TVSquad

(S34E18) When I heard The Rock -- I mean, Dwayne Johnson -- was hosting again, the first image that popped into my mind was him in that Mr. Peepers sketch with Chris Kattan back in the day. I believe red overalls, apples, and aggressive humping was involved. Though Mr. Johnson traded in his red overalls for a sequined black halter top in this episode, he still did incredibly well. I had forgotten: Those aren't muscles; the guy has had charisma surgically inserted into his upper body over the past decade for easy access. Anyone else would have looked like an idiot trying to pull off The Rock Obama. Check out some video highlights and see what I mean.

Cold Open: This was a funny, though not particularly strong, cold open. With all this talk about our rapidly dying economy, as Farnsworth once said, "Hahaha! Oh, I made myself sad."


Monologue: This could have easily stumbled into cringe-worthy territory, but that man pulled it off, both in the song and the dance. Color me impressed and slightly weirded out.



MacGruber: The evening's "MacGruber" bits were actually really good. Having a Pepsi-free version with Richard Dean Anderson was fantastic and the overall timing was perfect. Way to be a good sport and bring back MacGyver.



The Rock Obama: First of all, I pray to God that Rahm Emanuel acts like that in real life, because that's how he is in my imagination. Secondly, Dwayne Johnson's Obama impression wasn't too shabby. His propped up ears didn't hurt either. However, the strangest part the accidental (?) boob grab as he tossed Kristen Wiig out the window. There was a split-second flicker of awkwardness... and then she was gone. Ah, comedy.



Hawaiian Hotel: This offered a few chuckles. Dwayne Johnson's over-enthusiastic dancing was especially delightful, as was "Aloha hard."



Weekend Update: Wow, they didn't upload the surprise appearance by Justin Timberlake as Cathy's boyfriend? Also, Jessica Biel as the cartoonishly busty Jessica Rabbit? That was weird. It's going to be extra-weird when they break up and that will be their most memorable public appearance together. The Michael Steele bit was pretty funny and Jon Bovi was surprisingly good, although I found my attention shifting between Will Forte's angry caterpillar of a moustache and his mesh tank top.





Activia Commercial: Hey! Writer guy! It's been a while since we've seen writers do tiny roles in sketches. It felt like it was almost the norm in the late 90s/early 2000s. Anyway, this was mildly amusing. For people that love poo jokes, this must have been a riot, though.



NBC Promos: For the love of God, let Darrell Hammond go home. In other news, bleached hair is not a good look for Dwayne Johnson.



Sports Show: Again, a few chuckles here and there. It seems like Kenan Thompson always gets stuck as the "disapproving guy off-camera." Not that I mind.



Lighthouse: Pretty typical end-of-the-night sketch. I liked that Andy Samberg seemed to be the only one getting water thrown at him for a good while.