Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FROM THE CHENEY FAMILY
Dick (DAH) & Lynne (KRW) Cheney read unlovely Valentine’s Day cards
— The Scooter Libby Valentine card is really funny.
— I was expecting the Valentine card from the guy who Dick Cheney shot in the face to have a funnier punchline.
— I love Darrell’s Cheney cutting off his reading of the obscene final verse in the Valentine card from an Iraq soldier.
— This is the first time in quite a while that a political cold opening has really worked for me.
— Why didn’t the camera do the traditional zoom-in on Darrell during his “Live from New York…” at the end?
STARS: ***½
MONOLOGUE
host & MAR sing “Get Ready”
— I like Maya giving a shoutout to Forest’s early role in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, a movie I often forget he was even in.
— The first of what I recall being several instances of singing from Forest tonight.
— Blah at this turning into a joke-less musical monologue, though at least the number is uptempo.
STARS: **
BRONX BEAT WITH BETTY & JODI
Betty & Jodi think doctors (host) & (KRW) are in love
— More on-point and fun characterizations and interplay between Maya and Amy in these Bronx Beat sketches.
— Amy: “The way things are going these days, the whole world’s gonna blow up.” Feels more fitting hearing that today than in 2007.
— I love Kristen’s tenseness when Maya and Amy point out that Forest is clearly in love with her.
— Some pretty good laughs from Maya and Amy putting pressure on Forest and Kristen to date each other.
— Even the voice Fred is using over the phone as Maya’s son is making me laugh.
— After Forest clarifies to Maya and Amy that “We’re not in love” as he and Kristen are making their exit, I love Kristen’s little “What? We’re not?”
— These Bronx Beat sketches continue to be pretty solid. I’m enjoying these much more than I did when they originally aired.
STARS: ***½
ANDY POPPING INTO FRAME
ANS adds himself to various camera shots
— I love this minimalist short, and how late 2000s it now feels. A quintessential example of the kind of simplistic concept that Andy and Lonely Island in general can make into such a fun and charming blast.
— Some great suspenseful build-ups in the occasional shots that Andy is missing from for the first few seconds.
— A very funny turn with Will getting involved and gradually taking the focus away from Andy, resulting in a now-non-smiling Andy forcing Will away by pointing a gun at his head.
— I love how some portions of this are exploring SNL’s studio.
— This pre-taped short ends up being Andy’s ONLY appearance of this entire episode.
STARS: ****½
ASSAGIO’S
waiter (host) interminably sings “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
— Speaking of a cast member making only one appearance tonight, tonight is yet another episode where Bill is stuck making his only appearance of the night in a forgettable straight man role. (*sigh*)
— This HAS to be a James Anderson sketch.
— Forest’s performance is pretty fun, but I’m not caring for the premise of this sketch itself. The execution of this isn’t anything great, though at least it isn’t as bad as it could be.
— Fred accidentally gives away the broken glasses gag by switching his glasses when the camera is still on him.
— I do like Bill’s line explaining Forest is now singing in a pitch that only dogs can hear.
STARS: **
URIGRO
Rerun from 1/20/07
MAN VERSUS BEAST TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR
mountain lion advances to final four by mauling (JAS)
— Amy, in a smiley, jovial manner: “I love animals, and I absolutely despise human beings.”
— An interesting and creative premise, and I like Forest’s delivery during the set-up to the match we’re about to see.
— “Aerosmith engineer”? A little odd how Forest misread the term “aerospace engineer” as that.
— A good laugh from the blurring-out of Jason’s brutal mauling by the mountain lion.
— A great bloodied, torn-up look of Jason during his post-match interview. This is pretty much a more extensive version of Jason’s eternally-bleeding chewed-off arm in that Bear Shark Project sketch from earlier this season.
— I love Jason’s long, pensive pause while he’s contemplating an answer to a question of Maya’s while his neck continues to eternally bleed.
— So many great lines from Jason during his interview. I especially like the one about him literally getting his ass handed to him by the mountain lion.
