Jmunney's Blog

No replacement refs were harmed in the writing of this review.

Cold Opening – Obama Town Hall Gathering
Everyone tried their best, but not much could elevate the stale premise of this sketch, although its existence was ultimately justified by the line, “One day all of you will be Bruce Willis, and you’ll realize that you were employed all along.” B-

Weekend Update
-The Jokes: Oh Seth, you’re at it again.  Being terrible, that is.  Although the joke about the sex doll was actually kind of funny. C-
-The Segments: -Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and His Translator: The gay/Jew bit provided a laugh or two, and … haven’t we seen this routine before? B-
-Cornel West: Not the most fully formed Kenan character (but more formed than most); thus Dr. West is best utilized in small roles such as in “Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Laughs,” but he is still worth something in a bit like this one. B
-The Girl You Wished You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party:  It is rare that every single line in an Update segment will kill – this was one of those times.  And yes, studio audience, you are correct, even the way Cecily took her phone out of her purse and put it back was funny. A

Replacement Refs
The laughs came from every possible space in this sketch: Tim, Kenan, Fred, and Bobby as the four replacement refs (each with his own quirk: yell “first down!,” throw the flag, blow the whistle, signal field goal while looking confused), the clever theme music and opening sequence, Bill and Taran committing to small roles, an appropriate shoutout (Ed Hochuli), and funny text that resulted in a new catchphrase (“No replacement refs were harmed…”). A

And I’ll leave you with a sketch (without harming any replacement refs, of course):

http://www.hulu.com/watch/406370

Cold Opening – Fox and Friends
More “funny ha-ha” than “funny, OHMYGODICAN’TTAKEITANYMORE!”  But, hey, I’ll take it.  The digs on Romney could have cut a little deeper, but they did cut, and you know, I don’t think SNL necessarily needs to go the “cutting” route.  Case in point: my favorite hidden camera moment was the Cash Cab segment: a show ripe for parody, and quite frankly, it is a little surprising that SNL hasn’t tackled it yet.  Tim Robinson got the look and the feel of the Cash Cab host just right.  Bobby’s Brian Kilmeade is perhaps SNL‘s currently most underappreciated impression.  And thank you to the author of this comment on the AV Club for listing all the corrections: http://www.avclub.com/articles/september-20-2012,85085/#comment-657416064. B+

Convention Cutaways
Every cutaway killed, especially, of course, Joe Biden.  Also, Fred is great with props. B+

Weekend Update
-The Jokes: Seth showed a bit of improvement compared to his material for the premiere.  But, once again, alarmingly so this time, there were stories that were themselves so much funnier than Seth’s punchlines, especially the one about the moose and the bear. C
-The Segments: -James Carville: I never get that excited about Bill as James Carville, and then he is always excellent.  I particularly appreciated the imaginary drumstick flying through the air. B+
-Drunk Uncle: This was mostly a rehash of Drunk Uncle’s previous ramblings.  So: still funny, but I felt already familiar with these cracks. B

Okay, here’s a best sketch of the night for ya:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/403572