SNL Scorecard: Ana de Armas / KAROL G
Believe it or not, we're nearing the final stretch of Saturday Night Live's Season 48! And for the last show of April, SNL opted for a move they had already done 12 times this season: picking a first-time host! They also paired said first-time host with a first-time musical guest, a move they've pulled more than once this season. This week, the lucky winners were Latin American queens Ana de Armas and KAROL G, earning duties as host and musical guest, respectively.
It was a smart move from a ratings sense, both to platform and highlight a specific demographic, but also to inject some more energy and excitement into a season that's been far from consistent. And the online and in-person audience seemed to respond in kind, with a good amount of buzz and excitement entering the show. Unfortunately, the episode could not sustain the hype. For the second straight week, the host did her best, and there were definite highlights on the night, but the episode as a whole was very uneven, and the level of writing suggests this upcoming 3-week break is a much-needed one.
One note in case you forgot- I know my rankings can seem a little arbitrary, and truthfully there have been times where even I will look back at scorecards and think "Now, why did I rate (x) an 8.5, if (x) from this other episode was only a 7...?". So, both to hopefully clear up my scoring system for any curious readers, but also really to help keep myself consistent, here is the rubric to reference:
10/10: Perfect, no notes
8-9.5/10: Very funny-to-hilarious, definite rewatch
6-7.5/10: Pretty funny-to-funny, but won't necessarily be a rewatch
4-5.5/10: Not BAD, but not particularly funny or memorable
1-3.5/10: Terrible/poor taste, to simply bad/unfunny
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 18th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
"Spanish Class": 7/10
Hapless Mikey Day consistently makes me laugh, as does clearly bad Spanish or Spanglish; this sketch had both in ample supply. You could tell Ana de Armas and Marcello Hernandez were having a ton of fun in this one, perhaps the most fun the host had all night. This sketch, like a few others, also had a bit of a sloppy finish; Karol G’s cameo was fun, but pretty obvious and felt shoehorned in. That said, still one of the more fun ones on the night.
The Good
“Weekend Update": 8/10
A mega-long Update spanned three different guest appearances, for the second consecutive week. Unlike last week, though, all three were terrific. From the chaotic energy of Kenan’s “Funky Kong,” to perhaps Sarah Sherman’s most effective ‘Colin Jost-skewering’ appearance yet, to a charming but heartfelt cameo from Molly Kearney, each Update guest bolstered a segment that was already very good, thanks to fine form from Jost and Michael Che.
“Dog Acting School Commercial": 7/10
This was the exact chaotic 10-to-1 energy the show needed. I have to imagine, from Ana’s and especially Chloe Fineman’s reactions, that most of the dogs were not doing what they were ‘supposed’ to be doing, but that actually just made the premise of the sketch even funnier. What better way to punctuate the joke that their joint business venture is actually a sham than by showing dogs not performing the acting roles they were hired to perform?
"Please Don't Destroy - Hangxiety": 6.5/10
PDD, at this point a weekly fixture on the show, had a run of skits recently that took place in very different settings from any of their previous videos. Even though some of those were quite funny, it was good to see a return to their old format of simply quick hitters in their office (though not without some effective cutaway gags). This one had a fairly obvious conceit, and thus wasn’t their most memorable, but man, it was fun to watch the various cast members devolve into madness. Chloe’s wild cackle while firing a gun will live on in my brain for a long time.
"Album Recording Session": 6.5/10
This was a pretty dumb bit, but I’m a sucker for the premise regardless. It definitely felt like a spiritual successor to J.J. Watt’s “Madden” sketch I liked so much from a couple years ago, even if the comedic shoe was on the other foot this time. The lack of novelty and a sloppy ending made this version less memorable, but I still enjoyed the same humor in a different context.
“American Girl Doll Movie Trailer": 6.5/10
The scriptwriting couldn’t quite match the humor level of the concept itself in this sketch, unfortunately; more so than any other time in the night, I came away from this one with a feeling of somewhat wasted potential. That said, this still was a solid sketch with a good amount of memorable lines. Each “doll” played their part well, but Ego Nwodim, unsurprisingly, was the star.
“Monologue": 6/10
Ana seemed a little nervous, which is not at all uncommon or unreasonable for a first-time host, even when the host is an accomplished actress. It did somewhat accentuate the fact that her monologue wasn’t a memorably humorous one, but it was exceedingly sweet and heartfelt, and got the show kicked off with some positive energy. In that regard, it’s hard to say the monologue wasn’t successful.
