CREDIT: Will Heath/NBC

This review was originally posted on News Cult in March 2018.

NewsCult Entertainment Editor Jeffrey Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then organizes the sketches into the following categories: “Love It” (potentially Best of the Season-worthy), “Keep It” (perfectly adequate), or “Leave It” (in need of a rewrite, to say the least). Then he concludes with assessments of the host and musical guest.

Love It

The Champions – Given all the research available on head trauma, it is no profound observation to note that former professional football players have some cognitive difficulties. But Kenan’s performance as DC Timmons, an NFL veteran of 9 games (over 7 seasons), is so imaginative and so silly in how it renders the full ravages of his career. And it avoids bad taste by anchoring itself with a genuine sense of poignancy.

Resident Movie Buff Kyle Mooney is actually at the Update desk to find out why he hasn’t been invited to Colin’s Oscar party. This is not the most unique form-breaking setup, but Kyle’s style takes it to new places.

Keep It

Hump or Dump – There’s something admirably bold in fully committing to a dating show contestant who insists he will kill himself if he is not selected. That aspect is not as impressive when his promises kind of just peter out when the moment of truth comes. But along the way it is thrilling how it somehow respectfully examines depression and mines humor from that darkness.

Charles Barkley’s Monologue actually has a clear, focused point (athletes should be allowed to speak their minds), but the way that Sir Charles delivers it, it sounds like he is just rambling, so that is fairly amusing…The Grabbies are timely, sure, but not particularly clever save for category names like “Most Open Robe”…Ah, Ned’s Roach Away, capturing the feel of those classic ’90s SNL ad parodies. The setup here – get rid of bad roaches by giving guns to good roaches – is an unqualified winner, but there could be stronger details (though noting that none of the roaches are gay is quite something)…I didn’t write down as many punchlines from Michael and Colin down in my notes as I usually do, but they’re still okay…Cecily Strong’s Hope Hicks impression offers a bit of cleverness by putting a summer camp spin on the current White House…Leslie Jones (along with US hockey gold medalist Hilary Knight) isn’t there to make jokes so much as just keep the Olympic enthusiasm going…The Construction Site sketch about hard hat workers lamenting the lack of color in men’s fashion is a bit shaggy, but I greatly appreciate its point of view…As for the latest Last Call, it’s not the best iteration, but it’s worth it to hear Kenan say, “Hello, ISIS. I changed my mind.”

Leave It

Homework Hotline – In an episode, and a season, with plenty of examples of smart takes on abuse allegations and revelations, this sketch about immature kids making lascivious implications about an educational show host and his puppet feels especially out of place. It’s ultimately not that big a deal as far as objectionable content goes, but its greater sin is that it just keeps making the same joke over and over.

Anderson Cooper 360 is the framework for the latest Baldwin-Trump cold open, and while there are a few chuckle-worthy lines here and there, it is quite disjointed overall.

Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley is unique among SNL hosts in that he seems to simultaneously be glued to the cue cards and constantly flubbing his lines. It always makes for a weird, specific sort of energy that guarantees a few off-kilter laughs even if the writing does not offer much. In his fourth go-round, he manages to come off a little more polished than usual.

Migos

Migos have quite the paradoxical vibe in which their stage presence is both sleepy and disciplined. Their performances of “Stir Fry” and “Narcos” are not going to revolutionize the SNL stage, but they are perfectly agreeable. One more note: I could swear they are saying “pants” several times during “Stir Fry,” but closed captioning and lyrics sites tell me otherwise.

I’ll be back next week to let you know what I’m loving, keeping, and leaving from host Sterling K. Brown and musical guest James Bay!

Letter Grades:
Anderson Cooper 360 – C
Charles Barkley’s Monologue – B-
The Grabbies – B-
Ned’s Roach Away – B
Homework Hotline – C
The Champions (BEST OF THE NIGHT) – B+
Migos perform “Stir Fry” – B

Weekend Update
The Jokes – B-
Hope Hicks – C+
Resident Movie Buff Kyle Mooney – B+
Leslie Jones – B-

Hump or Dump – B
Construction Site – B
Migos perform “Narcos” – B
Last Call – B-