Kind of a rough episode. Kevin Hart isn’t normally my cup of tea, and he was fine enough here, but didn’t really elevate any of the mild material he was given.
In terms of politics, the “X-mas Tree of Shame” bit was basically a checklist of all the show’s usual Trump bits with little new or different, but there was the occasional bright spot. She didn’t do much, but it’s always nice to see Scarlett Johansson pop up as Ivanka, and her line about “that one time Jared spoke” was a good one. And hey, the Trump brothers stuff is always good for a laugh.
That said, the episode hit the Omarosa stuff hard in both the cold open and Weekend Update, and to rapidly diminishing returns. Update itself was no great shakes, with Che’s mini-stand-up bit the only real highlight from the main segments. His bit about how Trump “has already proved his point” was a funny and cutting one, and it shows how he brings a perspective to the political circus that you can’t really get anywhere else. (Even Jost, whom I like, does pretty standard political comedian shtick.)
The other highlight was the return Alex Moffat’s “guy who just bought a boat” character. His combination of terrible abbreviations/puns, predatory recommendations, and confessions that his “junk is bad” continue to be amusing and specific, and it’s a great performance from Moffat.
The monologue with Hart didn’t do much for me, as it had some retrograde dad/mom jokes that wouldn’t have felt out of place in an episode of SNL from 1985. His feature sketches were pretty tepid at best too. The post-monologue sketch about the guy who refuses to admit he’s going to the bathroom at work isn’t a bad premise, but the sketch played too broad for my tastes. The pre-taped Batman parody has tonal problems and, despite similar aims, doesn't have the punch of the show’s other Batman parody this season. Again, the same problem afflicted the “Active Jack” PBS reunion sketch, which is a solid enough idea that just goes for wacky and never really finds the laughs.
The only skits that really lit my fire for this one were both a little weird and domestic. I got a big kick out of the charm bracelet commercial parody. Taking the stuffing out of thoughtless gifts is an old chestnut, but the way they did it, contrasting how self-satisfied the husbands giving the easy presents and how pretend-flattered the wives are, felt true to human interaction in a way Hart’s stand-up in the monologue didn’t. Thankfully, the bit where Hart plays a beyond henpecked husband being awkwardly bossed around by his wife at a X-mas party did not feel true to life, but it was out there enough, and Hart’s performance was endearing and committed enough, to make it interesting and an oddball brightspot in an otherwise lackluster episode.
That just leaves the llama sketch, which is another one of those “live animals are funny, and we don’t really have to write any other jokes” skits. The one bright spot was the commentary from Leslie Jones’ and Kenan Thompson’s characters in the audience, which may llama crap into llama salad. (I realize there was also the “Inside the NBA” sketch which barely got out of the gate and was utterly forgettable with its bland, on-the-nose jokes.)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-04-10T01:03:24Z
Kind of a rough episode. Kevin Hart isn’t normally my cup of tea, and he was fine enough here, but didn’t really elevate any of the mild material he was given.
In terms of politics, the “X-mas Tree of Shame” bit was basically a checklist of all the show’s usual Trump bits with little new or different, but there was the occasional bright spot. She didn’t do much, but it’s always nice to see Scarlett Johansson pop up as Ivanka, and her line about “that one time Jared spoke” was a good one. And hey, the Trump brothers stuff is always good for a laugh.
That said, the episode hit the Omarosa stuff hard in both the cold open and Weekend Update, and to rapidly diminishing returns. Update itself was no great shakes, with Che’s mini-stand-up bit the only real highlight from the main segments. His bit about how Trump “has already proved his point” was a funny and cutting one, and it shows how he brings a perspective to the political circus that you can’t really get anywhere else. (Even Jost, whom I like, does pretty standard political comedian shtick.)
The other highlight was the return Alex Moffat’s “guy who just bought a boat” character. His combination of terrible abbreviations/puns, predatory recommendations, and confessions that his “junk is bad” continue to be amusing and specific, and it’s a great performance from Moffat.
The monologue with Hart didn’t do much for me, as it had some retrograde dad/mom jokes that wouldn’t have felt out of place in an episode of SNL from 1985. His feature sketches were pretty tepid at best too. The post-monologue sketch about the guy who refuses to admit he’s going to the bathroom at work isn’t a bad premise, but the sketch played too broad for my tastes. The pre-taped Batman parody has tonal problems and, despite similar aims, doesn't have the punch of the show’s other Batman parody this season. Again, the same problem afflicted the “Active Jack” PBS reunion sketch, which is a solid enough idea that just goes for wacky and never really finds the laughs.
The only skits that really lit my fire for this one were both a little weird and domestic. I got a big kick out of the charm bracelet commercial parody. Taking the stuffing out of thoughtless gifts is an old chestnut, but the way they did it, contrasting how self-satisfied the husbands giving the easy presents and how pretend-flattered the wives are, felt true to human interaction in a way Hart’s stand-up in the monologue didn’t. Thankfully, the bit where Hart plays a beyond henpecked husband being awkwardly bossed around by his wife at a X-mas party did not feel true to life, but it was out there enough, and Hart’s performance was endearing and committed enough, to make it interesting and an oddball brightspot in an otherwise lackluster episode.
That just leaves the llama sketch, which is another one of those “live animals are funny, and we don’t really have to write any other jokes” skits. The one bright spot was the commentary from Leslie Jones’ and Kenan Thompson’s characters in the audience, which may llama crap into llama salad. (I realize there was also the “Inside the NBA” sketch which barely got out of the gate and was utterly forgettable with its bland, on-the-nose jokes.)