Michael B. Jordan’s star power saves a standard Saturday Night Live
SNL continues a trend of writing that does not match the talent of its hosts
TV Reviews Michael B. Jordan
On the cusp of his directorial debut for Creed III, Saturday Night Live welcomed Michael B. Jordan as a first-time host. Jordan stands as one of the most talented actors of his generation and a modern movie star that he channeled into sketch comedy success. Following last week with a comedic host like Aubrey Plaza might have been difficult for some, but Jordan handled the pressure with aplomb. From sketch to sketch, Jordan exuded ‘it’ factor even when it was clear that he was not working with the best material.
The best sketch of the night
Humor and fear go hand-in-hand in some of SNL’s best
sketches. This season’s “Horror Movie Trailer” about the upcoming Presidential
Election or the decade-old “Wes Anderson Horror Trailer” utilized horror
movie tropes for laughs. This week “Jake from State Farm” twisted the idea with a
commercial parody about the dark side of corporate spokespeople. It was a
hilarious take on the home invasion theme by having an insurance representative
become an external threat to the home. Jordan transformed from charming to
sinister with ease and Mikey Day captured the paranoia of a man fearful of
being replaced superbly. Rooted in psychological thrillers like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle or Poison Ivy, “Jake from State Farm,”
could become a recurring series or introduce more threatening spokespeople like
the Verizon Guy or Flo from Progressive.
The worst sketch of the night
“Towel Guys” was a sketch that suffers from purpose and
specificity. It could have aired tonight or 15 years ago. In addition to being unspecific,
it was unfocused and unstructured. The entire sketch rested on out-of-date references
and cultural confusion between the titular Towel Guys and American tourists at
a Dominican resort. Relying on language barriers and accents, the jokes were stale
from the start, and while the sketch employed multiple performers no one’s
presence felt essential. Jordan was wasted in the scene. It felt like a sketch
that had been floating around for weeks and normally cut for time. Tonight,
it made it on air, unfortunately.
Most unexpected chemistry of the night
Sometimes the chemistry between a cast member and a host shines through on SNL. While Heidi Gardner and Jordan paired well together and Punkie Johnson earned a few laughs touching Jordan, a fascinating and funny partnership developed between Jordan and Andrew Dismukes. The contrasts between the two created comedy. Their first pairing, “Men’s Confidence Seminar,” found Dismukes’ confidence intentionally undermined by Jordan. The sketch was wonderfully reversed in “Falling Down” which reversed the dynamic with Jordan rattled by constantly falling in Dismukes’ presence. The oddball pairing was further enhanced by both sketches’ commentary on masculine fragility.Best comedic direction of the night
Best comedic direction of the night
This week featured a strong string of jokes on “Weekend
Update.” A lot of its success stemmed from merging political commentary with
popular culture and vice versa. Comparing Trump’s potential return to Facebook
with Jurassic Park, connecting
Swifties protesting at Congress with their insurrectionist fathers, or crafting
a joke connecting TikTok with reproductive rights in the state of Texas, “Weekend
Update” demonstrated a path to relevancy for SNL again. Now, if they
could just adapt these political-pop culture moments into a sketch from time to
time.
MVP of the night: Michael B. Jordan
The MVP of the episode was the host once again. In what felt like a standard, even maybe subpar, episode Jordan stood out. He radiated charisma and commitment throughout the show. From the monologue until the end, he felt at ease as a first-time host. Prepared and professional, he took comedy seriously despite not having much of a background in humor. His monologue set the tone perfectly. He made talking in the third person charming and was equally sexy and self-deprecating. Jordan proved he is a movie star.
Stary observations:
- They need to deviate from press conference recreations as Cold Opens.
- The ostrich was impressive in “Jake from State Farm.”
- A lot of commercials again: State Farm, Southwest Airlines, and Toyota.
- It was funny that both Punkie Johnson’s appearances involved rubbing all over Michael B. Jordan.
- The camera coming into frame during “Party in Palm Springs” was a rare mistake on the technical side.
- It will be interesting to see who the union negotiations with the post production workers who passed an authorization for a potential strike. It would impact the work on pretapped segments, which SNL increasingly relies on and take an impressive amount of work to produce in a very limited amount of time.
