Tonight’s host is Brie Larson: indie film actress, recent Oscar winner, and former singer of pop punk album Finally Out of P.E, whose single She Said featured pretty heavily on the rotation of my first ever square iPod nano. Larson brought a solid enthusiasm to an episode that featured a heavier amount of good sketches than bad, proving that maybe long hiatuses are good for this show, since their cast and crew, if legend is to be believed, subsist on very little sleep and very much junk food. Glad those guys got some rest, and brought some laughs to this enjoyable Mother’s Day episode.
Cold Open: Church Chat: Dana Carvey’s Church Chat Lady returns to interview Ted Cruz and Donald Trump with her signature judgy passive aggression. The Church Chat Lady isn’t a person I would typically consider a voice of reason, but election season has the world topsy turvy, and tonight I agreed with a surprising amount of what she said. This sketch was at times a bit uneven, and overstayed its welcome by about a minute, but it was a blessing to get a break from all the debate and Fox News parody cold opens we’ve been flooded with this season. Plus, it’s always nice to see an old favorite SNL character return, and though bringing back Dana Carvey’s Church Chat Lady wasn’t the most obvious choice, it was a fun one. And boy did it feel cathartic to watch her call out the two Republican front runners with that trademark blend of judgmentalism and a sour-lemon smile. A-
Monologue: Brie Larson and several of the SNL cast members give messages to their moms in honor of Mother’s Day, both to those moms who were able to visit the studio and those who are watching from home. This monologue was just exceptionally pleasant. Brie Larson got off to a peppy start, aided by cast members sending direct-to-camera messages to their moms (Beck Bennett’s: “Hey mom, so this is the girl I’ve been telling you about. She’s real, and a girl”), and then a few who brought their moms along (Pete Davidson’s is there every week as his ride; Kate McKinnon’s brought her own joke-- “Who doesn’t like a good Brie?”-- because of course Kate McKinnon’s mom is fully adorable). Larson wrapped it up with an appearance from her mom, who she thanked for all of her support. (So now I guess it’s my turn? Hi, Mom! Love you! Thanks for always reading stuff I write on the Internet!) B+
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/the-dartboard/saturday-night-live-review-brie-larson-hosts
Cold Open: Church Chat: Dana Carvey’s Church Chat Lady returns to interview Ted Cruz and Donald Trump with her signature judgy passive aggression. The Church Chat Lady isn’t a person I would typically consider a voice of reason, but election season has the world topsy turvy, and tonight I agreed with a surprising amount of what she said. This sketch was at times a bit uneven, and overstayed its welcome by about a minute, but it was a blessing to get a break from all the debate and Fox News parody cold opens we’ve been flooded with this season. Plus, it’s always nice to see an old favorite SNL character return, and though bringing back Dana Carvey’s Church Chat Lady wasn’t the most obvious choice, it was a fun one. And boy did it feel cathartic to watch her call out the two Republican front runners with that trademark blend of judgmentalism and a sour-lemon smile. A-
Monologue: Brie Larson and several of the SNL cast members give messages to their moms in honor of Mother’s Day, both to those moms who were able to visit the studio and those who are watching from home. This monologue was just exceptionally pleasant. Brie Larson got off to a peppy start, aided by cast members sending direct-to-camera messages to their moms (Beck Bennett’s: “Hey mom, so this is the girl I’ve been telling you about. She’s real, and a girl”), and then a few who brought their moms along (Pete Davidson’s is there every week as his ride; Kate McKinnon’s brought her own joke-- “Who doesn’t like a good Brie?”-- because of course Kate McKinnon’s mom is fully adorable). Larson wrapped it up with an appearance from her mom, who she thanked for all of her support. (So now I guess it’s my turn? Hi, Mom! Love you! Thanks for always reading stuff I write on the Internet!) B+
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/the-dartboard/saturday-night-live-review-brie-larson-hosts
