Michael Keaton is back hosting SNL for the fourth time, with musical guest Billie Eilish. I was surprised that it\u2019s only his fourth time hosting, given that he\u2019s such a great comedic actor. It just seemed like he should have hosted more times. Nevertheless, he gave some solid performances throughout the episode. And we finally got a Please Don\u2019t Destroy short!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cold open was a parody of Brett Baier\u2019s interview with Kamala Harris. Alec Baldwin returns as Brett, who introduces himself by saying, \u201cI look like someone made a businessman in Minecraft\u201d, then basically plays clips of Trump and Biden, out of context, as Kamala intermittently turns to an iPhone camera to film soundbites for TikTok. There was much-deserved focus on Trump\u2019s interesting choice at a recent rally, to play music and show off his signature dance moves, in lieu of answering questions. This cold open felt low-key compared to those of the past three weeks, but it was still funny, well written, and timely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Keaton starts the monologue with a nod to Season 50, noting that when the show premiered he was a production assistant on Mister Rogers\u2019 Neighborhood.<\/em> He pointed out two similarities between the shows — puppets and lots of cocaine — with a serious note that Fred Rogers was exactly the kind of guy you would expect him to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keaton begins promoting his new movie, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice<\/em>, when he\u2019s interrupted by Mikey Day and Andy Samberg dressed as Beetlejuice and trying to get Michael to do the voice, as they quote lines from the first Beetlejuice<\/em>. He finally acquiesces as he says, \u201cWe have a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ok, they have been writing for the show all season, but their digital shorts are back! This one was a departure from their usual bits that either begin or entirely take place in their office, and instead, they\u2019re in a plane as John and Martin are about to skydive. Ben Marshall plays one of the skydiving instructors who has a bad feeling about today, and Michael Keaton is the second instructor who just got off the phone with his divorce lawyer and is going through some things. Emile Joaquim gives a funny performance as the pilot who agrees that the vibe is off that day, but it must be first-day jitters, as he watches a \u201cHow to Fly a Plane\u201d video on this increasingly nerve-racking adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fearing for their lives, John and Martin beg the pilot to land the plane, and Martin confesses his love for John to which John replies, \u201cAlright, thanks man.\u201d The story ends with John and Ben pulling the parachute cord too soon and flying out the door. John hits the wing and breaks apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve missed these guys and so enjoy the weirdness of their digital shorts. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll be seeing them on a nearly weekly basis again or they\u2019re dialing it back, but am hoping to see more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this old-timey sketch, Andrew Dismukes and Ego Nwodem play an interracial couple in the 1950\u2019s, whose parents are meeting for the first time. Andrew\u2019s character\u2019s parents are played by Michael Keaton and Heidi Gardner, and Ego\u2019s character\u2019s family is played by Keenan Thompson and Devon Walker. Initially her family supports their union, while his family is opposed. In an effort to help them understand the strength of their bond, Andrew tells them that he wrote a song about her, and proceeds to pick up a ukulele and sing Train\u2019s \u201cHey Soul Sister\u201d. Her family becomes visibly disturbed by the lyrics, as his parents on the other hand, are getting into it and seem to know the words to a song that obviously would not be known at this point in time. The song convinces Keenan to retract his blessing, Ego agrees, and they both leave. The combination of Andrew\u2019s enthusiasm throughout the cringy serenade, and Keenan\u2019s classic facial expressions and delivery, made for a hilariously uncomfortable sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up, a shot of a cell phone as someone is scrolling TikTok, watching the algorithmic assortment of absurdities, including a tradwife, a woman complaining about her local Chili\u2019s, sponsored influencer videos for the vibrating plate, one of those being from Joe Biden, and Harry Daniels serenading celebrities, including Trump, Kamala, and Billie Eilish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The person scrolling is getting text messages throughout, and at the end we see that he missed the birth of his child. I enjoy these segments and this newer, relevant format for the show. I have also become aware of some new TikTok accounts, to which I probably would have been fine remaining oblivious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The segment starts with Colin Jost showing several clips calling out the \u201csubtle differences\u201d in how Trump and Kamala address the issues. For instance, Kamala says \u201cYour vote is your voice,\u201d whereas Trump says, \u201cGet that fat pig off the couch and get him to vote.\u201d And ending with a clip of Trump saying that he feels Harvey Weinstein is \u201cThe one who got schlonged.\u201d Um, okay then, how about we just move onto more clips of Trump dancing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n New featured player, Emil Wakim performed a standup-esque commentary in an effort to get young people to the polls. The jokes were centered around his being Lebanese and Christian, and believing that this combination basically makes him French. The bit was really funny and got a lot of laughs with the exception of one joke that bombed, which he said Colin wrote for him, which got a huge laugh. This week was the most we\u2019ve seen from Emil and I felt that he was impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPlease Don\u2019t Destroy is back!\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Train Wreck<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Weekend Update\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n