Recap: 'Saturday Night Live' Premiere - Seth MacFarlane and Frank Ocean
'SNL' launches its 38th season by giving new exposure to familiar stars
Frank Ocean and Seth MacFarlane of "Saturday Night Live"
Credit: NBC
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Every season of “Saturday Night Live” is a beast unto itself. But in my short time recapping episodes for HitFix, the time between seasons has seen the most change. Stalwarts Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg are gone. Jason Sudeikis will join them in a few months. Three new cast members (Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong) have been added as featured players. Lorne Michaels finally decided to let Jay Pharoah play President Obama. These aren’t seismic changes, to be certain. The show has handled more turnover in its past. And no one expects the overall quality of the show to take a sudden downhill turn even with the aforementioned changes.
But maybe people should expect more from the show this season. At the very least, they should expect something different. I wrote up ten suggestions last week for “SNL,” and while I don’t expect the powers that be to stop production and have every member of the writer’s room read that gallery (although let’s be frank, that would be the smart thing to do!), I do expect the change in the show’s onscreen talent to inevitable change the overall makeup of the show. Such change is built into the program’s DNA, and has kept it a part of the pop culture landscape for nearly thirty years. How successful the writing of the show adapts to the new cast composition will go a long way to determining the show’s success this season.
So I’ll keep a keen eye on which cast members break out, which ones recede, and how the new combinations possible given the absence of Wiig and Samberg affect the in-sketch dynamics. The lucky first host to be part of this ongoing comedic experiment? Seth MacFarlane, who took time to leap off his big pile of money AMASSED from his FOX animated comedies and this past summer’s surprise box-office smash “Ted” to come down and host the show for us little people. Along for the ride is musical act Frank Ocean, a writer/producer who entered the public consciousness over this past year through both his music (the album “Channel Orange”) and his personal life (announcing publicly that his first love was a man).
Will Ocean stay on stage, or join so many previous musical guests in appearing in sketches as well? Will he help pen an opening monologue song for MacFarlane? What is the future of pre-produced comedic content on the show? Will Pharaoh’s chance to shine be a mere imitation of Obama or a unique impersonation? Will the women of the cast have a chance to form their own version of the female-led ensembles that represent some of the show’s finest seasons? So many questions, and only one way to answer them: by grading each segment of the show as they happen in real time. After that, you tell me how wrong I was, how I have no business covering a show that hasn’t been funny in years, and then we do the whole thing again next week. We cool? Cool. Onto the recap!
Democratic Rally: You can put away the “Free Jay Pharaoh” cards, everyone: IT’S A NEW DAY! Nice hand off from Fred Armisen there, even if it seemed like a slight dig as well. (“Wouldn’t want THAT job!” Armisen’s warm-up speaker notes.) Obama notes that while his campaign is in trouble, but he has a secret weapon: Mitt Romney himself. “He makes me laugh,” notes Obama, and know what makes ME laugh? Pharaoh as Obama! It’s not just because he actually sounds like the President, but because he’s got the intonations, pauses, and a mixture of arrogance and amusement that at least announces the show finally has an angle in which to explore the sitting President. No more cringing during the inevitable slew of political cold opens this Fall? Works for me. [Grade: B]
Monologue: MacFarlane takes the stage, looking dapper and ready to go. He notes that he’s famous for doing lots of voices, but he’s happy to be there as himself. So, naturally, he starts doing voices from “Family Guy” right away. It’s like a Jeff Dunham performance, only without puppets. (Also, it’s amusing, which is way more than I can say for Dunham.) He then segues into a song “My Head Is Filled With Voices,” and anyone who has watched “Family Guy” knows MacFarlane has a great singing voice. It’s fairly tame, albeit pleasant, until an anti-Semitic Kermit the Frog enters the fray. Not that tame is bad, mind you. But those expecting “Family Guy”-levels of offense are probably worried that “SNL” will defang MacFarlane. [Grade: B+]
