Saturday Night Live Recap: Chris Rock Stars in a Christmas Miracle

I must admit, as a seasoned comedy enthusiast who has been following Saturday Night Live for quite some time now, this week’s episode was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride of laughter and entertainment. Chris Rock, with his sharp wit and unparalleled comic timing, gracefully steered the ship through the turbulent waters of modern humor.

Ho-ho-holy crap, it’s already Christmas, huh?

Despite another “Saturday Night Live” airing before the significant event, this week’s episode was overflowing with festive spirit, almost like an outrageous yuletide miracle. Luckily, watching it is akin to being drenched in Gatorade mixed with spiked eggnog.

Instead of many sketches in these Christmas episodes trying to become the next timeless holiday classic, reappearing in annual specials for eternity, this set feels unique. Many of these gems utilize holiday themes as a starting point before veering off into another direction. For every sketch like Your Office Christmas Party, which appears to be headed for future specials, there’s one like Sexual Harassment Charlie, set the day after an office Christmas party but could have followed any random work event. What ties them all together is a carefree, unstructured feel, resulting in a delightful abundance of unexpected moments.

This season, Chris Rock takes the helm as host. With numerous alumni making appearances for cameos this year, Rock marks the first official host. Although John Mulaney, a former writer who has since become quite successful in stand-up, is not considered a cast member, his influence on the show is noticeable now. Despite his greater success in stand-up comedy, Rock’s acting performances in this episode are as captivating as his topical monologue, and they surpass his previous hosting stints. This episode embodies both the essence of a Chris Rock episode and a Christmas episode, even though the traditional Christmas episode is set for the following weekend. (Fingers crossed it’s just as impressive!)

Here are the highlights:

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace Cold Open

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8fbDduz8xR8?si=xQdzKEb2nO1b2vbt

The ongoing saga of an assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO has by now taken up so much oxygen in office Slacks, all forms of media, and also your holiday party, its presence in this Saturday Night Live cold open was practically inevitable. Still, the format it comes in is rather inspired. Combustible pundit Nancy Grace has long languished in YouTube irrelevancy, but her hyper-sensational show makes a fitting vehicle for this white-hot topic. Sarah Sherman is a wise choice to inherit the role created by Ana Gasteyer and perfected by Amy Poehler. Her accent is appropriately all over the map, with mispronunciations galore, but where Sherman really cooks is in the sudden explosive outbursts. (The one about being haunted by Jon-Benet Ramsey’s ghost is a highlight.) Although the sketch over-indexes on our obsession with alleged shooter Luigi Mangione’s looks (“Dave Franco’s face with Eugene Levy’s eyebrows”) rather than the meaning of his actions, perhaps the writers just correctly expect that we’re all burned out on that discourse at this point. Well, either that or they correctly figured that Chris Rock would cover it in his monologue.

Mall Santas

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B-p1DnRsgaQ?si=sML9Ha0HlLMc-YfR

The idea of a Black Santa has long confounded right-wing influencers like Megyn Kelly. What this sketch brilliantly suggests is that, when confronted with the idea in non-hypothetical terms, it’s also a problem for your average white couple. Rock plays the master of ceremonies at Santa’s Village like Rod Serling introducing a morality-play episode of The Twilight Zone. He luxuriates in the discomfort of parents having to choose between a “regular” Santa (James Austin Johnson) and the one who might create a photo that Grandma puts out in the garage instead of on her fridge (Devon Walker.) Rock’s delivery is delicious, savoring every pause that helps emphasize the choice each parent must make. The MVP here, however, is Chloe Fineman, the self-identifying woke liberal who is a little too pleased with herself for choosing the “Blanta.”

Simpsons Christmas Gift

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QGJ_gy42yVM?si=6LyOXs4rTWRCfufL

Each exceptional episode of The Simpsons initially follows a predictable path before veering off unexpectedly. For example, the candy convention that led to the “Homer Bad Man” episode. This sketch mimics this pattern. Initially, it seems like an ordinary Secret Santa gift exchange, but things quickly take a turn for the bizarre when Rock’s character receives a Simpsons-inspired portrait of himself as a gift. Clues to the absurdity that follows are dropped subtly; for instance, Heidi Gardner playing a character named “Wheels” in a wheelchair. However, the descent into chaos ensues when the entire cast starts telling Rock’s personalized Simpsons fan fiction, which is remarkably nonsensical and outlandish.

Weekend Update: A Bald Man on a U.K. Court Harassment Ruling

https://youtube.com/watch?v=o7Xy61DnfJw?si=rBVBtlR5Cr7-ZtLB

Andrew Dismukes is typically assigned smaller roles, but it’s always enjoyable when he gets a prominent solo performance where he truly shines. In his segment on Update, he portrays a bald man reacting to the recent U.K. judicial decision that making fun of baldness is discrimination. Despite being well-groomed in reality, Dismukes comically embodies the collective frustration of the bald community while maximizing the opportunity.

Gallbladder Surgery

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wo6CRYyIn28?si=9ANu4ncSqDNSL_Cw

In my humble opinion as a movie reviewer, Adam Sandler’s unexpected entrance in this episode feels like a well-timed twist, arriving late not just within the episode but also deep into the sketch itself. Despite being subtly present throughout, his grand reveal beneath a hospital sheet transforms a previously character-driven scene centered around Sarah Sherman’s quirky intern into an exhilarating blend of gore and self-awareness.

Cut for Time

In the comedy sketch titled “Grandpa’s Magic Car,” the car character named Kirby – who exhibits both racist and misogynistic traits – blends elements of Disney’s Herbie with Stephen King’s Christine. This blend is particularly noticeable, as it gives the climax a more impactful, King-esque twist.

In this installment, we didn’t encounter Sexual Harassment Charlie for the first time. He’s like the embodiment of the “Oh, hello, human resources?!” meme in a skit format, with power dynamics being his focus instead of good looks. Previously, Kenan Thompson portrayed this character in episodes featuring James Franco (in 2017) and Scarlett Johansson (in 2019).

In this episode of Weekend Update, they nailed it by suggesting that the Netflix film, Emilia Pérez, appears as if Colin Jost had asked ChatGPT to create a movie that would cause his grandfather’s head to spontaneously combust.

Jane Wickline’s fresh tune on Weekend Update delves into the intriguing predicament faced by Sabrina Carpenter. Unlike her contemporaries, she appears to avoid accusations of queerbaiting, regardless of her attempts. What a sharp and catchy number!

In Rock’s previous stint as host, Bowen Yang played his character Chen Bao, a Chinese trade official, at the Update desk, commenting on the potential TikTok ban. Now, with TikTok on the brink of being banned once more, it raises the question: are we perhaps stuck in some kind of time cycle or loop?

Undoubtedly, I play a significant part in the sketch featuring Adam Sandler’s guest appearance. Given that he’s a fan of mine, having cast me in his production from last year, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.

An unexpectedly large group of people who aren’t regular cast members are part of the sketch for The Office Christmas Party – a perfect setting for the Monster Truck Rally announcer role – and each one does an impressive job.

• The least compelling scene of the evening’s storyline, featuring a blind date, could be considered the most lackluster part of the episode. However, it concluded with an amusing and surprising entrance of a pedicab onto the set.

2024-12-15 22:54