SNL Scorecard: Dave Chappelle / Black Star
This recap is much belated, I know. The real reason for the delay is a two-week European adventure that spanned Thanksgiving, and, hopefully unsurprisingly, took precedence over catching up on Saturday Night Live. But truthfully, it was partially an intentional delay as well; Dave Chappelle has become a lightning rod for controversy over the last year-plus, and I knew there would be an understandable amount of feelings and reactions towards his being invited back on the show to host. I always intended to watch this episode, but figured it would be best for objectivity if I waited a little bit until any discourse died down.
Fortunately, and I do want to tread lightly, but fortunately, the night ended up being relatively controversy-free. Chappelle couldn’t help himself and still managed to waddle into territory that could be deemed offensive (more on that in a bit), but for the most part, we saw the return of the best parts of both of the comedians’ previous hosting gigs in 2016 and 2020. Sketches were edgy, spirits were high, and we even got some cameos from Chappelle Show characters. Coupled with two high-energy performances from legendary rap duo Black Star, it resulted in the strongest episode of the season
*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 6th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
“Potato Hole”: 9/10
Even though the content is totally different, the tone of this one is not unlike the famous “Farewell Mr. Bunting” sketch in its very slow buildup and long development. But, just like that one (though again, in a very different way), I promise the payoff is so worth it. Everyone from Chappelle to the various cast members played their part perfectly. This was a terrific late-episode sketch, and one of the best of the year.
The Good
“Heaven Scene": 8/10
I’ll admit I’m an easy target, since I'm a sucker for this exact type of humor but that said, I could not stop laughing throughout this one. My only complaint with it is, although Mikey Day played the dweeby white guy perfectly, his character's obvious discomfort occasionally hampered the momentum. I think this is a bit that really missed Beck Bennett and/or Kyle Mooney, who would have plowed through the obviously inappropriate role with a delightful lack of self-awareness.
“Please Don't Destroy - Election Night”: 7.5/10
I've liked almost all of their stuff, but this was one of Please Don't Destroy's best in a while. Their interplay was great as always, but Ioved how they used new cast member Molly Kearney and cameos from Steve Kornacki to craft the sort of fever dream sketches that are big on TikTok these days.
“Weekend Update”: 7.5/10
This was far from the strongest Weekend Update performance by Michael Che and Colin Jost, but it definitely a step up from their steadily declining sets over the last several weeks. And while Marcello Hernandez once again turned in a solid guest appearance, the star of this Update was, unsurprisingly, Sarah Sherman. I never tire of her terrifying and grossing out Colin in equal measure; at this point, I would welcome a weekly or bi-weekly "Sarah News" segment.
"House Of The Dragon": 7/10
This one somewhat fizzled out, as it seemed like Dave and the writers didn’t really know how to end this one, but much like the “Walking Dead” spoof in 2016, it was hilarious to see his original characters in a different realm.
“Monologue": 7/10
There isn't going to be much I can say about the contents of Chappelle's monologue that hasn't already been discussed and likely better thought-out elsewhere. I will say, knowing any sort of apology for his transphobic comments wasn't forthcoming, I appreciated that he at least resisted the urge to further antagonize that community or their allies. However, I do hate that he couldn't help but play with fire again, and fairly overtly co-sign some of Kanye West's anti-semitism. It certainly overshadowed what was yet again a very good monologue from the legendary comedian.
“Barber Shop Talk": 6.5/10
Some minor mishaps and awkward missed timing prevented this from ever really catching momentum, but still a funny bit on the whole. And unlike the House Of The Dragon sketch, it ended on one of the funnier notes of the sketch, helping the transition into the commercial feel more smooth.
"Fox & Friends Cold Open”: 6/10
Pretty basic sketch elevated by Cecily Strong and James Austin Johnson’s absurdly good impressions. It wasn't memorable anyhow, but the hilarious and inch-perfect depictions of Kari Lake and Donald Trump prevented it from being bad.
Musical Performances
Black Star: 8/10
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I had never heard of Black Star before this episode, but had heard of Mos Def, obviously. The duo's performances were pretty electric, particularly the first song, "So be it.," and got me eager to listen to them more. I like the trend of having legendary New York musical acts partnering with Chappelle's hosting gigs (previous musical guests were A Tribe Called Quest and The Strokes). I'm calling it now: the episode after Election Night 2024 will be Dave Chappelle and Nas!
OVERALL SCORE: 7.39 ('Comedy Only' score: 7.31)
As we enter Thanksgiving Break, here is where the episodes stand thus far-- 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.:
Dave Chappelle/Black Star - 7.39
Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar - 7.14
Brendan Gleeson/WILLOW - 7.09
Megan Thee Stallion - 6.25
Jack Harlow - 6.17
Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy - 5.75
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