Saturday Night Live: Taraji P. Henson / Mumford & Sons
April 14, 2015 8:44 AM - Season 40, Episode 18 - Subscribe
A show that just felt... off, with a cold open that more or less just said "Kate McKinnon's going to be Hillary, so get used to her", a weird QVC sketch that didn't go anywhere, and two wheel-of-impressions sketches. On the plus side, a pretty strong Weekend Update that shows Colin Jost and Michael Che are comfortable with each other and the guest characters (including a lumpy Billy Crystal).
Yeah, that sketch in particular felt really from another time. Like, sure, I know that the rest of the world makes jokes like the premise openly and proudly but it seemed off for Saturday Night Live as it stands now. I'm glad others felt the same way and it wasn't just because I'd watched a thing about Mary Kay Letourneau the night before that caused me to feel that way.
Taraji P. Henson as Nikki Minaj, though... yes, yes, and more yes. Similarly her as the mom in the webcam skit.
I'm glad Jost and Che seem be better in their place of importance. Che, especially, has been getting some good lines in. I could never see Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy again and be totally fine. (I originally thought it was funny as hell, but I think the premise is exhausted, despite Vanessa Bayer still doing it justice.)
The “Okay, here’s the thing—while our husbands are away, we’re the racists.” being the eventual punchline after the awkward shuffling around the issue in the League of Their Own knockoff was pretty great.
The rest of the episode was pretty unmemorable though.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:33 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Taraji P. Henson as Nikki Minaj, though... yes, yes, and more yes. Similarly her as the mom in the webcam skit.
I'm glad Jost and Che seem be better in their place of importance. Che, especially, has been getting some good lines in. I could never see Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy again and be totally fine. (I originally thought it was funny as hell, but I think the premise is exhausted, despite Vanessa Bayer still doing it justice.)
The “Okay, here’s the thing—while our husbands are away, we’re the racists.” being the eventual punchline after the awkward shuffling around the issue in the League of Their Own knockoff was pretty great.
The rest of the episode was pretty unmemorable though.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:33 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Taraji P. Henson as Nikki Minaj, though... yes, yes, and more yes.
I would agree, except that Nikki Minaj herself has been so fucking good on SNL.
I could never see Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy again and be totally fine. (I originally thought it was funny as hell, but I think the premise is exhausted, despite Vanessa Bayer still doing it justice.)
Yuuup.
posted by Etrigan at 10:52 AM on April 14, 2015
I would agree, except that Nikki Minaj herself has been so fucking good on SNL.
I could never see Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy again and be totally fine. (I originally thought it was funny as hell, but I think the premise is exhausted, despite Vanessa Bayer still doing it justice.)
Yuuup.
posted by Etrigan at 10:52 AM on April 14, 2015
Most of that was...really awkward.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:50 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:50 PM on April 14, 2015
I swear I had something to say about this episode but I can't even remember what it was now. That's bad.
posted by komara at 3:01 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by komara at 3:01 PM on April 14, 2015
Sasheer Zamata: I think you are probably really smart and talented. I bet people are telling you constantly to "loosen up" and "go bigger" and stuff like that. If some other cast members would just do one or two skits with you over and over (maybe on a week-long break or something), let you memorize the lines and just _play_ and try about twelve different takes on the same character - repeating and experimenting - I bet you could really break out.
posted by amtho at 4:24 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by amtho at 4:24 PM on April 14, 2015
I really don't get what Mumford and Sons are thinking by switching to become a normal guitar band.
posted by drezdn at 5:23 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by drezdn at 5:23 PM on April 14, 2015
The show felt very underwritten to me. Henson was vibrant and game for anything, but the show didn't give her anything.
Mumford & Sons: as we were watching I mentioned to my husband "oh, I think these are the twee hipsters with the handclaps and the 'HEY!'s" but then there were all these guitars? Did the banjos get repossessed?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 6:35 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mumford & Sons: as we were watching I mentioned to my husband "oh, I think these are the twee hipsters with the handclaps and the 'HEY!'s" but then there were all these guitars? Did the banjos get repossessed?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 6:35 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Taraji P. Henson as Nikki Minaj, though... yes, yes, and more yes.
I would agree, except that Nikki Minaj herself has been so fucking good on SNL.
I'll just be over here imagining an Empire skit where Henson plays Nikki Minaj and Nikki Minaj plays Cookie; and oh my god, you guys, my imaginary SNL is SO GOOD.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:23 AM on April 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I would agree, except that Nikki Minaj herself has been so fucking good on SNL.
I'll just be over here imagining an Empire skit where Henson plays Nikki Minaj and Nikki Minaj plays Cookie; and oh my god, you guys, my imaginary SNL is SO GOOD.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:23 AM on April 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm about to the point where I'm actually going to stop watching, after that "haha, raping a kid is hilarious!" sketch.
posted by cashman at 9:47 AM on April 15, 2015
posted by cashman at 9:47 AM on April 15, 2015
Unsurprisingly, the trial sketch was considered one of the strongest on Reddit in the /r/LiveFromNewYork subreddit. :/
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 6:47 PM on April 16, 2015
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 6:47 PM on April 16, 2015
I was pretty excited when they introduced Jacob's father. It was such a great opportunity! They could've used it as a chance to re-invigorate the character, provide some new dimension to build jokes off of. But, no: instead, they just had Billy Crystal do the exact. same. thing. that Jacob does. What a waste.
Like, it's adorable and appropriate for a little kid to get stage fright like that. But a grown man? Sure, make the joke be that he also gets stage fright and loves bad jokes, just like his son. But having him act out his stage fright in the exact same way as the kid? Even when it involves starting to cry and trying to hide it by wiping the tears away? That just doesn't work.
posted by meese at 5:36 AM on April 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
Like, it's adorable and appropriate for a little kid to get stage fright like that. But a grown man? Sure, make the joke be that he also gets stage fright and loves bad jokes, just like his son. But having him act out his stage fright in the exact same way as the kid? Even when it involves starting to cry and trying to hide it by wiping the tears away? That just doesn't work.
posted by meese at 5:36 AM on April 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
"haha, raping a kid is hilarious!" sketch.
I feel like they're trying to be transgressive with this sort of thing but I had really mixed feelings about that whole bit.
Henson was vibrant and game for anything, but the show didn't give her anything.
Yeah I didn't know much about her before this besides seeing her in Think Like A Man and she was really good, clearly flexible and with enough of an ability to laugh at herself and work with the cast members. And yeah she didnt' get awesome sketches though I felt the show was ... fine, there was just no break out stuff, though I agree the news show is finally getting good.
People have said that when the writers have to do a bunch of shows in a row without weeks off in-between, that they get tired out and the third show is always more dragsss and i think you could see it in this show.
posted by jessamyn at 8:41 PM on April 17, 2015
I feel like they're trying to be transgressive with this sort of thing but I had really mixed feelings about that whole bit.
Henson was vibrant and game for anything, but the show didn't give her anything.
Yeah I didn't know much about her before this besides seeing her in Think Like A Man and she was really good, clearly flexible and with enough of an ability to laugh at herself and work with the cast members. And yeah she didnt' get awesome sketches though I felt the show was ... fine, there was just no break out stuff, though I agree the news show is finally getting good.
People have said that when the writers have to do a bunch of shows in a row without weeks off in-between, that they get tired out and the third show is always more dragsss and i think you could see it in this show.
posted by jessamyn at 8:41 PM on April 17, 2015
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posted by drezdn at 9:05 AM on April 14, 2015