Obama Political Ad: Several disgruntled citizens rail against Mitt Romney via Bain Capital, accusing the Republican Presidential candidate of increasingly personal attacks. Kenan Thompson’s aggrieved character, who apparently left job after job in a desperate attempt to avoid the eye of Bain, made me laugh loud enough to wake the dog. Now, poor J.J. is worried Bain Capital will close down this recap and I won’t be able to afford to buy any more treats. [Grade: B]
Sex After 50: Whoa, Cecily Strong gets the lead in her first sketch? Oh wait, of course not. While she’s in the fake opening credits for the sketch, we get one of Fred Armisen’s least appealing recurring characters, Roger Brush, instead. (A whole summer to think up ideas, and we’re back to this awful excuse for comedy.) While we got a Strong fake-out, we do get Tim Robinson in his first onscreen appearance as MacFarlane’s boyfriend. He even gets a line! The one highlight here? Kate McKinnon’s brief appearance near the end of the sketch. I wouldn’t mind a spin-off of that spinster. Otherwise? Completely forgettable. [Grade: C-]
Clint Eastwood…And Chair: C’mon. You KNEW this was coming. It’s a fairly rote take on the comedic equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. But by the time Eastwood sang a duet with an invisible Jon Voight, I was finally into it. Too bad that’s pretty much exactly where the pre-produced sketch ended. Maybe we’ll get a series of these tonight? I understand this was probably a topic that couldn’t be done live. But the type of awkward, pause-driven humor that would have ensued would have been right up Norm MacDonald’s alley. [Grade: B-]
Lids Club: Apparently, mostly douches work at Lids. Noted. Also there? Internet sensation Psy, there to perform “Gangham Style” when the boys get down on the job. Is this the appropriate point to note that Bobby Moynihan is portraying Psy, even though Psy is Korean? And is now a good time to note how the fact that “SNL” doesn’t have a single Asian male on the show to portray Psy is indicative of the show’s casting diversity issues? Psy himself eventually appears in the segment, because of course he does. Oh joy. Here’s one of those sketches that will be out of date in about three weeks. I’m sure there are plenty who enjoyed this in the here and now. But whenever “SNL” creates sketches that only accentuate how largely monochromatic its cast is compared to the varied landscape of comedic talent available, it’s just slightly depressing. [Grade: C-]
Introduction to Puppetry: Remember that earlier Dunham reference? Apparently I’m a prophet. Anthony Coleman, dishonorably discharged in the early ‘80s, creates a puppet named Tony through which he can reveal his darkest days as a soldier. Coleman is the type of character that Will Forte once did in his sleep. (That’s not a knock on Hader. I just miss Forte.) MacFarlane’s teacher keeps trying to rein in Coleman, to no avail. Coleman is a fantastic comic creation within a strong comic premise. On top of that, the sketch builds Coleman’s puppetry in a way that it makes sense for Coleman to eventually start having a three-way make out session with his puppet and Vanessa Bayer’s “shop ‘til you drop” puppet. Props as well to Bayer for the understated way she sells her desire at the proceedings. Oh, “SNL”, you anger me so, and then drop gems like this. [Grade: A]
Frank Ocean takes the stage to perform “Thinking About You”. He has old-school arcade games onstage as set dressing, which automatically makes this the greatest performance in “SNL” history. (They are generic arcade consoles, ostensibly due to prohibitively expensive costs to use “Millipede”.) Given how many artists give frenetic-bordering-on-spastic performances in order to sell themselves to the large “SNL” audience at home, Ocean is content to sit on a stool center stage and let the audience lean in. The spare guitar line that opens the song gives way to a more expansive, haunting arrangement as the song progresses. Ocean’s falsetto is packed with emotion as the song ends. Really strong performance by Ocean. [Grade: A-]
Weekend Update: Honey Boo Boo and “Mama” from “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” take the stage to discuss how their show got higher ratings than either political convention. (That’s not true, factually, but let’s ignore that in favor of Bayer and Moynihan.) It seems like many in the audience don’t know that “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” is subtitled. Bayer is fine here, but it’s Moynihan who steals this segment. MacFarlane then appears as Ryan Lochte as swimmer-turned-TV-critic. Just watch: in real life, Lochte will probably take all our jobs now. (Sorry, Sepinwall. Sorry, Fienberg. Sorry, anyone who reads.) Also? “Oh man, it feels so weird to be dry,” sounds like something the real Lochte would actually say. Strong finally makes her first actual appearance in-show as Mimi Morales. Strong is playing a Hispanic woman because, well, no Hispanic women in America are apparently good at sketch comedy. (According to “SNL”, apparently. Sigh. I know. Moving on.) Strong is fine in this role, and my concerns about her role here have nothing to do with her and everything with those in the power to hire a more diverse cast in the off chance they need to portray a Korean rap star or a Hispanic political activist. This isn’t affirmative action. It’s common freakin’ sense in 2012. As for Seth Myers, he seems much more energetic than near the end of last season. Let’s see how long this lasts. [Grade: B-]
