Amy Schumer is one of the best stand-ups of her generation, as well as a truly fearless and funny sketch comedy writer. Inside Amy Schumer, which despite being a sketch comedy show is wildly different in form than of Saturday Night Live, is without a doubt one of the best examples of biting comedy writing right now on TV. Just watch her brilliant 12 Angry Men parody. But Schumer can often be outrageous and controversial, two traits not often associated with SNL. Will Schumer bring some of her trademark social commentary to SNL or will SNL force Schumer into it’s time trusted form. Let’s see.
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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Fox & Friends Cold Open: * * * ½
Fox & Friends sketches are an always reliable, if not remarkable, SNL standby that’s really grown on me. Sure, it’s not the funniest thing SNL does with politics nor the most biting, but it’s always a guarantee of a few laughs, especially when concerning Moynihan’s manchild of a Brian Kilmeade. Buoyed by an impressively energetic and over-the-top performance by McKinnon and a really freaking funny corrections list (“iPads are not just for women” and “Jewish people do exist” are two standouts, although every one is worth a read), this iteration is a fine, if forgettable, iteration.
Opening Monologue: * * * * ½
I always feel funny grading monologues that are solely the hosts’ stand-up. I love Schumer’s stand-up and I loved this hilarious set. From pop culture (“She doesn’t have a Malala poster”) to her baby niece (“we have the exact same body”), Schumer delivered some of her trademark smart, witty and button-pushing comedy.
Flight Attendant Accident: * * * ½
Glancing at Twitter, I saw someone connect this sketch with Big Joe from the Anna Kendrick episode. While the two sketches are very differently, they are what I like to call Good Stupid. I mean, on paper a sketch where a flight attendant falls out of a plane is painfully stupid, but its total commitment from Schumer, Bayer and Killam made me laugh multiple times. But Good Stupid isn’t an insult. One of my favorite sketches from last year, the Space Chicken one, was capital G Good Stupid. Yes, this felt like it went on a bit too long but it was far more successful than it had any right to be.
Hot For Teacher: * * * *
In what is basically a live version of a Kyle Mooney pretaped skit (and a very good version at that), Schumer’s hypersexual teacher keeps trying to put the moves on Mooney’s student only to be interrupted by Bryant as another cheery and unknowing student. It’s a funny premise but what really makes this work is the stilted way Schumer reads her lines, the awkward detached moans from Mooney, the grainy, VHS quality of the camerawork.
Guns: * * * *
I’ve been waiting to see if SNL would tackle the gun control issue. I’m glad they did and that they choose to tackle it in an original way. Although it was a daring idea, at least for SNL standard, I wish they had pushed it even further. But as it stands, it marks the first real stance the show has ever taken on this subject and that’s worth a lot.
Weekend Update: * * * * ½
“I know the fore fathers said we have a right to own a gun but they also said you could own people” (and subsequent cut to Jost) is perhaps the smartest and most profound joke I’ve heard on Update in a long time. Just based on the Jost/Che interactions and jokes, it was a killer updates – clearly the best one in a long, long time. Che and Jost’s chemistry were on point and the continuing theme of gun control was pushed to the perfect degree. Yes, friends, this is the kind of biting political satire we’re used to on shows on This Week Tonight and Colbert but not so much on SNL. That all being said, this was a tale of two Updates. When it was Jost/Che, Update was on fire. But Pharaoh’s new character Solomon brought the segment to a screeching halt.
Abraham Lincoln Tour: * * * ½
Yeah, I’m not sure about this one. One of the hazards of writing reviews so immediately after viewing is that it sometimes takes a few moments for a sketch to fully sink in. I mean, I laughed at Schumer’s Mrs. Lincoln. But I’m not sure it fully went anywhere either. Perhaps I’m wrong, let me know in the comments.
Hands Free Selfie Stick: * * *
Remember how, in the flight attendant sketch, I talked about Good Stupid? Well, I can’t figure out if this is Good Stupid or just Stupid Stupid. I’m leaning toward Stupid Stupid, but this is the kind of sketch that might really make me laugh when I rewatch this episode in a few days. So, jury’s out.
Citizen’s Forum: * * * ½
Wow, this episode is really going for it. I really wish SNL had built a sketch around Schumer’s six-year-old Amy. Amy was hilarious and a great way to skewer right-wing politics (it also felt the most Inside Amy Schumer thing all night). The sketch really came to life with her onscreen, but the other citizens lacked the punch of six-year-old Amy. She had so much to say, they had so little. It’s a shame.
Baby Shower: * * ½
I could see this working on Inside Amy Schumer. Perhaps as a pretaped sketch, with editing and music, it could have reached the kind of manic energy needed to really make a sketch like this work. But as is, the Baby Shower sketch felt too toothless and obnoxious. Maybe it needed to be pushed to a crazier conclusion or perhaps this one-joke sketch (and a predictable joke at that) just couldn’t support a full-length sketch.
Best Sketch:
Worst Sketch: Baby Shower.
Musical Guest: The Weeknd
The Weeknd sounds like an R&B star and looks like a character on Doug. He’s not my cup of tea, but I get it. I totally get it.
Overall Thoughts:
I had high hopes for this episode and, while it didn’t have any real stinkers, it didn’t have any amazing sketches either. But while there wasn’t a truly memorably stand-alone skit, this episode marks the first time SNL tackled the volatile issue of gun control and did so with an usually strong attack. So that’s a real good sign for the upcoming season.
Next Week We Got:
Tracy Morgan & Demi Lovato