May 19, 2012 – Mick Jagger with Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Beck (S37 E22)

51 Replies to “May 19, 2012 – Mick Jagger with Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Beck (S37 E22)”

1. Ginjamin Franklin was indeed a cut Will Forte sketch. He ended up performing it years later on Seth Meyers show. Its not one of his best, but definitely worth a watch, and is one of the better sketches featured in his second chance theater segment.

   I wish Andy got more live stuff to do in this episode.

   Kristen gets one of my favorite send offs on the show, topped only by Phil’s and the two coming next season. This era is far from the show’s best, but it was my first, and is still my comfort food era of the show, and watching any of those goodbyes is bound to choke me up.

   Very excited for tomorrow’s episode. two HUGE additions to the cast, the death of Fredbama, and (if you couldn’t tell from my username) one of my favorite sketches of all time.

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2. This is kind of the end of this era seeing as its two most well-known components (Wiig and the Digital Shorts) are now gone. Though S38 feels more like a weird S31-esque transition year than the start of a new incarnation of the show.

   Congrats on having covered the entire Kristen Wiig era. It’s weird how much closer you’re getting to the current show. Your reviews of S35-S37 have been pretty fair. It’s not as bad as people said it was back when it aired, but it’s still not really a bright spot in SNL’s history, and certainly not the “third golden era” that a lot of Twitter and Reddit thinks it is.

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   1. “It’s not as bad as people said it was back when it aired, but it’s still not really a bright spot in SNL’s history, and certainly not the “third golden era” that a lot of Twitter and Reddit thinks it is.”

      I thought this comment was interesting because when I was getting into SNL, I was reading a lot of Twitter and Reddit, and then when I visited other sites like this one it was “Wait, people DON’T like Kristen Wiig’s performances? People DON’T like Seth Meyers’ writing?” etc. This whole era gets talked up a lot! Maybe for nostalgic reasons. I think it’s mostly because so many of the cast members have become well-regarded after leaving the show, plus they worked well together. But the writing definitely isn’t consistently great.

3. Wiig & Samberg’s exits aside, I officially cannot think of this episode without thinking of John Mullaney…

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4. Now we’re about to head into the final season of the digital short era or the class of 2005 era. Bill, Fred and Jason’s final year is going to be interesting.

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5. I’ve always had such a mixed reaction to this episode. On the one hand, I was a little less than a year into my Rolling Stones fandom, by this time, so Mick hosting was awesome, for me, and I pretty fondly remember his parts of the episode; but as someone who had grown so tired of Kristen and her worshippers, it makes me mad, still, that all this BS had to happen in this episode. Maybe I’ll warm up to her on the show more when I ever get to watching her early seasons, but based on seasons 35-37 (and the tragic amount of follow up appearances, which include her showing up in Adam Sandler’s episode and making that the only one in 11 seasons I’ve bailed on), I’ll absolutely never understand why she deserved this send off. And yeah, that shot of her surrounded by the other women in the cast is pretty sickening. I don’t even remember that little detail of the proceedings. And I hate that Rolling Stones songs are tied to her like this, now. I cringe whenever I hear someone say they know “She’s a Rainbow” because of this.

   As for Andy going, I also never really liked The Lonely Island/Digital Shorts (again, maybe watching the earlier ones will change things), but I never had quite as much vitriol for them (until that season finale Andy hosted, anyway). With everything I remember about these last two episodes, I don’t remember either of these final two Digital Shorts. Then again, I couldn’t even guess one way or the other whether I’ve watched the original Lazy Sunday, yet, or what it’s about, so yeah…that’s how little I care about those.

   Unless my memory is faulty, I remember season 38 being great, for the most part. I’m curious to see if the recurring sketches almost immediately were cut down, as I remember, or if they just became sketches I finally actually liked. By the second half of season 39, though, everything went down the tubes again, but even worse. We’ll get there in January, I guess.

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6. Mick Jagger’s song with Jeff Beck was godawful. Like, an all-time bottom 10 SNL musical performane. If it weren’t for that sweet goodbye to Wiigy after the commercial break, Year 37 would’ve ended with a whimper. Mick with Arcade Fire and Foo Fighters were fine, though.

   In spite of that, this was an enjoyable episode. The finality to Dooneese and Mindy Grayson made those respective sketches a little more tolerable. “Lazy Sunday 2” deserved to be more viral than it was.

   With that said, one episode until “spraying liquid death!”

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7. Having been a fan of the Stones, the Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire in 2012, this was a huge deal for me, and the awesomeness of those musical performances boost this show from me, despite the…mediocrity of a lot of the sketches. Felt more like an ‘event’ show, like the classic-era’s more music-based shows, but still had enough heft to it on its own. Also, Mick was a fun host.

   That’s a good amount of merriment. Now bring in Tim Robinson.

