Saturday Night Live: Molly Shannon / Jonas Brothers

April 11, 2023 2:15 AM - Season 48, Episode 17

Lil' joke, lil' bow, lil' jog.

• Cold Open - Last Supper: Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, James Austin Johnson
• Monologue: Molly Shannon, Molly Kearney, Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Lorne Michaels, Martin Short
• Vincent's Valet: Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Molly Shannon, Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner, Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney, Devon Walker
• Jeannie Darcy: Molly Shannon, Ego Nwodim, Punkie Johnson, Chloe Fineman
• Baby Shower: Molly Shannon, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang, Andrew Dismukes
• Molly2K23: Molly Shannon, PDD
• Year of 1000 Men: Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Molly Shannon, Bowen Yang, Marcello Hernandez, Jonas Brother, Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes
• Jonas Brothers - Walls
• Weekend Update: Michael Che, Colin Jost
  • Jafar: Bowen Yang
  • Angel Reese: Punkie Johnson
  • Busy Coworker: Heidi Gardner
• Drug Commercial: Molly Shannon, Molly Kearney, Ego Nwodim, Andrew Dismukes, Kenan Thompson
• Jonas Brothers - Waffle House
• Dance Rehearsal with Sally O'Malley: Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, Molly Shannon, Jonas Brothers
• CNZen: Andrew Dismukes, Bowen Yang, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman, Molly Shannon, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson

posted by rhizome (7 comments total)

Don't get me started. Don't even get me started.

In Year of 1000 Men I deeply enjoyed the indie-theater dancing and stagey movement, especially Trevor's spinning away.
posted by brainwane at 3:39 AM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

I was disappointed. I think I expected more from one of the best cast members ever returning to the show. It wasn't a terrible show by any means, it was just mostly meh.

I love Molly's energy and joy. It was present throughout the show. And I suppose I'm glad they didn't fill the show up with Mary Kathryn Gallagher sketches and whatnot. I was happy to see Sally O'Malley even if I saw it coming a mile away. It sucks being over 50 now and seeing her act like an old lady who is "50 years old!"

I loved Molly2K23. Oh my god what a genius premise for a sketch. I would 100% play that game.

Bowen Yang continues to amaze me. Jafar was so good, and I don't even know the Disney movie to which he was referring.

JAJ's Trump is so good but also I hate everything about Trump that any Trump sketch kind of turns me off these days. That said, the Last Supper wasn't bad for a cold open.

I'll be very happy if I never have to see or hear another Jonas Brother ever again.
posted by bondcliff at 7:01 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I happened to have just finished Hello, Molly, Molly Shannon's new memoir, right before watching this episode. She wrote in it that Jeannie Darcy was one of her favorite characters to develop, for her stage show in LA way back before SNL was even on her radar, because it was so fun to write jokes to deliberately bomb, and that the fun of the character was that she, Darcy, had no idea that she wasn't funny. Knowing that about the character made that sketch more enjoyable to watch, because I've never really found the sketches funny until now.
posted by SeedStitch at 7:09 AM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

I don't even know the Disney movie to which he was referring.

Aladdin! That was such a good sketch, Bowen killed it.

She wrote in it that Jeannie Darcy was one of her favorite characters to develop

The Vulture review (archive link) linked to a THR interview where she revealed that it was the character she had to fight hardest to get on SNL so I’m glad she got to bring her back.

A Year of a Thousand Men was also hilarious.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:07 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Jeannie Darcy is one of my favorite characters ever, but at the same time I try to drop it in conversation and it just sounds like I'm kvetching "don't even get me started." Reminds me of my ex, am I right, sister-girlfriend?

High points of the episode have already been noted, whatever raises this to above average is due to fanboyism.
posted by rhizome at 1:35 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I couldn’t even make it to the first Jonas Bros. performance, this was so bad. After a run of reasonably good episodes, this one fell flat hard enough to make me bail early.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:02 PM on April 12, 2023

Molly Shannon deserved a better script.

The Last Supper tableau and Bowen Yang's Jafar performance were the standouts in an otherwise very limp episode.
posted by orange swan at 8:48 PM on April 19, 2023