'Wasn't That Special' Season 45 Bonus Materials
As the Wasn’t That Special co-hosts watch each season of Saturday Night Live, they compare notes on each episode, chatting back and forth about popular and long-forgotten sketches. Some of the topics they discuss make it to the final podcast; others are left on the cutting room floor.
But for those of you who join at the Executive Producer level have access to Christian and Scot’s behind-the-scenes notes, as well as bonus materials the co-hosts used to prepare for the episode.
Please enjoy this edition of the Season Forty-Five bonus notes section, with the clips coming soon.
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E1: Woody Harrelson
Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) phones for Ukraine help after talking with Giuliani (McKinnon); Bowen Yang as Kim Jong Un; Liev Schreiber cameo
Scot: No plot, just endless impressions.
Town Hall Debate - Strong as Erin Burnett - Harrelson/Biden, Bernie Sanders (David) & Kamala Harris (Rudolph), Moffat/O'Rourke, Yang/Yang, Redd/Booker, Jost/Buttigieg, McKinnon/Warren
Christian: Perfectly average, hits all the required notes.
Scot: All character work, no actual commentary on issues, campaign, politics.
Sun's Out Nevada - Hosted by Gardner & Mooney, Strong is reporter - Woody, Day, Bryant own World’s Biggest Cheeto attraction
Christian: Predictable, nothing close to a laugh.
Billie Eilish - “Bad Guy”
Christian: This is pretty great. I went to SXSW the previous March and she played as a virtual unknown and her career exploded.
Weekend Update - Trump impeachment talk (again) - David Ortiz (Kenan) is still doing commercials - woman trapped under camel - new white supremicist symbols - largest airport terminal
Christian: The Che John Wilkes Booth joke hits a little different now. Che: "we all know China doesn't have clean air." Would become very prescient in a couple of months.
Scot: OK, I laughed at the Flaccido Domingo joke - short and not much happening this week
High school football team learns their coach’s (Woody) thing is broken
Scot: What a mess
Inside the Beltway - Bryant, Strong, Woody push for impeachment, Kenan repeatedly says "Not gonna happen"
Christian: Trying to draft off the Chappelle election night sketch. But credit for being prescient. A rare real moment with the jacket screw-up.
Scot: Wardrobe comes out early for a switch - Bryant breaks - One joke, at least there is a point here
Billie Eilish - “I Love You”
Christian: There's a reason she's famous.
Son (Mooney) can't talk to dad (Woody) due to busy business schedule
Christian: Nothing left to say.
Chickham's Apple Farm - sisters (Bryant & McKinnon) enable unfun fruit picking
Scot: Everybody breaks because a donkey is there - Will this ever end?
All over the board, but ultimately disappointing. Made a little better by Eilish.
Scot: Welp. Here we go again.
E2: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Pence sits with Giuliani (McKinnon) & Barr (Bryant) - Mike Pompeo (Matthew Broderick) joins - Stephen Miller represented by a snake puppet in a basket
Christian: I cannot be bought off with Ferris Bueller references.
Scot: Is Kenan wearing blackface to play Ben Carson? - This is a crime against humanity
W-B explores how Fleabag & Killing Eve reflect her personal life
Scot: Didn't find much to like here
What's Wrong With This Picture - Kenan hosts; contestants (Bryant, Mooney, W-B) make up absurd backstories to photos
Christian: Paint by numbers.
Mid-Day News - anchors (W-B, Kenan, Moffat, Nwodim) keep a racial scorecard of crimes reported during their newscast
Christian: This one's coming back.
The War In Words- Wife’s (W_B) cryptic letters concern WWII pilot (Day)
Christian: It's a formula, but I really like these.
Scot: Even better than the first one.
Weekend Update - Impeachment rising - suspicious Ukraine texts - Elizabeth Warren (McKinnon) - China government official Chen Biao (Yang) - joke about Davidson not finding his car - Mort Fellner’s (Day) stories turn out to be obituaries
Scot: Jost is aghast that Joe Biden might be corrupt - good Che rant on border moat & Trump - So much invested in making Warren a superhero - Don't *love* the character, but clearly Yang destroys with his trade official bit - Probablys shouldn't but I like Day's bit.
Royal Romance- duchess (W-B) & Thunderstick (Kenan) were a ’70s odd couple
Christian: I guess "take a look at my big black ass" is our catchphrase?
Scot: A weaker attempt at contrast.
State-Line Bar - Tough-acting barflies (McKinnon, Bryant, Strong, W-B) still pine for Bennett
Scot: Pretty much everyone lightly breaks at some point - Not much on the page, performances can't make up for it.
Aidy Bryant getting heavy use this season and breaking in virtually everything.
Scot: Odd arc. Standard recent-episode quality on both ends, strong run in middle.
E3: David Harbour
Equality Town Hall - Moffat/Anderson Cooper - Redd/Booker, Jost/Buttigieg, McKinnon/Warren, Julian Castro (Lin-Manuel Miranda), Woody/Biden, at LGBTQ town hall; Billy Porter cameo
Scot: Written by Fran Gillespie and Sudi Green - This has to stop. Not every political sketch has to include every impression possible.
Stranger Things star (Harbour) enters SNL’s Upside Down, where Kenan bosses Lorne
Scot: Perfectly fine.