The... Less-Good
“Lisa From Temecula: Wedding": 5.5/10
I can’t think of the last time that I so didn’t want to see a repeat of a sketch I so loved. Ego Nwodim’s original appearance as Lisa was amazing, but it went viral so recently ago, it feels like a cheap ploy to bring her back this soon. Even if it hadn’t been so recent, the magic of the first sketch lay in how unexpected and chaotic it was; there was no surprise with this one any more, and though Ana de Armas was struggling to keep it together, it didn’t throw the entire cast + host into conniptions the way her debut with Pedro Pascal did. I want to rate it lower because of how opposed I was to them doing this sketch, but I’ll admit Ego still made me laugh out loud multiple times, especially with her deliberate attempts to get Bowen Yang to break.
"First Warm Day of the Year Red Carpet Cold Open": 5/10
I wanted to enjoy this more, because I appreciate any cold open that takes a break from just being a satire of political/news events. But this just felt a little too “inside baseball” for New Yorkers specifically. It probably still could have worked if it there was a more illuminating punchline apart from “these are the types of people in Central Park!,” which was not exactly surprising. As it was, it ended up mildly funny but wholly forgettable.
“Nail Salon": 5/10
This was one that unfortunately, the audience sort of ruined for me. I love a zany last sketch of the night, and this was certainly that. What’s more, Ana and Bowen were definitely giving their all. But man, the crowd was just not going for it, and the relative silence when laughs were expected made this feel more stupid and messy than absurdly funny.
“Matt Schatt Game Show": 4.5/10
The original Matt Schatt sketch was an all-timer, but it just doesn’t seem like a character that needed reprising. To be fair, there has been a good amount of distance between each of Mikey Day’s appearances in the character; the original was fall 2016, and Matt’s only other appearance was in fall 2019. But still, once you know the gag, it’s always going to be hard to recapture the same level of humor. There were a few laughs here and there, but this time more than the previous times, it just felt forced and even downright mean, as opposed to ridiculous and hilarious.
Musical Performances
KAROL G: 7/10
I’ll admit, this is probably the most blind I came into any musical performance this season. Before last night, I knew next to nothing about the Colombian singer Karol G, other than her name, which is stylized in all caps. Karol (real name Carolina Navarro) has been a successful artist for a long time, but her breakout on the American scene only came very recently, with a sleeper hit in 2020 featuring Nicki Minaj, and a much bigger recent hit in tandem with Shakira.
Her first performance, of “MIENTRAS ME CURO DEL CORA,” threw me for a loop. Not because of how surprising it was, but rather how unsurprising it was. I expected a fair amount of flair and percussion, but it had a very basic sound, sounding almost like the generic ‘whistle pop’ you hear in virtually every commercial. Once I got past my initial reaction, though, it had a nice energy to it, and Karol’s voice sounded good. Equally interesting to me was that the second performance, of “TUS GAFITAS”, felt much more like a typical ‘first performance’ song, and vice versa. There was considerably more energy with this one, and melodically it was a more intriguing, radio-ready banger. Karol, this time in a futuristic spiky dress with a badass group of girl rockers behind her, sounded great once more, capping off a solid set for the Colombian starlet.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.21 ('Comedy Only' score: 6.14)
As we enter what I expect will be the last break of Season 48, here's where the episodes of the season stand-- keep in mind the episode's overall score factors in the musical performance, so what I considered the funniest isn't necessarily the top-rated overall, etc.:
Pedro Pascal/Coldplay - 7.46
Dave Chappelle/Black Star - 7.39
Jenna Ortega/The 1975 - 7.27
Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar - 7.14
Brendan Gleeson/WILLOW - 7.09
Quinta Brunson/Lil Yachty - 7.09 (tie goes to Brendan Gleeson's episode due to having a higher 'Comedy Only' score)
Austin Butler/Lizzo - 6.96
Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith - 6.88
Keke Palmer/SZA - 6.75
Steve Martin & Martin Short/Brandi Carlile - 6.73
Michael B. Jordan/Li'l Baby - 6.69
Molly Shannon/Jonas Brothers - 6.67
Woody Harrelson/Jack White - 6.32
Megan Thee Stallion - 6.25
Ana de Armas/KAROL G - 6.21
Jack Harlow - 6.17
Travis Kelce/Kelsea Ballerini - 5.92
Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy - 5.75
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