Saturday Night Live: Billie Eilish
December 12, 2021 2:19 AM - Season 47, Episode 8 - Subscribe
First time hosting!
- Cold Open - Dr. Fauci: Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, James Austin Johnson, Pete Davidson, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant
- Monologue: Billie Eilish
- Christmas Cards: Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffatt, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Pete Davidson, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Punkie Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Kate McKinnon, Billie Eilish, Andrew Dismukes, Aristotle Athari
- TikToks: Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, Billie Eilish, Chris Redd, Andrew Dismukes, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang, Melissa Villaseñor, James Austin Johnson, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day, Alex Moffatt, Kyle Mooney, Aristotle Athari, Kyle Mooney, Finneas O'Connell
- Hip Hop Nativity Play: Billie Eilish, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Bowen Yang, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman
- Lonely Christmas: Billie Eilish, Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day
- Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
- Weekend Update: Michael Che, Colin Jost
- Punkie Johnson
- Andy's Amazing Animals: Andrew Dismukes
- The Night I Met Santa: Billie Eilish, Kate McKinnon, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson
- Kyle's Holiday: Kyle Mooney, Punkie Johnson, Aidy Bryant, Bowen Yang, Billie Eilish, Mikey Day
- Billie Eilish - Male Fantasy
- Business Garden Inn: Kate McKinnon, Billie Eilish, Aidy Bryant, Finneas O'Connell
Good episode. She seemed almost giddy to be there and did a great job. I had only seen her once before when she was the musical guest and she was in the rotating room with a cast on her foot. So it was nice to actually see what she is like. Very cute when she brought her mom out. It's weird to think she's only 20 and she's never seen SNL that didn't have Keenan on it. Her musical performances were also really good. She's got a voice on her.
Nice to have Kate back.
The TikTok sketch was funny but I don't use TikTok so I think some of the references were lost on me. Were they riffing on actual popular TikToks? Is that what the call them? TikToks? TiksTok? Anyway, I liked it.
Ditto for the Christmas cards.
Business Garden Inn was dead on. We've all stayed there. Fun seeing her almost break and Kate trying to bring her back on track while also teasing her a bit. That was a fun moment.
posted by bondcliff at 8:19 AM on December 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
Nice to have Kate back.
The TikTok sketch was funny but I don't use TikTok so I think some of the references were lost on me. Were they riffing on actual popular TikToks? Is that what the call them? TikToks? TiksTok? Anyway, I liked it.
Ditto for the Christmas cards.
Business Garden Inn was dead on. We've all stayed there. Fun seeing her almost break and Kate trying to bring her back on track while also teasing her a bit. That was a fun moment.
posted by bondcliff at 8:19 AM on December 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
The TikTok sketch was funny but I don't use TikTok so I think some of the references were lost on me.
The TikTok sketch was pretty brilliant and dead accurate, but didn’t come off as being a cruel dig at the service and the people. It actually felt kind of loving in a geeky way. I laughed my ass off.
Lonely Christmas was hilariously dark.
Christmas Cards was another dead-on but hilarious bit.
Business Garden Inn was too real and really funny. Kate was working hard to get Billie to break. Kate and Billie seemed paired up in a lot of sketches.
WU felt a little off, though Che’s Epstein gag was really, really good.
The only bit that, imho, fell flat was Kyle’s Holiday. I guess it wrapped-up nicely with the dark turn on Mikey, and Billie’s warning him to run, but it took wayyyyyy too long to get to it.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:47 AM on December 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
The TikTok sketch was pretty brilliant and dead accurate, but didn’t come off as being a cruel dig at the service and the people. It actually felt kind of loving in a geeky way. I laughed my ass off.
Lonely Christmas was hilariously dark.
Christmas Cards was another dead-on but hilarious bit.
Business Garden Inn was too real and really funny. Kate was working hard to get Billie to break. Kate and Billie seemed paired up in a lot of sketches.
WU felt a little off, though Che’s Epstein gag was really, really good.
The only bit that, imho, fell flat was Kyle’s Holiday. I guess it wrapped-up nicely with the dark turn on Mikey, and Billie’s warning him to run, but it took wayyyyyy too long to get to it.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:47 AM on December 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
Billie did great. She's sort of in the upper middle range of musician hosts: she's definitely a good sport who holds her own and she could probably could act some, but she's more a great personality than an acting talent waiting to be tapped.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:43 PM on December 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:43 PM on December 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Hip Hop Nativity Play: Billie Eilish, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Bowen Yang, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman
The origin of that sketch.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:24 PM on December 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
The origin of that sketch.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:24 PM on December 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Really enjoyed this one. Christmas Cards, TikToks, and Business Garden Inn were my favorites. It's nice when an entire episode is just spot-on.
Also, the dog refusing to look at Andrew Dismukes during WU had us absolutely howling.
posted by joannemerriam at 7:50 PM on December 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Also, the dog refusing to look at Andrew Dismukes during WU had us absolutely howling.
posted by joannemerriam at 7:50 PM on December 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
The only bit that, imho, fell flat was Kyle’s Holiday.
That was my feeling. I am a little tired of Kyle's almost sociopathic lonely guy especially since a lot of us have to manage guys like him on the regular.
Billie seemed up for it, looked good in a variety of wigs, and was really good at her two musical bits unsurprisingly. Was nice to see her brother, was nice to see her mom, was even nice to see Miley who I usually don't love because I think of her as a spotlight-stealer but she wasn't.
I loved the TikTok bit, there was a LOT going on in that sketch and I got at least some of the jokes. I appreciated that there were a few ensemble bits, that one, the Christmas Cards and the cold open. I also think Punkie nailed her desk bit which was nice, I feel like we don't see enough of her. Not enough of any of the new cast but hopefully another time.