Little Miss Teacher's Friend - Nwodim is teacher, Bryant is last year's winner
Christian: This feels like that Bryant favorite nephew awards thing.
Scot: Written by Aidy Bryant, Anna Drezen, and Alison Gates.
Grouch - film depicts the origin of Oscar (host), the Joker of Sesame Street
Scot: Written by Streeter Seidell and Mikey Day, based on an idea from Harbour - Effectively skewers both Sesame Street AND Joker - Harbour is really good - A well-done pre-tape.
Soulcycle - Yang, Harbour, Gardner, McKinnon audition to be SoulCycle instructors
Christian: Yang is good, but this is just the typical "person at wedding/city council meeting/funeral takes the mike" bit.
Scot: Written by Gillespie, Green, Bowen Yang.
Weekend Update - Trump impeachment stuff - Bailey Gismert (Gardner) - California NIL law - Senate sex doll ban - 3D printer meat - Davidson doesn’t think sexually-transmitted diseases are worth worrying about
Christian: Che is so fun when he thinks he's getting away with something. Davidson is hard to watch.
Scot: "It's definitely going to get worse for Trump" - Che's U.S. map is missing the U.P. of Michigan - Some of of the Trump clips Jost finds are undoubtedly hilarious - A very good Jost/Biden joke (Biden finally realized Trump was making fun of him) - Good jokes, subpar desk pieces.
Peter Paula and Murray - In 1962, trio (Harbour, McKinnon, Bryant)
Christian: Don't see at all what you see here.
Scot: Written by Bryant, Drezen, Gates, Kate McKinnon - Sweet melody, very witty lines, love the structure - Harbour is fantastic.
Father-Son podcasting microphone - the Father-Son Podcasting Microphone brings (host) & (KYM) together
Scot: I really, really, really liked the concept and the care put into it.
Grandpa (McKinnon) & Grandma (Harbour) creep out their grandkids while making pasta sauce
Christian: Fun, but no real point to this. Glad the actors enjoyed it.
Scot: Written by James Anderson and Alison Gates - The type of gender swap and silly physical comedy material I really dislike. Lots of noise, nothing funny.
Dog Court - Strong adjudicates disputes involving canines & their owners
Scot: Written by Gillespie, Green, and Kent Sublette.
I've got it slightly below average, you have it well above.
Scot: Not perfect, but the most enjoyable non-Mulaney episode in a long while.
E4: Chance the Rapper
Trump Rally - Supporters talk. McKinnon as Graham. Moffat as Zuckerberg. Bill Clinton (Hammond) speaks, Armisen as Turkey prez
Scot: PRESCIENT! Baldwin threatens to shoot someone in the face and then does exactly that! - No plot, just nonstop impressions.
Chance and Mooney rap how they like things deemed second-best
Christian: Wait, a good song?
League of Legends World Championship - Lazlo Holmes (Chance) doesn’t know what to make of an esports tournament
Christian: Same as the hockey bit, but I still thought it was pretty good.
Scot: Recurring character! - Pretty much the same beats, but Chance is pretty darn good.
First Impression Court - Chance summarily judges (Jason Momoa) & others
Christian: Is this pro-racial profiling?
Scot: Chance breaks - Good concept and just enough to sustain through the sketch
Graveyard Ghosts - Ghost (Chance) reluctantly shares the embarrassing cause of death; also Kenan, Day, Bryant
Scot: Clearly a Day/Seidell, now a Halloween tradition of sorts.
Weekend Update - Trump in trouble, impeachment - Giuliani butt-dial voicemail - Donald Jr. (Day) & Eric (Moffatt) - Kanye West new album - all-female spacewalk -
Christian: Olaf doll joke is good. Short one!
Scot: Prescient: Matt Gaetz is "live-action Quagmire."
Love-at-first-sight leads Chance & Strong to float on air
Christian: Lot of work for a so-so sketch.
Scot: Written by James Anderson and Kent Sublette along with Strong.
Space Mistakes - fatal flubs doom astronauts (Chance, Bennett, Mooney) in film
Christian: What am I missing?
Dazzle Designgs - Bryant and McKinnon attempt to sell unattractive show choir attire
Scot: McKinnon and Bryant are allowed an amazing amount of rope this season to do whatever they want.
Dance instructor (Kenan) poorly hides werewolf transformation
Christian: A weird, disjointed energy to this. A good 10-to-1.
Scot: Chance breaks.
E5: Kristen Stewart / Coldplay
Liz Warren Townhall - At an Iowa rally, Elizabeth Warren (McKinnon) gives healthcare policy details
Christian: The reason to portray politicians on SNL is to make fun of them, not serve as a campaign ad.
Scot: Written by Will Stephen and Anna Drezen - Pure Warren propaganda.
Stewart asks questions of audience members, including Davidson
Christian: Mostly just awkward?
Scot: Allison Gates & Andrew Dismukes ask questions.
Rosie the Riveter - Fineman wins poster gig over rough Bryant, McKinnon, Stewart
Christian: I guess the McKinnon/Bryant duo is preferable to Bennett/Mooney.
Duolingo for Talking to Children commercial - Stewart
Scot: Written by Anna Drezen.
Bryant’s use of expensive Farrow & Ball paint foments family rancor
Christian: Was skeptical at first, but good escalation.
