SNL Scorecard: Martin Short / Hozier
SNL50 is officially halfway through its historic season, with this weekend's Christmas episode in the books. That is scarcely believable to me- it genuinely feels like a month ago that the 50th season of Saturday Night Live kicked off with Jean Smart hosting. And yet, the show has already lived enough lives this season to develop valleys and peaks, slumps and streaks, and relatedly, came into this past weekend needing a bit of a course correction for the holiday season. A generally strong season thus far had lost steam since the Thanksgiving holiday; the last episode before that holiday was a very good one fronted by pop star of the moment Charli XCX, but the two afterward were two of the weakest of the season, including its first uniformly weak one last time out with Chris Rock.
With that objective in mind, then: mission accomplished! The show brought back one of the most familiar faces in all of comedy to host, and as you might expect, Martin Short came in with the aplomb of a veteran at the top of his game and crushed every role he was asked to play on the night. It was an episode chock full of exciting visitors, hilarious bits, and perhaps most importantly of all, extremely high energy. You could tell everyone from the live audience to the cast to the host himself was very ready for this episode and very committed to it being the maximum amount of fun. The end result was the best 'Christmas episode' in years, one with a high floor AND a high ceiling. Here's to more of that in the new year!
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 10th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
"Parking Lot Altercation": 8.5/10
As was the case with a surprising amount of content from this episode, this was a reprise of a pre-existing sketch. The good news is, it was a reprise of a brilliant sketch, and the concept was just as funny the second time, and perhaps even better this time around. The writing for Martin Short's character in particular was phenomenal, and the late Melissa McCarthy cameo elevated this from very good to downright great.
The Good
“Monologue": 8.5/10
This season has been wildly hit-or-miss on monologues, but there have been some great ones. This might top them all. It had quick-hitting, hilarious jokes all the way through, as is Martin Short's forté. And the musical bit that emerged in the second half of it was really clever and well-executed; Martin is a good singer!! That 1-2 with Lorne Michaels and Jimmy Fallon at the end was a perfect cherry on top.
“Martin Short Five Timers Cold Open": 7.5/10
As mentioned right at the top of this one by Tom Hanks, it really is fascinating how the "Five-Timers Club" has evolved from a funny throwaway reference during a host's monologue, to a short mini-ceremony complete with a robe, to something like this: a 10-minute cold open featuring a slew of some of the biggest names in entertainment. Typically, I may be mildly annoyed at a sketch more interested in guest stars than the show's cast, but this was so much fun, and hey, it's Martin Short, and it's the Christmas show. That's the most obvious "go big" episode imaginable. Also, this is not the time or place I expected to soft launch this opinion, but: I think there’s a genuine argument to be made that Kristen Wiig is the G.O.A.T. cast member. I could expound on that— and perhaps will at another time — but all I’ll say here is, even in a loaded open with megawatt star power cameos, nobody made me laugh as hard or as immediately as Wiig did as soon as she emerged on the scene.
“Weekend Update": 7.5/10
Michael Che and Colin Jost might need the holiday break as much as any cast member. This was far from bad, but for the third week running, most of the co-host's punchlines were just okay, bucking the trend of what has otherwise been a very good season for them. Similarly, Bowen Yang’s appearance as the “drone” was fine and fun, but felt like a weaker version of similar characters that he's done in the past. What elevated this segment was, naturally, the latest edition of the co-anchors’ joke swap. It's one of the best bits- consistently hilarious, and this might be the best edition yet. Che’s addition of Jost’s “black voice” was brilliant, as were the live reactions from Scarlett Johansson.
"Peanuts Christmas": 7/10
If I had a nickel for every time Martin Short hosted the Christmas SNL show and did a sketch riffing on Charlie Brown Christmas, I’d have 10 cents. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s funny that it’s happened twice. Given that it’s our family’s sole “Christmas movie tradition,” I probably should be annoyed with how Short seems hellbent on tainting my childhood memories, but unfortunately, he’s 2 for 2 now on hilarious takes on the Peanuts classic. This was the closest we got all night to hearing Martin’s Jiminy Glick character, and was a delightful end to a great episode. Kenan as “cool Snoopy” was inspired casting, too.
"An Act of Kindness": 7/10
At the outset, this felt awfully similar to a James Franco sketch from years ago. This one had a different reveal, though; not all that hilarious, but perfectly silly and fun. That is, until the second reveal, a final turn at the very end that ended the sketch with a hilarious knockout blow of a punchline.
“Christmas Airport Parade": 6.5/10
This was not a repeat sketch I expected to see, and it seemed like the audience wasn't totally on board with this one, either. There were a lot of clever jokes in this one, though (and once again, an A+ cameo from Kristen Wiig, even if it lasted approximately 10 seconds). It wasn’t a total smash, but another fun one and better than the last time they tried it.
“Sábado Gigante Christmas Special": 5.5/10
I didn't think they would trot this one back out so soon for a reprise, but perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, given how hilarious the first edition was. This version was still enjoyable and captured the same chaotic energy, but a lot of the magic was lost after seeing this format once. I do think it has potential to be a "What Up With That".... an oft-used, high-production-value sketch that becomes a fan favorite and classic simply because of its wild energy each time, but the writing and timing will both need to be better than in this second installment. Also... where was Martin Short? I'm not sure he would have totally worked as the straight foil in this bit, but why have a full sketch that doesn't use the host at all?
Musical Performances
Hozier 8/10
I watched this episode with a few siblings, as Hozier was introduced for his first song, we all began discussing— and agreeing —that we have always liked Hozier perfectly fine, but have never really loved him. Great voice, good songs, talented musician, genial Irish fella…nothing to dislike! Just never someone I’ve counted among my favorites. So where most musical guests this season have elicited either a “Woof. Really? Okay.” or a “YAAAAAAAASSSSS” reaction from me, this was perhaps the first where I just shrugged and said “Cool! He’ll probably be fine!”
And fine he was! At least on the first song, a performance of his radio hit “Too Sweet.” Hozier began somewhat shaky on the vocals, but grew into it, and it ended up a very solid performance of a catchy hit. The second performance, however, kicked his overall grade up multiple notches. Hozier went with SNL tradition and performed a Christmas song rather than one of his own for the last musical performance of the year, and as an Irishman performing in New York, went with the classic “Fairytale of New York,” about an Irishman in New York. I’ll confess, the song has never moved me as much as it has many others who consider it their favorite holiday tune…until now. This performance made me truly get it for the first time. Hozier and his singers were in fine voice, perfectly capturing the mixture of emotions encapsulated in this tune, and damn if the soaring pipes and whistles didn’t leave my eyes as misty as a garrgeous Irish marnin’.
OVERALL SCORE: 7.39 ('Comedy Only' score: 7.31)
Heading into SNL50's break for Christmas and New Year's, here’s where the episodes 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.:
Ariana Grande/Stevie Nicks - 7.46
Martin Short/Hozier - 7.39
Nate Bargatze/Coldplay - 7.27
Charli xcx - 7.21
Michael Keaton/Billie Eilish - 7.18
John Mulaney/Chappell Roan - 7.11
Bill Burr/Mk.gee - 6.58
Jean Smart/Jelly Roll - 6.55
Paul Mescal/Shaboozey - 6.38
Chris Rock/Gracie Abrams - 5.50
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