Guest Host: Larry David, Miley Cyrus Musical Guest
Last time Larry David hosted SNL, it was in the midst of the 2016 election and David’s Bernie Sanders impression was the talk of the town. Now, barely more than a year later, Bernie Sanders is a small spec in the distance, on a road that society opted to travel upon. Before, David hosting SNL felt like a natural decision that was eagerly anticipated, now David doesn’t quite feel as natural a host. Sure, he’s a tremendous talent and people had high hopes, but why now? What does a (mostly) Bernie-less Larry David bring to SNL in 2017?
The answer is, not that much. It’s not that David isn’t a great comedian that lacks talent, it’s just that, for whatever reason, more sketches miss than hit. In fact, most sketches miss. Weekend Update is strong as usual, but there are really only three sketches that are worth watching. I will list them below, with a brief
Sketches Worth Watching:
1. Paul Manafort’s House Cold Open
I’ve heard complaints lately that the Alec Baldwin Trump impression cold opens have gotten stale. Well, I think this one really shook things up. The whole sketch was incredibly silly, random, and went all over the place (in a good way). SNL brought the zaniness and it paid off this week in this sketch.
2. Career Retrospective
SNL‘s role in culture is to take thoughts that people feel and reflect them on screen. It doesn’t always do a good job of educating people on issue, but it does a really good job of making people not feel so alone by reflecting their feelings back at them. Out of all the sketches this evening, Career Retrospective does this job the best. The person I was watching it with kept saying “That’s what I was saying to someone the other day!”
3. Beers
The experience of watching beers is sublime. This sketch takes place within the cheesiest decades old sitcom in the midst of a special episode about a family member’s drinking problem. The whole thing plays out like a silly fever dream.
