SNL Scorecard: Daniel Kaluuya / St. Vincent

I don't know if the phenomenon has increased in recent years or I've just become increasingly aware of it, but there is real synchronization between Saturday Night Live calendar and the awards circuit calendar. Where late 2020/early 2021 saw a number of Grammy-nominated musical guests, we're approaching the delayed Oscar season, which means Oscar-nominated hosts. Namely, Daniel Kaluuya, frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant work in Judas and the Black Messiah.

Kaluuya's pairing with beloved alt-rocker St. Vincent made a whole lot of Variety types excited for this episode, and the excitement, happily, was justified. The musical guest entertained, and the host performed remarkably well, giving his absolute all to each role, which really isn't the least bit surprising. The episode was short on truly memorable sketches, to be sure (and inexplicably, the two best ones of the night were cut for time), but it also was without any bad sketches. Each aspect of the show delivered at least a few great laughs, and the energy level was a noticeable upgrade from last week.

Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 16th episode of the season:

Sketch of the Night

“Viral Apology Video”: 7/10

Parodying YouTube culture is something Kyle Mooney, along with Beck Bennett, has been proficient in since even before his SNL tenure, so it’s no surprise that he pulls off an inch-perfect reenactment of, like, 90% of YouTube celebrities these days. What’s impressive, though, is how he managed to parody both the "Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp” story and David Dobrik controversy effortlessly in one sketch. Maybe this is niche humor, but count me in among that niche.

The Good

“Weekend Update": 8.5/10

It’s seemed to be in more extreme directions this season than in years past, but the truth is really since the arrival of Che and Jost as cohosts, Weekend Update has tended to be inconsistent, but when it’s on, it’s ON. This was one of those nights. I was nervous when Jost’s shots at Matt Gaetz out of the gate felt a little weak, but he continued to return to the subject to land increasingly heavy, deserving blows. And just about every other joke from the co-anchors was terrific, too. Then there were the guest appearances; Kate and Aidy’s Smokery Farms employees are an underrated classic, and man it was good to see Alex Moffat’s “Guy Who Just Bought A Boat” come back. Throw in Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner’s delightfully uncomfortable married couple, and it was just a great segment through and through.

“Monologue": 8/10

Daniel Kaaluya has already become a can’t miss actor, so I wasn’t exactly expecting him to falter in the spotlight. Still, many brilliant dramatic actors have come to SNL and looked nervous or out of sorts in the monologue, and I’d yet to see Kaaluya in a purely comedic role, so I was curious to see how he would do. Answer: incredibly well. He was so comfortable, so in command of this delivery, which in its short time, touched on American racism vs. British racism, his large and proud Ugandan family, the Black Panther party, his acting career, and his love for Kenan & Kel…specifically, for Kel. This was a masterful monologue.

"Frat Trip": 7/10

This probably won't make any "Best Of" year-end lists, but man, there were so many parts of this that I loved. The fact that Kaluuya gets to be the first one to deliver a punchline. How committed to the "bro" character Bowen Yang is. The idea of the moms being present increasingly gaining traction. But mostly, how delightfully stupid Beck Bennett's self-satisfied face is after his "amazing!" idea.

"Half Brother": 6.5/10

You know I love a good 10-to-1 sketch, and this was nothing if not that. The off-kilter humor would have been enjoyable anyway, but this was yet another example of how it was elevated by how much the host leaned into his bizarre role.

“Vaccine Game Show": 6.5/10

The punchline was obvious pretty early on in this one, and thus it was hard to fully invest in it. But it still made a good point, and just about everything Ego Nwodim and Chris Redd do cracks me up, so that was a recipe for a solid sketch.

“Scattergories": 6/10

It’s like the SNL writers have been to my house during Christmas when my mom wants to play “Ticket To Ride….” The callback to this sketch being about the brand of wine rather than the passive aggressive mother was a funny twist, but seemed a bit unnecessary. Just about everything else from this sketch worked, especially Kate McKinnon’s brilliant passive-aggressiveness.

“Dog Park": 6/10

This was a pretty simple, and honestly, forgettable sketch. But man, the rapid change in Ego Nwodim's demeanor when she hears Kaluuya's 'dog voice' was so good. That alone kept me laughing for most of the remainder of the skit.

“Proud Parents”: 5.5/10

Kaaluya and Ego were perfect here as the African parents chummy with their friends and friends’ children, and then brutally harsh on their own for his career and educational choice. It was a pretty simple premise, but enjoyable, and I laughed out loud at Chris’ “award-winning” poem.

“Britney Spears Talk Show Cold Open”: 5.5/10

I really loved the first edition of this that they did just a couple months ago, but this was not quite as effective. This one was still more good than bad, thanks largely to Chloe Fineman’s terrific Britney Spears and Kate McKinnon’s hilarious Pepe LePew. But by and large, it just felt like they were trying to cram a few too many storylines in one, and though it did a good job recapping the (vastly different) Li’l Nas X and Matt Gaetz controversies, the punchlines were pretty few and far between.

Musical Performances

St. Vincent: 6.5/10

St. Vincent is one of my favorite alt-rockers, and as I had not heard of any new releases from her, I was very excited to see her announced weeks ago as the musical guest, as I naturally concluded that meant new music was on the way. I didn’t know what to expect, but that’s on me, because at this point, I should learn to expect the unexpected.

Sure enough, her first song, “Pay Your Way In Pain,” was a radical departure from the style we’re used to from her. There were elements still of the bluesy-rock I’m used to hearing from her, but it was more of a retro pop vibe, both in style and in her own stage presence, sans guitar and with….choreography? If you can call it that. I’ll admit I didn’t love it, but I can applaud branching out in style, and also good GOD that last note!! The 2nd performance, of “The Melting Of The Sun” was still a little ways off from the burn-it-down rock and roll I’d come to love, but I was digging the groove a little more. Still, her voice seemed off in comparison to other performances I’d seen from her.

OVERALL SCORE: 6.64 ('Comedy Only' score: 6.65)