SNL: Justin Bieber and Justin Bieber

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We're back with a brand new SNL.  And for the second time this season, the host is also the musical guest.  Earlier this fall we were treated to a pretty good episode with Bruno Mars, but how will Bieber do?  He was the musical guest a few years back when Tina Fey was hosting, and he appeared in a few sketches to some notice.  And of course he appeared in an arc on CSI but that ended with him dying in a blaze of gunfire.  While nothing quite that dramatic should happen, based on his other work I would expect that he should have a good sense of humor about him.

We shall see...

By the way, we are joined this evening by The Kid who shall provide her own commentary on this Bieber-centric experience..  Her thoughts on Bieber pre-show are:  "No."

This won't end well for us at all.

Opening:  Super Bowl Blackout

We start with a Super Bowl blackout sketch lampooning the truly horrific part of the night, the inability of the sports commentators to vamp.  This was so bad on Sinday that it sent us to Downton Abbey.  Jay Pharoah is very funny as Shannon Sharpe.  The bottom of the barrel commercial was very funny.  "It's a new world, now."  Great opening.

The Kid thinks:  It was actually telling the truth because the lights were out, and we're waiting and this day sucks cause there's nothing to talk about.

Monologue:  Happy Valentine's Black History Month

This is a funny hybrid that has been a long time.  "Denzel Washington invented the peanut."  Sorry.  "Maya Angelou invented the peanut."  Whoopi Goldberg is JB's girl.  Silly, but fun and without a real ending.  Like most of the sketches/monologues this season.

The Kid thinks:  Eh.  (Though she laughed heartily throughout.)

The Californians

This is one of my least favorite recurring sketches.  Though Bieber gives good Californian accent.  At least he's game, and he has his own mirror.  Sigh.

The Kid thinks:  Man, this is annoying.  My eyes are hurting.  That's how bad this is.

The Justin Bieber Body Doubles

This is a chance for the entire cast to play Bieber.  A lot of fun.  "Some of them are black, they aren't fooling anybody." "Neither are you, homey." A Bieber on Bieber dance off.  And then an ab off.  Then Kate McKinnon pulls out her Ellen for the win.  Lots of silly Bieber puns, hopefully getting them out of their system for the rest of the night
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The Kid thinks:  Ah, Ellen.  That is the truth.  Otherwise, eh.

Bravo Sizzle Real

An on the nose parody of Bravo's predilection to give a reality show to anyone even vaguely associated with anyone in show business.  But it was hitting the same joke over and over and over and over.

The Kid thinks:  That was funny, but I'm tired.  Can I please go to sleep?

Justin Bieber: As Long as You Love Me

Ah, acoustic Bieber.  That's a thing now, I guess.  But when did Jeffrey Ross start playing guitar?

The Kid thinks:  Of course it's a gold mic.  I must go to bed, this song is killing me.

Weekend Update

We open with two jokes on Noreaster Nemo, and then two on drones, which is the first time the show has tried to poke fun at an Obama stance in a long time.   The two best friends of Richard III from growing up come out to support their much despised comrade.  This long running bit with Fred Armissen and Vanessa Bayer whispering the bad stuff.  It's tired, and even Bayer at full tilt can barely save it.  I do love Seth's Honey Boo Boo face.  The Steven Segall joke works because of Meyer's canny delivery, as does the grammar joke that follows.  Kenan Thompson is out as Cory, the one black guy in every commercial.  This is fresh, pointed and full of energy.  He has to high five every twelve seconds or he dies.  The Snap Chat joke, the Monopoly joke and the least literate city jokes all killed.  Meyers always closes so strongly when he gets away from regular hard news and goes with the off kilter stuff.  I think this is the Daily Show/Twitter effect.  We have already heard the best versions of the hard news jokes almost immediately after they have happened.  By the time Saturday rolls around, none of it's new anymore.

Say More Stuff

Okay, so we start with a Grease parody, which is unexpected, and then we start playing with expectations.  Billy (Bieber) isn't as worldly as he would appear, but Angie (Cecily Strong) doesn't mind.  As this develops, the guys keep laying on the double entendres to which Billy is oblivious, and the girls keep questioning why Angie would go out with him.  Each scenario is more ludicrous than the last, until the punch:  Billy's 11.  Angie doesn't care because he can sing, and now we have a skeevy and wonderful parody of most of Bieber's professional life.  This was pretty heady stuff and pretty funny.

The Miley Cyrus Show

We haven't seen this sketch in a long time.  When Cyrus hosted SNL, she played Bieber.  Revenge is at hand.   I love Billy Ray's hair being exactly like Miley's.  Bieber is playing Pete Defelco, the president of her fan club.  Bieber is ragging on Bieber and then he gets in his pot apology.  Then we get a clip of Miley's secret wedding to Gale Liam Hemsworth.  Taran Killam is scared as Hemsworth as he should be.  This was a very short skit.  I realize there weren't many notes to play, but Bieber was giving his all, we might have explored the super fan's intensity a little more or something.

Meeting the Family

Heather (Nasim Pedrad) brings her boyfriend (Bieber) home to meet the family.  Taran Killam is playing her ne'er-do-well older brother, Edward.  Who then messes with Michael for the rest of the sketch over a glottal slip.  Bieber can't keep in character.  The audience is loving this.  "Show me your secrets, beautiful drifter."  Killam is great because he commits, wholly.

A Sexy Valentine's Day Message from Justin Bieber to You.

This was a funny little bit because Bieber has been hosting Taco (Bobby Moynihan) for the last three months, and Bieber was sexting Hillary Clinton.  I do love the ludicrous when grounded in reasonable expectations.

Justin Bieber:  Nothing Like Us

Jeffrey Ross also plays the piano.  Shouldn't his Comedy Central show have been a hit, then?  They have been working the hell out of Bieber tonight, haven't they?

Booker T. Washington High School Valentine's Dance

Pahroah is playing Principal Fry, one of his best recurring characters.  The dance is a celebration of abstinence, with Bieber and Pedrad playing the social chairs for the dance and practioners of abstinence.  Pedrad doesn't have many lines but she's hysterical.  I love Pharoah so much here, is it wrong that I want him to be hired as the male lead in the new Beverly Hills Cop show CBS is planning.  The character is supposed to be Axel Foley's son, and Eddie Murphy is participating.  Pharoah would be too perfect.

Final Bows

This was a fine episode.  Not on the level of either Bruno Mars or Martin Short, but not awful by any stretch.  I know why they feel they need to reprise characters (not everyone catches every episode), but this is a rather limited view of how people consume television now.  If you hear on Monday or Sunday afternoon that something was funny, you go online and watch that sketch.  You don't have to repeat the jokes as often because we can watch the original joke as many times as we want.  The sketches that didn't work for me (or the studio audience) seemed to be the ones that were repeats ("The Californians", "The Two Best Friends of [ruthless dictator] From Growing Up).  The main exception to this is the "Booker T. Washington" sketch.  Yes, Pharoah has done this three times this season alone, but it still kills, primarily because he's committed and the structure is the same but the jokes are different.  The Miley Cyrus Show sketch is a repeat as well, but this is the first time it's been out in a year.

Best Sketch:  Say More Stuff

Worst Sketch:  The Californians

But it's been a great night.  My thanks to Justin Bieber...Justin Bieber...Whoopi Goldberg...and the cast and crew.  You guys are the best.  Good night, everybody!!