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8. Will Forte is indeed in the goodnights. He’s right behind Amy and Rachel and sandwiched between Andy Samberg and Dave Grohl in your 17th screen cap 🙂

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   1. Pretty sure his face is peeking out at far left of the third-to-last screenshot as well.

   2. Was curious how the first and last episodes rank. Here’s the ranking:

      Season Premiere:
      8.5 – Tom Hanks (S14)
      8.0 – Kyle McLachlan (S16)
      7.7 – Michael Jordan (S17)
      7.6 – Rob Lowe (S26)
      —> 7.4 – Alec Baldwin (S37)

      7.3 – Steve Martin (S3)
      7.3 – Cameron Diaz (S24)
      7.3 – Jerry Seinfeld (S25)
      7.3 – Dane Cook (S32)
      7.1 – Sylvester Stallone (S23)
      7.0 – Steve Martin (S13)
      7.0 – Nicholas Cage (S18)
      7.0 – Mariel Hemingway (S21)
      7.0 – LeBron James (S33)
      6.8 – Rolling Stones (S4)
      6.8 – Chevy Chase (S8)
      6.7 – George Carlin (S1)
      6.7 – (no host) (S10)
      6.6 – Tom Hanks (S22)
      6.6 – Matt Damon (S28)
      6.5 – Lily Tomlin (S2)
      6.5 – Steve Martin (S5)
      6.5 – Bruce Willis (S15)
      6.5 – Michael Phelps (S34)
      6.4 – (no host) (S7)
      6.4 – Sigourney Weaver (S12)
      6.3 – Steve Carell (S31)
      6.1 – Brandon Tartikoff (S9)
      6.1 – Amy Poehler (S36)
      6.0 – Charles Barkley (S19)
      5.8 – Madonna (S11)
      5.8 – Reese Witherspoon (S27)
      5.8 – Jack Black (S29)
      5.5 – Elliott Gould (S6)
      5.3 – Ben Affleck (S30)
      5.3 – Megan Fox (S35)
      4.9 – Steve Martin (S20)

      Season Finale:
      8.1 – Jim Carrey (S21)
      7.7 – Steve Martin (S14)
      7.7 – Christopher Walken (S26)
      7.5 – George Wendt (S16)
      7.3 – Will Ferrell (S34)
      6.9 – Buck Henry (S2)
      6.9 – Buck Henry (S5)
      6.9 – Heather Locklear (S19)
      6.9 – Sarah Michelle Gellar (S24)
      6.9 – Dan Aykroyd (S28)
      6.8 – Jeff Goldblum (S22)
      6.7 – Billy Crystal & Others (S9)
      6.6 – Woody Harrelson (S17)
      6.6 – David Duchovny (S23)
      6.6 – Winona Ryder (S27)
      6.5 – Howard Cosell (S10)
      6.5 – Kevin Kline (S18)
      6.4 – Buck Henry (S4)
      6.4 – Judge Reinhold (S13)
      6.4 – Candice Bergen (S15)
      6.1 – David Duchovny (S20)
      6.1 – Kevin Spacey (S31)
      6.1 – Steve Carell (S33)
      6.1 – Justin Timberlake (S36)
      5.9 – Kris Kristofferson (S1)
      5.9 – Olivia Newton-John (S7)
      5.9 – Dennis Hopper (S12)
      5.9 – Alec Baldwin (S35)
      5.8 – Olsen Twins (S29)
      —> 5.7 – Mick Jagger (S37)
      5.6 – (no host) (S6)
      5.5 – Jackie Chan (S25)
      5.5 – Zach Braff (S32)
      5.3 – Buck Henry (S3)
      5.3 – Ed Koch (S8)
      5.3 – Anjelica Huston (S11)
      4.7 – Lindsay Lohan (S30)

9. I will never forgive the show for not airing the Kings of Catchphrase Comedy sketch during this episode.

   Anyway, this was a surprisingly pretty good episode–there’s two terrible recurring Wiig pieces, but at least they’re not the most annoying things she’s ever done on the show. I feel torn analyzing Wiig as a cast member–she’s a good actress, people seem to like her, and she was certainly a good cast member, but damn, it’s like gradually she became like a Nora Dunn/Ana Gasteyer/Jane Curtin type performer continually given Molly Shannon type roles. I doubt very much that she was intentionally dominating the rest of the female cast at this point, but her departure (eventually) opens the door for a new crop of women to make their mark (it’s sadly too late for Abby and basically Nasim).

   I think the Mick Jagger impression sketch is a quiet, forgotten gem. There’s something about Jagger’s performance in which he pathetically objects to the bad impressions that is very endearing. I also like that they resist the temptation for him to sing “Satisfaction” in a normal Rolling Stones-esque manner–rather, he sings it in a non-crowd pleasing, downbeat style.

   I have never understood why Secret Word didn’t just do a different Wiig character each time. You would think for a one-joke sketch, both she and the writers would enjoy that, basically throwing in different tropes of bad performers to appear on the show, but nope, just the same stupid character each time.

