SNL Scorecard: Nate Bargatze / Coldplay

Many corners of the internet met last week's mediocre SNL50 premiere with the online equivalent of weeping and gnashing of teeth, the disappointment that this celebratory season of Saturday Night Live got off to a fairly weak start so great that it led some to question whether the show should just hang it up for good once this year is done. Others, like this fan, were a little calmer about it; to be clear, I don't think last week's episode was very good, but real ones know the season premiere episodes actually often aren't very good. It takes everyone-- cast, crew, writers, hell, probably even Lorne Michaels himself --some time to get back in the swing of things and rediscover their mojo. Two rough weeks off the jump, though, and I think it would be safe to start wondering if there is an uptick in the show's future, so ideally it would be nice for a much stronger Week 2.

In that regard, I think we can safely say: mission accomplished. Last night's episode was a quick-- and stark -- return to form for SNL, a sophomore episode that was easily the show's strongest outing since the April stretch of Ramy Youssef -> Kristen Wiig -> Ryan Gosling, which was unquestionably the peak of Season 49.

Standup comedians frequently fare best as Saturday Night Live hosts, but Nate Bargatze is a somewhat unlikely comedian to have carved out a role for himself in the show's legacy. For one, he's only recently broken through to more mainstream popularity, and there's still a wide swath of Americans that probably have no clue who he is; but also, his entire vibe, Southern roots and unassuming demeanor, seems to be more in line with someone you'd expect to be a fun social hang with your buddies than someone who would lead a memorable episode of one of perhaps the most famous comedy show ever. And yet, for the second season in a row now, Bargatze has helmed a very solid installment of SNL, and proved to be an even more comfortable and capable host this time around, and you could tell writers and cast members alike had a good feel for how to play off his abnormally normal energy. The comedian's episode in 2023 was one of Season 49's most-acclaimed. This one-- with the full disclosure that I was never quite as high on his episode last year as it seemed most were -- was even better, with no lows and numerous serious highs.

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

4.5-5.5/10: Not BAD, but not particularly funny or memorable

1-4/10: Terrible/poor taste, to simply bad/unfunny

Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 1st episode of the season:

Sketch of the Night

"Sushi Glory Hole": 9/10

I wanted to give this a full 10/10 simply for unexpectedly bringing back the Lonely Island (or at least 2/3rds of them) to SNL, but I save perfect 10s for rarefied air, and I don’t know that this makes Lonely Island’s criterion collection. Still, what a return to form for the modern-day SNL legends: a stupid concept, repeated ad nauseum, but with enough self-awareness to laugh along with you. And oh yeah, intermittently, legitimately impressive bars. Same as it ever was. Much is made about crowding out an already-large cast in favor of celebrity cameos and former cast members, and I share the general opposition to that, but (while I doubt this is a plan in the works) personally, I wouldn't mind honoring the show's 50th year with one appearance an episode with greats from the show's past, and especially if those greats were influential in my SNL upbringing.

The Good

“Weekend Update": 8.5/10

Boy, Jost and Che have started the season hot with their jokes. Another fantastic set from the co-anchors, and I really enjoyed Che’s banter with the crowd in this one, too. Just a solitary walk-on guest this week, but it was a significant one: new player Jane Wickline made her debut with an original song. It’s clear she has a very unique brand of humor that the audience needed to grow on, but once they caught on to her vibe (and the song), it became incredibly fun. Excited to see more of Wickline. 

"Golf Tournament": 8/10

I was laughing from the start, but was curious how this joke wasn’t just going to get tired. They resolved that issue by just upping the ante more and more each time. I was snorting by the end of this. Great acting here by the host as well. This felt like an old Monty Python sketch in the best way.