Basic Training: MacFarlane is a drill sergeant who is crippling self-conscious about his stuttering. It’s a simple premise for a sketch, but delivered by all involved with a crispness in its execution that lifts the proceedings above normal fare. From phrasing questions in a way that confuse the cadets to dropping into song in order to overcome a difficult word, the sketch offered MacFarlane plenty of notes to play within the short timespan. The stuttering got a little too much near the end, but that was the logical progression for the sketch to make. Will anyone remember this sketch tomorrow? Probably not. But it was perfectly fine in the moment, and didn’t make me cringe. So there’s that. [Grade: B]
Style Makeover: MacFarlane’s look in this sketch is Stewie Griffin via The Iron Sheik from WWE. Thank you, Image That Will Haunt My Dreams For A Month. Thompson’s host makes over MacFarlane in his own image, from clothes to dating advice to ultimately offering the couple an all-inclusive trip to see the African premiere of “Think Like A Man”. The audience ate this sketch up, but it felt from this vantage point that the sketch made its point once MacFarlane appeared onstage. After that, it simply milked time until it ended. Thompson had plenty of energy, and MacFarlane and Bayer seemed game as the couple on the show. But ultimately, the description for this sketch could read, “Funny suits are funny!” [Grade: C]
Blind Date: Nasim Pedrad Speaks! Amen! I was just making my “Free Nasim Pedrad!” sign, since my “Free Jay Pharoah!” one no longer seems necessary. Unfortunately, Pedrad is speaking within a sketch consisting of two people that start every sentence with, “Look, I’m like…” Faaaaantastic. Aidy Bryant makes her first in-show appearance, getting in on the already dull premise. Thompson’s waiter stands in as audience proxy, but it’s not enough to lift this one-note sketch up from the muck. Tossing a Quagmire reference into the final line just shows how much they were scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one. Frank Ocean, please play me a song. It’s so cold and lonely here in the final half-hour of the show. [Grade: D]
On cue, Frank Ocean reappears to perform “Pyramids”. Imagery of Cleopatra meld into a modern-day setting filled with drugs, depression, and a crazy soundscape that feels almost interplanetary. Halfway through, John Mayer plays a guitar solo as Frank Ocean plays “Donkey Kong”. I know I’m getting a little old to be up this late recapping “SNL”, but it’s probably too early to start hallucinating during these. What? That actually happened? Oh, whew. [Grade: B]
Wooden Spoon Warehouse: This isn’t really a sketch so much as a chance to hear Amish people describe URLs in wacky ways. It would die as a four-minute sketch, but at barely 45 seconds, it’s pretty great. I’ll never be able to look at an “R” without thinking “fat snake with a sex penis” again. And since it’s the first letter of my first name, I know have to legally change it. Awesome. [Grade: B]
Best Sketch: “Introduction to Puppetry”
Worst Sketch: “Blind Date”
Best Surprise: Tim Robinson performed admirably in his first show, seemingly getting more material than Taran Killam and Jason Sudeikis. He never took anything off the table, and occasionally added something to it. Not much more you can ask there.
Worst Surprise: In terms of overall feel, “SNL” is still a show currently dominated by sketches in which one character dominates the proceedings as the expense of everyone else on stage. Sometimes that’s fine, like in “Puppetry”. But more often than not, the sketches can feel lopsided. And aside from “Blind Date”, I’m not even sure we saw two women talk to one another in a sketch all night. That’s just odd.
Least Surprising Surprise: Everything I noted earlier about the racial composition of the cast. I’m a broken record at this point. And “SNL” is free to hire whomever it wants to hire. But tonight marked the second time that a Caucasian female’s first big appearance on the show featured her playing a Hispanic character. (McKinnon debuted last year with a Penelope Cruz impression.) “SNL” doesn’t think this is a problem. I’d be willing to guess more viewers than simply me do think it’s a problem.