   The following season, at least the beginning, is one of my favorite SNL seasons of all time. There was a thrilling sense of experimentation as darts were thrown at the wall and cast members began to step up. Recurring characters went on the backburner.

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   1. A couple months back, it occured to me that they should’ve had the Secret Word lady appear on knock offs of other ’60s game shows. Password wasn’t the only one with celebrities. But doing any other show probably would’ve taken the focus too far away from Kristen, I guess.

   2. Hey Old Soul. I Think That Is an Interesting Idea and I Would Never Thing OF That ! Kristen Could Go On The Match Game With Gene Rayburn And Fill In The Blank ! Kristen Could Also Go On Hollywood Square And Be The Center Square ! In Fact, Maybe, They Could Have People Be Wally Cox And Rose Marie And Paul Lynde Watching Peter Marshall Having To Deal With Kristen ! Paul Lynde Could Make Snarky Remarks Under His Breath !

10. “Recurring characters went on the backburner.”

    With the noticeable and unfortunate exception of the Californians, which I think appears literally every 4 or 5 episodes. We get the also unfortunate debut of Fred’s Regine character, one of my least favorite of his (which is saying something). Despite his worst stuff being the absolute bottom of the barrel, though, I remember Fred having a slightly stronger year than the previous 2 in 38, though my memory might just be clouded by Ian Rubbish.

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    1. I’ve always liked Regine. lol It’ll be interesting to see what people say when those sketches turn up. I don’t remember the contemporary response.

11. The final piece was Jost’s idea. Didn’t I remember hearing that Amy was drunk?

    Thus ends the Digital Short era. Man, it’s crazy how much closer you’re getting to catching up with the current SNL.

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    1. Wow. As much as I love Jost as an Update anchor, he disappoints me in so many other areas.

12. Loved this episode! Loved this season! Just everything was in the right spirit for me (maybe not Brittain and Lana Del Ray)! And this was a beautiful capper for this season and Kristin! (all imo)

    As for Jason being down during the goodnights: footage started turning up on youtube in the days to come of the SNL afterparty out in the open of 30 Rock ice rink. Foo Fighters cut up an impromptu jam concert as their alter ego “Chevy Metal”! Jagger sang some his classics, Forte covered Sabbath, Poehler covered Joan Jett AS DID Kristen (I’m guessing drunk) along with Samberg and Sudsy (in better spirits) alongside backup:
    https://youtu.be/cUETWQl9vA8?t=159

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    1. Thanks, @rssk. I’d never seen that.

       Kristen had so much fun at her afterparty she broke a tooth and didn’t know it until the next day.

       https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/kristen-wiig-broke-a-tooth-at-her-final-snl-after-party-and-other-revelations-from-marie-claire/2012/07/10/gJQAsojjaW_blog.html

13. “It’s a novelty seeing what Kristen’s real-life dynamic with her castmates is like, since it feels like we’ve rarely seen Kristen act as herself on camera during her SNL tenure. It’s always been hard for me to get a bead on what her real-life personality is during her SNL tenure.”

    I’ve always thought this was interesting. From the interviews I’ve seen, Kristen is like the polar opposite of all the characters she portrays in this back half of her tenure. Her interview with Marc Maron in particular is so lowkey and not “on” that it’s kinda hard to get used to. It’s a big difference from Fred Armisen, who apparently is never *not* in character (that’s what Amy Poehler said, anyways.)

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14. @Stooge, you are right – Forte is in the big goodbye number. Ginjamin Franklin is, as @Anthony Peter Coleman says, nothing special, but I do love the audience Q&A Seth’s channel put up this year.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1koCN2ej03g

    It’s notable to see Chris Kattan pop up here, as he was also the subject of a great deal of “when is he leaving already?” commentary back in the day. This is his final appearance, and, along with Ana Gasteyer’s cameo the previous episode and Chris Parnell having his last cameo not long from now, is basically an unofficial acknowledgement of that era no longer being the common past.

    There’s something about Kristen dancing with the men of this cast, and seeing several of them trying not to break down, that is undeniably moving. It’s also very bittersweet for me, because, unlike, say, the moments with Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks, there was precious little material which let us see these bonds. I could have loved what Kristen got to play with Bill or Jason, or Andy, or what have you, but from 2008 on, that mostly fades away. It’s incredibly disappointing – I have never been as disappointed with what a cast could have been and what they ended up being.

    Kristen is always going to be the great unknown for me. I can say a lot of things about the long-runners since her departure, but with a few exceptions, like Beck Bennett (who has been all over the shop in how he’s been used and has now seemingly through sheer inertia found himself in the long-dormant Hartman/Ferrell/Sudeikis role) I do think they mostly played what was in their avenue as performers. A lot of Kate’s vanity pieces are not for me (she does have her moments), but when I see her work outside of SNL, I can safely say that is just her comedy style. That is often NOT the case with Kristen, who is so much better served (and even in her 2016 and 2020 appearances, had a much more measured tone – goofiness, yes, but also some layers and quieter, more introspective material) outside of the last 5 years of her time in the cast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Anderlette or Paula Pell or whoever made her play this stuff, I know a lot of this was her choice, but rarely has a long-running cast member been so poorly served by so much of their material. I wouldn’t call this a cautionary tale, per se, given that Kristen’s run was well-regarded, but it certainly is not something I hope is imitated anytime soon.

