SNL Cast, Ana de Armas, Karol G Shine (But Is That It For Season 48?)

Before we get to the all-too-real headline coming out of this weekend’s edition of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, host Ana de Armas (Blonde, Ghosted) and musical artist Karol G brought a fresh energy to the show that vibed even in the sketches that didn’t quite hit the mark. But overshadowing all of this is the fear that this weekend could end up being SNL’s official Season 48 finale. While the show is scheduled to return on May 6th with Pete Davidson & Lil Uzi Vert in what’s expected to be the first of the season’s final three shows, that could all go away if the WGA follows through on its threat to go on strike as of May 1st. So, for now, we’re playing “The Waiting Game” as negotiations ramble on. So with that in mind, here’s a rundown on the night, followed by a spotlight on the sketches that hit us the hardest.

Saturday Night Live: The Good, The Bad & The Huh?

First off, make sure to check out both of Karol G’s performances if you want two examples of how the musical guest’s flow can contribute to a show’s overall vibe. De Armas’ opening monologue was funny, sweet & heartfelt (plus, bonus points knowing there are a-holes out there yelling at their screens & losing their minds when de Armas began speaking in Spanish). “Matt Schatt Game Show” was fun & goofy and further proof of the impressive season that Mikey Day has had so far.  Colin Jost & Michael Che killed it with “Weekend Update” once again, though Kenan Thompson‘s Funky Kong was kinda “eh.” I loved what Molly Kearney had to say in defense of trans kids & the LGBTQ community, but they were more undercut than helped by the flying harness. “Lisa from Temecula: Wedding” was an attempt to recapture lightning-in-a-bottle from the Pedro Pascal-hosted show that felt like it was trying too hard. I still don’t know how I feel about “American Girl Doll Trailer” – I think I liked it and found it funny, but there was a disturbing, underlying darkness to it that still creeps me out. “Dog Acting School Commercial” could do no wrong because of the unpredictability of puppies. How can you not like seeing an adorable little puppy not wanting to go “Godzilla” on a small model set of Seattle? And not even Bowen Yang could save “Nail Salon,” which felt more like a really cool pitch that just wasn’t strong enough to sustain a 3-1/2-minute sketch.

What Made Our “SNL Hall of Fame” This Week?

“First Warm Day of the Year Red Carpet Cold Open” saw Heidi Gardner and Yang bring the perfect amount of “E! cheese” in a cold open that broke from the “topical news” approach and scored big for it. Looks like it’s time to start updating our “Central Park Characters” scorecard.

“Album Recording Session” saw de Armas and Ego Nwodim in top form, with Devon Walker reacting perfectly to what the duo was offering (definitely characters worth a revisit).

“Spanish Class” should be in the conversation regarding the best sketches of the season, with de Armas & Marcello Hernández serving as perfect foils for Day’s supposed all-knowing Spanish teacher as he quickly loses the hearts & minds of his class (bonus points for a great Karol G cameo at the end of the sketch).

And someone needs to edit together a “Best of Please Don’t Destroy” special because Ben Marshall, John Higgins & Martin Herlihy‘s look behind the curtain at what goes down at an SNL party is another example of the trio’s filmed excellence. But I have one request – we need to see the “Hangxiety” footage that didn’t make the cut.

And then there’s “Weekend Update: Guru Genesis Fry on Mental Health.” Oh, Colin… didn’t you see that coming? Sarah Sherman appears as “Guru Genesis Fry” to offer advice on the best ways to manage our mental health… but it ended up feeling suspiciously like a stealth attack on Jost by Sherman. The shame! Here’s hoping Sherman doesn’t get bored of having Jost as a “target” anytime soon – and here’s hoping we have more SNL to review when May rolls around.