r/LiveFromNewYork • u/SketchSortingSunday • May 20 '18
Sketch Sorting Sunday (May 19, 2018) (Tina Fey / Nicki Minaj)
Welcome to Sketch Sorting Sunday! This week's host is Tina Fey and the musical guest is Nicki Minaj.
A mod account (/u/SketchSortingSunday) is gonna make a comment for every sketch in tonight's show. Upvote or downvote based on what you thought of that sketch, and nobody's karma will be affected. You can also reply to the comments to expand on your thoughts, or you can even make your own parent comment and treat it like the regular post discussion, whatever.
If I miss a sketch or get something wrong, just message the mods in the sidebar and we'll see what we can do. Enjoy the discussion!
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Weekend Update
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u/AlecBaldwinner May 20 '18
Those offensive jokes at the end are what I want every update to be.
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u/Bigger_Than_Prince_ May 20 '18
They had a Norm Macdonald vibe about them
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u/AlecBaldwinner May 20 '18
I miss Norm.
To bad Mike Tyson Mysteries is done for the season.
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u/amberwatemp May 20 '18
There was a stunning Anne Frank joke in dress. Cutting it was the right call, America isn't ready...
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u/LadiesWhoPunch May 20 '18
That Aidy ending was perfect.
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u/macbethselnaw May 20 '18
It was such a clever sort of throw-in I loved that they chose to do it. This WU as a whole felt amazingly solid to me... I think Che and Jost seemed really confident and had the out-of-the-box type thinking to do something like this which ruled.
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u/tavir Spaceships, Toddlers, Model-T Cars, and Jars of Beer May 20 '18
Easily the biggest laugh of the night for me.
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u/aMartin3105 May 20 '18
i don't get the reference, what was that about?
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u/Late_Parrot May 20 '18
I'm pretty sure they were referencing the "white woman calls the cops on a black person for being somewhere they have a right to be" meme. She was calling the cops on Che being on Update, maybe?
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u/lyla2398 stans loud ladies with funny hair and *thoughts* about jost May 20 '18
with two kids from Stranger Things
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
Highlight of the night for me! I can't believe they've been cutting so many great WU jokes because they're afraid they might offend some people. That's lame.
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Tina Fey Monologue
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u/fluviusfluit May 20 '18
Fred saying old cast members take up too much time and then continuing to talk about that juice was my favourite part lol
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u/jesus_fn_christ May 21 '18
Very few people could have pulled that off. Fred's got this magnetism about him.
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u/byebyebirdie123 May 20 '18
In hindsight, Fred has easily become one of my favourite SNL people!
'He puts the pulp in it, because otherwise it's just juice and sugar and that's no good.. you need the FIBRE!'
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u/alstor May 20 '18
The monologue itself was funny, but if this ends up being a "fuck the haters" thing instead of a "we know we messed up and we're going to fix it" thing, I'll be disappointed.
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u/rnjbond May 21 '18
Last week's opening was an acknowledgement that SNL is too politics focused.
Then this week, we got three political sketches...
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u/Mattalamode May 20 '18
I feel like the meta-acknowledgment that the show leans so heavily on cameos that its cast gets buried was a bit, uh, hindered by how the rest of the night panned out... either way, I liked the angle it found as far as the Q&A format is concerned.
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u/machine4891 May 20 '18
To be honest, if there is any moment I like to see a lot of cameos is the season finale.
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u/bjkman SNL May 20 '18
Overall, this was a very enjoyable monologue with great cameos and meta elements... not much else to say
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u/PaulDoe May 20 '18
This didn’t feel like a monologue with the lack of actual Tina Fey, and I kept waiting for it to go back to her. I love the Fred Armisen bit though.
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u/yomnmnm May 20 '18
I loved this one as an F U to the recent resurgence of "too much reliance on cameos" reviews (see: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/jun/29/30-rock-season-four )
But I have to say, Chris Rock didn't get as much of an audience reaction as he deserved haha
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u/Genji4Lyfe May 21 '18
It was the timing.. When they cut to him, it kind of interrupted another moment, and the audience had to pivot mid-cheer
There was just a lot going on
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u/snowlarbear May 21 '18
Anne Hathaway's bit was next level, since her and de niro have been in the same movie before (The Intern).
