Saturday Night Live: Jessica Chastain, Troye Sivan
January 20, 2018 10:20 PM - Season 43, Episode 13 - Subscribe
Host: Jessica Chastain, Musical Guest: Troy Sivan
- White House Press Briefing - Aidy Bryan, Beck Bennett, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day, Pete Davidson, Heidi Gardner
- Opening Monologue - Jessica Chastain
- Car Hunk - Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner, Cecily Strong, Jessica Chastain, Kate McKinnon, Luke Null, Aidy Bryant, Melissa Villaseñor
- The Fresh Prince of Bel Air - Chris Redd, Kennan Thompson, Jessica Chastain, Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day
- Google Talks - Jessica Chastain, Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner, Luke Null, Mikey Day, Melissa Villaseñor, Kennan Thompson, Kyle Mooney, Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett, Leslie Jones, Pete Davidson
- What Even Matters Any More - Jessica Chastain, Kate McKinnon, Kennan Thompson, Cecily Strong
- Troye Sivan - My My My
- Weekend Update - Michael Che, Colin Jost
- Stormy Daniels - Cecily Strong
- Prince William and Prince Harry - Mikey Day, Alex Moffat
- Robert Mueller - Kate McKinnon
- Amazon Office Search - Kyle Mooney, Jessica Chastain, Beck Bennett, Alex Moffatt, Kennan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Aidy Bryant, Chris Redd, Melissa Villaseñor, Cecily Strong, Mikey Day
- Jalapeños - Heidi Gardner, Jessica Chastain, Mikey Day, Aidy Bryant
- Doctor's Orders - Jessica Chastain, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day
- Troye Sivan - The Good Side
- Justice for Anne - Leslie Jones, Jessica Chastain, Kennan Thompson, Luke Null
I'm sick of the presidential cold opens and The Bachelor sketches.
But then they showed one of my favorite sketches of the season. Even though I was never a huge fan of the Fresh Price of Bel Air (Will Smith aversion), that sketch was amazing. I love Luke Null. I LOVE HIM.
(Also Jessica Chastain's fake FBI agent bore an amusing resemblance to Dana Scully.)
Okay, I'm still watching. I'll be back if something interesting happens.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:24 AM on January 21, 2018
But then they showed one of my favorite sketches of the season. Even though I was never a huge fan of the Fresh Price of Bel Air (Will Smith aversion), that sketch was amazing. I love Luke Null. I LOVE HIM.
(Also Jessica Chastain's fake FBI agent bore an amusing resemblance to Dana Scully.)
Okay, I'm still watching. I'll be back if something interesting happens.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:24 AM on January 21, 2018
1. I loved Mikey Day as Pitbull, and
2. I love that Miami gave him to Jeff Bezos.
CHAD! (Okay.)
That last sketch was kinda...awful, but it made me realize that they need to get someone like Damon Wayans Jr or Michael B. Jordan to host and then they could do a What's Happening!! sketch with the host as Raj, Luke Null as Dwayne, Kenan as Rerun, and Leslie as Shirley.
But I'm probably the only person who would enjoy that and I'm also probably the only person who owns the What's Happening!! DVD box set...
posted by elsietheeel at 10:16 AM on January 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
2. I love that Miami gave him to Jeff Bezos.
CHAD! (Okay.)
That last sketch was kinda...awful, but it made me realize that they need to get someone like Damon Wayans Jr or Michael B. Jordan to host and then they could do a What's Happening!! sketch with the host as Raj, Luke Null as Dwayne, Kenan as Rerun, and Leslie as Shirley.
But I'm probably the only person who would enjoy that and I'm also probably the only person who owns the What's Happening!! DVD box set...
posted by elsietheeel at 10:16 AM on January 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
I love Luke Null. I LOVE HIM.Do you mean Chris Redd? Redd was the lead on the Fresh Prince sketch, Null is a white guy who has gotten less than two full skits of screen time.
posted by tjgrathwell at 10:19 AM on January 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
Jalapenos was so awful and twice as awful for being on the episode that aired the same day as the Women's Marches. Feh.
I loved the game show. Kate was channeling her inner HRC and I didn't think it was about giving up so much as it was about highlighting just how awful the Republicans are.
Have decided that it's not so much that I don't get Chad as much as that I don't get Pete Davidson. Sorry.
But yeah, it was really all about the Fresh Prince.
OH! I did like that they brought back Beck Bennett, male ally who doesn't let women speak, and then pushed him off the stage.
posted by Ruki at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2018
I loved the game show. Kate was channeling her inner HRC and I didn't think it was about giving up so much as it was about highlighting just how awful the Republicans are.
Have decided that it's not so much that I don't get Chad as much as that I don't get Pete Davidson. Sorry.
But yeah, it was really all about the Fresh Prince.
OH! I did like that they brought back Beck Bennett, male ally who doesn't let women speak, and then pushed him off the stage.
posted by Ruki at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2018
Ugh, sheesh. Yes, I mean Chris Redd. I have mixed up their names since they started, which I blame on them both being new cast members with two syllable names that end with double consonants. Shame on me.