    Andy, on the other hand, knew his range better than just about any major cast member before or since. Andy always seems to have a measured view of his roles and of the industry, which is probably why he’s kept on going even with setbacks (like his films rarely doing well). I know that many love Andy through Lonely Island and the digital shorts, but, important as they were to SNL (and I do think many of them, especially in their first 3-4 seasons, are great), I tend to appreciate his sketch work and general personality even more. He was an underrated support player who usually knew just how to get a chuckle or a smile out of a dopey line (it’s no coincidence that Deep House Dish improves as soon as he gets involved). He also played the perfunctory older brother/son type roles perfectly, never overdoing it to try to take the spotlight. Most of all Andy rarely leaned into the douchebag type of persona for an easy laugh, which is the trap many guys on SNL fall into.

    Andy was able to tick just about every box – he could seem cool, but never too cool. He was endearing and sweet without being too cloying or desperate for approval. He was a good rapper and musical performer, but never went overboard in trying to be what he wasn’t. He was handsome, but still managed to seem nonthreatening at the same time. SNL had rarely found a guy who managed to tick these boxes (the closest would probably be underused Gary Kroeger), and they really never have since (Pete Davidson is a variation, but much darker, and the show’s treatment of his personal life/struggles at times feels exploitive).

    What I respect most of this finale and part of why I have a lot of respect for Andy is his choice to bring Chris Parnell back for his final Digital Short as a cast member. He could have easily just not bothered, or consigned Chris to a cameo, but instead he basically reminded everyone of what got him where he was. It was Chris who opened the door to taking the “white guy raps” persona from a big joke into being able to genuinely rap while still having the comedy element. Andy then made this into something of a mainstay on the show, far beyond anything Chris ever did, but it couldn’t have happened without him. Chris saying “That’s how it began,” and Andy ending with, “That’s how I’m-a finish it,” was such a perfect way to both acknowledge the torch being passed and to say goodbye – few cast members have ever managed to sum up their time on a show so succinctly.

    (I also sort of wish the white guy raps stuff had ended here as we get years of Pete Davidson Raps! to come, but those do have their moments, and fortunately the show has been moving into other musical avenues in the last few seasons)

    I’m so glad that Lorne took the chance on Andy and Lonely Island, and for the blueprint they left behind. Digital Shorts have been a huge part of the show over the last 15 years and in many cases episodes would not have worked without them. And that they managed to all this hard work with such a sense of ease and fun, no entitlement, no sense of oppressiveness or ego, is something that you have to respect. I wish that were true of more long-running cast members or returning cast members in modern SNL.

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    1. Lately I’ve developed a tendency to view Wiig’s tenure as I do Farley’s tenure. Both very talented performers who could play calm and subtle as well as they could play loud and wacky, but their later seasons relied far too much on the latter. Not helping were certain writers (Fred Wolf, Anderlette) overwhelmingly exploiting and hammering down on the more potentially grating aspects of their comedic styles for results that weren’t really worth the effort.

15. Here is Abby talking about her exit…not quite sure how this matches up to other reports of her exit…but then her exit was very murky to begin with. One of those things that always leaves a cloud over the show. At least she seems to be doing fine post-SNL.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb8vIK6NrmE

    A “who can replace Kristen?” article (other than the harsh jabs at Vanessa Bayer, they mostly get the outcome right):

    https://ew.com/article/2012/05/21/saturday-night-live-kristen-wiig/

    Our umpteenth “how to save SNL” piece (there are a few other negative thinkpieces about this era that I never can remember the link to).

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2012/06/06/how-to-save-snl/

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16. Awkward they have Abby play Fred’s ex girlfriend in the Californians sketch. That’s really unfortunate for her final role.

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17. And now we enter season 38, what I believe to be the best season overall. The cast, writers, sketches, good hosts and MGs, and heck, even the opening credits (that’s saying something considering I’m not a big fan of the pictures-only style)! I didn’t start getting into SNL until a year later, but this season takes the cake.
    Plus, each cast member shows their identity and what they excel at, particularly Bryant/Robinson/Strong (also, ever since I saw Tim Robinson, I realized he looks a lot like Larry Fine).
    Really excited to see your reviews for this season, Stooge.

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    1. What makes this season more special is that this is the final season for Hader/Sudekis/Armisen. I can’t wait to see these three veterans act with the newbies in their final season together.

