SNL Scorecard: Liev Schreiber/Li'l Wayne
- Nov 11, 2018
- 5 min read
Sometimes, dare I say, oftentimes, the funniest episodes of Saturday Night Live come from the most unexpected hosts. I'm not sure how to explain this phenomenon-- perhaps it's merely an expectations game --but last night's episode with Liev Schreiber at the helm did nothing to disprove it.
Schreiber is a consistently serious actor, known almost exclusively for his work in dramatic roles, most notably the intense series Ray Donovan. It's not surprising, as the man himself has a baritone talking voice and an understated, oft-inexpressive demeanor. Yet, episode 5 continued the positive trajectory of SNL Season 44 and asserted itself as the clear best episode of the year to date, in large part because of Schreiber's surprisingly witty presence.
He wasn't the only factor, as you'll see below. The writing across the board was sharper, the energy higher, and the cast seemed more at ease. I can't help but wonder if the lack of political focus was a factor; apart from the opening sketch (which, SPOILER ALERT, was the worst of the night), the political content was reserved for brief mentions in the host's monologue and Weekend Update. SNL has in the past been at their best when presenting skewering parody of the political times, but under this administration that has not been the case, and last night proved that once more.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 5th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
“Brothers”: 7.5/10
Okay. No, this was not the wittiest writing of the night. Yes, it's largely slapstick humor. Yes, I'm an unashamed fanboy of all things Beck and Kyle. But if you aren't laughing through this whole thing, you are a. asleep or dying, b. not a fun person, or c. both. The fact that even Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant were breaking for its entirety is a good gauge of how funny this sketch is, and call me crazy, but I think I may have even seen a sneaky smile from Schreiber, which I imagine is an average person's guffaw.
The Good
“Weekend Update": 8/10
Weekend Update was terrific, breaking this season's up-down-up-down pattern by delivering a 2nd straight solid outing. I actually thought Weekend Update was the best of the night, but I can't really classify it as a "sketch." Anyways, every single Jost and Che joke was well-written and well-delivered, and once more, the guest appearances took it to the next level. I've posted two videos above because both should be seen (though, really, watch the whole segment). Cecily was note-perfect as the notorious White House intern who was "brutally manhandled" by CNN reporter Jim Acosta. And Pete Davidson appeared as, well, Pete Davidson, for the 4th time in 5 episodes. It's not hard to see this was by far his best outing, though. True to form, he was hilarious and self-deprecating with regards to last week's gaffe, and bringing on Lt. Com. Dan Crenshaw this time was in really good taste. And hey, Crenshaw's got some comedic chops!
"Paranormal Occurrence": 7.5/10
Nothing, I don't think, will ever fully capture the magic of the first iteration of this skit. But that also makes the fact that it's funny every time even more impressive. Call it recency bias, but I think this was the best version of the sketch since the very first time we met Kate McKinnon's Ms. Rafferty. The amount of nicknames these people are able to come up with for Rafferty's vagina and buttocks is truly remarkable. Almost as remarkable as McKinnon's balancing act while getting all in the face of a clearly giggling Schreiber (I know I'm not imagining it this time).
“Outside The Women's Bathroom": 7/10
A night full of "bests" for this episode continues: this was by far the best 10-to-1 skit of the young season, a genuinely hilarious scene that gave full reign to Schreiber. Though the host fumbles his lines a couple times, he sells his douchey 'future TV star' pitch so well, and Heidi Gardner's and Leslie Jones' cameos are also terrific.
“Invest Twins": 7/10
Another repeat sketch that landed just as well the second time. The original involved Scarlett Johansson and a zoo pornographer-- sorry, photographer. This one's premise is evident from the start, but is still able to thoroughly get laughs, thanks to Mikey Day and Alex Moffatt hamming it up, and Schreiber blissfully ignoring Cecily Strong's panicking anchorwoman.
“House Hunters": 7/10
Schreiber and Leslie Jones' married couple tries to find a new home within their budget. The increasingly bizarre this got, the harder I laughed. This felt 'Lonely Island Digital Short'-esque.
“The Poddys": 7/10
I rarely listen to podcasts, and I thought this was really funny. I can only imagine how humorous it would be if I were more familiar with its content. I'm not familiar with Michael Barbaro, but the YouTube commenters tell me the impression was spot-on; I AM familiar with Sarah Koenig and Marc Maron, and can confirm those impressions were spot-on. The award categories were gems, as well.
“Permission": 6.5/10
There were two original songs on last night's show, and Chris Redd and Kenan's rap was the slightly better of the two. A hard rap track dedicated to, ahem, pleasant posteriors takes a #MeToo era turn when the rappers explain their foremost priority is respecting women. It loses focus a little bit with the involvement of Davidson's character Uncle Butt, but this is a lot of fun, especially when Future and Li'l Wayne get involved.
“Unity Song”: 6/10
This probably won't go down in the annals of great SNL original tunes, but very enjoyable nonetheless. And realistic: I've found it to be the case many times that any differences can be reconciled over mutual hatred of the word "moist."
The…Less-Good
"Monologue": 5/10
Liev Schreiber mostly attempts to assure the audience that he really is funny, he promises. It wasn't bad, but he seemed a little uncomfortable with the monologue format. It ended on a serious note, with him addressing the record-high turnout for the midterm elections. A good word, for sure, even if it did feel somewhat misplaced on a variety comedy show.
“Jeff Sessions Farewell Cold Open”: 4/10
I'm going to say something that will probably get me banished from the land of SNL Critic-Dom for eternity: I've never been a fan of Kate McKinnon's Jeff Sessions. I know everyone (well, everyone that didn't vote for a certain someone) loves it, and Kate can do no wrong in my eyes. I just always thought the impression was not particularly accurate and unnecessarily weird/creepy. So, all this to say, just as I will not miss Sessions, I will also not miss this caricature. And while we're at it, can we finally retire Baldwin's Trump and sub in, you know, an actual cast member?
Musical Performances
Li'l Wayne (feat. Halsey and Swizz Beatz): 5.5/10
I am yet to listen to the entirety of Tha Carter V, the latest from legendary rapper Li'l Wayne, and thus was introduced to 2 new tracks last night. The first song, "Can't Be Broken," sounded pretty solid, though Wayne might have been better served by holding the microphone a little further away from his mouth. And I must admit I do not care for Halsey as a singer, but she sounded fantastic live. As for the rapper's second appearance, with the song "Uproar"? Well, it's not a very good track to be honest, but the performance was nothing if not high energy.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.54 (Comedy Only score: 6.64)
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