TVSquad

(S34E21) When it came to everything unrelated to jazz hands, my expectations for Zac Efron were pretty low. Then again, there was part of me that kept thinking back to Justin Timberlake's first time hosting; he was just another song-and-dance good guy but the enthusiasm and craziness he brought to his performances blew everyone away. Okay, so Efron didn't do as well as Timberlake, but as the evening progressed, Efron seemed to get a little more comfortable and delivered a not-too-cingeworthy performance. Consider that a massive victory.

Here are some video highlights from the evening.

Cold Open (Joe Biden and Barack Obama): I'm really loving Jason Sudeikis's over-excited take on Joe Biden. The dynamic between his Biden and Fred Armisen's Barack Obama is coming along nicely, though I kind of wish they'd give Obama a little bit more character. He's cool. And that's about it.



Monologue: Oh, Efron. Unnecessary slide. The 'tween angle of this monologue was almost inevitable, though I must applaud him and the writers for not instantly making it a full-on musical number. Efron started working in that grating Disney Channel inflection (if you watch enough kids' telelvision, you'll notice it; it's a very campy sort of "This is the punchline!" tone), which made me nervous for the rest of the episode. Thankfully, he dropped it after a few sketches. Also, I managed to age myself about forty years for half-mumbling, "My God, get a haircut" when Efron brushed some strands out of his face. In other news, I hate kids on my lawn.



Gilly: Wow, she's back. As much as I adore Kristen Wiig, I'm not a big fan of Gilly. Maybe it just depends on the host, since they're the only part mixing up the formula.



"Cool Bar": This was all right; the best part was probably that little toddler at the very end. Those gerbils (opposite of cougars) must have been ready to pass out, breathing the same air as Zac Efron.



Weekend Update: A pretty good Update this week. Fred Armisen and Bill Hader's gay couple from New Jersey returned, delivering this gem:

Couple: We were just agreeing that we like you a lot better without your beard.
Seth: I never had a beard.
Couple: We meant Amy Poehler.

Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis's Jon Bovi band also came back. The combination of Forte's super-happy smile and mesh tank top makes me nervous. Finally, Michaela Watkins came back as the "Bitch, please!" blogger. I'm pretty sure she's the only person that could pull off that character. Also, I couldn't help but admire that beautiful iced coffee spill. I probably would have accidentally let it topple all over Seth Meyers.







"High School Musical 4": This was my favorite sketch of the night. Efron's delivery was pretty much perfect, a welcome change from some of his more forced delivery in the earlier in the evening.



Foot Massage: No video for this. I just wanted to mention how gross it was. It was gross. There. Bravo, Zac Efron. You are far braver than I.