering with a disheveled, seedy look.
— A hilarious off-beat characterization from Sylvester, who’s doing a great job in this role.
— Will is equally great, doing a terrific straight man as usual.
— So many funny lines from Sylvester, especially him confusing a vending machine for a computer.
— Interesting new hairstyle from Tim this season, which eventually grows into long dreads over the course of these next few seasons.
— I love Tim trying to convince Will to buy the vending machine just to appease Sylvester.
— Very funny ending with Sylvester at Orange Julius.
STARS: *****

THE LOST DEEP THOUGHTS

— After being away for two seasons, Deep Thoughts returns, under the new title of “The Lost Deep Thoughts”. Feels weird hearing someone other than Phil Hartman doing the voice-over intro for this.

PLANET HOLLYWOOD
at Planet Hollywood opening, fans (JMB) & (TRM) eventually tick off host

— Tons of camera-mugging from Jim here, reminding me of his mugging-directly-at-the-camera performance in that old lady sketch he did in the Tom Arnold episode from season 21.
— Tracy has noticeably lost weight over the summer, beginning a gradual transformation that we’ll be seeing these next few seasons until we get a thin Tracy in his last three seasons.
— Tracy, when meeting Sylvester: “You better than Gumby, dammit!”
— Tracy is really funny in this. Jim’s making me laugh too (yes, even his direct-to-camera mugging), but Tracy’s performance is standing out to me.
— I like Jim telling Sylvester “I gotta say……. I thought you were bigger, man!”
STARS: ***½

LOU’S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
homely (ANG), (MOS), Maria (CHO) need men

— A hilarious look for Cheri’s soon-to-be-recurring character Maria, and I like how she’s spending most of the sketch just silently staring at the camera.
— I love the voice Darrell’s using as the caller.
— A pretty good laugh from Maria’s accordion-playing.
— Good reveal of one of the daughters being pregnant (and smoking a cigarette to boot).
STARS: ***

MORE SONGS I REWROTE TO HONOR DEAD PEOPLE
Elton John’s (WIF) album features More Songs I Wrote To Honor Dead People

— A laugh from Elton John’s Jimmy Stewart tribute song being a sloppily-altered version of the song “Daniel”, titled “Your Name’s Not Daniel”.
— Wow, after only about 40 seconds, this sketch suddenly gets cut off by a commercial break right when Will’s Elton John started launching into another song. The show has obviously run out of time, forcing them to abort this sketch mid-progress. This sketch got cut off so early that I have to wonder what in the world made SNL think they had enough time to perform the full sketch. Why not just air a pre-taped fake ad in this spot instead?
— I believe they would later show the full version of this sketch in reruns, but I’m not 100% sure, as it’s been ages since I’ve last seen the rerun version of this sketch.
STARS: N/A (incomplete sketch)

GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A good start to the season. There was a bit of a slump in the middle of the show shortly before Weekend Update, but the show as a whole was enjoyable and contained two personal favorite sketches of mine (Accident and The Computer Station). I’m also glad that, aside from Roxbury Guys, this season premiere didn’t go overboard with overexposed or soon-to-be-overexposed characters the way the preceding year’s Tom Hanks-hosted season premiere did.
— Sylvester Stallone kinda surprised me with how good and funny of a host he was. I liked him a lot in this episode.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (1996-97)
a slight step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
Matthew Perry

December 2, 2019April 23, 2022

May 17, 1997 – Jeff Goldblum / En Vogue (S22 E20)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

NIGHTLINE
Deep Blue’s chess win has made Ted Koppel (DAH) technophobic

— Mark’s Bill Gates voice gets me every time. These are probably the last laughs that Mark will ever get on SNL, considering tonight ends up being his final episode.
— I love Will-as-the-Unabomber’s line about preferring to mail his response to Bill Gates.
— I’m enjoying Darrell-as-Koppel’s paranoid, agitated attitude throughout this sketch, due to his fear of technology taking over mankind. A change of pace from Darrell’s usual portrayal of Koppel.
— A big laugh from the name graphic for Garry Kasparov billing him as “A big ass” as we see a pouting Chris Kattan as Kasparov.
STARS: ***½

MONOLOGUE
JMB does dinosaur impressions in hopes that host can get him a job

— Accurate and funny dinosaur sounds from Jim so far.
— Feels rare to see Jim getting the spotlight as himself.
— Heh, Jim is like a little kid in this monologue with his actions. I remember finding him a little annoying in this monologue during past viewings, but I’m more tolerant of it now, even if it’s still nothing particularly great.
STARS: ***

BIG BRAWN
Rerun from 9/28/96

TEACHER’S LAST DAY
Mary Katherine Gallagher finds a soulmate in teacher (host)