18. Here are the average ratings for Season 37:
    *may not represent review’s perception*

    3701: 7.4 (Alec Baldwin)
    3702: 5.5 (Melissa McCarthy)
    3703: 6.0 (Ben Stiller)
    3704: 6.3 (Anna Faris)
    3705: 7.2 (Charlie Day)
    3706: 6.2 (Emma Stone)
    3707: 6.5 (Jason Segel)
    3708: 6.7 (Steve Buscemi)
    3709: 5.9 (Katy Perry)
    3710: 7.4 (Jimmy Fallon)
    3711: 6.5 (Charles Barkley)
    3712: 5.8 (Daniel Radcliffe)
    3713: 6.0 (Channing Tatum)
    3714: 6.5 (Zooey Deschanel)
    3715: 7.3 (Maya Rudolph)
    3716: 5.5 (Lindsay Lohan)
    3717: 6.0 (Jonah Hill)
    3718: 5.9 (Sofia Vergara)
    3719: 5.7 (Josh Brolin)
    3720: 6.3 (Eli Manning)
    3721: 6.0 (Will Ferrell)
    3722: 5.7 (Mick Jagger)

    Best Episode: 3701 (Alec Baldwin) + 3710 (Jimmy Fallon)- 7.4 (tie)
    Worst Episode: 3702 (Melissa McCarthy) + 3716 (Lindsay Lohan)- 5.5 (tie)
    Season Average: 6.3

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19. This is a fun-feeling episode, though I concur that the normal live sketches were pretty weak. I liked the So You Think You Can Dance sketch- as a frequent concertgoer, those are some pretty relatable dance moves- and the impressions are fun. I hadn’t heard Bill do Dave Matthews before and that was so perfect. Mick Jagger as Steven Tyler was funny too. I also didn’t mind the karaoke sketch- I liked Jagger’s performance (I love how he got more upset over each impression like it was personally offending him) and Bobby’s dancing was hilarious. The writing felt really weak until the end, though. Other than that, eh… I do like the Secret Word sketches but this one annoyed me, probably due to Jagger’s performance. I tend to determine the enjoyability of those sketches on the host’s character, and that character felt uninspired. And it would have been nice if they’d done something special with it as a farewell to Kristen’s character, like in the cold open. Even the one that aired when she hosted was the same old formula. I guess it’s kind of nice that Doonese finally got her man in the Lawrence Welk sketch, but I really have no feelings about those sketches in general. I could take or leave them (preferably leave).

    I like Kristen Wiig a lot and I admire her work on SNL, but even so, the first time I saw her farewell piece I thought “what makes her so special…?” Now that I’ve seen it a few times, though, I just think it’s really sweet, even if it’s a bit over the top. You can tell she was very well-liked behind the scenes, even if the audience didn’t always share that sentiment. Interesting note about how the female cast members didn’t get to dance with her one-on-one. I assumed that was a gendered thing (the guys dance with her as a “couple,” the ladies dance with her in a group), but it kind of has the effect of implying they deserved to be sidelined in favor of her.

    My favorite part of “Lazy Sunday 2” is the audience erupting with cheers when the title comes up. I also love the mid-song shift into a updated 2010’s musical style. I haven’t seen much of the current era of SNL, so this is probably not the best judgement, but from what I’ve seen I feel like there’s never been anything worthy of filling the gap the Digital Shorts left. They weren’t ALL good, but when they got it right, they got it RIGHT. The Lonely Island made a lasting impression on SNL and as far as I’m concerned, a real cultural impact (to the point where I thought they were a real, serious band for a few years… yeah…), and when I think of this era, I think of them.

    The musical performances in this episode were straight fire… except for the last one, but that’s only because of the song choice. There are good topical songs that stand that test of time… and then there’s… whatever that was. Gotta admire the band, though. They did a good job with it.

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    1. It’s pretty amazing that the digital shorts from 10-15 years ago still hold up, compared to other shorts in the current era. There’s a really good video essay on why the Lonely Island excelled while on SNL, and how they influenced not only the show, but our current meme culture as well. Link is below.

       https://youtu.be/DhpS_Zv7F2A

    2. I wouldn’t say we ever got anything as consistent as the 05-10 shorts, but there’s plenty of 5 star pre tapeds (quite a few more than live) coming up in the next 8 or so seasons, at least in my opinion.

    3. The consistency of Lonely Island is a double-edged sword in that it meant Lorne leaned very heavily on them, and they went through so many of the ideas that helped make their first 3-4 seasons in particular a delight. The pre-tapes have had an up-and-down quality over the last decade, but I appreciate the freedom and variety as they’ve gone through so many different voices (Matt and Oz, Julio Torres, Beck and Kyle, Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly, Chris Redd, etc.). The few that seem like pale imitations of Lonely Island style, like RBG Rap, are the ones that irritate me.

    4. Wasn’t Good Neighbor supposed to be an eventual replacement for The Lonely Island?

    5. I think that was the fan and press speculation but I’m not sure if they were ever seen as the sole source of output by the show the way that LI often were (outside of not all that great pieces like “all the women in the cast want to get down with Steve Martin”).

