This episode only served to prove that last week’s episode really was one of the better of the season, if not the best so far. Tonight felt like we were getting the scrapings from the bottom of the writers’ barrel of material. I held out hope for something really remarkable to come out of it, but wound up disappointed. At least the pre-taped Party segment was decent. It was a shame that we didn’t get a traditional sign-off, though. ‘Peas fans probably loved it.
Cold Open: Vice Presidential Address — Oh, what a surprise: more politics. However, I’ve always loved Sudeikis’s Biden impression, so this was one of the better ones in my book.
Monologue: January Jones — Jones looked a bit nervous and tripped up a little at the start, but she fell back into the swing of things quickly. I know a few “Mad Menies” myself, so here’s the official Man Menie lyrics for the show’s non-verbal theme song (until now):
Mad Men, Mad Men
’60s, Cigarettes
Thin ties, short hair
Mad Men, Ma-ad Men
TODAY Show — Kathy Lee is one of the few recurring characters I like of Wiig’s, but the jokes in this skit were falling painfully flat. I still sensed some nervousness with Jones in her delivery of some of the lines.
Rear Window Set — What the hell? Fart jokes? This felt of desperation, no? This segment’s only saving grace was Jones losing it a bit and, to some degree, Moynihan’s Hitchcock. I’m all for decent fart jokes, actually, but this was just … no.
Dairy Queen Hero — They definitely succeeded in achieving full-out awkward creepiness in this one. As Wiig was falling all over the Dairy Queen worker, I couldn’t help but think how much creepier it’d be if we were watching a guy do the same thing.
A Lady’s Guide to Throwing a Party — A perfect little pre-taped sketch for people looking for Jones to do some sort of reprisal of Mad Men‘s Betty Draper. “If a black person arrives … just kidding. A black person won’t arrive. That’s an example of party humor.”
Musical Guest: Black Eyed Peas — Wait, I thought it was totally bad form now for artists to use auto-tune. Doesn’t it pretty much spell out that you can’t sing? Not that these guys aren’t successful, with or without auto-tune. They did cap things off with a rate third number, so they get props for that for sure. The thing is, it spelled out that there just wasn’t enough skit writing material to keep this episode together.
Weekend Update — My favorite quote this week: “This year’s Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree is a 76-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Easton, Connecticut. So come on down to Rockefeller Center and watch a tree slowly die.”
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde — This one started out promising but just seemed to wrap things up really quickly. Sometimes I just don’t get how elaborate some of the skits are, along with the wardrobe and, in this case, shooting in black and white, only to give us something like this. It could have been so much more.
SNL Digital Short: Toilet Guy — Oh, we’ve all done it. You knock and you knock on that bathroom door, it’s unlocked or even ajar, but when you open the door fully you get yelled at by your roommate who’s sitting there taking a crap. I get the feeling one of the guys in the skit had this happen to them recently, so this short was born. It went a bit too far but paid off in the end.
Clueless Picnic Date — This one was pretty funny, the best line being Sudeikis’s “Yeah I’m gonna go through with this.” Sadly, I’ve known some people that out of touch. Yeah, sometimes that person is me.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Nov 15, 2009 @ 01:03 EST5EDT
“Thin tights”?!?! I think it’s “ties.”
“As Wiig was falling all over the Dairy Queen working…” Huh? And, um, the Best Sketch of the Night block is from a totally different show (The Jonas Brothers?). Did someone have some showtime cocktails while writing and this? :-)
*POST AUTHOR*
Hey, like I said at the end, sometimes the clueless person is me. :)
I’ll admit I was barely able to keep my eyes open during this episode. In hindsight I should have given up and finished it this morning.
Definitely right on “ties” — I thought “tights” didn’t make sense but I swear it’s how it sounded. Which sketch did I say was the best and was from a different episode? Doesn’t matter — this episode was a stinker.
Writing and posting, I meant! Well, we all make mistakes!
Worst episode EVER in the history of SNL. Been watching for decades now, and my husband and I have sat through many a horrid episode in its entirety. This is the first one ever that we actually gave up on and turned off.
I bet a lot of people missed the inside joke during the monologue when Fred Armisen said he preferred Peggy. After all, he’s married to Elisabeth Moss, who plays Peggy.
*POST AUTHOR*
Ah, now I see. The Poll was entered wrong. It’s correct now.
See: Keith = Clueless
With few exceptions, the episodes I have high expectations for (like last night’s) fall flat, and the ones I have no expectations for (Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds) end up being pretty good.
January was surprisingly bad, and the material was worse.
A couple of random thoughts:
* I like Jason Sudeikis, but I OD’d on him last night.
* Hasn’t Darryl Hammond left the cast? And didn’t his Lou Dobbs sound exactly like Ted Koppel?
* The Kim Kardashian impression was probably the best moment of the night.
* Please retire Jon Bovi.
Yep SNL went off the recording rotation for the first time ever about 2 shows ago. I couldnt take it anymore. We were up to only fast forwarding to Weekend update but even that got stale. I can see that I havent missed much.
How can The Daily Show and Colbert come up with funny material 4 days a week and SNL struggles?
Don’t worry guys, and get ready for the middle of the season, where episodes are particularly bad in good sketches and jokes… So I wasn’t surprised by the bad quality of this episode.
Why do yoyu bother watching this juvenile attempt at humor that is far less original than any High school comedy class could come up with.
The BALLS of this show were cut off years ago. There is no reaL controversial subjects (no offensive sterotypes, no drug taking sketches, no incesrt, no porno , nothing political in a radical sense.
When BELUSHI died—a lot DIED with the show.
When EDDIE MURPHY left–the COFFIN WAS SEALED
This show isa ncie , tidy, clean show for potty humor
of the most jevenile kind without really funny
actors and even WORSE writing. I usually DVR for the music
guests…and gfast fdorward through the humor less sketches.
MAD is 10X funnier. BOBBY LEE is funnier than the entire current cast. FIRE most of them like they did in 1981 and start over….this show is not even running on fumes.
It is a NON ENTITY for either adolescents too young to understand this is BAD TV or for people with nothing at ALL to do with their lives…..
I knew things were doomed when the last FUNNY guy on the show-NORM MacDonald was FIRED for repeatedly telling VERT FUNNY off beat OJ is a MURDERER joke..and LORNE got a call from DICK EBERSOL one of OHJ;s friends..and then NORM was NO MORE. Don’t expect anything controversial except bad potty humor sketches a(farts, etc). My rating for the entire season a ‘1″ out of 10. Music guests rate a 4. Where are the GOOD acts–why dont you book the besty current band in the world MUSE….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CORRECTION—BELUSHI LEFT the show I meant. he died a few short years later. yes, Bill Murray did a FINE job as the last original Prime Time player when all the men departed exceptr for the Great garrett Morris….but after EDDIE MURPHY,.the writing has been anything but fresh, original, ingtellectual, philosophical,. entertaining ,and FUNNY.
Just endless sketches with no ereal middle or end and no meaning. JUNK. people getting paid who have led priveldged lives by graduating for NYU with their parents money and “knowing” someone to get into the weriting staff.
“Playing the Game” so to speak. HUNTER S THOMPSON is rolling over.in his grave afgter once beinbg on this show..
and not rolling with laughter. Embarassment.