— As is inevitable with a lot of recurring characters, we now get Mary Katherine Gallagher doing a “recurring character is paired with a person with similar traits, played by the host” sketch.
— Much like with Steven Tyler in MKG’s last appearance, MKG licks Jeff Goldblum’s body, though it’s only his midsection she licks, whereas she licked Steven Tyler from toe to head. I mentioned in my review of that Steven Tyler sketch that Molly disclosed in, I think, the “Live From New York” book that the NBC censors warned her not to lick Steven Tyler during the sketch, but now I’m thinking that she may have actually been talking about Jeff Goldblum in tonight’s MKG sketch and I probably misremembered it as being Steven Tyler who she talked about. I don’t have my copy of “Live From New York” available, so I can’t check.
— A decent double pratfall from both MKG and Jeff.
— Overall, this MKG installment had its charm, but ehh, I felt a little lukewarm on this sketch (and I’m usually a little more tolerant of Mary Katherine Gallagher than some other SNL fans are). This installment just didn’t interest me all that much.
STARS: **½

SPACE, THE INFINITE FRONTIER WITH HARRY CARAY
Harry Caray (WIF) & astrophysicist (host)

— The debut of a Harry Caray-hosted talk show sketch. Tonight’s installment is by far the most famous installment of this sketch, and I believe is widely considered the definitive appearance of Will’s Harry Caray.
— So far, this is an improvement over the already-funny appearances that Will’s Caray made prior to this. I love how this appearance from Will’s Caray is really doubling-down on the absurd non-sequitur statements and questions.
— A classic part with Caray asking Jeff if he would eat the moon if it was made of barbecue spare ribs.
— Non-stop laughs throughout this. This sketch is an absolute riot and is indeed deserving of its high status among SNL fans.
— Great ending line from Caray, regarding trying to get the dead Albert Einstein to be his next guest.
STARS: *****

TV FUNHOUSE
“Fun With Real Audio” by RBS- talk show trash is taken to the dump

— Interesting format with Sally Jesse Raphael’s show being created from horse defecation and regurgitation.
— A laugh from the overexaggerated size difference between a heavyset female guest and Sally Jesse Raphael.
— This feels weird for a Fun With Real Audio cartoon, but I’m enjoying this biting satire of trashy daytime talk shows from this era.
— I love how SNL’s studio audience can be heard groaning “Ohhh!” when a pile of garbage transforms into Johnnie Cochran. And, boy, did the animators make Cochran’s face look goofy and unflattering in this cartoon.
STARS: ****

GOTH TALK
Circe & Azrael welcome dark musician Count Feedback (host)

— This sketch officially becomes recurring.
— The phone-ringing bit is pretty funny.
— Jeff surprisingly looks right at home in that goth make-up.

— Jim and his obnoxious friends suddenly crashing Jeff’s dark music video is pretty funny, but this doesn’t hold a candle to the memorable video that Rob Lowe did as “The Beholder” in the preceding installment of this sketch.
— Man, the audience has been pretty dead during this sketch.
— Overall, a step down from the first installment of this sketch, but still okay.
STARS: ***

WEEKEND UPDATE
breaking the chain of violence has aided Lenny The Lion’s personal growth
In Their Own Words- kids’ letters to Bill Clinton have anti-GOP spin

— Surprised to see a third Lenny The Lion commentary on Weekend Update. I thought he only did two Update commentaries, both of which I already covered. This isn’t my favorite Colin Quinn recurring character, but this character has its merits.
— Tonight’s overall Lenny The Lion commentary actually had a solid first half, being better than the usual commentaries from him, but trailed off towards the end and whimpered to a finish.
— Didn’t care for Norm’s “In Their Own Words” segment.
— Boy, this is surprisingly the first in quite a long time that we’ve gotten a “Marion Barry loves crack” joke from Norm.
— Wow, and speaking of Norm bringing back an old running joke, we now get a “Germans love David Hasselhoff” joke for the first time since way back in season 20. Norm’s breakin’ out all the classics for tonight’s season finale. I wonder if this made SNL fans at the time speculate that this is possibly Norm’s final episode.
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Let Go”

KENNEDY KAPERS
Ted Kennedy (WIF) & relatives disgrace family name on game show

— I like the sudden gameshow reveal after such a serious beginning about the Kennedy family.
— Jim as William Kennedy Smith is good casting, as I do feel there’s somewhat of a resemblance between the two.
— Will’s Ted Kennedy impression is always worth some laughs.
— Some good tasteless humor with the running gag regarding Michael Kennedy’s preference for underage girls.
— Pretty funny speed round with the Kennedys trying to make JFK spin in his grave.
— An overall pretty fun gameshow sketch, but this didn’t feel as memorable as it should’ve been.
STARS: ***

