Saturday Night Live: Chris Pine, LCD Soundsystem
May 7, 2017 1:06 AM - Season 42, Episode 19 - Subscribe
Host: Chris Pine, Musical Guest: LCD Soundsystem
- Morning Joe - Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day
- Opening Monologue - Chris Pine
- Where in the World is Kellyanne Conway? - Sasheer Zamata, Kate McKinnon, Chris Pine, Kennan Thompson, Mikey Day
- Song for Peace - Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Chris Pine
- Cotton Candy Dance Party - Kennan Thompson, Beck Bennett, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day, Leslie Jones
- HR Meeting - Aidy Bryant, Vanessa Bayer, Chris Pine
- The House Seattle - Beck Bennett, Chris Pine, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson
- LCD Soundsystem - Call the Police
- Weekend Update - Michael Che, Colin Jost
- Dawn Lazarus - Vanessa Bayer
- Leslie Jones
- Service Center - Chris Pine, Kennan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan, Alex Moffat, Beck Bennett, Vanessa Bayer
- The Handmaid's Tale - Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant, Sasheer Zamata, Chirs Pine, Mikey Day, Vanessa Bayer, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney
- Spocko - Kennan Thompson, Sasheer Zamata, Chris Pine, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Bobby Moynihan, Alex Moffatt
- LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
- Game Night - Kennan Thompson, Beck Bennett, Sasheer Zamata, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Chris Pine
Chris Pine sang a lot. The Trek sketch was just OK but I kind of enjoyed seeing Pine actually attempting to talk like William Shatner.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:07 AM on May 7, 2017
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:07 AM on May 7, 2017
I sent a link to the Handmaid's sketch to a FB acquaintance who's been railing about how that whole story needs to be in Arabic because Muslims are the real oppressors. He unfriended me. I am happier today than I was yesterday.
posted by Etrigan at 6:41 AM on May 7, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 6:41 AM on May 7, 2017 [20 favorites]
I loved that they put so much effort into re-creating the old show for the "Where in the World is Kellyanne Conway?" skit and then were like, "eh, we don't want to know" and cut it short.
So much this. I loved that it ended so abruptly.
Chris Pine sang in five out of ten skits (including the monologue). Of the five non-singing skits, in one he had no dialogue and in another he lip-synced. Once we got to Cotton Candy Dance Party, I was hoping that the running gag would be that he sang in ALL the skits.
The Handmaid's Tale skit was amazing. I was worried when they upped the bland white quantity by adding Moffat and Day because the women are just so strong, but they've been using the bland white quantity for good this season in that there's been some excellent take downs of bland white guys (this, the Women's Strike skit).
posted by Ruki at 8:54 AM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
So much this. I loved that it ended so abruptly.
Chris Pine sang in five out of ten skits (including the monologue). Of the five non-singing skits, in one he had no dialogue and in another he lip-synced. Once we got to Cotton Candy Dance Party, I was hoping that the running gag would be that he sang in ALL the skits.
The Handmaid's Tale skit was amazing. I was worried when they upped the bland white quantity by adding Moffat and Day because the women are just so strong, but they've been using the bland white quantity for good this season in that there's been some excellent take downs of bland white guys (this, the Women's Strike skit).
posted by Ruki at 8:54 AM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
I only just started watching but I'm already laughing because I'd totally thought Chris Pine was one of the other Chris's when I saw his name as the host. It wasn't until he started his monologue that I was like "ohhhhhh, he's the Star Trek one, my bad," and was ready to just move on from but then Leslie came out and then the poster and song and now I can't stop giggling.
posted by paisley sheep at 8:56 AM on May 7, 2017
posted by paisley sheep at 8:56 AM on May 7, 2017
When they were doing the intro for Where in the World is Kellyanne Conway I was thinking there was no way the sketch could actually live up to the concept, and I guess the writers figured the same thing.
I did think they missed a joke by having the banner and the end of the monologue not be one of the other Chrises.
