SNL Scorecard: Benedict Cumberbatch / Arcade Fire

Saturday Night Live returned this weekend from two weeks away to enter the homestretch of Season 47. In a season filled with first-time hosts-- including the last episode before this one --they returned with one in Benedict Cumberbatch who had graced the Studio 8H stage before, albeit only one time, in 2016.

Cumberbatch isn't necessarily the man of the moment any more, but unless you live under a rock, you're well aware of him by now. The Brit's vaunted filmography, which ranges from Sherlock Holmes to 12 Years A Slave, from The Power of the Dog to Marvel's Doctor Strange, has earned him many an award nomination, talk-show appearance, and ardent fanbase over the last decade or so. And though he's known to be one of today's better, more "serious" actors, the man himself has proven to have quite a sense of humor (or is it "humour"?) as well.

Last time Benedict hosted was the weekend before the infamous 2016 Presidential Election, and I remember it being a bizarre, underwhelming episode. It was one that, despite being on the eve of the election, had very little to say about it, and though not totally without highlights, generally was a very forgetful array of random sketches that seemed to hint at the fact that actors and writers alike were all ready to get past the election, and perhaps take a break. This time around, happily, the Cumberbatch-helmed episode was much more steady and enjoyable. Instead, this one followed the pattern of many of Season 47's episodes, both for better and for worse: a very solid episode overall, with little to no weak links on the whole, but conversely little to no hilarious, memorable sketches as well.

Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 19th episode of the season:

Sketch of the Night

"The Understudy": 8/10

I'm always especially happy when a 10-to-1 sketch is the best of the night, but to be fair, this was much more of a traditional pre-taped bit than what is generally airing in that last timeslot. Chloe Fineman is such a talented impressionist, but weirdly enough, we rarely get to see that in action, nor do we get too many Chloe-centric sketches, so this was a welcome change. All of her castmate impressions were great, and the added wrinkles with Elizabeth Olsen's cameo (much to the confusion of poor Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ego Nwodim's refusal to participate made this a really great sketch on the whole. And I loved Punkie Johnson's closing line...perfect impression *chef's kiss.*

The Good

“Weekend Update": 8.5/10

Michael Che and Colin Jost returned from the long layoff in as good form as they’ve been this entire season, which is good because the last Update we had was less-than-impressive. Their whole set this time was terrific; there were no real weak punchlines, but the abortion and Supreme Court commentary was especially cutting. And on that note, the sole guest appearance, Kate McKinnon as Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was also great.

"Blue Bunny": 7.5/10

“Wackos at a focus group” is a well Saturday Night Live goes to often, and it’s no surprise, as it almost always works marvelously. This was yet another example of that fact; Heidi Gardner’s often weird characters are pretty hit or miss for me, honestly, but she was terrific in this instance, as hers and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dust Bowl vets played perfectly off each other and gave this sketch a welcome layer of darkness.

“Just Like You": 7/10

This was yet another sketch, or at least type of sketch, that the show has done numerous times in recent years, to varying degrees of success. This was one of the better ones in recent memory; I loved all of Cecily’s flashback scenes. The heartfelt sign-off felt a bit forced and weird for this instance, though.

"Monologue": 7/10

Benedict Cumberbatch has natural charisma, so it’s no surprise he was absolutely at ease in the oft-intimidating monologue format. This also was a particularly well-written monologue: cleverly self-referential, and with a healthy blend of the funny and sweet amidst the Mother’s Day messages. Great start to the show overall.

“New Toilet": 7/10

I definitely didn’t think an ad for a brand new way to sit on a toilet would be the sketch that made a return from Benedict’s first time hosting. But hey, maybe that will just be his SNL Legacy. This was hilarious, and was nice and short, not belaboring the joke.

"Roe v Wade Cold Open": 6.5/10

Actually memorable lines were few and far between, and the ending got a little too on the nose, but I really appreciated the premise of this sketch. I was happy the show found a way to touch on the issue du jour without being overly passé or snarky. Again, it’s not that I’m opposed to political cold opens, I’m just opposed to lack of creativity, which fortunately this didn’t suffer from.

“Chuck E. Cheese": 6.5/10

I loved the high concept of this sketch! It ranks lower on the night because it was short on real laughs, and it went on a bit too long, but it certainly was one of the most original bits of the whole episode. “Oh, Pizza Pie" was legitimately a bop.

“The Fainting Couch": 6.5/10

This was so dumb, but I loved every second of it.

“Mother's Day Gifts": 6/10

The central premise of one of 2021’s better sketches, with Regina King, made a return under the banner of Mother’s Day. The sequel failed to match the energy of the original, in my opinion, mostly because there was no surprise value this time. But, it was still a very enjoyable bit on the whole, with several funny one-liners.

“Chain Gang": 6/10

A fun sketch on the whole, though it wasn’t as memorable as I thought it could have been. I definitely enjoyed the reveal that Benedict was calmly singing along with his fellow prisoners all while being a mole, but it just didn’t really go anywhere with that joke after that.

Musical Performances

Arcade Fire: 7/10

Arcade Fire have been the bastions of indie music for nearly 20 years, and though I was way late to the party, I’m a big fan of them as most white millennial men are, so I was eager to catch this set which featured tracks from their brand new album We. They’re also no strangers to this show; this was their 5th appearance, and they even released an extended music video for their album and lead single Reflektor in conjunction with their 2013 appearance.

Not much separated their two performances in terms of quality. Both their first performance, of "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)," and their second song, "The Lightning, I, II" featured a little bit of grizzled vocals from frontman Winn Butler, before he ultimately found his groove and Arcade Fire settled into the impressive, high-energy performances they've become known for. Both also included heartfelt call-outs from Butler, a message of love to his son before their first song, and an ardent call for abortion rights at the conclusion of their second. It was neither the best I've seen them on this show, nor the most standout performance of this season, but it was still a great set all in all.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.00 ('Comedy Only' score: 7.00)