What did you think of the “SNL” premiere? What did you think about the start of the Pharaoh-as-Obama Era? Did the Psy/Mimi Morales moments bother you or did you roll with the proceedings? Sound off below!
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupTim Rigney
September 16, 2012 at 1:59AM EST Reply to CommentI'm wondering how long it's gonna be before the outrage over the stuttering sketch starts My guess is somewhere around 7 more hours. . . .
Craig Why is either Keenan Thompson or bobby Moynihan in every sketch? I can remember Farley being in one or two per show. I bet Thompson was in 90 % of the show. He is awful. I have never laughed at him or moynihan ever.
September 16, 2012 at 2:10AM ESTGuy Simple No group, religion, or person is beyond reproach nor should they be. I wish that those so easily offended could either take or leave a joke or a film and just move on with their lives peacefully.
September 16, 2012 at 3:20AM ESTsvetlana
September 16, 2012 at 2:08AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was a pretty good episode. Bill Hader made me laugh every time he came on screen for some reason. The Ryan Lochte bit was probably the funniest thing ive seen on snl in forever. I can see vanessa bayer becoming as annoying as kristin wiig pretty quick. I just dont think she's funny at all. Also jason sudekis looked super thin, i almost didnt recognize him and I think Seth meyers had something done to his face. He looked odd.
Alex L.
September 16, 2012 at 2:17AM EST Reply to CommentThere just aren't many ethnic comedic talents that don't rely on their race for the laughs...
The cast we have now is ethnicity neutral and the show is ethnicity neutral and it shouldn't matter whether they hire 3 new black comics compared to hiring 3 new white comics.
dan Alex L. - Have you visited all of the USB and Groundlings troupes nationwide to make that judgement?
September 16, 2012 at 2:43AM ESTAnd life is not ethnicity neutral. Some people in life *are* Asian or Hispanic or African-American and it's impossible for SNL to tell those stories and portray those characters with the cast they currently have, at least not without resorting to problematic representations.
-Daniel
Myk Dan's comments are hard to deal with...Im white so maybe I am 100% off base. But, at 1130 on a Saturday night i am not looking for 100% ethnical soundness for something that makes me laugh. It seems kind of preachy from a white person to claim that something isn't fitting a need when you don't represent that race/religion or whatever...
September 16, 2012 at 4:21AM ESTIs it as much of an issue as white people make it out to be?
Myk To follow up...my point is that I ABSOLUTELY do not think that anyone would argue that the Gangnam sketch would have been funnier if Bobby Moyniham was a Korean Rapper...
September 16, 2012 at 4:26AM ESTSketch comedy is what it is...one of the better sketches from last year was the Californians...which I think was performed by zero Californians...so if a sketch fails it isn't cause it didn't represent a specific culture...it is cause it wasn't funny
JR I think the issue with the lack of diversity is that it limits what they can on the show. For instance, Michelle Obama has only appeared when Maya Rudolph guest hosted the show.
September 16, 2012 at 4:58AM ESTOr what if Romney had picked Condoleezza Rice as his running mate as it was briefly rumored? They would have no one to fill that slot unless they wanted to put Jay Pharoah in drag.
Perhaps there just aren't any funny black women that want to be on SNL. Jessica Williams does a pretty good job on The Daily Show and she does have a background in sketch comedy, but perhaps they're just few and far between.
dan Myk - Hmmm... So because I'm not black/Asian/Latino, I can't think it would be nice for "SNL" to have more diversity?
September 16, 2012 at 5:00AM ESTThat's absolutely absurd.
But I'm sorry you find my comments "hard to deal with." And I'm also sorry you can't see the difference between doing a skit called "The Californians" without any Californians and doing Asian characters with no Asians and Latino/Latina characters with no Latinos/Latinas.
-Daniel
dan JR - You're exactly right about it limiting what the show can do. Michelle Obama is one of the most prominent First Ladies in American history and "SNL" can't do anything with her. The show can't do Oprah without putting Keenan in drag. The show can't do Beyonce without Maya Rudolph dropping by. The show can't do an Olympic Gymnastics parody because only Jay Pharoah could play Gaby Douglas. Granted that having one African-American woman would shoehorn that one performer into playing all of the black female characters in the same way Keenan has played some very strange versions of famous African-American men just because he was the only person who could do it, but it feels better than ignoring so many high profile public figures.
