SNL, Molly Shannon Offer OG Vibes; Bowen Yang Slays; Lorne Smiles?

As host/SNL icon Molly Shannon, musical guest the Jonas Brothers, and the cast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live were taking their final bows, I’m hoping that they did so with the satisfaction of knowing that they delivered exactly the kind of show that we were expecting them to – and that’s a good thing. I’ve always been a huge Shannon fan, but I don’t believe her contributions to SNL are given the respect that they’re due. If you’re looking for a comedic actress who can bring even the silliest of characters to life in a way that gives them depth & meaning (even if they’re smelling their armpits off of their fingers), Shannon was (and will always be) one of the first names you would want in your sketch. And that was more than on display this weekend in an episode that blended those heavy character-driven sketches from Shannon’s run with the modern satirical edge that the current SNL team brings to the table. And while not every sketch was a home run, it was obvious that the cast & writers were looking to offer Shannon a show that lets the SNL alum know that “The Kids Are Alright.” So let’s take a look at how the night went:

Shannon’s opening monologue was a fun musical effort that wore its mix of old-school & new-school SNL on its sleeve. And the only thing that could one-up a guest appearance by Martin Short? I can’t believe I’m writing this, but… did we actually get a shot of Lorne Michaels smiling on camera? “Valets” was a goofy bit of fun with Shannon, Andrew Dismukes, Kenan Thompson, and James Austin Johnson (who had an especially strong night). “Netflix Live Promo: Jeannie Darcy” was the rare filmed sketch that just didn’t work because it seemed to go after a few different targets, but it wasn’t strong enough to have a clear message or point. “Pregnant Co-Worker” makes my point about Shannon being an excellent comedic actress because she doesn’t break – and in a sketch built around over-the-top farting, that’s not an easy feat to pull off.

Devon Walker & Shannon were the keys to making “The Play” work, especially the devolving reactions from Walker’s character as he learns more and more about his girlfriend’s (Heidi Gardner) past – and present. “Drug Commercial” was one of those “beautiful disaster” sketches that swung for the fences and had a lot going for it but just didn’t seem to click – vibing more like two sketch ideas that could’ve had their own respective screen times. “Sally O’Malley: Jonas Brothers” was a fun return for one of Shannon’s beloved characters, with the Jonas Brothers providing just the right amount of awkwardness to their “acting” to make this late-in-the-night effort work. And “CNN App” spoke to the millions of folks out there who’ve been waiting for Donald Trump to finally be proven wrong and actually held accountable for the shitty things he’s done. But the highlight we didn’t see coming was Sarah Sherman as Wolf Blitzer, which worked in ways we could’ve never imagined. If only CNZen was a real app…

SNL Season 48: Molly Shannon/Jonas Brothers – The Highlights

While there have been times in the past when Michael Che & Colin Jost‘s “Weekend Update” has had to “save the day” when it comes to a show having a rough first half, it’s rare when we have a WU that scores because the anchors and their “in-studio guests” are firing on all cylinders. And it’s even rarer to find a WU where the “in-studio guests” actually shine a wee bit brighter than Che & Jost – but this weekend was that “unicorn.” Again, no disrespect to the co-head writers because they were on fire as ever:

But Gardner’s Busy Co-Worker Who’s Seemingly Doing Nothing was scarily spot-on – and based on some reactions I received online while watching, a lot of folks know folks just like that (and some really felt seen):

From a little-too-real caricature to the very real Angel Reese, Punkie Johnson took that moment and crushed it. At this point, I’m not sure why Johnson or anyone else is still a “featured player” (unless I’m behind on something) because this was another full-time cast member argument-maker:

But if SNL needed to start putting together an Emmy Awards reel, they need to start with Bowen Yang‘s turn as Jafar, as the Disney villain takes on the all-too-real Disney villain, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Yang has been owning these WU moments, with his turn as the iceberg that took down the Titanic being the game-changer for me. If you need a reminder of why SNL is still around close to a half-century of seasons? Look no further than this weekend:

I mentioned before how Johnson had a strong show, and the “Trump Easter Cold Open” was all of the proof that you need. First, props to SNL for opening with a Trump/Jesus sketch a half-hour before the holiday kicks in on the U.S. east coast. But Johnson nailed it with his best Trump to date, mixing Trump’s scripted narcissism with what vibed like some great in-the-moment references to Jesus and The Last Supper in the background (especially calling out how Mikey Day‘s Jesus was having to hold his hands throughout the sketch). A perfect start to the episode, and a very pointed reminder that SNL hasn’t lost its edge when it comes to political satire:

But possibly the most natural fit between old-school & new-school SNL was Shannon & Please Don’t Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy) in “Molly Shannon 2K23.” In the filmed sketch, Shannon’s efforts to brainstorm sketch ideas with the trio results in Shannon spiraling down a meta video game rabbit hole as she learned that her life has been a video game – and that her life has spanned a number of consoles. Shannon, Marshall, Higgins & Herlihy play off of each other in such a way that would make you think they’ve been working together for years, with Shannon offering a great final line as she embraces having a more “PlayStation 5”-type of control over her life.