SNL Scorecard: Sandra Oh/Tame Impala
Sandra Oh isn't necessarily known for her comedic acting, as her two most prominent roles have come in the dramas Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve. However, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise to see her comedic chops, given her affable personality and her recent gig co-hosting the Golden Globes.
As a host, the cast couldn't ask much more of Oh. She brought spunk and variety to every single character in every single sketch. Unfortunately, she was put on an island by the writing in this week's episode, which generated yet another so-so episode. Pretty much the entirety of the lower-rated half of Season 44's episodes have not been total clunkers, but rather, general snoozers with a few noteworthy highlights mixed in. Through no fault of her own, Sandra Oh's episode, albeit with a huge lift from the musical guest, fell prey to this same fate.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 16th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
“Test Prep”: 7/10
Well, here’s a rarity: the ten-to-one sketch being the winner of the episode! It took until the end of the night, but we finally got a funny skit start to finish. “Substitute Teacher” kept the usual brevity of an episode’s final skit, but forsook the usual weirdness for a more tongue-in-cheek parody of dramatic high school sitcoms. It was a terrific way to end an otherwise fairly unimpressive show.
The Good
“Weekend Update": 7.5/10
If you know who wrote Colin Jost’s joke about Duke basketball, please inform me so that I can buy them a lifetime supply of beer. In all seriousness, Weekend Update got back on track this week, not just because of quality guest appearances (though Cecily Strong’s Jeanine Pirro and Aidy Bryant’s Anne McClain were extremely enjoyable) but the co-hosts themselves. Michael Che’s one-two punch with the circumcision and SUV jokes might have been the two best one-liners of the season.
“Discover Card Commercial": 6.5/10
SNL is getting good at parodying the en vogue horror film, whether it be Get Out, A Quiet Place, or now Jordan Peele’s Us. This is a clever crossover with those corny and kinda creepy Discover doppelgänger commericals. It’s also the closest I’ll come to watching Us, because (*sung in Jean-Ralphio’s voice*) your boy is a wiiiiiimp!
"The Duel": 6.5/10
This was kind of dumb, and surprisingly morbid. But, true to form for my reactions to both Pete Davidson’s and especially Beck Bennett’s humor, I laughed a lot more than I should have.
“Kremlin": 6.5/10
First of all, I gave this an extra .5 for the Tar Heel shoutout, even if it’s making light of my very real March Madness grief. Secondly, though not an uproarious sketch, it was a pretty clever look at this time in American politics from the ‘other side.’ Bennett’s Putin, as always, was terrific.
“Future Self": 6/10
This felt similar thematically to one of my underrated faves, the Emma Stone “Posters” skit from a few years ago. This one was not quite as good, as it was pretty much isolated to one punchline, Oh’s ‘Tishy,’ but her energy was infectious and made it a worthwhile watch.
“Cheques": 5.5/10
As somebody who still writes cheques for larger expenses, I feel personally attacked. And also…flattered? Anyways, this skit, which feels very much like a Julio Torres creation, was quite enjoyable.
“Electric Shoes": 5.5/10
This was a one-joke sketch, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time. This was the closest thing we’ve seen to Kenan’s “What Up With That?” character since the end of “What Up With That?” sketches.
The...Less-Good
“Monologue”: 5/10
Sandra Oh is immensely likable, but wasn’t given the best material for this monologue. It was starting to get pretty great around the time Leslie Jones was teaching her to brag, but they ended that bit more abruptly than I would have preferred.
“Mueller Report Cold Open”: 5/10
I’ve talked before about De Niro being my least favorite Trump admin impression — not to belabor the point, but the heroic applause was a little strange, given Mueller was not the President-slaying White Knight Democrats were hoping for. This was cleverly formatted, with some solid one-liners, but felt disappointing after an unusually good run of cold opens.
“Louise's Birthday": 4.5/10
Kate McKinnon as an old woman (particularly a strangely horny one) is always a delight. Other than that, I’m not really sure what the takeaway was here.
“Network Meeting": 4/10
I heard about the blowback from this skit before I watched it. Having watched it, I don’t really understand what the controversy was about. The most offensive thing about the sketch is that it was short and not particularly funny. Chris Redd sold the hell out of it though; I enjoyed his wide-eyed reveal of the “killer’s clues.”
Musical Performances
Tame Impala: 9/10
I am what I like to call a "passive appreciator" of Tame Impala. By that I mean I know some of their (his?) stuff, I like it, I've heard plenty of good things from sources I trust, and I'm perpetually too lazy and forgetful to remember to look up more music. These performances, first of current single "Patience," and then debuting the new song "Borderline," might force me to actually delve deeper into an Impala plunge. Kevin Parker's vocals and his backing band's smooth funk translated perfectly to the oft-constricting Studio 30 stage, and it resulted in one of the better musical performances of the year.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.04 (Comedy Only score: 5.79)