Welcome back toSNL in Review, fellow Coneheads!
Season 45 rumbles on with tonights episode, hosted by another multihyphenate talent pulling double duty,Harry Styles.
Because time is a flat circle, Styles is the latest pop superstar to be embraced by the show.
In 2012, theyplayed the childrenof Sofia Vergara in The Manuel Ortiz Show.
And in 2014, the group participated in Aidy Bryant and Cecily StrongsGirlfriends Talk Show.
Styleslater performedsolo on April 15, 2017, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
Hereshis rolein that episodes Civil War sketch.
Hes also shown his dramatic acting chops, bringing a nefarious Mick Jagger-esque edge to Christopher NolansDunkirk.
Styles latest album,Fine Line, will be released next month.
Im joined tonight byformer cast member Jeff Richards.
Jeff was onSNLback in 2003 when Justin Timberlake made his hosting debut.
Justin was so natural on the show.
Hed acted like hed been there before, he says, reflecting on Timberlakes seamless transition to sketch comedy.
I just remember how naturally confident he was from the Monday meeting.
No one ever worried about him.
On a probability scale of 1 to 100, Jeff Richards says: 100.
So lets see if Bill Hader returns as theangry, craven Jim Jordan, shall we?
Cold Open
Sure enough, we launch into the impeachment hearings.
Tapping into the publics indifference, their spin is to make the hearings a real-time political soap opera.
Necessary to get peoples attention.
Not a lot of laughs so far.
Interestingly, they brought in Jon Hamm as Bill Taylor, but no Hader as Jim Jordan.
Mikey Day gets the role this time.
Birthday boy Pete Davidson pops up as Michael Avocado.
Premise does not really carry over.)
Its possible the studio audience is not familiar enough with the impeachment players here to find it funny.
The only real laughs are from seeing Heidi Gardner fall down.
This goes on for awhile.
But hey, at least Melissa Villasenor brings back her AOC and gets to kiss Jon Hamm!
Monologue
Styles delivers his monologue with slow, steady monotone.
But listening to the cheers Style elicits from the crowd really sells the moment this guys having.
And also: Its a reminder how muchSNLcultivates a tween audience.
OK boomer :)
He makes a few millennial jokes, and acknowledges doubts about his musicianship.
He even jokes about his former One Direction mates showing up.
He lands one joke, though: Everyone thinks everyone here does cocaine.
Thats why the shows no good anymore!
This is low-key, low stakes, and muted.
Some of you little Coneheads may remember that Timberlakes debut hosting gig featured the first-ever Barry Gibbs Talk Show.
Jeff Richardsappeared as Al Franken.
It did great at the read-through.
Everyone loved how silly it was.
Theres not many things in this country where our people get first dibs, Thompson says.
But the Popeyes chicken sandwich is one of them.
Joan Song
So, tonight seems to be aiming for amusing moments over big laughs.
I especially love Styles confession that hes eaten underwear causing an expensive blockage in his intestine.
This season is very preoccupied with dogs, isnt it?
Its silly a good chance to watch Styles goof off.
Airline Pilots
Harry Styles and Mikey Day are co-pilots heading to San Francisco.
They begin dirty-talking aboutScooby-Doo, not realizing theyve left their intercoms on.
They continue to put their feet in their mouths, as the passengers grow increasingly alarmed.
Day has the pilots cadence down.
ANOTHER DOG SPOTTED, WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Thats The Game
Chris Redd and Kenan Thompson are rival drug dealers.
Its a great showcase for Redd, who is at his best when hes being comically intense.
Or maybe hes in!
he snarls, realizing hes way over his head.
Backed by a guitar, horn, and small chorus, its a simple, pleasant performance.
Styles, interestingly, is dressed like one of the Osmonds.
Its kind of wild tonight marks the fifth time Styles has performed onSNL.
Feels like a lot for someone who is only 25!
Weekend Update
Our heroes Jost and Che lay into impeachment.
The studio audience sounds asleep.
Maybe its a mistake to wait outside in 30-degree weather for days dampens the laughter.
(Che cops to not watching the hearings, by the way.
Its likeSNLwants it both ways mock peoples indifference to Trumps behavior, while also embodying the same indifference.
Like Davidson claiming to not know how to pronounce Avenatti in the cold open.
Some tension there.)
Kate McKinnonshows up again as messed-up baby Jeff Sessions, who recently announced he is running for Senate again.
Sessions plea for Trumps love, and Alabamas support for his candidacy, seems to win people over.
Ill bend over backwards for you Alabama, and bend over forwards for Donald Trump, McKinnon-as-Sessions says.
Ill go to bat for Alabama, and go to third base for Trump.
Afterward, Kyle Mooney comes on to give commentary as Scooter Rineholdt,advocating for dairy milk.
Asked by Che about non-dairy milk alternatives, he hollers, Id rather drink my own piss!
before dousing himself in milk.
The segment ends with a silent tribute to Rick Ludwin, the late-night executive who championedSNLfor years.
(And helped launchSeinfeld.)
This is a classy move.
Sara Lee
What a faux pas!
This sketch gives me professional anxiety.
Styles plays a social media account executive who has screwed up at work.
Hes been posting under Sara Lees IG account instead of his own.
His obsessions include Nick Jonas a nice in-joke and fashion twink… a.k.a.
Styles does well, and this is a fun sketch for Cecily Strong and Bowen Yang.
This is also like an inversion of theKen Instagramconceit from a little bit ago.
At 45, Baby Faye comes out and nearly performs a split major Molly Shannon vibes here, guys!
This has a bizarre Baby Jane vibe to it, Im here for it.
When modernSNLgets strange, they may lose the audience, but they earn my love!
Their EDM halts with interjections of Say Something, Everybody Hurts, and that Sarah McLachlan song, Angel.
The family, naturally, is not thrilled.
Styles eventually gets in his underwear, which the crowd seems to enjoy!
This reminds me of when Kenny Powersinterrupted Shane Dogs funeralduring season 3 ofEastbound & Down.
Final Thoughts
There you have it!
A slight, not especially inspiredSNLthat seemed to find a bit of momentum late in the episode.
Styles was solid, but lacked any breakout moments like Timberlake once did.
He distinguished himself more than Nick Lachey, Ill give him that.
Want more Jeff Richards impersonatingSNLalumni?
Check out hisCollider deepfake roundtablewhere he plays Robert Downey Jr. Its hilarious.
Im intrigued and impressed by the news Jenny Lewis is opening for Harry Styles on his upcoming tour.
In college, there were few albums I loved more thanUnder the Blacklight.
Was Chloe Fineman in this episode?
I may have missed her!
