SNL Scorecard: Kit Harington/Sara Bareilles
I don't know if it's just that I'm paying more attention to the host selection this season because of this weekly feature, but it seems Saturday Night Live has gone to the well of dramatic actors and actresses more than usual this year. Kit Harington was the latest example of that. The Game of Thrones star is not completely new to the world of comedy (he made a splendid appearance in the absurd Andy Samberg comedy 7 Days In Hell in 2015), but was a relative neophyte. Much like his GOT co-star before him, Jason Momoa, he handled himself well in the various roles he was given.
Unlike some other episodes, such as the one from the week prior, the host was aided, not challenged, by the writing. This was reminiscent of the Jonah Hill episode from earlier in the season, though I think this was funnier on the whole: absolutely weird from start to finish, with some of the absurdity working and some of it not.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 17th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
“Bachelorette Party”: 7.5/10
One of several bizarro sketches on the night, but none were sold as wholly as this one. Harington absolutely commits to his quietly dedicated character, Kate McKinnon perfectly embodied the emotionally distant French burlesque instructor, and the low-key star of it all was Melissa Villaseñor, whose character’s fascination with the groom’s body proves to be especially unnerving.
The Good
“Weekend Update": 8.5/10
The bar might have been set somewhat low by several subpar outings in 2019, but this was the best Weekend Update in some time. Che and Jost followed up on last week’s zingers with another razor-sharp performance, and this time, had better support from guests. Alex Moffat’s LSD-influence film critic absolutely needs to be a recurring character. Between this, the Guy Who Bought A Boat, Eric Trump, and more, Moffat might be the new Weekend Update Guest King.
“Monologue": 7/10
This was really fun. I know ‘taking audience questions’ might be a tired bit, but all of the questions, from fellow Game of Thrones cast members to fans of the show (or of Harry Potter, for that matter), were hilarious. Harington seemed right at home with a comedic set.
"New Video Game": 7/10
I mean, I would much rather play a virtual reality game about resolving emotional conflict among coworkers than running into a zombie-infested war zone.
“Joe Biden Cold Open": 6.5/10
This had a lot more energy than most political cold opens in the Trump era. It’s amazing what happens when you bring Jason Sudeikis back instead of Alec Baldwin. This was a great job of ridiculing both Biden’s unawareness of personal space and the hypocrisy of criticism from a base that support someone who brags about sexual assault.
“New HBO Shows": 6.5/10
Even though I’m the only person in America who doesn’t watch Game of Thrones, this was still enjoyable even without picking up on all the references. But what turned this from a cute idea to a good sketch was the terrific Law & Order crossover at the very end.
“Exam": 6/10
Another enjoyable 10-to-1 sketch, which really have been quite good in the last several episodes. The joke here is a fairly simple one, and not laugh-out-loud funny, but there is too much energy and too many subtly terrific lines (“best doctor in Arizona, excluding Phoenix” being one of them) to not like this.
“Frank Sinatra Cover Band": 5.5/1
Sadly, this one isn’t available online anywhere, likely because of music copyright laws. The premise here was pretty hilarious: a Michael Jackson cover band on a cruise ship has (unsuccessfully) repurposed itself as a Frank Sinatra cover band. It lost its luster a little after the initial reveal of Harington and co. singing “My Way” to the tune of “Billie Jean,” but still worth watching if you can find a link anywhere.
The...Less-Good
“Nephew Pageant”: 5/10
I’ll admit I was worried when this was the first live sketch of the night. It was mildly funny, with the occasional knee-slapper, but was mostly eccentric. I was concerned it would set the tone for a subpar comedic night. In actuality, it was a barometer in a different way: it foreshadowed night full of delightfully weird sketches. But still, as the first one out of the gate, this was relatively disappointing (and comparatively tame).
“Graphics Department”: 4.5/10
I’m not going to lie, this was fairly painful (and came across as somewhat mean-spirited) until the “Duplication Spell” punchline at the end, which was legitimately hilarious and rescued the skit from being a bust.
“Theresa May": 4/10
British Prime Minister Theresa May, as played by McKinnon, gets sad about the negative press surrounding her, and falls into a slumber in which she dreams of dancing in a Union Jack unitard and kissing Winston Churchill. Yes, you read that run-on sentence correctly. I suppose this was enjoyable in an art-house sort of way, but whatever joke it was trying to make didn’t exactly land.
Musical Performances
Sara Bareilles: 7/10
Sara Bareilles, power ballad queen, made her first SNL appearance ever, which is somewhat shocking given the massive hits she’s had in the last decade (“Love Song” and “Brave” come to mind). Anyways, she isn’t quite the showstopper that several acts this season have been, but unsurprisingly, she sounded great and was not intimidated at all by the cozy confines of Studio 30.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.25 (Comedy Only score: 6.18)