Saturday Night Live: Will Forte / Måneskin

January 23, 2022 1:36 PM - Season 47, Episode 11

First-time hosting

• Cold Open - Laura Ingraham: Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Ego Nwodim, James Austin Johnson
• Monologue: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Lorne Michaels, Willem Dafoe
• MacGruber: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe
• Kid Klash: Will Forte, Aidy Bryant, Andrew Dismukes, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang
• MacGruber: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe
• Cinema Classics: Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Chloe Fineman
• Three-way: Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Will Forte
• Måneskin - Beggin'
• Weekend Update: Michael Che, Colin Jost
  • Chen Biao: Bowen Yang
  • Sarah Sherman
  • Guy Who Just Bought A Boat: Alex Moffatt, Pete Davidson
• Clancy T. Bachleratt :Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig
• Måneskin - I Wanna Be Your Slave
• MacGruber: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe

posted by rhizome (12 comments total)

I thought this was an excellent episode but I've always been a fan of Forte's bizarre characters. If there's one criticism for the episode it was that the cast felt very limited, especially with Wiig showing up. But I think that's something they often do when they get an old cast member to host, they'll pull someone in from when they were in the cast, so it was a bit of a throwback episode.

I forgot how much I missed MacGruber and I enjoyed the anti-wax/Q spin they put on it. I assume the other guy is on the TV show? I don't think he is a former cast member, is he?

Weekend Update was probably the weak point of the episode. I enjoyed Sarah Sherman's bit but I'm kind of thinking they have maybe one more of those at the most before they get too stale.

So I had never heard of Måneskin before. Very often even if I don't know the musical guest I've at least heard of them but this is literally a name I'd never heard before they announced it last week. I was... not prepared to dig them as much as I did! They were really good and I loved that the bass was very prominent in the mix. I would like to see more of them.

I swear to god until last night I thought Willem Dafoe's name was William.
posted by bondcliff at 4:01 PM on January 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

Måneskin won Eurovision last year for Zitti e Buoni, which I still haven't heard despite looking on YouTube for videos. The show seemed a little looser than usual? Maybe it was just the edgier skits like MacGruber and Three-way, since most SNL skits are as edgy as a piece of cheese.
posted by fiercekitten at 5:33 PM on January 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

The other guy is Ryan Phillipe, a late-90s heartthrob and Reese Witherspoon's first husband. That was all I knew about him until I saw "The Lincoln Lawyer," which was good, and his Wikipedia page colors him a solidly respectable career.

I thought this was a fun and fine episode. You're right about the Will & Kristen Show, but whaddyagonnado. Will has a bit of Robin Williams wildness in him and he probably arrives with lots of ideas already.

MacGruber is so ridiculous and fun. I still haven't been able to get through the (first) movie, for no particular reason, but I love the premise and the show's shorts are always great. There's an 8-episode season that came out on Peacock a month ago, so I think I'll be binging that this week.

Three-Way reminded me of Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute, but I don't care. It's a solid premise and Will does that character really well.

Måneskin was fine and good, and I'm a big supporter of the sartorial choices between them and Wiig.

Solid "Gaslight" parody, too!
posted by rhizome at 5:50 PM on January 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have a couple of derails before I have an opinion about the episode.

I realize that the pandemic makes things extra difficult, but this basically felt like a commercial for MacGruber to me. And I already get enough of those on YouTube. No thanks, Peacock! I signed up for the free version when it came out, which was fine, but I'm not paying to watch NBC network shows. Same with Paramount+ and CBS.

I'm also pretty tired of folks praising Armisen, but that is yet another rant.

And now, on to SNL.

I have seen Måneskin on a couple of other shows, and I enjoy them. I really appreciate that they appear to be having a really amazing time when they perform. My mid-twenties self would dance her ass off to their tunes.

I appreciate that Forte was in practically every part of the show. Rare for a host, even a former cast member. In spite of my previous MacGruber comment, I did appreciate that they could make those pre-done bits safely and make fun of people who aren't.

