We’re in the final weeks of 2022, and during 30 Rock the creatures were stirring because Steve Martin and Martin Short were in the building guest-hosting Saturday Night Live as a duo! It’s an early Christmas miracle!
What’s the deal for them SNL Cold open for last night (12/10/22)?
Did the live studio audience applaud so wildly because they love Bowen Yang, Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson so much, or simply because they realized this week’s episode wasn’t going to start with a tired, topical political talking point, here’s to the none of the viewers paid attention? in this week? We may never know. What we do know is that it’s almost Christmas, which means we can block out any concerns we have about ourselves or the news and postpone anything to dealing with it again in January. Right? Maybe you can sing it!
How did she SNL Innkeepers Steve Martin and Martin Short Do?
Two by Lorne Michaels Three amigos, Steve Martin and Martin Short were stalwarts for Lorne and SNL, although Martin has outperformed Short by a mile in guest appearances (16 to 3). As a comedy duo, they’ve become even better friends in recent years, not only through touring and releasing a Netflix special together, but also through performing together Only murders in the building. Their chemistry allows them to stage and demote each other for comic effect, and at times they both even humiliate each other, like when Short explained in the monologue that they’re something like estranged British royals Harry and Meghan : “Nobody’s stuck for us, but you still tune in to watch.”
Of course, many of us still cheer for these guys. Even if they are old enough now to be grandparents to some of the current cast members. That comes in handy for a recurring PBS Science for Kids show sketch, this time starring our hosts as Dr. Science and Mr. Science, who are increasingly frustrated by their young volunteer students’ lack of curiosity (Cecily Strong, Mikey Day).
They play minor roles in a new Please Do Not Destroy video, in which another Martin (Herlihy) is constantly amazed at how easily people come into the frame.
But neither this norThe holiday train” sketch (which brings Cecily Steve/Martin/Short together in a silly but cute tale about a dream to see snow in Buffalo) reach the same comedic heights as they did when the writers let our hosts play faster and looser when they were doing it at a live Santa Sketch mall, as well as a pre-recorded parody of “A Christmas Carol”.
They even give Short’s Elf two different names, Sprinkles and Pringles, and at several points in the sketch it feels like it might get off the rails in a classic Carol Burnett Show way. As if Marty Short’s Elf were a nod to the late Tim Conway’s village.
Then things go to hell for Martin’s Scrooge on Christmas morning, as tossing coins out of his bedroom window quickly becomes deadly weapons, blinding the poor orphan (Sarah Sherman) and even worse some of the other townsfolk.
Short also starred in a late skit as a TV talk show host. minky Carmichael, who told women how to treat their men (complete with an Arsenio-esque set) in 1992, only to come out to the audience from one of his previous dates (Cecily).
But they really did save the best surprises for last for this episode.
How relevant was musical guest Brandi Carlile?
Brandi Carlile returned for her second appearance on the show with her latest album, In These Silent Days, which won seven Grammys. And yet her first song went back catalog! The Story harks back to her 2007 album, and you might recognize it if you’re an avid viewer Grey’s anatomy. Carlile performed a newer track (with Joni Mitchell influences) for her second song, You and Me on the Rock.
Which sketch will we share: “Father of the Bride Part 8”
Usually the last sketch of the night is reserved for the weirdest ideas, but the weirdest thing about this week’s finale was how loaded it was with instant nostalgia and stunt casting! Obviously it’s easy to parody father of the bride when you already have the titular father and wedding planner from the 1991 film on board for Part 8, who finds the daughter (Heidi Gardner) three decades and seven divorces later in hopes that her father will be there for another mega-wedding ceremony jumps . Chloe Fineman gets to show off her Diane Keaton impersonation. And Steve Higgins, in voiceover, rationalizes Marty Short’s sustained nonsensical accent as Franck the wedding planner. Sure, we’d seen Selena Gomez cameo earlier during the monologue, but it was still a nice touch that she played herself as a potential wedding singer. And then who shows up if not Kieran Culkin, who played son Matty in the 1991 film!
Who stopped in the weekend update?
Two visits this week. None seemed to be asking to become recurring bits.
First up, holiday buyer Mary Anne Louise Fischer (Ego) has tips on getting through the season. Wear a neck brace. Go to JCPenney when your blood sugar is low. And being black helps. Why?! Because a white woman would go viral if she tried to follow any of these suggestions.
Then Kurt and Deb (Mikey and Chloe) arrived as a married couple from Wyoming and offered tips on keeping the romantic flame hot. Sometimes you sit around throwing imitations back and forth and realize that it would be funny if someone got horny just hearing them, right? That’s essentially the pitch here, with Chloe taking Drew Barrymore, Anna Delvey, Meryl Streep and just to push Colin Jost, Scarlett Johansson; Mikey’s voices were more cartoonish, literally: Stewie out family GuyMr Burns out The simpsonsand Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.
Which sketch filled the 10-to-1 slot?
The skit “Father of the Bride, Part 8” aired at 12:54 p.m. Eastern Time. See above why it is so divisible.
Who was the MVP of the episode?
Pretty difficult to name anyone in the cast as MVP when Steve Martin and Martin Short are right there, deservedly dominating the spotlight. But there is a reason Cecile Strong keeps coming back to SNL, and it’s not because she’s waiting for those Verizon Wireless exams to be deleted. No, it’s because maybe only she in this current lineup has the chops and chutzpah to carry the frame.
Next week Austin Butler is keen to play Elvis on the big screen and Lizzo is announced as the replacement for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. As the band themselves explained overnight:
Sean L. McCarthy edits the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The comic of the comic; before that for real newspapers. Based in NYC but travels everywhere for news: ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes featuring comedians revealing origin stories: Comic’s comic presents last things first.