Chris seemed to be having a lot of fun with the photos for the commercial bumpers.
posted by ckape at 9:32 AM on May 7, 2017
I did think they missed a joke by having the banner and the end of the monologue not be one of the other Chrises.
Chris seemed to be having a lot of fun with the photos for the commercial bumpers.
posted by ckape at 9:32 AM on May 7, 2017
That's a wow!
I didn't get the song for peace.
Like everything, needs more Bobby Moynahan, and I loved Keenan's NdeGT and the whole Star Trek sketch.
Michael Che had my favorite bit from Weekend Update, beating Nick Kroll's line "Steve Bannon looks like Nick Offerman drowned."
posted by Room 641-A at 11:31 AM on May 7, 2017
I didn't get the song for peace.
Like everything, needs more Bobby Moynahan, and I loved Keenan's NdeGT and the whole Star Trek sketch.
Michael Che had my favorite bit from Weekend Update, beating Nick Kroll's line "Steve Bannon looks like Nick Offerman drowned."
posted by Room 641-A at 11:31 AM on May 7, 2017
Oh, and The Handmaid's Tale was devastating.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:32 AM on May 7, 2017
posted by Room 641-A at 11:32 AM on May 7, 2017
So the theme of the night seems to be "Chris Pine is a handsome dude who can sing."
posted by dnash at 11:47 AM on May 7, 2017
posted by dnash at 11:47 AM on May 7, 2017
Loved LCD Soundsystem. In Call the Police, did anyone else hear overtones/quotes of Space Age Lovesong in the guitar bits?
posted by Thorzdad at 11:59 AM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 11:59 AM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Handmaid's Tale sketch seemed a bit Controversial on Twitter for being ineffectual? I thought it was vicious.
I think it reached people who are reachable on the subject but maybe not overly familiar with the story or the larger point behind it. It's not my area of expertise, however.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:20 PM on May 7, 2017
I think it reached people who are reachable on the subject but maybe not overly familiar with the story or the larger point behind it. It's not my area of expertise, however.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:20 PM on May 7, 2017
I didn't get the song for peace.
It was a parody of Stop the War by Speak. Which is a bizarre choice for something to take on 14 years after release. As the only pre-taped bit of the night, that's the only reason I can think for it being the third sketch (so they can change costumes without going to commercial break) instead of way later in the show or cut completely.
Cotton Candy Dance Party can come back anytime.
posted by Gary at 12:26 PM on May 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
It was a parody of Stop the War by Speak. Which is a bizarre choice for something to take on 14 years after release. As the only pre-taped bit of the night, that's the only reason I can think for it being the third sketch (so they can change costumes without going to commercial break) instead of way later in the show or cut completely.
Cotton Candy Dance Party can come back anytime.
posted by Gary at 12:26 PM on May 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thorzdad, I'm not an LCD expert or anything, but these new tracks sounded much more derivative to me than the older stuff.
posted by rhizome at 12:28 PM on May 7, 2017
posted by rhizome at 12:28 PM on May 7, 2017
The most confusing part of Song for Peace was he was doing the same accent as he does for Putin but he was wearing a shirt.
posted by ckape at 2:07 PM on May 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ckape at 2:07 PM on May 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Kenan really is such a pleasure to watch.
This was a really fun episode. Chris Pine looked like he was having such a great time -- he's fantastic in cheesy roles and I hope he does more of that. Remember how great he was in the Wet Hot American Summer series? He sang in that one, too.
The Handmaid bit was a-mazing. They even got the camera angles perfect.
posted by mochapickle at 3:51 PM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
This was a really fun episode. Chris Pine looked like he was having such a great time -- he's fantastic in cheesy roles and I hope he does more of that. Remember how great he was in the Wet Hot American Summer series? He sang in that one, too.
The Handmaid bit was a-mazing. They even got the camera angles perfect.
posted by mochapickle at 3:51 PM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
It was a parody of Stop the War yt by Speak.