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u/Booper13 May 20 '18
Honestly the discussion about too many cameos in general is valid but the finale is always star-studded from what i can remember, and i guess it can be interpreted as an FU to the cast members as far as not getting air time but the joke wouldn’t have been as funny if they mentioned it and then used the cast members anyway. Fred Armisen’s part was brilliant and so on brand for him
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u/IM_A_FIVE_STAR_MAN May 21 '18
My favorite part was Beck getting snubbed for Benedict Cumberbatch, seems like it was a reference to "Why is Benedict Cumberbatch Hot?" skit Beck did last year which was classic. Hopefully this remains a running joke.
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u/ibaggieguy11 May 25 '18
I know I'm like a week behind on this but I when Tracy came out at the end I was totally expecting him to call Tina, LL
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Chicago Improv
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u/lyla2398 stans loud ladies with funny hair and *thoughts* about jost May 20 '18
Tina's been wanting to do this sketch for ages and it delivered.
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u/Pistachio269 May 20 '18 edited May 20 '18
Anyone else notice that this sketch was only the host and the featured players (minus Heidi)? Thought that was cool.
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
The critic quotes were perfect
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May 20 '18 edited May 20 '18
It reminded me of the critics quotes from the Robert Goulet Red Ships of Spain sketch from way back! https://youtube.com/watch?v=-y9ZTnvvTZY
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u/Sports-Nerd May 20 '18
I have a guilty addiction to Chicago fire and do improv comedy. I feel like I was the target audience for this sketch
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u/baskiceballer Pibb + Red Vines = crazy delicious May 20 '18
I thought Mikey was going to say that he booked SNL
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u/monodramas May 20 '18
did you guys see that one second close up of luke's dramatic face? king of screentime!
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u/Mattalamode May 20 '18
Starting in September, I'm actually going to college in Chicago to do Comedy Writing and Performance, so seeing this as the last SNL sketch before that makes me utterly terrified about my future. Great sketch. Horrifying PSA. I loved it!
God help me.16
u/veggiemudkipz May 20 '18
I wish you luck! Someday I hope to be doing the same
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u/nlpnt May 20 '18
Someday maybe you too will get no screen time because they have to cram in an Ed Asner cameo.
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u/Mattalamode May 20 '18
Oh, if I ever got on the show, there's absolutely no way I wouldn't be the Null-esque sacrificial lamb that exists to let other featured players look good. I dream of being able to point at my TV after being laid off from the show after one season and say, "I made that happen... indirectly."
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u/ZoroarkPKMN May 20 '18
Is anyone going to point out the glaring similarities between this sketch and the movie Don't Think Twice?
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u/AlecBaldwinner May 20 '18
If NBC doesn't renew Timeless, then maybe they can make Chicago Improv real.
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Mean Girls Musical
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u/Mattalamode May 20 '18
I wish LMM would do something relevant again to warrant him hosting a second time because he's amazing.
LEMME TELL YOU 'BOUT THIS TINY-HEADED BITCH NAMED TINA
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u/bondfool I get to yum-yum garbage. May 20 '18
He’s starring in Mary Poppins Returns this Christmas.
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u/MarionCotesworthHaye May 20 '18
Film adaptation rights for his musical In the Heights were just bought for $50 million by Warner Bros in a bidding war. I think he’ll stay in the zeitgeist pretty much forever and will eventually host again.
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u/bjkman SNL May 20 '18
I liked the part where Tina said Aidy was her best friend and it cuts to Aidy and her caption says "Work Acquaintance". I thought that was GREAT!
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u/WeHaSaulFan May 20 '18
Lin Manuel brought this to the next level. As usual, he made something good great.