"Sábado Gigante": 8/10

I get the feeling this might be a “pet sketch” for me, one most everyone enjoys but I in particular return to an abnormal amount. The crowd seemed kinda mixed on this send-up of unhinged Latin game shows and an increasingly bemused and terrified Nate Bargatze, but I was dying. The reaction every time El Chacal popped out was golden. Even if the live audience may not agree that this was one of the highlights of the night, it gets a bonus boost for me for being so tremendously original, sort of the inverse dynamic as…

"Washington's Dream 2": 7.5/10

It was the most obvious prediction in the world that they were going to run back the wildly popular “George Washington” sketch from when Bargatze hosted last season. And, no surprise, it followed pretty much the exact same format as it did last time, to great success with the studio audience. I once again wasn’t quite as enamored as I think the audience was, in part for the lack of creativity. That said, I actually think I liked this one a little bit more than its predecessor, for two reasons: for starters, the jokes this time felt slightly more nuanced and less obvious. Second, the host’s pacing and comedic timing was far more fluid in his second go-round, and it made a big difference in the flow of the sketch.

“VP Debate 2024 Cold Open": 7/10

A couple gripes: one, I miss the days where SNL would just do a straight up debate parody. It feels like in the last couple election cycles, they’ve tried to add additional elements to the sketch rather than just doing the debate itself. In this case, it felt like an excuse to quickly run back out the various big names that had done the opening sketch of Season 50, to rave online reviews. Overall, though, this was a very solid parody of a debate that had a lot less “meme”-able moments than the Presidential one. Jim Gaffigan was spot-on yet again as Tim Walz, and Bowen Yang as JD Vance is just too good. I’m a little annoyed we only get one month of Dana Carvey’s Biden; it’s hysterical, albeit a little mean-spirited. "And guess what? And by the way!" makes me laugh every. single. time.

“Water Park": 7/10

I’m a little annoyed this didn’t turn into the sketch of the night, because the writing here was terrific; such a funny slow build. The understated performances by Bargatze and Michael Longfellow in particular-- who wrote it --helped really make this one sing. I think it just stretched out a little bit too long; perhaps it would have been better utilized in the 10-to-1 slot?

"Monologue": 7/10

I always say comedians often make for the best monologuers, given their comfort in a standup setting. Nate Bargatze marked his return to the SNL stage with another solid entry; it took a little while to get going and ended sloppily, but everything in between was great stuff, a healthy dose of the Southern comedian’s token hilarious, everyman style.

“Mile High Burger Challenge": 6.5/10

The concept behind this was silly enough, but the full commitment and brilliant physical comedy from Heidi Gardner set this one off. I never really know how to rate a sketch that owes the bulk of its laughs to the cast/host breaking, but I will just say this was a ton of fun, and it was particularly entertaining to watch the usually unflappable Mikey Day struggle to keep it together. 

“Coach Alan": 6/10

Love a nice silly 10-to-1, and this was fun, but didn’t really develop into anything other than a joke about an assistant coach focused on everyday logistics while a head coach is trying to rally his team in the middle of a game. It’s a legitimately funny joke, but not so funny that it warranted being the entirety of a sketch. Still, when this is your weakest sketch of the night, you’re doing something right.

Musical Performances

Coldplay: 5.5/10

I think everyone has that artist or band that they just can’t quit? I have a few, but Coldplay is foremost among them. I've loved them as far back as I can remember; they were both the first concert I ever went to, and the first band I ever saw in concert for a second time. I stuck up for them well after it was cool, and maintained that all their discography was good-to-great up through 2019. Then, unfortunately, came their absolute dud Music Of The Spheres in 2021-- sure, it launched a very successful two-year worldwide stadium tour, but it also was just a bad album --and suddenly not even I could speak up for them any more.

I haven’t yet listened to this newest album, just released on Friday, but based on the clips I've heard and Coldplay's two performances in this episode, I worry it may be more of the same. The group's first performance, of “All My Love,” saw a very earnest but very pitchy Chris Martin sitting on a stool belting in flat tones a toothless ballad that seems to be a pretty clear play to unseat Ed Sheeran’s chokehold on the 'overplayed wedding song.' The second performance, of “We Pray,” was at times more vapid lyrical nonsense, but at least the energy was way up in this one, buoyed by the vocal performances of featured singers Tini and Elyanna. Much as I have loved and always will love Coldplay, I'd be committing journalistic fraud if I acted like their set was anything but "meh," and a drag on an otherwise great night.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.27 ('Comedy Only' score: 7.45)