September 16, 2012 at 5:09AM ESTAnd while one might say that "perhaps" there aren't that many African-American women who want to do SNL and that they're few and far between, but look at the SNL cast for the past 15 years. Then look at "MadTV" and "The Daily Show." And look at the supporting casts of a variety of TV shows and movies. There are funny, sketch-trained African-American women out there. Now look back at SNL's casts for the past 15 years. It's just a problem and it doesn't matter what race the person pointing out that problem is, no matter what Myk thinks.
-Daniel
spoobnooble Nasim Pedrad is Iranian-American. Weird how this gets forgotten in all of the debates over the whiteness of the SNL cast (which I do agree is a problem, to a point.)
September 16, 2012 at 9:42AM ESTJonathan
September 16, 2012 at 2:35AM EST Reply to CommentNice to see a non former cast member host get to shine in the sketches instead of being relegated to background player, MacFarlane acquitted himself quite well for someone who does most of his work off camera.
Dave
September 16, 2012 at 2:49AM EST Reply to CommentSNL stole the idea for the Clint Eastwood chair comedy tour from here:
http://superofficialnews.com/clint-eastwood-takes-empty-chair-act-on-the-road/
Tara
September 16, 2012 at 2:54AM EST Reply to Comment"Anti-Semetic Kermit"?? What the hell are you smoking?
mgrabois Did you miss the part in the monologue where McFarlane did Kermit discussing the Jews in New York?
September 16, 2012 at 3:15AM ESTWiseass
September 16, 2012 at 3:18AM EST Reply to CommentNo group, religion, or person is beyond reproach nor should they be. I wish that those so easily offended could either take or leave a joke or a film and just move on with their lives peacefully.
September 16, 2012 at 3:25AM EST Reply to CommentI'm just glad i wasn't the only one who thought i was seeing things with John Mayer on guitar. Whew. The best part of the show was Frank Ocean's 'Pyramids' and i'm not even a fan.
Lee Harvey
September 16, 2012 at 3:40AM EST Reply to CommentI'm on the Internet almost every waking hour and have never heard of Psy or "Gangham Style." I did like seeing Nasim dance in the background and the horse heads.
spoobnooble That Gangham sketch really was fun. Psy seemed to be enjoying his cameo. And yes, we need more dancing Nasim Pedrad.
September 16, 2012 at 9:37AM ESTLaz
September 16, 2012 at 3:44AM EST Reply to CommentGod, you were almost completely wrong! I don't know why you're even bothering to cover a show that hasn't been funny in years. See ya' next week!
(But, in all seriousness, I agree with Jonathan that they had a host they could actually USE in sketches. Seemed Seth was in pretty much every one and playing a pretty wide variety of characters.)
Myk
September 16, 2012 at 4:17AM EST Reply to CommentReading though the recap it felt like if you didnt just sit back and relax you didn't enjoy. I thought tonight was pretty funny.....the blind date sketch was perfectly funny if you werent trying to attribute more meaning to it.
Tedd
September 16, 2012 at 4:30AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was a pretty good episode. The Eastwood, Puppet, and Lochte things all killed me, and other than Roger Brush (who's never been a character), I laughed at least a little at everything--including the blind date sketch, which was short enough that I remained mildly amused.
People always say that SNL used to be better, but honestly...I've watched some of the re-runs that air on E and through Netflix, and I've found the humor level stays pretty consistent. With the exception of Will Ferrell's peak, I laugh about as much at stuff from 1990 as 2000 as 2010. Maybe its just me.
As for the racial thing...I dunno, it just doesn't bother me.
Tedd That should be "never been a funny character".
September 16, 2012 at 4:31AM ESTJJ
September 16, 2012 at 5:18AM EST Reply to CommentThe actors on this show have always played people of a different race, or gender for that matter. It is not a new concept. Cecily Strong most likely came up with the Update character herself, and I thought she did great. I usually enjoy your recaps, but this one, with the race issue, just annoyed me. Sorry.