I LOVE CHRIS REDD.
(I have no idea how I feel about Luke Null because he never gets to talk in sketches.)
posted by elsietheeel at 11:39 AM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
I LOVE CHRIS REDD.
(I have no idea how I feel about Luke Null because he never gets to talk in sketches.)
posted by elsietheeel at 11:39 AM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Redd's been an excellent addition.
McKinnon showing up as Mueller absolutely slayed me.
This episode seemed to have a DGAF vibe - nice callout in the monologue to tell Bennett's character to stop talking, the entire gameshow skit, weekend update was surprisingly frank (the position on Pence), Strong's Daniels was also unreserved.
I'm ok with Jalapeños because it was poking fun at a certain sort of stupidity (Dunning-Kruger outliers), not that women are stupid.
posted by porpoise at 2:21 PM on January 21, 2018
McKinnon showing up as Mueller absolutely slayed me.
This episode seemed to have a DGAF vibe - nice callout in the monologue to tell Bennett's character to stop talking, the entire gameshow skit, weekend update was surprisingly frank (the position on Pence), Strong's Daniels was also unreserved.
I'm ok with Jalapeños because it was poking fun at a certain sort of stupidity (Dunning-Kruger outliers), not that women are stupid.
posted by porpoise at 2:21 PM on January 21, 2018
I'm ok with Jalapeños because it was poking fun at a certain sort of stupidity (Dunning-Kruger outliers), not that women are stupid.
I just think that would have come across better if hadn't been two women. Two men? A man and a woman? Maybe. But two women, right now, on that day, came across as punching down in the worst way.
One more for the DGAF vibe - Leslie Jones coming out to say pussy after Aidy Bryant calling it a p-hat and mentioning how it's another word the President can say and they can't.
posted by Ruki at 3:26 PM on January 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
I just think that would have come across better if hadn't been two women. Two men? A man and a woman? Maybe. But two women, right now, on that day, came across as punching down in the worst way.
One more for the DGAF vibe - Leslie Jones coming out to say pussy after Aidy Bryant calling it a p-hat and mentioning how it's another word the President can say and they can't.
posted by Ruki at 3:26 PM on January 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
The best thing about the Fresh Prince sketch is how Redd matched many of Will Smith's movements during the first segment that reuses scenes and lyrics from the actual theme song. They went all-out for authenticity!
posted by Servo5678 at 3:48 PM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Servo5678 at 3:48 PM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
What Even Matters was great.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:52 PM on January 21, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:52 PM on January 21, 2018
Redd was good in the Fresh Prince sketch but (for maybe the first time ever) I missed Jay Pharaoh. That dude had a killer Will Smith impression he was always trying to work into the show, and now they finally had just the sketch for it and he's not in the cast anymore!
The tacos sketch is one of those things where I feel like you kind of have to know who wrote it to know if it's offensive. If two women wrote it, it was probably just a silly, inoffensive thing with no agenda. If two guys wrote it, it would seem to fit that creepy conservative bro agenda that was all over the show last week. That sketch had my girlfriend fuming, saying it was a very specific misogynist thing on the day of the Women's March, but I tend to think it was just a goof. Aidy Bryant's character wasn't an idiot, and she was as appalled by these idiots as the waiter was.
Chastain was kind of amazingly good. She could do this every week. But that monologue was a C-, through no fault of the performances. It seemed like lots of little jokes not adding up to any point. They needed to just focus on "words we can't say but the president can" or the clueless dudes interrupting, or something. And Kenan's director character is played out. It's always fun to watch him mug, but if he's going to dig out the old stuff I'd much rather see the return of What's Up with That?!
Overall I thought it was an improvement over last week, which is admittedly a low bar. They made me laugh a few times and they gave Trump plenty of grief. Three stars, would watch again.
I sure hope Luke Null didn't buy a house or something, assuming he was going to be on this show for a while.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 4:20 PM on January 21, 2018
The tacos sketch is one of those things where I feel like you kind of have to know who wrote it to know if it's offensive. If two women wrote it, it was probably just a silly, inoffensive thing with no agenda. If two guys wrote it, it would seem to fit that creepy conservative bro agenda that was all over the show last week. That sketch had my girlfriend fuming, saying it was a very specific misogynist thing on the day of the Women's March, but I tend to think it was just a goof. Aidy Bryant's character wasn't an idiot, and she was as appalled by these idiots as the waiter was.
Chastain was kind of amazingly good. She could do this every week. But that monologue was a C-, through no fault of the performances. It seemed like lots of little jokes not adding up to any point. They needed to just focus on "words we can't say but the president can" or the clueless dudes interrupting, or something. And Kenan's director character is played out. It's always fun to watch him mug, but if he's going to dig out the old stuff I'd much rather see the return of What's Up with That?!