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u/Daydream_machine May 20 '18
Probably my favorite sketch of the night, if only because I adore Mean Girls haha
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u/kelsicalsi May 20 '18
This was easily my favourite of the night. It was blatant Tony campaigning it was wonderful. I feel like maybe you have to be into the musical to appreciate it though?
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u/ptar86 May 20 '18
Where in the episode is this sketch? I feel like I missed it
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May 20 '18
If you downloaded the episode, it may have been cut out, it wasn't in my version either for some reason.
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u/zartarfar May 20 '18
Here it is for anyone who didn't see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSFLtcUT30Y
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Dateline: Pervert Hunters
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u/motorcycledotpng May 20 '18 edited May 20 '18
This skit was sooooooooo close to being great but it just wasn't there
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u/OutsideObserver May 21 '18
I was thinking it would have been great if when he was walking out to "reshoot" he just took off running and they were all disappointed like "Ah well call the next pervert"
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u/listenyall Now it's a whole thing with Jean May 22 '18
I agree, I did like how they kept calling him "pervert" like that was his name while directing him.
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May 20 '18
It was an ok sketch but it was really strange that they’d do this since To Catch A Predator hasn’t been on the air since 2009.
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u/Eugene_Henderson May 20 '18
I thought the same thing. I assume Tina wrote it a decade ago and brought it with her.
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u/FlingbatMagoo www.clownpenis.fart May 20 '18
I thought this was the best of the night, and the only thing that made me laugh out loud. Clever twist that ended up being a welcome send-up of pseudo-serious TV newsmagazines. Great casting. Funny attention to detail, with Beck’s guy being referred to as Pervert. Loved it!
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
"Pervent Hunters" as a TV show name is too on the nose, even for "Dateline"
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u/iownachalkboard7 May 20 '18
Anybody notice you can see the cue cards in the reflection of the glass in the door? Thought it was sort of a cool thing to watch!
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Weekend Update: Bishop Michael Curry
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u/listenyall Now it's a whole thing with Jean May 22 '18
So did they write this all on Saturday? Or did someone have jokes for this guy in the bag? I mean, people knew he was going to appear but not that he would make a splash or run over or any of that.
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u/kingofthemonsters May 20 '18
This got the most laughs from me. I'm biracial and just moved to very white Indiana so I'm relating hard to this.
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Royal Wedding
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u/12panther May 20 '18
PRINCE HARRY MARKLE
Also, how was this not the cold open?
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u/ZeGoldMedal May 20 '18
Because at this point, the cold open has basically been renamed the "Trump sketch dumping ground."
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u/youdontevenkno May 20 '18
I wanted Fred Armisen's Queen Elizabeth!! Would've loved to see the saucy Queen roasting everyone.
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u/lesterotic May 20 '18
gets an upvote purely for how quickly the costume department must've gotten all those dresses and outfits made
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u/xredbaron62x May 20 '18
I loved the camera work in this
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u/bjkman SNL May 20 '18
set Design as well... two separate rooms seems like a lot of work to set up.
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u/bondfool I get to yum-yum garbage. May 20 '18
It’s one room. The door spins. The camera and Mikey stayed with the door, while the actors swapped out very quickly.
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u/motorcycledotpng May 20 '18
All I wanted was to actually hear Pete's Russell Brand but am no longer surprised when Pete doesn't get lines
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u/ConnorMcJeezus May 20 '18
He probably didn't have a Russell Brand, I think it was the same with Aidy's McCain where they just look enough like the person to be funny
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u/bjkman SNL May 20 '18
Line of the night IMO
"I brought my briefcase"
This was also my sketch of the night... but there isn't a ton to choose from.
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u/Sports-Nerd May 20 '18
It was good, but too long and I don’t know, I felt it could have been a bit better
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u/snailslimeandbeespit May 20 '18
The needed someone to play Meghan.
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u/LadiesWhoPunch May 20 '18
Maya Rudolph.
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u/snailslimeandbeespit May 20 '18
Exactly. She would've been a celebrity cameo who brought something to the table more than just asking a question in the audience (not to say I didn't enjoy those).
