Saturday Night Live: Bill Hader (Host), Arcade Fire (Musical Guest), John Mulaney and John Goodman (cameos)
Written by Melissa Jouben & Mark Henely
The Host – Bill Hader
Melissa: It’s simply the best when you get a host like Bill Hader. Not every former cast member makes a good host, but not only does he fall back into the groove seamlessly, but he gets to do things that no other kind of host would probably ever think to do. The sketch where he plays an old man in an electric wheelchair comes to mind as a perfect example. The cast get to have just as much fun as he does because they know that the captain for the week is one of them, and my god did it seem like he was having fun. I mean, he broke in just about every sketch.
Seeing old characters like The Californians and Stefon didn’t feel cheap or pandering, and John Mulaney actually stepping in front of the screen to interact with Stefon (albeit only briefly) is the kind of thing you’ll only get to see on an episode hosted by Bill Hader.
The monologue was absolutely genius – Hader acknowledges that the host can make the monologue as short as they want, and so he does a quick change and jumps immediately into a Californians sketch – and something I really think only a former cast member would dream up. I had so much fun watching him and the cast that I actually forgot that I didn’t entirely “love” a single sketch, but I enjoyed watching them thoroughly. It was an efficient, funny, and spirited performance from top to bottom that I’d consider the season’s best episode since Chance the Rapper hosted ten episodes ago.
Mark: I only started watching SNL towards the end of Bill Hader’s run and, at that time, only followed the show casually. At that point, most of his classic characters and sketches were long established parts of the show. I never got to see their initial sketches or incarnations. So, while watching sketches like the Californians and Stefon, I felt like I was at a party where everyone was telling inside jokes I didn’t quite get. I can see how this could be a favorite for a longtime fan, but I think this episode might be impenetrable for new viewers.
Melissa’s Highlight – Stefon
Melissa: I guess you could say that the highlight of the night was Stefon, and it’s truly the water cooler moment of the episode. It’s a typical Stefon set up with a little more absurdity than usual thrown into the script – which feels a bit longer than usual. The inclusion of his lawyer (who is also a “conceptual piss artist”) named Shy, played by John Mulaney (Stefon’s co-creator and the author of just about every one of those whacky words Stefon utters) was way more thrilling to see than I’m proud to admit. This one got me good, in that way I like to think I’m too jaded about SNL these days to fall for.
Mark’s Highlight – Undercover Office Potty
Mark: This sketch is a commercial for a lamp you can shit in at your desk at work. You know, to save time! All I can really say about this sketch is that I legit laughed out loud while watching it (and re-watching it). You don’t want to miss this one.
Worst Sketch – Sacred Rock
Melissa: It just didn’t capture my attention enough to fully understand what was going on. Bill Hader’s character tells a couple interested in camping and hiking a story about getting abducted by aliens. The story is sexual and makes it very clear that the aliens are attracted to men, which is a point that comes up a little later when the couple bicker because the woman feels like her boyfriend implied the aliens wouldn’t want to abduct her because she’s ugly. It may be better on a rewatch, but for now I’m sticking to my guns about this being the low point of the episode. Know that there was yet another lukewarm take on the #metoo movement that I’m choosing to overlook to place this in the bottom. That’s how much I feel like this sketch isn’t very important.
Mark: This sketch leaned heavily on Bill Hader’s ability to do a funny voice.
I also think it was a tone deaf move for a mainstream show like SNL (that also aims to be a leading political voice) to do a joke that consists of a woman being mad at her husband for not thinking that she would be pretty enough for aliens to sexually assault her.
Musical Guest – Arcade Fire
Melissa: I feel like Arcade Fire is the kind of band where if you like them, you’ll be like “good performance.” If you don’t care for them, this isn’t going to win you over or make you feel differently. Also, the beginning of their second song was cut off for some reason. They also appeared in a sketch, which if I’m not mistaken, makes the second time they’ve been the musical guest and were also used in a sketch. I personally enjoyed it.
Mark: This was the segment where old nerds put on costumes that they seemed vaguely embarrassed to wear.
