Saturday Night Live: Adam Driver / Halsey
January 26, 2020 1:30 AM - Season 45, Episode 11 - Subscribe

Aw, man! I'm all out of cash!

  • Cold Open: Beck Bennett, Cecily Strong, Jon Lovitz, Kate McKinnon, Chris Redd, Chloe Fineman, Adam Driver, Bowen Yang, Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Alex Moffatt
  • Monologue: Adam Driver
  • Clogged Toilet: Adam Driver, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, Aidy Bryant, Heidi Gardner, Kate McKinnon
  • Undercover Boss - Kylo Ren: Adam Driver, Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, Melissa Villaseñor, Beck Bennett
  • Del Taco Commercial: Kyle Mooney, Chloe Fineman, Beck Bennett, Adam Driver, Chris Redd
  • The Science Room: Adam Driver, Mikey Day, Cecily Strong
  • Slow: Chris Redd, Halsey, Kenan Thompson, Adam Driver, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim
  • Halsey - You Should Be Sad
  • Weekend Update: Michael Che, Colin Jost
    • Carrie Krum: Aidy Bryan
    • Oscars: Meliss Villaseñor
  • Red and Yellow Knight: Mikey Day, Kena Thompson, Heidi Gardner, Beck Bennett, Alex Moffatt, Chris Redd, Adam Driver, Chloe Fineman, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Bowen Yang
  • Cheer: Heidi Gardner, Adam Driver, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon, Halsey
  • Marrying Ketchup: Heidi Gardner, Cecily Strong, Adam Driver, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant
  • Halsey - Finally // Beautiful Stranger
posted by rhizome (19 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Yeah, this was strong from start to finish. Really enjoyable. Even Driver's goofy monologue was a real giggle. He brought a lot of energy to the whole show, and it seemed to rub-off on the other performances.

My only real disappointment was in me turning it off right after Marrying Ketchup because a) I was really freaking tired, and b) Going by my clock, there didn't seem any way there was going to be a second Halsey performance (which would have been odd, of course, but it just didn't seem do-able.Oh well.)
posted by Thorzdad at 6:37 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]


Yeah, this was one of the strongest shows in a while. I loved Driver's opening, and I totally believe he dragged it out so he could avoid a sketch at the end of the show that he was uncomfortable with. Damn, that was hilarious and impressive. Such control. And it worked.

The cold opening suffered and the only other sketch I was meh about was Del Taco. Everything else seemed like the kind of bits that could enter the canon of SNL sketches. Villaseñor was brilliant and on point. Slow is the new Dick in a Box. Red and Yellow Knight. Catsup. Shit, that was a good show. I want to see Driver do more comedy. Live comedy.
posted by Stanczyk at 7:09 AM on January 26, 2020 [4 favorites]


Yeah, it was a good episode. Nice to see them come back so strong after the break. I thought the cold open was pretty brutal and the monologue was decent. So great to see Lovitz, even if he was a bit rusty.

God damn I love Aidy Bryant. Her bit in WU was too funny.

The Science Room was good, though it suffered from their inability to properly end a sketch.

I've never even heard of Halsey before.

No, I'm kidding, of course. Last time she was on I said that because I honestly didn't remember her and someone called me out and linked to my comment the first time she was on. Really the only reason I remembered her this time was because of that call out though. I liked the second song and she's got a good voice. I also always like when the musical guests show up in sketches. She was a good sport. I suspect she'll be hosting next year.
posted by bondcliff at 7:59 AM on January 26, 2020 [3 favorites]


So, did he actually filibuster a sketch off? I have my doubts, but the second musical performance was later than usual.
posted by ckape at 8:54 AM on January 26, 2020 [3 favorites]


Someone forwarded me the clogged toilet skit, which was entirely on point because not too many months ago my partner hosted a teen birthday party that ended with a backed-up toilet flooding the second floor (and therefore first) of her house. Ten thousand dollars would have been a low estimate. Can't wait to forward this to the teen in question.
posted by jzb at 8:59 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]


So, did he actually filibuster a sketch off? I have my doubts, but the second musical performance was later than usual.

I think they intentionally scheduled the second musical performance in the 10-to-1 slot to finish the joke.
posted by Etrigan at 9:57 AM on January 26, 2020 [8 favorites]


I only enjoy Adam Driver when he’s on SNL and then I enjoy him a lot.
posted by Ruki at 12:35 PM on January 26, 2020


I really liked Adam Driver, from monologue to ketchup. I didn't think there was more humor to be mined from the Undercover Boss with Kylo Ren, but they did it. The intern thing was excellent. Making a note to watch "The Dead Don't Die" when it's streaming for free somewhere.

