SNL Scorecard: Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
When the promos for this week’s Saturday Night Live featured Ryan Gosling triumphantly riding around Studio 8H in a “Five-Timers Club” jacket, I wasn’t even prepared for the comedic reveal that this was not, in fact, his 5th time hosting. I was initially surprised, sure, but not only has Gosling been an A-list celeb for the better part of 20 years now, he has quickly become an all-time adored SNL host. Even in just 3 prior stints, he’s shown an impressive level of chemistry with both writers and cast members alike, be it his ability to fully commit to dramatic roles in pre-tapes, or his complete inability to keep it together in live sketches.
Needless to say, between the level of adoration Gosling already commanded from fans, and the track record of each his previous three episodes, the anticipation and energy levels for this episode were high— cast and studio audience alike felt fired up for this one from the start. I don’t think it’s too harsh to say Season 51 of this show has been middling at best; episodes have rarely been flat-out bad, but also rarely truly memorable, and with so many new names among the cast and writers’ room, the disconnect between the performers and the writers has usually been the culprit. In that regard, even an episode as seemingly fail-proof as this one wasn’t totally immune to the Season 51 sickness; the writing was far from brilliant on the whole, and the sketch quality was certainly uneven. That said, this was one of the zaniest and most unhinged episodes I can recall in quite some time, with everyone from Gosling to each of the various cast members more than happy to lean into the absurd. That fact + the host’s usual cut-ups + the audience’s general willingness to enjoy the ride equalled a very delightful comedy cocktail.
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 13th episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
"Wedding Tradition": 8.5/10
This is what I’m talking about. If the first post-monologue sketch sets the tone for the rest of the night, then boy, we all should have known for what kind of episode we were in for. This was pure unhinged chaos, with Gosling actually holding it together an impressively long time before his inevitable cracking. Not the most clever premise, perhaps, but what started slowly ended in me literally crying laughing, which I can’t say of many sketches this year.
The Good
“Monologue": 9/10
This would have been hysterical regardless, but it especially felt so delightfully fresh in a season full of hastily thrown-together and forgettable monologues. In fairness, last week’s from Connor Storrie was also great, and in fairness, just like that one, this got a big boos too energy from a walk-on guest. But Harry Styles (next week’s host!) played his part perfectly, and Gosling was just so, so funny as the affable star whose pride is wounded. If a monologue counted as a sketch, this would already be in the running for "Best of 2026.”
“Monty McTreats & The Pastry Bakery": 7.5/10
It’s funny, I was watching this episode with my sister Catherine and earlier in the day we literally had a conversation about how great the “Farewell Mr. Bunting” sketch is, and how a few sketches in the decade since have tried to reheat its nachos but haven’t really succeeded. This felt tonally similar, but certainly in a different enough context to still appreciate it for its own thing. I was cracking up at the various sad fates of the little doedeedees. We love a dark misdirect.
“Passing Notes": 7.5/10
Normally I’d be opposed to this whole premise, as more than one jaded and outraged fan of the show on Twitter has proven to be. I understand their frustration: it does feel a little cheap to not even bother writing real punchlines. But I can’t help but feel this was done specifically because of who the host is and what his reputation AS host is, and in that regard, I actually think it was very clever to pre-empt Gosling’s constant breaking with a deliberate plan to do so. Plus, bonus points for making Ashley Padilla, usually one of the more rock-solid cast members, break uncontrollably.
"Lies": 7/10
Martin!!! I will never complain about an episode-closer from the mixed-up brain of Martin Herlihy. I think it’s probably safe to say his humor was the weirdest of the original Please Don’t Destroy trio, and this had him getting in his weirdo bag again, which I found delightful. His original pre-tape from early in the season is still the standard for him in the post-PDD era, but this was another great, quick-hitting entry.
"Weekend Update": 7/10
For the second straight week, a fairly subpar set of jokes from Jost and Che, who might just be running out of steam a little bit? That said, the back-to-back Timothée Chalamet and Heated Rivalry quips were great. It was a short Update with only one walk-on, but it was great: the unfiltered “SNL pastor” felt like a vintage Kenan bit, and James was so funny with just a few lines as his sidekick. Coupled with the strong last several punchlines from the co-anchors, this segment ended on a high at least.
"Otezla": 6.5/10
The audience wasn’t biting on this at all, which I have to say affected my enjoyment a little bit, especially as it played immediately after the high of the “Wedding Guest” sketch. But I actually thought this was some of the most clever writing of the night; certainly one of the more original mock ads we’ve gotten in quite some time.
“Hegseth Iran Presser Cold Open": 6.5/10
As I said just last week, Jost as Pete Hegseth is always funny but I hope they don’t overuse him in that role. Well, here he is back again in the Cold Open for the second consecutive week. The good news is, he once again crushed it; as my sister remarked, it’s fun to see him in a role besides the Update desk and be reminded that he genuinely is funny. This was far from the most memorable Cold Open, but it was high-energy and often clever, and it’s good to see that such a sketch is possible without needing to rely on James Austin Johnson’s Trump.
“The Goo Goo Man": 6/10
I often declare my love of good 10-to-1 sketches, but I will say, the byproduct of an already bonkers episode is that there’s less of a chance the closing sketches will be the bizarro change-of-pace they so often are. That said, this certainly tried to outdo all that came before it in weirdness. Most of it felt like a miss, to be honest, but it ended with a pretty incredible three-peat of punchlines after Kenan showed up, which almost made the whole thing worth it.
“Cyclops": 5/10
This ended up fairly enjoyable, but really was just dumb. Shockingly dumb, in fact, given how early in the show it aired. There are already-funny sketches that lead to breaking, which makes it even funnier, and there are sketches where the breaking is the only good part; this was the latter.
Musical Performances
Gorillaz (feat. Del the Funky Homosapien, Asha Puthli, Anoushka Shankar, and Black Thought): 7.5/10
As if there wasn’t enough hype around the show to begin with, the music guest was one of the most beloved indie fits from the 2000s! What a night to be a millennial! Gorillaz are, of course, still making music, and good music at that. Their 2023 album crashed my Top 10 of the year, and while I have not listened to new album The Mountain yet, early reviews are quite good, so I was excited to see what Damon Albarn and co. had in store for us in their SNL debut; I genuinely wasn’t sure if they'd perform in person, or if the whole thing would be played over video of the cartoon characters that comprise the band.
It turned out to be the former, unsurprisingly, but what WAS a surprise was the fact that they opened with their original smash hit “Clint Eastwood”! I couldn’t believe it. Not only was it a moment, the performance was absolutely electric, complete with the Del the Funky Homospaien feature. The second performance on the night was in fact from the new album, as Asha Puthli and Anoushka Shankar joined the band for a the song “The Moon Cave.” This one was truly insane— and truth be told, mostly not in the most pleasant way, at least until Black Thought, one of my favorite voices in hip-hop, showed up and crushed. But hey, in keeping with the theme of the night, if it’s not going to be great, at least unleash gorgeous chaos!
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