STARS: ****
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Stupid Boy”
WEEKEND UPDATE
Jesse Jackson (DAH) & Al Sharpton (KET) rank Barack Obama’s blackness
like all ladies, Lisa Nowak fell for fellow astronaut Bill Oefelein (JAS)
— Jesus Christ, Darrell is going EXTREMELY heavy on the physical tics as Jesse Jackson tonight. He’s trying WAY too hard to milk laughs from the audience, even for his standards. (At one point during this extended mugging and ticcing of Darrell’s, Kenan even ad-libs by looking at his non-existent wristwatch in a comically impatient manner.) I remember some online SNL fans back at this time in 2007 saying Darrell seemed like he was on coke during this commentary.
— A pretty solid concept of the Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton commentary, with them displaying and explaining a Blackness Scale, and where Barack Obama ranks on it.
— I particularly like the part about Obama being moved way up on the Blackness Scale because he dated white women.
— Seth continues to hone his smarmy Update persona, with his joke tonight about lazy gay people, a joke that his delivery made work.
— This is exactly the type of smug role that Jason can sell in spades.
— I love Jason’s line about “giving intricate high-fives”.
— Meh, I don’t care much for Amy’s cutesy act when being charmed by Jason.
— Jason’s commentary ended on a weak note.
STARS: ***
LOVE WHITNEY: WHITNEY HOUSTON’S VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL
Tommy Brown (host) joins Whitney Houston’s (MAR) Valentine’s Day Special
— Oh, no. Maya’s Whitney Houston Weekend Update commentaries this season were bad enough; now SNL spins her off into her own sketch? I am in for a looooooong sketch, aren’t I?
— Kenan In A Dress alert. Oh, I *am* in for a looooooong sketch. (*sigh*)
— This sketch is basically nothing but an unfunny 4-minute collection of annoying tics that Maya regularly does as Whitney on Weekend Update.
— Forest’s delivery is a bit rough here, and he’s unfortunately not saving this sketch like I desperately want him to.
— Overall, boy, this sketch was fucking awful.
STARS: *
AM I A CRAZY STREET PERSON?
(host) is contestant on & topic of game show
— Fun concept for this game show sketch.
— A solid game show host performance from Jason.
— I love Jason’s little “What the hell…” when Fred randomly walks right past the camera during his exit.
— Forest’s amazement at each guest is very funny and charming. I also love Kristen’s growing cynicism towards each guest.
— Great turn with Kristen recognizing Forest as an escapee from an institution.
— Ha, Kenan’s hair…
— Such a fun performance from Forest.
— Great ending line from Kristen: a deadpan “I’m definitely suing” after being terrified by Forest doing a crazy, wild dance around her.
— A technical glitch occurs at the end, where the screen mistakenly fades to black way too early as soon as the “Am I A Crazy Street Person?” logo starts showing up onscreen while Jason is wrapping up the show.
STARS: ****
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Once In A Lifetime”
STATEN ISLAND ZOO
high schoolers’ sloths “documentary” fudges zoological accuracy
— A hilarious, very memorable, over-the-top, and extremely catchy Sloths music video. And the intensity of it is a hilarious sudden tone shift after Kristen’s calm, smiley intro.
— A few great vulgar, bleeped-filled lyrics.
— I love the inclusion of the character Sloth from The Goonies performing a guitar solo…in a church, of all places, which is such a funny little random detail.
— Second sketch in a row tonight with a perfect ending line from Kristen, this time her saying a very taken-aback “That…was not…entirely accurate” after the Sloths video has ended. Yet another solid example of how damn good and reliable Kristen always is at playing straight roles and selling a funny low-key-perplexed one-liner.
STARS: *****
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— The streak of pretty solid episodes continues. Other than two flops (Whitney Houston Valentine’s Day Special and Assagio’s, though the latter wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been) and a monologue I didn’t care for, there was a lot to like in tonight’s episode, and a few VERY strong pieces.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Drew Barrymore)
a slight step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Rainn Wilson