SNL Scorecard: Jenna Ortega / The 1975
When Saturday Night Live kicked off 2023 with three consecutive first-time hosts that were Internet beloveds with an impassioned, young fanbase, it resulted in three of the most energetic, and at least two of the funniest episodes of the season. They went away from that script the last couple weeks, opting instead for a veteran host in Woody Harrelson and then an NFL player with Travis Kelce. Whether it was causation or merely correlation can be up for debate, but there's no question those episodes were short on the funny, and were two of the least memorable of the SNL year. So, last night, the show went back to the well that had worked for them at the start by tabbing young Jenna Ortega, whose star turn in Wednesday and delightfully dry, no-nonsense personality earned her myriad fans in the last several months. The result? As I somewhat anticipated, a return to the high-energy hilarity of those early episodes.
For a young, first-time host, whose personality seemingly wouldn't be a natural fit with Saturday Night Live's live sketch comedy format, I was blown away by Ortega. There wasn't a single role in a single sketch where she didn't give her absolute all-- and believe me, some characters required a lot. If she was reading cue cards throughout sketches, one could barely tell, and she hardly ever broke or seemed uncomfortable. That's all fine and dandy from a host, but for an episode to be good, the writing and energy level from the cast needs to be match. Fortunately, this time, both did, and as such, just like with Pedro Pascal's episode a month ago, one of the strongest episodes of the season sends SNL into its two-week break on a high note.
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 15th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
"Waffle House": 8.5/10
It’s funny, the Waffle House sign was the first thing I noticed, and I actually thought “Ohhhh yeah, this is gonna be a Waffle House sketch.” Then Marcello Hernandez and Jenna’s dialogue started, and I thought “Oh! Okay, it’s just a melodramatic teen parody.” Little did I know we’d get both! Both elements of this sketch were so good; the interior of the Waffle House was obviously the hilarious part, but Marcello and Jenna committed to their parts so well, I honestly couldn’t decide which part to focus on more. This was instantly memorable, and already has ‘year-end best’ potential.
The Good
“Weekend Update": 8.5/10
This was a tremendous Weekend Update. Perhaps even the best of the season. An energetic and participatory audience certainly helped, but these were some of Michael Che’s and Colin Jost’s sharpest jokes in a while. While Molly Kearney’s guest appearance was cute and funny, I almost felt as if it stalled the momentum the co-anchors had built by exploding out of the gates. James Austin Johnson’s random rapid-fire impressions, though, were a terrific note to end Update on; wonderfully silly (and impressive).
“Please Don't Destroy - Road Trip": 8/10
Yet another Please Don’t Destroy sketch makes the live episode, and yet again it’s early in the show! In less than two seasons, they’ve seemingly reached Lonely Island status. After a couple “meh” outings the last couple weeks, this was the trio’s best output in quite some time. It took a while to get to the major jokes, but it was worth the trip (haHA!) to get there. And though I was skeptical about the musical number aspect at first, it effectively served as a vehicle (hahaHA!) to accentuate the passive-aggressive sniping even more.
"Ridiculousness": 7.5/10
For as long as Ridiculousness has been on the air (I know it’s only been about a decade, but there seriously has to a be 1 million+ episodes of this show— it’s always on TV), I think this might be the first-ever SNL parody of it! I’m not surprised the driving force was Mikey Day; this felt right up his alley. This was such a good parody of the show, and I loved Jenna’s character completely misreading the program’s vibe. With a less sloppy ending, I think this could have rated even higher.
"The Parent Trap": 7/10
The joke in this one was pretty obvious— SNL often does variations on this them. But I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for this kind of humor, and being that I’m also a sucker for Fred Armisen, I enjoyed this immensely. Solid, if not spectacular, sketch that once again featured great acting from the host.
“Exorcism": 7/10
This was pretty basic rapport between Ego Nowdim and Kenan, but they’re both just so good at it. Dumb as it might sound, the horrible “Shaw” pun is what kicked this up a notch for me. If it ended on more of a high, it honestly might have been in the running for my favorite of the night.
“Monologue": 7/10
Jenna Ortega’s public persona seems to be so similar to Aubrey Plaza’s, so unsurprisingly, her monologue felt similar. Namely, the actress showed a little discomfort on stage, perhaps, but great natural comedic timing. This was a solid monologue on the whole! It had been a while since the show did either the “celebrity walk-on,” or the “pull an audience member” gag for monologues; it’s a somewhat cheap ploy, but I think it worked really well this time with how humorous Fred Armisen’s vibes were in contrast with Jenna’s.
"Oscars Red Carpet Cold Open": 6.5/10
It was nice to see a return to a more creative cold open after the weak political output last week ruined the three-episode streak the show had going. This one wasn’t quite as memorable as the consecutive cold opens from Michael B. Jordan’s to Woody Harrelson’s episodes, but was still very enjoyable and an accurate send-up of Oscars coverage. Also, even though all the various celebrity impressions were hilarious, the funniest bit by far was Sarah Sherman. She is such a star. I hate how little we’ve seen her this season.
“School vs. School": 6.5/10
This was an acting performance that deserved better writing. Jenna and Mikey absolutely went for it with their energy (as did Molly, albeit with more limited lines), and their full commitment made the sketch so enjoyable. But the reason it wasn’t an instant classic is because other than Kenan’s COVID test punchline, none of the jokes themselves felt particularly sharp.
“Jingle Pitch": 6/10
This was a perfectly delightful 10-to-1 sketch, and I'm really enjoying seeing James and Andrew Dismukes in sketches together. I feel like their brands of comedy feed off each other really well. But on a night that was already so weird and wild and wonderful, this zany bit just didn't feel as memorable. Still a good one-- and I loved seeing Jenna, Bowen, and Chloe Fineman all briefly break --that perhaps would have stood out more in a weaker, less original episode.
Musical Performances
The 1975: 7.5/10
When The 1975, the British pop-rock band, exploded onto the scene a decade or so ago, I did not anticipate them being much more than a flash in the pan. But, quietly, they have put together quite a solid career, carving out a space for themselves in the indie-pop world. I’ll confess, I’ve never paid them much mind; I was annoyed by their insipid breakout single “Chocolate” at the outset, and lead singer Matty Healy’s antics recently have annoyed me again. But in between, they admittedly have had several bangers that will pop up on my Spotify from time to time.
Their first performance was of lead single “I’m In Love With You.” I had never heard it, but it was definitely in line with what I know from their sound. Nothing too extraordinary, perhaps, but they sounded great! It’s giving “Ed Sheeran if he actually made good and interesting pop music” (I said what I said). I enjoyed the ‘apartment study’ set design as well. Their second performance of “Oh Caroline” was slightly more shaky, with Healy at one point shifting into a faux voice altogether when he realized he was somewhat off it. But it ended up solid enough to not derail an otherwise very good set. Besides, I’ll own my bias: I had a vendetta against this track because of a crush of mine named Caroline who would not stop raving about this song when it was released. Why don’t you just go off and MARRY The 1975, Caroline?!? Whaat do they have that I DON’T, Caroline?!?!?!
OVERALL SCORE: 7.27 ('Comedy Only' score: 7.25)
As we enter SNL's 'Spring Break,' here's where the episodes of Season 48 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
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
Woody Harrelson/Jack White - 6.32
Megan Thee Stallion - 6.25
Jack Harlow - 6.17
Amy Schumer/Steve Lacy - 5.75
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