(S31E18) There was a lot to like about this episode, but there was a lot that should never seen the light of day too. For Hanks' eighth outing at SNL host, I would have expected a bit more. We've already seen so much this season with episodes from other classic hosts like Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, that I was hoping maybe we'd get cameos from some of them. Another one of those "welcome to the club" sketches would have been funny... with those fez hats, cigars, and smoking jackets. Oh well, like I said, there was still plenty to like.
Cold Open - Politically charged as usual, the show opened with Bush and Cheney chit-chatting and discussing the current state of oil reserves and gasoline prices. Tom Hanks (as Senator Bill Frist) then shows up to tell the President about his new plan since his recent idea for a $100 gas rebate for all Americans did nothing except what the President described as "eat it." The entire conversation then evolved into some kind of infomercial where Frist was selling his new plan to Bush. As a token of the Government's thanks for allowing the drilling in Alaska, all Americans would now get $120, a free vacation to Busch Gardens, and two free Wonder Mops. Sounds like a deal to me... well maybe I'd do it if there were two re-fill shammies to come with the mops. What's that? There are two shammies? Sign me up!
Tom Hanks' Monologue - In case you've been living in a cave, Hanks is currently promoting his new movie The Da Vinci Code, which comes out in a couple of weeks. The film deals heavily with the Catholic religion and the writers took advantage of this. Hanks fielded questions from the audience and before long he was being interrogated by a priest (Armisen), a cardinal (Parnell), an albino monk (Hader), a flying nun (Dratch), The Pope (Hammond), and finally Jesus Christ (Sudeikis). The last one was by far the best as Jesus made fun of The Terminal, to which Hanks pointed out to Sudeikis that he was making fun of the son of God and Steven Spielberg at the same time. Hanks went on to say, "You're one of the new guys? Sudeikis? Well, I'm sure we'll see you in September."
Wheel of Fortune - Celebrity Jeopardy was done countless times when Will Ferrell was still around, but I don't ever recall there being a Wheel sketch. Hanks was Pat Sajack and Tina Fey took on Vanna's tile-flipping duties. The phrase as it was on the board? "BY THE S_IN OF OUR TEETH." None of the three contestants could get it. Then Sajack told them all to, "fly free you stupid dum-dum birds." I enjoyed this. It wasn't the most creative idea, but it worked because they made Pat Sajack a jerk who can't stand his job.
Caitlin - This ranks right up there with Debbie Downer. I just can't stand Amy Poehler when she does this character which has any combination of mental retardations/illnesses and a killer lisp. Thankfully, this was the first time they had done it since Jon Heder hosted back in October. When you watch it though, I feel like Amy is trying to make Horatio (he plays Caitlin's brother Rick) laugh more than the audience. It's like she's playing for him and not us. I don't know, it's just a lousy character. Hanks' involvement in this sketch really isn't worth mentioning either.
SNL Digital Short - I'm still not sure what I think of this. I know I didn't laugh... I just stared at the screen and couldn't believe what I was watching. It was crazy... so yeah, I guess I like it. The setting is NYC in 1991. Forte, Kenan, and Chris Parnell are talking about music on the side of the street. They were all dressed in period clothing and Will Forte looked just like Vanilla Ice. Parnell flicks on a giant boom-box, and it cuts to the music video. I think the song was called "Testicles" and it was by Ariel and Effram[sp?] (played by Andy Samberg and Tom Hanks). They were bald and wore leather. I think they were supposed to look like Right Said Fred in the "I'm Too Sexy" video. It was weird... kind of disturbing.
Universal Theme Park - This was a good idea that lasted way too long. It just kept going on and on. Tom Hanks and Fred Armisen were these two guys waiting in line at the Back to the Future ride and they just kept yelling at their mother. "Ma! Ma! Ma! Wrong line! Get me pizza!" It got pretty annoying after a while.
Weekend Update - Topics you would expect were covered. The immigrant gatherings of the past week got a lot of heat. I loved Amy's line about Goya foods: "Makers of dusty cans in bodegas." Tina had a good one about Rosie O'Donnell joining The View: "The title will have to be changed to The Obstructed View." Some obligatory Star Jones bashing followed when Horatio came out as Rosie. Getting Tracy Morgan to stop by as Star would have really made it special though. I really enjoyed the last thing they did with Fred and Will debating the immigration issue. They literally were talking heads. Their debate was just them making noises ("nyuhhhh") in tune with some music. It was funny. They said nothing but the concept said plenty.
Yoga Class - This one reminded me a lot about that character Will Ferrell used to do. That bum who would pose naked for art classes. Tom Hanks was this incredibly sweaty/dirty guy who got partnered up with Rachel Dratch in their yoga class. He was dripping sweat on her, she had to put her head in between his legs. It was pretty funny and it even got Amy Poehler to laugh, which she rarely does in regular sketches.
Colin's Place - I really didn't care for this sketch all that much. It had a couple of great one-liners though. The idea was that on C-SPAN After Dark, you can watch original programming such as Colin's Place. I think it was supposed to be some kind of Sanford & Son rip-off starring Colin Powell (Kenan) and his son Michael (Finesse). Condoleeza Rice (Maya) shows up looking for Colin's help and he gives her duct-tape to go and fix the ugly stick her parents hit her with. That part made me laugh.