    6. (oh never mind, I forgot that wasn’t a pre-tape)

20. When Lorne was on Norm’s Netflix show he said Jost wrote him in the final farewell sketch with Kristen so it was not something he came up with on his own.

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21. Aidy was only 25 when she joined the cast in the next episode.

    Hell, she’s still only 33 and is a nine season veteran

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    1. I remember an interview where Aidy mentions Lorne being hesitant on hiring her because of how young she was. ( I think it was with Joe Rogan but can’t remember) I don’t if its true or not, but I can see it being a factor, seeing how few cast members there are 25 and under.

       If it is true, I don’t know why. Jay Pharoah was 22 when he got hired and he ended hiring a 20 year old Pete Davidson two seasons laters.

    2. That does seem strange…Aidy, Jay and Pete all did well (at least in my opinion). Adam Sandler was 24 when hired. And even though Lorne didn’t hire him, he’s obviously aware that Eddie Murphy has been successful — he was 19 at the start of season 6.

    3. Jimmy Fallon was 24 when he got hired. I’d say his earlier seasons are possibly the best out of his entire tenure.

22. First time getting into dress, after not making the cut-off for Jane Lynch in 2010 and Will Ferrell the previous week, & ten years and a week after my only live experience (Dunst/Eminem 2002: tho even then I wished I had gone to the dress show). 24 dresses ‘tween now & Larry David 2017. When corona dies, I hope to go to more.

    CUT

    Original Kings Of Catchphrase Comedy: Volume 3
    ~ not online anymore for some reason

    Rock Demo
    ~ ’80s-look band (Mick/ Fred/ Bill/ Andy/ Kristen) warn a record executive (Jason) that their new single isn’t quite ready: everything from the music to the lyrics is “temp”. The song’s melody is exactly like Miley Cyrus’s’s “Party In The U.S.A.”; but instead it’s “eating burgers in the U.S.A.” The band denies ever hearing Miley’s version. Jason asks them all to leave, and when they refuse, he signs them anyway.
    ~ I could see Mick’s cue cards for this one, and he, at least for this sketch, used them as a light guideline. Lots of extra bits thrown in.

    Update – Stephen A. Smith
    https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/web-exclusives-jay-as-stephen-a-smith/n13528
    ~ the “debut” of this Jay Pharoah impression, which would eventually get on the show 3 times
    ~ surprisingly written by Robert Smigel & Adam McKay

    And an encore of Red Flag for Wiig’s final show.

    CHANGES

    Foo Fighters weren’t at dress, as they were performing a concert in New Jersey. In the warm-up, Sudeikis said the SNL band would sit in for their song, but they ended up not even doing the song later. Foos were helicoptered in for the live show.

    Outdoor Festival Dance: Samberg & Arcade Fire played the lively house band, occasionally answering questions with music bursts. Jay Pharoah also cut as “last year’s winner”, whose dance routine was him looking around dazed for too long, an awkward way to end. The sketch seemed rushed on air.

    cut Update joke: The NAACP endorsed gay marriage this week, which is great news for the nation’s back-up dancers.

    Surprisingly, all the Stefon dialogue was basically the same in dress and on air. One of the rare times when Mulaney didn’t add much new in between.

    All the former cast members (& Foo Fighters) showed up for the live goodnights.

    DRESS RUNDOWN

    Welk
    monologue
    RED FLAG (CUT)

    Secret Word

    karaoke
    LAZY SUNDAY 2
    Californians

    Mick & Arcade Fire

    Update
    Stephen A. Smith (CUT)
    Stefon

    Outdoor Festival

    Burgers In The U.S.A. (CUT)
    CATCHPHRASE V3 (CUT)

    Mick & Jeff Beck

    Politics Nation

    commencement/goodnights

    Reply

    1. Thank you for these details. Love hearing these types of stories. I did not know Adam McKay was writing anything for SNL by this point. Was this his last involvement with SNL?

       Here is the comedy tour sketch:

       https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/web-exclusive-comedy-tour-3/n13527

23. Season Averages Ranked:

    #14 – 7.2
    #15 – 7.1
    #18 – 7.1
    #17 – 7.0
    #21 – 7.0
    #22 – 7.0
    #24 – 7.0

    #16 – 6.9
    #23 – 6.9
    #26 – 6.8
    #13 – 6.7
    #25 – 6.7
    #34 – 6.7
    #3 – 6.6
    #4 – 6.6
    #27 – 6.6
    #2 – 6.5
    #12 – 6.5
    #33 – 6.5
    #1 – 6.3
    #10 – 6.3
    #32 – 6.3
    —> #37 – 6.3 <—
    #5 – 6.2
    #9 – 6.1
    #28 – 6.1
    #31 – 6.1
    #35 – 6.1
    #8 – 6.0
    #19 – 6.0
    #36 – 6.0

    #7 – 5.8
    #11 – 5.7
    #29 – 5.7
    #20 – 5.6
    #6 – 5.3
    #30 – 5.3

    Here is a ranking of the season ending sketches.

