Chris Rock returns to Saturday Night Live as host for the fourth time. Rock was a cast member from 1990 to 1993, and brought us characters like Nat X and Onski, cohost of the I’m Chillin’ sketches with B Fats (Chris Farley). Several former cast members have appeared on the show this season, but Rock is the first to host in Season 50. This week was kind of part 1 of 2 Christmas episodes, and there was a lot to cover with the capture of the CEO Assassin and Trump being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, so let’s get into it!
The Cold Open
I couldn’t wait to see how SNL would tackle the Luigi Mangione situation. The show kicked off with a parody of the YouTube show Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, with Sarah Sherman playing Nancy Grace. The topic is the CEO assassin and our country’s unexpected infatuation with his thirst trap pics. America’s got priorities.
Keenan Thompson is naturally funny as a guy who’s been secretly going to McDonald’s every day so his wife doesn’t find out he’s been unemployed for nine months. He happened to be there when Luigi was caught and has some funny takes on healthcare—and Luigi himself: “You can tell he had hoes.” Meanwhile, Emil Wakim plays a guy who happens to look like Luigi, describing his week of getting tackled in public, but also receiving some pretty interesting DMs. Considering Emil’s resemblance to Luigi, it was interesting how they worked that in. I expect that he will play Luigi at some point.
Staying true to the fact that this is a YouTube show, two loud, obnoxious YouTube ads cut in mid-sketch. Marcelo Hernandez is a YouTube fitness bro yelling about losing belly fat by eating hamburgers, followed by an ad for “Boner Pilz.”
Honestly, this one grew on me after a second watch. I thought it was decent, and a definite change from the cold opens we’ve been seeing this season. That said, it’s a tough subject for comedy, but the concept was fresh and funny while riffing on the wild public reaction.
Simpsified Secret Santa
Chris Rock’s character receives a picture of himself as a Simpsons character. This one started off slow but gets funnier as Chris starts to imagine his Simpsons episode. As the secret Santa gifting continues, with Heidi Gardner receiving a jump rope, despite having two broken legs, and Chloe Fineman receiving tampons that she’s been meaning to try so she doesn’t have to keep buying pants, Chris’ character gets deeper into his life in Springfield. In his fan-fic episode, Homer is abusive, so Chris goes to Moe’s to find him- where he’s been drinking all day and a fight ensues. Chris ends up killing Homer, getting with Marge, and Bart calling him Dad.
Weekend Update
The top stories: America debates the delicate subject of who will play the CEO Assassin in the mini-series and Trump being named “Person of the Year” because, “no person on Earth has taken up more of our goddamn time.” The next six jokes get a mix of laughs and groans from the audience, which seems only to require something to be minimally off-color- but the whole audience discomfort and Che and Colin laughing at it, is hilarious.
The first Update guest is Andrew Dismukes as a bald man talking about the recent decision in the UK to classify calling someone “bald”, as harassment. He’s happy with the ruling, but angry at just about everything else – setting Colin up to say things that he’ll find offensive then threatening to see him in court. Andrew has really stood out this season, taking some risks with characters and fully committing – taking bits that are just okay to another level by going all-in.
The next guest is Jane Wickline performing a song as Sabrina Carpenter, contemplating why no one questions her sexuality when she’s given us reasons to do so. She just wants to have mystique, and for people to think that she has secrets, even though she doesn’t – a funny and astute observation. I’m glad to see Jane getting more screen time on the show and hope to see more in the second half of the season as she’s a bright and funny comedian. Her TikTok showcases her comedic talent much better than she’s had the opportunity to do this season, and I hope that her humor finds a place on the show.
Operating Room
This sketch might have been the highlight of the episode for me. It begins with the patient fully covered, and suddenly the doctors realize they’ve removed his gallbladder instead of his appendix. Classic mix-up.
Sara Sherman plays Lizlie, the one responsible for the mix-up – but her big concern is whether everyone is mad at her. Then an X-ray reveals that there’s an AirPod in the guy’s abdomen. Pan over to Lizlie, looking surprised, with just one AirPod. The patient, wakes up and reveals himself to be Adam Sandler.
As Adam’s character sits up, he ruptures an artery, and starts spraying blood. One by one, he squirts each doctor with blood, amid random one-liners, like Chris telling the others, “You’re just jealous because Lizlie is the hottest girl in North America!” Bowen gives us a gem when he says, “I have a name. It’s Aloysius Cooter.” I’m not sure whether Adam totally went off-script when he tells Emil Wakim, “I’m not sure what your role is in this sketch, but I’m glad you’re getting air-time.” Either way it was so much fun – because not everything needs to be perfect and polished – and it was awesome to have Adam make a rare cameo.
The whole vibe was reminiscent of the “Shrek” sketch from the Charli XCX episode, with almost the same cast but swapping in Chris Rock for Charli, the off-kilter names—like Lizlie, and Gadget in the “Shrek” sketch. I love this formula – chef’s kiss.
Quick Takes
- The monologue was 🔥🔥🔥, no surprise as Chris is an amazing stand-up comic. He riffed on Diddy, Luigi Mangione, Jake Paul, Trump, and more. This may have been the best monologue of the season.
- I couldn’t help but notice that there was a character named Michelle in several sketches. Not sure what that means, if anything, just a random observation.
- Chris’ influence was felt in this episode, for example, in the “Kirby” pre-tape. A group of neighbors are helping Mikey Day’s character clean out his grandfather’s garage. They uncover Grandpa’s “magic” car from 1958 that communicates through turning it’s lights on, honking, and choosing music on the radio – oh yeah, and the car is a racist. It was a funny take on the wholesome Herbie movies, for those who remember it.
Parting Thoughts
Overall, it was a decent episode, but not a standout for the season. I’m a big fan of Chris Rock, but with all due respect, his range in sketch comedy is a bit limited. Still great to see half of the “Bad Boys of SNL” (90’s reference), though I’m a little bummed because last week on the Superfly podcast, David Spade mentioned Chris asking about his plans to be at the show. I was hoping we’d get another cameo, but it wasn’t to be. Looking ahead, another former cast member, Martin Short, hosts on December 21st with musical guest Hozier. It’s probably safe to expect some fun cameos this Saturday. Thanks for reading!
I loved this episode! Thanks for the write up