Saturday Night Live Recap: Trapped in Purgatory

As a long-time Saturday Night Live enthusiast who has seen countless episodes and sketches over the years, I must say that this week’s show was quite a rollercoaster ride. The musical sketch featuring the Pee-wee’s Playhouse-inspired decoration was a visual spectacle, though it leaned more towards the dark side for my taste. However, it was Dan Bulla’s involvement that really caught my attention, as he is the creative mind behind some of SNL’s most unhinged hits.

Towards the conclusion of last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, Michael Longfellow portrayed a character similar to Rod Serling. He then summarized the preceding sketch briefly, describing it as involving a team of hotel investigators. However, he added an unexpected twist reminiscent of The Twilight Zone: “By the way, this is actually purgatory, and they’re all deceased.

If only there were a similar exonerating explanation for the episode itself.

In my opinion, an eerie situation or maybe even a ghostly encounter could explain an incident that seemed to be under a bad luck charm from the very start when a college football game caused a significant delay before it began. Besides the technical mishaps – like a visible teleprompter popping up and the musical guest Stevie Nicks being shown for what felt like too long, as if we were in a staring contest – the atmosphere was just unsettling. Several sketches started with repetitive concepts and lingered for an unusually long time.

The most disappointing aspect? It turned out to be an underutilization of her skills. When Ariana Grande made her appearance as the musical guest in March for Josh Brolin’s exceptional episode, she displayed outstanding comedic chemistry with her ‘Wicked’ co-star Bowen Yang in their two-person Moulin Rouge sketch. At that time, it served as a tempting preview of a future Ariana-centric event on SNL once the ‘Wicked’ promotional machinery went into overdrive. However, now that the opportunity has presented itself, it seems more like a misleading setup rather than what was initially promised, not due to any fault of the singer herself.

Approximately one-third into the episode, there’s a segment featuring two sketches that perfectly live up to Ariana Grande’s March appearance anticipation. The charades game and Celine Dion sports promo rely heavily on her, and she manages to make them comedically successful. This part of the show seems like it originated from a different dimension — similar to last week’s exceptional Nate Bargatze episode. It’s unfortunate that no one akin to Rod Serling appears to clarify why this electrifying segment finds itself surrounded by mediocre content.

Here are the highlights:

Charades with Mom

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZXohQEjw1Vc?si=hJx672x6ITGpqdYR

Initially, a simple family game of charades evolves into a heated confrontation filled with suggestive Oedipal implications. Underneath her red, mom-styled wig, Diane (Grande) glares menacingly at the intruder in her home – Josh (Yang), who is dating her son (Longfellow). Josh’s light-hearted taunts trigger an emotional outburst in Diane, and Grande delivers a compelling portrayal of her character’s mix of apprehension and hostility. Her acting skills have significantly improved since last hosting SNL eight years ago. It isn’t merely that she is now older and capable of playing a middle-aged suburban Mom; it’s that she has developed the versatility to portray this particular complex character with such intensity.

Celine Dion Sports Promo

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yvW7jtD8ZEY?si=1c03HNkQ-y19mvhR

Although Grande swiftly cycles through several vocal imitations in her charming monologue, the most impressive one comes later. In a sketch mocking Celine Dion’s recent, inexplicable promo for Sunday Night Football, the chameleonic chanteuse absolutely nails Dion’s French-Canadian accent, inflections, vocal tics, and confidence. It’s frankly uncanny. Plenty of spot-on jokes about UFC follow but, really, who needs them when all it takes is Ariana-as-Celine earnestly describing what takes place “in the octagon” to put this sketch into the end zone?

Weekend Update: Monica, a Happy Amazon Employee on Prime Day

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iNmKQQ6ai3Q?si=AcFrMl_9tX6AyDOu

Visit for Ego Nwodim’s explosive physique; linger for her subtle, undercover critique of the poor working conditions at Amazon, along with a thought-provoking exploration of our role in tolerating or contributing to these issues.

My Best Friend’s House

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zejK1XHIDcI?si=qvqHBkuVJY73m3sT

As a movie enthusiast who’s always on the lookout for unique and quirky content, I can’t help but notice the Pee-wee’s Playhouse-esque charm that permeates this musical skit about a woman’s chilling homecoming to her small town. Although the twist at the end was more unsettling than amusing for me, the captivating set design truly steals the show and adds an extra layer of enchantment. Kudos to Dan Bulla, one of SNL’s writing supervisors, who has a knack for creating offbeat masterpieces like Shrimp Tower, Pongo, and Meatballs, as evidenced by his contribution here. What intrigues me the most, though, is the title at the beginning: “Saturday Night Live Midnight Matinee.” This fresh branding on a digital short could be a sign that the Please Don’t Destroy pre-tapes, which have been missing this season thus far, might have taken their final bow.

Maybelline

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wKm9Qev_-mw?si=KdTOE1BRivOr9uGv

The mirror bit is an SNL institution at this point, and it proves a sturdy vehicle for competing Jennifer Coolidge impressions. Regular viewers already know how accurately Chloe Fineman can imitate The White Lotus star and all-around icon; who could have guessed, though, that Ariana Grande had what might be an even truer Coolidge on deck? Watching the two struggle to keep it together while spraying Windex in each other’s faces is an utter delight. The addition of Dana Carvey as a bonus Coolidge at the end, though, felt like an undercooked afterthought.

Cut for Time

In the initial scene where Maya Rudolph portrays Kamala Harris, her seemingly disheartened expression after being asked “Why aren’t you leading by a massive margin?” might mirror the sentiment of many viewers regarding the current election scenario.

If you loved Ariana Grande’s remarkable impersonations of Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Gwen Stefani during her stand-up, then don’t hesitate to take a look at this sketch from her previous hosting stint, which dates back to 2016.

Nearly as striking as her imitation of various singers, Ariana Grande convincingly portrays being a poor singer in the “bridesmaids sketch.

Last night, musical guest Stevie Nicks made a comeback to the show for the first time in more than 40 years since her “Stand Back” performance in 1983. Her latest single, titled “The Lighthouse“, serves as a powerful contemporary anthem advocating for women’s rights.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty about the incident leading up to Nick’s performance of “Edge of Seventeen,” a spectator from the live audience shared their account on Reddit.

Colin Jost commented, ‘Alright, we’ve hit the mark,’ following a witty yet somber joke that left the Weekend Update crowd in stitches. It appears that they are edging ever closer to the boundary with at least one humorous remark in each episode.

Due to James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman’s “Update Desk” segment, I can’t help but imagine the Gallagher brothers bonding over their shared affection for Tommy Pickles during Oasis’s likely troubled reunion tour, a thought that will stick with me.

I must admit, the amusing “Castrati sketch” has its moments. Kenan Thompson’s portrayal of himself in a Late Renaissance Italy setting is quite humorous.

It’s interesting to note that there used to be hotel detectives. Unfortunately, the portrayal that emerged from this concept didn’t turn out as well as one might hope.

2024-10-13 21:54