'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Comedienne's Second TV Show Canceled This Year
Saturday Night Live: Ben Affleck/David Cook - VIDEOS
by Annie Wu, posted Nov 2nd 2008 12:00PM
(S34E07) Although I have fond memories of Mango and Ben Who-fleck working Saturday Night Live together back in the day, I was pretty disappointed by this episode. I think someone told Ben Affleck that he's pretty all right on SNL and it got to his head, because he was trying way, way too hard. It was almost to the point where it was unbearably awkward. If not for Senator John McCain's appearances, this episode would have been wholly unremarkable. I mean, apart from its super-weakness.
I absolutely loved the fact that John McCain made jokes instead of just sitting around and taking them, like Sarah Palin during her appearance a few weeks ago, to show that he's a good sport. McCain generally does a pretty solid job when he's on SNL, and this was no exception. I was equally amused by the fleeting looks of discomfort on Tina Fey's face, doing this sketch with McCain. Maybe that's why they didn't have her actually speak directly to Governor Palin when she was on: she could have exploded. Also, it's a shame that no one from Barack Obama's team did a follow-up to his Halloween party appearance form last year, since McCain's gang has gotten a relatively hefty chunk of SNL time. Even Cindy McCain was there! I should also note that she is weirdly hot, in a plastic, Stepford-y way. There, I've said it.
"The View": This was excruciating. I was excited about an Alec Baldwin impression, but that kind of fell on its face. This sketch was just five people sitting around a table and doing barely decent, one-note impressions with no story to go along with it. That inevitably results in a disinterested audience. Doubly so, because it's The View.
"Countdown": Affleck's impression wasn't quite there, and I could barely understand him through the first few minutes. Only the last bit of this was funny, when he started spinning around and talking about living with his mother.
"Weekend Update": I know there have been only three Update teams, but it's super-weird now to see only one person behind that desk. Seth Meyers looks so lonely back there! Maybe it's because he doesn't have a distinct Update character, with or without Amy Poehler. Thinking back, all the pre-Tina Fey/Jimmy Fallon anchors had a quirky personality that they brought to the desk (Colin Quinn was rough around the edges, Norm MacDonald was extra-awkward, Kevin Nealon was subliminal and dry, etc). Maybe it's time to crank that up, Mr. Meyers.
Anyway, yet another solid performance by McCain.
"Grady Wilson's Put The Fire Back": I like to think that Kenan Thompson filmed this on his own, someone accidentally found it, and then he had to play it off like it was a sketch idea.
"Time Square Coat": This was one of the funnier sketches from the night. That should sum up how sad this episode was.
Where is that Staten Island Zoo video? I love those seizure-inducing things. I've never been so thrilled to see sloths and giraffes in my life.
27 Comments