Tennis Snobs - See, to me, this is how a sketch should be done. It had a good concept, they got the joke across, and it was over quickly. It didn't run on and they easily could have with this idea. Tom Hanks and Will Forte are tennis partners, but Hanks recently lost his arm in an accident. Forte breaks their partnership and introduces his new doubles mate: Chris Parnell, the man with three arms. But Hanks had a contingency as well. He introduced his new partner too. Bill Hader, the man with seven arms. It was funny, they talked all snooty, and then it was over. Well done.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - These guys sounded great, much better than Pearl Jam from a few weeks ago. I saw them live a couple years ago when they were touring for their Californication album and I think they sounded better here. The first song they played was "Dani California," the opening song off their upcoming double album Stadium Arcadium. Then they did something that you don't often see a band on SNL do. Bands come here to promote their new stuff. So naturally I was overjoyed when they busted out "Give It Away" for their second song. Overall, a great performance. I loved how Flea had "John Belushi" written on his chest in Sharpie marker. Oh, and did anyone else notice that Chad (the drummer) looks just like Will Ferrell? The resemblance is uncanny.
-Next week is an all new episode with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Paul Simon.
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-07-2006 @ 2:55PM
Joel Keller said...
How dare you say that the Chili Peppers are better than Pearl Jam! Pearl Jam rules!
Just kidding, Jonathan... just wanted to give you a flashback. RHCP has always been one of my all-time faves.
The Wheel sketch was interesting... it was made by Hanks (as Sajak) and Fey (as Vanna). The idea of it, someone missing the puzzle even if there's only one space open, has been done a few times before.
You hit the nail on the head with the Caitlin sketch. When I saw it, all I could think of was "they should call this the 'Amy tries to get Horatio to lose it' sketch." That's the only real reason why it's there. This type of thing works great when the two of them are on stage at UCB, but on SNL it looks very inside-jokey and self-indulgent.
I didn't get the Digital Short. I mean, Right Said Fred was pretty campy to begin with, so satirizing something that was already camp seems pretty unnecessary. And, they're fifteen years too late. But it was good to see that Hanks isn't above donning a skull cap and a mesh top and singing about testicles. It's a reminder of how great a comedic actor he was back in the day (yes, kids, Tom Hanks the ACTOR used to work in comedies all the time... yes, that's hard to believe these days.)
The "Ma" sketch was funny, at least at first, because of Rachel Dratch. Her wandering around with that bewildered old lady look on her face was priceless. She's also the reason why the Yoga sketch worked so well.
I fell asleep during Colin's Place, so I don't know what the rest of the show was like. From what I saw, it wasn't bad, but with Hanks as host, it could have been better.
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5-07-2006 @ 4:57PM
sam said...
its funny ya said that about pearl jam are you asking for the Pj crazies to attack again
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5-07-2006 @ 5:08PM
Laura said...
I've often thought that Chad and Will bore quite a striking resemblance... and find it odd that I've not seen more people commenting on it. ;)
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5-07-2006 @ 6:42PM
Jim said...
So many opportunities to disagree ...
* The funniest joke in the monologue was the question about Hanks' hair.
* You spelled Pat Sajak wrong. (Not such a big deal except that I read this week that you guys get paid for writing for this site. Does anyone get paid to edit?)
* The Caitlin sketches ARE funny. And I don't think she is supposed to be retarded -- Amy is playing a hyperactive kid and doing a great job of it.
* Will Ferrell only played the art class model once that I can remember -- it was one of his classics. You're right, though, the yoga sketch definitely brought it to mind.
* You *think* Colin's place was a Sanford & Son send-up?
* The tennis sketch moved fast because it was filler. It shouldn't have even made it on air.
* Finally: The first song done by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was horrible. A steaming pile of crap, in fact.
Jim
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5-07-2006 @ 7:24PM
Nicki said...
I found the cold opener, monolouge, and Wheel sketches pretty funny. I think I found Caitlin funny once..and haven't been able to handle her since. I appreciate that it's a Gilda Radner tribute, I'm just not particularly amused by it. I think the yoga sketch and update were funny, but i was too drowsy to really get the full impact of the jokes. Then, like Joel up there, I fell asleep during that Colin Powell thing. Also, I muted the first RHCP song and wasn't awake through the second. I prefer them to Pearl Jam, just not a whole lot.
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5-07-2006 @ 7:52PM
Nick Fox said...
Jim, apparently you never saw the original seasons of SNL. Gilda Radner played a rambunctious little girl, without ever resorting to the inside-jokeyness of Caitlin.
Who are you to say that the Tennis sketch was filler...do you even know how the "process" of SNL works? Filler means to fill time, the opposite is always true; they are always pressed for time. The Tennis sketch was brilliant. My guess is that it was written by one of the new writers (Jorma, Akiva, or the guy who wrote "The Man Who Married a Hot Dog Sketch"). The new writers come from a much freer place, far from the forms that the older writers have fallen into.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Trim the fat, Lorne. Take out everyone but the featured players, add Jorma Taccone, another girl, and a new "black guy." Then, fire all the writers except those hired in the past year and the show will thank you for it."