Overall I thought it was an improvement over last week, which is admittedly a low bar. They made me laugh a few times and they gave Trump plenty of grief. Three stars, would watch again.
I sure hope Luke Null didn't buy a house or something, assuming he was going to be on this show for a while.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 4:20 PM on January 21, 2018
(Jay Pharoah would also make an excellent Raj in my imaginary What's Happening!! sketch.)
posted by elsietheeel at 5:29 PM on January 21, 2018
posted by elsietheeel at 5:29 PM on January 21, 2018
You get a Stormy, indeed. You deserve a Stormy.
"While you're writing, I'm just gonna drink." INDEED. "Jessica, you don't have to do this." Wow. Fourth wall doesn't matter!
The bros playing the royal bros have zero resemblance to the actual dudes, but watching them razz each other was kind of charming in an unexpected way.
"Sex Tape With Don. Jr." really should be uh...someone else more beloved, shouldn't it?
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:00 PM on January 21, 2018
"While you're writing, I'm just gonna drink." INDEED. "Jessica, you don't have to do this." Wow. Fourth wall doesn't matter!
The bros playing the royal bros have zero resemblance to the actual dudes, but watching them razz each other was kind of charming in an unexpected way.
"Sex Tape With Don. Jr." really should be uh...someone else more beloved, shouldn't it?
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:00 PM on January 21, 2018
Chastain was kind of amazingly good. She could do this every week.
Yep.
I had been looking forward to it because she's a good actress and in lead-up publicity seemed genuinely excited about the gig. I just hoped she'd have halfway decent sketches.
I got home about 15 minutes into the show. Watching the opening later, I was underwhelmed by the cold open. But "You Don't Own Me" was fun. (I know it was a shoutout to #metoo & the Women's March. But it simultaneously reminded me of The First Wive's Club and of the pre-show warmup, which usually involves three of the women singing.)
Anyway, rest of show was pretty good except for the dumb women and bad director retread. (I didnt watch the musical act.) Some sharp satire, nothing uber-memorable, but the cast had a good energy. It felt like they were happy with JC hosting.
Oh, one other thing. Did the show look odd at certain points to anyone? I noted a couple shots where performers looked either under-madeup or the lighting was overly harsh.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:01 PM on January 21, 2018
Yep.
I had been looking forward to it because she's a good actress and in lead-up publicity seemed genuinely excited about the gig. I just hoped she'd have halfway decent sketches.
I got home about 15 minutes into the show. Watching the opening later, I was underwhelmed by the cold open. But "You Don't Own Me" was fun. (I know it was a shoutout to #metoo & the Women's March. But it simultaneously reminded me of The First Wive's Club and of the pre-show warmup, which usually involves three of the women singing.)
Anyway, rest of show was pretty good except for the dumb women and bad director retread. (I didnt watch the musical act.) Some sharp satire, nothing uber-memorable, but the cast had a good energy. It felt like they were happy with JC hosting.
Oh, one other thing. Did the show look odd at certain points to anyone? I noted a couple shots where performers looked either under-madeup or the lighting was overly harsh.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:01 PM on January 21, 2018
This was an adequate show at best. I'm just gonna leave that here and sit back and be Bernard.
posted by not_on_display at 8:12 PM on January 23, 2018
posted by not_on_display at 8:12 PM on January 23, 2018
That sketch had my girlfriend fuming, saying it was a very specific misogynist thing on the day of the Women's March, but I tend to think it was just a goof.
This was exactly the split me and my SO had. I was like "What the fuck is this?" and he was like "Eh everyone knows people like that" (true)
Chastain was great all the way through, this Bachelor sketch didn't do much for me. I never get tired of CHAD. Breaking the fourth wall in the "game show" sketch just played super weird to me because it's basically what a lot of us are feeling so it didn't feel funny to me.
Redd's a genius. That Google sketch had more funny bits than I think were at first apparent and I appreciated that. And I always appreciate a good ensemble sketch and that whole dumb Amazon sketch was good at that and then I made Jim watch a bunch of Pitbull videos with me.
posted by jessamyn at 7:44 AM on January 24, 2018
This was exactly the split me and my SO had. I was like "What the fuck is this?" and he was like "Eh everyone knows people like that" (true)
Chastain was great all the way through, this Bachelor sketch didn't do much for me. I never get tired of CHAD. Breaking the fourth wall in the "game show" sketch just played super weird to me because it's basically what a lot of us are feeling so it didn't feel funny to me.
Redd's a genius. That Google sketch had more funny bits than I think were at first apparent and I appreciated that. And I always appreciate a good ensemble sketch and that whole dumb Amazon sketch was good at that and then I made Jim watch a bunch of Pitbull videos with me.
posted by jessamyn at 7:44 AM on January 24, 2018
Pitbull's in the Tucci gang.
posted by not_on_display at 11:21 PM on January 26, 2018
posted by not_on_display at 11:21 PM on January 26, 2018
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by parki at 7:55 AM on January 21, 2018