Scot: Written by Kent Sublette - Seriously enjoyed this spiraling out of control. It's a good Bryant!
Hero Dog Press Conference - Kelly Anne Conway (McKinnon) intros this
Christian: A lot of Strong dog work this season.
Scot: Why is Conway here except to allow McKinnon another role? - Nothing actually works here.
Corporate Nightmare song - Young office pop-punk rebels (Mooney, Stewart, Day, Davidson) sell out
Christian: Predictable. When they start the build, you're just waiting for them to pull the rug, and it's exactly what you expect.
Scot: Written by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell - There's more here than you might think. Nicely done.
Coldplay - “Orphans”
Christian: A full 15 years after Coldplay's last good album.
Weekend Update - Trump moving to Florida - Beto drops out - Jeffrey Epstein's death - Katie Hill throuple - Riley Jenson’s (Villaseñor) mom (Garder) berates her - 67-year-old gives birth - Starkie sisters (Bryant & McKinnon)
Christian: Jokes are groaners, two recurring desk pieces that just rip off the originals.
Scot: I don't think Riley Jenson was used correctly.
Hungry Jury - Growling stomachs of deadlocked jury (entire cast and Stewart) perform “Pony” by Ginuwine
Christian:
Pansexual (Stewart) tries for a threesome with middle-aged (Kenan and Nwodim)
Scot: Doesn't work, no jokes written, twist doesn't work. Keep it. - Written by Kenan Thompson and Bryan Tucker.
To stargazing (Bennett) & (Stewart), constellations are depictions of oral sex
Christian: It's a shitty attempt at hot tub lovers with people with far less talent.
Scot: This is a deceptively gross episode. Throwing off S20 vibes all over - Feel like an updated Love-ahs. Written by Andrew Dismukes.
E6: Harry Styles
Days of Our Impeachment - Jon Hamm cameo - Adam Schiff (Moffatt), Jim Jordan (Day), sigh, Giuliani
Scot: No plot, endless impressions. Just utterly worthless.
Joan - dog owner (Bryant) imagines chat with anthropomorphized pooch (Styles)
Christian: Sweet.
Scot: This feels like a Kids In The Hall song/sketch and I liked it a lot - It's a different, understated Bryant.
Childbirth Class - In childbirth class, Icelandic couple (Gardner and Styles) feeling great
Christian: It's Nuni and Nooni again.
JetBlue Intercom - Sloppy intercom use of pilots (Styles & Day) offends & alarms passengers
Scot: No escalation at all. Couldn't get off the ground.
That's the Game - drug empire usurper (Redd) is unprepared to manage
Scot: Fine performances but not much to work with.
Weekend Update - Impeachment hearings - Guiliani podcast - Jeff Sessions (McKinnon) grovels for Trump approval - world's largest Stabucks - cocaine bricks wash ashore - milk industry exec (Mooney) spreads fake news about non-dairy drinks
Christian: Bad jokes, bad desk pieces. Barely escapes a 1.
Scot: Roger Stone/jackpot joke works - "By a round of applause, who do you think Hitler would want to be friends with?" - Mooney was, you know, fine here.
Sara Lee Instagram - account manager (Styles) is posting about his sex life
Christian: This feels like an inside joke for Julio Torres?
Scot: Yet another "bad caption" sketch.
Baby Faye - stage act of 45 year-old former child star (Strong) & her dancers is pitiful
Christian: If not Anderson in reality, it's Anderson in spirit.
Scot: Oh, yuck.
Harry Styles - “Watermelon Sugar”
Scot: https://www.vogue.com/article/on-the-podcast-chloe-fineman-snl
E7: Will Ferrell
Impeachment Press Conference - Trump (Baldwin) talks impeachment near helicopter; Gordon Sondland (Ferrell)
Christian: What a mess. Timing is off, people talking over each other and an extra is trying to pass along a message on his notepad.
Scot: The impression the country has been clamoring for: Gordon Sondland - This has absolutely no reason to exist.
Ferrell is flattered & flustered by Ryan Reynolds’ [cameo] presence; Meadows cameo
Scot: Just an outline of an idea here, but Ferrell/Morgan/Reynolds is enough.
2020 Dem Debate - Democratic debaters include Klobuchar (Dratch) & Bloomberg (Armisen), Harris/Rudolph, McKinnon/Warren; Sanders/David, Jost/Pete, Woody/Biden, Ferrell/Steyer
Christian: Am I falling for the star power? Maybe. But the Biden bits are great.
Scot: Endless impressions, zero plot whatsoever.
On Thanksgiving, Pocahontas’ (Villaseñor) grandfather (Ferrell) is critical of new immigrants; Rudolph and Armisen
Christian: Chickened out with the coda begging people not to come after them.
Scot: OK, but ... the Native Americans would have been right to be wary of the new immigrants, right?
Party Song - Teacher’s (Ferrell) presence at their house party fazes teens (Day & Strong)
Christian: Feels too familiar.
Emotional parents (Ferrell & McKinon) derail a pizza parlor commercial shoot
Scot: Nothing terribly special, but McKinnon is good in a "normal" role and everybody works well together.
King Princess - “1950”
Christian: One of my favorite albums from 2019.
Scot: No clue who this is.
