Saturday Night Live Season-Finale Recap: Scarlett Johansson Gets the Job Done

I had high hopes for the final episode of SNL Season 50. Considering that this season was generally alright (when compared to others), and with the writers constantly reminded about the 50th anniversary, I expected an extraordinary finish. However, the show didn’t quite meet my expectations; it wasn’t a bad episode at all, but it lacked the grandeur I thought it would have for its final act. It would have been more satisfying if the conclusion had been more memorable.

Scarlett Johansson is an actor I really admire, and she seems perfect for the finale. Apart from her well-known stardom and acting talents, she’s connected to Saturday Night Live (SNL) as she frequently appears in cameos or is mentioned in jokes about her husband Colin Jost. However, she hasn’t quite reached the level of Steve Martin or Alec Baldwin yet, but she has become the female host with the most appearances on SNL, surpassing Tina Fey and Drew Barrymore. It was heartwarming to see her sing along with the rest of the cast during a more serious monologue. The SNL-themed “Piano Man” parody offered an appropriate introduction to celebrate this memorable season.

In the series, Scarlett Johansson delivered satisfactory performances, fulfilling all her duties, albeit the characters she portrayed didn’t leave the most lasting or unique impressions. “Bowen’s Still Straight” is a somewhat diluted sequel, with Sydney Sweeney replaced by the host, and guest appearances from Gina Gershon and Emily Ratajkowski. Johansson is entertaining when she plays herself, such as in the brief comedy “First Class,” where she charters the guys to Newark for a holiday and an abundance of flight anxiety. However, it’s not her performance that steals the show; that honor goes to musical guest Bad Bunny, who appears as a bumbling air traffic controller who safely lands the plane after searching “how can I help an airplane land well” on Google. Similarly, the skit featuring the intimacy coordinators lacked the sparkle, with Johansson’s ambiguity about lesbian relationships unable to compete with Kenan Thompson’s bewilderment. It’s all acceptable, but nothing extraordinary.

Here are the highlights:

Local News Stories

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=uenR7X0solA

This comedy is built around a straightforward concept: a news presenter consistently delivers morbid puns related to grim local incidents. It’s not meant to be overanalyzed – some of these ‘jokes’ aren’t even puns, and one might wonder if they’re not just reading from cue cards. Yet, the humor persists, particularly when Devon Walker as the on-the-scene reporter and Heidi Gardner portraying a distressed mother of a missing child join in. Additionally, Emil Wakim’s entertaining weather segment, complete with his peculiar renditions of “Pink Pony Club” jingles that border on unrecognizability, had me bursting out in laughter.

Couples at the Bar

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=ZzloXNWWXLA

Bad Bunny truly shines in this skit! His lively banter with Marcello Hernández, both in Spanish, adds an exciting element to the story of two men bonding over their shared experiences with demanding women who provoke them into fighting. The overall energy is fantastic, but it’s Bad Bunny’s dedicated performance that really captivates. The supporting roles by James Austin Johnson and Andrew Dismukes provide a delightful touch to the production.

Weekend Update

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=6ZUNqevMJ78

The weekend update segment has showcased some of the wittiest writing this season, with the finale being no exception. It includes a clever RFK Jr. joke, another amusing appearance by Miss Eggy (Nwodim’s physical comedy really stood out this time), and a few sharp political jabs (“This type of side-splitting antic is why the Democrats will never regain power again”).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=-1uC5tBGlNg

Undoubtedly, the moment I eagerly anticipated was the witty banter between Jost and Che, a comedy duo known for their sharp humor. This time, however, they seemed to have amped up their act, particularly when Jost found himself delicately uttering the phrase “Nick Kerr lover” and jokingly referring to his childhood pastime as “polishing off priests with my charming little mouth.” It was refreshing to witness Johanssen’s appearance on stage, followed by a sincere apology from Che for his earlier comment about her being reminiscent of a “Costco roast beef.

TV Press Junket

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=K5sZNSnT15Q

Have you ever observed that during press conferences, men and women tend to receive different types of questions? This is the underlying theme in this amusing sketch, as it highlights the growing disparity between the hosts’ regard for Marcello’s character versus the female performers. Interestingly, Yang seems to enjoy the most probing questions, such as “why are all your former partners white?

Victorian Ladies at Lunch

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=GvRgn8DFoXM

This skit is remarkably lopsided, I must say. It features four Victorian women having a lunch conversation with their butler (Dismukes), and the food they’re eating is quite unusual – jellied eels, bowls of cow blood, and BLTs that apparently contain bunnies and turtles. The fact that Gardner mentions she had numbers two through seven afterwards is quite telling.

Cut For Time

The closing segment focused on a foreseeable topic: Donald Trump’s questionable journey to the Middle East. Prior to Alex Johnson’s entrance to engage the studio audience, it primarily served as an opportunity for Trump to speak, uttering phrases such as “Habibi,” “inshallah,” and “take me to God’s land.

• “Oh, he ate that! … woman.”

• “I only have the pilot of Lost.”

• Yang as bad boy: “I would never do anything to hurt him … but I would fuck his wife.”

• Quick Marriage Story reference with straight Yang punching a hole in the wall.

In Mike Myers’ absence as Elon Musk, who I had anticipated to see even briefly, we instead get the elevator ride sketch featuring Thompson portraying Kanye West. It’s entertaining to reminisce about the iconic “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” moment from the Hurricane Katrina fundraiser, but that reference feels a bit stale now – with Kanye spreading Nazi ideologies and acting badly being nothing out of the ordinary for him these days. Moreover, Thompson’s portrayal of Kanye made me yearn for Jay Pharoah’s impression.

For those who haven’t encountered the “It’s not relatable? Everyone has a cousin” joke, West has just dropped a track that references him performing an act on his cousin. (In this case, “head” refers to oral sex.)

* Bad Bunny’s shows were both entertaining, but I found myself really enjoying his collaboration with RaiNao. The graffiti-themed bathroom stage setup was an especially creative touch.

For Season 51, the outcomes of several characters remain uncertain, and unfortunately, the finale doesn’t offer much clarity on this matter. However, if this is indeed the final year for Jost and Che as Weekend Update anchors, they are certainly ending on a memorable (and initially shocking, now wholesome) note.

• Boo at the goodnights cutting out, but sweet to see Jost giving his wife roses.

2025-05-18 22:55