It was Less than a year Not since comedian Nate Bargatze made his debut on “Saturday Night Live,” but the appearance was so well received that he’s already returned, along with a stacked lineup of Season 50 hosts including Jean Smart, John Mulaney and Michael Keaton.
Was the presentation as strong as last time? Not exactly. The monologue was more scattered and less carefully worded than last year and the sketches were less uniformly brilliant, but there was still some solid material. Still, Bargatze’s everyman vibe suits “SNL” well, especially in the sketches where he plays with language, like sequel To a wonderful year 2023 George Washington’s Weights and Measures scene Or a A perfect parody of “Sábado Gigante”. (It Only Took 50 Years) Bargazzi plays a confused audience member who is drawn into the show with a rudimentary — but not entirely blank — understanding of the Spanish being spoken around him. Bargatze performed a funny pre-recorded sketch featuring a golf tournament competitor He continues to unintentionally harm wildlife On the course.
Elsewhere, Bargatze played an EMT who, along with his partner (Michael Longfellow), tries to convince water park workers. Let the body slide down the slide Instead of going down 255 steps. He photographed A The coach who wants to get paid for soccer jerseys And the woman’s husband, Heidi Gardner. Determined to win this extremely messy eating challenge In a restaurant. “Musical guests performed by Coldplay”All my love“and”We pray“, including the last Palestinian singer Eliana And the Argentine singer Tiny. Title card before honoring closing hugs Kris Kristoffersonwho died on September 28 at the age of 88. Singer, songwriter and actor She hosted “SNL” in 1976 During the first season of the show.
As with Bargatze as host, this week’s cold open was a case of: “That worked great, let’s do it again.” All guest stars who appeared in Cold open last week They returned to participate in “SNL” in the vice presidential debate. Bowen Young and Jim Gaffigan returned as Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz, respectively, on the debate stage, while Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) and her husband Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) watched at home and were often visited by a large crowd. Confused President Biden (Dana Carvey).
On top of the world, Kamala celebrated the endorsements of Liz Cheney and Bruce Springsteen, but her joy was short-lived when she saw Falz’s volatile expressions – “I am friends with school shooters” – and became very friendly with Vance. She exclaimed, “Why are they friends?” “My Breath Away” plays. Fals explained his mistake when he said he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre by telling viewers he forgot he was in Epcot. Meanwhile, Vance inserted mid-sentence pleas to not check facts while expressing his support for former President Trump.
But as happened last week, it was Dana Carvey’s impression of Biden that stole the show, whether he was announcing low things, like gas prices and Emmy Awards for “The Bear,” or waving the ice cream cone that fell on Kamala’s face. While Rudolph maintained her composure even as ice cream dripped down her chin, it was hard to forget that Carvey and David Spade, co-host of the “Fly on the Wall” podcast, He said this week Sometimes the show’s physical ad-libs or gaffes are intentionally accidental, as was the case with Biden burying his head in Kamala’s hair on last week’s show.
Bargatze’s monologue was shorter than last time and without a strong ending, but it still contained great lines where the comedian discussed going to community college (“…where they’re like, ‘You’re probably staying in your community.'”) and, finally, his addiction. On processed foods (“I’m a farm-and-factory guy.”) and orders takeout from DoorDash late at night. Bargazzi said he even has a double-dash, where he orders from two places at once on the food delivery service, which causes him anxiety when. Two different drivers appear at the same time. “I need one of them to get into the wreck!” I’m scared!” he said. There were also funny bits about the “surge” in extra virgin olive oil and what happened when he ate raspberries for the first time at age 40. Unlike last year’s monologue, this one wasn’t overly sharp, but the material was generally He had a signature comic quality and bewilderment in the world.
Best sketch of the night: Washington returns to demand freedom for hot dog lovers
Sometimes diminishing returns are a good thing if the asset is that strong. In a sequel to the plot of Weights and Measures, George Washington (Bargazzi) stands on a boat, telling his soldiers about the future of the English language. Dozen is a word for 12, but “only 12 should have a word of its own.” We’ll write “Jeff” in two ways, one with a “J” and “the stupid way with a G.” Washington says the hot dogs won’t be made with dogs. But when asked what it was made of, he said: “Nobody knows.” When a soldier asks about this, he is invited to leave the boat directly into the water. As happened last time, Washington largely ignores a soldier’s (Kenan Thompson) questions about what will happen to the slaves after the war, at least this one in 1776.
Also good: You don’t have to know Spanish to understand “Sábado Gigante”
Bargatze plays an audience member invited on stage by host Don Francisco (Marcelo Hernandez), who leads him through a random collection of sketches, dance numbers, and game show clips, not at all different from what the real show was like; Ask anyone who grew up in a Spanish-speaking family before 2015. Given Hernandez’s absolute commitment to drawing, Bargatzi’s hyper-realistic confusion, the kid with a beard who dresses like Bargatzi’s character, and the orange puppet in a sailor suit, this one wins our hearts as much as five dogs on a game show. .
It’s likely to go viral: ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ is the new ‘Dick in a Box’
Premiering very late in the show, the new “SNL” digital short, featuring Samberg and the Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, is so surprising, engaging, and pushes the line of good taste that it feels like something that could take off in a big way online. (The term “Sushi Glory Hole,” in fact, It was already popular on X Shortly after the episode aired.) The premise? Two musicians (or are they businessmen?) pitch the idea of a hole in the bathroom wall that feeds you fresh sushi. That’s it. This is the joke. But it’s taken to hilarious extremes even as those set up (among them Maya Rudolph) try to leave the room.
‘Weekend Update’ Winner: Jen Wicklin has been at the party for a very long time
It sometimes takes a while to get to know new cast members, but this segment was a great introduction. Jane Wicklin He appears in the water slide sketch as the only voice of reason and in the “Weekend Update” segment playing the piano and singing about staying up all night at a party that has long ceased to be a party. When Colin Jost tried to finish the song midway through, she said: “I intend to keep singing.” Smart, funny lyrics and powerful performances point to great things to come on Gene Wicklin’s “SNL.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
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