Weekend Update - Impeachment hearings end - Bloomberg apologized for 'stop & frisk' - Guy Who Just Bought A Boat (Moffatt) & frat brother (Ryan Reynolds) offer dating tips
Christian: Duplication theory with Reynolds.
Scot: "Tough to auction off Nazi memorabilia b/c everyone always looks like they're bidding" - "When I try to develop ultra-black material, I'm 'booed at the Apollo.'" -
Ventriloquist’s (Ferrell) dummy claims their relationship is nonconsensual
Christian: Gave me the ick.
Scot: I liked this more than I should.
E8: Jennifer Lopez
NATO Cafeteria - Rudd & Fallon cameo in the first 30 seconds - And here comes James Cordon - Everyone bullies Donald Trump (Baldwin) at NATO
Christian: It's bad, but there is a glimpse of something a little different here.
Scot: Turns out to be an anti-bullying PSA. Whatever. Question: Is Baldwin crushing his reputation on the show with these?
50 year-old JLo kicks with The Rockettes & wears her green Versace dress
Scot: Who counted out J-Lo?
Surprise Home Makeover - home makeover program visits Matt Schatt (Day) & out-of-his-league wife (J-Lo)
Christian: The downside of these is that Day is actually a pretty attractive guy. Would play a little better with one of the show's big boys playing the role.
Scot: It's fine, but you know all the beats this time around.
Chad & JLo - J-Lo is drawn toward roadie Chad (Davidson); Alex Rodriguez cameo
Scot: Pretty weak effort.
Them Trumps: Rally - at a rally, white audience turns on black First Family
Christian: Weak.
Weekend Update - Impeachment vote before Xmas - French wine tarriff - new food stamps regs - Nancy Pelosi (McKinnon) offers prayers for Donald Trump - Jules (Bennett) sees holidays a little differently
Christian: Jules is a step up from previous ones.
Scot: Post Malone/Pre malone joke feels like Norm's Better Than Ezra - laughed at the XFL uniform joke - McKinnon was weak with another impression, but good jokes here.
J-Lo & other hip-hop carolers distract while DaBaby robs family
Christian: The show has an abysmal record of making fun of hip hop.
Scot: I don't even know where you are supposed to laugh.
Hoops - J-Lo and Villaseñor sell hoop earrings
Christian: Perfectly average. They had to let Villaseñor do something with J Lo, right?
Potty PM commercial - Device lets Mooney pee from bed, can't figure out how women might use it
Christian: Mooney's awkwardness finally pays off.
Wisconsin Women - J-Lo, McKinnon, Strong run Wisconsin store - Fineman battles a bear
Christian: Absolutely pointless with terrible accents.
Scot: Could've been midwest slice-of-life, could've been fish-out-of-water. Instead we get this.
Barry's Bootcamp - Yang, J-Lo, Strong, Bennett, Gardner try out to be boot camp trainers
Scot: Just did this in the Harbour episode and it's as bad as that one.
E9: Scarlett Johansson
American Households - Trump dominates family dinner talk in San Francisco, Charleston, Atlanta - Bryant as Snowman, McKinnon as Greta Thunberg
Christian: See, maybe more of this? But again - they can't find anything funny about Greta Thunberg?
Scot: Something about the flow is off, but at least it's different.
Singing Elves - Dance music done by (Kenan & ScoJo) has naughty holiday lyrics
Christian: On one hand, it's admirable that ScarJo is game for anything. But the downside is that she ends up in a lot of junk like this.
Scot: Awfully close to the hip-hop carolers sketch from last episode.
Macy's commercial - Macy’s has uncomfortable holiday clothes your kids will hate
Christian: An all-timer? You sure?
Scot: OK, second review. Knocked it down. Still love it. look, great feel. Strong with an outstanding voiceover. And very very funny. The Day/Gardner exchange is great. Clearly one of the best commercials in a while.
Office Apology - Co-worker reaction differs to inappropriate ScoJo & ribald Charlie (Kenan)
Christian: Just Xeroxed from the first, but Kenan is so good.
A Conway Marriage Story - George (Bennett) & Kellyanne (McKinnon) are at odds
Christian: They didn't last long after this.
Weekend Update - House Impeachment, Seante to vote - Che asks if Jost is better than Cosby - Thunberg Time cover - Chen Biao (Yang) - streetwise Baby Yoda (Mooney)
Scot: Yang's reaction is notably muted from last time - good string of jokes between desk pieces - hated Mooney.
Hot Tub Christmas - Strip club ghosts (ScoJo, Strong, Horan) sing
Christian: Cecily Strong rule in effect.
A Winter Boyfriend for Holiday Christmas - Single (ScoJo) on Hallmark Channel game show
Scot: Couple nice moments in here.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Strong sings, expanding into a cuckold fantasy scenario (Bennett, Day, ScoJo)
Christian: Creepy ≠ funny.
Kitchen workers are big fans of models (Yang & ScoJo) from choking poster
Christian: Guess this is a New York thing?
Pet Translator - Trump impeachment hasn’t changed thoughts of dog (Bennett) - ScoJo, Mooney, Day
Christian: Prescient: The dog predicts Trump is going to try to steal the 2020 election.
Scot: First one was so good, should have left it at that.
