SNL: Christina Applegate and Passion Pit

To contact us Click HERE
I was held back with life and things and almost missed this new episode.  Christina Applegate is hosting and  Passion Pit is providing the tunes.  Will Kate McKinnon continue to get/steal the spotlight?  Will Jason Sudeikis dissapear after the inevitable Biden sketch?  Will Armisen be in more sketches than the weird 12:50 slot?  I don't know, so let's get it on...

Cold Open:  Vice Presidential Debate

This is perhaps the most successful political sketch of the season.  Why?  Because every person here is funny and at one point the butt of the joke.   It's a lively and spirited parody of a very topical subject where everyone is a target and everyone gets to take potshots.  Plus, Martha Radditz (Kate McKinnon) gets to say the tag, "then don't f**k me like Jim Lehrer."  And the Kate McKinnon ascension continues as she is the one who gets to say "Live from New York--it's Saturday Night!!!"

Monologue:  Christina Applegate

A flashback to 1993 with still pics from a far stronger era of the show, and Applegate gets an opening number.  She's appeared on Broadway in Sweet Charity and she doesn't get to work this legitmate muscle enough.  The Cruppets and Dane Cook bit

Pro Gillette Comercial

Jerry Sandusky gets commercial work and I wonder why this was included.

The Californians

The appeal of this long running sketch (it started when Happy Endings' Casey Wilson was on the show) eludes me.  I understand the spoof, but don't find it particularly funny.  I appreciate the wild abandonment that these New Yorkers take when lampooning the left coast.  The greatest thing about these sketches is of course Fred Armisen, though Applegate is very game and quite funny.  But all in all, I'm a bit bored.

Tech Talk

Applegate hosts a show with three tech writer nerds who are bitching about the iPhone 5.  She turns the tables on them by bringing in three of the Chinese workers who built the phone.  This is one of the finest parodies of "First World Problems" I have seen, offensive stereotyping aside.  And my iPhone 5 shipped yesterday, so I'll shut up and love it no matter what.

Give Us All Our Daughters Back!

Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Una Thurman, Mel Gibson, and Steven Seagal star in a cellphone driven Taken/Expendables mash up.  It's...fine.  I do love the over reliance on cell phones, but I can't help but feel that this is the first time this season where the taped bits are some of theweakest material of the night.

Passion Pit: Take a Walk

Not necessarily a fan of Passion Pit, and can't say that I have heard much of their oeuvre before tonight.  I'm not displeased with what I am hearing, but don't know if it's enough to get me to purchase the album.  This poppy (and surprisingly spritely) number is catchy but will probably have left me before the next sketch.

Weekend Update

Seth Meyers opens with 5 or 6 presidential jokes fairly even split against Biden and Romney and then introduces Nasim Pedrad as Arianna Huffington.  Pedrad gives good Huffington.  The bit runs a little long, but the Cool Ranch Morning After Pill joke was a great punch to solidly built joke.  I am fascinated that Joe Biden can be the featured butt of the jokes for most of the first half of the program tonight, but the writers can't find a way to make Obama funny.  Next up Keenan Thompson as Jean K Jean, the top French Def Comedy Jam Artist.  It's been a while since we have seen this character, and its success lies squarely at the feet of Thompson who could make almost anything funny.  The great visual joke of the night:  Big Bird leaving a present for Obama on his car.

Odysseus Meets the Sirens

Sudeikis plays Odysseus and Applegate, McKinnon and Cecily Strong play the Sirens.  It's a classic set up with a very straight bit and then an anachronistic bit.  Here the Sirens' song is 90's pop tunes by Lisa Loeb, Paula Cole, Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow and TLC.  I too am often called by the siren songs of 90's songstresses; my ship crashes there often as I mow the lawn.  I say more of this.

Hell-oween Ball

Vanessa Bayer is out to emcee the faculty speeches at a holiday school festival to support a school library.  The joke is that the kids (though unseen) are emotinoally and intellectually beyond the scope of the staff of the school.  Which would be okay if the kids had an actual presence in the scene.  By reducing the conflict to an offscreen presence the writers naturally hamper the inherent drama of the piece.  This is unfortunate.  Really all you get is a handful of actors giving monologues and creating characters with little agency in the scenes they are a part of.  It's mundane and pointless.  Though Jay Pharoah does break himself up which is at least interesting.  But then the sketch ends while he is talking was it cut early for time or was it always meant to be that lame?

Passion Pit:  Carried Away

Another poppy, fun piece.  Much catchier and far more engaging than whatever they sand 45 minutes ago.  I may need to Rhapsody them this week at work.

Jillian Chizz Dance Studio

Applegate plays the titular studio owner who only teaches in the Fosse style.  This is a very funny piece for a very small audience.  I am fortunately in that audience, and I am amused.  Applegate is giving it her all and is showing off some mad dance skills.  Fun if limited, though I admire the willpower to not rely on making fun of her name and throwing in some good Tommy Tune jokes.

Final Bows

For the first time this season the live sketches were much funnier than the taped bits, with the Siren sketch and Tech Talk taking top honors.  In fact I thought the entire night was fairly successful.  It was a smart use of the host, if the cast wasn't used as evenly as they were a few episodes back.  Armisen had only one sketch really, and it was early.  Sudeikis didn't leave after the cold open (which is great thing) but Bill Hader and Bobby Moynihan were barely featured.  Vanessa Bayer's role has seriously diminished of late, and I wonder why Aidy Bryant was hired at all.  McKinnon continues to excel with whatever she is given and I truly appreciate all she is given.  Cecily Strong is really coming along as well.

Applegate was having a ball, and it showed in every sketch she was in.  I find her to be a wonderful talent and like to see her featured in things that showcase all of her talents.  SNL does that for her; Up All Night doesn't as much.  I hope that the Anchorman sequel serves her as well.  Passion Pit was successful is piqueing my interest in them, which is sometimes all a lesser known band can ask for.

But it's been a great night.  My thanks to Christina Appleagte...Passion Pit...Usain Bolt...and the cast and crew.  You guys are the best.  Good night, everybody!!