-The Fox has spoken.
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5-07-2006 @ 9:11PM
Jim said...
I don't know what my comments about the Caitlin sketch have to do with Gilda Radner.
Now that you mention it, the tennis sketch was brilliant ... compared to "The Man Who Married A Hot Dog."
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5-07-2006 @ 10:01PM
Tom Chatman said...
the only thing 1991 about that testicles skit was your accuracy of anything of the show...i guess they let anyone review tv these daze..
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5-07-2006 @ 10:02PM
Matt Garon said...
The Chad and Will separated at birth thing is so true. Years ago the Chilis were on Muchmusic promoting Californication and a kid in the audience pointed it out. They had a huge poster of each band member on the set and the pic of Chad was really close up, looked exactly like WF. Apparently the guys in the band had never noticed, but then Will wasn't that big of a deal back then either.
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5-07-2006 @ 11:03PM
evilbeanman said...
I thought that it was actually a pretty funny episode compared to what's been happening lately on SNL. Tom Hanks was a really good host and did a good job of embracing each character that he did. I thought that it was funny how Hanks out-acted Fred Armisen in the Universal Theme Park sketch when the majority of the lines were just "MA!" Anyways, I also enjoyed the bits with Keenan. His reaction at the end of the digital short (testicles) was hilarious. In Colin's Place, I thought Keenan did a great job delivering lines and actually ACTING. I loved the line "gimme yo clothes so i can put them in a pot an' make gorilla soup!" RHCP was awesome but I thought that the sound technician did a crappy job of balancing everything...the bass and drums were barely audible and the guitar and vocal levels were waaaay up. They played well but the sound guy did a bad job. Overall it was a pretty good episode!
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5-07-2006 @ 11:06PM
David said...
I thought Colin's Place was a great sketch but I figured most the viewers wouldn't remember Sanford & Son enough to enjoy the homage. I thought it was very well done.
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5-08-2006 @ 12:13AM
Jim said...
> I thought that it was funny how Hanks out-acted Fred Armisen in the Universal Theme Park sketch ...
Yeah, it's hilarious that a two-time Academy Award-winner can "out-act" a drummer responsible for Nunie sketch. (I'll give Armisen credit, though: He does a great Tony Danza.)
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5-08-2006 @ 9:42AM
RuDee said...
Rick is Caitlin's stepfather, not brother. If you look at it from that perspective, maybe it would be funnier. (Yeah right...)
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5-08-2006 @ 10:58AM
Aaron said...
Johnathan, I NEVER agree with your reviews of this show.
First, The wheel of fortune sketch worked because Tom Hanks did a great altered Pat Sajack impression, and Tina was halarious as a dumb vanna.
I think the Caitlin sketch is awesome. I think that its really funny to watch the chemistry between Haratio and Amy, and I think that Amy hits the hyper kid right on the head. And everytime I watch this sketch I always feel like Haratio is Amy's step father, not her brother. I always get a little "awwwww" moment at the end because Amy is SO over the top annoying, but Haratio is always there to be a good dad at the end.
The Digital short was funny, the begining and end with all the guys dressed up like the 90's was the best part.
The only sketch that you were right about was the Universal Theme Park, good idea, way to long.
Colin's Place funny (should have had some jokes about Michael Powell and the FCC) Tennis snobs was in fact horrid.
Of all the reviews I read on TV Squad, I look forward to yours the least. Maybe you should watch the show on Sunday morning when you are a little more rested or something.
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5-08-2006 @ 12:07PM
Sean Kelley said...
Where is the opening sequence of SNL filmed? What bar is that?
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5-08-2006 @ 12:14PM
Tucker said...
Colin's place was brilliant, one of the only SNL sketches worth watching of late.
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5-08-2006 @ 1:18PM
Katie said...
Did anyone think that the Colin's Place sketch may have been a bit racist towards Condi Rice? It's one thing to insult a woman's appearance; that's fair game for any girl. But the "gorilla soup" joke was what struck me as blatantly derogatory
This episode was so-so. Like the Steve Martin sketch, it went in with high expectations
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5-08-2006 @ 1:33PM
Julie Id said...
Why has no one commented on Tina Fey using the F-word?! In fact, why isn't drudge and the internet in general alive about this????
I happened to be taping it, and replay it several times. There's no way it was "freaking" or "frickin" as the CCD claimed. She said it.
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5-08-2006 @ 3:54PM
Robert F. Kent said...
I'm pretty sure that's writer Liz Cackowski playing the role of Vanna White, not Tina Fey. I just can't conceive of Fey agreeing to play a minor character with no dialogue in a sketch; throwaway roles such as these are often cast to the featured performers or members of the writing staff. That was also Cackowski who initiated the Q&A monologue with Hanks.
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5-08-2006 @ 5:42PM
Paul said...
Mr. Kent... unless you have no idea what Tina Fey looks like, how can you not realize it was Tina Fey playing Vanna White? And Fey looks nothing like Cackowski. Plus, it was actually the best character in that sketch, IMO. Not at all "throwaway".
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