E10: Eddie Murphy
Dem Debate - Joe Biden (Sudeikis) challenges debate-crasher Donald Trump (Baldwin)
Christian: Apparently McKinnon's impressions are so vital she has to do two per political sketch now? This had potential (again, the Biden stuff is solid) but Baldwin comes in and suffocates it.
Scot: Harris/Rudolph is there even though she DROPPED OUT - And Trump shows up for reasons - Excruciating.
Murphy declines to use sketch ideas of Morgan, Rock, Dave Chappelle [cameo]
Scot: Morgan's "I made my money on the road" joke is a pile-driver. So good.
Mister Robinson's (Murphy) Neighborhood - The neighborhood has gentrified
Scot: Murphy just slips right back into place. Didn't let this go too long. A nice job updating for 2019.
Holiday Baking Championships - Ugly cakes are based on Christmas memories (everyone in this)
Christian: Just because Eddie Murphy's in it doesn't trump the fact that it's an almost word-for-word remake.
Scot: I at least admire the creativity in both of these so far.
Home for the Holidays - Murphy gives a dinner toast; Rudolph, Redd, Day, Nwodim, Kenan
Christian: Cut and paste.
Scot: Another series of Calm/Chaos cuts.
Masked Singer - Nick Cannon (Redd) hosts - After his identity is revealed, Buckwheat sings
Scot: Honestly underwhelming. But Murphy is having fun.
Weekend Update - Trump impeached, no Senate vote yet - Che on Trump complaining - Gumby (Murphy) is upset that he hasn’t been given proper credit for saving SNL - Davidson compares the public’s perception of his life with how Jost is viewed - Jeanine Pirro (Strong) spews wine on Jost
Christian: Gumby, Joke Swap and Pirro?
Scot: Murphy is still flying at 100mph - Davidson at least self-aware in this - He's not the youngest, AMH is - Not the best Joke Swap ever, but very solid front-to-back.
Black Jeopardy - Kenan + Redd, Nwodim, and Velvet Jones (Murphy)
Scot: Might not have been the best character/sketch combo - Just OK.
North Pole News Report - Manic elf witness (Murphy) describes polar bear attack on Santa’s workshop
Scot: 100% on Murphy's performance. Not much on the page.
There's a cap on this episode's potential given how much of it was just character fan service and reheated sketches. But it really felt like an event.
Scot: Where was McKinnon? You don't want your star on screen with Murphy?
E11: Adam Driver
Dershowitz in Hell - In hell, Satan (McKinnon) stans for Alan Dershowitz (Lovitz); Driver as Jeffrey Epstein
Christian: Choosing to overlook the lame McConnell/Collins stuff.
Scot: Hard to believe, but this also is all impressions, zero plot/development. And how do you bring Lovitz back and NOT let him play the Devil?
Driver shares personal tidbits & unconvincingly demonstrates his chillness
Scot: This is ... really well-written and performed and has a very throwback vibe to it.
At a sleepover, clearly-guilty toilet destroyer Megan (McKinnon) won’t fess up
Scot: McKinnon kinda sounds like her Jodie Foster impression.
In a Del Taco commercial shoot, (Mooney) redoes “aw man, I’m all outta cash”
Scot: Written by Bennett, Mooney, Dismukes - Just a bunch of stupid noise.
The Science Room - dumb kids (Strong, Day) sidetrack professor’s (Driver) lesson about air
Christian: Rockwell situation avoided.
Scot: It's pretty fun.
Slow song - romantic pace of (Redd) frustrates (Halsey) in music video
Christian: OK, finally - a good rug pull.
Weekend Update - Impeachment trial begins - Rudy Giuliani podcast - Carrie Krum (Bryant) - Jeter to HOF - Mr. Peanut dies, is cremated - Villaseñor sings Oscar-inspired songs
Christian: Everything hits.
Medieval Times - aspiring actor (Driver) injects dark storyline into Medieval Times show
Scot: All about Driver's performance here
Cheer - coaches (Gardner & Driver) overlook squad members’ severe injuries
Christian: I think you have to have seen this show, and I have not.
Marrying Ketchups - waitress (Gardner) imagines condiment romance (Driver/Strong) while marrying ketchup bottles
Christian: Inspired 10-to-1.
Scot: Wonderfully silly and absurd. I bought into it.
Halsey - “Finally // Beautiful Stranger”
Christian: I cannot stand the baby voice singing style.
E12: J. J. Watt
Christian: Standard issue athlete fare.
Scot: Watt was game and not too terribly stiff. Nothing really stands out, though.
The Trial You Wish Had Happened - Judge Mathis (Kenan), Donald Trump (Baldwin) trial, Strong/Bolton, McConnell/Bennett, Davidson/Hunter Biden, McKinnon/Graham, Schiff/Moffatt, Mooney/My Cousin Vinny (don't ask). And they sing. And it's 9 minutes.
Christian: First mention of the "Wang Chung" virus.
Scot: Should be "The Trial WE Wish Had Happened" - Once again, doing this for themselves, working out their own issues, no regard for the audience - Among the very worst of these.
Watt talks about growing up in a football family
Christian: Exceeded expectations.
Scot: Totally decent and Watt seems semi-comfortable.
Frozen II - Elsa (McKinnon) is gay, Anna (Strong), & Kristoff (Watt) is woke in Frozen II deleted scenes
Christian: Dumb and obvious.