91 Comments
The Limu ostrich?
It’s an emulation of the bird in question…
In an unexpected twist, this SNL really made me want to see Michael B Jordan as a horror movie villain. Like Killmonger was already an all-time great Marvel villain, but there’s another more unsettling performance there.
him being such a dork really made me want to see him and jon hamm as bumbling detectives.
see who the union negotiations with the post production workers who passed an authorization for a potential strike
That doesn’t seem grammatical. Perhaps missing a word?
pretapped segments
Pretaped.
Stary Observations
Observations they stare at.
It’s getting easier to recognize what posts are getting written with ChatGPT.
Is it, though?ETA: I see someone beat me to it as far as having the ChatGPT app write a reiview, but I used a different prompt and got a different result so I’ll leave it here.Saturday Night Live had a strong episode this week with host, [Name], who brought a unique energy to the show.The opening monologue was a hit, with [Name] delivering a mix of jokes and personal anecdotes that had the audience laughing and engaged. The monologue set the tone for the rest of the episode, which was filled with a variety of sketches that were both funny and well-written.One standout sketch of the night was “Sara’s Phone,” in which [Name] played a woman whose phone was constantly ringing with calls from different people in her life. The sketch was a clever commentary on the modern age of technology and the way it has changed our relationships with the people around us.Another sketch that had the audience in stitches was “The Bachelor,” a parody of the popular reality show. The sketch featured [Name] as the Bachelor, who was forced to navigate a series of ridiculous and over-the-top contestants. The comedic timing and performances in this sketch were spot-on and it was one of the highlights of the night.The musical guest of the night was [artist], who delivered a powerful and memorable performance. [artist]’s unique style and stage presence made for a memorable performance that left the audience wanting more.Stray observations:[Name]’s impressions were spot onThe “Weekend Update” segment was particularly funny this weekThe sketch “ [sketch name]” was a clever commentary on current eventsThe costume and set design were top-notch throughout the episode.
Haha, yeah, I had to parse that a coupe of times. I think what they intended was, “…see how the union negotiates with the post production workers….”
Yeah, I damn near had an epileptic fit parsing this sentence.
An easy fix (read: lazy) for nonsense like this is a Grammarly or Wordtune subscription.
Why does the info box list Don Pardo as “Self-Announcer?” Pardo’s been dead for almost a decade, and Hammond has been the full-time announcer ever since.
I’m pretty sure that the info box data is grabbed directly from IMDb, which often lists long-departed cast members from shows that have a lot of seasons under their belt near the top of the entry, rather than sorting into “current” and “former” as e.g. Wikipedia usually does. It’s one of the many ways the info box is useless.
Most weeks it lists Jimmy Fallon or Seth Myers as the weekend update anchor.
“A rare mistake on the technical side?” SNL has been plagued with technical issues in recent years. Missed camera cues, sound issues, cue card mistakes. The camera coming into view was not the least bit surprising.
I commented last week that this season has been riddled with technical errors, obvious ones. How is it that Trae is only seeing this one?
In the episode with Steve Martin and Martin Short, there was a scene where they cut back to the sketch before any of the actors had moved to their new marks. There was this long, awkward stretch where we watched the actors scramble to get into place and find their new cue cards.
This recent one was *so* intrusive that for a few seconds I almost thought it was going to be some weird new character entering, like maybe Death in a black robe. (It does seem that the camera is pointing at the wrong person more often than it used to — maybe I’m just noticing it more.)
People make mistakes
Can we stop with the old “good host / bad writing” saw? Jordan was fine. He was game, but he wasn’t great. That’s about all you want from a host, but to say he stabilized or anchored anything is not a useful or accurate piece of criticism.
Agree, and I think it’s review cheating to make the host the MVP.
Yeah as an MBJ fan I was actually kind of disappointed. He wasn’t bad but he didn’t elevate any sketches or show great comic chops or anything. He was best in the pre-tape, which is predictable. The only live sketch where he impressed me was the one where he interrupted the seminar for incels or whatever. The stripper one was a missed opportunity
I’m a big fan of Jordan. But even he couldn’t save last night’s dreary episode. Best sketch was “pretapped” – Jake from State Farm. Beyond that, it was all lousy.
