SNL Scorecard: Daniel Craig / The Weeknd
Remember once upon a time when there was live television? Me, too. Those were the days. A long, long time ago, there was a program that was the pinnacle of live television (at least in this writer's eyes), and I reviewed every episode in timely fashion.
Well, as is the case with just about everything that requires an audience, Saturday Night Live is on hold for the foreseeable future. In fact, given the near-nationwide "stay inside" orders everyone is facing, and projections that we are still weeks away from the 'peak' of the coronavirus' devastating effect, I'm quite confident that we've seen the last of SNL's Season 45. That said, four weeks ago to the day, they did put on one last show, and I figured after all this time I've spent frantically planning, packing, driving, quarantining, and fretting, I could finally review what was the de facto finale episode of this season.
In case you've forgotten, that episode was hosted by Daniel Craig, with accompaniment by The Weeknd. At the time, we would be several days away from multiple sports leagues' cancellations, and the cast and host couldn't have known that this would be their final appearance for a matter of months. Yet, COVID-19 still played a large part in the show; Craig acknowledged this as the reason for his delayed release of his latest Bond film, and there were references to the disease in several sketches. Both because of and despite this, if this episode is to be our lasting memory of SNL's Season 45, it was a perfect send-off: funny throughout, and delightfully bizarre, all helmed by a host who looked like he was enjoying the hell out of it all.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 15th (and quite possibly final) episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
“On The Couch”: 7.5/10
As I found out upon showing this to my parents during #Quarantine2020, my whole family is as much suckers for Chris Redd's (usually musical) pre-taped bits as I am. This may not be the strongest entry in his already impressive canon, but wonderfully elevated from "this is fun and silly" to downright hilarious, thanks to the interjections from the women. And for some reason, nothing made me laugh harder than Kenan Thompson's thumbs-up and "Yes!" when being accused of cheating on his girl.
The Good
“Monologue": 7/10
This feels a bit cheap, since Craig's actual spoken monologue wasn't too memorable. But, I'm a fan of monologues that do something different, and cutting away for an extended pre-taped No Time To Die parody is certainly different. And again, Kenan low-key stole the show, this time, with a script of about three words.
“Accent Coach": 7/10
Look, I'll just say it: Beck Bennett can do no wrong in my eyes. And sure, this is weird and a little bit dumb, but Beck + absurd accents + references to one of the best movies of 2019 is a winning combination.
"The Sands of Modesto": 7/10
Like I said: think coronavirus was on the mind of everyone this week? The soap opera parody was a one-note sketch, but unlike a lot of one-note skits, worked better and better the more it went on.
“Salad": 6.5/10
I've mentioned often that the predominant humor this season felt weirder than most recent years, in a good way, and I'm not sure any cast member has encapsulated that shift more than Aidy Bryant. She stars in yet another strange digital short (similar stylistically, if not thematically, to "Doug," with Harry Styles) here, as a housewife who is a little too excited about feeding her family a truly terrifying meal. As her husband, Daniel Craig's reaction to his wife's horrid salad is wonderful.
“The Ingraham Angle Coronavirus Cold Open": 6.5/10
I was a little bummed to see this title card come up during the cold open, but I can at least stomach Kate McKinnon's Laura Ingraham and Cecily Strong's Jeanine Pirro better than several of the other tired political impressions these days. And, despite being extremely long, this was pretty good! Kate and Cecily slayed as usual, and Darrell Hammond made a welcome return as Chris Matthews. But there's no question who the real star was here: Elizabeth Warren, who added "surprisingly good comedic timing and delivery" to the long list of reasons to like her. Come back, Liz! We need you!
“Deep Quote Game Night": 6/10
It wouldn't be a 'weird' episode if it didn't have at least one sketch featuring Heidi Gardner, who THRIVES on weird. This latest character of hers makes everyone uncomfortable at game night not just because of her intense movie quote knowledge base, but because of her chemistry with her friend's husband (played by the host). Honestly, this was mostly enjoyable for how easily Craig and McKinnon broke, but it was a good one all the same.
“Daytime Show": 6/10
In this latest edition of me ranting about how Ego Nwodim needs more screen time, I present this little skit. The entire thing is one joke based off of an obscure reference to Patti LaBelle's appearance on Tyra Banks' show a decade ago. But Nwodim turns what would be a thoroughly mediocre sketch into a funny one through her increasing indignation...and pronunciation of the word "foil."
“Weekend Update”: 6/10
Unfortunately, Weekend Update, which has really been terrific this season "ended" the season on a less impressive showing. There was still more good than bad, but Che and Jost's jokes didn't feel quite as sharp, and neither guest appearance upped the quality much. Bowen Yang had his first whiff of the year as "Bottle Boi," and though I was delighted to see the return of Cecily Strong's "Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party," the revamped character sounded a little more dumb than just wildly misinformed.
“Debbie Downer Wedding Reception”: 5.5/10
Speaking of "somewhat disappointing return of a beloved character": Debbie Downer! The emerging coronavirus was of course the perfect opportunity to bring back Rachel Dratch's famous character, but for whatever reason, this sketch just didn't seem fully formed. Maybe it was because everyone knew what to expect, maybe it was because we all subliminally compare each Downer sketch to the hilarious pandemonium of her inaugural appearance, but fun as this was, it was the weakest on the night.
Musical Performances
The Weeknd: 7.5/10
As likely the last musical guest of the season, The Weeknd put on quite a show. One thing that's prevented me becoming a full-fledged fan of his is that I find his voice to be inconsistent; he's got the Michael Jackson vocal quiver, which of course isn't a problem, but when it's off, it can sound really rough. However, in the first performance of his hit song "Blinding Lights," he was on, and the 80s aesthetic complemented him well. Though his second song ("Scared To Live") didn't quite hold up to the first, between his set and his sketch cameos, The Weeknd turned in a good night on the whole.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.59 (Comedy Only score: 6.5)
Entering the virus-induced Summer break, here's how the episodes stand:
1. Eddie Murphy/Lizzo - 7.17
2. RuPaul/Justin Bieber - 7.00
3. Phoebe Waller-Bridge/Taylor Swift - 6.6
4. Daniel Craig/The Weeknd - 6.59
5. Adam Driver/Halsey - 6.46
6. Woody Harrelson/Billie Eilish - 6.45
7. John Mulaney/David Byrne - 6.45
8. David Harbour/Camila Cabello - 6.44
9. Chance The Rapper - 6.42
10. Kristen Stewart/Coldplay - 6.29
11. Will Ferrell/King Princess - 6.23
12. Scarlett Johansson/Niall Horan - 6.15
13. Harry Styles - 6.13
14. Jennifer Lopez/DaBaby - 5.92
15. J.J. Watt/Luke Combs - 5.81