Robbie (Redd) pre-tape - Bennett coaches - Watt doesn’t want untalented underdog on team
Scot: Really predictable.
Teen (Mooney) cringes when parents (Watt & bryant) overshare sex life
Scot: Awkwardness is not necessarily humor.
Olay Eye Black - Oil Of BrOlay eye black is face care for tough guys
Christian: I think I've seen ads for something like this on TikTok.
Luke Combs - “Lovin’ On You”
Scot: This is not a bad song at all.
Weekend Update - Lots of impeachment stuff and Bolton jokes - Pompeo yells at reporter - Chen Biao (Yang) on coronavirus - Super Bowl preview - Krispy Kreme in Times Square - Dr. Angie Hynes (Nwodim) on Black History Month -
Scot: How many times is Jost going to make a joke about the appearance of that Ukranian guy? This is like six. - The whole start is off the rails. - China lockdowns are underway - Decent Che hotel jokes - Overall pretty weak.
Madden 21 - Watt has to read odd lines for Madden 21 recording session
Christian: Feels like filler.
Scot: I did laugh at the wheelchair jokes.
My Fair Bigfoot - otherwise-civilized Sasquatch (Watt) has bathroom mishap
Christian: The famous Bigfoot photo with the pose wasn't taken until 1967.
Big Willie's Pizza - Delivery guy’s (Watt) porno plot (Gardner, Strong) ruins pizza shop owner (Kenan)
Christian: Enjoyed it - pretty clever.
E13: RuPaul
New Hampshire Dem Debate - Bernie Sanders (David), Biden/Sudeikis, McKinnon/Warren, Jost/Buttigieg, Dratch/Klobuchar, Davidson/Steyer,
Christian: Nothing offensively bad, pretty much treading water. Biden line about having 6-8 months was good.
Scot: Again, I don't get the love for Sudeikis' Biden. It's not very good! - Nine minutes. The last joke (Mr. Biden, you have 60 seconds) is the best one here.
RuPaul alludes to wild experiences in ’80s NYC & describes his philosophy
Christian: Audience loved this. I did not.
The Queen - RuPaul tries making pool boy Chad into the next drag superstar
Christian: I actually liked this, but it just sort of went on with no hook.
Strong and RuPaul debate check-splitting proposal with Bryant, Gardner
Scot: This is not put together very well.
Boop-It - Divorced dad (Bennett) becomes obsessed with mastering Boop-It game
Scot: Show me one funny thing in this. You can't.
At the library, RuPaul “reads” books by insulting kid-lit book covers
Scot: Lots of energy from RuPaul, but I just didn't like it.
Justin Bieber - “Yummy”
Christian: I can't imagine anything worse than this.
Weekend Update - Trump aquitted by Senate - Fineman celebrates Oscars - Cathy Anne (Strong) on Trump trial
Christian: Che with a strong 3/5ths joke. I beat Weekend Update to the "stanktuary state" joke by four days.
The Old New York Show - eccentric shut-ins (Bryant & McKinnon) pine for ’90s NYC; RuPaul is ex-husband
Christian: Feels like S22, where the female cast members' go-to move was to play crazy old women. They're doing Cheri Oteri doing Martin Short.
E14: John Mulaney
White House Press Conference - Democratic candidates crash Mike Pence (Bennett) coronavirus press conference, Kenan/Carson, Mulaney as Biden
Christian: Again, sketches written based on who is under contract, not what is funny. Why is Bernie Sanders or Klobuchar or Warren there?
Scot: David keeps this off the ground floor. Still just a menagerie of people with no throughline.
Mulaney does standup about Baby Boomer dads, Bill Of Rights, Make-A-Wish
Scot: Strong opening and close to this.
Uncle Meme - Ron (Mulaney) hates being subject of nephew’s (Davidson) #WhiteCollarVirgin meme
Scot: Mulaney sells this one.
Wanting to be in strip club sketch, Monney bulks up; Justin Theroux cameo
Christian: Sketches about SNL cast members have an extremely low hit rate.
The Admiral - Knockout’s sisters (Bryant, McKinnon) and brother (Mulaney) tempt The Admiral
Christian: McKinnon/Bryant is now a comedy team.
Weekend Update - Trump talking coronavirus - Che starts drinking to cope with the onset of coronavirus spread - Biden wins SC primary - Redd is unhappy with events that occurred during Black History Month 2020 - Costco bans non-members from food court
Christian: Chris Redd's best moment on the show?
Scot: Che's runner taking COVID seriously is a nice touch.
Airport Sushi - Jake Gyllenhaal & other LaGuardia patrons sing about airport issues
Scot: This didn't hang together quite as well as the previous musicals.
E15: Daniel Craig
The Ingraham Angle (McKinnon) - Coronoavirus, Judge Pirro (Strong), Trump Bros, Chris Matthews (Hammond), and Elizabeth Warren [cameo] savors her successes
Christian: Thought it was good until the very end. Come the fuck on.
Scot: Another "bad sponsors" joke - Never-ending impressions. Pick a freaking lane - Zero focus to the writing, just bouncing all around - 9+ minutes.
Craig previews scene - James Bond (Craig) is gleeful over craps wins
Scot: Appears to be a pre-tape adapted into a monologue.