Falling Down was hilarious to me. It’s such a specific piece of life that rang really authentic to me. Stop seeing me fall down!
I’m turning 40 this year so please forgive me if my opinion here makes me sounds like an old fogey, but is “Lil Baby” the worst name in rap history? Like, you get to choose any name you want and you go for…Lil Baby?
I genuinely think some of these names are a put-on, like “I’m so fucking talented and good that I can name myself anything…literally anything…and sell.” I mean, Eminem is an insanely bad name too. It’s his initials put together and it’s a goddamn candy. But eventually, you sell enough records and stick around long enough and…no one really bats an eye.
Lil Baby is talented?
But Lil Baby is in fact not talented.
I just realized after 20 plus years those were his initials lmao
Counterpoint: I think it’s kind of funny and awesome? Like, he could choose any rap name and he went for Lil Baby, the most unthreatening, un-hardcore, goofy name possible. Here for it.
even in rap, i dont think kids take themselves so seriously, now-no 80s or 90s rapper would pick that name.
That’s the context I’m missing. I’m thinking old-school rap mindset, and maybe that’s not how it is anymore.
This might blow your mind, then: there’s another, completely unrelated rapper right now named Da Baby.
And also simply “Baby” I think too right?
and he acts like an oversized baby
There’s worse. “Lil Xan” and “Yung Gravy” come to mind. There’s also “DaBaby”.
“ is “Lil Baby” the worst name in rap history?”Only because someone convinced 2 Chainz that he shouldn’t use the name Tity Boi.
I think Lil Baby is a lot funnier than any of the unpronounceable names from a couple few years ago like Tekashi 6ix9ine or that xxxtentacion fellow. At least Lil Baby has the irony where you have to consider that he might actually be hard enough to carry it. Like would you mess with a giant fat guy named Teacup?
I recently learned of a Yung Gravy.
That’s not like an actual rapper though. He’s a novelty act.
TIL
I’ve heard worse. DaBaby, 6ix9ine and Lil Uzi Vert come to mind.
All of those are better names than Lil Baby
am i missing something about lil uzi vert? it sounds pretty standard to me, is it a pun or something?
No, there’s not a pun.“Some guy was just like ‘you rap fast, man. Like a little machine gun’ and from that moment I was Lil Uzi,” says Vert about how he came up with his odd-sounding rap name. To this day, the anonymous friend that gave Uzi his moniker has no idea that he named him.https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/lil-uzi-vert-interview-philly-luv-is-rage-album-406786/
I truly do not see why that’s not as good as any rap name, everybody who has played a video game knows what an uzi sounds like—of course, it has the unfortunate “lil” attached to it. I am mystified by the “lil” craze, but I guess if your friends call you “Billy” and you try to insist on being a “William” you’ll get found out eventually.
Big Baby would be worse…
I agreed until I found out about Yung Gravy
I’m 50 but still follow hip-hop and I agree that Lil Baby is a terrible name. I also think he’s a pretty boring rapper but he’s huge right now
No, the worst is “Lil’ Limp Penis”.
Yes, it absolutely is the worst.Right next to “DaBaby” which is also a pretty terrible rap name.
The contrasts between the two created comedy.Now this is the kind of insightful observation I’m here for!
This entire review reads like it was generated by ChatGPT.
Hmm…Prompt: Write a mildly critical AV Club review of an SNL episode hosted by Michael B. Jordan.ChatGPT:“Saturday Night Live’s latest episode hosted by Michael B. Jordan had its moments, but ultimately fell short of expectations. While Jordan brought his A-game as always, showcasing his versatility as a performer, the writing and execution of some of the sketches left much to be desired.One of the strongest moments was the “Black Jeopardy” sketch, where Jordan’s character T’Challa from “Black Panther” was a contestant. The clever writing and Jordan’s spot-on performance made for a standout moment in the episode.However, several sketches felt rushed and underdeveloped, lacking the sharp wit and humor that SNL is known for. The writing also relied too heavily on celebrity impressions, which while well executed, felt uninspired and played it too safe.Jordan’s monologue was a bright spot, as he spoke candidly about the importance of representation in Hollywood and his journey to becoming a leading man. It was a heartfelt and empowering speech that had the studio audience on its feet.While this episode of SNL had its moments, it didn’t quite live up to the high bar set by previous episodes or the talent of its host. Fans of Michael B. Jordan will still want to tune in, but they may be left wanting more.”