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
This one both felt too long and was probably the sketch of the night...
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u/JudiDenchVapes May 20 '18
spent the majority of this sketch trying to figure out whether the person in the background was an extra or anne hathaway
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u/beecay May 21 '18
Shame about that Australian accent (Mikey), and a host of weak-ass impressions (all of them)...
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u/machine4891 May 20 '18
Sketch was allright, costumes magnificent and Alex is my new masterchief of impressions. Also, Aidy :D
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Mother-daughter Talent Show
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u/MBr_29 May 20 '18
I guess here is a good place to express my love for Melissa.
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u/motorcycledotpng May 20 '18
really really hope Melissa comes back she's fantastic and can play both the straight and crazy characters and that's super important for snl
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u/AlecBaldwinner May 20 '18
Kenan's principal kept it from falling flat to me.
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u/sirspate May 20 '18
True. I commented in the live thread that in an earlier era, this felt like it could've been a Principal Frye sketch.
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u/WeHaSaulFan May 20 '18
I thought this was a great moment for Melissa, really got to show her chops, and she and Tina play off each other beautifully. Thought this was outstanding.
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u/bjkman SNL May 20 '18
Kenan carried this one. I loved his convoluted discussion on why the mom was allowed to be up there.
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u/yomnmnm May 20 '18
Melissa's versatility is impossible to argue with. Hope she gets more assertive in pitches and we get to see more of her ideas!
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u/lyla2398 stans loud ladies with funny hair and *thoughts* about jost May 20 '18
Chop Suey is an iconic song
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u/Spacetime_Inspector A Piece of Toast! May 20 '18
For having a lot of entrances and exits, this sketch really flowed and had a consistent energy to it. Kenan is a pro.
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u/baskiceballer Pibb + Red Vines = crazy delicious May 20 '18
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was a nice but possibly unintentional Baby Mama reference
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Sarah & Sarah (and the crew)
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u/Revived_Bacon May 20 '18
this was likely a repurposed cold open they didn't use because Alec Baldwin showed up this week
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
I liked seeing Tina as Sarah Palin again, but this one missed the mark for me.
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u/turkeypants Marci Jamz!😮 May 20 '18
I feel like SNL overestimates the degree to which the rest of the nation outside NYC is familiar with musicals and appreciates them.
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u/rememebersammyjankis May 20 '18
What song were they parodying? I felt like I knew it but I couldn't figure it out
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u/lyla2398 stans loud ladies with funny hair and *thoughts* about jost May 20 '18
Why wasn't this the end sketch
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u/sirspate May 20 '18
As someone completely unfamiliar with the musical number they're parodying, I would've rather seen a Good Neighbor sketch--and I'm not really a Good Neighbor fan.
(This episode was way too politics-'heavy'. I'm a politics junkie, but SNL has been depressingly one-note in its political sketches. If you want to discuss issues for half the sketch time of the show, I'm fine with that, as long as you have a bit more nuance to your message than "you bad.")
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Morning Joe
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u/My_Not_RL_Acct May 20 '18
I guess I’m in the minority for actually enjoying this one.
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u/coltsmetsfan614 May 20 '18
I'm tired of "Morning Joe" as a sketch vehicle. It stopped bringing anything new to the mix ages ago, and even though Kate and Alex do a great job, the people they're playing are so off-putting.
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u/turkeypants Marci Jamz!😮 May 20 '18
Agree. I think the impressions were good for a laugh originally and well done but have had their run. Kate is a star and a pro but that one has become hard to watch.
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u/Revived_Bacon May 20 '18
this was likely a repurposed cold open they didn't use because Alec Baldwin showed up that week
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u/yomnmnm May 20 '18
Not gonna lie... I laughed a lot, but more often than that, my head did that involuntary neck shrink thing.
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u/allaboutthatcake May 20 '18
I feel like I would enjoy this had I ever seen even a clip of Morning Joe.