The Sands of Modesto - social distancing impacts soap opera interactions
Scot: Written by James Anderson and Bryan Tucker - McKinnon breaks - At first you're like, "Ah, pretty lame." But they realy commit to the bit and I enjoyed it along the way.
On the Couch - Kenan, Redd, Weekend in music video
Scot: This seems harsh, but there are no laughs at all. I think the whole approach is wrong. This is just accurately portraying why a man would be on the couch.
The Deirdre Show - Cookie (Nwodim) huffs during cooking segment
Scot: Virtually nothing to this.
Debbie Downer - Pandemic has Debbie Downer (Dratch) in her element
Scot: No, sorry, can't ever capture the original. Had some brief promise early; didn't last.
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights”
Scot: Still convinced Rod Stewart deserves a writing credit for this ("Young Turks").
Weekend Update - Biden begins to emerge as nominee - Jost on future debates - Plastic expert Bottle Boi (Yang) - NASA recruiting - Woman celebrates 100th birthday - The Weeknd Update - Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With (Strong)
Christian: Really weird to watch these Covid jokes.
Scot: CPAC attendee positive for COVID (I was right next to him) - Thin, weak Yang character - LOL at Che's reading joke.
Accent Coach - Craig's accent coach (Bennett) wants Benoit Blanc to be cartoonishly southern
Christian: An aimless attempt to replicate Kenan's Jeffersons acting coach.
Scot: Written by Bennett with Andrew Dismukes - Maybe Ferrell could do this. Beck cannot. - The Bennett/Dismukes partnership is off to a forboding start (see E5, E11).
Deep Quote Game Night - Craig & Gradner trade impossibly-obscure movie quotes
Christian: Has Gardner taken a step back this year? Feels like in opportunities she has, at least. Just thought this was meh.
Scot: Written by Gardner with Will Stephen - Incredible performances by Gardner and Craig elevate this nicely - Actual escalation.
E16: Tom Hanks (SNL at Home)
SNL castmembers assemble via Zoom
Scot: The revamped opening credits are very endearing.
COVID-19 survivor Tom Hanks talks about his coronavirus experience
Scot: It worked. The 36/38 joke is very funny.
Drake Song - lyrics of Davidson's pastiche rap involve missing an ex
Christian: Willing to give a lot of slack given the circumstances, but what the hell is this?
Scot: Not funny, no jokes. Just a pastiche, really.
Working Out at Home with RBG - Ruth Bader Ginsburg (McKinnon) works out at home with small equipment
Scot: Uncreative, bad audio issues, just a hard pass.
Henriette and Nan (Bryant and McKinnon) - technologically illiterate Henriette & Nan flounder during office Zoom
Scot: Slightly better. I did laugh at the Good Doctor thing.
A Message from Bernie Sanders - Bernie Sanders (David) fields campaign & coronavirus questions
Scot: Ringers during an at-home show?
Weekend Update - Fauci stuff - via phone, Donald Trump (Baldwin) claims coronavirus success - mini Joke Swap
Christian: This was as good as plenty of real Weekend Updates.
Scot: Unprescient/Prescient moments apart: If either Trump or Biden win, we'll have comedy gold the next four years (Ha!). But then: Can you imagine the stuff Biden is going to be saying eight years from now? - It was as good as could be expected, but Baldwin/Trump brings it down a peg.
Bailey At the Movies - Bailey Gismert’s reviews of home-screened movies highlight awkwardness
Scot: They cover up her wrist tattoos every week on the show.
Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles - Adult concerns now on minds of turtles
Scot: This was good and, frankly, they should bring it back for more.
Cam Playz Dat - Call Of Duty Warzone deaths abound in Twitch session
Christian: Feels like a Mooney.
What You Jammin On - via FaceTime, Bennett, Mooney, Armisen turn writer’s block into a musical creation
Scot: Nope.
Visualizations with Aidy - Bryant uses stock-video to guide the viewer through tough times
Christian: Feels quintessentially Aidy.
Scot: Liked it! Good creativity and sweetness/silliness.
How Low Will You Go - game show contestants (Nwodim, Gardner, Bryant) are horny
Christian: Some really good lines in this.
Scot: Couldn't quite end it, but this is one you could see working live and in-person
Makeup Tutorial with EGo - Crayola markers are the sole product used during (EGN)’s makeup tutorial
Scot: Yeah, sorry. Not really a comedy concept here.
I Got $2000 - rapper (Davidson) prominently displays $2,000 during music video
Scot: At least the seed of a joke.
Hal Willner Tribute - castmembers mark the passing of SNL music producer Hal Willner
Scot: This is touching and full of emotion and a very good reminder that early on we really were clueless about a lot of stuff and lost a number of fine people.
E17: At Home II
A Message From Dr. Fauci - Anthony Fauci (Brad Pitt) reacts to Donald Trump’s coronavirus statements
Scot: Written by Jost -The ending tag didn't help anything, though I understand why it happened - Just took COVID and Pitt to get a passable cold open.
What Up With That: At Home - Charles Barkley & DJ Khaled [cameo] panel remotely
Scot: Written by Steve Higgins and Bryan Tucker - Worked as well as possibly could have with nobody in the same room. Infectious fun, still.
