An Opinion blog about TV, Movies, award shows, music, books, school, etc…

Jason Segel is a funny dude who has been in some funny movies and TV shows (Knocked Up, Freaks and Geeks), but he’s not really a “haha. I can do a billion impressions” type of comedian. So I knew, like with Paul Rudd last year, he wouldn’t be the “star” in many of the sketches. But despite all that, he still did a great job with what he was given. And, overall, this was a nice show that utilized the entire cast’s talents (and had some LOL cameos). Let’s go through them, sketch by sketch.

Mitt Romney Cold Opening: Another political cold opening with just a politician talking in front of the camera. I usually am not a huge fan of these. This particular one was OK, showcasing how boring Romney is, and not as interesting as Herman Cain or Rick Perry. But…no offense, Jason Sudeikis’s character is boring too. So revolving a whole sketch around him isn’t the greatest formula. So, middle of the road for me.

Monologue with Muppets: I knew the Muppets would make an appearance. I’m totally excited for their upcoming movie…but I don’t think I’ve ever been that big of a fan of these monster puppets. I think their cute and witty…but not really LOL funny. And during my childhood, they were so overused that it’s no wonder they have faded out. So when Jason Segel announced he was going to sing and Kermit and Piggy appeared, I might have let out a tiny, shameful groan. But this sketch ended up being kinda funny, with the Muppets thinking they were hosting SNL. Who else cracked up when they sing “As a group we are all hosting SNL.” It got kinda long towards the end, but I thought this was a great way to begin the show overall.

I’m sorry…but I really really love the Red Flag parody commercial. I was personally glad to see it again.

Kelly Ripa Finds a New Cohost: I love these types of sketches. Where the cast members try to attempt impressions of random celebrities. This time it centered around finding a replacement for Regis. Some standout impressions included Abby Elliot’s Zooey Deschanel (“I’m adorkable”), and Taran Killam’s Ashton Kutcher and Kristen Wiig’s Kathie Lee (obvi). Nasim and Paul Brittain also did good with Kelly Ripa and Gellman respectively.

Tempur Pedic: OK…technically, because of copyright or whatever, SNL came up with “Kemper Pedic”. Haha. So funny. I knew this commercial would be about a husband masturbating while his wife is sleeping. However, SNL took a different direction and made it so the husband was doing other ridiculous things that had the similar look and feel of someone masturbating (like pounding pizza dough or pulling weights). Very clever and dirty. A nice stand out moment for Jason Segel and Vanessa Bayer was her smiley self.

Kissing Family: In the beginning, I pretty much laughed as much as I had the other sketches. And then Andy Samberg as a hobo (decked in a long beard) came in…and that’s when this sketch got magical. When he shared corn with Jason Segel, I cracked. When Kristen Wiig spat brussel sprouts into his mouth, I bit my laugh, seizing (by the way, I am so glad that worked out, I was worried for a second). When Bill Hader spit gravy in his face, I full on had a fit. Andy Samberg took it like a man. The Paul Rudd cameo at the end was a nice surprise also, considering he’s done this sketch before.

Weekend Update: A solid Weekend Update. And there was even a Barack Obama jab sorta there. Governor John Huntsman (never heard of him) made a cameo and gushed over New Hampshire, from its affordable shopping malls to its wise Dartmouth professors. It was quite humorous. Then Seth Meyers did a “Really?” with Kermit, protesting the fact that US Congress had deemed pizza a vegetable because of its tomato paste. Some of the jabs were funny (like seeing the number of broken swings in parks because of fat kids), but it was really Kermit’s physicality that really made it interesting, sometimes overshadowing whatever Seth Meyers was saying. Go Kermit. In terms of other jokes, I really liked the one about the man who accidentally shot his wife.

Retirement Party: This is one of these weird, random, non canon, no plot arc sketches that SNL pulls out once in a while (like Lord Wyndemere during the Anna Faris episode). It was pretty a chuckle soother that’s usually common after Weekend Update. Kristen Wiig  committed, but it didn’t seem like the audience liked it much. Jason Segel’s old guy who has something really bad to say was good, and the biggest laugh came from the soap opera part where we saw the close ups (Jay Pharoah as Attila Peterson was especially funny…taking after Kenan as the black guy who dresses in drag.) I think (like the potato chip sketch from the Blake Lively episode or the “Facial Cream and CD” sketch from the Miley Cyrus episode) this is a sketch I’ll appreciate more after 100 viewings. But I still think right now it was an OK sketch.

New Jack Thanksgiving: Yay! I also love it when cast members sing different songs. They all were pretty much equally OK. Kristen Wiig’s Triangle Sally was fun just because we saw it last year so it was a nice return (although, isn’t she supposed to be dead?). Florence and the Machine (I know the machine part is the band, but I just call her the full name anyway) made a cute cameo as Flow Doubt, singing a song about a sexy adult table. I think the parts I laughed the most at was Bobby Moynihan as Little Richard’s white half brother “Medium Richard”. Funniest line: After Triangle Sally performed – “That later became the theme song of a prominent porno.”

Seducing Women Through Chess Digital Short: This is definitely my favorite Digital Short of the season. I liked the part where Kristen Wiig beat Andy Samberg in checkers using two boards. Also, Samberg eating glass was painful but funny. I can’t really…describe this sketch. Just…watch it on Hulu. Moving along!

Andre the Giant Chooses an Ice Cream Flavor: Y’know what was really funny about this sketch? The extras in the background just waiting. They can be really funny looking sometimes.  But, seriously, this was a cute short sketch and one of the few standout moments Jason Segel had. Who else cracked up and went “awww” at the same time when Andre took a lick of that tiny vanilla cone. So hilariously cute.

Massachusetts Afternoon: I just smiled throughout this sketch because of all the cameos from Florence (and the Machine), Paul Rudd and the Muppets. But…am I missing something? Were the lyrics to the song supposed to be funny? Am I missing something the joke? I feel left out…

All of Florence and the Machine’s songs sound the same…but they’re still really good.

So, not the best episode. But I am home for the holiday so I think I may in too good of a mood to be doing this. I am SO HAPPY!

MVP goes to…easy choice. Andy Samberg. For a good weekend update and being gross in the Kissing Family sketch.

Steve Buscemi is hosting in a couple weeks. Nice.

Thanks for reading.