SNL Heads Into Break on Fun, Fiery Note Thanks to Charli XCX: Review

Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: charli xcx, saturday night live, snl

SNL Heads Into Break on Fun, Fiery Note Thanks to Charli XCX: Review

Thanks to host/musical guest Charli XCX, NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 is heading into its break on a strong, fun, and defiant note.

Published Sun, 17 Nov 2024 11:08:09 -0600
by Ray Flook
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It's not like the team behind NBC's Saturday Night Live didn't already have a ton of pressure on its collective shoulders. Along with this being the long-running late-night sketch comedy and music series' milestone 50th season and all, we had a U.S. Presidential Election whose results proved that the nation needs SNL now more than ever. Seriously. No joke. If there ever a time for SNL to remind everyone why it's been around as long as it has, it's now – and we saw last week that the SNL cast and writers aren't looking to dial things back anytime soon. That brought us to this weekend's show – the last before SNL takes a well-deserved three-week holiday break (returning on December 7th with host Paul Mescal and musical guest Shaboozey) – with Charli XCX stepping up as both host and musical guest. The result was a show that sent SNL into its break with a fun, feisty, and "f**k you" vibe – exactly what we were looking for. There was no dialing back on the topical stuff (with "Weekend Update" hitting even harder than usual), but it never overwhelmed some truly original thinking behind a number of the night's sketches and some eye-grabbing performances. Here are some quick "one-liners," random thoughts, and observations from last night's show that came up in real time:

"Trump and Biden Meeting Cold Open": Serious props to Sarah Sherman and SNL's makeup and clothing experts for creating a truly disturbing take on Matt Gaetz. It was nearly a solid minute before I was sure that it was Sherman – the transformation was outstanding.

Charli XCX Monologue; "Sympathy is a Knife" & "360": A very strong outing from Charli XCX – pulling double-duty can't be an easy thing, even if you've done it before. You could see her comfort and confidence grow as the show went along – and her performance of "360" is definitely in the conversation for one of the best performances this season so far.

"Babymoon": As much as we loved Marcello Hernandez's Domingo, we didn't see a second sketch in his future. I now stand corrected and will keep my mouth shut on the subject moving forward.

"Banger Boyz": Our favorite Charli XCX live sketch of the night. Hernandez, Andrew Dismukes, and Emil Wakim are spot-on as Trump-supporting podcast hosts suddenly realizing what Trump winning means – but our host/musical guest's producer and her commercial/ad reads brought the big laughs.

"Weekend Update"; "Tiger King" Joe Exotic/Peanut the Squirrel's Widow: "You can't be surprised that the white African guy's first idea is slavery," Michael Che "reported" about Elon Musk's plan to not pay people to work for his Department of Government Efficiency taskforce ("80-plus hours per week for no money"). "Trump nominated Matt Gaetz for attorney general, and Gaetz said the same thing he says when he sees a teenage girl: 'I'll do it," Colin Jost noted about Matt Gaetz. Jost continued, "Gaetz, who was created when Frankenstein raped Dracula, was chosen for attorney general after Trump remembered that his original pick was found in dead a jail cell" – with an image of Jeffrey Epstein shown behind Jost. And those weren't even the hardest-hitting "headlines." Another week, Bowen Yang's Joe Exotic and Sherman's squirrel widow would've won the day, but this WU round was all about Che and Jost.

"Shrek: The Musical": The entire premise was silly fun, but what sold us on it was the dialogue between the characters and their growing passive-aggressive frustrations toward one another. As much as we were into the sketch, we also found ourselves wanting to know more about the implied backstory of just how pissy they were being to one another.

"Acting Teacher": With every passing episode this season, Hernandez continues to show why the move to the main cast was a smart one on EP Lorne Michaels' part – and probably a long time coming. His range grows with each sketch, and he's well into his "can save a sketch on my own if I need to" stage.

"Here I Go (ft. Charli XCX)": The best overall sketch for Charli XCX – we're still in awe over just how all-in she and Andy Samberg went on an excellent song that makes the case for the joys that come from snitching.

"Wicked Auditions": Having Yang return to their Charli XCX impersonation and having Charli XCX portray Troye Sivan was probably the best way to shit down social media rumblings before they start. Side note: Dana Carvey really seems to be making the most of his SNL return run, and he offered an inspired Al Pacino.

"Thanksgiving Baking Championship 2024": With a returning Kyle Mooney set as one of the competitors, we were offered some good old-fashioned in-your-face sexual innuendo in a takeoff of British baking competition shows. Bonus points to Charli XCX for playing a level of disinterest that was a perfect counterpoint to some very interesting offerings.

"It Girl Thanksgiving Special": Charli XCX as Victoria Beckham, Yang as Marc Jacobs, Chloe Fineman as Julia Fox? How could this oh-so-cool take on holiday specials not be a hit? But it was Kenan Thompson's Law Roach and Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline's Olsen Twins who really put things over the top.

Saturday Night Live Season 50: Charli XCX

Review by Ray Flook

8/10

It's not like the team behind NBC's Saturday Night Live didn't already have a ton of pressure on its collective shoulders. Along with this being the long-running late-night sketch comedy and music series' milestone 50th season and all, we had a U.S. Presidential Election whose results proved that the nation needs SNL now more than ever. Seriously. No joke. If there ever a time for SNL to remind everyone why it's been around as long as it has, it's now - and we saw last week that the SNL cast and writers aren't looking to dial things back anytime soon. That brought us to this weekend's show - the last before SNL takes a well-deserved three-week holiday break (returning on December 7th with host Paul Mescal and musical guest Shaboozey) - with Charli XCX stepping up as both host and musical guest. The result was a show that sent SNL into its break with a fun, feisty, and "f**k you" vibe - exactly what we were looking for.

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