Quarantined anchor’s (Day) daughter phone-filters his report
Christian: Pretty sure everyone in every Zoom call made this joke prior to this running.
Scot: Written by Streeter Seidell and Mikey Day - Exactly what you think it is.
Stuck In the House - Davidson & Sandler sing about being quarantined with their families; Schneider cameo
Christian: The pandemic was bad enough without Pete Davidson singing.
Scot: Written by Pete and Dan Bulla - Compared to other Davidson songs, this is pretty strong.
Bartenson's Grocery Store - Bryant & McKinnon list items that Bartenson’s Grocery Store has plenty of
Scot: Written by Anna Drezen and Alison Gates It was fine. Some of the items were funny. Liked the playing with the fact they obviously are not appearing together.
Big Dominican Lunch - David Ortiz (Kenan) & Big Bunny (Bad Bunny) cook meat
Scot: Written by Jost and Kenan.
Air BNB - COVID-19 left (Fineman) stuck living with eccentric Airbnb guest Ooli (Fineman)
Scot: Written by Chloe Fineman and Jasmine Pierce.
Released Early - After his coronavirus-spurred prison release, (Redd) contacts old flames
Christian: All Bryant.
Scot: Written by Sam Jay and Gary Richardson - Bryant's role pushes this past middling.
Weekend Update - Trump/bleach stuff - Che on Red State people pushing back on lockdowns - Davidson reports from home - Banksy bathroom art - Last Dance doc - Boston pigeons yelling at blackbirds - Jost announces contest that will require Che to tell the winner’s joke
Christian: Really awkward and disjointed, especially when they are clearly reading off laptops.
Scot: Laughed at the Jonestown joke - No audience this time.
Soulcycle at Home - intense instructors conduct SoulCycle Virtual Workouts from their homes
Christian: Why keep bringing these back?
Scot: Written by Fran Gillespie and Sudi Green - Not a fan of these at all.
O.J. Simpson (Kenan) interprets responses to him through a COVID-19 lens
Scot: Written by Josh Patten and Pete Schultz.
Facetime with Rudd - Paul Rudd [cameo] & his cousin Mandy (Gardner) speak for first time since childhood
Scot: Written by Heidi Gardner. Didn't like this quite as much as the first one.
The Reveal - virtual police procedural has some singing & an anticlimactic confession
Christian: Covid couldn't kill the Strong singing rule.
Scot: Written by James Anderson and Will Stephen.
Whiskers R We At Home - Barbara shows similar-looking cats available online via Whiskers R’ We
Scot: Written by Kent Sublette.
What's My Name - at a party, Tommy (KYM) puts Rob (KYM) on the spot with “What’s my name?”
Scot: Sigh.
Melissa's Big Date - Villaseñor invites an unseen beau to spend the night
Scot: Written by Dan Bulla, Steven Castillo, Dan Licata, Melissa Villaseñor - Barely got there for me. Good performance by Villaseñor.
While these videos on SNL were temporary, these types of bits exploded on TikTok, leading to the hiring of future cast members like Chloe Troast and Jane Wickline
Scot: Instead of pruning material, they need all they possibly can come up with. And it shows.
E18: Kristen Wiig (At Home III)
Italian Vacation - Gardner & Martin Short (cameo) revel in their Italian fantasia to their disinterested pals
Christian: A significant percentage of Kenan's roles are reacting to people doing something or telling them to stop.
Scot: No laughs detected.
Let Kids Drink - SNL cast & (Josh Gad) plead for underage alcohol consumption
Scot: All of this worked really well. Fun premise, good payoff.
Masterclass Quanantine - Phoebe-Waller Bridge & Britney Spears (Fineman) join John Mulaney (Villaseñor), teach esoteric lifestyle classes
Christian: I think Villaseñor's Mulaney actually does save it.
Scot: Villaseñor's great Mulaney impression can't save this.
Danny Trejo Rap - Davidson celebrates the life and accomplishments of Danny Trejo (real)
Christian: Please, God, cut Pete Davidson's internet.
Bouncy Waves with PJ Charney - Wiig’s class on hair care is as unruly as her ‘do
Scot: Really bad for an "At Home" show or any other show.
Weekend Update - Trump valet positive for COVID - Biden assault accusations - Fey discusses motherhood under quarantine - Jeanine Pirro (Strong)
Christian: It figures that Fey would be the one to figure out how to do this correctly.
Scot: GnR tried to win the War on Drugs by doing all the cocaine themselves (probably heroin, actually) - this is really tough because you can't know the right timing without an audience. The edits are too quick.
Eleanore's House - AIB’s imaginary house party becomes host to some unfavorable guests
Scot: This went in a weird direction and I dug it. Bryant is a great central presence for it.
Dad Pranks - Brandon tortures his corny-ass bitch dad (Day)
Scot: Really enjoyed this, laughed at pretty much all the pranks.
Beer Money - Mooney x3 go on a quest to cure his broken heart and find treasure
Christian: Miskell Spillman would have been a better regular cast member.
Scot: Awful and nonsensical! - 3x the Mooney, 3x as bad?
Dreams - Strong dreams of a vibrant NYC filled with castmates
Christian: Found this really affecting. Probably the best season-ending bit they've done.
Scot: A perfect way for the season to end, I suppose.