I felt like Business Garden Inn was my life before I stopped really traveling for work and I do not miss it, but laughed appreciatively through a lot of that sketch. Right next to the darkened Sonic, INDEED.
posted by jessamyn at 8:22 PM on December 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
That was my feeling. I am a little tired of Kyle's almost sociopathic lonely guy especially since a lot of us have to manage guys like him on the regular.
Billie seemed up for it, looked good in a variety of wigs, and was really good at her two musical bits unsurprisingly. Was nice to see her brother, was nice to see her mom, was even nice to see Miley who I usually don't love because I think of her as a spotlight-stealer but she wasn't.
I loved the TikTok bit, there was a LOT going on in that sketch and I got at least some of the jokes. I appreciated that there were a few ensemble bits, that one, the Christmas Cards and the cold open. I also think Punkie nailed her desk bit which was nice, I feel like we don't see enough of her. Not enough of any of the new cast but hopefully another time.
I felt like Business Garden Inn was my life before I stopped really traveling for work and I do not miss it, but laughed appreciatively through a lot of that sketch. Right next to the darkened Sonic, INDEED.
posted by jessamyn at 8:22 PM on December 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
Billie Eilish is indeed a cutey. She's only 20?!
'Christmas Cards' and 'Hip Hop Nativity' ended up much better than expected.
The back half of 'Lonely Christmas' genuinely cracked me up. McKinnon was excellent, but Day's facial expressions brought it home.
posted by porpoise at 9:12 PM on December 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
'Christmas Cards' and 'Hip Hop Nativity' ended up much better than expected.
The back half of 'Lonely Christmas' genuinely cracked me up. McKinnon was excellent, but Day's facial expressions brought it home.
posted by porpoise at 9:12 PM on December 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
Bille Eilish was great. But fuck the assholes who continue to make fun of older single women, at the holidays no less. (The postcard bit, not the killed-her-husband bit).
posted by Glinn at 5:57 AM on December 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Glinn at 5:57 AM on December 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
fuck the assholes who continue to make fun of older single women
I thought the punchline of the Kate McKinnon postcard was that her life was interesting and seemed like it invited questions, but the couple didn't care enough about her to ask. That was more or less the last stated line of that part of the bit.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:28 AM on December 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
I thought the punchline of the Kate McKinnon postcard was that her life was interesting and seemed like it invited questions, but the couple didn't care enough about her to ask. That was more or less the last stated line of that part of the bit.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:28 AM on December 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
Me too. It's absolutely My Family to be estranged from nontraditional relatives who are doing just fine (if not having a blast) on their own terms.
Billie Eilish is indeed a cutey. She's only 20?!
Born after 9/11. Ain't that something.
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on December 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
Billie Eilish is indeed a cutey. She's only 20?!
Born after 9/11. Ain't that something.
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on December 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
I found her enthusiasm and delight in being there contagious and I totally cracked up at her part in the Christmas card sketch in particular. It's also been great to see such a long stretch of monologues that don't involve the cast members crashing the stage (yeah, Billie's mom came out, but it was brief so I'll allow it).
posted by Recliner of Rage at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Recliner of Rage at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Cut for time:
Please Don’t Destroy - Future Selves
Angelo Christmas
The Please Don’t Destroy bit is good, but I really enjoyed the Angelo sketch. Aristotle’s character/gimmick is fun, but I loved how loose and energetic Cicely and Mikey are, almost like they knew it wasn’t going to make the show so they could go for broke. And Billie as a Bjork knock-off was hilarious—jokes about acting aside, she does great character work.
posted by ejs at 3:05 PM on December 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
Please Don’t Destroy - Future Selves
Angelo Christmas
The Please Don’t Destroy bit is good, but I really enjoyed the Angelo sketch. Aristotle’s character/gimmick is fun, but I loved how loose and energetic Cicely and Mikey are, almost like they knew it wasn’t going to make the show so they could go for broke. And Billie as a Bjork knock-off was hilarious—jokes about acting aside, she does great character work.
posted by ejs at 3:05 PM on December 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
Question about the “cut for time” skits...When are the skits (like Angelo Christmas, not the pre-recorded ones like Do Not Destroy) performed? Are these rehearsal recordings?
posted by Thorzdad at 7:19 PM on December 13, 2021
posted by Thorzdad at 7:19 PM on December 13, 2021
They do a dress rehearsal earlier in the day, which as far as I understand tends to run longer than the show. This helps them decide what to shorten, what to cut, and what to put where. From what I understand some of the sketches in the "best of" compilations are actually from dress if they felt it went a bit better than the show or of there was some technical reason for doing so.
posted by bondcliff at 6:14 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 6:14 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
From what I recall dress is roughly 9 to 11pm ET.
The producers use the 30 minutes before showtime to decide what to cut and to reorder the sketches if necessary. From what I understand, Weekend Update also has way more jokes at dress that they edit.
During the actual broadcast, the producers are again watching the clock to trim scenes, drop sketches and to substitute in existing pieces. When it works you never notice what must be a high wire act, when it doesn’t that’s when sketches at the end of the show abruptly terminate or there are two rounds of commercials before the Good Nights.
posted by mmascolino at 1:11 PM on December 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
The producers use the 30 minutes before showtime to decide what to cut and to reorder the sketches if necessary. From what I understand, Weekend Update also has way more jokes at dress that they edit.
During the actual broadcast, the producers are again watching the clock to trim scenes, drop sketches and to substitute in existing pieces. When it works you never notice what must be a high wire act, when it doesn’t that’s when sketches at the end of the show abruptly terminate or there are two rounds of commercials before the Good Nights.
posted by mmascolino at 1:11 PM on December 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by Thorzdad at 5:47 AM on December 12, 2021 [5 favorites]