“SNL” - Season 48, Episode 2 Review
“Saturday Night Live” returned with an uneven and somehow divisive episode with host Brendan Gleeson and musical guest WILLOW.
“SNL” is incomparable and its own entity. Due to this, the best way to describe the second episode of season 48 is that it was aggressively “SNL.”
Sketches ranged from excellent to mundane; some were predictable, and one, in particular, was controversial.
Before picking apart and discussing specific sketches, the notable improvement in not just writing and performances needs to be pointed out.
The episode felt fun from beginning to end, even with low points. The cast is thriving under the pressure.
Why this vibe change is occurring isn’t necessarily straightforward. But it does emphasize that “SNL” and its sketches deserve to be watched, if not live, as a full episode instead of clips on social media.
“SNL” kept with last week's untraditional cold open, opting to cover the biggest headlines in a game show “So You Think You Won’t Snap Cold Open.”
The cold open was a nice refresh on not only the tired political sketches “SNL” has become accustomed to but also the game show sketch trope that “SNL” often does, and mostly well.
“SNL” deserves props for leaning into more creative cold opens, and this one helped set a standard for the episode.
Gleeson did phenomenal hosting throughout the episode. His monologue was captivating, and Colin Farrel’s cameo was a great touch.
When “SNL” is under fire for a sketch, it’s typically attributed to the show's cold open, but this week's scandal was surrounding the “Try Guys” sketch.
The sketch was good, with Gleeson carrying a lot of the comedy throughout.
While watching the sketch, it was clear that the goal was to satirize the internet's hysteria over this scandal, being more upset about that than legitimate global issues.
The internet proved “SNL’s” point, deciding to pick apart a few throwaway lines that undercut the alleged cheating rather than watch the sketch as a whole.
While suspicions of Fulmer having a friendship with one of the writers of this sketch are valid, “SNL” didn’t let Fulmer get off scot-free. They pointed out the power imbalance and Fulmer's “wife guy persona.”
Regardless of what side viewers may take, “SNL” having a somewhat dangerous take on a conversation was exciting as, in recent years, it feels that the show has opted on the safe side, which is often also the bland side.
The internet’s reaction to this sketch is a shame because this episode was excellent and overlooked because of this hysteria.
The night's best sketch goes to the prerecorded “New Cast Member Advice.”
Head writer Colin Jost wrote this digital sketch alone, perfectly introducing the new cast members and highlighting Molly Kearney.
Having each cast member talk about the advice they’d been given and juxtaposing it against Kearney, who allegedly had been tasked with killing Vladimir Putin by Lorne Michaels.
Kearney has received high praise and comparisons to comedy legends like Chris Farley and Melissa Mcarthy and has some remarkable similarities with the two. They were absolutely killer in this sketch, and it was expertly written.
The slow-burn joke that Marcello Hernandez told to go slow at the start and eventually revealed that Michaels says it’s normal not to get on the air within the first two years was classic.
Jost is an easy punching bag for fans and haters of “SNL.” This sketch felt like something only someone who’s been writing at “SNL” for as long as he has (since 2005) would pull off.
Andre Dismukes deserves props for his “Headshots” sketch, in which Farrell made his second cameo. Dismukes' led sketches have different energy than typical “SNL” sketches, and it’s always welcome.
The Please Don’t Destroy digital sketches returned with “Tommy,” in which Gleeson plays a 67-year-old man who had tricked the PDD boys into thinking he was one of their high school classmates.
This sketch was great from Gleeson's performance, the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” tribute and, of course, the school the characters want to apply to (Penn State).
Please Don’t Destroy sketches are another significant change of pace for “SNL.” They have the potential to be the next Lonely Island if they play their cards right.
The drastic improvement in “Weekend Update” is almost astonishing.
The first episodes of “SNL” seasons are never great, but with Jost and Michael Che being so accustomed to the update desk, it’s no wonder how quickly they got back into the swing of things.
Ego Nwodim had a fantastic take on “The Little Mermaid” controversy, coming on as Black Ariel. Nwodim is consistently excellent on “Weekend Update,” regardless of the character.
The standout from “Weekend Update” was Hernandez, who came on to talk about Latin baseball players.
Hernandez's unique energy is evident from his physical comedy and ability to play off Jost.
He is the new-cast member who is hardest to compare to former “SNL” cast member, and this feature made it more exciting to see what he will do next.
Last week the post-update sketches were weak, and that trend continued last Saturday.
Sarah Sherman's “Eyes” was a nice pick-up at the end of the episode, and she does seem like the natural fit for the ten-to-one slot, iconically where the absurd and silly pieces end up.
If last week's episode should leave fans hopeful, this week should feel like some of that potential has paid off. The episode was largely solid, having high points and not any aggressively low ones.
Next week, “SNL” will bring Megan Thee Stallion as the host and the musical guest, which could either give the show a much-needed iconic episode or expose the weaknesses of the show going forward.
Best Sketch of the Night: “New Cast Member Advice”
Worst Sketch of the Night: “Blood Oath”
MVP: Brendan Gleeson
Unsung Hero: Andrew Dismukes
A Wish for Next Week: Megan Thee Stallion is on double duty; if there isn’t a hit comedy song, somebody needs to be fired
Rating: 4/5
Sophia D’Ovidio is a second-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu.