OMG, deep meme excavation! Someone at the writer's table had to have been carrying that one in the back of their head since high school or something.
posted by rhizome at 4:18 PM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
OMG, deep meme excavation! Someone at the writer's table had to have been carrying that one in the back of their head since high school or something.
posted by rhizome at 4:18 PM on May 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Handmaids Tale sketch reminded me of one of those Onion pieces whose humor is in that it should be a joke but actually isn't because real life is just like that and is too outrageous to be parodied.
posted by bleep at 4:50 PM on May 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by bleep at 4:50 PM on May 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Kenan Thompson's success on SNL is a very particular sweet spot for me. He is almost exactly a year older than me. I started watching SNL right around the time of All That. Wikipedia tells me that I started watching SNL two years before All That. That was the SNL for the youth, so it just brings me such a vicarious joy that Kenan has become the backbone of SNL. Sketch comedy was a huge thing for kids in the early 90's. (I took years of dance and voice lessons because I was convinced I was going to be on the Mickey Mouse Club. I got kicked out of the dance studio my AUNT ran for being too clumsy and my voice teacher dropped me because my hearing loss prevented me from hearing my own pitch.) So Kenan is my tween year dreams come to life.
posted by Ruki at 8:38 PM on May 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Ruki at 8:38 PM on May 7, 2017 [4 favorites]
I LOVED this episode. So much singing! And there were sketches that were actually joyful and fun rather than just homophobic and snarky. Chris Pine was great. I'd be totally onboard with every monologue being sung to the tune of "Uptown Girl."
The tv theme song bit with the Sondheim parody was so well done. I'm imagining an episode where Mandy Patinkin hosts and all the sketches are in a different musical style.
I agree, the Handmaiden's one was about all you could do, it's just too close to reality. One of the guys complaining he'd been "friendzoned" or something by a handmaiden could maybe have been worked in somehow.
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 12:49 PM on May 8, 2017
The tv theme song bit with the Sondheim parody was so well done. I'm imagining an episode where Mandy Patinkin hosts and all the sketches are in a different musical style.
I agree, the Handmaiden's one was about all you could do, it's just too close to reality. One of the guys complaining he'd been "friendzoned" or something by a handmaiden could maybe have been worked in somehow.
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 12:49 PM on May 8, 2017
I think Pine was a good talented enjoyable host and this show was solidly good. A few bits I loved--opening monologue, Vanessa's weather forecaster, and the House Seattle--and a few a little less. Overall though it seemed like a good average episode with a few thing tossed in there for fun (Akira Yoshimura!!). I was expecting to love LCD Soundsystem but I think I was expecting something more like Arcade Fire. I was mostly curious about the shirts the keyboardists were wearing. Seemed a little guy-heavy, not so much by Cecily and one line by Villaseñor, but if that was my biggest complaint I think it was a good ep. But man I sure would apprecite exactly ZERO more jokes by Che talking about convincing his girlfriends to get abortions. Super weirdly not funny joke tic he has.
Only barely related: 2017 FCC complaints about SNL via this.
posted by jessamyn at 12:15 PM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
Only barely related: 2017 FCC complaints about SNL via this.
posted by jessamyn at 12:15 PM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
The weather forecaster was GREAT, I just wish they didn't lampshade it with the "are you nervous?" line.
posted by rhizome at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yes, rhizome! I wouldn't want to have it be a weekly thing, but it would be hard to see that character again without expecting her to be at least a little more composed, rather than just being a weirdo, and I'd definitely would have liked to see her a few more time.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2017
posted by Room 641-A at 12:50 PM on May 9, 2017
I only watched for LCD, and a small thing I loved is that Murphy puts his drummer right up front instead of hiding him behind the rest of the band as convention seems to dictate. I presume this is his standard deployment?
posted by hwestiii at 8:29 AM on May 13, 2017
posted by hwestiii at 8:29 AM on May 13, 2017
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posted by Gary at 1:28 AM on May 7, 2017 [10 favorites]