Melissa Villasenor's Oscar song and jaunty dance delighted me, and I am always shocked at how good Beck Bennett's McConnell is.
posted by gladly at 2:35 PM on January 26, 2020


So, did he actually filibuster a sketch off?

I doubt it. Hosts can just choose not to do a sketch they don't like. The hosts also don't decide during the show which sketches get cut or not. Lorne does that. Lorne can easily just cut another sketch or cut WU short or what have you.

I took it as just another of the sorts of jokes SNL does these days that basically all have the format of "we know we have problems in these areas but we're still going to make jokes about them but if we makes jokes about the fact that we have problems that makes it good, right?"
posted by bondcliff at 3:01 PM on January 26, 2020 [4 favorites]


Every time I have seen Halsey perform on TV, all I can think is that she's about the worst lip-syncer ever. Worse than Gwen Stefani, even. I did enjoy the rest of the show.
posted by lilywing13 at 7:26 PM on January 26, 2020 [2 favorites]


Best episode since the last time they had Adam Driver on when they had one of the best SNL sketches ever, Abraham H. Parnassus on career day.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 7:34 PM on January 26, 2020 [2 favorites]


This one was solid. Plenty of good sketches and I appreciated the venom of the cold open. Driver really doesn't seem like he'd be good at sketch comedy, but somehow he is.

Can't wait to forward this to the teen in question.

Oh, please don't. I'm betting the poor girl is mortified enough.

It's kind of amazing how many stories I've heard about some girl causing major plumbing problems on a sleepover. Either she badly clogs the toilet with her poops or she tries to flush a pad, but it always ends up as an expensive, humiliating ordeal. Parents: Sit your girls down and give them a talk about not flushing pads!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:55 PM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]


"It's kind of amazing how many stories I've heard about some girl causing major plumbing problems on a sleepover."

Hah, the same thing happens with adult women roommates and houses with old plumbing. Apparently some folks can get away with flushing that stuff for years before it comes back to screw someone.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:20 AM on January 27, 2020


The more I see Driver, the more I like him. Great comedic chops in the monologue and nice dig on the transphobia/ dated thing.

I enjoyed 'The Dead Don't Die' personally because its kinda dumb funny, but it definitely "meanders."

Del Taco felt like it was trying to channel some Space Pants or More Cowbell, but didn't quite clear the bar for me.

Loved Science Room - I've had a lot of days like that, but with C-level execs instead of kids.

Red and Yellow Knight!!
posted by porpoise at 3:17 PM on January 27, 2020


So, did he actually filibuster a sketch off?

I read somewhere else on the internet that someone saw the dress rehearsal and no, they did not. But there are precious few ways to say "We're going to try to be more mindful of this shit" and that seemed like maybe it was one of them

Red and Yellow Knight!!

Right!? We all knew that guy in our twenties.

I enjoyed this and especially Melissa's bit on the news. She's found a way to channel that Lady Gaga type of energy but into something that is a bit more flexible characterwise.
posted by jessamyn at 7:06 PM on January 27, 2020 [4 favorites]


The cold open was the best part of the episode -- fun and even a little audacious in spots. I thought Adam Driver carried everything off quite well and even made it look easy. Wasn't too crazy about most of the sketches, but I enjoyed the clogged toilet and marrying ketchup sketches as well as "Slow" and the monologue.

Aidy Bryant's "Michael....! Michael...!" bits always make me laugh.
posted by orange swan at 8:19 PM on January 27, 2020 [2 favorites]


Oh, please don't. I'm betting the poor girl is mortified enough.

Not a girl. Not even close to mortified enough. AFAIK the clogging item was not in fact a pad or tampon, it still remains a mystery.
posted by jzb at 4:42 AM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]


For the record, if Kate McKinnon is actually Satan, I'm good with going to the Bad Place.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:03 AM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]


"Aidy Bryant's "Michael....! Michael...!" bits always make me laugh."

There are very few times that I want to see Michael Che as the anchor interacting with a guest. Even though Jost is a dolt he at least brings some charisma to it. Che just seems like he refuses to get into it, to let the other characters drag him along. The best exceptions to this are, in my opinion, Bobby Moynihan's Riblet and then Aidy's travel expert Carrie Krum.

oh and speaking of hosts interacting with guests: did you see the look on Jost's face when he realized that Villseñor had switched out his cards and made him say that he watches Joker every day while he works out? I loved her even more in that moment, and was dying to see if there was a followup and there was (Jost having to read off that he watched The Irishman while alone over Christmas break). More dunking on Jost at all times please.

... the act of typing that made me realize that's why I liked Riblet, because it was just making fun of Che for a straight two minutes.

which means the real winner here is Aidy Bryant for creating a character so sincere and wholesome that she can overcome my desire to see either of the news guys brought down a peg.
posted by komara at 6:54 AM on January 29, 2020 [3 favorites]


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