My favorite part of Weekend Update this week was Guy Who Just Bought A Boat. I hope CoJo, ScarJo, and little Cosmo have a healthy and happy life. I'm hoping that Pete continues (?) to get his stuff together. In general, my favorite parts of Weekend Update for a while have been what I'm going to call "loving, friendly abuse." Jost and Che writing for each other with no warning, for instance. I'm a woman in my 50s and have this give and take with friends of all ages and genders, including my husband and children. Getting to roast each other a little now and then is pretty ok, I think, as long as folks aren't cruel.
posted by lilywing13 at 3:25 AM on January 24, 2022 [4 favorites]

I realize that the pandemic makes things extra difficult, but this basically felt like a commercial for MacGruber to me.

Oh, most certainly, but so much less egregious than the show's typical covert advertising—where they do a fake commercial about an actual sponsor's product—considering it's a historical part of SNL's intellectual property that was organically grown in-house. And it's Forte's best-known character, so I'm pretty sure they would have brought it back with him hosting, even if he wasn't promoting a show based off the sketch. But yeah, the bit where they shoehorn in a Peacock mention right before the final explosion was too much.
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:30 AM on January 24, 2022

My favorite sketch was Kid Klash with Aidy flopping around in the giant tub of whipped cream. Probably the only thing in the entire show that didn't feel like it was a re-hash. Kudos again as well to JAJ for his Trump. So much better than anything Alec Baldwin brought to it. Turning his word salad into Wordle was a nice touch for that annoying fad, too.
posted by briank at 8:34 AM on January 24, 2022

I swear to god until last night I thought Willem Dafoe's name was William.

You may be reassured to know that it is and "Willem" is a stage name. He joins three-time Oscar (TM) winner Mary Louise Streep in the "tiny little step toward a stage name; just enough to be memorable" club.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:38 AM on January 24, 2022 [4 favorites]

If there's one criticism for the episode it was that the cast felt very limited, especially with Wiig showing up.

Yep that was my only real critique with the exception of the second to last sketch with Wiig and Forte just YOWLING for too long but I know it's their thing so, eh. I don't love Wiig so seeing her show up was a bit of a bummer but she brought her A game so that was nice. But yeah we didn't see most of the junior cast members whereas usually there's a good ensemble piece in there somewhere.

my favorite parts of Weekend Update for a while have been what I'm going to call "loving, friendly abuse." Jost and Che writing for each other with no warning

Yeah, there's a clear affection there and I thought all the desk bits were really good and solid. I love Bowen's Biao, and Sarah's goofy schtick and the "bought a boat" guy has always been a favorite for all the tight wordplay and I had heard about the ferry and didn't know that's how it ended! There was so much joy in that little bit with the three of those guys.

Måneskin won Eurovision last year for Zitti e Buoni

Took me a while to place them but YEAH they were so good in Eurovision (I had seen this video, warning it's blinky).

And hey Heidi was wearing her Mahomes shirt in the closing/hugs part and then THEY WON. Wooooo.
posted by jessamyn at 9:24 AM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

Peacock access is being given for free on some cable providers, which allowed me to check out the first episode last night. It's bonkers. It's also not a network show. It's streaming-only and there's a lot of cussing. He may be the only non-Tim & Eric person capable of rising to that level of fantasmic absurdity.
posted by rhizome at 3:25 PM on January 24, 2022

I agree with everyone who's been saying that this episode was largely a throwback. And, well, it was a throwback to stuff I wasn't really that fond of. MacGruber was OK but the country music sketch was just annoying. I enjoyed Kid Klash, and Cinema Classics is always pretty enjoyable. I also enjoyed the swerve Guy(s) Who Just Bought A Boat took.

A little disappointing there wasn't any The Last Man on Earth stuff, but I suppose that's been off the air a few years now and was a Fox program besides.
posted by ckape at 8:37 PM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

It seems we get one Lorne cameo a season. It may seem weird to say, but he was looking way better than I thought he would.
posted by Catblack at 10:28 PM on January 24, 2022

I realize that the pandemic makes things extra difficult, but this basically felt like a commercial for MacGruber to me.

I recently learned/realized that once per episode they have a straight up sponsored sketch, and that's it's one of the few types sketches that never get cut or dropped or risk being after second music performance runoff period. It's kind of a fun side activity for me now to try and spot the sponsored sketch.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:22 PM on January 27, 2022 [1 favorite]