Ken from Chicago
September 16, 2012 at 7:21AM EST Reply to CommentFirst, congrats, Ryan, on the success of your Free Jay Pharoah campaign. Mission Accomplished! And yes, Pharoah got the voice, tone, rhythm, facial expressions and gestures of Barack Obama done cold (just like he does with his Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy and Stewie Griffin--yes, I know, missed opportunity: A Stewie-Off tween Jay and Seth).
Yes, the puppet skit was hilarious. I loved how Anthony and Tony were living down their horrible Vietnam experiences--in GRENADA!
Agreed, the fact SNL needs to rely on guest hosts, Maya Rudolph, Aisha Tyler, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, et al., to portray the First Lady, is extremely short-sighted of the show. Ellen Cleghorne and Tim Meadows were a few decades early.
-- Ken from Chicago
P.S. One last time, "Free Jay Pharoah".
Jonathan Aisha Tyler as Michelle Obama needs to happen.
September 16, 2012 at 11:26AM ESTShe's just the right one to do it.
Eneko Ruiz
September 16, 2012 at 8:41AM EST Reply to CommentEven if she is Hispanic, How can Penélope Cruz not be considered caucasian? She is European, with Spanish parents (from Madrid). I am curious to know (as an Spanish citizen) what is considered caucasian for an American.
MonkeySlut
September 16, 2012 at 4:51PM EST Reply to CommentI actually thought:1)macfarlane was a gem as a host(certainly better than many many high-profile actors hosting).And i know i shouldn't be proud of starting clapping my hands and laughing with my mouth open when he started doing family guy voices during the monologue,but i did that.so what.
2)fred armisen and jason sudeikis,both very very funny men...not given anything here.
3)it was overall a very satisfying episode,but i already miss kristen.im one of her lovers,not haters,yeah.
Andy
September 16, 2012 at 6:19PM EST Reply to CommentI don't think it would be a bad thing to expand the diversity of the cast. However, isn't it a little narrow-minded to suggest that, for instance, Bobby Moynihan portraying Psy is less desirable than having someone like John Cho do it, as if Psy's race is the only, or even the most important thing to get "right" about doing an impression?
TH
September 16, 2012 at 11:20PM EST Reply to CommentRyan,
You're monochromatic cast issues aside (which I agree with, but can we not criticize individual skits JUST based on that larger issue), why does the Gangnam Style sketch suffer from only being "in the here and now?" It's called Saturday Night LIVE. Not Saturday Night ALL OUR SKITS WILL BE RELEVANT FOR DECADES.
By your reasoning, isn't any analysis of political skits undermined by being "in the here and now?" It's like arguing that an episode of South Park isn't as good as it could have been because it lampooned a current issue, i.e. an issue that may not be relevant years from now.
I enjoyed the skit. It was totally in the here an now and No one will remeber what Gangnam Style was in 3 months. But it was still a funny skit. Saturday Night LIVE. If you're not looking to make the people who are watching it LIVE laugh, then what are you doing?
Carlos R.
September 17, 2012 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentIs it just me, or does it read like Ryan's not aware that "Steve Harvey" isn't a made up TV show host, but an actual person? Seems like he went out of his way not to say "Steve Harvey" in his recap of the Style Makeover sketch.
Agreed that doing a character that's a race not your own may not be the best way to introduce yourself to the show... but I guess the thinking is that she perceives herself to be good at it, so do what you know. As for McKinnon's "Penelope Cruz", I would put that in a different class as that was a pretty spot on & funny impression of a known celebrity.
I thought McFarlane did a solid job overall. If I had no idea who he was or that he was the host, I could easily mistake him for a regular cast member. And is this the first time a writer/V-O artist has ever hosted the show? If so, hopefully more will follow.
Carlos R. PS: I think Abby Elliott should have stayed onto SNL now that Wiig is gone. As one of the more senior female cast members, it could have given her the opportunity to shine (IF she has the talent to do so). Unless, that is, she felt that she'd already reached an impasse with what they would allow her to do.
September 17, 2012 at 11:24AM ESToliver I believe Abby Elliot will be appearing in a regular role on 'How I Met Your Mother' sometime in 2013, which she probably views as a step up from SNL.
September 17, 2012 at 10:29PM EST