LARRY KING’S NEWS & VIEWS
Larry King (NOM) gives even more News & Views

— Hell yeah! Glad to see this back.
— As always, I’m laughing non-stop at Norm-as-Larry-King’s random opinionated one-liners into the different cameras.
STARS: ****

RANT
Janet Blaum’s ineffective invective dooms her attempt at unionization

— That looks like the same workshop set that was previously used in that awful Pacemaker sketch that David Spade did in the Bob Saget episode from season 20.
— The return of Ana’s Janet Blaum character. I liked the first installment of this sketch, but I can tell that this will not work as a recurring sketch.
— Yeah, Ana’s comically bad insults aren’t as funny this time, though as always, Ana’s pulling it off really well, like a true pro.
— I do like Ana’s clumsy attempt to stand on a chair that has wheels under the legs.
— I also like the bit right now with Ana making a sloppily-written “Unon” sign. Aside from that and the aforementioned chair bit, everything in this sketch is just a copy-and-paste of the script from the first installment of this sketch.
— Like the last time they did the sketch, Ana’s rant is going on too long.
STARS: **

VIC OCASEK’S ROCK & ROLL FANTASY CAMP
Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp of Ric Ocasek’s cousin Vic (host) has has-beens

— I like the photos of campers with has-been rock stars. And in one of the photos, we get a Frank Sebastiano sighting (the heavyset, bearded, long-haired, biker-looking SNL writer), which is always a plus in my book. Speaking of Sebastiano, is tonight his final night in the SNL writing staff, or does he return next season?
— The campers’ excited testimonials are fairly funny.
STARS: ***

INTERVIEW
(host) interviews unduly-confident job applicant Jerry Steve Dave (TIM)

— Wow, where has Tim been tonight? He’s JUST NOW making his first appearance all night, in the final sketch of the season finale. You can hear one lone person in the audience applaud when Tim makes his entrance.
— Early on in this sketch, I can already tell this is going to be really good. Tim always excels at making silly characters like this work. Fantastic name for this particular character too: Jerry Steve Dave, the Magic Man.
— I love Jerry Steve Dave being under the impression that Napoleon conquered Japan.
— Jerry Steve Dave’s confident attitude when spouting his various clueless statements is great.
— When getting the hint that Jeff doesn’t want to hire him, I like Jerry Steve Dave saying “Did I happen to mention I have 101 Dalmatians on laserdisc?”, as if that would persuade Jeff.
STARS: ****

LARRY KING’S NEWS & VIEWS
Larry King (NOM) voices still more News & Views

— And here we have our final segment of the season.
— This is tickling the hell out of me as always. Even when some of the one-liners aren’t inherently funny, they’re sold by Norm-as-Larry-King’s delivery and the tight close-ups of his face during them.
STARS: ****

GOODNIGHTS

— Former SNL writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller is credited as a guest writer in this episode, billed as “Marilyn Miller” (as seen in the last screencap above). Whatever she wrote must’ve been cut after dress rehearsal, because none of the sketches that aired in this episode match her recognizable style. Or is Marilyn Miller a different person from Marilyn Suzanne Miller?

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— An average season finale. Kinda disappointing that the season ended on an unexciting note, but I can’t complain too much, as I still liked a good number of things in this episode and there were a few great high points, mainly Space The Infinite Frontier and Jerry Steve Dave. I feel like I’m not going to remember much from this episode as time passes, though.

— Season 22 as a whole was a little better than what I was expecting. I came into this season with a little bit of dread, as I had remembered this season for being practically “all recurring characters, all the time” and for heavily toning down the number of absurdist, oddball sketches that season 21 wonderfully leaned into. While I still turned out to be right about those two things to an extent, I ended up finding this season more palatable than I was expecting. This was just an average season, but it was a pleasantly average one, where most of the episodes had a comfortable consistency to them. While I didn’t find too many stand-out classic sketches within a lot of the individual episodes, there was a refreshingly low number of truly bad sketches. One thing about this season that was an upgrade from season 21 was the addition of TV Funhouse, which has brought a fresh new aspect to SNL and has been very reliable for the most part, usually being one of the biggest highlights of the individual episodes they’ve appeared in. Another positive asset to this season was the Distinguished Alumni series, which was five consecutive episodes hosted by former cast members, an experiment that was very fun and made me wish that SNL would do more variations of that idea.

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (John Goodman)
a mild step down

MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS (Note: These picks were hastily made off the top of my head and will naturally be missing some deserving sketches. I don’t have enough time to do full, thought-out “Best Of” picks for this whole season)