a group of April Foolz (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)

Jeff “jmunney” Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then reviews all the sketches and segments according to a “wacky” theme.

Happy April, everybody! And I’m not fooling when I say that.

The reason I’ve assembled you all here today is to convene in the wake of the April 5, 2025 episode of Saturday Night Live, which was hosted by Jack Black, along with the two-for-one musical guest combo of Elton John and Brandi Carlile. It’s been 19 years and 4 months since Mr. Black last hosted, and that was one of my favorite SNL episodes ever. As for Mr. John and Mrs. Carlile, they’ve both graced the 30 Rock stage with their presence before, but never yet combining forces! So there’s plenty worth getting excited about here.

Since this is the first episode of April this year, I’m going to take inspiration from that old axiom of “April showers bring May flowers” and review each sketch and segment by concluding whether they’re more like showers, or more like flowers. That’s not to say that one is good and the other is bad – instead, it all depends on all the context.

And, away… we… go:

Trump Tariff Speech: More than a shower, this is a steady rain that keeps on persisting.

Jack Black’s Monologue: Jack sings about returning to host SNL to the tune of Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle”: it’s like springtime flowers in bloom.

Love Match: A dating game show is derailed by Jack Black’s character dressing like a famous fictional archaeologist: it’s like a bouquet of roses that aren’t afraid to prick ya.

Flamin’ Hot Preparation H: Fake ad for hemorrhoid cream that’s probably more irritating than the condition itself: like showers, but the acid rain version.

Burger Tavern: Friends eating out keep humblebragging, their boasts punctuated by avian screeches: it’s like flowers being blown around by gale-level gusts.

The First Play: Theater begins in Ancient Greece, and the audience hasn’t figured out this new medium. Do you remember the first time you got caught in a shower? This is like that.

Jamaica (Goth Kid on Vacation): A family spends some time in a Caribbean nation; one of them dresses head to toe in black the entire time: this is like when you want a shower (more than shower, even).

Elton John and Brandi Carlile, “Little’s Richard Bible”: When it rains, it pours (musically so).

Weekend Update: The Jokes: There were plenty of laugh lines from Michael and Colin in this edition, so watching them cook was like being presented with a bouquet of flowers that make you sneeze, except that the sneezing is replaced by laughing.
Weekend Update: Grant & Alyssa: It’s another visit from The Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together, who are like a day that keeps alternating between rain and sunshine, and you’re happy for it to go that way.
Weekend Update: Ego Nwodim: Ego presents a Def Jam-style routine that she claims she would have performed if she were the host of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and it’s like one of those occasions where a bunch of people give you flowers all at once, and you’re a little overwhelmed, but mostly grateful.

Making Love (Flying Date): Jack B. and Sarah S. play a couple on the verge of getting intimate for the first time as they hover with the help of some theatrical magic: it’s like one of those random showers that make you go, “That was weird.”

Big Ricky and the Minnows: A band hosts its weekly potluck jam in which they invite anyone in the crowd with musical inclinations to come on up and join them, and all the bassists take them up on their offer. This is like walking through a garden, but all the plants are replaced by bass guitars.

Elton John and Brandi Carlile, “Who Believes in Angels?”: When you look up in the sky during a shower, surely you’d love to see an angel.

V-J Day in Times Square Kiss: You remember that famous photograph of a sailor kissing a dental assistant? This sketch asks: what if the backstory involved a guy eating multiple hot dogs? This is like tumbleweeds, but if they kept crashing straight into your heart.

Well, there’s still one more new episode scheduled to air in April 2025, with Jon Hamm and Lizzo set to provide the entertainment along with the regular SNL crew. Hopefully it will be just as worth discussing as this episode was.