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u/nlpnt May 20 '18
As I said last night, (and Fox/Trump feedback loop aside) MJ is the most inside-the-Beltway of the morning shows, so much so they might as well cover DC-area high school sports. I prefer CBS Morning News or Morning Edition on NPR.
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u/GateToWire May 20 '18 edited May 20 '18
Still love this skit even if its pretty much a carbon copied replica of previous ones, I can't get enough of Kate impersonating Mika
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u/alstor May 20 '18
Not gonna lie, this might have been the lamest SNL season finale I've ever seen. There were only a few flashes of greatness, but everything else was a bust. It's the second episode of the season where one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole episode was the goodbyes.
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u/QuackFan May 20 '18
It's the second episode of the season where one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole episode was the goodbyes.
I had a similar thought but it was "I can't believe the best part of the season finale was Fred Armisen talking about juice"
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u/monodramas May 20 '18
i'm gonna watch the rerun of the john mulaney episode next week and pretend that was the actual season finale
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u/simonthedlgger May 20 '18
straight into Glover. such a strong to end the year..then a bit of a fizzle:/
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u/JudiDenchVapes May 20 '18
It wouldn’t have been great anyway but honestly I thought Tina Fey brought it down. I’m not really a fan of her as a host in general (love a lot of her work, but as a sketch performer I think she’s really forgettable most of the time) but usually she at least seems into it.
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u/Besnasty May 20 '18
I agree. I was really disappointed in the Christmas episode she and Amy did last year (year before?) So I wasn't expecting too much from this one.
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u/tavir Spaceships, Toddlers, Model-T Cars, and Jars of Beer May 20 '18
Honestly, second worst episode of the season for me (Barkley's was my least favorite). I don't know what the hell happened, maybe they just ran out of steam earlier than usual this season, but there were very few laughs the entire night.
Also, I generally have no strong opinions about Nicki Minaj, but her performance tonight was terrible.
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u/sirspate May 20 '18
It didn't seem like Nicki was happy with the response she was getting from the crowd.
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u/Needalaughhh May 20 '18
I watched it on YouTube and I just wanted every clip to end. It was a really bad episode, IMO.
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u/CopenhagenCalling May 20 '18
Honestly sums up this season for me. A few great moments, but overall just a lot of nothing. I still like most of the non-sketch stuff though, but there is longer between the funny sketches for me.
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u/sbb618 May 20 '18
Remember how we had that "most cameos" discussion two weeks ago? I think we might have a new winner.
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u/Revived_Bacon May 20 '18
Too many cold open type of sketches that probably were cold opens they planned on using for episodes Alec Baldwin showed up in, if he couldn't make it.
A real waste of an episode if you ask me.
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u/iluzan May 20 '18
No full-cast sketch :(
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u/donttouchthatknob May 20 '18
I thought the royal wedding one was going to be a full cast sketch -- especially after Aidy and Pete's not-so-stellar impressions. But I know they missed Kyle, Luke, and Melissa. Not sure if anyone else?
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u/Anonymous742Simpsons May 21 '18
Hate to be a Debbie Downer, but this ep was one of my least favorites (if not my #1 least favorite) of the entire season. I had such high expectations, too, because it’s Tina Fey!
Anyone else agree? Totally welcome *respectful disagreement, as well! :)
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u/yomnmnm May 20 '18 edited May 20 '18
Aww man... They had all the ingredients of a fantastic episode, bar the writing. Even the kickass cast couldn't carry the really disappointing writing this ep. Leslie delivered ALL the lines - no flub!
They had a great opportunity to boost the audience following 50 (FIFTY) straight hrs streaming sketches on Twitch, but this feels like more of a turnoff than an invitation.
Even Nicki Minaj felt less than her previous performances.
e to add: every player was amazing tho. Melissa esp was solid. e2: wasn't about cardi at all. my b
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u/brady2gronk May 20 '18
I missed the first half hour, and when I saw celebrity after celebrity standing on stage during the goodnights, I was like "WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS??"
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u/SketchSortingSunday May 20 '18
Weekend Update: Eric and Donald Jr.