This sounds like a better episode than the one we got (and a better review, quite frankly).
Bet y’all are missing Dennis Perkins, huh? I sure am.
“Black Jeopardy” with Jordan playing Killmonger would actually have been pretty cool.
At this point it’s a certainty that this site and others whose only content is the written word rely on AI to generate drafts. It’s much quicker to alter a prefab article enough to make it appear unique than use brain make pesky words self.
For real. Are we sure Trae DeLellis is human?
Honestly it reminds me of the bullshit I used to write in high school when my heart wasn’t in it and I just needed to fill a word count. But holy shit, even by those standards this is pretty bad.
For what the recappers are probably paid for these they’d be smart to have bots to them
Sort of like Peyton Manning and a gaggle of kids?
Michael B. Jordan is to acting what a great athlete is to sports. But, I just can’t think of one to compare him to.Oh, I know! Wayne Gretzky! Michael B. Jordan is the Wayne Gretzky of acting!
Waikiki Hockey is still one of my faves.
Wayne Gretzky is an actor though.
As a Chicagoan who now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, let me help you out. Michael B Jordan is clearly the Dudley Bradley of acting.
being a 65 year old who has seen a zillion SNL episodes since the inception…this might be one of the worst.
It was really bad. The only sketch that played well was the State Farm parody. The rest was cringe, bad humor. I’m sort of ashamed of Keenan for putting on that garbage accent and being a towel boy.
i’m a youthful 50 and I’ve seen tons of episodes and you’re exaggerrating. This was average
Where the Please Don’t Destroy boys at to save the day?
His blatant cue card reading during Weekend Update was brutal…..
Is it me, or did we get way too much Andrew Dismukes in this episode? Is he a writer or something?
Way too much. I felt like all the air went out of the room every time he was in a sketch.
Never too much Dismukes.
absolutely – and the skit where he talked about having sex with that dude’s wife…is Andre Dismukes having sex with anybody’s wife a believable construct?
This was one of the worst episodes in a very long time. The writing was poor and even though Michael B. Jordan was game, he was not a good fit for any of this. It was also pretty cringe when almost every single sketch focused on him being good looking or jacked and nothing else. No, he didn’t save this episode. I doubt very much anything could have.
“Towel Guys” seems to be making a desperate bid for “recurring character” status. What’s the over-under on how many of these it will take until Ellen DeGeneres makes a “surprise” cameo and the three do the Ellen dance.
I like them because it’s basically the resurrection of Kenan’s Big Papi
I found this episode light on humor, and I’m generally an easy grader on SNL. The Falling Down sketch had me in absolute stitches (“Stop seeing me fall down, Andrew Dismukes!!), but that was the only thing that got a big laugh out of me. The forehead sketch was closest. The rest was pretty meh. The cold open was only funny when Kenan walked in and was so much taller than Mikey Day. The towel guys didn’t make sense. The stripper sketch went too long. Jake from State Farm was a good idea and well-executed, but nothing that got a big guffaw (though the surprise twist of LiMu was gold indeed). Nothing great, and Jordan was just okay. I would have put Dismukes as the MVP, and frankly I think it’s cheating to put the host as MVP. The whole episode is meant to be written to the host’s strengths, so that’s an unfair advantage already.
They really leaned into the commercial parodies this week.
I’m really surprised that nobody is noting that the Towel Guys were the “LIAM NEESONS” sketch from Key & Peele and the Jake from State Farm sketch was “Unedited Footage of a Bear” but not as extreme. I loved the premise of the first Sarah Squirm sketch, but it didn’t really go anywhere.
The State Farm sketch was perfect – I actually thought it was the real “Jake” for a moment!