SNL Scorecard: Awkwafina/Travis Scott
I missed the live show of Saturday Night Live's chaser to the lukewarm shot of Season 44's premiere. I didn't see any spoilers about the skits themselves, but couldn't help but see a few reviews on social media, which led me to believe that the episode was no improvement from last week.
Maybe it's all just an expectations game, but I was pleasantly surprised by the show overall. The kickoff to the season didn't give much hope, and it's always a tossup when you have a lesser-known host (especially when you also have a lesser-known musical guest). But by and large, I thought Awkwafina and Travis Scott both brought it, and the writing was much improved. Sure, nothing hit the highs of last week's Cold Open, and there were a couple duds, but overall, solid episode.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 2nd episode of the season.
Sketch of the Night
“Emergency Alert": 8/10
Just a short, sweet pre-taped skit. The joke was funny enough, but it was accentuated by Kate McKinnon drowning her phone in hotdog water, and ramped up to hilarious by the Cricket Wireless twist at the end.
The Good
“Weekend Update”: 8/10
Weekend Update was one of the more disappointing aspects of last week, but was MUCH sharper this week. Good Che and Good Jost were back, with a much funnier and more edgy take on the Kavanaugh proceedings than last time around. The guests were wittier this round as well, with Pete Davidson stealing the show in his 2nd-straight appearance, this time eschewing Ariana Grande talk to instead bash Kanye for his show-closing rant last week. And the return of the "Trump brothers," well... McKinnon, Baldwin and all, I still say SNL's best political impression is Alex Moffat's Eric Trump.
‘“Late Night Battle": 7/10
It's always fun to see SNL lead off with fresh, original extended skits rather than retreads of political events or old crowd favorites. This was a simple premise ('danceoff where one of the teams isn't good at dancing') made great by the common theme of game-show dance music, the reveal of Travis Scott as the star dancer, and the crowd's energy in general.
“Film Panel": 7/10
A lot of reviewers don't like these skits, and I do not understand why. Kate McKinnon's Debette Goldry is one of her best characters, and the writing felt even fresher this time around than the last couple times they've done this sketch. Sure, 95% of the laughs come from McKinnon, but why mess with a winning formula?
“Ted Cruz Rally": 7/10
"Ted Cruz isn't fun or likable" may be low-hanging fruit as far as humor goes. But the visual of Awkwafina and Kenan Thompson as a mixture between dance party DJs and pep rally cheerleaders desperately trying to get everyone, including Cruz himself, amped up about the Texas senator to no avail was effective.
“Cleopatra": 6.5/10
I love that this skit was probably borne out of someone on SNL saying to someone else "You ever wonder what if, like, Cleopatra's beauticians were the exact same as they are in cosmopolitan New York?" A mildly funny sketch overall, but all parties sell it well, and I am 100% on board with the increasingly ridiculous pun humor.
“So You're Willing To Date A Magician": 6/10
This was a weird skit in that I didn't think it was that good, but it had a couple of the funniest lines of the night, and cast members cracking, which I always love. So, being as I can't really think of many bad things to say about it (maybe the timing was just off a little?), it ends up on the positive side of the rankings.
“Monologue": 6/10
Awkwafina's opening line on the show was terrific, and the rest of the monologue, humorous enough. But the best part of this introduction was her serious, heartfelt homage to Lucy Liu and recognition of the importance of her hosting gig.
The…Less-Good
“Brett Kavanaugh Post-Game Cold Open": 5/10
I'm honestly surprised SNL decided to do a Kavanaugh-related cold open in two straight weeks. Much of the consensus (from more liberal outlets) on this sketch was that they found it too soon to laugh at the situation; I don't necessarily agree with that, as I think just about any situation is able to be parodied, depending on who you're placing the onus of the ridicule on. However, it just seemed like the writers, probably feeling like it was THE political story to address, also couldn't really think of what to make the joke about. Not without its laughs-- particularly for the subtle choice to have "Blurred Lines" play in the background-- but not great.
“Baby Shower”: 4/10
This had potential, when it was revealed that Cecily Strong's character was inviting to her friend's baby shower not her significant other, or another close friend of the mom-to-be, but her...dog walker. Unfortunately, apart from a couple funny moments thanks to Awkwafina's energy, the skit never really took off from there.
“Pumpkin Patch”: 3/10
Yikes. I don't even......what?
Musical Performances
Travis Scott: 9/10
I, as a semi-informed semi-millenial, of course knew who Travis Scott was before Saturday's show. I even saw him live last summer, as the opener for Kendrick Lamar. But apart from that concert experience, my knowledge of him was pretty much limited to "Goosebumps" and Kylie Jenner. Good gracious, though, those performances were a statement.
I did happen to listen to a couple of his tracks earlier in the week in anticipation, and some of my favorites happened to be the ones he chose for his set. The first performance, a mashup of "Skeletons" and "Astrothunder," was quite good, and only aided by the magnificent presence of John Mayer and Tame Impala. It was the second performance of the night that sealed it for me, though. Performing "Sicko Mode," his collaboration with Drake, while simultaneously spinning upside down, Scott sounded remarkably comfortable. The visuals, too, were stunning, and made merely playing the audio of Drake's verses seem natural; there was enough going on visually to pay attention to that alone. A phenomenal breakout performance for the still-growing rapper.
OVERALL SCORE: 5.92 (Comedy Only score: 5.64)