    *****
    – Backstage Fire (S11)
    – So Long, Farewell (S19)
    – Jimmy Tango (S21)
    – Summer Break (S29)
    – Goodnight Saigon (S34)

    **** ½
    – The Polar Bear Cage (S20)

    ****
    – O’Donoghue Performance (S2)
    – Karate School (S9)
    – The Pirates (S13)
    – Have A Bitchin’ Summer (S14)
    – The Sunrise Show (S16)
    – Bad Expectant Mother (S17)
    – Criminal Encounter (S18)
    – Larry King (S22)
    – Memorial Day Greetings (S26)
    – Bear City (S30)
    – Bless This Child (S33)

    *** ½
    – The Franken And Davis Show (S3)
    – Mommy Beer (S5)
    – ^The Clams (S7)
    – The Sweeney Sisters (S12)
    – Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet (S24)
    – The Diggers (S25)

    ***
    – Not For Transsexuals Only (S4)
    – The Red Guys (S10)
    – The Boss (S15)
    – Dr. Deacon’s Haunch Crack Powder (S28)

    **½
    – The Birthday (S8)

    **
    – Waiting For Pardo (S1)
    – Neil Young’s New Album (S31)
    – The Barry Gibb Talk Show (S36)

    *½
    – The Bag Lady (S6)
    – Snipers (S35)

    *
    – The Receptionist (S32)

    N/A Rating
    – The Lost Deep Thoughts of Jack Handey (S23)
    – Will’s Last Show (S27)
    – She’s A Rainbow (S37)

    ^ Repeat Airing

    Reply

24. Since no posted it yet, here’s the five star sketches from this season:

    -Who’s On Top? (Alec Baldwin)
    -The Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy Volume 2 (Charlie Day)
    -Crime Scene (Charlie Day)
    -Coach Bert (Steve Buscemi)
    -Ornaments (Steve Buscemi)
    -Lord Wyndemere (Charles Barkley)
    -Les Jeunes Des Paris (Zooey Deschanel)
    -100th Digital Short (Will Ferrell)

    8 pieces. Up 2 from Season 36 but surprisingly down 5 from 35.

    The ****1/2 Sketches:
    -Red Flag (Alec Baldwin)
    -Top Gun 25th Anniversary DVD (Alec Baldwin)
    -Lord Wyndemere (Anna Farris)
    -Monologue (Charlie Day)
    -Sad Song (Emma Stone)
    -The Blue Jean Committee (Jason Segal)
    -One Magical Night (Katy Perry)
    -Monologue (Jimmy Fallon)
    -Locker Room (Jimmy Fallon)
    -We’re Going To Make Technology Hump (Zooey Deschanel)
    -Maya Angelou’s: I Know Why the Caged Bird Laughs! (Maya Rudolph)
    -Anniversary Song (Jonah Hill)
    -Amazon.com (Eli Manning)
    -Little Brothers (Eli Manning)
    -Lazy Sunday 2 (Mick Jagger)

    15. Again, up 2 from Season 36, but down 3 from 35. Hmmm. Strange, I thought 37 was much better than both, though 35 & 36 probably had more below 2 star sketches, although 37 has its fair share with 31 (8 of which are one star, 5 of those 8 being Fred or Kristen sketches).

    *1/2:
    -The Essentials With Robert Osbourne (Melissa McCarthy)
    -Halloween Party (Ben Stiller)
    -Lincoln Financial Group #3 (Ben Stiller)
    -The Ghost of Kaddafi (Charlie Day)
    -Secret Word (Emma Stone)
    -Wish It Would Rain (Emma Stone)
    -Affectionate Family (Jason Segal)
    -Retirement Party (Jason Segal)
    -A Message From Rick Santorum (Charles Barkley)
    -Convoluted Jerry (Charles Barkley)
    -Romney: Believe In America (Daniel Radcliffe)
    -The Jay Pharoah Show (Daniel Radcliffe)
    -Secret Word (Channing Tatum)
    -Romney: Believe In America (Zooey Deschanel)
    -Patio Party (Zooey Deschanel)
    -Victorian Ladies (Zooey Deschanel)
    -Afros (Lindsay Lohan)
    -News Team Promo (Sofia Vergara)
    -The Manuel Ortiz Show (Sofia Vergara)
    -The Californians (Josh Brolin)
    -The Essentials With Robert Osbourne (Eli Manning)
    -Secret Word (Mick Jagger)
    -The Californians (Mick Jagger)

    *:
    -On the Record W/ Greta Van Susteren (Katy Perry)
    -Delinquent Girl Teen Gang (Lindsay Lohan)
    -House Sitting (Lindsay Lohan)
    -Primate Research Center (Jonah Hill)
    -Liza Minelli Tries To Turn Off a Lamp (Jonah Hill)
    -Miss Drag World (Eli Manning)
    -The 2012 Funkytown Debate (Will Ferrell)
    -Broadway Sizzle (Will Ferrell)

    Reply

    1. Hmm, kinda stealing my thunder, dude.

    2. Sorry man, I didn’t realize that was your thing specifically, I just thought it was something people did if no else had posted them for some reason. I’ll step back and let you resume on future seasons. (I don’t think you were doing less than 2 star sketches though right? If not, I’ll continue doing those.)

