'Saturday Night Live' Recap - Ariana Grande

Here we are with another recap of Saturday Night Live.

After last week’s dull and not so funny episode, we’re turning over a new leaf with host and musical guest Ariana Grande. While I’m not sure how Grande will fare, she has the potential pedigree of a great host. We know Grande is a good pop singer who also has acting experience on a Nickelodeon show. Even before that, she appeared on Broadway in 13. If you doubt her singing talents, just listen to her belt a few songs by 13 composer Jason Robert Brown. But then again a scripted TV series and concerts are a different beast than Saturday Night Live. But my hopes are high.

Like I always do, I’ll be writing the recaps “live,” meaning I’ll watch a sketch and immediately write a short blurb reviewing and recapping it. For each segment, I’ll rate it on a scale of 0-5 stars. At the end of the piece, I’ll share some quick overall thoughts and the best/worst sketch of the night.

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CNN America’s Choice 2016: * * * * ½

There were so many great things about this cold open: Trump’s line “What did I say? Not this one!” is perhaps the most cutting and funny political joke this season; Pharaoh’s Carson is just delightful, especially the way he pronounces “muffin;” and every one of Larry David’s/Bernie Sander’s jokes landed spectacularly well, especially that bit about college grads. I’m generally hard on political cold opens, especially CNN ones like this that can feel like a weekly recap rather than a fully formed sketch. This one is a bit scattershot in terms of form but in terms of execution it was fantastic – funny and smart. The best cold open of the season by far.

 

Opening Monologue: * * * *

This was a monologue that played right into Ariana Grande’s strengths. The song “What Will My Scandal Be?” was fun, matched Grande’s image nicely and she seemed excited to start the show off right. What was also great was Grande’s interaction with Kenan Thompson at the top. I still wonder what Kel is up to, too. This wasn’t a monologue that reinvented the wheel, but it was an entertaining, shiny wheel I can’t find too much fault with. Also, should I talk about the fact that Grande said “sh*t” on air? No, I don’t think I will.

 

A Message From Hillary Clinton: * * * ½

McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton is amusing. McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton doing a Bernie Sanders impression is even more amusing. That’s about all to this sketch – it was a simple, one-joke premise – but that one-joke was strong and the fake ad didn’t go on too long.

 

Kids’ Choice Awards: * * * * ½

This is the perfect example of a sketch that just kept getting better and better as it went along. What I originally thought was a lack of pacing turned into a great running joke and the sketch perfectly captured the awkward side of live TV. Grande proved great in her first sketch (A+ on the iCarly joke) and the Killam/Bayer combo is always a joy.

 

This Is Not A Feminist Song: * * * * ½

When we look back at this era of SNL one definite highlight will be the female-driven music videos like Twin Bed and Horny 2 You. While this one never quite got to that level of brilliance, it was a remarkably solid music video with a fun and tricky premise. I’m not sure it went as far as it needed to go but it was still well written and well performed. These are the pieces I wait for each week.

 

True Tales From The Sea: * * * * ½

I’ve talked before in these recaps about what I call Good Stupid. Space Chicken was Good Stupid, Big Joe was Good Stupid. This is top notch Good Stupid; it might even be Great Stupid. McKinnon’s wonderfully odd Shum takes an old form (the rule of three is alive and well) and flips it into something fresh and really funny.

 

Weekend Update: * * * *

There was a lot to like in tonight’s Update. Che and Jost have most definitely found their groove chemistry-wise and they both delivered some hysterical material. The guests on the other hand were just so-so. While I loved the Leslie Jones joke (continuity at the Updates Desk is always a plus for me), the Bachelor contestant was a bit too close to a number of other Cecily Strong characters. And even though I generally love Moynihan’s work, Riblit just isn’t my cup of tea. It had great energy behind it, but never quite came together.

 

Tidal Music Streaming: * * * * ½

Yes, this is just a direct repeat of the Bruno Mars Pandora sketch where Mars did a bunch of musical impressions. But while I’m not generally a fan of cut-and-paste sketches like this, it’s a pitch-perfect use of Grande’s talents. The impressions were all startlingly on point and, for a sketch without a lot of meat on its bones, I was never bored. I knew Grande had chops, but I must say she’s winning me over big time tonight.

 

Celebrity Family Feud: * * * ½

The good news is that this might be the best version of Celebrity Family Feud. The bad news is that that’s not saying much. Nothing more than an excuse for cast members to do impressions, this one also felt sluggish and thin. But boy, there were some great impressions. I never knew I needed Grande doing a JLaw impression in my life, but I do. McKinnon’s Tilda Swinton and Jon Rudnitsky’s Martin Scorsese were fantastic, too. Bet you forgot Rudnitsky’s a cast member. I did.

 

The Sound of Music: * * * ½

I love timeless sketches like this that, with only a few tweaks, could have been performed in the show’s premiere 1975 season. I must admit to laughing even before Grande’s mad Maria showed up, which either says something about my love for musical theater or the fact that I’m a bit giddy from such an amazing episode. This wasn’t tonight’s best sketch but it’s a very solid piece of sketch writing that Grande performed flawlessly.

 

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Best Sketch: There was some really, really strong material tonight and it’s harder than most nights to choose a clear winner. But the Tidal Music Streaming sketch was the perfect storm of host and material.

 

Worst Sketch: There wasn’t a truly bad sketch in the bunch, but Family Feud was the most flawed.

 

Musical Guest: Ariana Grande

While I’ve appreciated her talent, I’ve never been a huge fan of Grande’s music. It was all too poppy and Mariah Carey-lite for me. (I’m more of a Sara Bareilles/Ingrid Michaelson type when it comes to pop). But “Dangerous Woman” is a surprisingly great piece of pop songwriting, slinky with a strong pop-rock backbone. More importantly, Grande sounded fantastic and avoided the breathiness and mush-mouth pronunciation that has occasionally dogged her performances.

 

Overall Thoughts:

As bad as last week’s SNL was, this one was equally fantastic. Grande had a fantastic outing in her freshman hosting gig and the material matched her talents. While there was no five-star material that went above and beyond in the way Black Jeopardy did, there were no real misses either. When people complain about how bad SNL has gotten, this is the kind of episode you should point them to.