    3. If anyone’s interested (since I was) here’s the number of under one star sketches from the post-00 seasons (1 star sketches in parenthesis)

       Season 26: 13 (5)
       Season 27: 9 (0)
       Season 28: 31 (13)
       Season 29: 38 (14)
       Season 30: 53 (19)
       Season 31: 27 (7)
       Season 32: 23 (13)
       Season 33: 12 (2)
       Season 34: 18 (5)
       Season 35: 36 (14)
       Season 36: 35 (11)
       Season 37: 31 (8)

       Donald Trump’s Season 29 episode had the most entries at 7 (4 being 1 star), with John C. Reilly’s episode from Season 32 running up with 6 (5 being 1 star).

       Thanks to Vax Novier for the data.

    4. Correction: The list is of under two star sketches, not under one. My bad.

25. ‘She’s A Rainbow’ is a fitting tribute to Wiig; I’m always a sucker for those big season ending sketches that cap the year perfectly. ‘Goodnight Saigon’ (also a Jost piece IIRC) and of course ‘So Long, Farewell’ are the greatest and well beloved. Personally, I never found Wiig to be all that annoying (I did loathe Garth & Kat and I came around on Gilly) in the same way other viewers and commentators in our community felt about her time on the show. I think overexposed may be a great definition, but certainly not draining and troublesome like Fred, of all people, became later in his run.

    I wouldn’t call this show the end of this period’s era. It’s certainly a step; next season’s finale is the moment IMO. The era was held together by the strength of the 2005 class. Then we enter a bizarre season where Lorne tries to resolve every problem that comes with cast transitional periods in one swoop that ultimately backfired on everybody.

    I think the 39th season might be a great mirror for our current 46th season. In the 39th, Lorne caused a flood of new that drowned everything. In the 46th, Lorne caused a drought that choked everything new.

    Reply

26. RIP Jeff Beck!! I think this was was the last time I saw him perform. This whole episode was really good, especially the ending!!!

    Reply

27. A very weird episode, in that it’s both distinctly average from a comedic standpoint but still a very special one for various reasons.

    The Jeff Beck collaboration was a big whiff (they could’ve done Goin’ Down or Champagne and Reefer or some old blues classic), but the first two performances are absolutely incredible, especially the one with the Foo’s. This is the only time Mick did It’s Only Rock’n Roll in its original album arrangement, and it’s the best live version of the song.

    As for the show itself, it’s a weird one. The Al Sharpton sketch and – surprisingly – Update are the only pieces that function traditionally while everything else is either an extended farewell to departing cast members or something that only exists because Jagger is the host (the Karaoke one is an obvious one, but the Musical Festival sketch is mostly just an excuse to see Jagger as Steven Tyler, since Tyler and Aerosmith are basically the American Stones / Jagger).

    Lazy Sunday 2 is excellent, and shows how keyed in The Lonely Island were to its impact and history on the show. It’s just as good as the original to me, even if it couldn’t obviously match its impact.

    As for the Wiig farewell, it may have felt over the top at the time, but there’s really no way Kristen could go out on a subtle note given how much Lorne built her up during her tenure. It has zero comedic value, but the sentiment behind it is impactful.

    My relationship with Wiig’s tenure is complicated; when she first joined the show, I was floored. From the get-go, she clicked with me because of the amazing confidence, verve and range she displayed in early on. I enjoyed Kristen’s first season and a half more than I enjoyed Maya and Amy’s entire tenures up to that point. I really thought Kristen was going to be the next Jan Hooks. Even stuff like Penelope and Judy Grimes were genuinely funny and impressive the first time they appeared.

    Then around 2007-08, Lorne gave us ‘too much of a good thing’ by slowly propelling Wiig’s more infuriating characters to the forefront. She was more or less forced to abandon her gifts for underplaying and reacting and smothered us with a series of increasingly obnoxious, hammy, unlikeable characters that blinded me many others to just how good Kristen really is.

    The most frustrating element is that when Wiig was given roles in her later years that played to her earlier strengths (Red Flag, the Audition sketch with Hamm, Exit Poll with Radcliffe), it showed that she hadn’t lost a step.

    No one has a greater chasm for me between the actual depth of their talent and the quality of their body of work. On skill level alone, Wiig makes my top 20, but she could’ve easily been top 10.

    Reply